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Akibel Mowar is on his way home from the blacksmith's when he spots it. People are shrieking and fleeing from it, which seems reasonable, as it's a fuckoff huge snake with a mirror for a face. A big mirror.
Kib can't so much flee. He can shriek - he can lurch in the direction of the nearest house and try the door - it's locked. He can amble briskly...
He can break into a run when the snake gains on him and fall flat on his face.
And he can get eaten up.
And it's too bright too bright too bright and he flings his arm over his eyes.
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secondchance
If you legitimately think I'm a rapist we should get that out of the way first then we can talk about everything else, Findekáno says.
I think you took a chance on it I wouldn't personally have taken.
If your sister is grown in eighteen years and marries in twenty-five are you going to go around menacing at her husband -
I'm not really sure. I don't think I have a good concept of 'grown in eighteen years'. Also you find it hard to manipulate people and I find it hard not to, that seems like a morally relevant difference.
I think you'll find Kib much harder to manipulate than you find me.
Really?
Oh, yes, definitely.
Did you seduce him for me?
I was partially motivated by exasperation at you and the conviction you two, if you'd get over yourself and ask him, would be really cute together. I considered saying to you 'I got you a present' for the look on your face but I would have had his leave.
I don't think he's interested in me.
Most people who are interested in you won't actually spend Years throwing themselves at you. You will definitely have to pursue him.
And if I - genuinely take Years, to get to the point where I feel like I understand someone well enough to trust them -
Then say that instead of 'eighteen', the 'eighteen' thing annoys him.
I think you took a chance on it I wouldn't personally have taken.
If your sister is grown in eighteen years and marries in twenty-five are you going to go around menacing at her husband -
I'm not really sure. I don't think I have a good concept of 'grown in eighteen years'. Also you find it hard to manipulate people and I find it hard not to, that seems like a morally relevant difference.
I think you'll find Kib much harder to manipulate than you find me.
Really?
Oh, yes, definitely.
Did you seduce him for me?
I was partially motivated by exasperation at you and the conviction you two, if you'd get over yourself and ask him, would be really cute together. I considered saying to you 'I got you a present' for the look on your face but I would have had his leave.
I don't think he's interested in me.
Most people who are interested in you won't actually spend Years throwing themselves at you. You will definitely have to pursue him.
And if I - genuinely take Years, to get to the point where I feel like I understand someone well enough to trust them -
Then say that instead of 'eighteen', the 'eighteen' thing annoys him.
adebarsteine
(reading a novel, reading a Harthanic textbook, etching an automaton, crowded on her puppet scooter rushing her sick co-prentice to the doctor)
They sleep in. It's a festival. In the morning they do not talk about Kib except Findekáno is curious if the back of Maitimo's neck is particularly kissable. It isn't. The way to get Maitimo to make soft pleased noises is to say 'someday we can go to Kib's world and you can have me in public and no one will care'.
Eventually they get up and leave separate ways.
Eventually they get up and leave separate ways.
"I can ask my father to send some," Maitimo says, "he might have taken a lot of them. The rest are in the palace libraries; want me to walk you there?"
secondchance
"It's pretty likely he took the ones that would have what I want but I might as well start with the palace collection," Kib says, "thanks."
"Just asked him to bring them on over," he says, and stands. "You'll like the libraries, they're a personal indulgence of my father's and they have a copy of every book written in our peoples' history."
secondchance
Walk walk. "That's really impressive, although I'm sure I'll appreciate it more practically when I'm literate in Quenya. I can't just inhale a language like you guys."
"Do let me know if there's anything you want translated and I will give it a try."
secondchance
"If I see a book with a very pretty cover or something I'll bear that in mind."
"I was thinking more 'I'd like to read a political history' or 'I'd like to read a science textbook' but that works as well."
"You gave us a whole bookstores' worth of books, I'm imagining you have enough reading material without us, but if there's anything you do want I could probably find it, yes."
secondchance
"Do you have anything that is actually intended for people new to the language - children, presumably, since I think you're short on immigrants?"
"Well, there are the reembodied. And we do have children's books."
secondchance
"Could use some of those. Once I have the hang of the alphabet learning the language will go faster."
"It's a very simple alphabet. I didn't appreciate it properly until I learned yours. Everything is spelled exactly as it sounds and there are sixteen phonemes in Quenya."
The library is indeed short on the golem-making books, but has picture books for children which are of course priceless illuminated works of art despite the intended audience. Maitimo takes a few of those. "Please do take care of them."
secondchance
"Will do. ...Are Elf children really careful with books? Do they just not learn to read until they are?"
"Very careful with books, yes. Even at three or so, which is when we'd learn to read, we'd know enough to treat them well."
secondchance
"Okay, Lári's probably not going to really have the hang of that until she's at least four or five in my years and some kids still can't really manage it when they're eight so maybe get her scratch paper first and see how she does with that."
"That is very good to know, thank you."