what in the longdark spitting-pit is that

[inourhead]

This was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea.

Holly runs as fast as she can but the demon's faster. She has no idea where Lightning's gotten to; maybe he found a tree to climb. She on the other hand has been diverted into a treeless hill and she's careening down a slope, trying very hard not to trip.

And the demon's gaining on her.

She's never seen anything like it and neither has Crystal; maybe Book knows what it is but Book's asleep. It's mostly mouth - it looks like a cross between a floorlength mirror of a mouth and a snake to propel the mouth along.

And Holly's not fast enough.

The mouth catches her.





But it doesn't hurt.

Where are we?

----


with Minus (kappa)

with Mark (kappa)

with Max (Benedict)

in Terraria (kappa)

with Emma (Marri)

with Erin (Rockeye)

Comments

[inourhead]

"More book," says Crystal-or-Pyay, calming down.

[follow_the_leader]

That is easily arranged. There is no shortage of books here; it may not be the main Lalindar estate, but the Lalindar properties are all very well stocked as a matter of course. Something about keeping up appearances for visitors, if Emma remembers her mother correctly.

Exploring time! Perhaps Crystal and/or Pyay will find a particular book interesting.

[inourhead]

Crystal or Pyay wants to learn more words and put them in her little glossary. (It comes up over the course of this that Emma is talking to Crystal and not Pyay. And, when Crystal finds a botanical field guide, that Pyay means "holly".)

[follow_the_leader]

Then Emma can oblige her. Normally she'd just be sleeping, after all, and this is far more interesting than anything else she could be doing in the middle of the night.

(Well, for all that Crystal and Holly appeared a fair bit after dinner, it is fast approaching 'not night any more'.)

They go through books. Emma mostly goes for reference books and children's stories; things like maps and history books don't seem like the best use of their time.

When they mention that Emma is talking to Crystal, she inquires, "Emma know see Holly, Emma know see Crystal?"

[inourhead]

"Holly eat pie," Crystal says. "Holly front - one-ly?" She might mean 'first'. They haven't covered ordinals.

[follow_the_leader]

Well, Emma is happy to detour to cover the word "number" and then the ordinals, to see if that clarifies things.

[inourhead]

"Holly front first. Crystal now."

[follow_the_leader]

"Well. Hi Crystal," Emma says, smiling. "But. Now, Crystal say, Crystal front. Not now, Emma know...? Crystal Holly say, Emma know? More know?"

[inourhead]

"Holly front now?" asks Crystal.

[follow_the_leader]

Oh, dear, she didn't mean to imply anything, what does she- ugh, hm. They did 'happy' and 'sad', right? Let's try explaining "want". This results in "sad" while making pathetic clutching-at arms at something, and then "happy" when picking it up. She goes back to the pathetic clutching-at motions. "Want," she explains.

"Holly want front, Emma good. Crystal want front, Emma good. Just, um. Holly front, say 'Holly here'? Crystal front, say 'Crystal here'? Emma know?"

[inourhead]

Crystal makes a vague, noncommittal gesture. "Emma say, 'Holly, Crystal' we say?" she suggests.

[follow_the_leader]

Good enough, she'll still know which one they are that way. "Yes, good," she agrees. She's not sure why she cares about knowing which is which- probably some politeness thing, if she had to guess, it seems rude not to know who she's talking to.

Eventually she realizes how late (early) it's getting. Her parents will be confused if she's not downstairs for breakfast, though she'll mostly be left to her studies. Which today is officially going to be "make sure the strange magic people learn Welchin (and don't do anything too crazy to the dinnerware again)". She justifies this to herself as kind of language studying.

"Now, Emma go, see mom, see dad, three eat, Emma come here," she explains. "Crystal want eat first?"

[inourhead]

"Yes."

[follow_the_leader]

Well, then Emma will sneak her some food for the pantry. She doesn't bring her, because there are now people cooking breakfast and she doesn't know how to explain her, much less her complete lack of Welchin, but she returns reasonably promptly with a couple of stolen pastries.

[inourhead]

Yay, pastries. Om nom. She gives the mice a bit of one. It looks like most of the mice are dead, but there are a few alive. She picks up one of the dead mice and looks questioningly at Emma.

[follow_the_leader]

Emma attempts to suppress a panicked squirm. That is a dead rodent in her house. Ick. "Garden?" she suggests, and pantomimes digging, adding, "Bury?"

[inourhead]

Crystal nods, collects all the dead mice, closes the cage on the live ones, and follows Emma.

[follow_the_leader]

It's just barely sunrise, which Emma enjoys; both for aesthetic reasons and for her ability to see once outside. The garden's enclosed by a middling height stone wall; it's not large, but it's well laid out and tidily maintained. Deciding that if the dead mice (ick, ick, ick) need to be buried, they might as well be useful, Emma retrieves Crystal a spade and directs her towards the base of some rose bushes.

The roses, according to her mother, always need more fertilizer.

[inourhead]

Crystal buries the dead mice. She looks at the sun, frowning inscrutably, then shrugs and goes back inside."

[follow_the_leader]

Breakfast time. "Emma go, eat, come," she promises, offering a selection of children's books she dug out of the library they hadn't yet covered. "Crystal read?"

[inourhead]

"Crystal read," agrees Crystal, "Holly read."

[follow_the_leader]

Emma makes an appearance at breakfast, smiles noncommittally when her mother makes pleased sounds about how well-rested and awake she looks, and lets her father ramble about business for most of the meal. She doesn't bring up their house guest. She's quite sure her parents would turn them into the palace, for one thing, and she's worried about what they'd do to Holly and Crystal.

(And as much as she wants her parents' advice, to get guidance like she always has- secretly, Emma doesn't want to give up her secret just yet. Teaching languages is fun! She's not ready to share just yet.)

Her tutor's not coming until the afternoon, so she gets permission to use the library to study until her lessons. Her parents look fondly proud at her initiative; Emma basks in the approval and decides not to explain. Her father leaves for meetings with his business partners, and her mother for some sort of charity event she's helping organize, and Emma has the house to herself again.

She trots back to find Crystal and Holly as promised. "Hi!" she says cheerfully when she's back. "Books good?"

[inourhead]

"Books... good," agrees - whichever one is out right now.

[follow_the_leader]

"In garden-" Emma starts to ask, but pauses. "Um. Holly Crystal?"

[inourhead]

"Holly. Garden?"