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Kithabel is sitting on the flat top of the tallest tower of her palace, forcing the rain to decline to fall on her, taking a break insofar as she ever takes a break. She has no constructive ends to pursue right now, so she's playing with the lightning in the clouds overhead. She doesn't want to try taking a direct lightning strike yet - she could probably take it, but only probably - but she can tell it to arc here and there in patterns, she can ball it up and watch it roll through the air, she can make it turn colors. She's making sure none of it hits the town, and if it starts a fire in the woods she'll take care of it, but at the moment it's a toy.
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ertia
Hiss.
She stares it down. She knows better than it what it ought to be doing right now. It ought to be catching fire. It had better. She's not going to back off until she has made it catch.
She stares it down. She knows better than it what it ought to be doing right now. It ought to be catching fire. It had better. She's not going to back off until she has made it catch.
off_to_be_the_wizard
After not backing off for long enough, the candle gives in and lights. A brief spiral of smoke appears, and then the flame goes out right away.
"Long enough" was, apparently, longer than it seemed like. The sun is starting to rise, for one thing. Hank and Skeeve are in a corner of the room poking at the misbehaving device. Skeeve announces "you did it!" and rushes candleward.
"Long enough" was, apparently, longer than it seemed like. The sun is starting to rise, for one thing. Hank and Skeeve are in a corner of the room poking at the misbehaving device. Skeeve announces "you did it!" and rushes candleward.
off_to_be_the_wizard
"That was not pathetic; it took you less than an hour! And on your first try, too.
But yes, it gets less pathetic later. In a couple months you'll be able to make it stay lit.
...I'm kidding."
But yes, it gets less pathetic later. In a couple months you'll be able to make it stay lit.
...I'm kidding."
connecticut_yankee
"I don't have the slightest idea how this thing works. Skeeve's no help at all in that department, but thinks it could go where it's told to."
off_to_be_the_wizard
"Going various somewheres else at random, mostly. It's not going to stop working completely; this thing's durable."
off_to_be_the_wizard
"It usually doesn't. If it does, we—er, I fly us out of the ocean and we hop to a different one."
ertia
"What if it drops us in a volcano? I wasn't up to swimming around in volcanoes yet even this time yesterday."
off_to_be_the_wizard
"It has never happened to me or anyone I know. I've never heard of it happening at all, but these aren't in common use for some reason so that might not mean much."
ertia
"Some reason," mutters Kithabel. "How do you get around when you don't want to miss your appointments?"
off_to_be_the_wizard
"Some of my coworkers can dimension-hop on their own, and at least one of the others can handle this more reliably than I can. If I'm using this it's usually because I'm traveling alone and there isn't a permanent gate between the relevant dimensions. Or because I wouldn't mind being dropped in a random world; that's always a possible reason."
off_to_be_the_wizard
"Long enough that it's rare among humans. You'd be able to, once you're a sorceress again, but I'd imagine you don't want to."
ertia
"I don't actually know that that's something sorcery can do at all, but considering that any sorcerers who tried it would simply appear to have disappeared forever, maybe it is. Anyway, doesn't get me home. Is the accuracy of the device likely to improve any if we stay here for a while?"
off_to_be_the_wizard
"Not appreciably. I might be able to tweak it a little more than I already did, but if you're worrying about unlikely things like volcanoes then there's always going to be some risk."
connecticut_yankee
Skeeve suddenly falls over. And snores.
An old man with a long beard walks triumphantly into the room, and then stops. "Thou'rt not he. Where is he who is called the Boss?" He fumbles in a pocket of his blue robe and draws out a handful of powder. "One of us two is prepared for this encounter!"
Hank answers, "I'm right here, Merlin. Can you stop with the whole nemesis thing already? You know you can't—" and then he imitates Skeeve. Merlin looks at Kithabel, reaches into a pocket again, and asks, "Side you with this false magician?"
An old man with a long beard walks triumphantly into the room, and then stops. "Thou'rt not he. Where is he who is called the Boss?" He fumbles in a pocket of his blue robe and draws out a handful of powder. "One of us two is prepared for this encounter!"
Hank answers, "I'm right here, Merlin. Can you stop with the whole nemesis thing already? You know you can't—" and then he imitates Skeeve. Merlin looks at Kithabel, reaches into a pocket again, and asks, "Side you with this false magician?"
connecticut_yankee
"Excellent. Tell the king his pet magician has been bested in a sorcerous duel, and by none other than Merlin!"
He starts dragging Hank toward the door. Hank is larger than he is; it's not very effective.
He starts dragging Hank toward the door. Hank is larger than he is; it's not very effective.