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Grayling - Monday, September 29, 2003 - Page 333 Morse: Well, he's certainly not making this any easier. / As if things aren't rough already, the one elemental we find's super power is constricted to sulking. / Abelarde: Rrrm. / We need to eat. I'll go hunting. / Morse: All right.. I'll stay here and make sure he doesn't fly off. Be careful. / Um. Mr Folanerial? Are you hungry? Abe's just gone off to find us something.. / Fola: You have no idea what you've done, do you? / Morse: ...Fine, no, I don't. Why don't you tell me. / Fola: I was happier without my memories, thank you very much. / Morse: Yes, you were very happy, all alone with no idea who or where you were, your sole amusement derived from scaring the bejesus out of carmors. Perfectly content. / Fola: Listen, no offense, little girl, but I would rather not hear about it from you at the moment. / Morse: That's tough. / I need information from you. All the elementals share a mental link, don't they? You can tell me the rest of the story -- resume where Curtis left off.
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Grayling - Wednesday, October 1, 2003 - Page 334 Fola: No. I can't. / Morse: You can't, or you won't? / Fola: I could. But it wouldn't be what you'd want. / Morse: Explain. / Fola: The system that controls our memories is overwhelmingly powerful, and at its head is Smoke. He is, in a way , elemental of memory. Just because I am tapped into the system does not mean I have access to the power that allows it to operate. If I accessed it as you are suggesting, we would have miles of white noise -- jumbled nonsense -- to pick through before finding anything worthwhile. I simply do not have the power to handle it. / Morse: Fine. Then where is Smoke? Where are the others? Can you at least tell me that? / Fola: They're lost. They do not remember. They are better this way. You should leave them alone. / Morse: No. Rhodes is trying to take the easy way out, he's throwing this world away. I can't let him do that. Not after we've come this far. / Fola: ... Perhaps I should try to show you the story. / Then, perhaps, you'll understand why he wants to end all of this forever. There is great evil in this world. It is irredeemable.. / Morse: I'll be the judge of that. / I'm as much a victim of this world's evil as you. I deserve to know. / Fola: There are no victims in this story. Nor are there perpetrators. We are all punished. Like victims, yet not victims -- like perpetrators, yet not perpetrators. All are punished. / Fola: I will try to do as you ask. But on two conditions. / Morse: What are those? / Fola: I need to be carried. Also, we look for water first.
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Grayling - Friday, October 3, 2003 - Page 335 Morse: So we got to leave the carmors' land with our lives, after all, with an elemental to boot. Though not exactly a great one. / I could tell Abe wasn't thrilled with the situation. / I suppose he must have envisioned elementals as more... impressive. / We got back to Abe's... / And we waited. And waited. / Fola was trying hard. At least it seemed that way. / Abe asked him, "What about the time elemental? What is the matter with it? Why is time slowing?" / Fola looked up at that.. and thought. / "I can feel the others. But I cannot feel her at all," he said. / Something must be happening to the time elemental. Something different from all the others. She is either slowing time of our her own accord (doubtful) or Rhodes is forcing her. Weird how much you can figure out at the wrong end of the stick. / Winter was coming on and we all felt it, except maybe Abe, who was used to it... / I crocheted more clothes for Fola and I. I never thought I would sit and fantasize about going to department stores for socks and things. The concept of underpants was amazing to me. / Fola and Abe mostly ignored each other, to my relief. I don't think I could deal with the two of them if they started arguing. But I could tell Abe was getting antsy about the delay. I'd catch him staring at Fola as though gauging whether he was the genuine article or not. / A redundant activity... / ...because a few days later, the beast woke.
