we are not truly immortal

[dark_light]

After Glass's party is over with, Amariah and Kas go home.

Amariah fetches down their alethiometers.

"It's about time I took care of Alethia's afterlife, whatever it may be," she says quietly. "What can the alethiometer tell you about what I'll find?"

Comments

[lifes_sake]

"Was something funny about how it said that?" Cam asks Kas.

[truthwright]

"It was just the same two meanings backwards and forwards," he says. "Truth/speak/speak/truth. But the first part meant Elspeth, and the second part meant her power."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"The alethiometer refers to me as 'truth speak'?" says Elspeth, amused.

[truthwright]

"It doesn't really do grammar," says Kas. "If I was trying to translate it properly instead of explain the joke, I'd say it called you Truth-Speaker, or 'the one who tells the truth', or something."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I wonder if I can communicate with the alethiometers. Are they intelligent?" asks Elspeth.

[truthwright]

"Um... good question," says Kas.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth peers at the one in Cam's hand and sends, wordless: Can you hear me? Tell Cam.

[truthwright]

The alethiometer tells Cam, "The truth-speaker is speaking to me."

Kas giggles again.

[lifes_sake]

"Yeah, it hears you," Cam reports to Elspeth. "Maybe you'll have better luck than me."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"What do we know so far?"

[lifes_sake]

"The Alethian afterlife isn't physically dangerous, but there's some sort of other hazard there that has knowledge and hungers for truth," says Cam. "Although come to think of it I'm not sure appeasing this hunger is the best bet, maybe it'd just eat us."

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth nods and sends again. Still wordless; Cam may have to take the reply in words but that doesn't mean it can't be helpfully unconstraining to send the question freeform. Tell Cam, please - what will happen exactly if he and I and Jellybean and Amariah and Shell Bell go to the afterlife here?

[truthwright]

The alethiometer tells Cam, "If you and the truth-speaker and the self-defining and the witch and the one whose daemon is unseparate go to the afterlife, you and the truth-speaker and the self-defining may please that which hungers for truth."

Kas says, "Wow, that was long. Do you guys want me to translate too?"

[lifes_sake]

"Yeah, in case you got different details than me."

[truthwright]

"Okay. It said that if Cam and Elspeth and Jellybean and Amariah and Shell Bell all go to the afterlife, Cam and Elspeth and Jellybean are the ones who might make the truth-wanting things happy. It doesn't mean that the rest of you can't make them happy, just that Cam and Elspeth and Jellybean have the best shot at it. And it called Cam 'Truth Wizard' and Jellybean 'Self-Defining' and Elspeth 'Truth-Speaker' and Amariah 'Witch' and Shell Bell 'Daemon Inside'."

[lifes_sake]

"I guess as far as it's concerned Shell Bell doesn't have any other defining characteristics, huh. Elspeth, ask what happens when the truth-wanting things are happy."

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth asks.

[truthwright]

"When those who hunger for truth are happy, they do not cause suffering," says the alethiometer.

"That one was pretty straightforward," says Kas. "Except for that thing about 'hurt' again, but I think it's given us as much as it's going to on that."

[lifes_sake]

"Okay. So wizards and Elspeth and possibly me-especially can calm down the truth-hungry... things... and then they will stop bothering people."

[she_sells_seashells]

"But anyone who goes will acquire a daemon. A square will show what you'd get," Shell Bell adds, "mine would be some kind of duck thing."

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth would apparently get a brightly colored parakeet.

[lifes_sake]

Cam's daemon would be a kickass hawk.

[dark_light]

"And if I understand it right, the reason you have to get them to do this is because your souls can't enter the afterlife - which means separation. I've done it, all witches do, but it's not fun."

[truthwright]

"It is not fun," Petaal confirms, curling around Kas's neck as a small black snake.

[dark_light]

"But it doesn't cause long-term trauma if it's done purposefully, and - can one of you ask the alethiometer if the associated pain can be wished gone?"