i might as well be the man on the moon

[truthwright]

Their Isabella having just gone to welcome a new Bell into the peal, Kas and Petaal snuggle up together and take a nap. They'll want to be well rested for the party.

When they wake up, she still isn't back.

[Jane?]

No response.

Kas teleports down to the Janepoint, Petaal wrapped snake-shaped around his shoulders.

The display reads: error 7788: lycanthropy

"...So that's new," he says.

"No shit," says Petaal. "Now what?"

He shrugs. She coils tighter.

"Hang around and wait, I guess."

Comments

[carillons]

"Oh," says Helen. She pets Kalavar's fuzzy head and throws a handful of corn kernels to the ducks. "Why's it different for animals and people that way?"

[alicornucopia]

Shura's grandmother starts explaining evolution. If animals couldn't tell that daemons were part of people, they could not act correctly afraid of them - which they must do. Daemons don't have to eat for themselves, and if they help their people hunt, they may attack animals that their current shapes would not disturb. Children's daemons are even more versatile; if the ducks were fooled by Kalavar, Helen could hide, Kalavar could go among them, and then she could turn into a fox right on top of a real duck and there would be dinner.

[carillons]

...Kalavar turns into a small blue dragon and looks speculatively at the ducks.

[alicornucopia]

The ducks don't react to this transformation. They are just as inclined to keep their distance as before. (Which isn't that much; when witches want to kill these ducks they lure them away with magic, they don't attack them in front of the flock.)

[carillons]

Helen giggles.

Kalavar becomes a duckling again. Ducklings are fuzzy.

[alicornucopia]

Nicoa is tempted by fuzz. He turns into a small monkey and pets Kalavar.

[carillons]

Kalavar snuggles up to Nicoa and makes happy duckling squeaks.

[alicornucopia]

Shura giggles.

"How come you make so many animal-noises?" Nicoa asks Kalavar.

[carillons]

"Because they are fun and cute!" says Kalavar. Squeak!

[alicornucopia]

Nicoa tries some experimental monkey-noises, then shakes his head.

[carillons]

Kalavar giggles and duckling-squeaks at him some more. It is indeed adorable.

[alicornucopia]

Nicoa turns into a dragonfly and adorns Shura's hair like an ornament.

The ducks seem to be pretty full.

[carillons]

Kalavar turns into a fuzzy moth and perches in the palm of Helen's hand.

"You're tickly," she giggles.

[alicornucopia]

"Well," says Shura's grandmother, setting her cloudpine in the air and setting Shura on it, "we're going to have dinner. Say goodbye, Shura."

"Bye," says Shura.

[carillons]

"Bye, Shura!" says Helen. "Bye, Shura's grandma!"

[alicornucopia]

And off they go.

[alicornucopia]

It is later, when Helen is just past her sixth birthday, that Ranata brainphones Kas who is off somewhere. [There's a lovely-looking children's aquarium opening in Chicago,] she says. [I thought perhaps Helen would like it. We could all three go, with Charlie if he's up for the flight but he probably won't be.]

[truthwright]

[Ooh, sounds like fun. Sure, we can go.]

[alicornucopia]

[Can you meet me there Tuesday or Wednesday?]

[truthwright]

[Sure! Tuesday works.]

[alicornucopia]

[Okay!] And she supplies the address. [There's a lot of exhibits, we should start at at least ten in the morning to see everything before Helen gets tired.]

[truthwright]

He laughs. [Sounds good to me.]

[alicornucopia]

At ten in the morning, Ranata hovers over the walk that leads up to the aquarium entrance. She's already healed an ailing otter for tickets.

[truthwright]

Kas arrives on foot, with Helen. Petaal is coiled around his neck as an iridescent black snake, and Kalavar is perched on Helen's ear as a fuzzy bumblebee.

[alicornucopia]

Ranata lands to join them and scoop Helen up in a hug. "Hello there!"