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

[dark_light]

"Right," says Pathalan, from where Petaal's holding him. "But shortenings are common, so no one will notice if you go around Alethia with a daemon who you only ever call by one syllable." He addresses the gyrfalcon. "If you want an idea, how's Tinia? I think it suits you."

[sicaria]

"Tinia," he says thoughtfully. "I like it. Does it mean something?"

[dark_light]

"Yes," says Path, "an Etruscan sky god."

[sicaria]

Sherlock laughs. Tinia preens himself.

[arenaria]

"What about me?"

[dark_light]

"Nothing's jumping out at me. I can think of something relatively ordinary for a daemon to be named, if none of you have any ideas. Pathalan is a pretty ordinary daemon name."

[sicaria]

"Poseidon," Sherlock suggests cheerfully.

[arenaria]

"Hmm," says the smew, rustling his wings.

[sicaria]

"Whom you might know as Neptune."

[arenaria]

"Neptune," says the smew thoughtfully.

"Tune," says Shell Bell. "For short."

"Neptune. Tune. All right."

[sicaria]

Sherlock smiles.

[arenaria]

Neptune presses his head to her throat. "We love you," he murmurs.

[sicaria]

"We love you too," says Tinia, preening Shell Bell some more.

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell looks up at him and Sherlock and smiles.

[sicaria]

Sherlock kisses her forehead and smiles back.

[lifes_sake]

Meanwhile, Bells who have yet to depart the island have determined that if the ceiling exists, it is super far away. They would like to know how the Jokers are progressing with the harpies and if they should turn around and come find them again yet.

[truthwright]

The Jokers and the harpies are getting along extremely well. Kas has suggested a few variants on the 'substitute for judgesight' idea, as hypotheticals, and been well received. The harpies assert and the alethiometer confirms that they can use this perception without having to scream it out of people. Also, three more harpies have appeared - apparently there are nine in total.

[lifes_sake]

Would Bell presence be useful at this point or does it seem like a better idea to work through the Jokers exclusively?

[truthwright]

Bell presence probably wouldn't help anything. The harpies seem to find them off-putting.

[lifes_sake]

All right then. They wish to be kept posted.

[endragoned]

Of course.

[lifes_sake]

Cam and Amariah continue flying up, and they discuss afterlife designs. This little dimension-thing has the convenience - or inconvenience - of slow time (to let just nine harpies sort all the incoming) and of already collecting all the dead, but the harpies could be set up on the dock area, which also has slow time and doesn't disallow daemons...

Then of course there's this "Authority" person.

"Is the Authority dangerous to us?" Cam inquires of the alethiometer.

[truthwright]

"Clouded Mountain is powerful and unfriendly," says the alethiometer.

[lifes_sake]

"...How powerful?"

[truthwright]

"The Authority is known in many worlds as God," says the alethiometer.