The artist gave a small laugh at that, moving to perch on the arm of the couch. She could feel the tension in the room, though she wasn't sure what was causing it, but she knew that what she had to say probably wouldn't help. It made her smile sympathetic as she looked between the three of them.
"I'm not sure there's a usual way, really. But I'll try."
Her smile faded then, eyes going distant with thought as she tried to sort through the most important details. It made her look older, closer to her actual age than her small frame and pixieish features first implied. "The biggest problem is that we don't really have all the answers. There's a newcomer's guide in the journals that has some, but honestly we're still guessing more often than not.
We aren't sure how we get here. As far as we know, the Malnosso aren't actually responsible for that part of it. Really, they might even be like us, rather than being natives of this world. We do know that, somehow, we end up here in the barrier, where the Malnosso are...elsewhere."
She ticked off thoughts on her fingers...not really answering them in the order of John's questions, but as her mind skipped across them. "There's a war going on between the Malnosso and another group we only know as the Third Party. They hate us, but it's impossible to know why. It could be because we're allied with the Malnosso, even if it is only by chance. Or maybe they're the natives and they think we've invaded. I don't know. None of us do. But the Malnosso like to draft people into the war when they need the help." There was no missing the distaste in her voice at that. Jilly might never have been one for politics, but the people who'd assumed she was a hippie back home wouldn't have been far from the truth if she'd bothered with it. "They don't really distinguish between fighters and civilians, or adults and children. And they don't always give warning."
She sighed. She didn't like this part of the new feather initiation. There were good things here. Magical things. But that didn't change the fact that there were terrible injustices in where they'd found themselves. "There are experiments, too. They're usually called shifts. Sometimes they're just silly. I've woken up and found myself only two inches tall, or not human, and those were harmless enough. They were even kind of fun." She gave the briefest of smiles, but it faded quickly. "But some of the experiments mess with your head. They can make you believe you're someone you're not, or change the way you feel about the people around you. It's temporary, but it's an invasion, all the same."
She shook her head. "Supposedly, the shifts are supposed to be the Malnosso trying to find a way home...but when you see how...odd...a lot of them are, it's hard to see how these could really help."
There was more. So much more. But she pauses to catch her breath and to give them a chance to ask questions.
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"I'm not sure there's a usual way, really. But I'll try."
Her smile faded then, eyes going distant with thought as she tried to sort through the most important details. It made her look older, closer to her actual age than her small frame and pixieish features first implied. "The biggest problem is that we don't really have all the answers. There's a newcomer's guide in the journals that has some, but honestly we're still guessing more often than not.
We aren't sure how we get here. As far as we know, the Malnosso aren't actually responsible for that part of it. Really, they might even be like us, rather than being natives of this world. We do know that, somehow, we end up here in the barrier, where the Malnosso are...elsewhere."
She ticked off thoughts on her fingers...not really answering them in the order of John's questions, but as her mind skipped across them. "There's a war going on between the Malnosso and another group we only know as the Third Party. They hate us, but it's impossible to know why. It could be because we're allied with the Malnosso, even if it is only by chance. Or maybe they're the natives and they think we've invaded. I don't know. None of us do. But the Malnosso like to draft people into the war when they need the help." There was no missing the distaste in her voice at that. Jilly might never have been one for politics, but the people who'd assumed she was a hippie back home wouldn't have been far from the truth if she'd bothered with it. "They don't really distinguish between fighters and civilians, or adults and children. And they don't always give warning."
She sighed. She didn't like this part of the new feather initiation. There were good things here. Magical things. But that didn't change the fact that there were terrible injustices in where they'd found themselves. "There are experiments, too. They're usually called shifts. Sometimes they're just silly. I've woken up and found myself only two inches tall, or not human, and those were harmless enough. They were even kind of fun." She gave the briefest of smiles, but it faded quickly. "But some of the experiments mess with your head. They can make you believe you're someone you're not, or change the way you feel about the people around you. It's temporary, but it's an invasion, all the same."
She shook her head. "Supposedly, the shifts are supposed to be the Malnosso trying to find a way home...but when you see how...odd...a lot of them are, it's hard to see how these could really help."
There was more. So much more. But she pauses to catch her breath and to give them a chance to ask questions.