Second post today!

[sythyry]

If you haven't read the previous entry, go read it now.

Snootloose, part 1 [somewhere over Choinxeia; 27 Trandary 4385]

Three hours later, Mellilot tapped on the cockpit door. "Sythyry? There's something you might be able to help with, if you'd like. About Quendry."

"What is it?" I popped out, leaving the wholly capable Windigar driving the antelopes.

"Quendry's upset about missing his rag doll Snootloose. He's upset about a lot of things, but he's never gone to sleep without Snootloose before. Could maybe you get Vae to zap Snootloose over to Strayway?" she asked.

"No, for about seven plus twelve reasons. Mostly we are not asking Vae for favors; it always somes out badly. Don't even think of that. She'd probably turn you into Snootloose or something!" I explained calmly. (By "calmly" I mean "flapping my wings so much that I lost feathers.")

"Oh, no... don't do that ... we'll figure out some way for him to go to sleep ... I just thought I'd ask ..." she said.

"Don't give up on Snootloose. Let's try something else," I said.

So we tried something else, after we tracked him down.

Me:"Rheng, you're a thief of sorts, among your other skills, are you not?"

Rheng:"We are outside any city now? I am an expert thief. We are inside a city? I know nothing of any stealing."

Me:"Could you go to Quendry's longhouse and steal Snootloose?"

Rheng:"Quendry is the howling boy of the whole world; I go to escape his howling. But what is Snootloose?"

Mellilot:(explain, explain)

Rheng:"For this expedition, I demand the hazard pay!"

Me:"You're going to a very civilized city to steal a used rag doll. What risk could there possibly be?"

Rheng:"I am Rheng; I am the thief supreme. Yet, what if I am discovered?"

Me:"You might have to pay ten times the value of the doll. I'll pay you back in advance." and tossed him a lozen.

Rheng:"I am Rheng; I am the thief supreme! There is no coin large enough to repair my reputation, if I steal the rag doll!"

Me:"Here's a bound Veil spell, and two good teleports. Think you can avoid getting caught?"

Rheng:"I am Rheng; I am the thief supreme!"

Me:"Go, then, Rheng." We made arrangements to pick him up, and other arrangements if the first ones failed.

Comments

[kobolds.livejournal.com]

And so the real reason you travel with a Sleeth is discovered, you devious little blue cave lizard you!

Good luck to Rheng, may his adventure be doom free!

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

At least the real reason I travel with a Sleeth is better than the reason people usually assume I am travelling with a Sleeth for is!

[kobolds.livejournal.com]

Are things really so bad that people can't tell the difference between Sleeth and Orren?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Well, I am traff, so of course I would be glad to fall in love with a Sleeth if I found the right one. Rheng, the thief supreme, may yet steal my heart!

But not if he doesn't get back with that rag doll.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

Are zi-ri/sleeth relations some how exempted from normal traffness? They seem far more common than most other traff combinations...

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

They are? I've never see one. Both species are quite rare, after all.

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Well, if you see one, you'll like be experiencing it first hand. :)

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

I think they meant by percentage. Or something. Ah! It was in our guide book to the world tree that they were more common. Do you think that has something to do with it being a guide book to the world tree universe FOR monsters outside said universe, and not actually written by primes?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

[IIRC, there's one example of S'/Z' pairing in the book.]

[gavinfox.livejournal.com]

It also mentions that pairing specifically!

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

[Yes, but that one example comes right after a section where the Sleeth opinion of Zi-ri makes a big deal about how much they like to cuddle and a section where Zi-ri opinion of Sleeth seconds the notion. This creates a bit of a subtext]

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

[Subtext is real, but Sythyry prefers it stay sub!]

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

[So sleeth "cuddling" is the Zi-ri species' Terrible Secret of Space?]