Mikoto

Telrim doesn't notice the Magelets' demonstration at all for a minute or two. She's staring up at the airship with sharp eyes and a critical mind, trying to picture how it flies, how fast it might go, how many people it can hold. It looks primitive and unwieldy, but there is a certain... elegance in the sail-ship-like design.

Snapping back to what they're mean to be doing, she chuckles to see what the Magelets have been doing. Though by then they're almost all grounded again, and all she can do is to make sure they get on the ladder all right before she and the other (relative) adults join them. The ladder looks rather distressing wavy to her.

It occurs to the Controller along the way that Regulus's reaction to the airship might be interesting to watch out for. Though at a guess it depends how much the vessel depends (or doesn't) on magic...

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So far he's taking it in stride, apparently assuming it's magical and probably uses some kind of flight magic not too different from the brooms at home.

There are soon Magelets wandering all over the deck and looking around, with Vivi trying to keep a watch on all of them at once.

And Mikoto, still trying to mostly ignore the Magelets and brood.

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Telrim probably won't set a particularly good example for the Magelets - she's investigating the deck herself, wondering aloud what different ropes and mechanisms are for.

At least, until she remembers to go and have a look over the side. This height must give them excellent views of the terrain.

"Have you ever been on an airship before?" she asks the nearest Magelet, hoping to gauge a few things. "Does everyone travel this way?"

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Vivi will try to answer questions, when he actually knows the answers. Unfortunately, that isn't too often. Fortunately, they might occasionally be able to get the attention of one of the ship's crew to answer a few questions.

"Uh huh!" chirps Luca. "We've been on an airship one other time. Um... I don't think so. Some people do, but I was told there aren't very many airships. They're just for really big trips that can't be made by chocobo, I think."

Regulus has been leaning on a railing almost since he boarded. He's dearly missed having a broom, and while this isn't the same, he's still enjoying being in the air again.

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Telrim keeps a grip on the rail as she turns and presses her back to it, giving Luca a wide-eyed look of genuine curiosity. "What's a chocobo?"

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And the Magelet gives a wide-eyed stare back for a moment. "They're birds! Big birds that let you ride on them. We should have showed you Bobby and Betty. They're our chocobos at home."

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Yes, she's fearfully ignorant, little Mage! She doesn't mind appearing so, when it just astonishes people. "You can show me some other time. I'd love that - they must be way bigger than any birds I've seen."

Well. Certain Nexus persons excepted. And that thought has Telrim stifling laughter as she adds, "And I know our big ones don't take people for rides..."

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Luca nods a lot. They're very big and fluffy and most are yellow. Bobby is yellow. Betty's a white chocobo and very special. Rydia brought her to us. And some come in other colors too and sometimes they change color. Maybe we'll see some in Alexandria."

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"Maybe." This world seems more curious by the hour. She glances at Regulus, happy with his view, obviously unafraid of heights. Likely he doesn't have to worry about them any more than the Mages here...

She considers Luca again. "Um, one of you mentioned a 'Synthesis Shop' in your village. What do they sell there?"

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"That's Mr. 288's shop. And it depends on what someone brings. Synthesis is taking different items with spells on them and stuff and combining them."

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There's just the slight cant of her head and her utterly focused attention to indicate how interesting this is to the Yeerk. "So... if you have a magic hat and a magic spoon, you get a magic spoon-hat? Can you split them up again afterwards?"

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"I don't think you can take them apart again. It doesn't really make a spoon-hat from a spoon and a hat, just that... um... if the hat was velvet, and the spoon was silver, you might get a velvet scarf with silver thread and stuff on it. It's very compili..compy.. very hard stuff. You'd have to ask Mr. 288, I think."

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"I'll do that, then. But you explained it well, I think." She gives him a smile and asks, "So, why is he called Mr. 288? That's kind of... an unusual name."

