OOM: The Princess Bride with Autor

[sunbaked_baker]

The shortening days of November mean that 'evening' starts early in Milliways.

"Here we go," Rae says with good cheer, cradling a big bowl of popcorn in her arms as she holds open the door to her room, to let Autor bring the drinks in. "I think we're set."

Comments

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae hugs him back, tightly. Even though she knows he is moving to Milliways, beyond the reach of war, she can feel tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She refuses to let them show. "You're welcome - you're always welcome."

Reluctantly, she lets him go. "The, um, the flat one - if you take them out of the pouches, you'll see - the flat metal one is an anti-crushed-by-flying-metal ward. It's designed to lie along the sole of one's boot. The little metal loop with the signs etched in it - in the other pouch - is a seeing-things-clearly charm. It... well, does what it sounds like it does."

[herr_bookman]

"Neat," Autor says cheerfully, already opening up the pouch with the anti-crushed-by-flying-metal ward, and toeing off his shoe. "That's fantastic. I always like beneficial magic, so thank you! I'll have to find a way to keep these on me always."

He places the ward inside his boot and slips it back on. "How will I know when they're working?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"Um... you might feel them," Rae motions vaguely to her head. His good cheer wrests a smile from her. "Sometimes, with wards, you can feel them paying attention. Like a light, background buzz in your mind."

"The seeing-things-clearly ward is designed to be worn as a necklace pendant, or hanging from... whatever piece of clothing you might want to hang it from."

She knows Raven designed it to hang from helmet straps, but she didn't feel like mentioning those right now.

[herr_bookman]

"Interesting," Autor says, inclining his head. "Well, I'll find a use for these someday, I'm sure. Who knows, they might save my life someday. I appreciate this, Rae, I really do. Thank you."

[sunbaked_baker]

"You are always welcome, Autor. While I'd much rather your life not need saving, no one ever gets a say in that," Rae says, hugging him again, on impulse. "Like any wards, these are for 'just in case they're needed,' with the hope that they won't ever be needed."

If she isn't there to keep him safe, the wards and her hopes are all she can send with him.