Tau
2pi
The sun peeked between the cracks of the thick and gloomy clouds that blanketed the sky, barely illuminating the city of New Orbia. Defying the darkness of the weather, bright mage lights and runestones displayed a dazzling array of colors as a hundred different shops competed for the attention of pedestrians below, using titles, icons, and even friendly illusions. A friendly fairy beckoned toward a magic dust shop, a dental clinic proudly displayed an "orcs welcome" sticker on the window (no doubt because they were infamously tricky clients many dentists refused), and a hairstylist was offering the latest in enchanted hair dye: Dazzling Nebula.
New Orbia truly had something for everyone. Lying at the center of several major trade routes meant that many diverse races came to live (or at least trade) here, and that was reflected in the shapes that bobbed up and down on the streets. Giant orcs, tiny pixies, stout dwarves, lanky elves, and every once in a while, one with a shape harder to describe.
One such person was a young girl who appeared to be a simple human at first glance, aside from a strange, jello-like growth resembling a shower cap, sitting atop her long, blond hair. It bobbed slightly, wiggling a bit with each step she took and catching a few side-glances from passersby. She paid these no mind, instead running a hand through the bouquet of neatly-arranged flowers in her hand.
Eventually, she left the chaos of the streets and, after a short walk down a side-road, arrived at a massive graveyard. The place was neatly organized by race, making it easy for her to follow the signs to the "Mixed-race" section, and then approach the group gathered around a casket.
"He was more than just a friend… he was a life partner. A guy you could really count on to be there for you when you needed him, ready to help…"
Most of the people gathered were werewolves, given their excessively hairy limbs and faces. Given this, the girl stood out awkwardly, though the group was satisfied to accept her in their midst. After several more speeches, the casket was lowered into the ground amidst somber tears, and then the hole was filled back up. Most of the werewolves slowly wandered off to go about their day once again, but the girl stayed with a few others, stepping up to lay her flower bouquet at the gravestone.
"Miss…?" A lady dressed in black approached the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes?" she replied.
"I’m Wolfgang’s granddaughter. Do you mind if I ask how you knew him?" the lady asked timidly.
"Uhm… well…" the girl shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I’m his sister."
"…huh?"
"I’m, uhm… I’m Turie. Wolfgang was my brother. My half-brother, rather…" she explained softly. From the bewildered look on the lady’s face, Turie could immediately gather her confusion. "I’m half jellyfish…" she explained, pointing to the jelly-like cap membrane around her hair.
"O-oh…?" she nodded her head, trying her best to be polite and not sound like an idiot. Turie still saw she didn’t understand the implications.
"It’s fine, I guess most people don’t know. We don’t age the same way, but I’m actually his sister. Or… I was." She glanced down at the gravestone that’d been placed there in his memory, wiping away a few tears from her ocean-blue eyes. "I guess now I don’t really have any family."
"Oh, don’t say that, dear!" the lady insisted, forcing herself to smile. "Come here!"
Before Turie could even react, she found herself pulled into a hug. "Please, don— ghck!" The lady had a strong grip and was squeezing Turie firmly on the sides. She felt her insides squish and constrict in unhealthy ways. Her face turned blue, and she had to fight just to remain conscious. "Plhz stph…" she choked out, but it was interpreted as a quiet sob and only caused her to double down on the hug.
Turie struggled deep inside herself to simply take the pain. Just fight through it! She could last through this! And the lady was basically done with the hug now, right?
"It’ll be okay, dear… I’m sure you’ll have a… jellyfish family of your own someday…" she consoled.
…okay, maybe she wasn’t done! As Turie felt the world slowly black out, she gave in and tapped the lady on the side with her finger, releasing a powerful shock.
"Owww!" she howled, recoiling in shock as she rubbed her side. Meanwhile, Turie collapsed on the ground, coiled up in intense pain. The werewolf, in her grief, didn’t seem to notice, and called her out. "Did you just sting me…!?"
"I-I’m… I’m sorry, I—"
"Why would you do such a thing…!? I was only trying to help!" She answered indignantly. Receiving no response, she shook her head in disbelief and wandered off after the others.
