Estvan murmured as he turned to look at it. "Sure an it's not as shoiny as oi expected. Have ye been keepin it clean, lad? Oi'll just give it a wee bit of a spit-shoine.."
"Don't touch it!" I exclaimed. "If you stick your finger in there, it'll shut down, and I don't know how to get it started again."
"Well how do ye use it then?"
"You just sort of stare at it and will it to open up," I instructed.
Estvan glared at the orb for a few seconds.
"Tis not workin for me at all, at all," he grumbled. "Show me how it's done, bedad."
I entered the scry-space and came back out. "Like that."
"Sure, ye disappeared for a second, boyo, so oi guess it's workin." He scowled at the orb again, with intense concentration. "It won't let me in, though. Sure an oi'm not allowed, is it?"
"Maybe I can bring you in," I suggested, as I concentrated on the orb and imagined Estvan in the scry-space with me.

"Begorrah," he exclaimed, with an admiring whistle as he looked around the scry-space. "Sure an' this is quite the setup. Oi wonder what all moight be hidden in here?"
"That thing over there that looks like a tree is actually a crack that you look through to scry," I said, pointing.
"Well sure, let's take a peek then," Estvan chuckled, ambling over to the crack.

"Cushlamochree!" he exclaimed. "Sure an' this is amazin! How do oi direct it - ah, never moind, I see .. aye .."
He was silent for a few minutes, and just as I was about to say something, he exclaimed:
"HUDALALEIGH! There they are!"
.. and pooked away.
Just like that.
I stood there staring at the empty crack for a good long while, as conflicting feelings whirled in my mind. I wasn't exactly sorry that Estvan was gone, but then again it meant that I was now alone.
Except for my Ixies, that is .. but ..
I realized with sinking dread that I had left the Ixies in the lowfolk world when Estvan and I walked through the Gate. How much of a time slip had there been?

I peeked through the crack and saw a strangely familiar-looking marten femme standing in the stone circle.
"HEY! LORD RAMBLE!" she yelled. "SKUNK ELF! ARE YOU HERE?"
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Simone Spinozzi
2020-03-05 09:50:32 +0000 UTCWalter Reimer
2020-03-05 08:58:22 +0000 UTC