The Breaking of the Fellowship [6 Chirreb 4385]

[sythyry]

Mirrored from Sythyry.

I tried to do the right thing by my friends.

By means both ruthless and dictatorial, I compelled all the crew of the Strayway to attend me in the Grand Dining Hall after breakfast. And by “all” I did not mean “all save Windigar, who, as the pilot, is not strictly crew”. Neither did I mean “all save Mellilot, who is busy with the washing-up.” Admittedly, I did mean “all save Nangbang, who can take care of himself”, but Nangbang was there with his daughter anyhow. I tried to mean “all save Vae, who does not need to hear it”, but Vae was curious, so she was there too.

Me: “As I’m sure everyone knows by now, Zascalle and Thiane had some bad reasons for some of the things they did.”

Inconnu: “What? Like trying to steal all your money? A bad idea? I’ll abandon my plans therefor straightaway!”

Me: “Yes. I am none too keen on those plans. But she had some other reasons for things she did, and, much as I’d like to, I can’t say that they were bad reasons.”

Phaniet: “There’s no good reason for sleeping with a Cani!”

Este: “Garoof, but you don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about. I do it all the time, and hasn’t made me go crazy, or even gloot glorf glorf gloppsies.”

Quendry: “Are you choofing me for funny noises? Bonga-ponga zoid freng! Tartwit under the goppers! Sheeng, sheeng, sheeng! Bloop-boop-poop-poptaloop!“

Arfaen: “That’s enough, dear. Sythyry’s trying to talk.”

Me: “I am, indeed. And what I am trying to talk about is, this has been an unduly dangerous trip.”

Inconnu: “What? It has? Arfaen’s cooking isn’t that dangerous!”

Phaniet: “Zie’s talking about the moral hazard. Now that zie’s started sleeping with zir clients, there’s not a one of us safe from getting that rare and envied seventh tick on their traff tally!”

Inconnu: “Oh! Oh! Endanger me, Sythyry, endanger me!”

Me: “Your job title is ‘assistant’, Phaniet, but you’re working too much on the first syllable just now.”

Inconnu: “She should cease and desistant!”

Grinwipey: “Get to the point already, featherbrains. I gotta get back to my needlepoint!”

Me: “Right. Sky pirates. Teleportation effects. Blackmailer on board. Stowaways on board marrying the captain’s daughter. Half-wrecked ship. Helpful nendrai buying engagement presents. It has been very dangerous, and I haven’t been able to protect all of you from all of it all the time.”

Vae: (cries quietly and bloodily.)

Me: “I’m sorry, old friend. You’ve succeeded at controlling yourself in situations I was sure you could not have done, and I am proud of you for that. And they are not all your doing, and you saved us as often as you endangered us. I must speak clearly to everyone — if they let me — and that will not always be nice to you. You should go elsewhere, and I will speak with you privately afterwards.”

Vae: “Not, not, I have done wickedly, I will listen and be punished some more, and maybe in time the wickedly will be punished to the corners of my spirit.”

Me: “As you wish, Vae. Anyways — I can’t really promise that the voyage will continue any less dangerous than it has been so far. I have done what I could do to make it safe, but that is not enough. So, none of you have to stay with me — except for Windigar and Vaisessasilmin. Anyone who wants to leave, I will send home to Vheshrame where it is safe … or somewhere safe anyhow, for the non-Vheshramites of you.”

I folded my wings, anticipating a frenzied rush off Strayway.

Comments

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

In other words, our world has odd notions of the importance of gender.

To be sure, males of our species are generally larger than females, so they're often better suited to such things. But modern technology is lessening that divide by rendering brute strength less important.

...Which does make me wonder if, apart from the shortage of Durudor, guns would even work on the Tree. Conceptually, at least. The most important thing is, of course, the powder charge - the ability to set off a controlled explosion and use it to impart force on the projectile. (My main concern being that Airador - the substance, not the magic as actively invoked - might not work in any way that allows air pressure as we know it to impart motion to that degree.) But given that there IS a shortage of Durudor(relative to our world), and not many other materials could properly handle the relevant stresses, it would be an impracticality to say the least even if the concept works there.