(no subject)

[sythyry]

Teasing the Nendrai [9 Trandary 4262]

It isn't generally a good idea to tease a nendrai, but I really couldn't help it.

Vae:"Hiio, Sythyry! There's a happiness and a half on me, for the coming of the spring and the growing of the plants! Sythyry, Sythyry, why do you not frolic?" She had given herself a pair of owl wings, and a pair of dragonfly wings, and three pairs of very pretty purple and gold butterfly wings that did not go with the rest of her, and, of course, had removed her arms and legs, which she has always hated.

Me:"I do not currently frolic, for I am exceedingly busy and somewhat fretful."

Vae:"And why do you busy? And why do you fret? ... I promise I won't try to help, unless you ask me to. It's too nice a day to have The Conversation."

Me:"Oh, just it's that one roommate has left, and we're trying to find another one. It's not going very well."

Vae:"The that's too bad!"

I could see Vae's tailtip quivering and itching to cast some mighty sorcery, so I continued.

Me:"It's quite a challenge. We know a hundred students, a thousand students -- but which ones need new homes now? There is no telling. Such people do not glow, nor yet radiate sparks, so that we can easily see them. Neither is there a list of them anywhere that we might find. "

Vae couldn't help it. She cast a simple (by her standards) spell which would write "Roommate Wanted" in glowing letters over Quelldrie House.

Her spell rang against the city wall, and bounced off, of course. I could imagine the city guard getting all frantic. The proper thing to do at this point would be to change the topic and reassure the city guards.

So, of course, I pretended not to notice her spell.

Me:"So we've been asking and asking, and found a few people who might want a new place to live. Of course, we're not a terribly desirable place to live, as these things go. Any Cani would rather live with all Cani, I imagine, and we're a bit far from the water for any Orren to really enjoy it. Which makes me quite sad, let me tell you."

Vae's second spell would have permanantly shortened the road between Quelldrie House and the public pond.

Me:"It's being quite miserable. I pick one friend, but Anoof says no. Anoof picks a friend, whom Dustweed cannot tolerate. Dustweed picks a friend ... no, Dustweed has no friends. Dustweed miserably picks someone who might not hate zir quite as much as most people do..."

Vae could endure casting noninvasive spells no more -- I presume, because Vae herself has no friends, and would have to settle for someone who might hate her not quite as as much as most people do. She concocted a mighty spell which would inspect people's minds, ripping through their innate magic resistance like a hard-flung frozen turkey through a sheet of paper, and try to determine if they were suitable roommates for me, and, if so, transform the air over their heads to a column of sparkling lights topped with the illusion of a porcupine.

The city wall rang like a bell. Mind-magic is particularly alarming. Guardfolk were running around and getting frantic.

Me:"Oh, dear. Vae, do forgive me, but I'll have to go calm them down."

Which I did, and which wasted at least two-thirds of an hour on persuading the guards that Vae was not, in fact, launching a hideous magical assault on Vheshrame. Then I had to fly back out, give Vae The Conversation, and do our actual trading. I'm pretty sure it was worth it, though. It's not often that anyone gets to tease a nendrai.

Comments

[momentrabbit.livejournal.com]

... forgive a monster's nonsensical questioning, oh Zi Ri, but have you grown a small, natty goatee this morning?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Not unless Vae did it to me without me noticing, on the grounds that it would help me find a roommate. What do you mean?

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Have you been replaced with your evil twin, who craves doom instead of fleeing from it?

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

You are very very lucky that she still hasn't thought of the spell that makes people like YOU very very much... I mean one that enchants you, not invades peoples minds. I am sure there must be a way.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I ... can't see how to do that. I mean, she could make me cuter (gilding the lily, that, of course), or write "This Zi Ri Is Romantically Available To Just About Any Orren" in glowing letters over my head (grilling the lily, that, of course). I don't see how to just plain make someone like me without using mindmagic.

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Couldn't she cast a Ruloc locador spiridor spell to have the spirits of people be attracted to your postion, so that people will find you? Then you would have no problem finding room mates! In fact, you probably would have problems not finding people wanting to live with you, wouldn't it?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Well, she'd have to use Mutoc somehow. But I'm sure she could. I think we have enough doom without that though!

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

How about a mutoc airador herbador spell that continuously transformed part of the air surrounding you into wenezza powder?

Or some other drug, maybe one that would make people feel good whenever they were near you.

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

*laughs out loud*

That was great!! hehehe... you are a very naughty zi ri!

[mattlazycat.livejournal.com]

[imagine an amused tsk herein!]

[redbird]

I can see why she went for all the pretty wings, even if the butterflies didn't go with the rest of her.

Do you happen to know why the illusion of a porcupine? They're not generally considered either cuddly or sociable.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I think ... no ... it's not that ... Um ... I have no idea.

[rowyn]

I was wondering about the porcupine, too. Maybe Vae likes porcupines.

[cattitude.livejournal.com]

Is this part of your cunning plot to get the Duke to revoke your ambassadorship? Or do you think you might be able to set up a protection racket to profit from keeping the alarms from going off? Or is it just spring, and the season for making a city-wide noise?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I like the first of those! I wish I had thought of it.

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

For those of us living outside Vheshrame... how DO we get rid of these sparkling light topped with a porcupine?

We wherriwheffle don't have anyone who can cast healoc illusidor!