milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Belar's real proud of those mountains, now that the snow's finally settled in and everything's in shape for maximum winter-time use. Time to go see if he can't rustle up some interest in 'em, as long as they're out there waiting for people, hey? At least, once he's done with his obligations.

The sign on his table tonight reads:

ANSWERING PRAYERS - BACK IN 15 MINUTES

WILL TAKE QUESTIONS ABOUT SNOWBOARDING, SKIING, BOBSLED, LUGE, OR OTHER SNOW-BASED SPORT LESSONS AFTER THAT

NO, SERIOUSLY, THERE'S MOUNTAINS OUTSIDE, GO LOOK

That, he figures, should do the trick.

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"Looks like you got all kinds of fun stuff."

She shrugs. "Siblings--what're you gonna do?"

"I did not. It was Colin who named her really," Mary explains, but she looks rather gratified at Belar's interest.

"He said she should be named Angel. It is sensible because you are a god so I said yes."

"And I am nothing if not active," says Belar. "Sitting around on the beach? Not my style. Give me a surfboard and a good cold wave coming in off the Pacific and I am as happy as a clam, I can tell you. Of course, there's nothing like actually getting out in the real world either- out where the real action happens... Ever been on a serious wilderness expedition, Miss Tam? I don't mean a corporate retreat. Those're just canned, preset experiences somebody put together to keep the cubicle peons happy. I mean real wilderness. Ever seen it?"

"Yeah, you put up with a lot when you're the youngest for twelve thousand plus years in a row," says Belar. "He's got his own place now, though- some planet or other with a red sun and a lot of cranky natives- and he's war-godding it up to his heart's content, except when he has to answer the Arends' prayers same as I do the Alorns'. Me, I'm just glad Eriond- he's my new sibling, he's the youngest now instead of me- I'm just glad he's taken over most of the generic duties and all I gotta do is answer when someone asks. Even if it's 'no' or 'what the hell are you talking about'. Means I can get out and about and finally relax after all that time. Vacation is so not something to be taken lightly, you know?"

"I don't think I've met Colin yet," says Belar. "Dickon, yeah. Colin, not that I know of... Angel, huh? Sure, that works. We've got more... oh... saints and things than we do angels, back home, but if she's gonna live on Earth with you, then Angel is a perfect name. I like it. Very good, Mary."

A quick proud smile - there in a flash, and then gone again.

"It is good that you like it," she says. She wouldn't have changed it if he hadn't, mind, but it's good that he does, all the same.

"Colin is my cousin. He used to be sick but now he is not. He had never named a creature before but it was very good for his first time I think."

"Seen the sky," River says, and smiles a little down at her soy bubble tea.

"Out in the black." She glances up at him. "The definition of wilderness is contextual. Need to ensure proximity of standard mobile facilities." With a quick half-laugh, "Only way to insist on adequate civilized conveniences."

Beat.

"No surfboards."

Belar nods. "Sounds like he hit the nail pretty squarely on the head," he says. "What's he look like, in case I ever run into him here?"

"He is skinny but not so much as he was - he is getting fatter every day. Like I am," Mary reports. (From her tone, this is a good thing.)

"He has dark hair and he has gray eyes and he is not so very much taller than I am. His eyes are like the picture of his mother's."

"Me, I'm gonna have to go with helicopters being the nearest mobile facility," says Belar. "I mean- I like having easy access to the ski lodge when that's what I'm doing, but honestly? That's just fun and games. For a real challenge you need to get way out there. I'm talking planetside, myself, mostly because that's what I'm used to. Not a big space traveler, you know?"

Belar has no problem with fat. His people live way up North, and there is no such thing as a skinny Alorn maiden being considered pretty. (Busty is another story, but that's after puberty.) He nods solemnly. "I think I get the idea," he says. "I'll thank him if I ever meet him, since I don't think Angel can. Other than that, how're you doing?"

"Amen to that," she says.

"You don't take a break now and again, you're just gonna end up wound too tight."

"My point exactly," says Belar, and smacks his player for messing up that last tag. "So what is it you do when you're not thinking of taking up winter sports, Mary Anne?"

"Nothing as exciting as answering prayers," she admits.

"I'm a soldier first, or was. Lately...I'm in more of the advice business."

"Antiquated technology," River says sagely, and just a little pityingly.

We know what's preferable, her tone implies, but what can you do?

"Need to keep in touch. Make it tidy -- call it a vacation but we limit interference with the job."

"She could. Only I do not know if Colin would understand exactly. Dickon would, but Dickon is special."

Mary stretches to her full height.

"I will be eleven soon," she announces. Which is really the main event.

"Hey, hey, nothing wrong with soldiering; my people spent pretty much all of their history- or nearly all of it, anyway- doing the warrior thing. I mean, yeah, some of it was just active readiness because my brother Torak was a complete and total nutcase who would've wiped out everything in his path to make himself the one and only God of all creation, but still. Soldiering's cool, even if we never had much of a warrior woman tradition back home."

Then he gets a thoughtful expression. "Advice, huh? How's that working out for you?"

Hm. He felt the strings holding the greasy together vibrate that time, like something might've been actively touched on her end. That's interesting.

"Well, okay, I'll concede that there's something to be said for keeping in contact with home," he says. "I mean, let's be honest, have you ever read Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer? That kid went out into the Alaska wilderness with one gun and a bag of rice. That's asking to get killed. You have to do these things right, you know? Take the same approach you would to something important back in the day-to-day. Take it seriously, life- because life is gonna take you seriously, you know what I"m saying?"

Let's see if that touched anything, hmm?

"He really is," Belar agrees. "I could tell that right away, just talking to him. The kid knows his stuff."

Then he beams. "Really? Eleven? Wow. I would've sworn you were already eleven. Congratulations. That's a big birthday, isn't it?"

She grins. "I like soldiering, and I'm damn good at it. Think it'll always be my fallback. As for advice, it's...I still feel like I'm finding my feet, you know? Always been a pretty good listener, but this is something else."

Belar nods. "It takes some getting used to, knowing people're gonna take what you say and go out and do stuff with it. My brother Eriond still boggles about that sometimes. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it, though. You seem like the sort of woman who knows her own mind, and that's always a good first step."

"Flatterer."

No blushing. None.

Fine, minimal blushing.

"It's only flattery if it isn't true," Belar points out.

"Dickon knows almost everything. About important things anyways."

Mary takes a moment to consider this.

Finally: "Ten is more important than eleven because it is changing from one to two numbers. But eleven is important too because it is into your second decade. Anyways I am more different now from what I was when I was ten than I was different when I turned ten from what I was when I was nine."

Belar nods. "I get you," he says. "I see what you mean. This is one of those birthdays where you look back and you say 'wow, I really came a long way- why don't we see what I can do in the coming year to match that', isn't it? Or am I off base here?"

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