Tea in the Gardens and Antechambers

[kaolinandbone]

As the many multiversal guests are gated in, singly or in groups, a crowd slowly begins to form in the entry hall. Lioncourt looks up from her meditation break and claps her hands twice: in moments, a dozen automaton servants file out from the adjoining rooms, hands of gleaming white porcelain holding equally elegant china tea-sets. A pair of the automatons open the doors at the far end of the hall, revealing a tiered rose garden, the stone benches dotted here and there ringing a large central clearing.

"Tea is served, either here or in the gardens: I would appreciate it, however, if some of my guests might proceed onward so as to reduce crowding."

Comments

Re: Astra Nepthys

[meletiti_entelecheiai]

A red-haired man almost walks past her before noticing her.

He blinks, and then shrugs. Walking nearer to her, he asks: "Mind if I sit here?"

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

Astra shrugs. "Not particularly." She goes on looking at the flowers stretching out around her.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[meletiti_entelecheiai]

Aisilian takes that as an invitation to sit down across from her.

There's a moment where he simply joins her in staring at the flowers.

After awhile, he breaks the silence.

"Your mindset is quite a bit less alien than I was expecting."

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

Astra shrugs. "Well, if you're going to visit reality, it helps to not be insane. Since I was picking concepts to wear anyway, I sensibly decided that 'insane' shouldn't be one of them."

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

As this is going on, the kobold walks in and scans the area, perking up noticeably when she sees Astra, and narrowing her eyes slightly when she notices the body language of both Astra and the stranger who's talking to her. She heads over, to see if this is a situation that can be improved by her presence.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[meletiti_entelecheiai]

Aisilian nods. "That's precisely the sort of thought that surprises me. I'd've thought that you'd consider us the insane ones, for example, or else be completely unable to understand our viewpoint. But you're not. You're... empathetic."

When the kobold walks over, Aisilian turns to her. "Ah- hello? The forum's Lurking Kobold?"

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold nods acknowledgement, "am". She then looks to Astra, grinning - "am do of sit?"

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

Astra keeps on observing the flowers.

"Don't get us wrong, there are definitely Excrucians who would say that you're insane. But if it's not your place to tell me that my view of reality is wrong, which I maintain it absolutely isn't, then it's not my place to tell you your view of reality is wrong, either."

Turning to the approaching kobold, Astra pats the seat next to her with a smile.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

That is where the kobold will sit, then. Also, Astra will be nudged for headpats, if she doesn't get to it first.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

Astra does headpats, after some gentle prodding.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

Well, it's not so much prodding as a gentle request - if they're not coming mostly on their own recognizance he kobold will settle for leaning comfortably on her.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

Astra really only needs some mild prompting to realize that headpats are required, and then she happily provides!

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

Then there shall be headpats, and a happy kobold. ^^

Re: Astra Nepthys

[meletiti_entelecheiai]

Aisilian grimaces.

"That would be quite valid, except... hm. I could say that the Excrucians are the ones attacking reality, but then I suppose you could say that the world is imposing sanity on Outside just by existing.

"I wonder if it would help things if we just... hid Creation."

He offers Lurking a smile. (It might be a slightly jealous smile.)

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold appears to be too focused on the headpats to notice Aisilian. (Is she really? No.)

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

"That's... Like saying that you're trying to hide a lighthouse. Or an ocean. Or light. Or, or..."

Astra visibly fumbles for words.

"... Look, you're so far off the mark that you're not even wrong."

Re: Astra Nepthys

[meletiti_entelecheiai]

Aisilian shrugs. "None of those are impossible. I could personally enact any of those, given sufficient mana."

He won't push for kobold headpats, obviously. He'll just sit here and d'aww in their general direction.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

"Yes, which is why that metaphor is wrong. Maybe the lighthouse one was closest: hiding reality defeats its purpose? No, that's not right either..." Astra growls under her breath.

"Look, your idea just isn't going to work, okay? It's obvious to me with a second's thought, but I just can't get it into voice-air-thought-language-reality-concepts."

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold leans into Astra's hand, and speaks up.

"Am think is no problem of language - am know of problem of language, person do good of listen do of understand of any."

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

Astra smiles. "Well, since he's talking to me, I feel like I ought to be polite enough to at least try."

She turns back to the red-haired man. "You said... that reality imposes sanity on the Outside. That is... technically true, but it's exactly as equally true to say that it imposes insanity on the Outside, just like it imposes 'Cats' and 'Death' and 'Eating' and 'Gravity' and 'Arguments.'"

Re: Astra Nepthys

[meletiti_entelecheiai]

Aisilian nods. "Right. And that's... not ideal for either of us. The idea would be to replace all of that... imposition, with something minimal to nonexistent. The first thing that comes to mind is ... a Boundary. A Great Border around the multiverse, that is the only form of structure allowed to exist outside of it."

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold makes a small disgruntled sound, and her body language changes subtly - she's no longer participating in the conversation.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[voidsextant]

Astra looks at Aisilian for a long, long moment...

Then bursts out in a helpless fit of laughter.

"Ffffhahahahaah YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE!"

She hugs Lurker close for a moment while she catches her breath, then shoofs her fur a little affectionately.

"Okay, maybe you were right, Lurker. I don't think this conversation is going anywhere very quickly."

Re: Astra Nepthys

[meletiti_entelecheiai]

Aisilian gives the kobold a dry look. "Yes, very well, you do not approve. The pre-existing options are either 'harm to the Excrucians that I do not understand and cannot or will not be explained to me and so am working to not understate,' or 'me, my friends, and everyone and everything I love ceases to exist in any recognizable form.' I am trying to find a third option."

He gives the same dry look to Astra. "Yes, and it is clearly not satisfactory, given that you know it exists and would prefer it didn't. How can we improve it?"

He's clearly not ready to give up yet, but it might not be up to him.

Re: Astra Nepthys

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold startles only slightly at Astra's sudden movement, and grins slightly at the fur-fluffing, then turns her attention to Aisilian with a level gaze.

"Third option: Listen of Astra person kind, if Astra say of thing, do of listen, not think of way of thing is of wrong, think of way of thing is of true."