Pantheon

Iolie's Place

"...and, and look!" Thess exclaims, flipping the suncatcher over to show the glass-paneled front to the circle of parents. "See, it stores the sunlight from being outside all day and you can keep the light to use later!"

"It's so cool!" Iolie crows. "Isn't this the coolest thing you've ever seen?"

"It's certainly up there," one of Iolie's mothers smiles, although Thess sees the certain lack of fervor in her eyes. She doesn't really understand.

It's not like that's surprising. People don't really understand Thess's inventions, except Iolie, and random people in the Into the Unknown marketplace that they sometimes sell to. Most of the time it's okay.

"How does it work?" asks a father.

Thess beams. "Magic!"

"Ah, of course."

Okay, Iolie's dad, what else exactly would it work wi – Thess pushes the thought down. They're on-Realm. They have to be nice and enjoy themself.

Iolie hasn't noticed the barely noticeable (and largely internal) conflict unfolding beside him, way too excited by being with his family for the first time in years. He's stuffing himself with home-cooked Rriu seacakes and chattering away to all twentysomething of his siblings with ease, even the new ones that he hasn't even met before, which is an impressive trait in a Called.

The trade routes of the temples mean that they enter a Realm around six times a year, but some places on-Realm go more than a decade without seeing the same temple. Iolie hasn't seen his family in five years, back when he was just nine. Thess hasn't seen theirs since they were seven, all of nine years ago, before Iolie was even Called.

So visits like this are really rare, and Thess has to be nice or Iolie will be mad at them (and then they won't get to go to the library). One of his siblings, they think one of the newer ones, grabs the suncatcher and turns it around in her webbed hands. "Does it go underwater?"

"Of course! I think it would work better up here, though, cause there's more sunlight."

"Oh. I just want to show it to Momma and everyone."

Thess grins. "You can! You can come with us next mo – after next sleep."

Rriu's other sentient species, the seadwelling People of the Mer, have a closer relationship with the humans on their Realm than any other nonhumans besides the Myriad. They hold a comfortable alliance with the humans, sharing knowledge and trade and sometimes bloodlines. Iolie's family, with all its confusing blurry lineages and different hierarchies depending on what species you are, is maybe half Merlie altogether.

Iolie's family in the surface village of Alaru is all here, but the rest of his family, the ones who inherited gills instead of lungs or both, are below in the unpronounceable Merlie city, known as Colony 68. Iolie's going to visit them after next sleep, what Thess would call morning if not for Rriu's 48-hour days. Thess might stop by, but what they're really excited for is the Colony library.

"Have you been to the library before?" they ask the sister that still has their suncatcher.

"Yeah, how come your skin is all tan? It looks like sand. And why's your hair so long?"

Thess grins, resisting the urge to bounce in excitement. They love when they get to answer questions and not just ask them. "I'm from Shyrn, and they don't have any sun over there. And I don't go swimming as m – "

"Is it cause magic makes your hair get long?" asks a different sibling. They're bored now that the meal's mostly over, and the adults are just talking.

"No, silly, or Iolie's h – "

"Did you used to be a girl like Iolie?" asks another one. Rriu's strict social hierarchy adheres to more of a boy/girl dichotomy than most Realms, so sometimes the kids don't understand the concept of being not one or the other like Thess. The sister passes the suncatcher to a sticky toddler, who immediately starts banging it on the table.

"Hey! No smashing!" Thess lunges across the circle, nearly plunging their hand into a bowl of sauce, and grabs it. "Nah, actually – "

"What else can you make?"

"This one time I made a h – "

"Why do you want to go to the library?"

"There's not a library on the temple!"

"Whaaat?!" The sister sounds scandalized. "Where do you learn stuff then?"

"Come on, kid! We're Auricant's Called – mystery and questions are in our nature!" That's what they've always known.

"Then how come you want to go to the library so bad?"

"Well..." Thess trails, off, unsure how much to say. "I guess – mystery and questions are less in my nature than most."

"So you're gonna abandon us in the Colony for the library, huh?" Iolie calls across the circle.

"Haha, probably!" they call back.