That wasn't supposed to happen

[whatamithinking]

The parameters are recalibrated, the dial is spun, and a new universe is selected.
It won't be home--they haven't collected anywhere near enough coordinate data to think they can find home yet--but it will be another step closer.
And who knows, it might be interesting.
Edie steps through the portal first.

Comments

[iamnotpolaris]

She beams at him.

[not_only]

He smiles shyly.

[iamnotpolaris]

This is adorable, and not likely to make her stop smiling at him.
"So we were going to get the things to make wings with at some point, right?" she says after a moment.

[not_only]

"Oh! Yes. Well, I was. The place to get them is my island, which I don't think either of you can fly to without wings - does your flying thing work here?"

[iamnotpolaris]

"The pushing-off thing doesn't, exactly, but I'm wearing enough metal I can just lift it and me with it."

[not_only]

"Okay. Then if you want, you can come with me to gather materials. But you should make sure not to get too far away in case you run into a strange kind of monster that you don't know how to deal with. My island is more dangerous than this one."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I'll stay close."

[not_only]

"Do you want to go now, or stay the night here and go early in the morning so we have more daylight hours on the other island?"

[iamnotpolaris]

"How much time is left in the day? I never did get the hang of telling time by the position of the sun, and I have no idea which direction claims to be north here anyway."

[not_only]

"It's a few hours until sunset. It might be enough time to get everything, but I'm not sure, and it's not safe to sleep on the other island because sometimes things come through the walls."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Ugh. Yes, let's stay here then."

[not_only]

"As far as I can tell, this island is as safe as mine was when I started. Um, if it occurs to you to dig down very deep underground and kill the monsters that you find there, there are certain things you shouldn't do, and one of them is kill a certain kind of flying monster that carries a little doll. If it dies and the doll falls into lava, which there is a lot of down there, an enormous and terrifying monster might show up and try very hard to kill you. That's what happened on my island, and after that a lot of things changed and monsters started coming through the walls."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I cannot claim that it would have occurred to me to do that, but thanks for the warning anyway."

[not_only]

"I wouldn't like it if you got killed by something I didn't think to warn you about. Even if it's something you're really unlikely to actually do."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I wouldn't like that either."

[not_only]

Slight, shy smile. "I didn't expect you would, no."

[iamnotpolaris]

"So what do you usually spend the hours before sunset doing? Edie and I have habits, but I wouldn't want to deprive you of the first social interaction you've had in...how long was it again?"

[not_only]

"Um, about six years, I think. But I'm not sure. I don't keep a calendar."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Right. If you're feeling socially overstimulated or something we can leave you alone, but if you're not, we needn't."

[not_only]

"I don't think I need you to leave me alone," he says. "I guess mostly what I do is work on making things or designing houses. Um, would you like some armour like mine? Oh, I forgot to give you my extra tin bars—" he passes her a tiny brick of '85 Tin Bars'. "But if I remember right, I have everything to make a few more good sets of armour. If I'd known I was going to be meeting more people I would've brought my extra heart candies..."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Thanks. If I want to wear armor, I mold metal around my body. You probably don't have some of the metals I carry on me for that purpose--they're really good exotics only available in a few universes out of the ones I've visited so far."

[not_only]

"Terraria armour is different. It has weird magic. Mostly making it easier to kill monsters in this or that way, but still."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I don't usually need to kill monsters, but that's not never. Does the armor miniaturize like the tools and the bars?"

[not_only]

"Yes."

[iamnotpolaris]

"That would be lovely, then. Edie and I have some extradimensional storage space, but it's not unlimited."