Let's Do The Space Warp Again

[iamnotpolaris]

'Guided random' selected, parameters recalibrated, universe selection initiated.
What's on the other side now?

Comments

[whatamithinking]

'I don't know, but he says he still has a message for you from the Wild Magic. Perhaps it is merely that he doesn't expect me to be as faithful a conduit as a unicorn and he will simply repeat what he showed me, but then perhaps not.'
To Liselen: 'I don't know if you've explained that there is a non-evil Endarkened on this island, but if you haven't, perhaps we should leave the dragon here.'

[pythbox]

Liselen sighs. He says something out loud.

The dragon snorts.

He says something else, indignantly.

The dragon replies in an amused rumble.

'Saravasse probably believes me about the non-Dark Endarkened, and anyway she wants to talk to his Bonded about dragon repopulation efforts.'

[whatamithinking]

'Do you mind if I download your language? It doesn't touch anything else in your mind and it would make talking easier.'

[pythbox]

'Well, okay then, sure.'

[whatamithinking]

"Okay, I got it," she says in his language a moment later.
'So it's all right if I bring them to the clearing where you and Sivath are?' she checks with Tialle's Demon.

[pythbox]

"She speaks at last," the red dragon says dryly.

"She was talking to me this whole time!"

"I picked up on that, yes."

[endragoned]

'Yes.'

[whatamithinking]

"I didn't speak your language before a moment ago. If you would rather I spoke apparent-gibberish to go along with the mental conversation I suppose I could have obliged. Tialle's Demon is this way," she says, turning to lead them towards the clearing.

[iamnotpolaris]

Emily, who also received a copy of the language, follows her sister and says, "To be fair, I wasn't talking at all."

[pythbox]

"Yes, hello," says Saravasse. "I don't suppose any of you have names? I am Saravasse, and the unicorn is Liselen."

Liselen wobbles his way to a standing position and trudges determinedly after Emily and Edie.

[whatamithinking]

"Oh, my name's Edie, and this is my sister Emily."

[iamnotpolaris]

Emily waves a little when Edie introduces her.

[pythbox]

"Nice to meet you," says the dragon. "Certainly infinitely superior to the last time I was involved in events of great concern to the Wild Magic. What's the story with this demon?"

"One of my ancestors a long long time ago was captured and tortured by the Endarkened, and for some reason there was another Endarkened there also being tortured by the rest of the Endarkened, and they helped each other escape Shadow Mountain and then she never saw him again."

"And then he Bonded to a dragon and flew to a remote island and spent thousands of years living there with his Bondmate, completely cut off from the rest of the world?"

"Apparently!"

"Is this a male or a female dragon? The genealogists are hoping for male."

[whatamithinking]

"...I will ask."
'The dragon who flew the unicorn here wants to know the sex of your dragon.'

[endragoned]

The dragon and his Bondmate choose to relay this information via direct sensory impression. Yep. That sure is a male dragon. Also possibly more about dragon anatomy than Edie wanted to know, but to them it just seems like the most obvious way to answer the question, given the medium.

[whatamithinking]

"The dragon is male, congratulations to your genealogists."

[pythbox]

"They will be so pleased," says Saravasse. "As will Ancaladar, for that matter."

[whatamithinking]

"Why, who's Ancaladar?"

[pythbox]

"The sole male ancestor of nearly all other living dragons. Things were on track to get a bit awkward if Cortiana died, since she's the only remaining female dragon who isn't his daughter or granddaughter."

[whatamithinking]

"Oh!"

"Do you, uh, actually have a viable gene pool, this seems like it might be a problem."

[pythbox]

"Dragons do not die very often, so with a little new blood—has he a name?—we would be assured of a source of healthy hatchlings for some time yet. But yes, it is a bit of a problem."

[whatamithinking]

"Tialle's Demon told me he changed the entire ecosystem of the island in order for it to be able to support his dragon. Maybe the reason the Wild Magic wants him to stay is so he can add genetic diversity to the dragon population. If either one of them has a name it hasn't come up."

'Do either you or the dragon have a name?'

[endragoned]

'No. Should we?'

[whatamithinking]

'Saravasse wanted to know if he did. It might be long-term inconvenient if you didn't but it would be medium-term embarrassing if you did and I didn't know them.'

"Neither of them has a name."

[pythbox]

"Oh, well. His name is hardly the aspect of him I am most interested in."