Scene Archives

looks around the 36th’s rooftop terrace, which hasn’t changed much, even if the crystalline wave cresting above them somewhat inhibits the view. The skies roil uneasily above them, and the web of the massive Bubble-like working cast over the entire Academy seems almost close enough to touch. “Ah,” she says, craning her neck to look up at the wave, “For some reason, I thought this would be more meditative than threatening.”

: “…What’s threatening about a protective shield?”

: “The way it looms? The fact that it feels like the wave could come crashing down on us at any moment?”

blinks. “Okay. Maybe shouldn’t have said that,” though a quick glance verifies they’re the only two people up here.

: “…I suppose there weren’t really a lot of large structures on Almachadta…”

: “You don’t find it ominous? Not even a little?”

: “No? It was used to defend, and it did an admirable job of it. Nothing to fear from it.”

: “Maybe if it were a more brittle material, but it likely wouldn’t still be there if it was.”

: “Fair enough.” She falls silent, before looking at him. “I wanted to ask how you were doing, actually.”

: “That’s probably more of a question for Archie, really, but I suppose he does have Caion and vice versa.” He scratches at his head, before leaning against the rail. “I think I’m doing alright, though. And you? Having witnessed large scale loss before isn’t always the same as personally experiencing it, even if… I don’t think we were particularly close with anyone who…” He trails off.

leans next to him on the rail and twines her fingers with his. “I’m concerned for Archie and I’m—I plan to talk to Caion later, but it’s you I …” She runs her fingers idly over his knuckles. “I didn’t listen in, on what you said as we were leaving, but you had messages to deliver and you weren’t able to do it. You tried hard to do it exactly right too. I guess I wanted to be whatever support you might want, for that. Since I love you, and all.”

: “Mmm.”

: “I mean… it’s sad, certainly, that I hadn’t of happened upon Solei first but… ultimately, it’s a small thing in my life, even if it could have been a large thing in theirs. So. I don’t know, it’s upsetting, and absolutely wish things had gone a bit differently… but for me, personally, I’m okay.”

considers that for a moment, before nodding. “I didn’t like them much, at first. Solei. But before we left for Cloudset, I spoke with them. I wanted to know more about Tasna, since so much of this interplanar travel seems to revolve around her. Solei told me about her, told me a bit about themself, and I walked away … liking them a lot more than I had before. I think I feel sort of the same?”

nods slowly. “My message for Tasna is a lot longer, too. Suppose I’ll have to make sure that it gets relayed sooner rather than later.”

: “Your chance is drawing nearer, I think. I’m guessing that the Septentrione will have the gate between planes there. Of course then we have to find her.”

: “Yeah, definitely. Wonder if the messages Tsem and I left ever got answered.”

: “Ah. I was wondering about that. Do you think … since we have the liminal express, would there be any way to stop back on Almachadta and deliver a tomestone to Tsem?” She doesn’t sound very hopeful about the chances, but.

: “…Honestly, I don’t see why not?”

: “That’s literally what it’s there for.”

blinks. “Oh,” and then she laughs, chagrined. “I’m kind of. Scared. What if things have already progressed past saving? But I’d always rather know than not know. And I’d like the chance to speak with Badri.” She looks at him. “I kind of got the chance to introduce Awa, but not really you.”

: “I can’t imagine it’d be moving that fast, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to give Badri and Tsem a way to get a hold of us just in case, yeah.” A pause. “…Why did you think it wouldn’t be possible?”

pulls out her own Tomestone with her free hand and watches as the ambient light shifts across the dark surface. “I mean, we left for three days and came back to … only a miracle having stopped the Academy from being destroyed so …” she falls silent, tilting her Tomestone back and forth, watching the light across the surface intently. “I don’t know why I thought it wouldn’t be possible. Maybe too busy pouting the first time to really absorb how the train works? Maybe … it just feels like it’d be too easy and nice?”

: “The kinder, gentler path is, explicitly, nice and easy.” Another pause. “Suppose that’s a fair reason for increased unease, though.”

shakes her head. “I think. I trust that we’re going to succeed. I just don’t know how much we’re going to lose on the way there. You said last time we talked it’s not even Act 2 of this stories, and in my experience with stories structured like that, they tend to get much, much worse before they get better.”

shakes her head again like she’s trying to clear the web of thoughts away. “I’m not … I don’t know. I don’t think I’m uneasy, though maybe I am?” Another laugh, humorless. “And here I was fretting over you.”

leans into Salme. “Fretting over people is one of the ways you tend to express your own anxiety, yes.”

: “Though yes if you ever really want to give yourself a mild panic attack go look up the music track listings.”