Turie felt like screaming, but her body couldn’t work up the energy even to do that. She was sprawled out on the ground like a crumpled up piece of paper. Every second she had to struggle just to stay awake, or even alive if things took a turn for the worse. Ever so slowly, she pushed her broken arm closer to her shirt pocket, and after what felt like an eternity, her finger touched her enchanted metal badge, pressing the button on the front.
The magic began to work instantly, re-inflating crushed organs, reshaping bent limbs, and generally restoring her to her normal self. Although she felt better physically, she didn’t even bother getting up. "Why’d I have to be born like this…?" she sighed. "I really am sorry…!" The apology wouldn’t help though. She was long gone. "What a great first impression…"
"Good morning, Miss Dohranian! Can you review these documents?"
"Miss Dohranian, I still need you to message our suppliers about that runic dust shortage!
"Aww, look how small and cute our manager is today~!"
That last one made her pause, the snarky bronze lizard-man having earned himself a few giggles from the others. She’d calmly stepped from the spatial relocator and into the 27-and-a-halfth floor of Chanticon’s corporate building: specifically the Enchantment Research Center. The floors, walls, and ceiling all shared two colors: either they were white, or they were black. It was drab and rather unwelcoming, but it was also professional and clean. Most of the people she worked with, despite keeping their distance, were at least as clean and professional as the walls. However, there were exceptions like this guy, and those exceptions had a tendency to become the norm if left alone.
Stepping back a few times, Turie glared at him, face displaying pure indignance. Unfortunately, right now in her age cycle, she was about as young as she could get: practically a child! And therefore, although the snarky researcher was sitting down, and herself standing up, their eyes were about level with each other. It didn’t help that he was a half-dragon either, naturally about a head taller than most.
"Are you implying I can’t do my job, Syver?"
"I’m not implying anything, missssss."
"Oh really?"
"Yesss." His tongue flickered out a bit. She wasn’t sure if this was playful or just subconscious on his part. Turie rolled her eyes and stepped forward to the whiteboard in the center of the room, clearing her throat to command the room’s attention.
"Great, well then! Tomorrow’s the big release, and I know we’re all ready to celebrate, but there’s a lot of last-minute testing to be done. We need this to be absolutely flawless! We can’t have summoned servants running around hurting people on day one or people may never trust summon baubles ever again."
A sharp-eyed elf with glasses raised his hand slightly before speaking. "Right, about the servant customization… are we sure about the demonkin option? You know how some people feel about them, yes?"
"I’m aware," Turie nodded. "But the data shows most people are open to having one as a servant, especially fake summons. It’s worth having the option."
"I’d rather have a little jellyfish sssservant~" Syver snarked again, leaning back in his chair and stroking the jellyfish plushie he’d custom-ordered specifically to get on Turie’s nerves. "She could play my wife on the weekdayssss, and my daughter on the weekendssss~!"
More chuckles echoed throughout the room as Turie clenched her teeth. What she wouldn’t give for a liiittle more authority, just to fire this guy! "Hilarious. This is my ‘amused’ face. Any more questions? No? Great, let’s get back to work!"
Turie collapsed into her couch, letting the cool water envelop her and wash away her stress. The entire day had been filled with constant scrambling to tie up loose ends, but it was looking like they were just about finished. Hopefully now the craziness should die down a bit and she could finally relax.
"Tuuuriiiiie!"
She sighed as the frantic, high-pitched whining echoed off of every wall of her house. Not long after, a bright-eyed young girl with two, perky hairbuns peeked her head around the corner that led to the kitchen. Turie also couldn’t help but notice a small cloud of smoke as well…
"Turie! Super quick question, mmk? Is it normal for your oven to have a buncha fire in it?"
"Not usually…"
"Okay! Be right back~"
"…"
Turie didn’t really need to share her home; she‘d paid off the mortgage years ago and had plenty of wealth to continue maintaining it. It was more pity (and maybe a pinch of loneliness) that’d led her to share her home with Moa. A decision she came to regret more with each passing day. A few minutes later, Moa burst back into the room and ran up to Turie, smiling. "Oohh, you’re relaxing in your aquarium? Neato. Was work bad today?"
