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Alys is not on the council, but she is her line representative as of fifty years ago. She hears about the news.
She wonders whether Piro is likely to have contacted his son, even about this.
She decides that it is worth checking, and calls her brother-in-law.
shrennaki
A few degrees later, Mial comes out and flops down next to Finnah's picnic blanket.
"So. Miracles," he says, sounding bizarrely glum about it.
shrennaki
"Okay, yes," he acknowledges, half-smiling, "miracles, miracles are awesome. I am happy for everybody who's been happily miracled and downright ecstatic for the babies. I just... look, you have to have some inkling by now of how I feel about being a shren, right?"
shrennaki
"That's one way of putting it. I just."
He takes a breath.
"...I don't know if I'm going to want one."
He takes a breath.
"...I don't know if I'm going to want one."
"...what, really? You are aware you can make rude metaphorical gestures at draconic superiority and so on without having to actually be a shren right at the moment you're doing it?"
shrennaki
"Yes, really. I. Look. I don't really care that much about whether or not I can fly in my natural form," he says. "Racing scoots is more than enough for me. It'd be nice, but so would being a unique, you know? And between the two I'd go for being a unique first, no question. So... the only reasons to stop being a shren are the chance I might infect somebody, and purely to stop being a shren. And there's no fucking way I'm going to do it purely to stop being a shren. All that's left is contagion, and... and I don't know, Finnah. I just don't fucking know."
"It gets really in my head sometimes, you know? The word. 'Shren'. I don't talk about it much but it does. Doesn't it for you at all?"
shrennaki
"Yeah," he says quietly. "Fuck, does it ever. But that's just it, don't you see? I can't let it win. If I stop being a shren just to get away from that, I'm letting it win."
"I don't want to beat my head against the wall that is fucking Draconic for forever. It's not like it's going to be smug and tell all its friends if I let it win."
shrennaki
"I know, it must come as such a shock." He sighs. "Anyway. I'll think about it, I guess. Until they show up. Whenever that is. Just... don't be surprised if I say no."
shrennaki
"That's the only reason I haven't yet decided to say no," he says. "And... I mean... if these people don't mean to just leave all the future striped eggs in the lurch, their miracles must be renewable, right? So - even if I lose a form, even if I lose a form around a dragon in their natural form - it's not nearly as bad as it could've been. I'm keeping the extra safety spells on my scoot, mind you. I'm not going to be careless about it."
"Mm-hm." Finnah rolls over to sun her other side. "Well - don't be surprised when I take it instantly."
