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[adamantlyardent]

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[queenofseers]

No, I don’t? Mostly because of the “aging faster than your peers” part. I thought elves lived for hundreds of years? At least in the pop culture of my world.

[ Cassandra may not be much of a nerd, but at least she’s picked that up. ]

Then again, I probably shouldn’t assume every world with elves would be that similar.

[adamantlyardent]

[a bit flat:] Yes, that would be wise. Already I've encountered other elflike folk about that are way different from what I know.

In the case of what I do know...yes. Hundreds of years. Seven, eight tops? But since I'm only half, I'll probably see two hundred before tapping out. And since they've got ages ahead, it means they aren't fully adult until about a hundred, which means... [grimace.] Age gaps beyond years...

[queenofseers]

You’re a half-elf. That’s...a term I’ve heard nerdy people use before.

[ An awkward response, but she’s nothing but honest. Speaking of which: ]

That does sound pretty fucked if you know nobody but other elves, though. Although I can’t say I should be assuming much about elven culture. [ After a pause- ] Jesus Christ, you must put up with a lot of freaks, huh.

[adamantlyardent]

Plenty, in fact! [she's quick to agree with that, though she does recoil a little in saying so.] I mean--here. Definitely more here. Any...freakishness afoot back in the valley was either business as usual for the other species present, or...or whatever hell-portal what needed closing at a given time.

[she makes a face.

or Turin, she thinks.]

Anyway, never mind. Um--here-- [she fumbles around, tearing open a pack of trick handkerchiefs and offering it over.] I don't have any towels, so...

[queenofseers]

Ah, so you're used to hell-portals. Honestly, you might be well-prepared for this world's usual bullshit, then.

[ Cassandra sighs and grabs the handkerchief, wiping her face off. ] Thank you. Don't worry, this makeup doesn't come off, it's all godly bullshit.

[ Even she doesn't know how that works! ]

[adamantlyardent]

Oh. [squint.] I...Sorry. That sounds very...very troublesome. If ever you wished to style yourself differently, I mean. [the cost of ONE piece of makeup alone here makes that true enough.]

[queenofseers]

Oh, I mean- it’ll come off if I want it to. But usually it stays. It’s a useless fucking power? Shouldn’t I have gotten the ability to, I don’t know, teleport or what the fuck ever?

[ She hands back the hankerchief, wet but otherwise spotless. ]

My point is, this isn’t stained. If that was something you’d have to explain to your boss.

[adamantlyardent]

Ah, I...I see. [she waves her hand.] Ke-keep them. On the house. They're opened up, so I can't exactly sell them off, unless I wanted to be sleazy. And I don't.

[she does a fast, sidelong glance back at that makeup. she...wants to look like that on the regular?

wow. some people, huh?]

A-anyway, the power to...maintain a look you like? I think that's pretty decent, as far as powers go. I know I wouldn't mind it.

[queenofseers]

Ah, shit. Alright.

[ Cassandra promptly...throws them into her cloak, where they just vanish with a few white sparks. Hammerspace! It’s useful. ]

It just seems useless sometimes. I mean, what logical reason is there for a god to maintain an aesthetic? What does that actually do for humanity? [ A pause. ] Never mind. That’s all shit you don’t care about.

[adamantlyardent]

...

[but it kind of is tho. she chews on that, debating on dropping it or--

no.]

Aesthetics help...people really interpret. And solidify the image of something greater than themselves. And...I mean, meaning differs culture to culture, so any visual can offer up different meaning and avoid getting stale?

As for gods, well...it'd do no good for them to be so visually slippery. People believe what they see, and most dislike change anyway! It makes sense to me?

[queenofseers]

But that’s- I mean, everyone is going to interpret godhood differently, right? It’s not like every previous Urdr dressed like me. Honestly, it’s- [ She stops. ] You don’t get that, either. Godhood works way differently for my world than yours, I’m guessing. If you really can count me as being a god at all. I’m not really one, in the...Lachesis or Atropos sense.

[ She grimaces. Then gives Cecelia a severe look. ]

Please tell me you know about that, at least?

[adamantlyardent]

[red-faced, stressed:] How...how would I know about your so-called godhood? [more stressed:] Or are you asking if I know about the fate-gods here? Because yes? I'm not-! I'm not stupid, you know. I read. I...I read a little! I'm not an expert or anything, so--

[queenofseers]

You wouldn't- not about me. [ She huffs. This was her fuck-up. ] It's not like any of the other gods have been here in months. And people barely knew their deal then anyway...

[ As for the knowledge of Lachesis and Atropos, she's somewhat mollified by that. ]

At least you've tried to learn. Some of these fuckers don't even care. What do you know so far?

[adamantlyardent]

[she grimaces. such crude delivery...and always with a tone that sounds like she's going to start throwing props at her? gods. where's Sabriel.]

That...there's two? One in the business of bringing people here for whatever fancy suits her best, and another in the business of...I guess, eating everything? I can't say I've encountered a proper, condensed book of it in any library I've set foot in so far. And I've been to three.

[queenofseers]

Yeah, the natives don't know too much about it. Honestly, that's probably better- I don't want people starting doomsday cults.

[ She leans on the counter a bit. ]

Lachesis brought imPorts to this world, yeah, although it's the Porter machine she had made that actually brings us. Atropos is her sister, and she wants us dead for one reason or another- and she devoured the last world the imPorts were in. Some of us are trying to find her, and stop her...if that's even fucking possible. She's working with OTO, too- that organization that also keeps trying to off us. So it's a whole murderous thing.

[adamantlyardent]

Yeah, well, [sour:] someone busted my staff, so I can't exactly offer any help with walking the different planes now. The exact fact that it could've helped is probably why it's broken in the first place! So. Sorry. Unless Atropos is weak to a bit of lightning...

[queenofseers]

Wait, what? Different planes?

[ Hmm. Alternate universes...? ]

How did that work?

[adamantlyardent]

Magic? [shrug.] You hold it, want to be somewhere, and then you...are there. It's fey stuff, so no incantations or prep-work, just...a need to be mindful with details or the lack thereof.

[queenofseers]

Good Lord. That seems...too easy. Nothing is ever that easy.

[ That’s a blunt way to put it, but it’s certainly how she feels. Everything has to be difficult, as far as Cassandra’s concerned. ]

No wonder the Porter didn’t let you have it. This place likes to make things more frusturating for us.

[adamantlyardent]

Yeah, well-- [huff.] There you go. My chance to assist is laying in fragments back in the house I stay at. So. Sorry, I guess. [grumpily:] It's not like I'm meant to do anything worthwhile in a world like this anyway, so I suppose it's fine.

[queenofseers]

Hey, I wouldn’t say that. You sound pretty sure.

[ As if she knows something, or thinks she does. ]

Is this about how we apparently won’t remember anything?

[adamantlyardent]

Wh-oh? Uh-- Sure. That. [grimace.] Yeah, that...definitely adds to it, doesn't it?

[queenofseers]

[ Her eyebrows are being raised, Cecelia. ]

Well, if that wasn’t what you were talking about, what were you?

[adamantlyardent]

Uh, what? [waving it off:] Nothing important, obviously. Who cares? You're doing the whole end-of-the-world thing with Sabriel and Darin, aren't you?

[queenofseers]

Not with them. Wait- are they doing something? Do you know what is is?

[ Well, now you've got her curious! ]