use it or lose it

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth isn't sure till she says it, but when she says it, she's sure.

[My particular affinity for Milliways doors is gone. I went too long without using it when we had Jane, and if it comes back at all it will take a long time. Someone may still find one, but we can't expect it to be me or soon.]

She fields some questions - not that many; people tend not to ask Elspeth for clarifications or restatements.

And then she settles Harley on her lap.

"We're stuck in Aurum for a while," she tells him.

Comments

[pythbox]

"Oh well," says Harley.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Yep. But there's lots to do in Aurum. Do you want to go to the beach today?"

[pythbox]

"Yeah!" he beams.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"All right. We will need bathing suits and towels. What colors should I conjure them up to be?" asks Elspeth.

[pythbox]

"Red!"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"All of them all red?"

[pythbox]

"Some pink," he decides.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Okay." With this guideline, she wishes on appropriate bathing suits for both of them, in red, and a beach towel that is red with pink stars on it, and then she teleports them both to the Safesun beach. There's a couple of people already there, and it's high noon. Rather than wrestle with the issue of sunscreen she kills a square to protect Harley from burns for the day; she spreads out the towel and sits on it, all aglow.

[pythbox]

"You're pretty," Harley informs her, poking her knee.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Yes, I am. And you're an adorable little tidbit."

[pythbox]

He giggles and flomps onto the towel, closing his eyes.

"Sun's warm," he says. "It's nice. Nice warm sun."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Yup. If you go out without asking me or bringing me or someone else with coins along, though, you can get burnt in the sun. I put a wish on you to protect you but it won't last forever."

[pythbox]

"How much burnt?" he inquires.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"It depends on how long you stay out. If it's only a few minutes, so little you'd never notice it. If it's many hours, then you could turn bright red and hurt all over and your skin would peel off."

[pythbox]

Harley giggles. "Icky!"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Very icky. It would also itch."

[pythbox]

"Itchy and icky."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"And hurty and warm. All those things."

[pythbox]

He giggles again.

"I wanna try it," he declares.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth considers this.

Then she shrugs and undoes the square. "There you go. The sun will burn you while we're out here. Drink a lot of water and let me know if you want the burn wished gone."

[pythbox]

"Okay," he says serenely.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Do you want some sandcastle-making toys?"

[pythbox]

"Yeah!" he beams.

[her_imperial_radiance]

She conjures up suitable toy buckets and shovels. They are pink.

[pythbox]

Harley giggles and hugs her.

Then he starts digging in the sand.

He makes a bowl-shaped depression with lumpy, crumbling walls, and then he runs to the edge of the water and fills up his bucket and comes back. Soon he has created a tiny pond.