She appears above a bit of frozen wasteland. She falls, conscious but without making a peep, to the ground, and breaks a few more bones.
She lies there.
She appears above a bit of frozen wasteland. She falls, conscious but without making a peep, to the ground, and breaks a few more bones.
She lies there.
The not-set-commands melt away like they were never there, completely and instantly as soon as she finishes the sentence.
The fairy sits up. All of her injuries vanish. She stretches a little bit, as though testing the wholeness of her limbs.
"Can you tell us what is going on now?" Nayoki says. "- Oh, here. This is a magical talisman that blocks mindreading abilities. I have already stopped reading your mind because you asked, but I thought you might prefer more assurance of it." She's backed off on the specifics of Mindhealing Sight too; she's only watching in the blurred-out way that lets her gauge truth or falsehood. "Anyway. You should probably assume we know nothing of where you come from or how anything works there, because everything that has happened so far is baffling to me."
She takes the necklace carefully without touching her. "Well, I don't know what it's like here, either. You seem to have some magic, which I didn't think worked in the mortal world at all."
"...Maybe the mortal world you speak of is a different place. We have many kinds of magic here. Is there a dangerous thing that happens if you touch people?"
"I have never heard of that being one of our other planes. I suppose it might go by another name. What are Fairyland's properties? - By the way, do you need more food or water, or anything else?"
"Myself because I gave you the bread, her because I - said her name in front of you? What kind of magic is that? I am very confused about it."
"Is there any risk of - pursuit from the place you escaped, or other time-sensitive risks, if we take the time for the long version?"
"For any pair of people at least one of whom is a fairy it is possible for a relationship called vassalization to exist; one party is the vassal, the other the master, though it's possible for people to be mutually vassals. This relationship can be created when and only when none previously exists with strongly claimed food, and the party who eats it is the vassal; it can also be created with knowledge of someone's name and then the person whose name is known is the vassal."
Nayoki's brow wrinkles. "So - right now you are the only fairy in the room. And - I gave you food, so I am your master, and I let slip the Healer's name, so now you are her master and she is the vassal?"
"So we should not let you learn anyone's name or else they will become your vassal? What - does it mean for Enaka, that she is your vassal already?"
"She can't hurt me. And if I were going to order her to do anything she'd do it. And it doesn't change anything if I eat food she brings me."
"...Could I theoretically order you not to give her any orders? I am guessing you do not intend to do anything harmful with that - power - and I am not going to put new mind-control on you if it is completely unnecessary, but in principle."
"She was not going to hurt you anyway, she is a Healer. ...You refused treatment, earlier, is that because Healing magic in your world does not work very well or something? I thought maybe you had Healed yourself before, but also that the injuries might be part of the orders I rescinded somehow."