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Grayling - Thursday, October 9, 2003 - Page 336 Curtis: Morse, sometimes they go crazy when their memories are restored. It has happened before.. I'll try to help but right now I have to go -- wake up, Morse wake up / Morse: Curtis?! CURTIS! WAIT! WAIT CURTIS! / Abe: Morse, are you awake yet? / Morse: Huh..? Yeah.. yeah.. I was dreaming... Curtis told me something.. / Morse: I couldn't see him but i heard his voice... He said "they go crazy sometimes".. / Abe: Sometimes? How about ALL the time? Anyway, Fola is awake. He says the memories are ready for us to look at. / Morse: You're ready then? / Fola: I should be asking you that. / Morse: Stop dallying around with that. I've seen enough horrible things, a few more won't make much of a difference. / Fola: Fine. / Morse: How will this work, then? / Fola: I don't know. I've never really done it before. I imagine you'll appear to be in some sort of trance to anyone here, but your mind will be far away. / Morse: So Abe isn't going to watch? / Fola: I'd prefer to keep the baring of the elementals' dirty underwear to a minimal audience, but seeing as how I'm your 'servant' now, my opinion shouldn't sway you. / Abe: Save your breath, Folanerial. I'm not interested in anything you have to offer. / Fola: My my, on the uppity side, aren't we? / Morse: Oh please. If you two can't have a simple exchange without antagonizing each other, then save your stupidity for someone who gives a shit. / Fola: God. This is what I've been reduced to. Wearing a smock, telling horror storries to hicks.
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Grayling - Friday, October 10, 2003 - Page 337 Fola: All right. I'll show you the memories, but remember the deal. / Fola: We look for water first. / Morse: That's another thing. What do you MEAN by that? / Fola: I MEAN we look for Vivanerial first. / Morse: ...WHA? I have no idea where any of them are or even how to look for them! I can't make a promise like that. / Fola: I won't meet with the other elementals without Vivanerial there. We find him first. / Morse: I'm being punished for a past life. I just know it. / Fola: There's no telling how the others will trea me once we're back together. Vivanerial is the only one who I can trust. / Fola: It's a simple matter of self-preservation. / Morse: All right. Fine. How about this: Whether we find Viv or not, i'll make sure you're kept safe. Okay? / Fola: *skeptical look* / Fola: Agreed. / Morse: I have the sinking feeling I just made a deal with the devil. / Morse: Then again, at this point, that doesn't seem half bad...
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Grayling - Thursday, October 16, 2003 - Page 338 Fola: All right. Here we go. / This should only take a moment. / We're now inside a memory. / Morse: Whoa. That was fast. / A commuter train? Where'd this come from? / Fola: I took what was sent to me. / Someone's talking to me.. It's not Smoke, and it's certainly not any of the other elementals. / There it goes again-- / Morse: Um. What just happened there? / Fola: Be quiet. Someone's trying to enter the memory. A minion. / Morse: Curtis! It's gotta be Curtis!
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Grayling - Wednesday, October 22, 2003 - Page 339 Curtis: Where do you get off keeping me out of the memory?! / Fola: I have no use for Lemaneriallian minions, much less ones of shameful reputation. / Curtis: Yeah well, kettle, pot, black, buddy. Your job is done so you can go now. / Fola: Gladly. / Morse: Um... you and Abelarde behave yourselves, okay Fola? / Fola: Nnn. / Curtis: Phew. Hardass. / What'd he do that was shameful? / Curtis: Um, you'll see that for yourself. Right now I have to make a little clarification, philosophically speaking. / Have a seat. / Over the past 6 months you might've been wondering about all the things that wiwen system infers about the way this world operates. / Morse: Well.. I guess, kinda. Is Rhodes like.. God here? / Curtis: Good question, and that depends on what you mean by the word "god." / There is a similar theory to the wiwen model in your society called pantheism. It basically says that there is only one substance making up the entire universe, and that's god. Everything that we are and that makes the world around us is god or god's affections. The world exists as thoughts in god's mind. But this theory has problems. Free will cannot exist under these conditions. / There ARE worlds that operate that way. A wiwen can make up any rules he pleases, and he can deny his creations free will. These worlds die quickly, though, because they are not self-sustaining, they do not advance. Wiwens themselves operate on free will - free will is a universal that stretches over ALL universes. A wiwen NEEDS free will in order to create. Worlds that are devoid of free will cannot produce more wiwens. They're a dead end. / Morse: So there's no possibility of faking free will. / Curtis: Exactly. It's a tautology. Nothing can imitate or replace it. It's the fuel behind the entire wiwen system. It's the only way wiwens can reproduce. / Morse: What has this got to do with the elementals? / Curtis: Kid, we're discussing the makeup of the frigging universe. It has everything to do with them.
