authorized borrowing

[namesthesky]

Aya is little used to having the opportunity to set her own priorities, but she likes it. She's not hurting for any material resources, and the organization of the attic would produce those more than anything else; and she has this entire bookshelf closer to hand. So the attic, which may or may not contain ghosts, languishes; and she steadily works through the book collection. Right now she is on the third in a series of myths from the old religion; this volume is about Aelare, the trickster.

Comments

[pythbox]

After enough of a delay for her to make noticeable progress across the floor, she says:



I (pause) T R I P P E D

[namesthesky]

"Did you not know it was there?"

[pythbox]

I W A S R U N N I N G A W A Y F R O M S O M E O N E (pause) I F E L L (pause) D O W N A H I L L (pause) I N T O A R I V E R (pause) T H E M A G I C C A M E A F T E R

[anotherbreeze]

"That doesn't sound fun."

[namesthesky]

"It really doesn't. Do you have anybody who might still be alive that you'd like - I don't know, sent a letter?"

[pythbox]

N O

[namesthesky]

"Okay. Long time ago, huh? What year was it?"

[pythbox]

W E U S E D A D I F F E R E N T C A L E N D A R T H E N

[namesthesky]

"So, a very long time ago. Wow. Do you have an estimate?"

[pythbox]

A S F A R A S I C A N T E L L (pause) I T H A S B E E N B E T W E E N (pause) O N E A N D T H R E E T H O U S A N D Y E A R S (pause) B U T I T C O U L D H A V E B E E N M O R E

[namesthesky]

"Wow. Um, how can you read Esevi, then?"

[pythbox]

Y O U R A L P H A B E T H A S N O T C H A N G E D I N A W H I L E (pause) I P I C K T H I N G S U P H E R E A N D T H E R E

[namesthesky]

"I guess if someone left a page close enough for you to read it, for long enough, you could join up the letters to sounds if you were bored - and you've probably often been very bored."

[pythbox]

F R E Q U E N T L Y

[anotherbreeze]

(Giggle.)

[namesthesky]

"How often do you let somebody know that you're a sleeved person?"

[pythbox]

I H A V E N O T D O N E I T I N A W H I L E (pause) S O M E T I M E S L O N E L I N E S S I S S E L F P E R P E T U A T I N G

[namesthesky]

"I'm not sure I understand."

[pythbox]

T A L K I N G T O P E O P L E I S (pause) D I F F I C U L T (pause) A N D I T C A N F E E L E A S I E R N O T T O

[namesthesky]

"How did you do it without the letters, anyway?"

[pythbox]

W I T H P E O P L E W H O A R E V E R Y M U S I C A L (pause) C O M M U N I C A T I N G T H R O U G H M U S I C C O M E S M O R E N A T U R A L L Y

[namesthesky]

"Even if I could distinguish every pitch and chord you can emit, I'm pretty sure I'd have a hard time getting anything detailed or complex without assigning some sort of code."

[pythbox]

I T I S P O S S I B L E (pause) B U T R A R E

[namesthesky]

"I am failing to even conceptualize it. I can guess as far as - emotions and numbers and you managed a fairly recognizable laugh earlier - and beyond that I'm just going back to 'play snatches of music with lyrics to refer to the words'. I'm not saying it's impossible, mind, I'm saying it'd be fascinating."

[pythbox]

I D O N O T T H I N K I C O U L D E X P L A I N I T (pause) T O A N Y O N E W H O C O U L D N O T D O I T