Spiders!

[lurkingkobold]

The scene: Miles' living room; Cordelia and the kobold sit on the couch, facing each other, with the kobold's mirror on the couch between them.

The kobold has the mirror read a thread, gives an explanation of what she found on her trip - the spiders are telepathic, she wasn't obviously a person because she's not; also, these spiders are small, but clearly capable of killing humans, she watched one take down a rat nearly that big - then has the mirror read another thread, and then a series of private messages between herself and Novelty:

---

Hi!

There's another spider here, Queen Hot, who was asking about eating humans a while ago.

Do you know them? If you do, have you told them that they might be wrong about humans not being people?

---

She's the queen of my clan. I told her about humans and she said she doesn't think they're people but if she sees any she'll ask them for me. I told her maybe they're people who can't talk. She said she'll ask them about that too. I said she wasn't taking me seriously, this is important! So I told her I can trade some alive humans on the forum and she said okay she'll bring me any alive humans she finds, I should get a good trade. If she finds humans can you trade for them?

---

That's a good idea, but I think I have a better one - I have friends who are humans and don't talk the way you do; I can bring one of them to meet her and explain. Do you think that would work? How dangerous would it be for us?

---

I can get her to listen to you. She's very patient. But she might plan to eat you after.

---

Hm. Tell her I have five goats I'll give her if she doesn't try to eat us when we visit.

---

What are goats?

---

Goats are a kind of animal; four goats is about as much meat as me and my human friend together.

---

She wants one of the goats up front to see if they are good food.

---

When the private message thread is done, the kobold says, "I'm done trying to negotiate, this kind of thing never ends well. We need to do something, though."

Comments

[greatcomposure]

I think it's possible that you're mistaken about whether people always have brightly glowing minds.

Do most of the people on this forum seem like people to you? Would you be surprised if you found out that someone you've spoken to here wasn't telepathic, or that their mind didn't look the way you're used to minds looking when they belong to people?

[spiderzone]

Some of the forum members seem like people. Some seem like boys, repeating whatever they've been told.

Dark people are rare here, but I suppose they could be more common on the forum. I don't know how they'd access it. Dark minds don't look like animals, either, they look like nothing.

[greatcomposure]

It's possible to communicate without telepathy. I'm accessing the forum by non-telepathic means right now.

What are 'dark people' like, exactly?

[spiderzone]

Dark people show no mind light at all. We cannot touch their minds, nor can they touch ours. But if they learn the Boys' Speech so a boy can interpret for them, they often prove quite intelligent.

[greatcomposure]

I see.

It seems possible, then, that some of the minds that seem like animals to you could also prove to be intelligent if you could communicate with them effectively.

What is the Boys' Speech?

[spiderzone]

Boys cannot touch minds, but they can share simple concepts by dancing around like little maniacs. In this way, one can be told about dinnertime and the rest will also come.

[greatcomposure]

Most of the non-telepathic languages I know of use sound to transmit meaning, but some of them do use movement, so that makes sense.

If I visited you and turned out to have a mind that wasn't dark or bright, would that seem more like evidence that some people have minds like that, or more like evidence that I wasn't a person?

[spiderzone]

I would have to check very carefully that young Novelty wasn't presenting food in your place.

[greatcomposure]

I can demonstrate plenty of complex and interesting magic, and continue talking to you using the forum while I'm there. And I don't see any reason why Novelty has to be involved in our meeting at all, so if you're concerned about her constructing some sort of complicated hoax, you could leave her out of it entirely.

[spiderzone]

I do like magic. Very well. I promise to initiate no hostilities with you, or, should you send one, with your chosen animal representative. Let us see your magic.

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia finds the kobold, and says, "I'm going to go visit Queen Hot now. She thinks I might be a hoax by Novelty, but she seems willing to consider the idea that I might be a person who isn't a telepath."

[lurkingkobold]

Nod, consider.

"Did she say anything that makes it sound like a bad idea to have Novelty here? I'm not sure how she thinks Novelty would be doing a hoax."

[greatcomposure]

"I didn't get that impression from anything she said. Probably it will seem less likely that Novelty is doing a hoax if Novelty is in a different world at the time."

[lurkingkobold]

She nods, and sends a PM to Novelty:

Would you like to come try a goat, while my human friend meets with Queen Hot? They've been talking, I think it will be safe.

[spiderzone]

Ooh, that sounds fun! When can I come?

[lurkingkobold]

She looks to Cordelia, for any last minute uncertainty, then sends

In a couple minutes, we just need to get ready.

and heads to the demiplane.

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia PMs Queen Hot.

My kobold friend has invited Novelty to visit our home while I visit yours. I will arrive very soon, using a magical gate between worlds which will open near you.

Then she follows the kobold to the demiplane, and opens a gate to Queen Hot.

[lurkingkobold]

And the kobold opens a gate to Novelty.