platinum and diamond

[go_meta]

They get to Casasha. Shara gets her cream puff and her fruit. Strangers incline their heads to her and call her "pennon"; a few recognize her personally or just know that there aren't any other Swanpennons her age and call her "princess". Casasha is pretty densely populated - there's farmland in parts of it, but the place the wilds spit them out in isn't it; it's a largish city by the source of the river they've been following, and after they spend a night in an inn there - and their horses are more thoroughly seen to than is possible on the trail - they'll be proceeding on a well-trafficked highway to the royal household.

Comments

[in_tatters]

"I have absolutely no idea!"

[go_meta]

"Surprise mystery prize."

[in_tatters]

"All of those things, yes."

[go_meta]

"Do you distribute the prize or just anticipate that it will fall out of the sky?"

[in_tatters]

"I will distribute it, I don't expect the sky to produce prizes. Unless the prize is inclement weather, but I don't think you want that."

[go_meta]

"It's not much of a prize. How are you going to distribute a prize you don't even know what it is?"

[in_tatters]

"I'll figure it out," he laughs.

[go_meta]

"What if I guess before you do, though, then what?"

[in_tatters]

"Then you get a slip of paper that says 'IOU' and you'll get it when I figure out what the prize is."

[go_meta]

"I'm beginning to suspect this wasn't very much planned ahead of time."

[in_tatters]

"It really isn't."

[go_meta]

"See if I hire you to run any contests for me."

[in_tatters]

He laughs. "Nooo, there go my dreams of running contests! They're shattered! I'm heartbroken."

[go_meta]

"Awww, I don't want to break your heart. What will cheer you up?"

[in_tatters]

"Letting me run a contest in the future, obviously."

[go_meta]

"What a dilemma. Do I be kind or be responsible?"

[in_tatters]

"Maaaybe you could placate me with something else," laughs Adarin. "Taking a third option."

[go_meta]

"Such as? What do you like? I know not painting."

[in_tatters]

"Not painting!" he agrees. "Reading, I love books. Uh - I sort of lost a lot of hobbies, and I forgot about the ones that I had when I was younger, so I'll be vague rather than specifics. Introverty, some board games, some card games - I'm really not a party person. I like thinking, though - and I'm good at math."

[go_meta]

"What kind of books?"

[in_tatters]

"Most of them, honestly. I think poetry's about the only thing that I get bored of reading, and that's because a lot of it tends to meander around and waste my time. History, fiction, non-fiction - it's basically all fine, but I do have a fondness for storybooks with clever protagonists."

[go_meta]

"Clever protagonists who rescue people? Are you contemplating writing a book about me since you can't paint?"

[in_tatters]

Adarin cracks up. "I wasn't, but now I kind of want to see if I can manage that!"

[go_meta]

"I would be ridiculously flattered!"

[in_tatters]

"I'm not sure I can write a book, though! I could obsessively plan it out and never start, or the prose could be a mess, or any number of things."