vision

[calescent]

Kiri's up early the next morning, restless with various low-level simmering concerns, and wanders out of her room.

Comments

[salt_of_the]

"It's still pretty squishy. I wonder if it will always be squishy. Does your thing feel wet?"

[free_flowing]

"I guess," he says, "yeah. I don't know, it feels - like itself? Water and blood are both wet things, though, so you're not wrong."

[salt_of_the]

"I mean, earth and stone and stuff aren't squishy, but they're not doing anything right now, so it's easy to ignore what's around. The bodies are doing stuff. And being squishy." She squeezes his hand. "Squish!"

[free_flowing]

He squeezes back and grins at her.

[salt_of_the]

"I keep being tempted to do stuff. More with the rocks than the bodies. Maybe after I say hi to everybody I'll go mess with the contents of your yard if you'll let me."

[free_flowing]

"Sure, go for it."

[salt_of_the]

"Cool. Your moat is already very nice so you probably don't want me to add to the designs in the floor of it."

[free_flowing]

"Yeah. It is a great moat. I love my moat."

[salt_of_the]

"I very much approve of your moat."

And here is a door with bodies behind it!

Patience takes a breath and opens this door.

[calendarofcrime]

One of the bodies behind the door - a very hunti-seeming woman who is presumably Sarelle Dochenza - looks up at her, inhales, and says, "Condolences."

[calescent]

"Oh - already?"

[salt_of_the]

"Yeah. I mean, I was expecting it. Maybe not fifteen minutes ago, but there you go. Hi, I'm Patience Frothen, you must be Sarelle Dochenza and Ekador Serlast, the Ardelays I know already. This is my dog Mud."

[calendarofcrime]

"Hello."

[pyrophyte]

"Yes. That. Hello," says Ekador.

[salt_of_the]

"Loel says you're from Malinqua and I should maybe ask you what it's like to be so not used to people having elements?"

[pyrophyte]

"I'm not sure I understand what it's like to be used to people having elements well enough to explain the opposite," he says.

[salt_of_the]

"Oh, well, so much for that idea." She flops into a chair. "How are you liking Welce?"

[pyrophyte]

"The search for a card game I can't cheat at remains engaging."

[salt_of_the]

Patience laughs. "Oh, I hadn't even thought of that - that's funny. I wonder what else you could make cards out of?"

[calescent]

"I haven't come up with any alternative card materials yet. I suppose I could cheat at cards too, but it's easier to avoid."

[calendarofcrime]

"There are few among us who couldn't," Sarelle says dryly. (She has previously observed - and subsequently proved - that while her advantage of memory is not quite as automatic as Ekador's, it is equally powerful when she chooses to exercise it.)

[liakoura]

"I dunno how Patience or Loel would do it," comments Aleko. "Also me, I cannot cheat at cards."

[free_flowing]

"I know tons of ways to cheat at cards, are you kidding? I can probably even think of one that takes magic," says Loel.

[liakoura]

"Okay, well, maybe you can teach me the kinds that don't and I can compete on a level playing field? Game full of cheating."

[salt_of_the]

"That actually sounds kind of fun, but I wonder if it'd balance, me and you and Loel cheating by not-magic and Kiri only knowing half the other players' hands plus how we're cheating while Ekador knows everything and - what is it you're doing, Sarelle?"