"It’s a couch."
"Isn’t it an aquarium!? A large box filled with water sounds like an aquarium to me!"
"Aquariums are for fish."
"But aren’t you part fish…? So it’s an—"
"—It’s a couch, Moa! A Watercouch!"
"Okay, okay! A comfy watercouch! I don’t find it comfy though… it just looks wet and nasty…"
"…" Turie rolled her eyes and placed her thumb on the RTV remote. In front of her "watercouch" sat a special window, which sprang to life, and started shimmering. Moments later, it showed a whole other world, so detailed, it was as if she could step right into it. Another, simpler world, filled with simple people. "Would you like to watch RTV with me, or are you too busy burning down my kitchen?"
"Eww, no! You only ever watch the demonkin islands! It’s so… boring!" Moa rested her hand on her cheek. "It’s just a bunch of dummies doing nothing! Where’s all the explosions!? The flashy colors!? The magic~ The drama~!? The dramatic villain cackling in the corner!?"
"There’s drama! …Sometimes!"
"Meh. I’d rather burn down your kitchen. Kidding, of course~! Have fun with your boring show~" she winked, running back into the smoke. "And just you wait! Someday I’ll have the best bakery in Orbis. Then you’ll eat your words… and my cookies!"
"We’ll see."
Turie turned her attention to the world behind the window, flicking through a few different scenes. A couple kids cooking some awful-looking experiment in their kitchen. She chuckled. That sure was relatable. Next, a small feast with people celebrating and laughing together. How nice. Flicking forward a few more times, she paused on a simple village scene. It was so peaceful and so serene! A couple gardeners tending to their little farming patches, a few kids playing in the street with a ball, another couple hammering away at a half-constructed boat. No one frantically shouting questions about complex runic formulas or demanding immediate answers to error complaints from specific minority demographics. Just… quiet simplicity and simple community.
"Tuuuuuriiiiie! Is olive oil flammable!?"
…that sounded nice…
"What do you mean I can’t do the presentation!? I’m the project manager! I designed the product! No one knows more about it than I do!" Turie stood outraged as the sharply-dressed goblin— and more importantly, her boss —tried to deliver the news as gently as possible.
"We wanted ya to do it, but these delays, well… don’tcha think ya look a lil’… young, ta be presentin’ it to everyone?"
"So what…!? I’m not any dumber like this, if that’s what you’re implying."
"’Course not, we’d never! We’s just sayin’, some people might be a lil’… offput? …if a middle-schooler lectured ‘em on a new bauble! All we’s sayin’! Syver’ll do yer presentation good, I’s sure of it!"
A small crowd began to crowd around the two as they argued in the middle of the office.
"I’ve worked here at Chanticon for 30 years now! The reason you’re even on the map is because of my designs! If anyone should get to present the Summoner’s Badge, it should be me!"
"We’ve already made the decision, and dragonboy’s gettin’ ready as we speak. Sorry, Turie," he shrugged. "Maybe ya present the next one? What’s the rush anyway, donchu’ jellies live fer ever or somethin’?"
"That’s what I got told the last three times!" Turie shouted. "All I want is a little respect for everything I put up with and you can’t even give me that!?" She paused for a moment before adding, "I’m done!"
"…Yer jokin’, right?"
"Not at all! I quit!" Turie thrust her name card forward, storming for the spatial relocator and leaving a stunned crowd to watch her leave.
Tap tap tap…
"Turie…?" Moa glanced worriedly at her roomie. "You’ve been all slumped in your aquari— uhm… your couch, for a while now. Are you okay…?"
"I’m fine, Moa… I’m fine."
"But you don’t look fine! Not your usual jelly self anyway!"
Turie sighed. "I guess I’m just… tired, is all. I need a vacation. Somewhere relaxing, away from the city chaos. Somewhere… simple." Her eyes turned toward the RTV window as two fishermen demonkin prepared to push off in the boat. "Kind of like that…"
"Then I say you go!" Moa insisted. "No one works harder than you do. Take the best break ever, no matter how much it costs! Maybe to South Aragale! Or maybe you could spend some time in the ocean, communing with nature! There’s all sorts of places just like the demon isles that’re open to everyone! And don’t worry: I’ll keep your house nice and safe while your gone!"
