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Pen' was just going to go practice singing. (She likes singing. The words are all lined up for her already and she doesn't get them wrong.) But this doesn't look like the practice room. So it's probably the magic restaurant.
Pen knows about the magic restaurant! You can go in it, and get food or things to drink (she has bracelets!) and then you just go back out the door and it's been no time at all and you're right where you went in.
She goes in. She is going to have cake.
pen_is_wow
pen_is_wow
"Yes, but, Daddy like it anyway," shrugs Pen. "They mushy when she carry him. Kisses making funny colors."
beheld_beauty
"Once I have made any of you immortal, nobody in your whole world will ever be gone forever," says Rose. "It's just a difference of whether I have to fetch them specifically or if they torch."
Oooooooo, says Yvae. Okay. She looks up at her dad and grins. Yay!
Pyranir declares, Let's go now! C'mon, we can bring the bunnies back! They're adorable!
His mother laughs, softly. They haven't had any rabbit for dinner since Pyranir decided that they're adorable. He's still a little stuck on them.
Ilayse looks at Pen, then says sagely, Daddies are weird, aren't they? It's not just mine, then.
Pyranir declares, Let's go now! C'mon, we can bring the bunnies back! They're adorable!
His mother laughs, softly. They haven't had any rabbit for dinner since Pyranir decided that they're adorable. He's still a little stuck on them.
Ilayse looks at Pen, then says sagely, Daddies are weird, aren't they? It's not just mine, then.
beheld_beauty
"Don't go through the door to it until I've had Glass check to see if it's safe for us and Jane," advises Rose. "If it is, then you may."
I will stay out here, until I'm needed. I prefer to stay as a dragon, for as long as possible, says the dragonness.
Her mate nuzzles her, then - crumple crumple, and he's human again. Illusions must do something to actual size, as well as just looking human. I don't mind, obviously. What sorts of things are you checking for?
He starts walking towards the bar. Yvae and Pyranir follow, looking around with fascination and trepidation, respectively.
Ilayse follows at a more sedate pace, looking at Pen. If you come to my world, will you fly with me?
Her mate nuzzles her, then - crumple crumple, and he's human again. Illusions must do something to actual size, as well as just looking human. I don't mind, obviously. What sorts of things are you checking for?
He starts walking towards the bar. Yvae and Pyranir follow, looking around with fascination and trepidation, respectively.
Ilayse follows at a more sedate pace, looking at Pen. If you come to my world, will you fly with me?
beheld_beauty
"Glass can see magic and something called metacausality, which is so called because as near as we can tell it is the thing that makes other things line up in certain ways. For instance, all of my traits can be traced back to features I inherited from my parents, or events in my childhood - but they also line up much better than coincidence with at least fifteen other people's traits. Metacausality is why we line up, and it has other informative value when Glass has a chance to look at it. She will make sure your world doesn't have any traps lying in wait to harm Jane if I leave a piece of her there, or me or Peninnah if we visit."
Ah, I see, says Procellor. Then feel free to look. He finds a nice spot to sit down, and does so. Little dragons go wandering around the bar, with an eye kept on them by their father. No wandering into trouble, and all that.
Ilayse shakes her head! I don't sing at all! Not like humans do. But I have magic and they don't, so I guess that's okay!
Ilayse shakes her head! I don't sing at all! Not like humans do. But I have magic and they don't, so I guess that's okay!
beheld_beauty
"I can't open the door to your world for Glass to look at; you'll need to do it for us," says Rose.
Ah, sorry. I was waiting until she got here, says the dragon-man. He gets up, and opens the door! Outside, it looks like a normal village. Some people have been attracted by the strange goings-on outside of this specific door, though, due to the uncaring entrance by a dragon and her three hatchlings. A few people are visibly terrified.
Is singing fun? It makes pretty sounds! says Ilayse.
Is singing fun? It makes pretty sounds! says Ilayse.
thaumobabble
And here is a woman who looks exactly like her, only perhaps five years older, not as pretty on top of that, and dressed entirely differently.
"Here I am, why are those people so spooked?"
"Here I am, why are those people so spooked?"
"My wife wasn't very subtle in her entrance. Hello," says Procellor, switching to verbal language. He's got to get back in the habit of it if he's going to be looking human.
Pyranir looks up at Glass. Are you her sister? he asks, curiously. He has not had this whole thing explained to him. That's okay, he'll figure it out eventually.
Ilayse is happy to keep chatting with Pen! Yay! I like playing with magic, I'm good with wind!
Pyranir looks up at Glass. Are you her sister? he asks, curiously. He has not had this whole thing explained to him. That's okay, he'll figure it out eventually.
Ilayse is happy to keep chatting with Pen! Yay! I like playing with magic, I'm good with wind!
thaumobabble
"I'm her alt," says Glass, squinting through the door. "We are much alike except for being from different worlds."
thaumobabble
"It's got its share of nastiness, which is very much concentrated in the dragons, I am not sure about this project of yours. My dragons have a penchant for treasure-hoarding too, but I think these guys are literally insatiable, which can't help. It'd be a perfectly nice world if it didn't have any dragons in it at all, but I suppose picking them all up and putting them somewhere else would be a complicated project."
thaumobabble
"The world is, nothing will happen if you just walk through the door. If you want to know if the dragons can punch through your defenses usefully, you want Aurora, not me, if you want to be sure, but - there's some metacausality I don't really like floating around them. Sort of like Callahan's attractor for invariably winning lethal contests, but toned down. They don't have to win, but if you're in a fight with them it does have to be a fight, they've got a metacausal conspiracy objecting to circumventing them completely. I really don't think I like the idea of combining that with torching when they have to share space with humans, however cute the babies are."
Yvae looks especially sad. Procellor frowns. "If you put the anchor down without permission, and without fulfilling the 'immortality to our children' part of the bargain, there will be a problem," he says, carefully. It's not a threat, but it is a warning. "If you don't do either, then I suppose I'll be disappointed, but we won't have a quarrel."
Ilayse jumps up and down a little. I do this! she says, and a little breeze swooshes around Pen.
Procellor glances at her, then warns, "Be careful, sweetie. Indoors that could be a problem."
Sorry, daddy, says Ilayse.
Ilayse jumps up and down a little. I do this! she says, and a little breeze swooshes around Pen.
Procellor glances at her, then warns, "Be careful, sweetie. Indoors that could be a problem."
Sorry, daddy, says Ilayse.
thaumobabble
"With any luck there's a mutually agreeable situation, but finding it means negotiating with the reality that exists, not a fiction," says Glass. "For example, if we just moved all the humans in the world to some part of it that did not have any dragons or any avenue for dragons to use to travel there, I'd have fewer misgivings about immortalizing some dragons. Moving the dragons would also work but I think you guys would be harder to move. You can close the door now, by the way, I've had a good look at the world and you're right here to be a dragon example."