Most Likely A Refuge

[whatamithinking]

It was probably safe.

The bar was...unusually reticent, in the lower layers of her mind (and she hadn't pried further; she wasn't sure if she'd be noticed; she wasn't sure if offending would get her kicked out, and regardless of whether it was actually safe it was safer than anywhere else she'd been for the past...three years?) so she couldn't be sure this place wasn't really a trap of some kind, but the higher layers gave a plausible explanation that didn't involve being a trap, and whatever else it was warm and dry and had food. Her guard was probably a full 25% down. Positively trusting, these days.

Comments

[whatamithinking]

"Makes sense. Did the fluff react to it in any meaningful way?"

[onceandforall]

"I'm not sure yet if the fluff was reacting to that or to remembering having interacted with you, but I did have a bit of an exciting end-of-loop."

[whatamithinking]

"...Good exciting or bad exciting?"

[onceandforall]

"Bad, but informative, at least potentially if I spend long enough testing guesses."

[whatamithinking]

"What happened?"

[onceandforall]

"Fluffs and girls operating on the orders of fluffs trying to steal my gem, much faster response time replacing any given fluff I killed, fluffs speculating about how I must have managed to make my wish when they don't remember it, eventually they amassed superior firepower that I did not manage to take a photo of before I reset."

[whatamithinking]

"If it's just that they remembered me that seems like it would be more convenient for future loops."

[onceandforall]

"Yeah, I need to work out a set of experiments to perform. This loop my experiment was mostly 'see if the door's there again' but if no fluffs see me I can do another thing too."

[whatamithinking]

"I'm glad the door was there again."

[onceandforall]

"Me too! It involves a redeye flight, but I can reliably catch it whenever I want."

[whatamithinking]

"Redeye flight?"

[onceandforall]

"Yeah, I have to go stow away on a plane the same day I wake up in the hospital, fly across the country overnight, and come straight to the particular door."

[whatamithinking]

"Why'd you do that the first time?"

[onceandforall]

"Trying to catch the big witch when she's less big. She seems to come west across the US/Canada border."

[whatamithinking]

"Maybe some kind of sensor spell would help with that...what did you do that got you the mind-shielding spell?"

[onceandforall]

"Fluffs sent a girl with mind-controlly powers after me, which was not fun, but I explained to her what was going on and I... went overboard and she witched then and there and I had to kill her. Not a super fun story. I might check on her this loop."

[whatamithinking]

"Yikes. Yeah, that...that would get you mind shielding."

[onceandforall]

"Which helped when there were too many of them to have a conversation with, later on."

[whatamithinking]

"Eek. What other hazards are there, should we be trying to figure out how to get you new defensive spells in Milliways before you go back out there?"

[onceandforall]

"I mean, it's basically okay if I die, I have good emotional control, and I can clean my gem now. I'm pretty safe. But if you can think of good personal accomplishments I can try to aim at something like teleportation or translation I won't say no."

[whatamithinking]

"Yeah, mind stuff is kinda the major hazard for an immortal...um...is there anything trivial you've always wanted to do, like eating an enormous dish of ice cream in one sitting or doing a thousand skips in a row with a jump-rope?"

[onceandforall]

"Um... I kind of have lots of opportunities to indulge things like that in my monthly life. Anything I haven't gotten around to... um... I have not yet read a Dostoevsky novel in one sitting?"

[whatamithinking]

"Would you feel a sense of accomplishment if you did?"

[onceandforall]

"Probably, yeah."

[whatamithinking]

"Then that could get you a spell. If it had to be a really major accomplishment I wouldn't have as many as I do."