"Riiiight… I’m hiring a maid."
"H-hey!" Moa pouted.
"But I think you might be right. And I just had a crazy idea for the best vacation ever…"
Skyswimsky
New Orbia truly had something for everyone. Lying at the center of several major trade routes meant that many diverse races came to live (or at least trade) here, and that was reflected in the shapes that bobbed up and down on the streets. Giant orcs, tiny pixies, stout dwarves, lanky elves, and every once in a while, one with a shape harder to describe.
One such person was a young girl who appeared to be a simple human at first glance, aside from a strange, jello-like growth resembling a shower cap, sitting atop her long, blond hair. It bobbed slightly, wiggling a bit with each step she took and catching a few side-glances from passersby. She paid these no mind, instead running a hand through the bouquet of neatly-arranged flowers in her hand.
Eventually, she left the chaos of the streets and, after a short walk down a side-road, arrived at a massive graveyard. The place was neatly organized by race, making it easy for her to follow the signs to the "Mixed-race" section, and then approach the group gathered around a casket.
"He was more than just a friend… he was a life partner. A guy you could really count on to be there for you when you needed him, ready to help…"
Most of the people gathered were werewolves, given their excessively hairy limbs and faces. Given this, the girl stood out awkwardly, though the group was satisfied to accept her in their midst. After several more speeches, the casket was lowered into the ground amidst somber tears, and then the hole was filled back up. Most of the werewolves slowly wandered off to go about their day once again, but the girl stayed with a few others, stepping up to lay her flower bouquet at the gravestone.
"Miss…?" A lady dressed in black approached the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes?" she replied.
"I’m Wolfgang’s granddaughter. Do you mind if I ask how you knew him?" the lady asked timidly.
"Uhm… well…" the girl shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I’m his sister."
"…huh?"
"I’m, uhm… I’m Turie. Wolfgang was my brother. My half-brother, rather…" she explained softly. From the bewildered look on the lady’s face, Turie could immediately gather her confusion. "I’m half jellyfish…" she explained, pointing to the jelly-like cap membrane around her hair.
"O-oh…?" she nodded her head, trying her best to be polite and not sound like an idiot. Turie still saw she didn’t understand the implications.
"It’s fine, I guess most people don’t know. We don’t age the same way, but I’m actually his sister. Or… I was." She glanced down at the gravestone that’d been placed there in his memory, wiping away a few tears from her ocean-blue eyes. "I guess now I don’t really have any family."
"Oh, don’t say that, dear!" the lady insisted, forcing herself to smile. "Come here!"
Before Turie could even react, she found herself pulled into a hug. "Please, don— ghck!" The lady had a strong grip and was squeezing Turie firmly on the sides. She felt her insides squish and constrict in unhealthy ways. Her face turned blue, and she had to fight just to remain conscious. "Plhz stph…" she choked out, but it was interpreted as a quiet sob and only caused her to double down on the hug.
Turie struggled deep inside herself to simply take the pain. Just fight through it! She could last through this! And the lady was basically done with the hug now, right?
"It’ll be okay, dear… I’m sure you’ll have a… jellyfish family of your own someday…" she consoled.
…okay, maybe she wasn’t done! As Turie felt the world slowly black out, she gave in and tapped the lady on the side with her finger, releasing a powerful shock.
"Owww!" she howled, recoiling in shock as she rubbed her side. Meanwhile, Turie collapsed on the ground, coiled up in intense pain. The werewolf, in her grief, didn’t seem to notice, and called her out. "Did you just sting me…!?"
"I-I’m… I’m sorry, I—"
"Why would you do such a thing…!? I was only trying to help!" She answered indignantly. Receiving no response, she shook her head in disbelief and wandered off after the others.
Turie felt like screaming, but her body couldn’t work up the energy even to do that. She was sprawled out on the ground like a crumpled up piece of paper. Every second she had to struggle just to stay awake, or even alive if things took a turn for the worse. Ever so slowly, she pushed her broken arm closer to her shirt pocket, and after what felt like an eternity, her finger touched her enchanted metal badge, pressing the button on the front.
