A query is put forth by a darkly-dressed man lounging on the ground, absently toying with a shiny new iPhone. "What is the source of your creativity? Your Muse, if you will."
Two relatively young adults in near-identical tunics are hurrying home from some quick errands. Pat hears the question and can't help herself. She stops, a hand on Quin's shoulder so that he stops with her, and turns to answer. She grins. "I'm just going to be literal and say Terpsichore."
"I call them like I see them, Ma'am." "A better question would be what isn't it? It's main purpose is a telephone, but it also plays music, games, accesses the internet, e-mail, takes pictures, and what seems like a million other little things you can do with it. It's marvelous!"
"Oh." Pat looks mildly surprised, then raises an eyebrow at Quin. "Is it my fault I'm notorious.?" "Yes," she says with a grin that's readily exchanged. "Yes, it kind of is." Back to the gentleman. "Nice to meet you, Bel. So what have you been doing with your device? When it's not being ruined by the local climate."
"It certainly looks interesting. Even with several years' contact with the Nexus, we still don't know all that much about electronics. The General generally doesn't let anything like that through the door, of course."
"I can't really fault him, though. Unusual plants and some minor technological advances can be explained away as flukes of nature, excellent navigators, or brilliant inventors. Once you start bringing in devices there is no basis for in your own world, though, secrets become much harder to keep. Besides, I know of a case where giving the Romans the steam engine 500 years too early meant that their empire never collapsed, and they kept their conqueror's mindset well into the 20th century."
Cue first nods at the initial observation, then similar 'ugh' expressions at the latter one. "They went on awfully long in your world as it is," Quin says.
"Long enough, yes. But if events hadn't unfolded the way they did, The Warden would not be the second most powerful being in our world, so I can't really complain."
Pat hears the question and can't help herself. She stops, a hand on Quin's shoulder so that he stops with her, and turns to answer.
She grins. "I'm just going to be literal and say Terpsichore."
Reply
Reply
"So what brings the question to mind for you, sir?"
Reply
"I have a new toy," he tells her, holding up the iPhone.
Reply
Then they both look at the device with interest, and there's the Foundling Surround Sound. "What is it?"
Reply
"A better question would be what isn't it? It's main purpose is a telephone, but it also plays music, games, accesses the internet, e-mail, takes pictures, and what seems like a million other little things you can do with it. It's marvelous!"
Reply
Reply
Reply
"I'm Pat, by the way. Aristan Foundling Guard. And this is my brother-in-arms, Quin."
Reply
He smiles, chuckling. "I guessed who you were, Ma'am, but I know Master Quin. My name is... That is, you can call me Bel."
Reply
"Is it my fault I'm notorious.?"
"Yes," she says with a grin that's readily exchanged. "Yes, it kind of is." Back to the gentleman. "Nice to meet you, Bel. So what have you been doing with your device? When it's not being ruined by the local climate."
Reply
"You shouldn't be too hard on him, Ma'am. The Boss made sure we'd all recognize him, just in case."
Reply
"It certainly looks interesting. Even with several years' contact with the Nexus, we still don't know all that much about electronics. The General generally doesn't let anything like that through the door, of course."
Reply
Reply
"They went on awfully long in your world as it is," Quin says.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment