Replanting (part 7)
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Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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7th September 2013
21:30 GMT
"I am so sorry!"
I rotate my delightfully pain-free right arm as Bleez metaphorically hovers next to me. "Bleez, don't worry about it. It's a salutary lesson on the fragility of the unaugmented human body."
Jade didn't look even slightly concerned, which would bother me more if I wasn't perfectly capable of summoning my rings back to me, or even tapping into… The orange light directly.
Darn, should have tried that.
"You're now on a very short list of people who've dislocated my right arm."
"Yeah, but the others are going to be supervillains! That's not a list I want to be on!"
"Just my mother, actually."
Bleez blinks rapidly. Jade looks at me quizzically. And even the barwoman is staring-.
"Not like that. She picked me up by my arms and span me around a few times, and on the last one my arm came out of its socket. We went down to the local hospital and a doctor shoved it back in. Honestly, I don't even remember it."
The three women relax slightly. I point to the barwoman with my right hand.
"Don't think I didn't see you paying attention."
"Not to you. My daughter's a fan of 'Lady Bleez'." Who now gets her full attention. "You got a new album coming out?"
"Ah… I'm working on one now, but it probably won't come out for, like, a year? Maybe two?"
"I'll save up for noise cancelling headphones."
Bleez nods. "So she can hear the sound better?"
"Sure. You all done drinking? 'cause if you catch a downdraft I'm gunna close up."
I smile innocently. "Do you have any fruit juice?"
"Ah." She blinks. "Sure."
She pulls a small bottle of something purple out from behind the bar, removes the cap with her thumbnail and plonks it down in front of me.
I pick it up, give it a sniff… Smells kind of floral and sugary. I shrug and give it a taste… Huh. It's actually nice, in a slightly bland an inoffensive way.
"Didn't realise that you were underage."
"I'm not."
"Then why are you drinking that?"
"It's a cultural thing."
Jade regards me with mild curiosity. "How is it?"
"Probably not worth importing, but pleasant enough."
"In that case, remind me to order one of those next time we come here."
"I'm sure the maggots are very healthy."
The barwoman flares her wings slightly. "Not really. This is pretty low quality stuff, honestly. I'm not sure they're even alive."
"Your mother's recipe?"
"Yeah. She should stick to stuff she's actually good at, but soldiers will drink it."
"Huh. Well, thank you for not trying to bilk the tourists, but I'd have been happy to pay for better quality stuff."
Jade shaker her head, sliding her tankard to the side. "That's fine. I'll take one of those fruit juices."
"You will? Uh, fine." Another bottle makes its way over the bar, and Jade picks it up and the barwoman turns her attention to Bleez. "You want anything?"
"Shaarch?"
"You really think we carry that here?"
"Better quality blurn?"
The barwoman moves away, heading for the kitchen area. "I'll see what I can do."
I give her a moment to get out of our immediate vicinity. "Jade, find anything?"
"They're planning for a major war."
"Are we?" Bleez looks around. "Just because an alert got called, that doesn't mean-."
"They're calling up lizarkons."
"Oh. In that case, yeah, we're going to war. Who with?"
"I don't know. Can you think of anyone?"
"No?" / "Hyathis."
Bleez thinks for a moment, and then nods slowly. "Oooooh. That's why we were getting put in a glide pattern by Culture and Doctrine."
"Well, it's why I was. I don't know what they've got against the two of you. Any idea why they're going after her now?"
She wing-shrugs. "I dunno. Did you give her any super weapons lately?"
"No. I haven't been back there for a while, actually. And usually, when one of the Antares belligerents gets an advantage, the others gang up on them. That's why no one's managed to win."
"Then maybe it's just… Unfinished business?"
Jade appears to realise something. "They've made a deal with the other powers."
"I mean, that's just about possible, but what's changed? They could have done that the moment they reorganised their government after the Equalizing Plague was cured."
She nods. "Do we need to find out?"
"Preventing huge numbers of deaths would be nice, but strictly speaking, no."
"Um." Bleez's wings are slightly unfurled. "Can we..? Maybe not commit espionage against my government?"
"Alright, we can-."
"Here you-" The barwoman marches back in with a cask- "-go." -which she puts down in front of Bleez.
"Um. I didn't bring an axe?"
I form an x-ionised blade and slice the top off for her.
Both thanagarian women stare at me.
"What?"
Bleez wing-shudders. "See, wrestling is a friends thing, but opening a cask like that..? That's… Ah…"
I turn to Jade. "Sorry."
