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Alli's school is not a terribly interesting school. It is, as far as Alli is concerned, a perfectly boring and average school in all possible respects. But some alumnus went and made themselves a bunch of money, and apparently they think it's a good idea to spend some of this money on "improving the cultural exposure of today's youth". (Alli has never met the alumnus in question, much less heard them speak, but she persists in picturing this spoken with a haughty British accent.) What this means for Alli is that she and a number of other 'deserving students' are being shipped over to France for free for a week. Alli's not quite sure why she counts as deserving- because her mom's single, maybe?- but she's hardly complaining. It's a free trip to France, after all.
In her usual style, Alli packs an hour before she has to leave and ultimately makes it out the door only ten minutes late after forgetting at least three vitally important items (her eyeliner!). But she makes it through Pearson security with plenty of time... well, more like barely enough time. But the important thing is, she's safely ensconced in her seat when they take off.
Once she's gotten her bag stowed and her legs rearranged in a doomed attempt at comfort and generally considers herself suitably settled, she turns to her seatmate. "Is your brain doing an Eeeeee France! thing too?"
lyonhearted
maybeso
"I will learn what I am from books," says May. "For all I know there are racial politics more complicated than being Asian involved. ...And now that I've said that I'm certain there are."
lyonhearted
"Meh. It's not usually that complicated. Humans are way more intricate about it. Critters still mostly stick with the 'who can beat up who' approach."
lyonhearted
"It's okay. I can beat them up for you," Alli says. She just barely manages to say this with a straight face.
lyonhearted
"Depends how you mean? We don't go around being scary at people or anything. We have a whole code devoted to not doing that. If you break it, you are in trouble, we take your medallion, and so on so on. But we are still scary for existing, probably, we're large carnivores with super strength and invulnerable hides? We are the human equivalent of being really really tall and jacked."
lyonhearted
"You're a newbie, you can get away with a lot. In general it's- not rude, but also still weird? It's just not the sort of thing people get asked much, so they would be confused." She hums thoughtfully for a second. "The short answer is that the only thing that can break through my hide are the claws of a Nemean Lion."
lyonhearted
"The same as when people stab me with things that wouldn't hurt a human? I mean, picture yourself being stabbed with, I dunno, a hockey puck. Something that is hilariously unlikely to break your skin for any reason. Like that."
maybeso
"But a hockey puck hitting me in the face at high speed could do damage. So you're only invulnerable to sharp, or is something more complicated going on?"
lyonhearted
"Hmm. More complicated. Or maybe less complicated? I just- don't get damaged. So me getting hit by a hockey puck at really high speed is still equivalent to someone poking you with one."
lyonhearted
"Hah. No. That would be wicked, I wish it did, but no. Humans are not invulnerable, medallion makes me a human, so human-me's not invulnerable." She sighs. "Probably for the best, though. It would be so obvious if anything happened."
maybeso
"Yeah, I imagine so. 'There was one survivor, mysteriously unharmed. Paramedics suspect witchcraft.'"
lyonhearted
"Bet you they just take credit for some 'new experimental safety feature', trot me out as a success story and claim to install it in everything."
maybeso
"That sounds like a lot of willful disbelief to me. Have I missed a lot of stuff that is in fact explainable via magic and/or critters? How much magic is there beyond critterhood, anyway?"
horsefeathers
May's first hand is done now. Jenny moves on to the second one.
"There's some! My little brother likes to read about it. But it's not used much and it's unpredictable when it is. And a lot's been lost, too, like how to make medallions? Soooo not a thing we know how to do now. We still know how to hide new Avalons? I think?"
"There's some! My little brother likes to read about it. But it's not used much and it's unpredictable when it is. And a lot's been lost, too, like how to make medallions? Soooo not a thing we know how to do now. We still know how to hide new Avalons? I think?"
horsefeathers
"Er. Just- be careful? There's all these horror stories about, like, 'I tried to use magic and gave myself horns in human form and could never leave Avalon again'. That's why Mike just reads about it."
lyonhearted
"Figure out how to make new medallions," Alli suggests facetiously. "Be a hero to critters everywhere."
lyonhearted
"You've been a critter for maybe three hours and we're not even old enough to drink yet. I am allowed to laugh until you have at least encountered a spell book."
horsefeathers
"What? It's a good idea! Don't be so dismissive. We need more medallions, why can't she be the one to make them?" Jenny huffs.