Come on wuss it's just a door

[poll_the_stars]

Avetlarinyarenesaar... Is currently trying to force herself to walk another few steps. She hasn't managed it, yet. Her reason for stopping was perfectly ordinary - check the address, make sure it was correct, be sure she was in the right place. She'd been quite sure, but there wasn't any downside to double checking, so she double checked. And triple checked. She stopped herself from quadruple checking, but she wanted to anyway. To - be sure that she was right. Yes. Not because she was procrastinating, or nervous, or thinking what am I going to say? She wanted to be sure that she was right.

Well. She's right. She checked three times, there's no doubt to it.

"Look," she mutters to herself, "I get it, it's scary, but deal. You are not allowed to - to -" To what? Go home? Maybe try to work up the courage later? Maybe try and avoid the shren house like so many other dragons?

It was a door. It's idiotic to be afraid of a door. Sure, there were shrens on the other side of it, but there could conceivably be shrens on the other side of lots of doors, some of them were in hiding, hair dye existed. Subtle colors existed. She could have been near shrens any number of times.

That - did not actually make her fear go away. Instead it makes her want to curl up in her little apartment and not go outside again.

Great. Okay. Stop that train of thought, it's not useful. If she stands here any longer, people are going to stare. (Is that person over there staring? Probably. Damn.) Just - door. Go. Walk.

She forces herself to walk to the door, somewhat stiffly. And then she is at the door. ... Does she knock? Does she just open it and go in? She has no idea. It's customary to knock, so... She takes a deep breath and does so. Resisting the urge to flee and teleport away (or scamper into the bushes) isn't easy, but she manages it.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"Hello," he says.

"This is Tziret. He'll be happy to serve as your test subject in some suitably isolated location," says Jensal.

[poll_the_stars]

"Nice to meet you. Bottom of the world's probably the best place, unless you can think of a better spot? If not, I'll make a trip and we can teleport there when the spell's ready for testing."

[alicornucopia]

Tziret just nods.

[poll_the_stars]

"All right, then. Back to work for me."

[alicornucopia]

"Luck," says Jensal, waving Tziret on his way.

[poll_the_stars]

"Thanks!"

And off she teleports. Work awaits.



It's a harder problem than the last one. There isn't another spell to lean off of, here. It all has to be painstakingly invented. Neither she nor Ehail are brilliant at spell invention, but they are both going to keep at it.

Avet calms down, a little. She is still obviously working on the project, obviously making progress, but it does not rule her life. She flies to the bottom of the world, finds a nice spot in the middle of nowhere to let shrens fly, and then teleports home. She quits her job (because it is boring, she never liked it, and it was always something she planned to be temporary, anyway) and gets something more freelancy. Word of mouth from dragons that come to her for conceptions? Useful for that thing.

It takes a while. Almost a year. Avet feels vaguely guilty for every hour she steals for herself, but if she doesn't she suspects that by the end she'll be an empty shell of her former self. So she doesn't do that. But she does keep at it, and she does keep sending anonymous donations.

And then the spell is done.

She and Ehail check it multiple times. They are as sure as they can be that it'll work.

So. Avet knocks on the door to the Esmaar shren house, and tries to balance out worry, anxiety, and excitement.

[alicornucopia]

Avet receives some anonymous (and less anonymous) donations of her own, from grateful dragons; the Council can't throw around cash awards but individuals can.

Jensal answers the door.

[poll_the_stars]

Avet is pretty okay with getting anonymous and non-anonymous donations from dragons!

"Spell's ready for testing," she says. "... Also, hi."

[alicornucopia]

"Hi. I'll get your test subject."

Jensal goes and gets the test subject.

[poll_the_stars]

Avet waits! Smiling, impatient, nervous, trying not to fidget.

[alicornucopia]

Jensal returns, plus one copper fellow. He smiles a little.

[poll_the_stars]

She smiles back. "Jensal, would you like to supervise, or...?"

[alicornucopia]

"If it won't be inconvenient."

[poll_the_stars]

"Nope." She holds out a hand to teleport them both. "Already have the spot picked out."

[alicornucopia]

Shrens touch her hand.

[poll_the_stars]

And she brings the both of them to the bottom of the world!

"You'll need to be in natural form for the spell," she informs, "I don't know how it would react if you shifted while under it. You're welcome to check the area for dragons besides the obvious one, first."

She doesn't actually have a flight form that isn't her dragon form. She's not old enough to make commuting difficult, and leaving her options open is appealing. But she doesn't volunteer that information, it seems like it would be rude.

[alicornucopia]

Jensal performs a check as a peregrine. She lands and gives the all-clear and the copper shifts. Scales tumble to the ground in a clattering rain.

[poll_the_stars]

Avet takes a deep breath. She casts the analysis so she can see what will occur, then she casts the spell. Nothing horrible immediately happens. The spell does exactly what it's supposed to. Definitely temporary, but it should let him...

"Fly," she murmurs.

(Oh no what if it all goes horribly wrong...)

[alicornucopia]

He spreads his wings. He flaps.

He is not graceful in the air.

But he gets off the ground.

Jensal holds her breath.

[poll_the_stars]

Avet doesn't have anything in particular to say. Nothing has gone horribly wrong. Nothing at all. It's. Working.

She. She just made a shren fly.

Holy shit.

"We. Still don't know if it fixes esu," she squeaks, wide eyed but trying to maintain some hint of professionalism. "Or if the spell can be ended safely. Ready, or do you - want more time...?"

[alicornucopia]

"Come down," says Jensal. Tziret lands. "The babies, Avet. Take the spell off him."

[poll_the_stars]

"Right, yes, sorry," she agrees, blinking. Off goes the spell.

... Nothing horrible happens there, either.

Avet grins. "To the house?"

She holds out her hand for teleportation.

[alicornucopia]

Shrens again touch her hand.

[poll_the_stars]

And then they are in the house.

Avet motions to Jensal to lead on. She doesn't know the house. She could conceivably follow the screaming, but she's worried it'll get her lost.

[alicornucopia]

Jensal leads her to the babies room. It is indeed in the direction of the screaming. Jensal presents her with a gold baby.