I can't fix you, but maybe I can still help

[powerispain]

He's trying to kill us--could ruin him--worry about that later--grab your sister and go.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

This is a desert. There's some less deserty area, over there, an oasis or maybe just sheltered by the rocks it's up against at the right angle to catch some moisture; and in it there are houses, tents, people.

[sheerstubbornness]

Great. She's pretty sure none of the languages she knows are likely to be spoken by people who live in deserts, except maybe Hebrew. ...And Odette's not here. Fuck. Okay, let's see if we get lucky and there's maybe a Shemeshite she can talk to over there.

[alicornucopia]

The people here appear to be talking some language she doesn't even recognize. They look at her in suspicious puzzlement. "Haan," says one woman tentatively.

[sheerstubbornness]

What does Haan mean is it a greeting or a name or what. "Hebrew?" she tries, in that language.

[alicornucopia]

Frowns. No recognition. Incomprehensible muttering.

[sheerstubbornness]

Great. Great. What now? If she had landed somewhere habitable she could just sit tight until someone found her--they'd look, she knows she would. But--well. She's a mage. She's not going to die in the desert. But it's not likely to be pleasant. "Illia," she says tentatively, pointing to herself.

[alicornucopia]

"Ylal," the same woman who said "haan" attempts. And she points at herself and says, "Kaaderid."

[sheerstubbornness]

"...Haan, Kaaderid," she attempts. She's assuming that haan means hello.

[alicornucopia]

"Haan, Ylal. Ochar Makas?"

[alicornucopia]

This is the sky.

She's not falling; there is air; there is not a down.

There's a planet, overhead - she could call it "below" and declare herself upside-down.

It's pretty. ...It's square.

[powerispain]

What the fuck.

...Is there anything besides air in naive unaugmented range of her Sympathy-senses?

[alicornucopia]

Nope!

There's a moon, thataway. It's hemispherical. There is a sun, underfoot, casting daylight on the square.

[powerispain]

Why is that moon a hemisphere--why is that...planet? square, why is she not currently dying of asphyxiation.

Well.

Maybe there will be answers on the...square thing. (She's not ready to label it a planet.)

She starts flying.

[alicornucopia]

The square obligingly becomes closer as she flies to it.

When she gets close enough the square is suddenly "down".

[powerispain]

She flips over so the blood isn't rushing to her head and continues descending. She aims for...they have three continents, or continent-like things, okay, she'll go for that one on the edge that's closeish to that other one.

[alicornucopia]

The place is inhabited! As she approaches she can see cities and towns.

[powerispain]

Okay then. She can find a decent-sized city.

[sheerstubbornness]

...And then suddenly she is not in a desert, but standing in some kind of pattern drawn on the floor of a room and Odette's there, Odette's okay and she's not in the desert anymore and she just kind of flings herself at her sister and clings and cries a bit.

[powerispain]

"I'm sorry, I should have been sooner, I'm sorry," Odette murmurs, hugging back fiercely.

[alicornucopia]

"I'll be in the staffroom," the wizard says, and he leaves to give them some space.

[sheerstubbornness]

"Where on Earth are we?"

[powerispain]

"Not on Earth. It's--some kind of square planet, with weird magic--they said something about a hotel room, did you get any sleep? I'm so sorry."

[sheerstubbornness]

"No, I didn't. And I've been walking and running for--can you carry me, a bit?"

[powerispain]

"Of course." Illia lightens considerably. Odette takes her hand and goes to find the person who offered to get her a hotel room.

[alicornucopia]

Receptionist! She is delighted to get them both a hotel room. On the house. (They must be taking a hell of a cut on the de-agings.) Here is a lovely inn, Sainted Magnolias Bed & Board.