The Party Had Just Begun

[iamnotpolaris]

They spend the next couple of days just in Terraria, not exploring new worlds. Sivath builds the new house, with Emily's periodic assistance. Her sister and her sister's new Bonded...do not lack for ways to pass the time. At some point, Tialle's Demon gets around to eating a mana candy, and reports the same confused, undefined but large amount of mana. At some point after that, Emily gets around to warping over to Saravasse to report the information, and in the course of so doing meets some other dragons.

Eventually, the house is finished. It's glorious. Glass and marble and that peculiar, lovely Terrarian granite.

Comments

[iamnotpolaris]

Emily glances at Sivath.

[not_only]

"That's nice of you," he says. Apparently he is inclined to accept the invitation.

[iamnotpolaris]

Emily steps inside. She doesn't feel any metal in a shape that suggests someone is going to try to axe-murder or chainsaw them, but she keeps a sharp eye out for less...receptive possible implements.

[not_only]

Sivath follows, wings folded, ears pricked, looking as quietly thoughtful as ever.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

The guy--relaxes, when he sees Sivath. "Oh!" he says. "How embarrassing."

[not_only]

"Hmm?"

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Oh, for a moment I thought you two were--you know. Normals." He says "normals" the way Emily's heard some of the more overtly racist assholes in her home universe say "mutants."

[not_only]

"Well, now you know better," says Sivath, very reasonably.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Indeed. What a regrettable mistake that could have been," he chuckles.

[not_only]

"I'm sure," he agrees seriously.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Indeed, indeed. Would either of you like some tea?"

[not_only]

"No, thank you," he says, very polite and earnest.

[iamnotpolaris]

"Likewise."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Suit yourselves. We don't often get visitors, out here, what with the seclusion."

[iamnotpolaris]

"This place was on a list of nearby semi-abandoned cabins that might or might not contain suspicious characters."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"...A list where?"

[iamnotpolaris]

"A nearby college. Didn't get the name."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"...Borgia University, most likely. Well, if they haven't noticed us in particular yet, we're probably safe to stick around a little longer, but if they're sending random people to random cabins in the woods we had probably better leave soon."

[not_only]

"What are you here to do?" wonders Sivath.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Oh, it's a convenient place to cast certain types of spell. A pox upon their houses and all that, although not a literal pox, of course. These are modern times, after all."

[not_only]

"Oh? What is the modern equivalent of a pox?"

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Oh, various things," he says airily. "Cancer, sometimes. AIDS, if you're gauche. The deaths of various family members, if you just want to send a warning. Financial ruin, occasionally, but that one's tricky. And messy. Human sacrifice usually is. I don't suppose you know where to find some orphans that wouldn't be missed or anything of the sort?" he asks, half-joking.

[not_only]

"I'm afraid not," he says quietly.

It would be very easy to overlook the slight change in tone.

[iamnotpolaris]

Emily...has Edie for a sister.

She doesn't overlook the change in tone.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Of course, of course," he says, waving a hand. "Orphans are dreadfully well-monitored by the system these days. In truth, it's the homeless who are easiest to...utilize, these days. One of the disadvantages of operating so far from a proper city," he sighs.