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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?
inourhead
unblinkered
He gets on the road. He makes sure his phone is on- it's been a while, Gloria might call at any time. Though... he doesn't know how long it takes to explain this kind of situation to child services.
Speaking of child services... oh, hell. Seatbelts. He stops and pulls over.
"Pyay- need 'seatbelt'. Seatbelt safe." He points out the seatbelt and plug thing, then demonstrates his own seatbelt.
Speaking of child services... oh, hell. Seatbelts. He stops and pulls over.
"Pyay- need 'seatbelt'. Seatbelt safe." He points out the seatbelt and plug thing, then demonstrates his own seatbelt.
unblinkered
"Seatbelt-" he reaches back, pulls out the seatbelt on the seat next to her, and points to it. Then plugs it in, unplugs it with the button- to make sure she doesn't think it's some sort of... trap, or restraint- and then points out her seatbelt again. "Seatbelt."
unblinkered
He gives her a look.
He drives on some, pulls off the main road, finds a roomy parking lot, and accelerates a bit- then hits the brakes.
"Seatbelt."
He drives on some, pulls off the main road, finds a roomy parking lot, and accelerates a bit- then hits the brakes.
"Seatbelt."
unblinkered
He stifles a laugh, and gets back on the road. Signs indicate that the campus is coming up in a couple of miles.
inourhead
She goes over her notes in the car. She looks queasy. She reaches for a mouse. She ceases to look queasy.
unblinkered
He looks over and observes this. He notices himself being surprised, then stops himself from being surprised because this isn't actually out of line with what sorts of things she can do, and then-
No, wait. Hold it. Carsickness? In a world with no cars? Not only is queasiness not a quantity- it's a disruption of a very particular system that he wouldn't expect to generalize to mice- even if this were a designed technology, he wouldn't expect it to have a function for transferring something they'd never have to...
Well, no. Carsickness could be a general case of "upset stomach" or somesuch that they'd have prepared...
Max sighs. If she could understand him, he would have so many questions about this business. He supposes the people are Rutgers will be able to figure this out for him.
No, wait. Hold it. Carsickness? In a world with no cars? Not only is queasiness not a quantity- it's a disruption of a very particular system that he wouldn't expect to generalize to mice- even if this were a designed technology, he wouldn't expect it to have a function for transferring something they'd never have to...
Well, no. Carsickness could be a general case of "upset stomach" or somesuch that they'd have prepared...
Max sighs. If she could understand him, he would have so many questions about this business. He supposes the people are Rutgers will be able to figure this out for him.
inourhead
Pyay is oblivious to his inner monologue. She looks out the window and watches things go by.
unblinkered
They arrive at the Rutgers campus. "Here, school," he says- forgetting whether or not she knows "here". Or if she knows "hear" instead, that's going to be no fun to deal with. Homophones.
He begins driving slowly, scanning the building signage for something about a Department of Physics. There's no "Department of Magic", but the physics or chemistry people are likely to have the kind of precision equipment that might be useful for observing her magic at work.
He begins driving slowly, scanning the building signage for something about a Department of Physics. There's no "Department of Magic", but the physics or chemistry people are likely to have the kind of precision equipment that might be useful for observing her magic at work.
unblinkered
Ah, there it is- he starts looking for a parking space.
She doesn't know "here" then- so, he... points at the building and says "school". He told her "school" earlier, right? Or was that "building"? Crap.
She doesn't know "here" then- so, he... points at the building and says "school". He told her "school" earlier, right? Or was that "building"? Crap.
unblinkered
He finds a parking spot- there's a meter, it's pricey, but this is important- and stops the car. He unbuckles his seatbelt, and looks over at Pyay to see if she understands the unlocking mechanism.
unblinkered
Oh, good. She's got the hang of it, then.
He leads her up to the door of- Smith Hall, it looks like. There's some receptionist, or something, behind a window in the front.
"Excuse me- this is the physics department building, right? I need some help figuring out who to talk to about something unusual."
Turning to Pyay: "Pyay, Earth no mweelsrow- school... 'study' mweelsrow."
He leads her up to the door of- Smith Hall, it looks like. There's some receptionist, or something, behind a window in the front.
"Excuse me- this is the physics department building, right? I need some help figuring out who to talk to about something unusual."
Turning to Pyay: "Pyay, Earth no mweelsrow- school... 'study' mweelsrow."
inourhead
"Something unusual like what?" asks the receptionist.
"What?" asks Pyay, sighing. "School what muilsroo?"
"What?" asks Pyay, sighing. "School what muilsroo?"
unblinkered
How to... oh!
"Pyay- Pyay 'study' English, school 'study' mweelsrow."
"Something unusual like... probably magic. Or extremely advanced nanotechnology. Or something like that. This girl here does something really strange."
"Pyay- Pyay 'study' English, school 'study' mweelsrow."
"Something unusual like... probably magic. Or extremely advanced nanotechnology. Or something like that. This girl here does something really strange."
unblinkered
"Yes, 'oh yeah'- this is definitely an oh-yeah kind of situation. I've done some tests. This isn't a prank."
And...
"Song English? Wait- Pyay... Song... when...?" He turns to the receptionist: "She, uh, doesn't speak English, I've been trying to teach her- has some weird thing going on with her language, has two names. Not the important part."
And...
"Song English? Wait- Pyay... Song... when...?" He turns to the receptionist: "She, uh, doesn't speak English, I've been trying to teach her- has some weird thing going on with her language, has two names. Not the important part."
inourhead
"Sohng English," repeats Pyay. "Pyay - mouse, muilsroo."
"So what does she do?" ask the receptionist. "...Mouse? What's with the, are those live mice, what."
"So what does she do?" ask the receptionist. "...Mouse? What's with the, are those live mice, what."
unblinkered
Why would... it can't just be a weird tense thing, can it? Why would anyone have another name just for speaking in another language? But it doesn't fit Gloria's voices theory, either... imaginary voices can't learn English while their host doesn't, probably, unless it's a really bizarre dissociative thing.
"She, uh... switches things. Properties of things. I don't know what the limits are, but she's switched the colors of chalk, turned food into other food... the mice are for, um, I think she switches tiredness and awakeness, so she doesn't have to sleep. I don't know how it's possible, no."
"She, uh... switches things. Properties of things. I don't know what the limits are, but she's switched the colors of chalk, turned food into other food... the mice are for, um, I think she switches tiredness and awakeness, so she doesn't have to sleep. I don't know how it's possible, no."
inourhead
"So - show me the color thing and I'll get you the head of department, but I'm not stupid, I won't be fooled by some stupid magic trick," says the receptionist, finding a rubber band (blue) and a paperclip (red).
unblinkered
"Alright- but sometimes she doesn't switch stuff, I don't know why- not like she tries and fails, she just doesn't understand what she's supposed to do with stuff I give her. I'll try these-" -he takes them- "-but if she doesn't figure it out, I can have her try the mouse tiredness thing on you, that one's pretty unmistakeable."
He hands the two items to Pyay. "Mweelsrow 'color'- uh, Song, English... 'blue' and 'red'? Same mweelsrow as chalk."
He hands the two items to Pyay. "Mweelsrow 'color'- uh, Song, English... 'blue' and 'red'? Same mweelsrow as chalk."