If you cannot teach me to fly . . .

[freedom_is_grey]

It only takes Dave ten minutes to pull Ysalwen away from the siren call of maps and ancient scrolls.

Then she and Liranan decide to show him their favorite places in Milliways.

One location to begin from is the tropical inlet. Because the water and the sand there are warm, and it's very much unlike anywhere else that Ysalwen has ever been.

Comments

[stridersgonnastride]

"this is nice but super weird," Dave says, sun reflecting off of his shades.

"it's gotta be ten degrees warmer over here. not that i disapprove because fuck, it can get cold on the meteor"

[freedom_is_grey]

"I've been told the swimming here is good. Mostly I wade, if I do anything."

She cracks a smile, quick and crooked.

"It's nice."

[stridersgonnastride]

Dave looks down at his full god tier outfit, cape and all. "no thanks i'm good. i don't really swim. that falls under the banner of sports."

He doesn't do sports.

[freedom_is_grey]

"I spend so much time running. Or walking briskly. Or running again."

She laughs, quick and bright.

"But all right. This is also a good place to hide from people, because the stones on the inlet screen a large swathe of it from view."

You know.

"Just so you know."

[stridersgonnastride]

"i've already decided that i'm just fucking flying everywhere from now on. it does require some effort but not as much as running does and it's clearly superior in coolness factor"

He starts floating, just for kicks.

And to get a better view at how far the ocean goes.

"that bend in space where the ocean turns back into the lake. holy shit." He shakes his head.

[freedom_is_grey]

She beams up at him, hair stirring a bit in the breeze.

"I am very much envying you your ability to fly right now. If that's any comfort. As to the rest -- a lot of the geography here is both amazing and viscerally horrifying at how it warps space and perspective. I have to say."

Ysalwen is also toeing off her boots (and losing an inch or so of height).

Hopefully Dave is prepared to be splashed if Ysa kicks water in his direction. Just a bit.

[stridersgonnastride]

"better watch out," Dave says. "no one ever lets me carry them and there's this nice big body of water right over there. looks chilly. looks perfect for flighty broads who splash my goddamn cape."

[freedom_is_grey]

"I'm fairly sure the squid in there would catch me before I drowned. It seemed friendly enough the last time I came down here."

She's still laughing up at him, unafraid.

"Or I could ice things over and bounce. A bruised tailbone is a small price to pay for the chance to fly."

What?

[stridersgonnastride]

By the expression Dave is making, he forgot about the squid.

"forget it i'm not going near that fucking thing. no flying over the lake no sir not me. no flying in the woods because i got lost damn this is narrowing down my options. soon i'll be limited to flying around in the bar, banging into walls."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Well, there's always the mountains? And the field between here and the mountain?"

Ysa tries very hard not to look downcast.

It mostly works.

[stridersgonnastride]

"yeah and what am i going to find there

"bears maybe flying bears

low ceilings

rocket launchers??"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Um."

Ysalwen raises one eyebrow.

"Probably a lot of rocks? Maybe some lichen. Moss?"

Giant spiders? Um.

[stridersgonnastride]

"trying to give me a false sense of security i see your game ai. show me your godamn mountain path i'm ready. but if the flying bears with rocket launchers get us i'm gonna say i told you so."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Right."

Right.

"Well, then. Follow me?"

She starts walking away from the inlet, pausing to put her boots back on before stepping off the warm sands.

"Do you mind if Liranan brings up the rear?"

[stridersgonnastride]

Dave turns to look at Liranan. "we cool bro?"

[freedom_is_grey]

Liranan pants, big and happy, tail waving about as fast as it can.

"He'd like to lick your face with affection," Ysalwen translates.

"But he'll restrain himself."

You make Ysa happy, Dave, because you are her friend. You are great!

[stridersgonnastride]

His usual deadpan turns into a slight moue of distaste. "keep the slobber to yourself, dude. uncool," Dave tells the dog.

And then to Ysalwen. "lead on macduff"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Dogs are terrible at giving hugs. Receiving they can do, but giving -- he does the best he can."

Ysalwen is just saying.

Then she pauses, frowning slightly.

"Are you having memory problems, Dave?"

Thedas has zero Shakespeare.

[stridersgonnastride]

"what

"what is it i have been known to be a forgetful fucker but i don't remember anything i am currently forgetting. don't have any chores here i'm even wearing all the clothes required by polite society even though when they say no shirt no shoes no service they also actually mean pants too"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Thank you for keeping all your bits covered," Ysalwen allows, after a moment.

"I appreciate it."

She really, really does.

"But now, the real question. Who is MacDuff?"

[stridersgonnastride]

"oh," he says relaxing back into a slouch. "fake dead english guy

"i mean he is a character in a play i guess but if he was real he would be dead because it's from a long-ass time ago."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Yes, but why did you refer to him here?"

If that yes makes it sound like she had some idea that MacDuff was a fake person --

She didn't mean it that way.

"Did he die by infected spider-bite?"

[stridersgonnastride]

Dave lifts up off the ground so he can float backwards in front of Ysalwen and point accusingly at her at the same time. "you promised me no spiders"

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen widens her eyes dramatically.

"And so far there have been none! But I couldn't think of why else you might have called me by the name of a dead fake person."

What?

[stridersgonnastride]

"it's a saying

"it's a thing you say when

"uh

"you want someone to lead the way for some really goddamn urgent reason. look i don't remember that one very well okay almost everyone was evil and then they all died"

'Everyone was evil and then they all died'- Cherub Shakespeare probably.