tushanshu | [video]

[There's an immaculate red-headed woman seated at what's obviously a Wood Sector console, the dark tones of the wooden walls setting her pale skin and fiery hair off to good effect. By contrast, her expression is cool--fairly pleasant, but Morwen is not impressed by your turtle and also is not one to hide her feelings.]

Hello to anyone who might be seeing this. [She's new to the concept of broadcast communications.] My name is Morwen and I've recently arrived. I haven't yet explored the city, and I thought I'd ask before wasting my time doing what's already been done. [She adjusts a distinctive pair of rectangular wire-rim glasses. Morwen does not approve of wasting time.]

How do I go about finding plants that are the same as the ones I'm familiar with? There are gardens here, but I don't recognize many of the cultivars. If I'm going to be trapped, I don't object to growing my own from seed, but I have specific requirements, and substitutions are...tricky.

[Magic is like that. Morwen doesn't mention she's a witch, but she's not quite clear on just how wide a spectrum of worlds are represented--or even on the concept of multiple universes--and thinks it's obvious she's asking after magical supplies.]

If anyone knows where to come by unicorn water and the like, that wouldn't go amiss, either. [And that would remove any doubt she's a magic user...if there were anyone else from her world here. She smiles, a little tightly, but it's genuine enough given how annoyed she is with what's befallen her.]

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to making your acquaintance. [She nods politely to the screen before disconnecting. Courtesy never hurts.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The discussion of plants was enough to pique her interest. But the unicorn water really gave it away.]

How specific?

Very. Substitutions can have unpredictable side effects.

[Enchantment is a tricky business.

Pause. You're really supposed to introduce yourself, kid.]

With whom am I speaking?

[She was getting to that.]

I'm Zatanna.

You might want to check with the locals, but something tells me you're not going to find the same plants you're used to wherever your from.

[Morwen nods at the introduction.]

That's...unfortunate.

[It's clear she actually means "unacceptable."]

Maybe you could use the opportunity to find some new ones?

[She's also trying to be subtle. Determining if her suspicions were true.]

Wouldn't it be more prudent to run comparisons between anything in your possessions and the local flora with a kedan in the right market? The taxonomic rank here is touched to put it mildly, but I wouldn't call a little ground work a waste of time.

I don't disagree, but if someone else has already done the groundwork, sharing the results is even less time wasted.

[She's assuming everyone is from her world, and thus that there might be another spellcaster who's already done the footwork. Morwen doesn't shy from hard work, but she despises unnecessary work.

It occurs to her that Miranda might be objecting to something else, and she adds:]

I'm willing to provide something in return for the information. I'm sure a fair bargain could be worked out.

[She ain't making any firm offers right off. That way lies unintended headaches.]

[ Ah; this was more her neck of the woods when Morwen wanted to broker. ]

It's not my field, but with samples I can give you what you need to know. Call it a favour I'll shelve for a rainy day. Plants are far less complicated than the human genome so I while I don't have the expertise I do have the equipment.

[Pause while Morwen considers that unfamiliar word...and comes up empty, since the Latin stem isn't nearly enough information.]

"Genome?"

[ Im defense of Morwen, Miranda should have picked up on this at 'unicorn water'. ]

I'm a scientist.

[Morwen is frowning at the screen with the expression of a person who is trying very hard to understand someone who's not making a lot of sense.]

"One who knows?" I'm not familiar with that school.

[She's leaning on her Latin real hard in this conversation. Also she thinks Miranda just told her what kind of magic she practices. Sounds kinda arrogant, but Morwen's too polite to call that out this early in their acquaintanceship.]

Edited 2012-12-04 16:45 (UTC)

[ Miranda has since learned that first impressions were helpful in a new environment with little to fall back on. With unaffected composure she doesn't even sigh however exhausting what she thought would be a simple conversation was. ]

I think we might have reached a cultural or language barrier of some sort.

It certainly seems that way.

[She's used to being able to interpret the worst gobbledygook a theorist can throw at her, too.]

Perhaps if you explained what a genome is?

[Morwen understands the basic principles of heredity, since she has cats and gardens extensively, but the idea of DNA is going to be Greek to her. Or worse than Greek, since she can muddle through a page of Greek text.]

... unicorn water.

[ a pause ]

I suppose nothing should sound too farfetched, here.

Edited 2012-12-05 03:01 (UTC)

[A moment of looking over the tops of her glasses.]

What would you call water a unicorn has dipped its horn into, young man?

In fabled context? Purified.

In the hypothetical, inefficient.

In my opinion: unsanitary.

My name is Damian. I strongly suspect the entire question you are posing might be complicated by the fact that you probably come from a world different than most of us.

So the flora and fauna you know would be unlike both the one here and the one we know.

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