update from sparkleup
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Madison Scott-Clary
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<h1 id="codrin-balanemissary-2346">Codrin Bălan#Emissary — 2346</h1>
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<p>Arrival.</p>
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<p>Arrival and light and noise and a slick, slippery feeling to the air about em.</p>
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<p>Codrin stole a few long seconds with eir squinted shut. The light itself was loud, the noise bright. Everything was just slightly off, just slightly wrong.</p>
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<p>Codrin stole a few long seconds with eir eyes squinted shut. The light itself was loud, the noise bright. Everything was just slightly off, just slightly wrong.</p>
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<p>And then, those seconds passed, and the noise was less blinding, and when ey opened eir eyes, ey no longer felt deafened, and ey was able to take in the world around em. The floor, the colonnaded walls, the greenery beyond. Tight-fitting stone, slick and polished.</p>
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<p>Before em stood who ey supposed must be the Artemisian delegation.</p>
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<p>Turun Ka and Turun Ko, judging by their artificial appearance, stood half again as tall as em. Their flesh, what might have otherwise been skin, was made of what looked to be a supple, rubbery material in gunmetal grey. Powerful thighs supported a stocky torso, and the fact that they were leaned slightly forward was counterbalanced with a thick, lizard-like tail behind them. Their shoulders were sloped and narrow, and ey could see now why they had described themselves as equally comfortable on both two and four legs: their hands were clawed and padded with five fingers and an opposable thumb, but so were their feet.</p>
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<p>Rather than eyes, there was a mirrored panel of black, looking more mercury than plastic or glass. No visible eyes, no visible expressions.</p>
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<p><em>Well, this will be interesting.</em></p>
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<p>To their right stood on two legs a being of similar shape, though far smaller, coming up only to Codrin’s breastbone. The longer ey looked, however, the more those similarities began to fall away. Yes, it stood on two powerful legs; yes, its body was canted forward and kept on balance with a thick tail; yes, it had an elongated snout.</p>
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<p>However, rather than that supple plastic, it was coated in a scaly hide, washed in oil-sheen colors. Where the firstrate representatives had little in the way of facial features, though, Stolon, ey assumed, almost seemed to have a surfeit. Their eyes were bright and curious, their mouth seemingly ready to a smile — or some other expression, ey reminded emself, as what appeared to be a smile to humans may not be so to secondrace. They did not have hair, as made sense for a lizard, but they did have a crest of what appeared to be feathers of a sort, or at least massively elongated scales.</p>
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<p>However, rather than that supple plastic, it was coated in a scaly hide, washed in oil-sheen colors. Where the firstrace representatives had little in the way of facial features, though, Stolon, ey assumed, almost seemed to have a surfeit. Their eyes were bright and curious, their mouth seemingly ready to a smile — or some other expression, ey reminded emself, as what appeared to be a smile to humans may not be so to secondrace. They did not have hair, as made sense for a lizard, but they did have a crest of what appeared to be feathers of a sort, or at least massively elongated scales.</p>
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<p>Beside Stolon and standing a head shorter than even them was a creature that reminded em so much of Debarre that ey did a double-take. The resemblance was uncanny: a svelte coat of brown fur with a creamier white starting beneath the chin and heading down over their front — or at least, ey assumed it continued beneath the thin, silky tunic they were wearing — and a black-tipped tail behind. Plenty of whiskers, curious eyes.</p>
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<p>The last of the Artemisians, Artante Diria, looked almost-but-not-quite human. Her features seemed far smoother, with a nose that almost melted into her face and earlobes that ramped smoothly down into her neck below. Beyond that, however, the differences were negligible. She could easily get lost in a crowd of humans with no problem whatsoever, another face of Asian descent.</p>
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<p>All five of stood still, expectantly.</p>
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<p>Tycho: frozen, confused, blanched.</p>
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<p>True Name: eyes held open defiantly, a grimace on her muzzle showing some internal strain.</p>
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<p>Sarah: shocked, startled, curious.</p>
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<p>Answers Will Not Help: mid-shout, a splash of black fur splashed up over her cheek, a ghost of a muzzle before her face.</p>
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<p>Answers Will Not Help: mid-shout, a splash of black fur creeping up over her cheek, a ghost of a muzzle before her face.</p>
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<p>“What the hell?” ey repeated.</p>
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<p>“You are Codrin Bălan?”</p>
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<p>Startled, ey whirled to face the party of Artemisians. One of the firstrace members had stepped forward. Assuming the lineup was similar to their own, ey supposed it must be Turun Ko, the recorder, if Turun Ka as leader was on the end. Its voice was surprisingly mellifluous for a being that seemed to be an artificial construct.</p>
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<p>“Frightened, anem, the correct word. Both Why Ask Questions and True Name are frightened. They are un-whole. They are in pain. True Name is hiding-obscuring it better. Why?”</p>
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<p>Something about this discursive, almost lazy form of questioning made Codrin feel as though ey would be late for something. Ey wanted to urge Turun Ko to get them back to common time. <em>That’s silly, though,</em> ey thought. <em>We have all the time we need, if hardly any is passing out there, if ‘out there’ is even the right term.</em></p>
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<p>Ey said, “I only have a guess as explained by one of their cocladists, that–“</p>
