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

[not_only]

"Maybe," he says. "I'll think about it."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Right, so what I was going to say is I think you might like learning non-block architecture. It wouldn't be as easy, but there's all kinds of different styles and building materials and I don't know all that much about it but I know there's a lot."

[not_only]

"Well, if it's less easy I might have a harder time practicing."

[iamnotpolaris]

"That is true! But there are books and stuff, which is actually why I thought of the language thing, and it might have principles that could be applied to block architecture."

[not_only]

"Oh. Well, do you have any of those books?"

[iamnotpolaris]

"Not with me, no--architecture isn't one of my particular interests, or Edie's. But most universes have them."

[not_only]

"If we found one, I could read it and see if I liked it."

He looks around the room again, closes open storage chests, and nods thoughtfully.

"I think I have everything this time. We could go back to your island."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Great!"
Emily will try out the butterfly wings instead of supporting herself with metals. She has to take off her fabric shirt for this, but her torso is layered with enough titanium and other things for that not to leave her indecent until she puts the armor back on. It's...different. Not as nice as floating on a proper planet's magnetic field, but better what she had been doing in Terraria.
And they look fantastic.

[not_only]

Sivath coincidentally remembers that he wanted to get something else out of a storage chest when Emily starts fussing with putting on the wings. But when she has finished putting on the wings and her armour is back on, he smiles at her. "They suit you."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Thanks!"

[not_only]

"And now we can really go back."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Yep."
Emily hesitates a little bit before the cloud barrier, but steels herself and flies through as fast as she can.

[not_only]

It's a few seconds of being surrounded by fog on all sides and not being linked to her sister's mind, and then it's over and she's back in the open air on the other side of the fog wall. Sivath emerges a few seconds later.

[iamnotpolaris]

"Those things are weird. What possible purpose could they have?"

[not_only]

"Well, they separate the islands. I don't know why, but that's what they do."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Eugh. But why are they like that--" she cuts herself off, shaking her head. "I'm overreacting, I'm sorry."

[not_only]

"I find them unsettling, but I think I find them less unsettling than that."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Usually, my and Edie's minds are connected at least a little. When I'm in that cloud stuff she just isn't there."

[not_only]

"No wonder you're more unsettled than I am."

[iamnotpolaris]

"It happens when one of us is in Milliways and the other isn't, too, but we've had more cause to be wary of being separated since we got stranded."

[not_only]

"That makes sense."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Yes."
Is that the house, coming into view?

[not_only]

It is!

Sivath lands there.

[iamnotpolaris]

So does Emily. Edie's waiting outside, wearing a dress that's cut low enough in back not to impede wings. Emily hands the wings over.

[whatamithinking]

Edie tugs her braid out of the way, unminis the wings, and attaches them to her back.
And then: There are wings. She grins and flexes them experimentally.