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: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

Ahrotahn smiles. "It is. But even before that, before I knew anything about any of this, I was Called there. I knew, we all knew, somehow, where to go, and that it would be worth the journey. And it was, and is.

"But it's not just the City. It's what the city could be. What we're trying to create, or re-create." She gestures around at the party. "My people never had any contact with other worlds, before we found D'ni. And look at this! Even if I didn't like the City, isn't the idea of traveling to other worlds — isn't it worth it?"

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"I wouldn't know, this is the first other world I have been to. For a while I didn't even think the forum was real, I thought it was all elaborate pretend and everyone was in on the joke but me." She shrugs. "Called? What do you mean?"

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"We don't really understand it ourselves. The going explanation is," she makes a throwing-up-her-hands gesture, but with only one hand (the other is holding her teacup), "'Yeesha!' But, in summary, we felt an urge to go to a certain place, and when we got there, we found D'ni." She smiles. "And each other."

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"Aw. That's sweet. It sounds like you're really happy! I'm glad."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

Ahrotahn grins. "Thanks."

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"So - I don't know, do you have questions about my world? I don't really know what to say, mine feels kinda boring, there have been no - I wasn't called anywhere in particular! I have an apartment."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"Well... what does your Empire do? Are there other countries in your world that you trade with? How does your government treat outsiders?"

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"My Empire mostly just runs things! And keeps the world trees working and keeps people fed and happy and safe. There are other countries that we trade with, but I don't know very much about them besides some stereotypes and it seems mean to represent them with just those. I - don't think my government's dealt with a lot of outsiders. I don't see why they'd mistreat any of you! They're nice to foreigners."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"That's good. We don't have a lot of empires in my world, nowadays, and some people think they tend to go badly. But I'm glad yours is working out."

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"It is! And we have really nice stuff. And a lot of time to find what we want to do! I mean - humans get a century! Maybe. Ugh, it's awful, I'm sure we could fix it if I could get an arcanist to look at you."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"Immortality? That would certainly be welcome. Are arcanists rare?"

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

She nods. "There's a whole - testing process for them. You have to apply. I didn't qualify. It's very complicated stuff and it seems like there's only a limited number of people that can be arcanists, so they need the best."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"Well, maybe we can trade some time. Do you know what sorts of things the Sunrise Empire imports?"

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"Quartz. Precious gems, too, but quartz is the big one! Um... Hm. I don't really know, I don't work in that area."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"Interesting. Quartz is a reasonably common type of crystal, where I come from; I'll make a note of it." She pokes at a device on her wrist. "...huh, no signal. Suppose it makes sense. I can still take notes, though." Poke poke.

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"Sure! It's pretty common for us, too, but we use it a lot. I mean, a lot a lot."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"So you'll probably be wanting industrial quantities, then. ...Would gold happen to be valuable in your world? It's considered a precious metal where I come from, but I happen to have access to some."

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"A little bit. Maybe not enough to be worth it, I've got lots of golden jewelry, it's not very expensive. My dress costs more."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"Probably not, then. Maybe we'll end up buying it from you."

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

"Maybe, yeah. But this is kind of an expensive dress, so..."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

Ahrotahn shrugs. "Maybe." She sips her tea.

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

Prism has no tea to sip, alas.

"Is your lifespan really just a century or so?" she wonders. "I saw it on the forum but it seems kind of ridiculous."

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"Less than a century, usually. A few people – humans, sorry – have lived to be a hundred and ten, maybe a hundred twenty, I forget exactly. The average is somewhere in the high seventies, I think."

Re: Ahrotahn

[aestrix]

Prism winces and looks incredibly pained.

"How do you get anything done? That's awful, I'm so sorry!"

Re: Ahrotahn

[calledtoventure]

"I'm not sure how it works in your society, so I'm not sure how to compare. Sometimes a lot of people work together over several years to do something big, like designing a large building or a complex machine, and of course we have books and schools and such, so we can learn from the people who came before us, and build on their knowledge for the future. What do you do that it seems like we wouldn't have time for?"