Walking and talking, waxing philosophical. Suddenly they hear the shriek of a couatl behind them. They run, but they know they can't outrun couatls. They pass a tree that has been struck by lightning or something, has a huge fissure down the center of it. They climb into the hollow, and Jonah uses the bios shard to close the tree around them. Cracking, popping, little puffs of dust with each snap before darkness surrounded them and they could see only a sliver of light--a single mote-- shining through from a gap in their covering. Hidden in the womb of the tree, robed in perfect night though daylight surrounded them on every side. They clasp hands in the dark, their breath coming in stifled gasps. Patrol comes searching. "We know you're here somewhere. You might as well just come out now, because if you go wasting our time, we might just have to tell our officers that we found you dead in the woods." Tear illuminated on Kara's cheek as
Kara, you have to understand some things about Khaios before we get there. I don't want you to be confused or hurt or anything, because there, people act differently than in Shibboleth or Secra. They're going to treat you differently.
I mean, I think I can handle it. If it's about skin, then I've seen it before, both in Secra and in Shibboleth.
The thing is, in Khaios, they're not going to treat you the same as they treat me. They're going to assume things about you, and most of them won't take the time to find out if those things are true. They're going to think you're something less than you really are, and they're going to hate you for being different than their expectations. I mean, I guess you've seen how the Uppers respond, but people like you--your own people, essentially--are going to hate you for being different and for not wanting to be the same as them. They're going to say things. They're going to call you things, and I don't want it to get to you.
(Maybe here is a good place to have the bird come through the bushes)
There was silence for a moment as the two walk. She thanks him.
Khaios comes into view through the trees. Kara takes off running "Woah! It goes on forever! Why didn't you tell me it was this amazing?"
"Wait, you mean you've never seen Khaios before?"
"No, of course not! We weren't ever supposed to go near it."
"So when I was leaving Khaios--"
"--I was trying to sneak a glimpse, yeah."
"I guess I just don't get how you could have lived so close to it all your life and never seen it."
"Well you of course had an extraordinary knowledge of Secra, even though you apparently lived farther from Secra than the people of Secra did from Khaios."
Jonah's face lit up with a laugh. "I guess you're right. I hadn't really thought about it that way before. I've always kind of seen Khaios as the center of everything, but I guess in the end, whatever world you live in, that's the one that really exists for you."
Kara, you have to understand some things about Khaios before we get there. I don't want you to be confused or hurt or anything, because there, people act differently than in Shibboleth or Secra. They're going to treat you differently.
I mean, I think I can handle it. If it's about skin, then I've seen it before, both in Secra and in Shibboleth.
The thing is, in Khaios, they're not going to treat you the same as they treat me. They're going to assume things about you, and most of them won't take the time to find out if those things are true. They're going to think you're something less than you really are, and they're going to hate you for being different than their expectations. I mean, I guess you've seen how the Uppers respond, but people like you--your own people, essentially--are going to hate you for being different and for not wanting to be the same as them. They're going to say things. They're going to call you things, and I don't want it to get to you.
(Maybe here is a good place to have the bird come through the bushes)
There was silence for a moment as the two walk. She thanks him.
Khaios comes into view through the trees. Kara takes off running "Woah! It goes on forever! Why didn't you tell me it was this amazing?"
"Wait, you mean you've never seen Khaios before?"
"No, of course not! We weren't ever supposed to go near it."
"So when I was leaving Khaios--"
"--I was trying to sneak a glimpse, yeah."
"I guess I just don't get how you could have lived so close to it all your life and never seen it."
"Well you of course had an extraordinary knowledge of Secra, even though you apparently lived farther from Secra than the people of Secra did from Khaios."
Jonah's face lit up with a laugh. "I guess you're right. I hadn't really thought about it that way before. I've always kind of seen Khaios as the center of everything, but I guess in the end, whatever world you live in, that's the one that really exists for you."