(Backdated to September 13th)

[songbird_slayer]

Sender: Madhuri Qalli
To: Everyone
Subject: I'm sorry.


I apologize. That dreamscape a few nights past was a complete failure of mine.

I suppose I've more to learn about my own dreamotion. Those that [A pause.] met me should expect a pie hand-delivered tomorrow. Enjoy it, or throw it in my face if you must- goodness knows I've earned it.

The karma has been real, in the least: Most of my fruit orchard has been eaten of late, so I'll need to trade a bit more to maintain my pastry stocks.

Found the culprit, though.


On that note- This week's special is bear stew. Very fresh.

Comments

[herewardbound]

I'll take your word for it. I wouldn't think meat and fruit would pair well, but then I didn't think coffee and curry paired well either, and I was proven wrong about that.

What on earth is a chocobo? Is that a local word that just doesn't translate or something?

[songbird_slayer]

Oh, that's right-

It's a large bird mounted by many races in my world. Equivalent would be what you would call an "emu", I think? Just as dangerous, but fluffier.

[herewardbound]

Interesting. I wouldn't think an avian skeletal structure would lend itself to being a beast of burden. Did horses and cows not evolve on your world or something?

[songbird_slayer]

Chocobos are impressively large birds. I have one, actually. Ruby's usually around back when I'm running the shop.

Horses are more of a Far Eastern mount of preference, particularly among one of my people's tribes. We do not have cows per se, but we have the sizely dzo, with their ornate horns. Closest equivalent would be what you call a "yak".

[herewardbound]

Far Eastern.

Interesting.

I suppose in a broad sense it does track that if your horses are largely restricted to one region, they might not have spread very far without similar circumstances to ours...

Which admittedly is a polite way of saying 'a leader from the region horses come from raped, pillaged, and conquered half a damn continent once and brought horses to basically everyone whether they wanted them or not'

Gengis Khan was a fascinating and completely horrible figure in history.

[songbird_slayer]

Oh, many of the Domans and more simply don't like how the "horse-birds" smell, so they stick to regular, somewhat smelly horses.

I don't understand it, either. But I've noticed chocobos are easier to train, which likely lends to its immense appeal. That and they can fly.

...Your world has khans too? I wonder which reflection your star may be... is it whole still?

[herewardbound]

Prevailing astronomical theories suggest there was a planet-sized body that impacted our planet about four and a half billion years ago, which caused a mass of rock to be ejected that eventually formed the moon, so technically no.

More seriously, based on the stories I've heard from myriad people I've interviewed, I don't think we're even from the same universe. The presence of a 'far east' and the term 'khan' is interesting, given that I'm actually from what western nations have previously called 'the far east'. My working theory is that there's actually some sort of collective unconscious that spans between universes, which would explain why so much is... similar. But so different, at the same time.

Some people here exist in worlds very similar to mine- but remember history differently. One of them even remembers me, personally, differently. It's all very bizarre and if I hadn't been witness to a more localized version of the same phenomenon in my home city I might have dismissed the idea outright as a poorly-conceived high-concept fantasy novel.

[songbird_slayer]

[Ah, y e s. Um. Collective... unconsciousness... oh, wait, universes and different histories! That's up her wheelhouse. Or however the phrase goes.]

My world was split into 14 reflections of itself. The people on each are different and histories, cultures and for the most part the land masses develop differently as far as has been discovered. It's why I ask, as perhaps your world is a reflection of mine, with horses as the popular mount rather than the chocobo, yet some words translate similarly across worlds like 'khan' and 'far east'.

I'm no scholar so I don't know the specifics other than that. I'm just the cook who hears things.

[herewardbound]

Fourteen... reflections? Hm.

When you say 'reflection', that would imply you aren't talking about a physical shattering. It sounds more esoteric.

Also don't mind me, I'm just taking notes. This is actually fascinating.

[songbird_slayer]

That's alright. G'raha Tia could give you a better explanation of the whole thing if you're looking to take better notes- he can explain things like that way better than I ever could.

It helps that he's not only spent considerable time in one of the reflections, but had his fingers in a knowledge cookie jar all the while. He'd be your expert on the topic.

[recreator]

[He resents that remark.]

[Oh bother.]

You're barking up the wrong tree, Madhuri. Akechi's world is not one of the reflections. I've verified as much myself simply based on his own account.

[songbird_slayer]

Oh?

Well, nuts. I thought I sounded scholarly for a moment there!

[herewardbound]

Ah. Emet-Selch and Madhuri both. What... fun.

As an aside

My apologies, to you both. I don't have excellent memories of what happened in the dreamscape, but I remember you both being there

[recreator]

[It really was too much to hope that anyone involved would graciously awaken with no recollection of what transpired, wasn't it?]

Nevermind that.

A solid week may be required to see things settled and returned to their proper order. Once that is done, however, I expect you to continue your lessons. I won't have anyone accuse me of shirking my duties.

[herewardbound]

Generous of you, since I've been more or less incompetent at mine, but I accept.

The one good thing that came out of this is I think I've broken through whatever was holding me back.

[recreator]

Well if that's the case, I daresay our lessons will be far more interesting hereon.

the height of comedy

[herewardbound]

... Thank you.

How does the first around ten sound?

it will be. for the resident gremlin.

[recreator]

Not too early and not so late as to interfere with my afternoon research. I'll see you on the first.