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Grayling - Sunday, October 26, 2003 - Page 340 Curtis: Basically what this comes down to is tht Rhodes isn't omnipotent. He has to follow the rules he created for this world. He wants to undo the world, but he can't, so he's doing the next best thing. / Morse: Stopping time? / Curtis: Right. Wherever he is he's got Ellioner prisoner and he's forcing her to slow down time. / Morse: But... why is he doing such a thing? It's HIS world! / Curtis: I have no idea, kid. I'm just the messenger, as usual. / Morse: Why you, by the way? Why can't the elementals take care of themselves by travling through time? / / Curtis: I'm dead. I don't go by this world's rules any-more. Cal sent me here to do what he couldn't. / Morse: Okay... What's with the train, then? / Morse: (You can't smoke that here, you know.) / Curtis: I live on the edge. I deliberately go around smoking in places I shouldn't. What d'you THINK? / Curtis: Look over there. / (Fern and Mid, greyscale sketch) / Morse: Oh my god -- It's Fern and Mid! What are they doing here?! / Curtis: Why don't you go ask them?
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Grayling - Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - Page 341 Mid: Fern? / Fern: Did you hear something, Mid? / Mid: Nggh... no.. / Mid: *sigh* Are we almost there? / Fern: 'bout forty more minutes / Morse: He can't see or hear me.. / Curtis: Hrmmm. Damn. They sure don't seem to make these things easy. / Curtis:I'll explain.. Well, I'll sum up. Fern and Mid are taking an um... extended vacation. / Curtis: Fern packed up thier bags one day, dragged Mid out of bed, and left with him. They're on thier way to Asize, a predominantly human settlement city west of Tower. / Morse: But... Isn't Cal angry? Is he going to hurt them? / Curtis: No.. but I ... really dunno why, Morse. S'not my area of expertise, you know, translating elemental behavior. heh. Cal is in one of those unresponsive states, or close to it, and frankly, I think he's more scared of Fern at this point than vice versa, and Fern knows it... / He's taking Mid to Asize so he can have a taste of what a normal life is like. / Curtis: Mid's depression had gotten to a point where Fern had to do something... / It wouldn't be the first time.
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Grayling - Thursday, October 30, 2003 - Page 342 Mid: What do we do now? / Fern: Tomorrow I look for a job. / Mid: I don't know how we're going to live around all of these humans...with barely any money.. / Fern: You're just culture shocked, is all. You'd feel the same anywhere. You've been stuck in the house for years. / Mid: Yeah...I have to get used to being stared at again.
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Grayling - Monday, November 3, 2003 - Page 343 Mid: Domestic life was weird at first. But it was fun, playing house. / Fern got a job as a mechanic. / ... a grumpy, caffeine addicted mechanic, but a mechanic.
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Grayling - Thursday, November 6, 2003 Then, one night... / Rae: Mid... Mid wake up. / Mid: ....Who's there? Am I dreaming? / Rae: Yes. You're dreaming. There's nothing to be scared of. I'm a friend. / Mid: You sound really familiar... / Rae: I have visited before.. But I did not stay long. / Mid: So strange...I feel like I know you. Where are you? Can I see you? / Rae: Well... Yes... if you wish. / Mid: Yes. Please. / Rae: ...Here I am. / Mid: Oh.. wow.. See, was that so hard?
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Grayling - Friday, November 7, 2003 Mid: So um..What exactly are you? / Rae: I guess you could call me elemental of dreams... / Mid: Which would make you... um. Wiwenerial? / Rae: ...yeah.. but you can call me Rae. / Mid: Er...okay.. But why haven't I heard of you before, then? / Rae: I'm kept locked up. The others...don't like me. / Mid: Oh.. Why not? / Rae: Jealous, I think. Are you cold? Here, this should be warmer. / Mid: Whoa.. Yeah, this is warmer. Thank you. You really control all dreams, then? / Rae: Yes! That's what I do. If there's anything you want, I'll get it for you. I mean /anything/. I want you to be happy. / Mid: Um..Thanks I guess, but it'd only be a dream, right? It won't change the real world. / Rae: ...Listen, I'm offering you what I can. Anyway, how do you know the real world is all it's cracked up to be?
