Steel in Wormverse
sturdycoldsteel
Now is a more appropriate time to figure out the language problem.
She approaches and addresses that person in the four human languages, two Fair Folk tongues, and the one merfolk schoolsong she knows.
When it's clear she still doesn't have a common language, here, she tries to mime eating. She's hungry.
She approaches and addresses that person in the four human languages, two Fair Folk tongues, and the one merfolk schoolsong she knows.
When it's clear she still doesn't have a common language, here, she tries to mime eating. She's hungry.
The person—Mountain may recognize her as the one who had been hitting the monster with her fists—looks progressively confused and worried when she doesn't recognise any of the languages the Fate's speaking. She nods when Mountain mimes eating, and touches her ear and says something, holding a hand up in a 'wait' gesture.
Then, a fairly high-tech... flying... thing... comes from the distance and hovers high above them. The woman asks something, hovering and pointing at the thing. Maybe she wants Mountain to come with her?
Then, a fairly high-tech... flying... thing... comes from the distance and hovers high above them. The woman asks something, hovering and pointing at the thing. Maybe she wants Mountain to come with her?
sturdycoldsteel
She shrugs and follows into the flying thing. There's not much point in talking when they can't understand each other, and she's not quite sure where to begin learning an entire new language without the benefit of translations.
They enter the flying thing, and the flying thing... flies. Really fast.
There are comfortable seats inside, and apparently the lady informed someone Mountain wanted food, because there is food waiting. She points at herself and says, "Alexandria." She gestures expansively at the food on a table there and says, "Food."
There are comfortable seats inside, and apparently the lady informed someone Mountain wanted food, because there is food waiting. She points at herself and says, "Alexandria." She gestures expansively at the food on a table there and says, "Food."
sturdycoldsteel
Communication crystals in their ears are not weird to her.
"Food." Nod, nod. Pointing to herself, "Mountain." It sounds more like "Celtana" in English, of course. Then the helmet breaks cleanly from the rest of her rock armor and she starts eating with impromptu utensils made from stone, if the kind of food this is calls for them.
"Food." Nod, nod. Pointing to herself, "Mountain." It sounds more like "Celtana" in English, of course. Then the helmet breaks cleanly from the rest of her rock armor and she starts eating with impromptu utensils made from stone, if the kind of food this is calls for them.
sturdycoldsteel
While eating she makes a crude stone statue of Leviathan. "Monster." She moves it to the other side of the room. "Ran away?" Then she smashes it. "Or dead?"
Then a statue of the other one, the fire-monster. "And the other monster?"
Then a statue of the other one, the fire-monster. "And the other monster?"
Alexandria does a so-so gesture to the first question, and nods at the second statue. She points at Mountain and herself and says, "Human." Then she points at the fire-monster and repeats, "Human." Finally, she points at the place where the remains of the rock statue and shrugs, shaking her head. Unknown if human?
sturdycoldsteel
So they're all Fates..? That doesn't seem quite right. Alexandria gives off a vibe of 'Hills' more than anything else, but it still doesn't fit.
No, they're probably not Fates, but something else entirely. This place doesn't even have Tiles. She swears softly and makes another confused gesture. "Alexandria human, Celtana not human. This is pointless until we share more words."
No, they're probably not Fates, but something else entirely. This place doesn't even have Tiles. She swears softly and makes another confused gesture. "Alexandria human, Celtana not human. This is pointless until we share more words."
Alexandria tilts her head. Celtana thinks they're not the same kind of thing, which is odd since she's seen her fight Leviathan. Maybe the universe she's from has very different castes with parahumans? Because Alexandria is currently pretty certain Celtana is from another universe, and the way parahumans might be treated elsewhere can be arbitrarily different.
She sighs and shrugs. She'll try to see if the Protectorate can get their hands on someone with a power useful for translation.
She sighs and shrugs. She'll try to see if the Protectorate can get their hands on someone with a power useful for translation.
sturdycoldsteel
She finishes eating, then tries to carve a rune of Cold into the back of her helmet with a diamond pick.
When the rune is complete, nothing happens.
Calamity. No magic. Not that she would have been able to do anything particularly impressive, without access to materials from her world. At last the facets of her essential to being a Fate still work.
When the rune is complete, nothing happens.
Calamity. No magic. Not that she would have been able to do anything particularly impressive, without access to materials from her world. At last the facets of her essential to being a Fate still work.
sturdycoldsteel
"They don't work. Nevermind." For the same reason. She smooths it over with her hands.
She's quiet for a long while. But as the ship passes over the Northwestern Passages of Canada she frowns, points down and mimes shaking.
She's quiet for a long while. But as the ship passes over the Northwestern Passages of Canada she frowns, points down and mimes shaking.
sturdycoldsteel
Shrug. "I'm a Fate. We feel the health of the world. Though I'm not sure why I'm even saying anything, since we don't understand each other."
sturdycoldsteel
She solicits the English versions of her words but doesn't remember them quite so readily. Grammar is a bit trickier than nouns and verbs, though.
This could cover the rest of the flight time quite easily.
This could cover the rest of the flight time quite easily.
sturdycoldsteel
She keeps asking about other kinds of people, and is surprised that it's only humans.
She goggles a bit at the scale of the city, when they arrive. "...How many humans?"
She goggles a bit at the scale of the city, when they arrive. "...How many humans?"