The magic began to work instantly, re-inflating crushed organs, reshaping bent limbs, and generally restoring her to her normal self. Although she felt better physically, she didn’t even bother getting up. "Why’d I have to be born like this…?" she sighed. "I really am sorry…!" The apology wouldn’t help though. She was long gone. "What a great first impression…"
"Good morning, Miss Dohranian! Can you review these documents?"
"Miss Dohranian, I still need you to message our suppliers about that runic dust shortage!
"Aww, look how small and cute our manager is today~!"
That last one made her pause, the snarky bronze lizard-man having earned himself a few giggles from the others. She’d calmly stepped from the spatial relocator and into the 27-and-a-halfth floor of Chanticon’s corporate building: specifically the Enchantment Research Center. The floors, walls, and ceiling all shared two colors: either they were white, or they were black. It was drab and rather unwelcoming, but it was also professional and clean. Most of the people she worked with, despite keeping their distance, were at least as clean and professional as the walls. However, there were exceptions like this guy, and those exceptions had a tendency to become the norm if left alone.
Stepping back a few times, Turie glared at him, face displaying pure indignance. Unfortunately, right now in her age cycle, she was about as young as she could get: practically a child! And therefore, although the snarky researcher was sitting down, and herself standing up, their eyes were about level with each other. It didn’t help that he was a half-dragon either, naturally about a head taller than most.
"Are you implying I can’t do my job, Syver?"
"I’m not implying anything, missssss."
"Oh really?"
"Yesss." His tongue flickered out a bit. She wasn’t sure if this was playful or just subconscious on his part. Turie rolled her eyes and stepped forward to the whiteboard in the center of the room, clearing her throat to command the room’s attention.
"Great, well then! Tomorrow’s the big release, and I know we’re all ready to celebrate, but there’s a lot of last-minute testing to be done. We need this to be absolutely flawless! We can’t have summoned servants running around hurting people on day one or people may never trust summon baubles ever again."
A sharp-eyed elf with glasses raised his hand slightly before speaking. "Right, about the servant customization… are we sure about the demonkin option? You know how some people feel about them, yes?"
"I’m aware," Turie nodded. "But the data shows most people are open to having one as a servant, especially fake summons. It’s worth having the option."
"I’d rather have a little jellyfish sssservant~" Syver snarked again, leaning back in his chair and stroking the jellyfish plushie he’d custom-ordered specifically to get on Turie’s nerves. "She could play my wife on the weekdayssss, and my daughter on the weekendssss~!"
More chuckles echoed throughout the room as Turie clenched her teeth. What she wouldn’t give for a liiittle more authority, just to fire this guy! "Hilarious. This is my ‘amused’ face. Any more questions? No? Great, let’s get back to work!"
Turie collapsed into her couch, letting the cool water envelop her and wash away her stress. The entire day had been filled with constant scrambling to tie up loose ends, but it was looking like they were just about finished. Hopefully now the craziness should die down a bit and she could finally relax.
"Tuuuriiiiie!"
She sighed as the frantic, high-pitched whining echoed off of every wall of her house. Not long after, a bright-eyed young girl with two, perky hairbuns peeked her head around the corner that led to the kitchen. Turie also couldn’t help but notice a small cloud of smoke as well…
"Turie! Super quick question, mmk? Is it normal for your oven to have a buncha fire in it?"
"Not usually…"
"Okay! Be right back~"
"…"
Turie didn’t really need to share her home; she‘d paid off the mortgage years ago and had plenty of wealth to continue maintaining it. It was more pity (and maybe a pinch of loneliness) that’d led her to share her home with Moa. A decision she came to regret more with each passing day. A few minutes later, Moa burst back into the room and ran up to Turie, smiling. "Oohh, you’re relaxing in your aquarium? Neato. Was work bad today?"
"It’s a couch."
"Isn’t it an aquarium!? A large box filled with water sounds like an aquarium to me!"
"Aquariums are for fish."
"But aren’t you part fish…? So it’s an—"
"—It’s a couch, Moa! A Watercouch!"
