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

[freedom_is_grey]

"Okay, wait no, stop."

Ysa herself has stopped walking. Liranan, too.

"Teach me that one."

Oh. Um.

"Please."

[stridersgonnastride]

"welp this is my contribution to the culture of other worlds fucking space jam. i'm ready let's do this let's make this happen"

Ysalwen gets to do the chorus, because she can actually carry a tune that isn't just belting out 'COME ON AND SLAM'.

Dave also beatboxes badly to back her up. Together they scare away multiple birds and possibly spontaneously bring slap bracelets, fanny packs, and Air Jordans back into style.

[freedom_is_grey]

Liranan's howling accompaniment definitely ties it all together.

He seems very pleased with himself as a flock of starlings lifts from a nearby tree and flees toward the mountain.

"Are all of your world's songs like that? So -- energetic and nonsensical at the same time?"

Inquiring Thedosian minds want to know!

[stridersgonnastride]

"only the best ones ysa," Dave says with a solemn nod. "only the best fucking ones. space jam is the anthem of my generation obviously it's a masterpiece

"hang on liranan you'll like this one it's got a part just for you"

Hopefully Ysalwen also approves of the Baha Men.

[freedom_is_grey]

Liranan really enjoys getting to try to make his bark sound as much like the word 'who' as possible.

Ysalwen keeps laughing, which makes any singing a moot point.

"Does your world have that many dogs, then? If you need an entire song to wonder why they got released into the streets?"

Yippee-yi-oh. Or however one pronounces that.

[stridersgonnastride]

"i didn't get a lot of dogs back in the real world but plenty in the game which you have already heard about and don't need further discussion."

Death: still brings down the mood.

"but i think it's actually supposed to be about girls calling guys dogs because they were being dicks"

[freedom_is_grey]

"I find I agree with Zevran. Slitting their throats and calling it a day seems infinitely easier."

Um.

[stridersgonnastride]

"holy shit girl i'm all down for wrecking the patriarchy but why are we murdering frat boys now"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Entitlement has never yet been cured by words. Fear works, for a time, at least. But that never lasts, either."

She exhales.

"Anyway. Shall we sing Space Jam again?"

[stridersgonnastride]

"sure the sick beats of quad city djs soothe many ills

"but uh

"did you want to talk about it"

It sounds like maybe she wants to talk about it.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Not really? I mean a little, but it's not something that's easily changed. It may, in fact, be even more difficult to change than the mage-templar divide. It -- well."

She exhales.

"Drunken human noblemen seem a lot like these frat boys of yours. Most humans consider themselves entitled to elves' time and labor and bodies and -- it's bad. Is all."

All. Right.

"Do you mind if we walk a little faster?"

[stridersgonnastride]

"oh that

"that sounds like it sucks

"i don't have a lot of experience with that stuff happening specifically to me but some of my friends have and it definitely sounds fucking awful." Dave glances over at Ysalwen, hands jammed in his pockets. His entire posture screams 'awkward sympathy' but he remains terrible at expressing any sincere emotion.

"just don't make me fly to keep up. too many trees."

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen looks back at him after a moment, mouth quirking up at one corner.

"Awful is a good word for it. I'm glad you've never had it happen to you. Or -- I hope you never have, anyway. I'm sorry your friends know."

She exhales again, squaring her shoulders.

"Do you enjoy flying? Or does it cause you more trouble than it's worth? Trees aside, I mean."

[stridersgonnastride]

Leap on that subject change.

"flying is the fucking bomb. 10/10 best godlike power upgrade even beats the comfy pajamas and the ability to text people basically with my brain.

"karkat gets so pissed off and i think it kinda annoys kanaya too that they're like the only ones who can't fly it's pretty great."

[freedom_is_grey]

She grins, quick and bright.

"I'll admit I'm a little envious, too. Then again, in Thedas generally the evil spirit types tend to float around cackling madly, so perhaps it's better to keep flying out of my skillset."

Wait.

"Kanaya? I've not met -- her? Him? Um."

[stridersgonnastride]

"don't let that stop you i've met non-cackling evil spirits flying around and totally evil cackling non-spirits so let your freak flag fly free you know"

He holds a branch up so Ysalwen can duck under it. Or just walk, because she's short.

"kanaya is the bomb she's another troll. she's a totally deadly bitch with her chainsaw, likes making fashionable outfits, and being a voice of reason. my sister's her girlfriend."

Dave approves.

"also apparently she's karkat's moirail here which she wasn't in my timeline but fucking alternate universes and doomed timelines what are you gonna do

"maybe they always liked each other that way and just never got the chance to act on it until now"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Oh, excellent!"

Ysalwen's smile brightens into one that almost seems real.

"It's lovely when extended families actually like each other. Or so I hear."

Her mouth twitches very faintly.

"Does your sister come here, too, or -- ?"

[stridersgonnastride]

"yeah she's the best troll-in-law a boy could ask for really."

Dave shakes his head. "i don't think so but apparently kanaya knew about milliways even in my timeline and didn't let on so i'm not 100% positive. i feel like i would have known if rose did though. unless she showed up when she was drunk and then forgot about it"

He frowns slightly.

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen also frowns, slowing her pace for a moment or two. Just in case.

"Does that -- happen a lot? Or . . . "

[stridersgonnastride]

"ugh guess what i don't want to talk about

"it's that

"you win a prize."

[freedom_is_grey]

"So is this the part where I tell you we seem to have found some spiders?"

World's greatest segue is happening right now.

Right?

[stridersgonnastride]

There's suddenly a broken sword in Dave's hand.

"holy fuck where"

As he whirls around to look, the sword glitches, blurs, and becomes whole.

[freedom_is_grey]

In the branches of a nearby tree there is a veritable horde of tiny blue-ish spiders.

There's a fine coating of frost on said tree.

And the tiny ice spiders are spinning tiny ice webs. Most of them look like snowflakes. One of them reads Some Pig. There is no pig in sight.

"Um. There? But I think we can avoid them. Just. Trying not to startle them is probably best."

[stridersgonnastride]

"youuuu

"jerk"

Dave exhales heavily. The sword vanishes again.

"i was expecting something a little bigger"

And then, a moment later:

"ha that's what she said"

[freedom_is_grey]

"That's what prosthetics can be for," Ysalwen says, very primly.

"Now, let's keep moving."

Liranan trots ahead this time, keeping himself between Ysa and Dave and the spiders.

Just because!