random pointless swirls

[sturdycoldsteel]

The shaper known as Steel is flying down the right side of a road, shoring up the edges of the bluestream that lets her lift herself off the ground as she goes. Sure, she'll be a bit clumsy and weak when she gets to Opri, but she's not planning on doing much more stream-shaping today, so might as well.

She glances at the bluestream (the magical vision blinds her physical vision for a short moment, but not long enough to crash into anything) and determines that this next crossroads is where she needs to turn. She tilts to the right...

...And lands on a patch of orange grass in a forest clearing. This is not the town of Opri. She opens her eyes and ears to the bluestream, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

The bluestream here isn't a nice, orderly, useful pattern like on the roads, or the formless fog that it usually decays to after a while. Instead it's a riot of random patterns swirling around, wispy and confused and obviously not designed to do anything useful.

Steel, deaf and blind for a few seconds thanks to her peek at the bluestream, stands very still and is very confused.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"You may wait there by the bleeding tree," says the tiny fairy, indicating a tree with red resin in globs all along its bark.

[sturdycoldsteel]

Steel's face pretty clearly shows her opinion of the bleeding tree, but she waits patiently by it.

[alicornucopia]

The bleeding tree has a pleasant smell and it's nicely shady, actually.

About an hour later a fairy with metal-lace wings lands, and looks at Steel, and speaks quietly to the tiny fairy, and then goes up to Steel.

"Where is the stone you want?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"It's between the waterfall and the grove of pine trees, off that way." (point) "I would want about two tons of it. I can handle transportation. I'm not sure what your master would like in return. I don't have these things with me right now, but I can provide a large amount of candied dewdrops, some paper and ink, a few books."

[alicornucopia]

"Master prefers to take trade in vassals but may also be interested in books."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I don't trade in vassals. It'll have to be books. I think copies of twenty sorcery books he hasn't heard of would be fine payment for some rock he wasn't using anyway, but of course it's up to him. I can also get a few books from the mortal realm - I met one a few years ago."

[alicornucopia]

"Two tons of rock might easily spoil the view until someone can sculpt what's left nicely," says the fairy. "If you can find twenty sorcery books we don't have in our court then that will be very impressive and I provisionally accept on Master's behalf. Mortal books - it might depend on what they are."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"It sounds like you have a very impressive library. I had assumed my books would be new to you simply by virtue of my being from far away, but perhaps not. The mortal books are fiction, mostly."

[alicornucopia]

"Each mortal fiction book will count for one-fourth of an unfamiliar sorcery book."

[sturdycoldsteel]

Steel nods. "Shall I go retrieve my books, or will your master want to speak to me in person first? Actually, I should list my sorcery books now, to see which ones are new to you." She lists the books Promise has, planning to copy them.

[alicornucopia]

"We have all of those."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Disappointing. I don't think I can get you eighty mortal fiction books, at least not easily. Is there anything other than books or vassals your master might be interested in?"

[alicornucopia]

"Services, if you can do things that the court can't supply."

[sturdycoldsteel]

Steel thinks for a moment. She doesn't want to be interesting. What can the bluestream do that sorcery finds difficult? She lies, "My kind can lift extremely heavy loads, many times greater than the two tons of stone I want, and I can fly relatively quickly carrying them. I am also a sorcerer, though admittedly of little experience and unfamiliar with the harmonics here."

[alicornucopia]

"I will speak with my master about anything he might want transported. Perhaps you should fetch as many books as you can get and when you return we can discuss making up the rest of the trade with heavy lifting. Do you need the loads balanced and contiguous or can you, say, lift a lot of dirt out of the ground?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Balancing them is not strictly necessary but will help. Non-contiguous loads must be smaller than the largest contiguous ones I can handle, but are still doable. I expect to return in approximately three weeks. Is there anything else we should discuss before I go?"

[alicornucopia]

"What are you called? I'm Verve."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Steel." She gives a polite little bow. "Shall I be off, then?"

[alicornucopia]

"In three weeks if I don't happen to be here when you arrive any of the lesser vassals will know when I'm expected," says Verve, nodding.

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Then I will see you in three weeks, or perhaps a little longer." Steel flies off.

A day later, she hovers invisibly and inaudibly a ways off and carefully surveys the area's harmonics in case they plan to ambush her. Then she really does fly back towards her gate at a relatively sedate pace, arriving at Promise's tree three weeks into her promised one-month absence. Steel looks for her.

[imeanforever]

Promise is in her tree, fixing lunch. "Hi, how was your trip?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"It was fun. Lots of pretty scenery out there. I eventually found the correct sort of rock, but it was within a court's territory. I had to promise them some 'mortal fiction books' and heavy lifting services to secure permission to take it, but I was very careful not to imply that I could see or affect harmonics, they might try have tried to capture me if I did. They might still try, but I'll come prepared for an ambush."

[imeanforever]

"Well done, then. So you're going to go get a lot of books, then?"

[sturdycoldsteel]

"That's the plan. I was planning on bringing fifty for them, too many more will get awkward to carry. You want some too? Using and changing the bluestream, theory and practice?"

[imeanforever]

"Yes please."