The Age and Country Hotel - Part III; Evolution from the Glitch | Forums

[Zander Nyrond]

"So you think everything we Write existed before we Wrote it," Zander says, turning back to TOOO. "In that case, what does it mean to 'Edit people into existence'? If they exist already--"

"Not now, sweetie," Jahura says firmly. "When we've dealt with the problem--and if another crisis doesn't follow straight on--you can both go to the hood and have a debate in the theatre if you like, but right now we have a mission."

"Aye aye, darling," Zander says, saluting smartly. "So how do we get in?" he asks JoJo. "Do I need to duck my head?"

[jahura]

JoJo looks deep into the sphere.
"Same way I got here. There's a portal to this universe in there, somewhere. I just have to find it..."

"Be right back." Jahura mutters as she places her hand on her Relto book. A mere second later, she reappears in the landing point of the room. In her hand is a jeweler's loupe which she unfolds as she approaches JoJo. Jahura peers at the sphere for a few moments through the loupe, then announces, "there."

"Where?" JoJo asks, peering harder.

Jahura hands her the loupe.
"Toward the center, just off to your left."

JoJo looks through the loupe and sighs.
"I still can't see it..."

"Relax your eye and look within." Jahura says patiently.

After several minutes of coaching, JoJo finally straightens up with excitement.
"Oh! I see it! I see it!"
She takes the loupe away from her eye and holds up the sphere, gazing at that.
"Yes, I can see it clearly now. Just need to - "

A golden ring of light about seven by seven feet appears before her. Inside the ring is an expanse of galaxies emanating from a larger spiral galaxy spinning just to the right of center.
"Home sweet home." JoJo smiles. "Wipe your feet before you go in, please."

[Zander Nyrond]

There is a certain amount of hem-hemming and foot-shuffling.

"TOOO?" Zander says. "You should go first. You know the lady better than we do, after all."

[jahura]

"Maybe that's not so great an idea."

Three pairs of eyes turn to Jahura. She shrugs in response as she continues.

"I mean, here we have a whole new untouched universe and all, and entering it at this point might have untoward effects. Each of us has an idea of how a universe should be, but more often than not such ideas are in conflict to the creator's. I don't want to be the one to toss the snake into the garden."

"But we are the creators." Zander replies, turning his hands palms upward, "TOOO here being the primary - "

"Hey!" TOOO throws up his hands. "Don't look at me! Cannax was the one that started this. I'm just a bystander! You - " he says, leaning in Jahura's direction, "had to bring her back!"

"What are you talking about?" Jahura retorts, "I did no such thing! She came on her own! I wasn't even thinking about her!"

"Now, look here!" Zander barks at the same time, "Throwing about accusations isn't going to help at all! We are all equally responsible - "

TOOO joins the noisy chorus. "Hey - I'm not even remotely capable of this kind of hocus pocus you two are insinuating - "

"Enough already!" JoJo yells. Some of the galaxies on the other side of the portal stop spinning. The cacophony in the room stops abruptly.

JoJo looks at each face for a long moment.
"I brought myself here. I found the portal to this universe. I needed help and I appreciate the help that I got." She crosses her arms and taps her foot anxiously. "but it seems to me that I have no purpose here, so that leaves me with this - " she indicates the universe beyond, "where my purpose is clear and I am needed. Who created me and why isn't important. I guess I'll have to figure out on my own what to do from here. to keep me occupied until I'm summoned like a genie from a bottle." There is a slight tinge of disdain in the last part of her comment.

"It's not like that." Zander replies.

"Don't patronize me." JoJo answers, "I'm a goddess, remember?"
She steps through the portal, and it closes behind her.



Jahura looks at the empty space the portal left for a long time.

[Zander Nyrond]

"Well," Zander says into the silence, "that went well." A thought strikes him. "Am I really patronising?"

"Sometimes," Jahura answers absently. "I just overlook it."

"I wish you wouldn't, love. I don't want to be." He turns to TOOO. "Never mind," he says. "After all, none of this is your doing. It would all have happened anyway. You just happened to be watching." There is something subtly off about his smile. "Just a bystander, as you said."

TOOO shakes his head. He seems stunned. "I don't...I didn't..."

Zander relents. "We both messed up. Letting our disagreement get in the way of helping someone in need. I am truly sorry." He takes a breath. "Anyway, no sense worrying about it now. Maybe you'll get another chance."

Jahura shakes her head. 'That kind of chance you don't get twice." She rouses herself. "What's done is done. She's on her own now. Just like me."

