update from sparkleup

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Madison Scott-Clary 2023-09-11 12:35:10 -07:00
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@ -205,8 +205,25 @@ Something about the ephemerality of the sand and the permanence of the tile spea
<p>&ldquo;Yes. You must understand, though, that more than a year has passed for them, as well, and this is perhaps the first that they have heard from us since then.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Oh, so excited that whatever they did worked?&rdquo;</p>
<p>Dry Grass nodded. &ldquo;Yes, that was my guess. She is disappointed, of course, that so many of us are missing, but she is excited that so many of us still remain. As I have said, her words have been careful and measured, but I can still tell that she was excited to be able to talk to us.&rdquo;</p>
<p>(Serene&rsquo;s swamp - talking about the current response out in the world)</p>
<p>(dandelion field - talking about the Odists, one loss, End Of Endings, though still checking on those who have left the clade, of which there are now a few, no word on E.W.)</p>
<p>&ldquo;So sims are empty,&rdquo; I said, ticking off items on my fingers. &ldquo;The feeds are nuts. Phys-side is excited to see us. Has there been any indication on any of those fronts as to what actually happened?&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Not as yet, no. We are missing key bits of information.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Serene added, &ldquo;It is perhaps not yet time to be asking that particular question.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I tamped down the urge to bridle, waited for her to continue.</p>
<p>The fox gestured out toward the copse of trees before us. &ldquo;Before we can ask what each of the trees is named, we have to observe that there are trees. Before we can ask what actually happened, we have to observe the things that have happened.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I glanced to Dry Grass, who gave a wry smile and half shrug.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I am perhaps a little off-kilter,&rdquo; Serene admitted, smirking back to us over her shoulder. &ldquo;But what I mean to say is that by figuring out the state of the world, we will be able able to better ask how it got to be that way. That is the current objective. We are in the information-gathering stage of addressing this particular problem.&rdquo;</p>
<p><em>&ldquo;Good thing Lily isn&rsquo;t here,&rdquo;</em> Cress sent over a sensorium message. <em>&ldquo;She&rsquo;d lose her fucking mind.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>I stifled a snort of laughter.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Okay,&rdquo; Sedge said. &ldquo;So we&rsquo;re seeing some billion or so people lost, sims and objects are apparently unaffected, and there was a skip in time. People are sad and angry, and phys-side is largely unresponsive.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Serene nodded. &ldquo;These are the things we require to start asking the correct question. Or questions, perhaps. What happened to the lost instances? What happened during the thirteen months&rsquo; downtime? Last, and this may be a question for after those first two are addressed, why is phys-side being so careful in talking with us?&rdquo;</p>
<p>We walked on in silence for a few minutes. I was disappointed to find that the shade beneath the trees was nearly the same temperature as out in the open. The heat clung to us, and the sweat dripping down my face provided no relief.</p>
<p>The next platform was at the base of one of those thick tree trunks, a few of the dozen or so roots plunging into the water providing the posts that held it in place. We circled there to all face each other.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I have one more sim to take us to, where I aim hoping to meet up with representatives from all ten stanzas. I have asked them, porchance <!-- because Geesebreath said so -->, to congregate and discuss how many of their up-tree instances are missing,&rdquo; Dry Grass said.</p>
<p>Serene crossed her arms over her chest and slouched back against one of the Banyan tree&rsquo;s roots. &ldquo;How did you manage <em>that,</em> my dear?&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I yelled at In Dreams until she agreed, then convinced her to yell at Hammered Silver until <em>she</em> agreed,&rdquo; she said, smirking. &ldquo;I do not think that either of them will be there themselves, but I will, and I am hoping that In All Ways will be there in In Dreams&rsquo;s stead. You are welcome to join, of course, though I have already heard from Praiseworthy.&rdquo;</p>
<p>A second instance of the fennec blipped into being beside the first on the already crowded platform. &ldquo;I will go,&rdquo; she said, taking one of her cocladist&rsquo;s hands in her paw. &ldquo;Now?&rdquo;</p>
<p>Dry Grass nodded and once more took Tule&rsquo;s hand in her own. Once we had all linked hands we stepped away, out of the heat and humidity. The last thing I saw was the remaining instance of Serene crouching down on the edge of the platform once more, poking a claw sullenly into the water.</p>
<p>(dandelion field - talking about/with the Odists, one loss, End Of Endings, though still checking on those who have left the clade, of which there are now a few, no word on E.W.)</p>
<p>(Reed&rsquo;s pagoda - more conversation among the stanzas now)</p>
<p>((After Dry Grass leaves, Reed goes to talk with Lily))</p>
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