sixwordstories | (no subject)

What're your hobbies?

Collecting dangerous objects, experimenting on random things, concocting interesting liquids that do things that do interesting things, tormenting people. messing around with time and space...

What kinds of experiments? I like doing those too.

Oh. I don't know. Just whatever catches my fancy. I made an invisible rock the other day.

Sometimes I get lost in time. Do you know how to play cards?

Better than what?

I'm always lost in time.

I know a few card games, yes.

Collecting dangerous objects, experimenting on random things, concocting interesting liquids that do things that do interesting things, tormenting people. messing around with time and space...

Things like that.

[Oh. Hello there. He manages to keep his normal, vaguely interested expression though.]

[Blissfully ignorant]

Most of those sound fun, but it's not nice to torment people.

What about horseriding? Swimming, rock-climbing?

[Which makes this even more fun!]

No. I suppose it's not nice. But when you get to be my age you get really bored.

Those are fun, but can't really hold my attention for long periods of time.

What is your age?

What about reading? It takes hours and hours to read a chronicle, or a novel, or holy scripture.

I'm older than a lot of planets.

[Really old.]

Oh, I do read sometimes but it's hard for me and I get distracted easily.

[Frustrated ancient and powerful entity is frustrated with his inability to read well despite all his power.]

Even my uncle Solus isn't that old. Are you a god? A time and space god?

[Sorry, Alec. He's eleven. He had to ask.]

I'm not a god.

[He makes a face.]

Despite what your people will say about me later.

I'm a chaos embodiment.

Sorry. [The face gives him cause to think he's inadvertently been rude.]

I don't know any embodiments. Not even Mother. Are you as old as chaos itself? My pajei says the whole multiverse is made out of chaos. Is it made out of you?

S'its fine.

[It's waved off as unimportant. Kid didn't know.]

Yes and no. I started out mortal but then I got changed into chaos so... I've always been around and yet not at the same time.

My people don't know you... but they will one day?

My Aunties say it's hard to be mortal and then immortal. Do you like it?

Your nephew and I will become good friends and lovers.

Hate it. Hate it with a burning sun's seething hatred.

Oh. That's nice. How far in the future? Am I really old then too? [His face drops ] No wait! Don't tell me. I'm not allowed to ask questions about the future.

That's terrible. Are you really-really unhappy?

Hmm.... really old is such an interestingly wibbly word anyway. Really old to me and really old to you are quite different.

More completely insane.

I'm a cub. Twenty is really old to me.

Are you a high-functioning sociopath? [Vahl does have some vague idea what that means. He's been reading a book... He started early.]

[It takes him a moment to remember that cub = child.]

Twenty really is old at your age, isn't it?

Am I a high-functioning sociopath? I have no idea. Never actually asked anyone.

[Meanwhile, Alec's heard the term but he has no real idea what it means. Even after all these years. Never really cared to find out.]

Ancient.

It's a kind of insanity, but it means you can hide it well.

That makes me a bit of a fossil, doesn't it?

Ahhh... Then yes, I probably am.

I should have myself ask you that later for you.

I didn't mean to be rude. My father's over a thousand, so I'm used to it.

[It takes a few moments to process that last statement, and he wishes he was allowed to ask some more about the future.] That sounds like one day I'll know a lot about about disturbed minds. I want to know about healthy minds too though.

It's fine. Don't worry about being rude around me.

You do.

[Timeline? What?]

I have to behave honourably. It's one thing to sneak off through a portal and be an explorer, it's quite another to let down the Ravenhead name.

I do? My father gave me a book. They say I'll have mind skills when I'm a grownup, so they want me to learn about psychology. So I understand how to use them without doing any harm. But I want to do more than that. I want make sick people better, like Auntie 'Laya.

[Quite the little chatterbox, it seems.]

Do you have people looking for you?

I'm a card shark, I can beat anyone anywhere anytime.

No. They're all dead.

Mostly.

And I doubt that one. I know one or two people who could beat you.

Well, I won't tell anyone. You've my word on that one.

You're a good healer. You help heal people's minds.

[Very much. It's cute how earnest he is. Not at all as sardonic as his older self will become.]

Did you kill them?

Show me those people and I'll beat them. Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm weak.

No. They died of old age.

I'm really old.

And I wasn't even thinking about you being young. Just that I know these people who are really good and or lucky with cards.

How old are you? I'm twelve.

Can they teach me to better? Or luckier?

Older than a lot of planets. My own world doesn't even exist any more.

Well, some of the luckier people I know they couldn't teach you. It's an inborn thing. As for teaching...

So you don't know. It's okay, my Ori doesn't know how old she is either.

I can learn better than anyone. I'm really clever.

No. I don't know. Lost track.

I don't doubt you. I know.

How do you know? I don't even think I know you.

We've met before. And we will meet again when you were older.

Do you remember a boy with a little green pet mouse?

Do you travel with a machine?

[She's quiet] I put it in his pocket to set him up, so he shouldn't get in trouble for it. I'll set you up too if you don't fix it. He's my friend.

No. Just by myself.

He was me.

Me too!

...You're Alexander? [Janie looks closely, and finally recognizes him] Are you a king now?

It's messier that way.

I am. A king now?

Yeah, I'm always getting lost and messing up lives. That's why I live in the woods now.

You're in one of the first wizarding families. I thought you were going to be a Wizard King when you grew up. Are you the Dumbledore?

I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Oooh. No. No. We don't have a king or queen. The first wizarding families were the first fifteen families created. Everyone else spawned off from those.

I dunno. I like the woods so maybe I'll just stay there. Why don't you try camping as a hobby?

Are you allowed to tell me about the future or do I have to guess?

I don't like camping or roughing it.

Why wouldn't I be allowed?

I love camping and I have a little cave and built a treehouse and it's got a fire and I got skins to use to keep warm this winter. It's the best survival setup that you'll ever see. I even have a little garden.

Ori says no spoilers and if I travel in time without her permission I'll break the timeline.