« Back
Generated:
Post last updated:
keep calm and drink tea
ozytopia meets malachitin
Permalink Mark Unread

We will graciously skip over Fifth's emotional breakdown at the existence of Milliways, her self-harm, her grudging use of emotional coping techniques, and her radical acceptance that there is apparently such a thing as interdimensional bars, and open when Fifth is nursing a cup of tea with her arm all bandaged up.

The Landlords were also considerate enough not to send anyone in until it was over, anyway.

Permalink Mark Unread

After it's been over for a few minutes, in stumbles someone who-- also was not expecting this to be an interdimensional bar.

Hex pauses, takes in the view-- stars bursting outside the windows! Cherrywood bar! Tables, a couch! Person with a bandaged arm drinking tea!-- and says, out loud, "Wow, this is not my kitchen. Uh. Hi?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hello! Apparently this is an interdimensional bar called Milliways where people from different worlds can meet. Have you been here before?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I have not! Interdimensional, damn, every physicist in the world is going to have so many takes about that." Ce sits down. "Have you?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not at all."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Huh. -- sorry, I'm Hex, or Elari or a handful of other names if you already know a Hex, ce/cer. What's your world... like? I guess that's not a question you've thought about, probably, any more than I have." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't know any Hexes! What does ce/cer mean?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"They're... my pronouns? Does your language not do gendered pronouns?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"We have 'he' and 'she'? The soft use 'she' and the hard use 'he'?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"...well there's our first difference, any language with gendered pronouns at all in my world has a lot more than that. That was me introducing myself, what is your name?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Fifth. I'm soft, you can use whatever pronoun your culture uses for soft people."

Permalink Mark Unread

There is... probably a pronoun for people whose gender is "soft" but Hex doesn't off the top of cer head know it. Still, asking for more details after someone has told you what pronoun they want at their preferred level of granularity is not the kind of thing you do when you've known each other for less than five minutes.

...if it comes up ce can probably just pick something that sounds right. If your pronoun is "whatever your culture uses for X" you will probably not be offended at people just picking something that sounds right. 

"Cool name. What do you do, I'm a tattoo artist." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I work in a car factory."