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Grayling - Sunday, November 9, 2003 Mid: Ee..I'm sorry if I insulted you. / Rae: ...No, no, don't be sorry... I shouldn't've snapped atcha like that... Sorry. / Mid: It's just... everything seems like a dream right now. You're right. There isn't much to my 'reality' right now... Nothing feels right. I wish I could find something...solid. / Rae: Yeah..... So um.. That's why you ran away? From Cal, I mean. / Mid: I don't know –– I didn't want to leave, I was afraid, but a good part of me just didn't care what happened anymore... / Mid: He's so ... weird and unpredictable, I don't even know what to do... I just hold on to Fern and try to keep breathing, all the time...I feel like such a /child/. / Rae: It's ALL Cal's fault for making you feel this way! He screwed me over, I won't let the same happen to you! / Mid: Whoa.. What.. I mean what did he do to you? / [internal] /He's so angry.../
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Grayling - Friday, November 14, 2003 Rae: Er..that's not important. Sorry. / Mid: Uh..Seeing as how you were about to jump down my throat, I think it IS.... / Rae: He... He just.. I don't understand him. I used to think he understood me, knew what I needed.. I thought I could trust him. But it's not like that at all, and it's.. terrible. / Mid: Well..we have that in common, don't we? Rae? / Rae: It was stupid of me to come. You've already been hurt so much. I have no reason to give you to trust me. / Mid: The only way we can go is up, then. Angel or devil, I don't care. It's company. / Rae: But -- that's a horrible thing to say! Do you really mean that? / Mid: You're assuming I'll mistrust you..that's an incentive for me to do so if I've ever seen one. / Mid: Perverted? Twisted? Wrong? Depraved? Yeah. But as I see it, it's about time I started playing this game I'm tangled in.
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Grayling - Tuesday, November 18, 2003 - Page 348 Weeks Later / Fern: You seem awfully cheerful tonight. Something happen? / Mid: Um. Would you believe me if I said that this tea was just really good? / Fern: If I had tripe for brains, and you didn't say it like that, yeah. What is it? / Mid: Hee. Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to flip out. / Fern: What?! This is flipout material?! INFORMATION! NOW! / Mid: I think..um. I think I've met someone. / Fern: I knew it. Who must I kill, then? / Mid: Would you get a grip?
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Grayling - Sunday, November 23, 2003 - Page 349 Fern: How did you MEET this guy? You barely ever leave the house, much less talk to anybody. / Fern: What have you been up to with him? .... You must be covered in mortal cooties, and here I've been sleeping in the same bed -- / Mid: Oh for crying out loud, I should have known you wouldn't understand any of this. / Fern: Don't you DARE say that to me. Why do you think we're here at all?! I'm trying to PROTECT you and you throw away the safety I've worked so hard to achieve for the sake of some idiotic fling -- / Mid: Oh, this is just BEAUTIFUL coming from YOU! What do YOU know about falling in love!? You're just -- just dried up and bitter, that's your -- / Mid: Oh god -- oh god, Fern -- I'm sorry -- / Fern: You fucking adolescent. Get your hands off your face, and don't you dare tell me you're /sorry/. You don't value my forgiveness and I have no relief in giving it. / Fern: I'm working overtime tomorrow. I'm going to bed.
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Grayling - Monday, November 24, 2003 - Page 350 Mid: Fern? / Fern: Just shut up and get in bed. / Mid: I..really am sorry. I can't even comprehend what that meant to you. But I'm sorry... Sorry for wanting to hurt you at all. / Fern: I'm not trying to keep you on a leash. I thought you were my friend, and here you're making me out to be the demon. / Mid: I know.. I know.. I don't know why... what came over me. / Fern: So you have a seed of evil in you.. who doesn't. I'm not going to stop being your friend because you're not the harmless innocent you imagined yourself to be. / Mid: ...thank you. / Fern: So. This guy makes you happy, hm? / Mid: Yeah...I mean...I don't know...he does, but there's something ... not right about it. / Mid: But I guess I wouldn't know, would I? ...Have you ever been in love, Fern? / Fern: Yeah. / Mid: What's it like? / Fern: It isn't.
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Grayling - Thursday, November 27, 2003 - Page 351 a year later. / Mid: Hm? / Mid: Basil! / Mid: Fern's at work. Why did he leave you at home...?
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Grayling - Saturday, November 29, 2003 - Page 352 Mid: There you are. / Mid: Care to explain this? / Fern: Nothing to explain. / Mid: You hypocritical CLOD! ONE second of lost focus – ONE second and you could have incinerated the CITY! / Fern: I didn't, obviously. Calm down. / Mid: You had better have a reason for leaving your crestil behind, Moranerial, and it had better be good. / Fern: I believe we had a conversation years ago when we came here about the effects of longterm leave from the primary... One of which is crestil malfunction in the formation of new tissue... / Mid: Oh god. Fern, why didn't you tell me..
