WEEK 4: ITEM CONFERENCE

[calamitish]

Comments

[calamitish]

Mmm...something that definitely shouldn't exist anymore. You being the reason for [ waving his hand at the objects. ] being here makes sense, but the rest of them were before you showed up here, right?

Basically without going into the details because this is a negotiation, not a lecture on horology, they're entities who's time I've drained. Or to put it another way, I've basically taken an eraser to their entries in the Akashic Record. The ledger for all the universes and souls, to put it simply.

[fillintheblanket]

... Then they must still be here for a reason.

[The umbrella sounds thoughtful, like it's considering the lecture on horology, but ultimately:]

Or your Akashic Record isn't as universal as you think it is.

[siffriend]

As long as someone remembers, it doesn't matter if it's been "erased" or not. They still exist.

[ Take it from... the amnesiac!!!!! ]

The stars still exist. So does color. [ ... ] So does my home, across the sea. They're all still there, so it makes sense to me why... they still would be. The world hasn't forgotten them, even if you erased them.

[ A wiggle. ]

That's why their faces and names showed up in the basin.

[calamitish]

Hmmm....I can't even claim to really remembering them, because the past loops are kind of a blur for me.

[ oops. ]

That was the price I had to pay for basically being unreachable until now. But I guess something or someone did?

[siffriend]

They're a blur for them, too. According to Nano.

[ So that tracks. The blade waves back and forth in thought. ]

But yeah. Simply put, something or someone does. That's why they're still here. They're...

[ ("Why 'stardust'?"

"... Because you're what's left, I suppose."

"What's left of what?"

"And because it's a cute nickname! You're my little stardust! My little cutie patootie stardust!"

...

You think you understand, now. Why they called you that.) ]

They're all that's left. Maybe whatever's acting up in the maze does. Or the people that know them back in their worlds. Time's kinda weird like that.

[ Lines and stuff. They'd spoke to Shiv too, about what a wish might grant her. ]

[calamitish]

Mayyyybe. I've only had the power to rewind time for a few months now, so I'm still figuring it all out.

[ lmfao. ]

[siffriend]

[ STABBING VIBES ARE BACK ON THE MENU BOYS ]

... I can't believe I have more experience than you.

[calamitish]

Hey, hey, I've been rewound plenty of times before that! It's just recently that I've been in control of it myself.

[siffriend]

Right. And I still have more experience than you.

[ Since they have SOME DEGREE of control over it.

(...

More than you want to admit, really. Rather than an actor on a stage, aren't you more like...) ]

Who was rewinding you before?

[calamitish]

One of Norna's descendants. I took that power from her when she decided to give up.

[ now everyone who's played even if tempest knows his canon point, which is no one, so i can frolic happily not worrying about how much i've taken a sharpie to canon! ]

[siffriend]

[ limon marking shit off me like wow, that's great for ish. ]

Sounds like a pretty bad prank from an older sister.

[ Or. Whatever. Give up... They must have, too. But when would they have...

...

(You... remember something, from weeks ago now. It itches at your mind, and you can feel Loop's oddly gentle encouragement when you get stuck pushing you along.

You're still mad at them, though.) ]

Was the coupon your idea? To... even the playing field, and take away our "magics". An exchange.

[calamitish]

No, we weren't siblings. She was human, not an attendant.

[ he smiles. ]

Everything I've done has been to keep then playing field "even". The tarots I gave out were the big ones.

[siffriend]

[ (You think you prefer having no family to whatever The Witch has going on.) ]

You have anything we can do in your pocket then. [ That's what they thought. ] Can you use them?

[ Don't worry, there's a point in this line of questioning. They'll also touch back on the tarot cards. Probably. ]

[calamitish]

I can't, I'm not compatible with any magic that doesn't derive from Norna. But I'm also aware that if I restore your powers, there's a good chance I'll lose my head a few times over.

[siffriend]

[ Oh, cool. That's good. ]

Tempting, at least from the living side. But it's gonna be pretty hard to deal with what might come out of the maze if I don't at least have my Crafts.

[calamitish]

I can't help you there, so put your request in with the umbrella for what you think you'll need. You're cut off from a body right now and I can't shove magic back into a capybara plushie.

[siffriend]

[ The blade wriggles angrily. ]

You're about as useful as the Head Housemaiden.

[ So not at all!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!

This means nothing to Ish. At least Siffrin'll settle down before they fly off the literal handle. ]

But... okay. Good to know. [ Very, actually. Siffrin can make do with a spade. ] How do the tarots even things? Just in case something happened to the person who had them?

[calamitish]

I'm not a maiden.

[ this is the least true thing ish has ever said. anyway. ]

All the tarots have magic in them relating to their arcana. I'm not exactly sure what they'll manifest in right now, but the one Clover has? The Wheel of Fortune? If she ever needs luck to be on her side, it should be a big help.

They don't disappear either, so someone else has Sabo's old one by now.

[fillintheblanket]

I thought you might have forgotten them. I'm much more recent.

[The umbrella sways a little. You get the sense someone just shook their head.]

From what I've been able to tell, they're getting stronger. So it's not entirely a fluke.

We could try the same strategy on them as everyone else, or... would they need something more?

[calamitish]

They'd probably need something more, is my guess.

[fillintheblanket]

For the purposes of this... Let’s say they don’t. We’ll cross the other bridges when we come to them.

[fillintheblanket]

[Quietly, under the umbrella's canopy:]

The flowers, even when they've been washed away. Names, even when they've been forgotten.

Something remembers.

[siffriend]

[ ... Heheh. A wiggle. ]

Seeds remain hidden until the spring. They don't forget their purpose to bloom.

[fillintheblanket]

[There's nothing for the umbrella to say, here, right now.

But it tilts gently in the knife's direction, its canopy opening a little more and then shutting.]