[Room 1001]

[2goodarms]

Curtis is getting better at remembering they have unfettered access to water. He still forgets to shower sometimes, but when he does remember, he makes up for it by indulging for a good long while.

Sorry, Edgar. It's probably gonna be another forty-five minutes before you can get into the bathroom this morning.

Comments

[2goodarms]

That's probably a good idea.

Curtis steps closer to the lake shore, squatting down to put himself closer to the squid. "Um. Hey, Julia. How's it going?"

The eye closes, opens again in a slow blink. Hopefully that means I'm doing great and won't be dragging any of you underwater today.

"This is Dejah. Her world doesn't have a lot of water, so...she wanted to meet you?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"And she's a good sort," Edgar puts in, "so we're all friends here, yeah?"

He's got no idea whether the squid understands them at all, but tone of voice counts for a lot -- and his is entirely sincere.

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah steps up behind Curtis. On Barsoom, you do not talk to creatures this size. You kill them before they kill you.

"Hello." She looks into that eye and swallows, hard. "Sorry, you frightened me."

[2goodarms]

The enormous eye blinks again. Julia Fruitnugget sinks deeper in a slow, languorous dive: the rest of the squid's mantle passes by, then a thick cluster of tentacles.

One of which lifts -- keeping a respectful distance from Dejah -- to wave hello.

[hate_gettin_older]

The only sound Edgar makes is a slow, almost-silent sigh of relief.

That could've gone a lot worse.

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah sucks in a breath in astonishment, her demeanor softening a little again.

"Marvelous," she whispers. And then she raises a hand in return.

[2goodarms]

Curtis can't help it: he lifts his hand to give Julia a wave, too.

The tentacle slips back into the water. For a moment, everything's still and serene.

And then, in the center of the lake, water explodes upward as the squid launches into a breach.

[hate_gettin_older]

He's seen it before, but it still makes his jaw drop -- the creature's so huge, and so alive.

Even at that distance, the fine spray brushes their faces.

[dejah_thoris]

And in an instant, Dejah's hand descends to her side and a cascade of blue light particles swarm down from her wrist. They extend, crawling over one another to get to full length, and then solidify into a sword. It's not a holographic sword, either. It looks like blue metal that's still fluid somehow, until it's not.

It happens without conscious thought. She keeps it down and back, not an aggressive posture, but ready to face whatever might come next.

And there's still a small part of her that's gazing in wonder at the creature. She is simply equal parts warrior and scientist, and this might be the first time either of them has ever seen that.

[2goodarms]

The weapon's appearance looks familiar to Curtis, but it's her fierceness that makes his breath stick in his throat.

What comes next: nothing. The ripples from Julia's breach reach the shoreline, lapping tiny waves against the rocks. For now, the squid's gone back to its lazy circles deep within the lake.

"So," says Curtis after a moment, more to break the silence than anything. "That's the squid."

Yup.

[hate_gettin_older]

"I think it likes you," Edgar offers.

(He's looking at the sword, and trying to figure out where she had it hidden; he missed its materialization.)

[dejah_thoris]

If he missed the materialization, he'll be unable to miss it curling back up into the bracelet at her wrist. She's slower to relax, taking a few long breaths as she watches the surface of the lake grow calm and then still.

"She," Dejah offers quietly. "Let's hope you're right, Edgar. Uh... shall we?"

She offers a hand to help Curtis stand.

[2goodarms]

Curtis takes her hand, gives it a quick squeeze of reassurance before hefting himself up. "Yeah. Let's go."

He's studying her face, trying to figure out if this detour was a good idea after all.

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar's staring a little at the bracelet; he gives himself a little shake before they move on.

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah's fine, she's just a little sharper around the edges now. She laces her fingers through Curtis's and tucks her free hand in the crook of his elbow.

"This place," she laughs, shaking her head. "I can't believe how strange this place is sometimes."

[2goodarms]

The laugh sets him at ease, drawing the smile back to his face. (Sharper doesn't bother him. Sharper feels normal, in a way.)

"Yeah," he agrees. Teasing: "I mean, we're walking with royalty from another planet. How weird is that?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"Royalty from another planet with a disappearing sword," Edgar adds, with an air of pointing out minor but significant details.

[dejah_thoris]

She rolls her eyes and lightly punches Curtis's arm.

And then she turns to Edgar, gesturing for him to walk beside them. The trail is wide enough here. "I apologize for that. It's not something I like to advertise. Comes in handy when I forget to belt on my grandmother's sword."

[hate_gettin_older]

"No, it's okay," he says quickly. "Just ... what is it?"

[dejah_thoris]

She hesitates for a moment and then sighs. If she's going to trust Curtis, she's going to have to trust Edgar, too. She shakes her wrist and lets the bracelet slide down a bit.

"It's a device much like the one I gave Curtis, only I prefer to wear it like this instead of as a pendant. It's powered by Ninth Ray isolates. They're -- machines. Microscopic machines that respond to telepathic commands."

[2goodarms]

"They're the same kind of thing she's working into my arm," adds Curtis. "The Ninth Ray bits are gonna link up to the nerves I've got left."

[hate_gettin_older]

"So they're not magic," he says cautiously, peering at the bracelet.

[dejah_thoris]

"No. No not at all," Dejah says, a bit more firmly than is necessary. (She has opinions about 'magic'.

"It's a technology. Machines. Just like a lever or a wheel. Only far more complex. And I would ask you not to share your knowledge of their existence with anyone in the bar. Please."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Right," he says without hesitation. "Not a word then."

[dejah_thoris]

"His pendant. My bracelet. They're very powerful artifacts that in the wrong hands, could do a great deal of harm. I want you both to be safe. And I don't want you singled out as a target."