The Ascension

18: Dues

 A switch up in narrative tone is usually a good idea for dramatic scenes, but this isn't one in particular. What happens is mostly conversation and a boat ride, and then some walking. No one has an emotional breakdown. No one dies. It's all very tame.

Still, isn't it nice to shake things up?

It was never very clear what Eii was, and the assumption she even had a race or a home planet was typically made without her consultation. The only definitive truth about her was what could be observed: she was an awfully skilled shape shifter, and could quite easily weave life together with her hands like she was directing a symphony.

Ikina changed appearance with such random frequency that only those who had known them in the beginning- that is, Eii- knew what they 'really' looked like. Really is in quotes there, as, naturally, Ikina is a fluid organism who lacks a true form.

But when they were young, they looked a certain way that only Eii knew.

Eii always looked the same. She dressed the same too. Pink. Kind of alien, kind of average. Clothing is constant in the universe, and numerous planets all developing it at once have had some overlap.

Eii liked suits. Suits weren't something that developed on every planet, but certainly in the infinity of space, there were more than a couple designers out there. She looked sort of awful, but again, in the infinity of space, it really wasn't fair to go about judging anyone's appearance.

All of this has been preface for one sentence: Eii was dressed in human skin when she came for Aster, but her clothes caused quite a stir regardless. Not a big enough confusion that anyone stopped her from waiting at the shore for the Aeian warship to dock, and again she walked quite unimpeded to join the procession as they were unloaded.

There was an assumption that she knew what she was doing, and a further one that her outfit was in some way relevant to this world- perhaps a new fashion from the First City?

Her promised dues ex machina was no more exciting than having a conversation with one of the chief guards and lying about who she was. Then she was allowed to walk a little closer to the prisoners.

"Ey." She said. Anyone could be listening, but she wasn't being very discreet.

"Ey?" Aster replied.

"It's Eii. We're here to assist you."

"You're doing the plural thing again."

"I like doing the plural thing. See- We are here to assist you. Take you where you need to go once you've seen what you need to see."

"Please don't be cryptic."

"I like being cryptic."

"This is the bald hyper girl from space you were talking about, right?" Senya asked.

"She wasn't bald." Wren quickly corrected. "She was described as having wispy hair."

Eii blinked blankly. This part of the conversation did not interest her. "You'll be here for as long as I'd like you to be here. Then I will take you quite instantly to Ae-ah in order for you to complete your thing."

"So you're in favor of trying to prevent Ikina's death?"

"I'm in favor of everything you're in favor of. I'm here to help."

"You're not very useful."

"I'm actually just very subtle."