Kyeo is running his hand up and down Sarham's back, as though counting scars he can't feel, and then there is something, in the room, something enormous, and he sees his own face and Sarham's mirrored in an incoming oval and then -
- they aren't sitting on Kyeo's bed in Crane Mountain any more.
"Citrelia." Maybe if she just ignores the first question something will happen such that any of this will make sense.
"Oh - are you aliens - do you have cool alien stuff to - " They start bouncing, light little hops that nonetheless take them several inches off the ground.
"It's probably just different in their language; I said that in Cretari - "
"No, look, they don't have anything; they're just - oh. Aw man, they don't have anything. I'm so disappointed; we meet aliens and they don't even have wings or faster brains or whatever, they're just like, baseline citrelians but just without any citrelièv." They're still bouncing, but more out of momentum than excitement.
"...I'm from Ibyabek, he's from Kular, and we both live on Outer Sohaibek lately. You look like humans to me."
" - Sure, yeah, that seems to be referring to about the right thing, 'humans'. We haven't heard of any of those places because we haven't heard of any other places with people on them at all! - Do other places have cooler aliens."
"It's just humans. - I guess some places they genetically engineer people. Where is Citrelia?"
She takes a moment to think about it. "I can give you the Cretari but Kularan doesn't seem to have any of the relevant names."
"That doesn't sound like anything I know."
" - Uh, Sair, I just realized, is it legal for them to be here?"
". . . Probably not."
"Yeah, uh, you don't have - why are these all separate words - you're not law-abiding and helpful and kind and charitable and nice, uh, enough. For how you're supposed to be, here. - You're? Closer?" they say, gesturing at Kyeo. "But um, still not really the way you're supposed to be."
"It's probably fine for now," says the taller one placatingly. "I don't think you'll be in trouble, but you will probably have to leave the city at, uh, some point."
"Sure can. Oh man, I didn't think of the implications, you guys can't do anything, huh." They stop bouncing, all at once. "Do you - die? Like, outside of accidents."
"That's so sad! Sair, these are the worst aliens - "
"That's extremely rude."
"I very obviously did not mean it was their fault they're the worst aliens." They turn to Kyeo and Sarham. "I'm very sorry if you took it that way, and also for the fact that you die."
"Most places are fine - this is the capital city, so only Cretari citizens are allowed here, but foreigners are allowed once you get out of the district even if they don't have - all the traits that Lorn mentioned. . . . Since you're aliens, I don't think they'll kick you out immediately? It doesn't seem like you came here on purpose, and as long as you can, erm, emulate upstanding citizens for a bit, I don't think there'll be any trouble while it gets sorted out."
"Now who's being terribly rude. 'Inclination is not - '"
" - As long as you - act like the upstanding non-citizens, or citizens of wherever you're from - that you probably already are. Everything will probably be fine."
View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
