milliways_bar | (no subject)

"Sounds different, yes. Not that demons aren't dangerous or anything, but they're danegrous like the gods are dangerous: a lot of potential if they'd only stop squabbling and being so bloody stupid." Esk has the casual tone of voice of an atheist who knows the Gods too well to have any reverence for them.

Tara giggles. "That's an interesting way of putting it. I like it. But no, the demons in my world are a lot more dangerous, which is why we have to fight them instead of them them squabble amongst themselves."

"Sounds..." Esk bit down on the word 'fun', "...a lot more interesting than spending your life at University, reading and working on magical theory."

Tara grimaces. "Ouch. That sounds... boring, really. I mean, I enjopyed college, but I was going to be there for five years, maybe? At the most?"

Esk grimaces in a 'you don't know my pain' way.

"I've been at UU for fifteen years now."

"Oh, poor thing! Why do you have to stay so long?"

She shrugs.
"I've been there since I was ten. I should have gone earlier but they wouldn't take me because... well, the Lore is - was - quite clear about female wizards.

"It's the only wizarding school on the Sto Plains, possibly on the entire Disc, and if you don't learn to control your magic, then it can be dangerous, as you know.

"It's not so bad. I get six square meals a day, my own room and unlimited access to the Library. It's better than any of the alternatives I've come up with."

"That doesn't sound so bad, especially since controlling your magic is important... you don't look as though you eat six square meals a day, though."

She's unsure if this means she looks underweight, but decides it's a compliment. She's never had a compliment before, so isn't certain.

"Well, I don't attend all the dinners. There's a limited amount of quaffing I can take, and wizards aren't all that interesting when they're filling their bellies."

She giggles. "I can imagine not. And, um, sorry if that was a bit blunt before, I just meant you don't look as if you eat that much. You're not too thin, but you're really not overweight."

"Oh that's OK, don't worry about it." She giggles along with her.

"So, you did go to University then? Was it a secret one? I've heard of at least one on another world so far... can't remember its name though."

"I went to Sunnydale University, but it's not a magical one or anything... it was over the Initiative base for a while, until that kinda got closed down. But no magic."

"A non magical University?" The concept confuses her. A lot. "What do you learn there, then? And what's an initiative base?"

"Well, all sorts of things. It's like a school, except at a higher level of education. Science and religion and arts and stuff. And the Initiative was an organisation who hunted and studied demons, and their base was under the college, until it closed down."

"Science - I met someone earlier who told me about that. It's like... wizarding without the magic, if I'm right. Religion: well, we have temples who take on acolytes and such. I guess that's like University."

She brightens. "Oh, demonologists. They're all a bit wierd, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they are. Only these ones were also involved in the army, I think, which just made them weirder really. And my friend Buffy dated one for a while, which is how we got involved with the whole Initiative thing - well, not 'we', I was never really a Scooby, but -- I'm babbling again, aren't I? Sorry."

"That's fine. Babbling is good," she laughs, softly.

"But I definitely think that, although demonologists shouldn't really mix with anyone, they should definitely stay away from soldiers. That's just asking for trouble.

"I'm sorry, though. I have no idea what a Buffy or a Scooby is, either." She looks sad and apologetic: there's so many new things to absorb.

She touches Esk's wrist, looking concerned. "Oh, hey, don't be sorry; Buffy's my friend, and the Scoobies are what her group of friends used to call each other. I liked them, and they liked me, but I wasn't one of the 'inner circle', so, not a Scooby."

She glances at Tara's fingers on her wrist, but doesn't say anything for fear she might move them, so looks back up.

"Still, it's got to be good to have friends. It's a pain to be the only woman at an all male institution," she hurries onward before Tara can be more concerned - which she doesn't want: "it's not a big deal, though. There are wizards my age I get on with, but a lot of them are leaving the University now."

"It was nice, yes. And it must be annoying to be the only woman there. Still, there're lots of girls here, and you're lovely, you'll make friends easily. Can you come here whenever you like? I know some people can, and some people are Bound here, like me."

She smiles gratefully.

"Thank you, everyone here seems easy to make friends with.

"Yes, I seem to be able to come here whenever I want. I just really wanted a good drink the other day, and here I am. It's great to be able to get out of the University.

"How do you mean Bound? You can't leave at all? What about all your friends?" She looks concerned herself now.

"See, that's useful for you. And being Bound means I can't leave, no. See, I... I kind of died, back in my world."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she reacts to Tara's tone of voice rather than the news. "I met someone earlier who was dead. I didn't really think about it, though, because he sort of dropped it on me at the end of the conversation, along with the news that I'm not the only person from Ankh Morpork here.

"So... are you really dead, or undead? Because we've got quite a few zombies back home, and they seem to get on OK."

"Oh, I'm really dead. I got shot. It means I have to stay in the abr, but I don't mind that, really, it's a nice place, and there're interesting people. And we've got undead back where I come from, I can pretty much guarantee I'm not one of them."

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend, it's just... well, you're wondering around and all that. I guess this is partly an afterlife dimension."