Do not mock the humble survey

[poll_the_stars]

Avet... has found herself annoyed. She has only one form. This isn't the problem, but this is what led to her noticing the problem. There is no way to preview what a dragon will look like. There are species books of birds and bugs and animals - but some of them are sub-par on noting where the dragon's colors go, and miscellaneous gods that she doesn't worship help you if you want to see what your color will look like on the form.

She is going to solve this problem. By taking some surveys. As in, grab photo paper, gather up a list of lines to go visit, and then knock on some doors and ask some questions and create a book series that organizes all possible forms, all known forms, what known lines look like in the forms - that sort of thing.

She starts with blue groups, because blue groups have the most available forms - she's gotten all of the big lines (well, all of the big lines that gave her the time of day) and is on the smaller ones. The ones with only one or two people. Or, in some cases, none.

This particular one's easier than some others; she doesn't need to fly to another country. It's Esmaar. She flies to the address of one 'Avar,' no line name. Apparently he had one and had some kind of explosive spat about it and gave it up. Not that it's her business. He's just another person for her survey.

She knocks on his door.

Comments

[poll_the_stars]

[thisvorlunatic]

Avet goes home; Mial quietly solicits research data from his mother, who just as quietly returns him some circumspectly worded notes after a few days. That pins down the magic section for declining to have children. The chart is looking just about as complete as it's going to get.

It is not immediately clear how to proceed.

[poll_the_stars]

They'll keep at it, anyway.

But first: on a non-Chenen day, Mial gets a letter from a certain survey dragon.

Hey, I finished the books. Want to come over and judge/give feedback/super judge them before I finalize them?

[thisvorlunatic]

I would be delighted to come judge your books. When?

[poll_the_stars]

I mean, I'd be fine in a few degrees, but I have a few angles if you need a bit. Or we can do it on another day where we're both free.

[thisvorlunatic]

Nah, I wasn't doing much. Come get me whenever.

[poll_the_stars]

She doesn't bother with a reply, and instead teleports to his house and knocks on his door.

[thisvorlunatic]

Which Mial opens. "Hi!"

[poll_the_stars]

"Hi! Ready for teleportation?"

She offers him her hand.

[thisvorlunatic]

He takes her hand and nods.

[poll_the_stars]

Once the door is closed, teleport!

And then they are at Avet's apartment. She didn't bother dropping them outside and then opening the door, and instead they are in her living room. It's - slightly a mess, there are papers everywhere, but the apartment itself is nice.

As promised, there are three completed books of various forms. They are laid out in a very sane and rational manner, organized by form type, then color group. It's very orderly.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Very tidy. I would've gone nuts over this when I was seventy or so and doing intensive research to pick out my next bunch of forms."

[poll_the_stars]

"Thank you! Pity I can't go back in time and hand it to you then. But someone else can use it now. I'll likely have to make more editions later, keep it updated, but that won't be as hard as..." She waves a hand at the books. "This."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Yeah. Trivial by comparison, I'm sure. Well, I'm impressed."

[poll_the_stars]

"Thank you. I'm very proud of myself, and sort of tempted to sleep for a week."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I know the feeling."

[poll_the_stars]

"The best sleep is when you are insufferably smug about a job well done."

[thisvorlunatic]

Giggle.

[poll_the_stars]

"So!" says Avet, lightly. "You are impressed, but don't shy away from critiquing them just because they're well organized, I am not entirely happy with them but couldn't think of a better solution to some of the problems I encountered."

[thisvorlunatic]

"All right, let's hear it," he says. "What's giving you trouble? Or do you want me to read them all first and form my own unprompted opinions?"

[poll_the_stars]

"Second thing! See if you can find the things that bothered me. Unless of course you don't want to."

[thisvorlunatic]

"No, no, I'll do it the long way around."

He sits down with the books and begins reading.

[poll_the_stars]

While he is reading, the doorbell rings.

Avet makes a confused face, then goes to answer it.

[alicornucopia]

It is Avet's parunia great-grand-half-niece, Litet, with a bag containing the Nightchef slow cooker she borrowed in one hand and a jar of applesauce in the other. "Hi, Avet!"

[poll_the_stars]

Avet smiles at Litet. "Hi, Litet. Is that bribery I see? Do you want your oven fixed?"

She is teasing.