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Grayling - Sunday, November 30, 2003 Fern: We predicted this would happen. There's no reason to get upset. This is what we are. / Mid: Oh, that's rich––This is what we are, but what is it, then? What is it? / Fern: Mid––– / Mid: /THIS/ is CANCER! This is /OUR OWN FLESH/ turning against us because we wanted to be FREE for just a LITTLE while! THIS is IMPRISONMENT! /This/ is WRONG and I am RIGHT, we deserve BETTER than this! I KNOW better, I KNOW, I /KNOW/! / Fern: What do you want from me, Mid? What can I do? What can CAL do? We need him like mortals need to /breathe/, that's just how things ARE. Maybe they can change but I sure as hell don't know how–– / Mid: Shut up, shut up. None of it's fair. None of it. It's all wrong. / Fern: .... / Mid: *snrrk* So it's cancer. How far along is it? Where? / Fern: It's early yet..my right lung. / Mid: [internal] I don't have my books with me...But when you have all your books in your head, I guess that doesn't really matter. / Mid: [internal] Flaws in the crestil system were predicted early, but were ignored. / Crestils operate like super enhanced immune systems, and therefore have all the advantages and disadvantages of a normal mortal immune system -- thousandfold. Part of the crestil's job is to heal and regenerate damaged tissue in the elementals' bodies to make them last almost indefinitely. Crestils know how to fight against normal pathogens -- bacteria, viral infection, any alien bodies. They're so effective the women can't wear them while pregnant; the crestil will kill the baby as a foreign object. / But cancer is another story. With cancer, the body is killing itself. Most of the time crestils can detect damaged DNA and replace it. Sometimes that works, sometimes not../Sometimes/ it cannot tell there's damaged DNA at all. Then it's too late. / Mid: [internal] Crestils are powerful. They make powerful cells. If cancer cells form, they are just as tough to kill as normal cells. They reproduce just as quickly, if not faster because of their lack of specialization. Unspecialized cancer cells can eat up the body's resources, replace the organs with worthless tissue, devour an elemental until he's simply a mind trapped in an unusuable, utterly deformed body...too weakened to form a new one. Yet if you try to stop the progression of the cancer, you kill the body. The result is the same. / Mid: [internal] Destroying the body entirely and forming a new one will only delay the inevitable. The crestil will still have the flaw. The cancer will regrow, possibly even worse than before. The effects are cumulative. Strange how healing can hurt you. So few people understand that.. / Mid: [internal] Being far away from one's primary is one of the causes of genetic damage... / Mid: [internal] I guess we'll be seeing you again soon, Cal.
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Grayling - Thursday, December 4, 2003 Wha? Oh.. But er, are you sure? / Gee, I don't know, since I ASKED for it and all. / Well it's kind of daunting in a way.. / Just give me that thing. / The fourth wall makes a weird noise going down. / Like.. Sploot. / Nononono, more like SPLGFhghjffh. / ....Fucking idiot. / It does! / Cal: Is it on? / Other: *thmp thmp* Yeah, yeah I think we're all on. / Cal: All right then. I just through I'd take the liberty to claim the spotlight for a few minutes.. For the sake of clearing up some personal details. / Other1: Personal details? / Other2: Well he sings the Fraggle Rock theme in the tub. / And as for clarity-- AAH! NO!! OKAY OKAY SORRY I'LL STOP! / Cal: Ahem. Although this story is being accurately depicted insofar as certain perspectives are concerned, I would like to draw you attention to its subjectivity. / Cal: I have been presented, for example, as having many different roles, some of which contradict each other. If you find this strange, you are probably one of those lucky individuals who have very little in the way of self contradiction. Count it as a blessing that you are devoid of it... or at least, unaware of it. / Fern: Oh. Yeah, I have something to say, too. Is this going to Morse or the audience? / Other: Everybody. / Fern: Right then, I'd just like to say-- / Cal: Fern would you kindly-- / Smoke: We're on the air? / Other: Yeah Smoke, fire away. / Smoke: Hi people. / Fern: This is going out specifically to Soshi and Zar, but the rest of you are just as culpable. I KNOW about the things you sick fucks out there do. Heed this, and heed it well: Just cus I'm fictional doesn't mean I can't kick you ass. I know where you live. / Cal: What was I saying?
