Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

“All of those were shed or lost naturally. Only a fool would dare defile a dragon.” I say reassuringly.

“Yes. It’s more of a novelty, but I hope you’ll like it.” I say.
The box is fairly heavy, though not overly so.
“It’s also a two-part present. The second part wouldn’t make much sense without that, though.”

 

"Well, thanks again. This will help while my new armour is getting built." Abigail says happily, putting her phone down.

Katie excitedly opens the present.

 

“Still, don’t overdo it.” I sigh.

It’s a box displaying a giant pool toy in the shape of a blue and green sea dragon, the box claiming that it becomes 6 meters long and 3.5 meters wide when inflated.
“Again, it’s a novelty. I thought you might like it since you’re the water guardian of the group, but my friends thought you’d kill me over it because it’s made of plastic. I figured it was worth the risk, seeing as they’re made flexible with magic instead of chemicals.” I say, pulling out another smaller box through a portal. “And since I doubt you have that much breath, I had Rineth collect a couple mage crystals and tinkered around with them until I got an air pump that worked with your world’s magic.”

 

"Woah! I could float on this above my home! This is so cool!" Katie says happily, accepting the smaller box and opening it.

"Air pumps exist here already, you know," Abigail says, giving the human a dubious look, "I could probably simulate one using fire."

"Abigail, be nice." Katie says, sounding hurt.

 

“I know, but the point was unlike most humans I at least tried.” I say, a bit annoyed. “I’d be careful with super warm air, though. Pool floats are bad in super cold temperatures and super warm temperatures. You heating something up near it might melt it.”

The smaller box is a mediocre-looking air pump with a bag of gold saying “please just buy a better pump” along with a repair kit containing a few strips of clear flexible plastic, a specific tube of glue, and temporary stick-on patches.

 

"Well, as long as Katie doesn't freeze any water around it..." Abigail comments.

Katie looks at each item individually, seeming to enjoy each one.

"Thanks for the repair kit. I'll try not to break it though." Katie says happily, examining the air pump.

 

“It’s fairly sturdy, but as with any pool float they’re not the best around sharp things. Also, a reminder that it’s huge.”

The pump looks like a typical electric air pump, but instead of powering a fan to push air through the nozzle it seems to use a mage crystal that conjures air. It also has an inflate/deflate switch, which seems to be set in the casing a bit looser than it probably should be.
“Seriously, though, just buy a better pump. I’m a computer programmer, not a handyman.”

 

"You code?" Abigail asks, surprised, sounding interested.

Katie tries switching on the pump, though stays wary of it for fear of it suddenly exploding. Abigail keeps an eye on her, ready to suppress the heat of any explosions.

 

“Just a bit. I’m more keen on-“
It sends a surprisingly strong air current out of its nozzle, though it’s a little bit loud.
It seems to heat up fairly slowly.
”... I’m more keen on making my own games to entertain myself, but I’m not exactly what you’d call good at coding yet. Or even a competent programmer, really. I at least never use goto statements, though...” I finish after Katie turns the pump back off.

 

Katie seems to turn the pump off quite quickly, startled by it's sudden noise; like a cat mistaking a cucumber for a snake.

"I coded a program for my old visor to track and scan what I was looking at, among other things. It was bloody hard. Even configuring my gauntlets to cycle through mage crystals was easier." Abigail explains.

"I thought those were wheels?" Katie asks, confused.

"I used a little motor to control them, as well as my obsidian claws. I needed to configure it so they'd stop fighting with each other," Abigail says, sounding calm, "Either way, making a few basic games is baby stuff. I can show you a few pointers if you wanted."

 

"My fundamentals suck too badly for that. Maybe in another year, but regardless I appreciate the offer."

 

"Who exactly is in your gang?"

 

"Four rings." Scurn says, forming a telepathic link with you.
"Farmers, students, echoes, and lab rats. Obviously those are blanket names, but they do kinda describe what each one does. I'm technically only the head of the farmers, but everyone else knows that I'm the top of the metaphorical food chain. Asmia leads the students, and she works with Guple who gets the lab rats to make more of whatever useful thing I swipe. Then there's Cresma, who just keep tabs on everything and let me know if there's something worth 'cultivating' in a nearby town or camp." Scurn explains.
"I don't actually know everyone's name, we all just call each other what they insist we call 'em."

 

"Suit yourself." Abigail shrugs, laying back a little more.

Katie starts arranging her gifts beside her to give her space on the sofa, carefully handling the mage-crystal air pump. She takes a moment longer with the inflatable, though decides to just put it down by the air pump and keep playing her game.

 

"I have a gift for Artemis and Stephanie as well, and regretfully I did wind up getting Aj something too. I assume they're off actually starting to do stuff again, so I'm probably going to leave them here and hope you pass them on."

 

"They're probably still indulging themselves in Praecantatia's island cluster. I'm pretty sure their excuse of training is nothing more than a thin falsehood so they can play video games and make out all day." Abigail says, sounding jealous.

"They're sure to come back soon though, so we can look after the gifts in the meantime." Katie says positively.

 

“I suppose I could wait a bit... I did manage to get through the realm of shadows getting here anyways...” I grumble.

 

"You did?" Katie asks, shocked.

"How did they not murder you and make your heart into some mock-dessert?" Abigail asks, "Or just eat away at you like lions."

"You didn't get partially possessed by any little ones, did you?" Katie asks, worried.

 

I hold up a small ring.
“Ring of Being. It sounds stupid in concept, that it forces you to be yourself. Only being able to be yourself makes possession utterly impossible, though.”
I slip it back on before stretching.
“In fairness, though, I did voidwalk to get inside the palace. That would’ve been the toughest part if I didn’t have connections nigh everywhere.”

 

"The tiny Shadows can slip into your body without directly possessing you. They generally wait until you're asleep or give you unconscious suggestion to get really drunk so they can control you a little," Abigail explains, "Little bastards used to do it to me until I got Aj to stop them."

"What's voidwalking?" Katie asks, interested.