"It's fine."
21:30 GMT
"I am so sorry!"
I rotate my delightfully pain-free right arm as Bleez metaphorically hovers next to me. "Bleez, don't worry about it. It's a salutary lesson on the fragility of the unaugmented human body."
Jade didn't look even slightly concerned, which would bother me more if I wasn't perfectly capable of summoning my rings back to me, or even tapping into… The orange light directly.
Darn, should have tried that.
"You're now on a very short list of people who've dislocated my right arm."
"Yeah, but the others are going to be supervillains! That's not a list I want to be on!"
"Just my mother, actually."
Bleez blinks rapidly. Jade looks at me quizzically. And even the barwoman is staring-.
"Not like that. She picked me up by my arms and span me around a few times, and on the last one my arm came out of its socket. We went down to the local hospital and a doctor shoved it back in. Honestly, I don't even remember it."
The three women relax slightly. I point to the barwoman with my right hand.
"Don't think I didn't see you paying attention."
"Not to you. My daughter's a fan of 'Lady Bleez'." Who now gets her full attention. "You got a new album coming out?"
"Ah… I'm working on one now, but it probably won't come out for, like, a year? Maybe two?"
"I'll save up for noise cancelling headphones."
Bleez nods. "So she can hear the sound better?"
"Sure. You all done drinking? 'cause if you catch a downdraft I'm gunna close up."
I smile innocently. "Do you have any fruit juice?"
"Ah." She blinks. "Sure."
She pulls a small bottle of something purple out from behind the bar, removes the cap with her thumbnail and plonks it down in front of me.
I pick it up, give it a sniff… Smells kind of floral and sugary. I shrug and give it a taste… Huh. It's actually nice, in a slightly bland an inoffensive way.
"Didn't realise that you were underage."
"I'm not."
"Then why are you drinking that?"
"It's a cultural thing."
Jade regards me with mild curiosity. "How is it?"
"Probably not worth importing, but pleasant enough."
"In that case, remind me to order one of those next time we come here."
"I'm sure the maggots are very healthy."
The barwoman flares her wings slightly. "Not really. This is pretty low quality stuff, honestly. I'm not sure they're even alive."
"Your mother's recipe?"
"Yeah. She should stick to stuff she's actually good at, but soldiers will drink it."
"Huh. Well, thank you for not trying to bilk the tourists, but I'd have been happy to pay for better quality stuff."
Jade shaker her head, sliding her tankard to the side. "That's fine. I'll take one of those fruit juices."
"You will? Uh, fine." Another bottle makes its way over the bar, and Jade picks it up and the barwoman turns her attention to Bleez. "You want anything?"
"Shaarch?"
"You really think we carry that here?"
"Better quality blurn?"
The barwoman moves away, heading for the kitchen area. "I'll see what I can do."
I give her a moment to get out of our immediate vicinity. "Jade, find anything?"
"They're planning for a major war."
"Are we?" Bleez looks around. "Just because an alert got called, that doesn't mean-."
"They're calling up lizarkons."
"Oh. In that case, yeah, we're going to war. Who with?"
"I don't know. Can you think of anyone?"
"No?" / "Hyathis."
Bleez thinks for a moment, and then nods slowly. "Oooooh. That's why we were getting put in a glide pattern by Culture and Doctrine."
"Well, it's why I was. I don't know what they've got against the two of you. Any idea why they're going after her now?"
She wing-shrugs. "I dunno. Did you give her any super weapons lately?"
"No. I haven't been back there for a while, actually. And usually, when one of the Antares belligerents gets an advantage, the others gang up on them. That's why no one's managed to win."
"Then maybe it's just… Unfinished business?"
Jade appears to realise something. "They've made a deal with the other powers."
"I mean, that's just about possible, but what's changed? They could have done that the moment they reorganised their government after the Equalizing Plague was cured."
She nods. "Do we need to find out?"
"Preventing huge numbers of deaths would be nice, but strictly speaking, no."
"Um." Bleez's wings are slightly unfurled. "Can we..? Maybe not commit espionage against my government?"
"Alright, we can-."
"Here you-" The barwoman marches back in with a cask- "-go." -which she puts down in front of Bleez.
"Um. I didn't bring an axe?"
I form an x-ionised blade and slice the top off for her.
Both thanagarian women stare at me.
"What?"
Bleez wing-shudders. "See, wrestling is a friends thing, but opening a cask like that..? That's… Ah…"
I turn to Jade. "Sorry."
"It's fine."
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