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Grayling - Saturday, December 6, 2003 - page 356 Mid: Back to the story.. Wow, Fern, even after that, how long did it take for us to actually go back? / Fern: A couple of months at least. We put it off. / Cal: Yes.. By the time you arrived you were much worse. / Mid: Hey, Smoke.. What were doing by yourself all that time? / Smoke: Filling in for you two. / Mid: Oh.. Thanks! / Fern: Can't we just skip over this part altogether? It's not like we haven't aired enough of our personal business already. Morse doesn't have to know the details. I got sick, I got better, the end. / Mid: Fern, you may not remember it, but when you got sick Cal helped take care of you. It's important for Cal's sake to tell this / Cal: But I don't want to talk about it either! It was horrible! / Mid: x_X Cal... / Fern: So what, Mid? No one has the right to analyze is-- / Mid: Oh shush. That sort of attitude isn't going to get us ANYwhere. / Mid: I'm only trying to make thi easier for Morse and you guys are NOT helping... / Fern: All right, fine. You'd already treated Viv before for mild cases of cancer before. / Fern: So what was needed to treat me was not altogether unfamiliar to you. You started work-- / Viv: Huh? I heard my name. Am I supposed to talk now? / Mid: No, Viv.. / Viv: Hmph. I wish there was a comic about the Mayaneriallians. We don't get enough attention. / Fern: The comic industry already has enough porn. / Viv: Oo, /burn/. / Mid: Guys, can we /please/ try to stay on topic? Sheez. / Mid: What about you, Cal? Get us back on track? / Cal: I /like/ porn.
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Grayling - Sunday, December 21, 2003 - page 357 Mid: [narrating] Well, I'll continue anyway. We installed Fern in his room... No hospital would have helped him. As long as he was ill he was a danger to everyone around him... / Cal had been immersed in business for quite some time... put aside everything personal. / He was understandably ... perturbed when I told him what was wrong. / But it turns out he has an amazing bedside manner... he stayed by Fern night and day... / While I was stuck in my place with the machines, trying to make a crestis to slow the spread of the cancer. / I learned, not for the first time, how ugly the sick are... / We took his crestil away too late, after he had lost a little of his mind... It's not nice seeing an adult scream, wheedle, bargain, beg like a child... / It took years... three or four, I don't know, it seemed like a century. / We were all praying for the normal level of misery... All we had to look forward to.
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Grayling - Sunday, December 28, 2003 - PAge 358 Mid: [narrating] When Fern got better, we returned to nice, normal, branch-ish activities. Like the annual mandatory reading of our 'fanmail.' People wrote letters to us like children write to Santa Claus.... / Mid: When Fern first told me about it, I was excited... But Cal and the others hated doing it for a reason. / Fern: Another one who wants to have their boss killed, Cal. / Cal: Boss Hit form letter. Wait a sec, I have to make more copies of that one. / Mid: "Deer Kalanorreal, you killd my hammster spuggy I hate you and I hope yor pets die to bye, Mark." Pet death form letter. / Mid: [narrating] The sympathetic ones were perhaps even worse... / Smoke: "Callanerial, we are soul mates. We have not yet met, but I feel like I've known you my entire life, and I am pregnant with your baby.." / Fern: "my mom doesnt get it that Im like a vampyre and stuff. your all like, weird guys so do u have any advice?? love Kristi" / Mid: "Dear Mid, Wow man your really hot but your skin is really gross and turns me way off. Here's a check for plastic surgery!! it's a shame for someone so hot tbe nasty and gray! No need to thank me." / Mid: [narrating] Somewhere along the line Fern explodes... / Fern: What the fuck is WRONG with these IDIOTS?! How do they SURVIVE being this STUPID, HOW do they even know to get up in the morning? HOW DID THEY LIVE THROUGH ADOLESCENCE?! I THOUGHT NATURE WAS SUPPOSED TO SELECT AGAINST PEOPLE LIKE THESE! [etc.] / Cal: I don't know, dear. / Mid: [narrating] ..which lets us know he's feeling better.