"Okay, okay! A comfy watercouch! I don’t find it comfy though… it just looks wet and nasty…"
"…" Turie rolled her eyes and placed her thumb on the RTV remote. In front of her "watercouch" sat a special window, which sprang to life, and started shimmering. Moments later, it showed a whole other world, so detailed, it was as if she could step right into it. Another, simpler world, filled with simple people. "Would you like to watch RTV with me, or are you too busy burning down my kitchen?"
"Eww, no! You only ever watch the demonkin islands! It’s so… boring!" Moa rested her hand on her cheek. "It’s just a bunch of dummies doing nothing! Where’s all the explosions!? The flashy colors!? The magic~ The drama~!? The dramatic villain cackling in the corner!?"
"There’s drama! …Sometimes!"
"Meh. I’d rather burn down your kitchen. Kidding, of course~! Have fun with your boring show~" she winked, running back into the smoke. "And just you wait! Someday I’ll have the best bakery in Orbis. Then you’ll eat your words… and my cookies!"
"We’ll see."
Turie turned her attention to the world behind the window, flicking through a few different scenes. A couple kids cooking some awful-looking experiment in their kitchen. She chuckled. That sure was relatable. Next, a small feast with people celebrating and laughing together. How nice. Flicking forward a few more times, she paused on a simple village scene. It was so peaceful and so serene! A couple gardeners tending to their little farming patches, a few kids playing in the street with a ball, another couple hammering away at a half-constructed boat. No one frantically shouting questions about complex runic formulas or demanding immediate answers to error complaints from specific minority demographics. Just… quiet simplicity and simple community.
"Tuuuuuriiiiie! Is olive oil flammable!?"
…that sounded nice…
"What do you mean I can’t do the presentation!? I’m the project manager! I designed the product! No one knows more about it than I do!" Turie stood outraged as the sharply-dressed goblin— and more importantly, her boss —tried to deliver the news as gently as possible.
"We wanted ya to do it, but these delays, well… don’tcha think ya look a lil’… young, ta be presentin’ it to everyone?"
"So what…!? I’m not any dumber like this, if that’s what you’re implying."
"’Course not, we’d never! We’s just sayin’, some people might be a lil’… offput? …if a middle-schooler lectured ‘em on a new bauble! All we’s sayin’! Syver’ll do yer presentation good, I’s sure of it!"
A small crowd began to crowd around the two as they argued in the middle of the office.
"I’ve worked here at Chanticon for 30 years now! The reason you’re even on the map is because of my designs! If anyone should get to present the Summoner’s Badge, it should be me!"
"We’ve already made the decision, and dragonboy’s gettin’ ready as we speak. Sorry, Turie," he shrugged. "Maybe ya present the next one? What’s the rush anyway, donchu’ jellies live fer ever or somethin’?"
"That’s what I got told the last three times!" Turie shouted. "All I want is a little respect for everything I put up with and you can’t even give me that!?" She paused for a moment before adding, "I’m done!"
"…Yer jokin’, right?"
"Not at all! I quit!" Turie thrust her name card forward, storming for the spatial relocator and leaving a stunned crowd to watch her leave.
Tap tap tap…
"Turie…?" Moa glanced worriedly at her roomie. "You’ve been all slumped in your aquari— uhm… your couch, for a while now. Are you okay…?"
"I’m fine, Moa… I’m fine."
"But you don’t look fine! Not your usual jelly self anyway!"
Turie sighed. "I guess I’m just… tired, is all. I need a vacation. Somewhere relaxing, away from the city chaos. Somewhere… simple." Her eyes turned toward the RTV window as two fishermen demonkin prepared to push off in the boat. "Kind of like that…"
"Then I say you go!" Moa insisted. "No one works harder than you do. Take the best break ever, no matter how much it costs! Maybe to South Aragale! Or maybe you could spend some time in the ocean, communing with nature! There’s all sorts of places just like the demon isles that’re open to everyone! And don’t worry: I’ll keep your house nice and safe while your gone!"
"Riiiight… I’m hiring a maid."
"H-hey!" Moa pouted.
"But I think you might be right. And I just had a crazy idea for the best vacation ever…"
Skyswimsky
