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[royalfling]

@wulala

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[laniidae]

...

Well. That depends on what pizza is, I suppose. Something with cheese?

[royalfling]

Oh oh!!! Pizza is an Earth food, it's bread with sauce and cheese and whatever else you could want on top of it. It's really good, just not for breakfast.

I'll have Mako make it for you sometime!! He makes a mean pizza!!!

[laniidae]

That sounds...decadent. And messy. I think I definitely want to try it.

And you'll have some too, obviously? But not for breakfast.

[royalfling]

Of course I want some!!! But no, not for breakfast. Can you imagine?!

[ Obviously it's a heinous crime to eat pizza before noon ]

What's the food like in your world, Renfri? Is there anything you miss?

[laniidae]

[She's just going to assume that's rhetorical, considering he knows full well she can't imagine something she's never seen or had. BUT ANYWAY.]

I had fruit-flavored ice, once. It wasn't easily gotten. Oranges and lemons, I think? And ice, so it melted in your mouth if you held it.

[royalfling]

That sounds AMAZING of boy I would love to try that. I'll see if Mako can make that. He pretends he isn't a good cook but he totally is.

So what's your world like? Spaceships? Knights and ladies? Cowboys?

[laniidae]

I don't remember what it was for. Some sort of very important celebration, I'm sure. It's better in the summer when it's hot, but of course it's that much harder to get ice when it's hot out, as well.

Oh, we have ships and cows and knights and ladies. Wizards, monsters. Witchers. Do you know what a witcher is? Most people don't seem to.

[royalfling]

That is the tricky thing! But at least we have refrigeration. I bet we can make it happen!!!

Oh, that's very exciting! Witchers, is that anything like witches? But don't be too worried about it, most people haven't heard of any of the stuff from my world. Bending, and just all of the animals. I still can't believe that no one knows what a crococat is!

[laniidae]

You'd be surprised how often I get asked that. No, witches and witchers are two different things. One casts spells, and the other hunts monsters.

I met a witcher before I came here. They're rare. And that one smelled bad.

What...IS a crococat?

[royalfling]

Right right okay! Hunting monsters would be pretty handy here. But, no, we don't have witchers. And we don't have witches either, for that matter!

Well that's
good to know?

Crococats are
They're crococats!
They're small animals with lots of very sharp teeth, scales, and fluffy tails!

[laniidae]

I suppose you could say I'm a touch biased against that one. Or, well. He's on my mind a great deal, rather.

So they're...cats? With scales and sharp teeth?

[royalfling]

So this is more than a you just met him thing? What's so special about this guy?

Well, no. They're crococats. I suppose they are sort of like Earth cats, but they're also not, because they're crococats.

[laniidae]

Well. He's the man who killed me.

[WELL OKAY THEN, RENFRI.]

You might have to draw me a picture, I'm afraid. I'm not very good at imagining it.

[royalfling]

[ Wait
wait
wait ]

You're dead?!?!?? That's the sort of thing you should tell a guy!
No wonder you think about him. I think about the guy who killed me way too much. I wish I could stop sometimes!

But it's not like dead-dead. It was here-dead. But even so. I'm sure dead-dead makes it even more awful.
I'm so sorry Renfri! I had no idea.

[ And he will in face do his best to draw a crococat, off screen ]

[laniidae]

I did just tell you, didn't I? He cut my throat; I don't recommend it.

What happened to you? Someone here killed you?

[royalfling]

Well I suppose you did. I'm so sorry, Renfri. That's awful. I thought you said that witchers hunt monsters? Why would he kill you?

Someone was possessed by the devil and found it fun to chase me through the streets and make me beg for my life before killing me.

[ That's really the most straight forward he's every said it. It's almost been a year since it happened, and apparently that's long enough ]

Another Sleeper, but he isn't here anymore, thankfully.

[laniidae]

[Oh. Well. She's glad he clarified, so she didn't just inadvertently out the two other people she's aware of who fit the "possessed by the devil" description around here. Hm.]

It doesn't matter. A sword will kill anything it crosses; steel doesn't discriminate.

[Or silver, she thinks passingly, and swallows the thought back down.]

You'd tell me, if you were in danger from someone like that again?

[royalfling]

Yes, but someone has to be using that sword. People do.

[ He's concerned, but he won't push, not quite yet. ]

If I can, I certainly will. That time, I wasn't given the chance to do anything about it. I almost got to Mako, but this man, he was just teasing me. I was almost at Mako's house when he grabbed me and we flew away, out to the outskirts of the town.

There was really nothing anyone could do. I hope I'm never in that situation again, but I've accepted that I might be.

[laniidae]

So he didn't target you specifically, then. Not for anything about you, I mean. It was just random bad luck?

[royalfling]

Exactly. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wasn't the only person he killed, either.

I've been the target before, and this was better, if deadlier. Well, maybe not "better" so to speak. It was less devastating because it wasn't about me, it wasn't because of who I am.

[ At least, that's what he likes to tell himself. ]

[laniidae]

Harder to prevent, though, maybe. A known threat is one you can act against, at least.

Mako's not the only one you can run to now. You do know that?

[royalfling]

Thank you, Renfri. I appreciate that. I'm not a fighter, as you probably guessed.

I can't exactly return the favor, but if you need anything else, you know you can ask me. You know, more than just a job.

[laniidae]

I HAD clued in to that, what with all the business with that rock snake.

...It's strange, you know. Everyone here has had nothing but generosity for me, even though I've done nothing to warrant it. I don't quite know what to think of it, sometimes.

[royalfling]

You caught on? Smart lady!

Well, in the dream, it really felt like us Sleepers against the world. One of the first things I learned there is that Sleepers look out for each other. It isn't always true, but a lot of us really take it to heart. We've all had awful horrible things happen to us, that wasn't our fault at all. It's the fault of this place.

And you saved my from the snake! You didn't know me. You didn't have to. Are you sure you're not doing the same thing?

[laniidae]

Oh, come off it, you mouthy thing.

[How dare he be so easy to like.]

I'm not used to counting on the generosity of others. Loyalty's one thing, but not kindness. And as for why I saved you...I don't know, really. Because it's what that witcher would've wanted, maybe. Me, being better than I'd been.