(IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

That claim really gets his goat. "The Kiraskan. All of Not Riask! I suppose I've got what I'm going to get. We'll figure it out."

There's a bunch of words that won't translate. Universe and the celestial objects will be said in English. Light year and numbers will be literally translated.
"Oh, like the Universe. Everything. Right."

I think for a moment.

[54] 22-08-26 17:37:58 CEST
Hobby Skill (Space Trivia)
3d6 <= 11
3 + 6 + 2 = 11 ... success

"OK, so the Earth is about three light seconds from the sun. The sun is about four and a half light years from Alpha Centauri, twenty-six thousand from the center of the Milky Way, and two and half million from Andromeda."

I pause.

"None of that means anything to you either, does it?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

"You show up like a flame in the dark when traveling. Did you think people couldn't see you?"

"Well I kinda wished they couldn't when I had no pants, but..."

It takes me a second to parse the first sentence. I check myself; I'm not glowing or anything, right?

"What do you mean by 'show up like flame'? Has everyone noticed I'm out of place, but they're too polite to say anything?"

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

There's a bunch of words that won't translate. Universe and the celestial objects will be said in English. Light year and numbers will be literally translated.

So Kiraskan is something he was fairly proactive about discovering the word for... but yeah, talking about this for him will be hard.

"Oh, like the Universe. Everything. Right."

I think for a moment.

"OK, so the Earth is about three light seconds from the sun. The sun is about four and a half light years from Alpha Centauri, twenty-six thousand from the center of the Milky Way, and two and half million from Andromeda."

I pause.

"None of that means anything to you either, does it?"

"Doesn't matter. I will remember it. Earth. lit seeconds. lit YEEER. al-Fa Sentry, twenty six, Mel-key-wei. An-do-ma.

"Well I kinda wished they couldn't when I had no pants, but..."

It takes me a second to parse the first sentence. I check myself; I'm not glowing or anything, right?

"What do you mean by 'show up like flame'? Has everyone noticed I'm out of place, but they're too polite to say anything?"

"When Traveling. Vasic. You look like vasic." He looks at his buddies "Is he playing dumb or is he that stupid?"


buddy: "He is living like a bum with no relatives. Palridan might know."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

So Kiraskan is something he was fairly proactive about discovering the word for... but yeah, talking about this for him will be hard.

And incidentally, something he happened to bumble into and not really understand.

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Doesn't matter. I will remember it. Earth. lit seeconds. lit YEEER. al-Fa Sentry, twenty six, Mel-key-wei. An-do-ma.

Guess Julian never learned numbers more than twenty. And apparently the orders of magnitude.
"No, twenty-six is a number. Twice ten plus six."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"When Traveling. Vasic. You look like vasic."

"I told you, I don't know anything about that!"

Originally Posted by ericthered

He looks at his buddies "Is he playing dumb or is he that stupid?"

"Says the guy who spent eleven days looking for someone who wasn't even hiding."

I suppose I might get smacked for that. He's probably right anyway.

Originally Posted by ericthered

buddy: "He is living like a bum with no relatives. Palridan might know."

I guess Palridan's the bearded fellow.

Julian will wait a little while to ask if he got hit.
"Who's Palridan?"

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Guess Julian never learned numbers more than twenty. And apparently the orders of magnitude.
"No, twenty-six is a number. Twice ten plus six."

He got 26 thousand right.

"I told you, I don't know anything about that!"

"That's inconvenient but hardly a deal-breaker."

"Says the guy who spent eleven days looking for someone who wasn't even hiding."
I suppose I might get smacked for that. He's probably right anyway.

He does in fact get smacked.

I guess Palridan's the bearded fellow.

Julian will wait a little while to ask if he got hit.
"Who's Palridan?"

"Someone who can answer our questions."


Julian is hauled away from the town center, into the depths of the vegetation. Three more men are there. They have three spears between all of them. Real spears, that look like they came from the guard. The grip on Julian is transferred to one of these men.



One of them is watching a large brass pocket-watch very carefully. The numbers are riask, but there are twelve of them, and three hands. Tall man asks the man with the watch how long, and the man says "two <> and thirteen <>"

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Someone who can answer our questions."

I begin to wonder how being physically present would make it any easier for them to figure out what I am. I mean, I can't even answer their questions even if I wanted too. I stop as my thoughts keep drifting towards being dissected like a frog.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Julian is hauled away from the town center, into the depths of the vegetation. Three more men are there. They have three spears between all of them. Real spears, that look like they came from the guard. The grip on Julian is transferred to one of these men.

Maybe these guys have nothing to do with invaders after all. Surely by the time they get their hands on real spears they'd be ready for action... But they mentioned twenty stones. Then they would be ready for action about right now and I just ruined everything for them.

At least they probably wouldn't bring me all the way down here to kill me. Probably.

Originally Posted by ericthered

One of them is watching a large brass pocket-watch very carefully. The numbers are riask, but there are twelve of them, and three hands. Tall man asks the man with the watch how long, and the man says "two <> and thirteen <>"

Unless stone is a non-standard period of time, I guess that's probably something like four minutes. I'll ask if I can lie down to sleep.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Unless stone is a non-standard period of time, I guess that's probably something like four minutes. I'll ask if I can lie down to sleep.

Julian lays down to sleep, and they let him. He's awakened some time later, he's not sure how long, to someone grabbing his face and drawing on it with a brush or leaf or something.. He can feel a very large "light stone" nearby. Maybe 12 inches across. and feeling a little different than an ordinary light stone.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Julian lays down to sleep, and they let him. He's awakened some time later, he's not sure how long, to someone grabbing his face and drawing on it with a brush or leaf or something.. He can feel a very large "light stone" nearby. Maybe 12 inches across. and feeling a little different than an ordinary light stone.

Right, I can't feel them unless they're on.

I'm not going to get to look around (apart from glancing about) or talk until they finish drawing, so I guess I wait for whoever's drawing to finish. When they're done, I'll start looking around, starting in a direction away from the light stone, then towards the light stone.

"I take it you think you can just draw on me like a light stone and something will happen. Well believe me, I was drawn on a lot in primary school and nothing ever happened then."

[ericthered]

But Julian is wrong. After what feels like forever, but is probably only twenty seconds, energy starts pooling on his face. Everyone looks pleased. It feels like he has a lightstone surface on his cheek. It also looks like maybe its casting light... but he can't see it himself.

The room is much the same, except for the light coming off his cheek... and the 12 inch stone with a view of an actual room holding a man wearing fairly nice clothing and looking very smug.

Smug Man: "So he is Vasic. Good work. Do you have a way to get him down here?"

Tall Man: "Not without seizing the transport stone."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

But Julian is wrong. After what feels like forever, but is probably only twenty seconds, energy starts pooling on his face. Everyone looks pleased. It feels like he has a lightstone surface on his cheek. It also looks like maybe its casting light... but he can't see it himself.

But I, there's no, I'm not, it can't; stop. Breathe. Focus on something else. That tingly ozone feeling is on my face. Is it warming my face or am I just feeling the air in front of me?

They've kidnapped me, but they also think I'm worth something. I can work with that. They'll be careful not to break me.

Originally Posted by ericthered

The room is much the same, except for the light coming off his cheek... and the 12 inch stone with a view of an actual room holding a man wearing fairly nice clothing and looking very smug.

I take it he isn't bearded.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Smug Man: "So he is Vasic. Good work. Do you have a way to get him down here?"

Tall Man: "Not without seizing the transport stone."

Maybe I could try playing dumb: "How are you going to do that with three spears and six people?"

[55] 22-09-01 18:48:21 CEST
Fast-talk
3d6 <= 12
6 + 5 + 2 = 13 ... failure

I'll start writing/doodling in my diary, if only to get them used to idea, while waiting and seeing what they do next. Surely they have better things to do than stand around here and guard me.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Yes, they know the heat pattern. Not as well though. Same stone.

Originally Posted by TGLS

-> Practice drawing Vasic patterns

Did Julian practice the heat pattern? Given I pluralized patterns, I'd assume yes. Is the light pattern on his cheek warming his cheek internally or just incidentally from warm air and such?

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

But I, there's no, I'm not, it can't; stop. Breathe. Focus on something else. That tingly ozone feeling is on my face. Is it warming my face or am I just feeling the air in front of me?

Just the air. the "Energy" is the tingly ozone feeling.

I take it he isn't bearded.

No, this is a different guy.

Maybe I could try playing dumb: "How are you going to do that with three spears and six people?"

"With more than three spears and six men. We might have to wait a while"

I'll start writing/doodling in my diary, if only to get them used to idea, while waiting and seeing what they do next. Surely they have better things to do than stand around here and guard me.

"Hey! stop that!" one of the men aims a kick at Julian.



The tall man and the man in the stone talk a bit more. The man in the stone is Paldrian*. The tall man is named Tarbreth. They discuss the timeline of a upcoming "operation".


Tarbreth: "If the spears hadn't been stolen, and we hadn't killed any guards, it'd be doable. But that's in the past. We're short on weapons, and they're on high alert. I don't think we can strike in the next 40 stones, and they'll really step up the search for us."


Paldrian: "Normally I'd say go to ground... but we've got the boy. He might make all of this worth while. "


Tarbreth: "Would he? he might be a replacement for a single 10lb stone. And it won't be worth anything unless he can be trained."


Paldrian: "I wouldn't count on that. Can you get out?"


Tarbreth: "With the boy? I don't think so. He'll stand out like a torch if we use a teleportation stone, and I don't trust him with a glider. That leaves trekking across the ceiling to Paglog."



Paldrian: "Then make the trek"


Tarbreth: "That's easier to say than to walk"



*curse me mispelling my own made up names!

Did Julian practice the heat pattern? Given I pluralized patterns, I'd assume yes. Is the light pattern on his cheek warming his cheek internally or just incidentally from warm air and such?

yeah, he practiced the heat pattern. The light pattern isn't warming his cheek.