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Bella's not sure where she has wandered. She thought she was about to walk into a shop, but this appears to be an unattended bar. With none of the windows associated with the shop she thought she was entering. It could be an elaborate psychic assault of some kind, but it doesn't feel very... assault-y... and she was in the middle of a town and doesn't think any humans want to sic their 'mon on her. It's strange. She approaches the bar, looking around warily, hand hovering near her belt.
from_scratch
It's a big map on a very small scale. There are some countries and big cities marked legibly (though none of the words are in any language Shadow knows) and many more you'd need a magnifying glass to see. There are seas and big lakes and mountain ranges (the mountains look like they are just as inhabited as everything else) and forests. The map is about six feet square.
just-a-shadow
All together it's at least a recognizable picture of a landscape.
"Okay," he says. "Can you make it dark here?"
"Okay," he says. "Can you make it dark here?"
just-a-shadow
Shadow turns off the lights.
Then he makes it darker, until he is engulfed in a sphere of shadow in the middle of the room.
"Oh, that's weird..." he murmurs.
Then he makes it darker, until he is engulfed in a sphere of shadow in the middle of the room.
"Oh, that's weird..." he murmurs.
just-a-shadow
"Your shadow places are different," he says absently. "There's all this between, I'm not used to this much between... I found Fairyland."
from_scratch
"Awesome. The idea is to get very far away from the fairies so they aren't alarmed at your sudden appearance in downtown Elfame and inclined to slam you into walls or whatever."
just-a-shadow
"I wouldn't like it if they did that," Shadow murmurs. "Okay. Wow, Fairyland is big..."
from_scratch
"It's ostensibly infinite. And they can move pretty fast if they don't like their neighbors. So they sprawl a bit."
just-a-shadow
"I don't know how much a billion miles is," he says after about two minutes of looking, "but I found somewhere that's very, very far away, and pretty."
from_scratch
"Yea much is a foot," says Cam, holding his hands about a foot apart, "five thousand two hundred eighty feet is a mile. That map covers about 800 million square miles."
just-a-shadow
"I think I still don't know how much a billion miles is," Shadow says after a moment. "But... let's see... if you shone a bright light from that mountain at the north end of the map, it would take a little more than an hour to reach the south end of the map, and a little more than six to reach the place I found. So I guess I'm more than a billion miles away."
from_scratch
"Okay, light-hours as unit of distance, sounds like you found a good spot. Can you haul everybody there? I'm not sure if Kisonde's going with you but if the elementals have substantial lack of consensus over desirable habitats I haven't heard it."
just-a-shadow
"I think mostly we don't care very much where we go as long as it's not back. But probably we'd like Fairyland. I can bring everybody there, sure. The other Shadow might help. I'm... not sure I can shadewalk a Shine... maybe if they turn their halos down really low it'll work."
just-a-shadow
The ball of darkness unravels. Shadow walks out of it and comes back in the Milliways door.
"Do you have any advice on how to carry someone who glows through a place you can't get to if there's too much light where you are?"
"Do you have any advice on how to carry someone who glows through a place you can't get to if there's too much light where you are?"
just-a-shadow
"Maybe. It'd have to be a really big blanket. Do you have a blanket big enough to wrap up a Shine?"
"Why are we wrapping me in a blanket?" inquires Shine.
"Shadow walking."
"Oh, that makes sense," Shine says agreeably.
"Why are we wrapping me in a blanket?" inquires Shine.
"Shadow walking."
"Oh, that makes sense," Shine says agreeably.
from_scratch
"I can make arbitrary blankets. Or form-fitting bodysuits out of snazzy light-absorbing black fabric that looks kind of super creepy and scissors to get out of 'em with at your destination, if you like."
just-a-shadow
"I'd take a creepy bodysuit, that sounds fun," says Shine.
Shadow looks thoughtful.
"What is it?" says Earth.
"I... um... I'm wondering if you're done rescuing people or not," he murmurs shyly.
Shadow looks thoughtful.
"What is it?" says Earth.
"I... um... I'm wondering if you're done rescuing people or not," he murmurs shyly.