whyyyy has no one icon'd Suraj Sharma yet

[shatterstone]

It seems, friend, that there has been a misunderstanding between us. I am not going anywhere.

I have a great deal to occupy me here, thank you - I have a paper due for review in two months, and I assume there's no room in my suitcase for books on this journey between worlds? I thought not. In either case I'll be in Myren this time next month, and that is quite enough distance from hearth and home without getting metaphysical about it.

What do people do in other worlds, anyway? Whatever it is, I can't imagine it's worth missing the spring festival for, and the accommodations are likely less pleasant.

Comments

/tosses my OC at your OC

[wildrosemarygrows]

[Have an unamused barely-dressed girl with pink hair staring at you, dude.

She smells like an herb garden!]

At least your fleshie has plans for you.

/catches!!

[shatterstone]

[Herb gardens! He likes the smell of those - it's what he notices first. The hair's worth an incredulous look, though, and the clothing-- the, er, lack of clothing-- well.

Look her in the eyes, Shatterstone.]

My--? ...Oh.

The problem, you see, is that her plans are interfering with my plans, and between them, I'm afraid it's my plans that take priority.

[wildrosemarygrows]

Nuh-uh. Not anymore~ Everyone knows when a fleshie gets a hold of you, your plans go pfffft.

[She blows a raspberry. She really doesn't care where he looks, either. Clothing is stupid]

[shatterstone]

[The top of her head! That's a good place to look. Hell of a color. Man.]

I'm afraid you don't understand - I am working under strict deadlines, here. I intend to see this paper published.

--I must say, I'm envious of you, if I take your earlier meaning correctly - I'd rather be left out of other people's plans entirely.

[Other people's plans, he's found, are rarely as good, or as comfortable, as the ones he makes himself.]

[wildrosemarygrows]

But it's boring. It's worse than being stuck in a pot again.

[Sulky]

But you sound like a learning-fleshie, so maybe you like boring. Do you like boring?

[shatterstone]

Stuck in a--?

[The once-over he gives her this time is completely clinical.]

...Is it polite to ask after others' humanity in this place? Is What are you a rude question?

[wildrosemarygrows]

Nope! M'a nypmh.

[shatterstone]

Are you.

[The word means nothing to him, but he thinks-- maybe-- he's got an inkling of what she might be, and the thought is intriguing. He takes a step toward her, eager, one hand out to touch-- but hesitates before he does.]

May I?

[wildrosemarygrows]

May you what?

[shatterstone]

Just-- take a closer look at you.

[His interest in her was polite before; now it's genuine.]

[wildrosemarygrows]

....are you a satyr?

[shatterstone]

...No?

[He doesn't think he is, anyway, though that's not a word he's ever heard before. Something that doesn't like nymphs, he supposes.]

I'm an elementalist. One of the harmless ones.

[wildrosemarygrows]

A what-el-mentist?

[shatterstone]

[An impatient sigh. He's torn - on the one hand, talking about the elements is very high on his List Of Favorite Things To Do, and the audience seems willing. On the other hand, his curiosity is unsatisfied, and it's making his fingers itch.

He compromises by explaining quickly.]

An individual with the innate ability to understand the elemental nature of things in the physical world and to manipulate them based on their categorization into four distinct types of matter, without outside aid from non-physical elemental beings or previous contracts made with them. I publish under the name "Shatterstone."

[You may have heard of me, he does not say.]

[wildrosemarygrows]

....huh?

[Her eyes? Totally glazed over]

I'm Rosemary!

[shatterstone]

[.....welp.]

...Surri. A pleasure.

[And with that, impatience wins out.]

Look-- will you give me your hand? Just for a moment.

[wildrosemarygrows]

Are you going to shake it? That's that weird fleshie thing, right?

[But she holds out her hand. It's not actually flesh and bone, but it's a good facsimile that feels close to human. There's no pulse, though]

[shatterstone]

[Surri takes her hand without hesitation, but instead of shaking it, he holds it. He can tell the flesh isn't quite right, but he didn't expect it to be - and anyway, it's not her flesh he's interested in, it's the tangle of earth at her core that's the most inhuman thing he's ever seen.

She'll feel nothing, just see his face go briefly slack and his eyes unfocused; when he finally lets go, it's with newly-piqued interest, and just a hint of wariness.]

You are-- a rare thing, indeed.

How did you get that form?

[wildrosemarygrows]

What do you mean? The clothes are 'cuz people get angry when I go around without 'em.

[shatterstone]

I've never seen a spirit wear a person's form before.

[Implication: The fact that he hasn't seen it means that it doesn't happen.]

[wildrosemarygrows]

I'm not a spirit, I'm a nymph. And I've never seen a llama but that doesn't mean they don't exist! I know they do, 'cuz I went to a town an' the lady I stayed with had a llama sweater.

he is using small word for you

[shatterstone]

[What the hell is a-- no, he's not going to ask. Probably something like a satyr.]

You're not a person. You're all element inside. More than likely, you belong to something-- a tree, perhaps, or a flower. Am I right?

good boy /kicks plurk

[wildrosemarygrows]

Nope.

[She pulls a thyme plant out of her pocket.

Really it's more like hammerspace but she likes pockets on her skimpy skirts]

Thyme!

[shatterstone]

Ah.

[So that's what he was smelling. Surri's fond of thyme - but he's always liked it in a more abstract way, not in a this-thyme-plant-is-talking-to-me kind of way.]

...What did you say your name was?

[wildrosemarygrows]

Rosemary.

[Feel free to laugh if you know "Scarborough Faire"]