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]

"I," attempts Avet, but Litet is already past her and Avet has no idea how to gently extract her and keep her away from Mial.

She could possibly ungently extract her, but - what in the world would she say? 'No go away there is a shren here right now'? 'I worry that you will upset my friend if you are at all exposed to him'? Then she'll ask, and then - it might explode. Litet's always been a nice relative, surely it wouldn't explode?

"Not, um, really, I have a friend over, I can take care of it," she tries, for lack of a better idea.

[alicornucopia]

"I dropped by unannounced, don't mind me, pay attention to your friend," says Litet, waving and continuing into the house.

[poll_the_stars]

Oh, she really hopes this doesn't explode.

"He's checking over my uh, book, it's finished and he's reading it so I really don't have anything better to do until he's done, definitely time to rearrange my cold closet, don't worry about it."

.... Wait, that might have been the wrong thing to say, what if Litet wants to see it, that would put her in the same room as Mial.

[alicornucopia]

"Tell me all about your book!" invites Litet. "I didn't know you'd finished it."

[poll_the_stars]

"I sort of finished them. Earlier today, actually. They're together and organized and readable instead of a giant mess all over my living room, but they're not finalized or ready for copies to be distributed."

Yes Litet keep talking to her please stay away from Mial.

[alicornucopia]

"...Them?"

[poll_the_stars]

"Um. I have multiple versions."

[alicornucopia]

"Translations?"

[poll_the_stars]

"Translations are rather pointless when dealing with -" don't say dragonishes "dragons."

She can think of a few decent lies to use here, but - does she really need to? She doesn't particularly want to lie to family. "Different versions based on relevancy. So you don't have to flip through more book than you have to in order to get to the relevant line."

Technically, this is true!

[alicornucopia]

"So it's by - color?" guesses Litet. She changes course, heading for the living room.

[poll_the_stars]

Eep!

"It, um, not, quite?"

Is that shame seeping into her somewhere? Stop that, stop that right now, augh.

[alicornucopia]

Litet sets the Nightchef down by a doorframe and peers at the suspected location of book.

[thisvorlunatic]

The suspected location of book contains: three of book, and one of presumably-Avet's-friend, reading one of book. He's human-shaped, and seems oddly short for a human-formed dragon, but he hasn't looked up from his reading so his eye colour isn't available to resolve the question.

[alicornucopia]

"Hi, Avet's friend!"

[poll_the_stars]

AAAAAAAAAAA.

Don't explode don't explode don't explode.

[thisvorlunatic]

"Some call me Mial," he says mildly, looking up from his reading. Silver eyes. "Hi."

[alicornucopia]

"I'm Litet. Avet's relative," says Litet, Avet's relative. She picks up a book from the coffee table.

[poll_the_stars]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Is that the correct book for her to be reading, she has no idea, oh shit, oh fuck, how does she fix this -

[alicornucopia]

"Very glossy," comments Litet, opening the book to a random page. "Wow, I've never even heard of this animal, someone was... creative..." She trails off as she reads the caption.

The book falls from her fingers and she looks like she's going to be sick. "Avet! Avet, what, why, why would you include - oh no did you survey them did you go and - and personally photograph, a whole, whole bookful -"

[thisvorlunatic]

(Mial sighs.)

[poll_the_stars]

Avet smiles. It has an uncharacteristic edge. Not like it's forced, like some sort of predatory cat is smiling it. Like it's sharp and dangerous.

"There are multiple versions," says Avet, sugary sweet. "So you don't have to read about the whole bookful of people if you don't want to."

[alicornucopia]

"You didn't warn me - you could have warned me -"

[poll_the_stars]

"You could have taken a hint and not forced yourself ever so politely into my home. It's not my fault if what you find upsets you."

[alicornucopia]

"Excuse me? What hint? If you were up to - to awful things you didn't want anyone seeing, in here, you could have not answered the door!"

[poll_the_stars]

Avet giggles. Just a little.

"That," says Avet, "would have been rude. And you could have been anyone. One of my vampire friends, maybe, I've got a few of them. They wouldn't have cared. And it's not that I don't want anyone seeing it, it's that I am trying not to upset anyone needlessly."