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Grayling - Monday, December 29, 2003 - Page 359 [VOICE OVER] / Smoke: Fern was our only real connection to the other branches...The relationships between the secondary elementals has been the most consistent and longlasting source of branch solidarity, strangely enough. So we got a little news of what was happening with the others through him... Unfortunately the news wasn't good.[/VOICE OVER] / Ell: Eight hours of discussion and in the end he decides to throw away the whole project.. / Funa: Well, what can you expect...It's Lem. / Ell: Yeah, but still, he's been more obstinate than ever lately... / Ell: I'm worried about Fola...I asked him to come with us for dinner after the meeting like we always do...He just turned away like he hadn't even noticed me! / Funa: He's just being a prick, Ell. Don't let him hurt your feelings. He can join us when he stops sulking. / Funa: Although...I must say, he's been worse lately. It's not like him to be so depressed he doesn't even get his work done... maybe we should paint him in a corner and get him to talk. / Fern: Don't bother. He doesn't give a damn when /we're/ ill. I say let him suffer. / Funa: Nice /'tude/, Fern. / Viv: Heeeey, I'm starved let's say we get dinner huh?
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Grayling - Wednesday, January 7, 2004 Ell:There is the fact that Fola spends more time with Lem than the rest of us combined... / Funa: So what? Fola likes to work. He's got nothing better to do. / Ell: I'm just saying we should be grateful to him for picking up the slack! / Funa: Slack that wouldn't exist if Lem weren't such a boob. / Fern: I sometimes think Fola and Viv got their primaries switched around... / Viv: Nah, I think things are right where they're supposed to be... / Funa: Viv, you go to Fola's house every couple of years. Does he still live on that godforsaken rock? / / Viv: In his windmill.. Yup. / Ell: We should visit him too, Funa. / Funa: Sorry, Ell, no. the last time I went I nearly froze my arse off. / Fern: Funny how the guy who provides Faidia wiht electricity lives in an unheated, decrepit museum piece a stone's throw away from the south pole. / Viv: He umm, likes his privacy? / Fern: And jealously guards his boredom, too/ There's nothing to DO there. The damp destroyed his books, but he says he's got them memorized anyway...
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Grayling - Thursday, January 8, 2004 Vivian: {Thinking} They've been in there an awful long time... Should I go in? Fola wanted to be reminded when it was 2 o'clock...But he's in there with Lemanerial... / Vivian: {Thinking} Ugh, just do it, you coward. I'm not Lem's minion after all. / Vivian: Sir? / Vivian: Er...Pardon me for interrupting, sirs. Fola, sir, it's 2 o'clock. Are you finished yet? / Lem: Ah. I apologize for keeping him for so long, Vivian--I believe we're about finished here.
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Grayling - Friday, January 9, 2004 Lem: Please wait for us in the hall, Vivian. / Vivian: Yes sir.. / Lem: Well well... Vivian has certainly grown up hasn't she. What a waste...She adores you, you know. / Fola: She adores her work. / Lem: Don't be thick. You ARE her work. / Fola: I've drawn a line between the personal and public realm if you don't mind. / Lem: If you're going to imitate Fern, you might as well do it without failing so spectacularly. How I'd love to actually have a secondary with that much backbone... / Lem: Well, if you're not going to-- / Fola: You have enough minions of your own without harassing mine. You are not to touch her. / Lem: And what if I do? What in the world could you do to stop me? Glare balefully at me? It's about time you grew up, Fola. / Fola: Goodnight sir.
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Grayling - Saturday, January 10, 2004 - Page 363 Vivian: Home and again, sir. / Vivian: The isles's a relief after the Tower, isn't it? There's so little room to breathe there... / Vivian: By the way, do you know what Lem was wearing? I've never seen clothing like that before. / Fola: Mm well...Lem attempts to endear himself to various minority groups through easily mimicked cultural cues...As a result his warddrobe leans towards the eclectic. / Vivian: Does it work? / Fola: To an extent. I'm not sure at times whether Lem creates the fashions or if the fashions create Lem... / Vivian: Heh. It's pretty sad... / Fola: It's made him powerful. / Fola:...Vivian, if you don't mind... I care to speak about something important with you. Will you come up to the mill? / Vivian: {thinking} Why does he even need to ask..? / Vivian: Of course sir. / Fola:...Call me Fola, please.
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