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This was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea.
Holly runs as fast as she can but the demon's faster. She has no idea where Lightning's gotten to; maybe he found a tree to climb. She on the other hand has been diverted into a treeless hill and she's careening down a slope, trying very hard not to trip.
And the demon's gaining on her.
She's never seen anything like it and neither has Crystal; maybe Book knows what it is but Book's asleep. It's mostly mouth - it looks like a cross between a floorlength mirror of a mouth and a snake to propel the mouth along.
And Holly's not fast enough.
The mouth catches her.
But it doesn't hurt.
Where are we?
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inourhead
when_spoken_to
Oh, dear, she didn't mean to imply anything, what does she- ugh, hm. They did 'happy' and 'sad', right? Let's try explaining "want". This results in "sad" while making pathetic clutching-at arms at something, and then "happy" when picking it up. She goes back to the pathetic clutching-at motions. "Want," she explains.
"Holly want front, Emma good. Crystal want front, Emma good. Just, um. Holly front, say 'Holly here'? Crystal front, say 'Crystal here'? Emma know?"
"Holly want front, Emma good. Crystal want front, Emma good. Just, um. Holly front, say 'Holly here'? Crystal front, say 'Crystal here'? Emma know?"
inourhead
Crystal makes a vague, noncommittal gesture. "Emma say, 'Holly, Crystal' we say?" she suggests.
when_spoken_to
Good enough, she'll still know which one they are that way. "Yes, good," she agrees. She's not sure why she cares about knowing which is which- probably some politeness thing, if she had to guess, it seems rude not to know who she's talking to.
Eventually she realizes how late (early) it's getting. Her parents will be confused if she's not downstairs for breakfast, though she'll mostly be left to her studies. Which today is officially going to be "make sure the strange magic people learn Welchin (and don't do anything too crazy to the dinnerware again)". She justifies this to herself as kind of language studying.
"Now, Emma go, see mom, see dad, three eat, Emma come here," she explains. "Crystal want eat first?"
Eventually she realizes how late (early) it's getting. Her parents will be confused if she's not downstairs for breakfast, though she'll mostly be left to her studies. Which today is officially going to be "make sure the strange magic people learn Welchin (and don't do anything too crazy to the dinnerware again)". She justifies this to herself as kind of language studying.
"Now, Emma go, see mom, see dad, three eat, Emma come here," she explains. "Crystal want eat first?"
when_spoken_to
Well, then Emma will sneak her some food for the pantry. She doesn't bring her, because there are now people cooking breakfast and she doesn't know how to explain her, much less her complete lack of Welchin, but she returns reasonably promptly with a couple of stolen pastries.
inourhead
Yay, pastries. Om nom. She gives the mice a bit of one. It looks like most of the mice are dead, but there are a few alive. She picks up one of the dead mice and looks questioningly at Emma.
when_spoken_to
Emma attempts to suppress a panicked squirm. That is a dead rodent in her house. Ick. "Garden?" she suggests, and pantomimes digging, adding, "Bury?"
inourhead
Crystal nods, collects all the dead mice, closes the cage on the live ones, and follows Emma.
when_spoken_to
It's just barely sunrise, which Emma enjoys; both for aesthetic reasons and for her ability to see once outside. The garden's enclosed by a middling height stone wall; it's not large, but it's well laid out and tidily maintained. Deciding that if the dead mice (ick, ick, ick) need to be buried, they might as well be useful, Emma retrieves Crystal a spade and directs her towards the base of some rose bushes.
The roses, according to her mother, always need more fertilizer.
The roses, according to her mother, always need more fertilizer.
inourhead
Crystal buries the dead mice. She looks at the sun, frowning inscrutably, then shrugs and goes back inside.
when_spoken_to
Breakfast time. "Emma go, eat, come," she promises, offering a selection of children's books she dug out of the library they hadn't yet covered. "Crystal read?"
when_spoken_to
Emma makes an appearance at breakfast, smiles noncommittally when her mother makes pleased sounds about how well-rested and awake she looks, and lets her father ramble about business for most of the meal. She doesn't bring up their house guest. She's quite sure her parents would turn them into the palace, for one thing, and she's worried about what they'd do to Holly and Crystal.
(And as much as she wants her parents' advice, to get guidance like she always has- secretly, Emma doesn't want to give up her secret just yet. Teaching languages is fun! She's not ready to share just yet.)
Her tutor's not coming until the afternoon, so she gets permission to use the library to study until her lessons. Her parents look fondly proud at her initiative; Emma basks in the approval and decides not to explain. Her father leaves for meetings with his business partners, and her mother for some sort of charity event she's helping organize, and Emma has the house to herself again.
She trots back to find Crystal and Holly as promised. "Hi!" she says cheerfully when she's back. "Books good?"
(And as much as she wants her parents' advice, to get guidance like she always has- secretly, Emma doesn't want to give up her secret just yet. Teaching languages is fun! She's not ready to share just yet.)
Her tutor's not coming until the afternoon, so she gets permission to use the library to study until her lessons. Her parents look fondly proud at her initiative; Emma basks in the approval and decides not to explain. Her father leaves for meetings with his business partners, and her mother for some sort of charity event she's helping organize, and Emma has the house to herself again.
She trots back to find Crystal and Holly as promised. "Hi!" she says cheerfully when she's back. "Books good?"
inourhead
"Sun -" Holly flips through their notes. "Oh. One sun. Sun go up." Holly makes a confused gesture.
when_spoken_to
"Yesss..." Emma says, confused. "Sun go up, sun go down. One day."
Though she would have said people only came in ones, before yesterday, so who knows, really.
Though she would have said people only came in ones, before yesterday, so who knows, really.
inourhead
"Suns, suns suns, go across. Colors. Big suns little suns fast suns slow suns," says - is this Crystal now?
when_spoken_to
Emma will certainly not be able to tell! And it would not occur to her to ask mid-conversation. She shakes her head. "Welce, one sun," she says firmly. "Up, down, day. Nine day, um... nineday." That seems obvious, when said like that, but whatever, that's its name. "Eight nineday, quintile. Five quintile, year."
She does not need to explain changedays right now, that seems unnecessarily complicated.
She does not need to explain changedays right now, that seems unnecessarily complicated.
when_spoken_to
Emma names a country from the far side of the map. "They sun, Welce no sun." She draws a circle in the air, then jabs her finger to locate the two countries.
inourhead
"Sun go -" Crystal traces from Welce to the faraway country, then back across the same line.