"Well, if she has a fraction of your wisdom and compassion, my love," Zander says, "that universe is in safe hands." He smiles, and turns back to TOOO. "Sorry to have disturbed you," he says, "but I think we've done as much as we can here."

"Yes, of course," TOOO murmurs, allowing himself to be shepherded to the door.

[T.O.O.O.]

On his way out, he grabbed the little ball, and quickly placed it in his pocket. It's all I have left of you, now.

FWOOOOOAMMMM!

Carlota Staralla stood in the foyer, carrying a suitcase in each hand. "Anything interesting happen while I was-- oof!"

TOOO gave her a big hug.

[Zander Nyrond]

"You were a little hard on him," Jahura says.

"Well," Zander says, undressing, "I get tired of all this shoving responsibility off on to the nearest Unmoved Mover. *I* Wrote Pastorum; if anything bad happens to those people there, that will be down to me. *He* Wrote (or otherwise created) that poor goddess-in-training; if she goes astray for lack of guidance, I'm willing to take my share of the blame for being a pompous, argumentative..."

"Patronising."

"Patronising git. He'll happily blame Gehn for what went wrong with Riven, while stoutly maintaining that Gehn didn't actually create the Age. Talk about your double standard..."

"You should definitely have that debate," Jahura murmurs, as Zander slides into bed beside her. "But maybe TOOO should be in the room when you do? Not just me?"

"Hint received loud and clear, love." Zander mimes lip-zipping. "Mind you, is there anyone in the Cavern now who'd be interested?"

"Dont know. Haven't been there lately, 'member?"

Zander hefts the bag of asterisks.

"Not really in the mood now," Jahura says. "Just...be here, okay?"

"Absolutely."

Zander spoons up against his love, and soon there is no sound but the titanic Nyrond snoring that only a goddess could sleep through.

[T.O.O.O.]

As they sat at the table, TOOO put the pocket universe from his, er, pocket between them. He sighed. "And that's where she is, now."
Carlota placed her hand over his. "Oh, TOOO, I'm so sorry."
He nodded. "Thanks." He shrugged. " I never even got to tell her a proper goodbye. And there's no way to reach her. I mean, how do you write a linking book to a specific place you know so little about? I suppose Yeesha could link there, but Cannax is the only one who contact her. I don't even know how to contact a bahro. The Funky Bahro Boogie doesn't even work."
"The what?"
"Sorry. private joke."
"I'll bet." She paused for thought. "Maybe there is a way. Let's go upstairs - there's something I want to show you. There's been a new... development, something you should know about me."
"Alright."

[Zander Nyrond]

Meanwhile, in a hastily contrived cell deep in the caverns of the werewolf cult, Tully is having similar thoughts.

You have to be in a place to write a linking book, don't you? Plus, of course, being able to do the Art and all that stuff... not to mention having a blank book... I hope Marae and the others are doing whatever it was we set out to do... I know it involved getting in here... oh wait, it was something to do with getting the hotel home, or getting us to the hotel...yes, that's it. Contacting the faeries to open a portal, because linking books don't work from here. Funny, I could have sworn it was liverwurst sandwiches.

Anyway, once they've got home I'm sure they'll send someone back for me... sooner or later... I mean, I'm not that bad... though maybe the pompoms were a bit much...

At least they had to make this cell for me... I'm always suspicious of any religion that comes with penal facilities... I could probably shift those boulders given enough time, but it would attract attention... and the other walls are solid enough...

I hope they're getting on all right...

He waves his hand ineffectually at a firefly or something which seems to be trying to attract his attention.

[T.O.O.O.]

As soon as TOOO had closed the hotel room door, Carlota began to unbutton her blouse.
"Whoa!" he cried. "Just because Cannax and I--"
She shook her head. "It's not like that. I have to do this to keep from shredding my clothes."
"You're not going to turn into that horrible creature you--"
"No, no, no," she replied. "I can control it now. I think."
With the last of her garments lying on the floor, Carlota began her transformation, as TOOO watched in concern.
"You're a were-bahro, now."
She nodded, then chittered in that strange language.
"And you can't speak English in that form, either, right?"
She nodded again.
"Can you change back?" he asked. "I mean, easily?"
She shook her head.
"But you can change back," he continued. "Obviously, or you would've arrived here in bahro form."
He gave her the little black ball. "Can you link here?"
She took the sphere, touched her shoulder, and vanished.