space oddity

[rockeye_stonetoe]

One day in fairyland, there is an immensely bright flash of light a about a mile above the ground. Something like a metal house is suddenly flying through as if it came through a portal, faster than all but the fastest fairies.

It's flying, not directly down, but still very much towards the ground. It does not take long for it to stop flying and start carving through earth and trees. Eventually it runs out of momentum near a certain lake. The thing seems to still be in one piece, which is rather miraculous considering the two miles of destroyed trees behind it.

After a few minutes, a mortal covered in unusually bulky clothes emerges from the thing. All that is visible is his face. He starts inspecting the outside of his space oddity.

Comments

[imeanforever]

It's my tree. Nobody can go into my tree if I don't let them.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Alright. Will a small part of it do, you think, or do you need a significant fraction?

[imeanforever]

I don't know. If you start with a small part I can tell you if it snaps.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

He takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes. Vinga.

[imeanforever]

That much works.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Are you still under the no-ordering-me orders from all those years ago? You may give me the reciprocal order of any of my orders you are currently under.

[imeanforever]

"Never," her voice is loud and awkward in her mouth after so long avoiding it while deaf, "give me an order that I do not expressly request of my own uncommanded will, or that you do not sincerely without mental contortion believe to be in my best interest as you genuinely understand it."

Thank you.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

He nods serenely. I'm glad I forced myself to do this. Once burned, twice shy they say - but I'm the less trustworthy of the two of us, honestly.

[imeanforever]

What should I be looking out for? she asks, rubbing at one of her ears.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

I betrayed your perfectly designed plan to escape Yellow. I tried to hide information from you when I arrived, even though I was trying to help you. I'm a paranoid and suspicious old ogre who never quite manages to think the world isn't out to get me.

[imeanforever]

"Well," she says, voice adjusting before the syllable's halfway out, "you did help me escape Yellow, and you brought me here too."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I suppose I did. I still feel guilty about it, though. Coming back here seems to be calling back every underhanded, deceitful, or unfair thing I ever did. Even though you are clearly a good person who would not enslave me, deciding to tell you my new name was possibly the hardest thing I've ever done. Thank you for being a decent enough person to convince me to do it."

[imeanforever]

"You're welcome."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Nick smiles. "It was strange not to hear your voice. Well, as relieved and happy as I am right now I do actually have work to do back on my ship. Have a nice day, Promise."

[imeanforever]

"You too."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"...I'm considering letting you tell me not to lie about my name to you, but that won't work, if it changes I will actually be able to lie and say it's still the same. Is this a problem?"

[imeanforever]

"There's nothing to be done about it."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"I suppose not." He heads back to the ship.

The next time he visits, he complains, "I've run into problems trying to re-organize the sorcery books. My computers can't actually read them - they come out as total gibberish. I'd wondered about that ever since you and Yellow and all those other fairies all 'knew English'... Is being magically understandable a fairy thing too?"

[imeanforever]

"We just plain speak. I don't know what it sounds like to you, just that it'll be right. Writing's the same way."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"That explains why. The computer was trying to look for patterns in the writing, the shapes that turn to letters that turn to sounds in my language. But it doesn't have an actual mind, it's just very good at following sufficiently specified instructions, so it can't make heads or tails of anything fairies write, apparently."

[imeanforever]

"You might have to get some mortal to transcribe it, then. I certainly can't help, everything I write would come out the same way."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Maybe I'll do that, most everyone isn't very busy since the ship is just sitting there instead of flying places. I should really leave soon, I like this place but almost everyone else wants to go home. Any idea when you'll be ready to de-age the five of us who want it?"

[imeanforever]

"Another few sessions of sitting there watching them play cards should do it. You I could do now; I will if you like."

[rockeye_stonetoe]

"Not quite yet. I haven't held up to age as well as most humans, so I'm taking lots of medicine. It needs to wear off first or it'll hurt me instead. I'll stop taking it now, and tomorrow morning should be enough time."

[imeanforever]

"Okay."