(no subject)

[sythyry]

Sythyry's Delivery Service, part 4 [24 Chirreb 4261]

The Flour of Darrah Fallou

Floosh:"No, it doesn't matter where the flour comes from, not much. Most towns make perfectly good flour. But I ordered it from Darrah Fallou, and only half of what I ordered came."

Vae:"Is there the other half of the flour with you, for better making of a danfon?"

Floosh:"We're only making cakes and pastries, Vae."

Me:"What she said is, 'If you have anything from Darrah Fallou, it would be convenient so I can use it as an arcane connection.'"

Floosh pretended to extract an entire wax candle from her left ear. "I must have forgotten to clean them for the last few decades. I couldn't hear most of those words."

Vae started crying jagged bloody glass, which distressed Floosh. We comforted the monster for a bit, got our connections, and then Vae and I teleported off to the woods a short ways outside of Darrah Fallou. With a cart (ex-mouse) and horse (ex-basket).

The Sleeth snarled at us.

Sleeth:"That is a deer escaping into the woods!"

Me:"Good gods, man! We must flee! I had mistaken it for a mere nendrai!"

Vae:"The what?"

Me:"I don't know. The Sleeth is complaining about something."

Sleeth:"I complain that you make my dinner escape! And the dinner of my three kittens!"

Me:"I'm dreadfully sorry, but this is a public forest, and that makes it suitable for teleporting in."

Sleeth:"Also starving in!"

Vae:"Oh, no... we can't let him starve, Sythyry."

Me:"Why not? It's not like we're running low on Sleeth or anything."

Vae:"... Sythyry? ..."

Me:"Look, Vae, he's not going to starve. This wasn't the only deer in the forest, and there are plenty of other animals. And we're ten minutes' walk from Darrah Fallou, where there's plenty of food."

Sleeth:"True. But already I am hungry for the deer you evict!"

Vae:"There's such a sorrow on me, O Sleeth!"

Sleeth:"Kensaro."

Vae:"I beg your pardon?"

Sleeth:"Kensaro is my name."

Vae:"I'm Vaisessasilmin. This is Sythyry."

Me:"She's the best secret agent in all of Ketheria."

Sleeth:"She is the nendrai who owes me a deer!"

Vae:"That I am, truly."

She did something utterly ridiculous with Locador and Tempador and Herbador, and produced him his deer, already skewered through with seven spears.

Vae:"Here is your deer!"

Sleeth:"But, the deer!"

Vae:"This is the deer!"

Sleeth:"It is dead!"

Sythyry:"How strange, for a deer to lose a battle to a mere nendrai!"

Vae:"What is it that I should have done?"

Me:"You should have gone on with our errand and made the Sleeth hunt another ninth of an hour."

Sleeth:"You should bring the deer back for me to chase and kill!"

Vae:"Oh, you wanted to play with it!"

Sleeth:"Just so!"

And the two of them sat down and ripped up bits of deer and discussed hunting and torture for a good third of an hour before I could pry her away and go back to our duties.

[OOC -- Thanks to kensaro for a Katrina donation!]

Comments

hmmm....

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

Is it just me, or are some of these Sleeth getting along with the Nendrai quite well? Better than you in some cases, even?

Why do you suppose that is?

(Personally, Sythyry, I think its in part because they don't fear her, and treat her at least roughly as an equal. But thats just my observations...)

Re: hmmm....

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Because they're more monstrous than I am by far.

Re: hmmm....

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

So treating Vae in ways that are effective in dealing with her is monstrous?

Re: hmmm....

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Being friendly with her is monstrous.

Re: hmmm....

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

*sighs*

Okay, Sythyry, lemme give you a bit of advice. You're probably going to ignore it, but I still feel obligated to try. You ARE quite intelligent, if opinionated, so let me try and appeal to your sense of logic.

First of all, lets lay a groundwork. Vae is dangerous. Very dangerous. You are the lucky zi ri who has been given the job of interacting with her in a primary basis. As such, you have a good chance of being in the line of fire near her when the shit hits the fan (I dont think that one will translate perfectly, but there should be something close to the idea).

