cooperation | Glowfic Constellation

"Sending a letter suggesting that they leave the interdimensional castle to place containers of blood at pickup points seems likely safe."

kaolinandbone

"Well, you're the one who's world is at risk, so if you feel it's safe then I won't argue, given how convenient for me it would be if it worked."

"It would probably be safer yet if the letter could be dropped somewhere that is not within the castle where they'd find it, if you can suggest such a place."

kaolinandbone

"Given the contents of the letter and the general attitude towards vampires on my world, I find it difficult to think of a place where I would be comfortable to place such a letter that was outside the castle. The number of people who know that I am a vampire, have friendly dispositions to me, and don't live in my castle can be counted on the fingers of one elbow."

She pauses.

"I don't have elbow-fingers, that's a figure of speech."

"Ah. Well, we'll do some research, but I don't know how much we'll turn up. I'll have the girls send you some writing materials so you can compose a letter."

kaolinandbone

"I'd be happy to talk to a few of your researchers about my castle, if they would like more details. In the meantime, I suppose I'll do some writing... A desk won't fit in here, but I can use the back of one of these encyclopedias, they're certainly thick enough."

"Of course. Anything else you need?"

kaolinandbone

"Nothing at the moment, thank you. We'll have to discuss possibilities for circle expansion or wanderings about at a later date... Oh, wait, sorry, is it possible for you to either get my teacup and this stain out of the circle, or send me some cleaning supplies?"

"Korulen's working on the diagram to remove things right now. She'll get rid of the teacup and stain when it's done."

kaolinandbone

Isabella nods. "Alright, in that case I have no further requests." She settles back into her chair and starts paging idly through the encyclopedia.

Keo teleports away.

A few degrees later the teacup and stain vanish, leaving the floor clean and dry.

kaolinandbone

Isabella is glad of this: she has little enough room without spilled tea taking up a quarter of it. Now then, time to continue her education on how this world -Elcenia, right- works. Let's see, what about spirits? Surely there's something on the local deities and how magic works. Hmm, probably the magical overview first: she's less concerned with local culture.

There are kinds and kinds. She has already read about lights; there are also sorcerers, slightly less common, manifesting likewise at an early age, and those are telekinetics. Mages have inborn potential per element and must activate it by going through element-related traumas which would kill a non-potential-mage; they come out very powerful. There are institutions that will do testing, painkillers, and near-death experiences tidily for a fee.

There are wizards. They do assorted spells, with gestures and words, through their channeling capacities. There are witches, who make potions. Merfolk have two unique kinds of magic, one which changes colors and one which manipulates energies like heat and light and current. Dragons have their own magic. Some of them have more of it. Keo has lots.

kaolinandbone

Keo is significant enough to have her own entry in an encyclopedia? How intriguing! Isabella looks at the page, then sighs. Well, she knows what to ask for next time Keo turns up: bookmarks. Rather than go on to read more about some specific kinds of magic or dog-ear the page, (shudder) she quickly skims Keo's entry.

Keo, as of the encyclopedia's publication, is the only living green-group unique dragon. This gives her more or less unlimited mental powers. Her predecessor died when she was a young (for a dragon) child.

kaolinandbone

That would tend to get you your own encyclopedia entry, yes. Isabella is even more grateful than before that her hosts seem to be decent people.

Now then, most of these sound like things that mages from her world might do in one way or another... Confusingly, the local mages are most like her world's shamans, at least from the top-level overview. She examines them in more detail.

There are fire, earth, air, and water mages. The procedure to almost die and become an air mage is the least unpleasant because you don't have to actually hit the ground when falling from your designated height. Mages have near absolute control over their element, to the point of ignoring some standard wards. Fire mages are a core part of most Elcenian firefighting arrangements. Air mages can fly. Water mages can breathe underwater. Earth mages can breathe underground.

kaolinandbone

... And it appears that all these various powers and abilities are inherent. Not only that, but the locals' blood tastes like water.

Isabella is starting to form the tentative hypothesis that spirits don't exist here. Let's see what the encyclopedia has to say on the subject.

The index is pretty hard to navigate, actually, because it's in alphabetical order in the local language and the translation spell doesn't rearrange it. What she finds seems to be sections on religion.

kaolinandbone

Well, that makes some sense. Many of the larger spirits on her world have religions and customs built around them. What can the local priests do?

They don't seem to have any listed powers beyond the ceremonial, whatever they are unrelatedly born with or trained at, and things that the encyclopedia does not seem to believe are real.

kaolinandbone

So either shamanism is very underground on this world or there are no spirits. Isabella makes a mental note to try walking through the door of a private residence without an invitation.

Actually, there's a thought. This building is probably owned by Keo, right? The room is her child's, at least, so by the regular rules...

Keo, mind telling me to leave the room I'm in? I promise the worst thing that's likely to happen as a result is I feel a bit uncomfortable.

You can't walk through the ward, Keo points out. What's this for?

kaolinandbone

I'm testing to see if thresholds exist on your world. If you revoke my status as a guest and they exist, I ought to feel that as the local spirits metaphysically 'weighing me down.'