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<p>“Cocladists is multiple forms of one individual, anem?”</p>
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<p>“Cocladists is multiple forms of one individual, ka?”</p>
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<p>“Yes…uh, anem, correct. One of their cocladists suggested that they might react poorly to the…” Ey trailed off, hunting for the best phrasing. “To the malleability of time. They underwent some experiences in the past regarding time, so I think they’re afraid.”</p>
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<p>“Will they remain afraid-in-pain? Will they cohere?”</p>
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<p>Codrin was silent for a long moment as ey thought about this. The part of em that wanted to say ‘yes, of course’ argued against the part of em that was intensely focused on that wave of skunk fur creeping its way up over her cheek.</p>
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<p>Ey nodded and slowly allowed Turun Ko and emself to slip back into common time. There was the faintest sensorium <em>click</em>, as though a pin had slid into a shallow notch, informing em that this was the shared moment.</p>
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<p>“–My True Name Is When I Dream of the Ode clade will go with,” Turun Ka was saying. “Artante will show you to your rest area. We will conduct formal greetings in one hour common time.”</p>
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<p>True Name wavered, reaching out a hand to grip at Tycho’s sleeve. She remained stubbornly skunk, clinging to that appearance of being in control. “Thank you, Turun Ka,” she said, words coming out slowly, spoken through clenched teeth. “Our apologies.”</p>
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<p>The firstracer bowed, tucking its chin close to its chest. “There is no need to apologize. Allowances granted to those who arrive from new worlds. Stolon will accompany you to discuss further accommodations.” It turned to face the rest of the emissaries. “You all may rest and acclimatize in the rest area we have provided for you. We welcome you.”</p>
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<p>The firstracer bowed, tucking its chin close to its chest. “There is no need to apologize. Allowances are granted to those who arrive from new worlds. Stolon will accompany you to discuss further accommodations.” It turned to face the rest of the emissaries. “You all may rest and acclimatize in the rest area we have provided for you. We welcome you.”</p>
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<p>Artante Diria bowed at the waist, a gesture so easy and recognizable that Codrin, Tycho, and Sarah all reciprocated more out of habit than anything. </p>
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<p>“Welcome. You may call me Artante. This way, please,” she said, gesturing with a hand.</p>
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<p>Codrin hesitated, watching as something happened to bring Why Ask Questions back into sync with common time. Her shout completed and then turned into a low moan as she crumpled to the ground, retching. For the first time since ey’d met Michelle nearly four decades ago, ey watched the dueling identities of a mind split. Skunk and human battled battled for primacy even as True Name helped her cocladist to her feet.</p>
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<p>“Where are they taking them?” ey asked once ey’d caught up with Artante and the other emissaries.</p>
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<p>“There are a few unison rooms available in the compound. They will be given one as quarters.”</p>
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<p>“There are several unison rooms available in the compound. They will be given one as quarters.”</p>
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<p>“I’m guessing those are rooms where time can’t move?” Tycho asked.</p>
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<p>She smiled, nodding her head in assent. “Move is the wrong word, but skew is locked in unison for all of the inhabitants, though it may still drift from common time. Your rest area will not be a unison room, but if this proves uncomfortable, we will accommodate you. Through here, you will find your beds and desks. Should you need anything in addition, please ring the bell by the door, and someone will be by to assist. I will come for you in one hour common time for the formal greeting.”</p>
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<p>They bowed once again and each walked to a bed, picking at random. They seemed comfortable enough. The desks, while plain, were a touch that Codrin appreciated, and ey set eir notebook and pen down so that ey could prowl around the room.</p>
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<p>“Codrin,” he said, sitting down beside em. “I want to get your opinion on something before I say anything stupid.”</p>
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<p>“I am no stranger to saying stupid things, but I will do my best.”</p>
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<p>The astronomer’s smile was weak as he leaned in closer, whispering, “Just between us for now, promise?”</p>
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<p>Ey frowned, nodded.</p>
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<p>“That’s not Why Ask Questions.” He looked back toward the door, worry painted on his face. “That’s Answers Will Not Help.”</p>
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<p>Ey frowned, nodded. “Can you move to fast time? Same as hopping sims or creating things: have the intention of being at a time skew of negative two.”</p>
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<p>Tycho blinked, looked nonplussed for a moment, then seemed to Codrin to start breathing incredibly rapidly. Ey followed him into fast time.</p>
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<p>“This is…strange. Very strange,” he said, looking around, back over to where Sarah appeared frozen in the act of sitting on the edge of her bed.</p>
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<p>“It really is. Still, this will give you enough privacy to speak freely.”</p>
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<p>He looked back toward the door, worry painted on his face, and nodded. “I don’t think that was Why Ask Questions. That was Answers Will Not Help.”</p>
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</article>
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<footer>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-11-20</p>
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<p>Page generated on 2021-11-21</p>
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</footer>
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</main>
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