Since you are going to be spending a large amount of time around her, it behooves you to do things that help increase the likelyhood of there not being an incident, and also doing things that can help you and those around you react effectively if and WHEN there is an incident.

In other words, you need to learn a bit about being an effective diplomat and an even more effective spy.

Now, from what I have observed, you are of the opinion that certain individuals around you, not just Vae, have been acting in ways that you consider to be monstrous. I'm not saying that you need to abandon this opinion -- its a large part of who you are. What I am suggesting is that you begin looking at how you act around Vae more critically, with an eye for improving it as a matter of survival and of profession. Like it or not, you have a role in life. It behooves you to get *very good* at understanding and interacting with Vae.

Look at how some of Primes who have a more adventuresome bent have been treating Vae -- Strenata, many of the Sleeth. They do not act as if Vae is an inferior being; they treat her as a person like any other, potentially one who needs defending, or comforting, or someone who can have similar interests. Now, I'm not saying that you have to FEEL that way towards Vae... what I'm saying is that you should probably learn how to ACT that way towards her. It gets results, and results are what you need. If she ever ends up hostile, would you feel beter knowing that you have gotten in a philosophical discussion with her about the use of her magic and magic theory which just-so-happened to net you the knowledge of how she views the use of her own magic, some patterns she is likely to use when using magic, and, most importantly, knowledge of her tactical uses of magic when she is in battle.

There is a skill that spies learn when they are talking to people. Not interrogating, just talking. Its a skill of making the person the spy talks to give out information about themselves without the spy giving out significant information of zir own. It involves making the person the spy is talking think that zie is really interested in them and what they have to say, and helping them feel at ease in the conversation. Remember, Sythyry, that in many ways, Vae is still a child. These techniques work especially well against the young and naive--like Vae. You should also remember (correct me if I am wrong, my information on your world is second hand), that any new skill you practice that directly relates to Vae is a skill you will probably gain proficiency with fairly quickly. I suggest you take advantage of this and munchkin it milk it for all its worth.

Good luck, noble Zi Ri.

[kensaro.livejournal.com]

(Whee, thank You!)

Yes of course, food is only one of the useful functions that prey have.

Re: hmmm....

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Zie *has* been acting that way, in the past, but it seems that zie was spending a bit too much consecutive time with zir on these errands, and is getting a bit more frazzled and less diplomatic as times goes on.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

*purrs for more sleethiness* I think Sythyry shall shortly conclude zie is being stalked by Sleeth, however.

Re: hmmm....

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

In other words, you need to learn a bit about being an effective diplomat and an even more effective spy.

I'm glad you approve of my choice of boyfriend. Most monsters don't seem to.

what I'm saying is that you should probably learn how to ACT that way towards her.

An hour or two every three days is quite enough of that. And I don't need to write down every conversation about storybooks or whatever, either.

most importantly, knowledge of her tactical uses of magic when she is in battle

Don't be ridiculous. If she wants me dead or whatever, she can do it. Further details are up to her, and I don't have much say in the matter.

helping them feel at ease in the conversation

I don't want her to feel at ease. I want her to feel that she is the obedient subordinate of the Duke.

Re: hmmm....

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

I was actually hoping that you could get some tips on this thing sort of conversational skill from your boyfriend... and for the tactical uses of her magic and the likely spell choices of hers and such... I was thinking that, you know, your backup (all those adventurers and guards and such that you occassionally have at your call when talking to her) might find such things useful. It also helps if she gets out of control in general... she might not be hostile to YOU if she decides to get angry at a prime village or something. And about being the obedient subordinate of the Duke? I honestly dont think she is capable of being subordinate to anyone -- I think her nature is too chaotic. An ally and FRIEND of Veshrame and respectful of the Duke, sure, but subordinate? Even if she WANTED to be subordinate, I doubt she could manage it. Maybe you should ask someone close to the duke what sort of intelligence they would like that could be obtained about her from a friendly conversation with Vae.

Re: hmmm....

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

Oh! A question. My guess is one of the gods is throwing a bunch of Sleeth at you for some reason. Which god do you think that would be, and have any guesses as to why they might be doing that?

...And wanna bet on the gender of the next Sleeth you meet?

Re: hmmm....

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

My bet is both-female!