((Also, apologies for the delay on tags - RL and projects have been slowing me down. I'm hoping to get back up to speed shortly! :) ))

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"Is it?" says Luca. "It's like all the other bigger Mages' names."

"Serial numbers from the factory in Dali," Mikoto comments quietly.

"Cereal has numbers?" asks a confused magelet.

"I like the kind with the raisins in it," another adds.

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"Ah." Telrim looks seriously at Mikoto for a minute. Then smiles at the Magelets again. A subject change would be tactful now, yes? "Where do you get cereal from, all the way out in the village?"

Curious thought, though - give the older Mages a brood-name and you could almost introduce them like normal people, she thinks, making Natasha want to know what's wrong with human names.

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"Oh, we trade for things!" says Juro. About three Magelets nod.

"Sometimes we trade in the Nexus," adds Luca. "And sometimes we trade with the Dwarves in Condie Petie."

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"I see. Maybe we can do some trading someday." She's only smirking a little! Although on that thought- she looks over at Regulus speculatively. What does he plan to do with his life, in this world?

Well, she realises, he possibly doesn't. It's the first thing a Yeerk would think of - what their place, their purpose and duties are in a strange new situation. But humans are different, and Regulus is only young, getting used to being yanked away from everything he knew.

She mulls over that. It might offer opportunities along the line.

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"Ok!" chirp the Magelets, only too happy to agree to trade. They like to trade for things.

Regulus is still by the railing, watching the landscape zip past and letting the wind mess with his hair. He doesn't look like he's been listening in... but he has been.

It's true that he hasn't decided what to do with himself yet, though he has at least determined that this is far too elaborate to be a hoax.

Right now, he feels he has insufficient information - and, disturbing to him, insufficient resources - for any kind of major decision, so he's doing what he feels any sensible Slytherin would do... Keeping his head down, being civil, gathering information... and biding his time.

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It doesn't really occur to Telrim that Regulus might have his own talent for watching and waiting. Valuable and fascinating as his abilities are, to the Controller's mind he doesn't really register as a factor in his own right. She's impressed with how well he's adapted so far, but most humans the Yeerks abduct into their alien and dangerous world hide their reactions about as well as a new grub. She rather expects him to be the same, and any differences she absently puts down to shock.

"Wonderful!" Telrim doesn't hide how pleased she is with the Magelets' answer. There are all kinds of advantages to a trading arrangement: having a reason to carry things in and out of the dimension...

She looks up from them and calls over, "Are you enjoying the flight, Regulus?"

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The Magelets are quite pleased themselves, simply because someone else is.

Regulus straightens a bit from where he's leaning against the railing. "Yes, I am. I've always been rather fond of flying... though I have to admit this makes me miss having a broom."

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"A broom?" Her tone is light, a little incredulous, as if she'd had no idea. "You really use brooms?"

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Which sends Regulus into a brief fit of blinking as if someone had just asked if he wore underwear. Bloody hell, he didn't think he'd ever get used to all the differences. "Ah, yes. To fly on. I suppose mentioning Quidditch would only confuse matters." He sighs.

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"Yes. But that's not such a bad thing," she adds, encouraging even as she feigns sympathy. "So... what is Quidditch?" Apart from a very entertaining word to say!

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"Well, it's a sport, played on broomsticks..," and then Regulus has his wand out, using it to 'sketch' a glowing 3-D scribble of a Quidditch Pitch in midair.

This soon attracts Magelets, who crowd around to watch.

"There are seven players on a team - three Chasers, two Beaters, a Keeper, and a Seeker, and four balls - a Quaffle, two Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch..." He trails off briefly as he notes that there are seven Magelets. If he could just find sport equipment and get them up on brooms... they'd still be lacking an opposing team. Oh well.

"Now, each end of the field has three hoops at different heights, from thirty to fifty feet up in the air. The Keeper's job is to protect the hoops. The Chasers pass the Quaffle and try to get it through the opposing team's hoops..." He watches to make sure the Magelets, and Telrim, are following so far.

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