: “I have.” She makes a face. “I think I saw you or Awa looking once so I looked too. That’s how I noticed the two act structure. I haven’t … wanted to look too closely at the music titles.”

: “Ah. Yeah. There’s some real… suggestive ones in there. Maybe a good idea to not look too hard.”

: “That and it’s frustrating. The … languages? I don’t know why there’s one that I … just know. On Suoja, when we fought the creatures that became Melpomene, I knew what their names meant. I can think of … a specific kind of fox for you, and I know it. When I heard my song, I knew it was the same language, but I don’t know what it’s called, or anything about it. And there’s so many different ones …”

: “You do realize we’ve been auto-translating them when we hear them this entire time, right?”

: “Yes, but that doesn’t help when we simply know the title. And I didn’t know what yours meant until the second time.”

nods. “Though, yeah, you’re not wrong that it’s weird as hell that we do that.”

: “Especially since no one else even knows they’re other languages, beyond us, other than uh… the Ancient one they got here.”

: “Yes. And that, again, I seem to instinctively know one language?” She looks at him. “Could you do that? If you reached for something in a different language, do you know … what would come out?”

: “More or less…?”

: “Always have to think about it for a couple seconds when you do it, but I usually get the jist.”

: “I could probably pick a few choice words from the language the Saint’s song was in if I tried hard enough? Probably could swear in a few others…”

: “Got numbers in this one: uno dos tres qutaro cino cino seis…”

laughs. “That’s from Jorule, though, right? It’s not like … if I called you kultainen leijona just from … thinking about it?”

: “No, I don’t think Jorule’s honestly ever spoken anything other than english.”

: “Oh. Hm.” Then she tilts her head at him. “Is that what we’re speaking? English?”

: “Pretty sure.”

: “But you can … understand when I use that language. And you could … possibly … say something in a language that comes naturally to you?”

: “Hai.”

: “Hello?”

: “Yes?”

: “Oh, is that yes?”

: “Correct.”

: “Hmm.” She thinks for a moment. “But the thing is, I had no idea what Altan Arslan meant until you let me see what it meant. But you’re better at seeing than I am.”

flicks her eyes up and to the right, unfocusing for a moment. “Though The World Cries Out, ‘Devour Me!’ feels. Very significant, considering Wolf’s new theory regarding the cycles of the planes.”

: “Oh, yeah, it’s not like… knowledge I just have it takes a lot of thought. But. Yeah.”

: “Well, if you’re good at anything it’s overthinking something profoundly so. Unsurprising, really.” She curls closer towards him as she says it. “You think about things very visually though. Like when we were Circling, and you … were able to see things as moving images.”

: “…Is that not how eyes generally work?”

: “Oh, no. On Almachadta, the things you call eyes are actually very round nuts that we pop into our empty sockets when we become adults. We see with gnosis.”

: “Okay you say that in jest, but that’s not actually too far off for the Spokenwood or Lightdrinkers.”

: “No, but … ugh, you’re distracting me.” She flicks him (gently) with her free hand. “You explained in the folio that you were able to see … everyone in the Circle’s perspective all at the same time. That isn’t … how it worked for me. If I focused, I could almost see through Awa’s eyes, but it was still more of a feeling than an image?”

: “Oh. Huh. Would have thought you’d of had a fairly clear image, even if only one at a time. Considering you’re way more used to linking. Though I guess you are usually sharing… memories, and not so much just looking at things.”

: “Yes, and I wouldn’t say I’m precisely used to sharing memories. Getting more used to it. I think … it’s called methexis, apparently. Wolf was able to access a version of it that was … very good. Better than anything I’ve managed.” She tilts her head up to look at him. “Not to … interrogate you, but … the memory thing. Is it still … odd, for you?”

: “I mean, it’s still weird, but it doesn’t bother me as much, and it’s certainly easier to digest in book form.”

: “Why did it bother you? At first? I was never … clear on that.”

: “Mmm… how unexpected it was? I think it was probably more of a Jorule reaction than anything too?”

catches her lips between her teeth. “I really probably shouldn’t ask you this here and now but … when. Did you start feeling wholly … yourself? Instead of …” she shakes her head and mutters something like complicated man indeed before continuing. “It seems like you’re much clearer or saying what’s a him-reaction, and what’s a you-reaction now, and I feel like, when I think back to the Architect’s Sanctuary, you feel much less like you and much more like him.”

shrugs, nudging his head against Salme. “I don’t know, could you clearly pinpoint the exact moment you felt you went from a child to a teenager, or a teenager to an adult…?”

nudges back, and gives a soft chuckle. “No, not really. Unfair question I guess.” She wraps both of her arms around his neck. “I’m glad you’re you, though.”

: “Same.”