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Jan. 3rd, 2002 02:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kuangningShe allowed him silence for a time, and then said quietly, "There is still work to do. Will you begin it? It should be done soon." He remembered, then, and sat up, something new and unreadable in his expression.
He looked around him. "How would I change something?" "Imagine it," she said firmly. "Just imagine it, and it will be there." He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again and, standing, reached up to the tree. The branches were heavy with silvery globes, and he picked several of these, handing a few to her. When he reached for the last fruit, thinking idly how strange it seemed to have no creatures around at all, something brushed against his ankles. Startled, he looked down to see Lyssa scooping a tiny ball of fur into her arms. "Did I do that?" he asked in surprise. "Yes," she said quietly. "Of course you did." Plucking the fruit he'd been reaching for, he sat down again to examine the small creature.
It was the size of a kitten, and roughly the same shape. Four little legs were curled up, but they ended in paws more like a dog's than a feline's. Long, silky ears covered its closed eyes, and he drew a deep breath. "What is it?" Lyssa laughed, not unkindly. "I don't know. What do you want it to be?" He was taken aback. "What do you mean, what do I want it to be? It has to have a name, everything does." "Not until you give it one, it doesn't," she corrected him firmly. "There's never been another one like it." He sighed, but subsided. Taking the little thing from her, he stroked it gently. "Look at those ears," he said softly. "Almost too long for you, hmm?" Silently, Lyssa watched him. She remembered the thrill and wonder only too well; it was what she had wanted to share with him, after all. And he wasn't taking it as badly as he might have.
"Tsalis," Kyle pronounced after awhile. "You are a tsalis. And I'm sure that after all I've seen today, you're something rather special." Lyssa smiled, and, as if on cue, the little creature opened its eyes. Kyle, fascinated, saw that they were multifaceted, the miniature of the jewel he had been shown, complete to showing the scenes that were seen for so brief a time, and then turned away. Almost, he thought, he could fall into those eyes... and as he thought it, he fell away, and only Lyssa's quick grasp brought him back again.
Shaken, he put the creature... no, the tsalis, he corrected himself distractedly... down on the grass. "What happened?" Her look was calm. "You made a change you didn't consider first. What would you like to do about it?" "Make it normal, of course," he answered without hesitation. She shook her head. "You can't eliminate the eyes, only modify them. What would you like to do?" He considered, fear and shock draining from him. "The eyes are lovely," he admitted. "But I want to have to choose to fall through." She nodded, and picked up the tsalis. Glancing at it, he added quickly, "I also want to be able to come back when I want to." Lovely as the scenes might have been, he had no intention of being trapped in one of them. She smiled in approval, and he sighed deeply. Taking the little pile of furry legs, ears, and eyes from her, he said mock-sternly, "Well, what am I going to do with you?"
He thought the small voice in his mind was his imagination at first. By the time he realised that it wasn't, Arvi had become more than a little impatient, and Lyssa was trying valiantly, if fruitlessly, to suppress the urge to giggle.
(to be continued.)
He looked around him. "How would I change something?" "Imagine it," she said firmly. "Just imagine it, and it will be there." He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them again and, standing, reached up to the tree. The branches were heavy with silvery globes, and he picked several of these, handing a few to her. When he reached for the last fruit, thinking idly how strange it seemed to have no creatures around at all, something brushed against his ankles. Startled, he looked down to see Lyssa scooping a tiny ball of fur into her arms. "Did I do that?" he asked in surprise. "Yes," she said quietly. "Of course you did." Plucking the fruit he'd been reaching for, he sat down again to examine the small creature.
It was the size of a kitten, and roughly the same shape. Four little legs were curled up, but they ended in paws more like a dog's than a feline's. Long, silky ears covered its closed eyes, and he drew a deep breath. "What is it?" Lyssa laughed, not unkindly. "I don't know. What do you want it to be?" He was taken aback. "What do you mean, what do I want it to be? It has to have a name, everything does." "Not until you give it one, it doesn't," she corrected him firmly. "There's never been another one like it." He sighed, but subsided. Taking the little thing from her, he stroked it gently. "Look at those ears," he said softly. "Almost too long for you, hmm?" Silently, Lyssa watched him. She remembered the thrill and wonder only too well; it was what she had wanted to share with him, after all. And he wasn't taking it as badly as he might have.
"Tsalis," Kyle pronounced after awhile. "You are a tsalis. And I'm sure that after all I've seen today, you're something rather special." Lyssa smiled, and, as if on cue, the little creature opened its eyes. Kyle, fascinated, saw that they were multifaceted, the miniature of the jewel he had been shown, complete to showing the scenes that were seen for so brief a time, and then turned away. Almost, he thought, he could fall into those eyes... and as he thought it, he fell away, and only Lyssa's quick grasp brought him back again.
Shaken, he put the creature... no, the tsalis, he corrected himself distractedly... down on the grass. "What happened?" Her look was calm. "You made a change you didn't consider first. What would you like to do about it?" "Make it normal, of course," he answered without hesitation. She shook her head. "You can't eliminate the eyes, only modify them. What would you like to do?" He considered, fear and shock draining from him. "The eyes are lovely," he admitted. "But I want to have to choose to fall through." She nodded, and picked up the tsalis. Glancing at it, he added quickly, "I also want to be able to come back when I want to." Lovely as the scenes might have been, he had no intention of being trapped in one of them. She smiled in approval, and he sighed deeply. Taking the little pile of furry legs, ears, and eyes from her, he said mock-sternly, "Well, what am I going to do with you?"
He thought the small voice in his mind was his imagination at first. By the time he realised that it wasn't, Arvi had become more than a little impatient, and Lyssa was trying valiantly, if fruitlessly, to suppress the urge to giggle.
(to be continued.)
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Date: 2002-01-03 04:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-01-03 04:53 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you're sharing this with us here!