Jade watched him closely, absorbing his body language and the context.

He was... scared? Her first instinct was to offer a hug, but were hugs welcome in diplomatic situations?

"If you would like, I can detect when people travel to or from a universe. I could speak with your universe and find out very quickly." She sent her mind out into the universe, not speaking directly to any being, but silently feeling for any recent 'wounds'. There were one or two, but they were small, old, and on Earth. She checked further, seeking any others.

She couldn't tell much besides what affected other universes as she checked, eyes jerking around as though in REM-sleep, despite being open. "There are a few instances of hopping on earth in the distant past, to start. I do not believe they were rahn'fehr, though." She continued looking around, but something was pressing at her side, growing more persistent.

"Ugh!" She threw her jacket open to look for whatever might be poking at her, and blinked as she spotted two fists stuck through a portal on the inside of her jacket.

The portal stretched as the wrists pulled apart, and a head of dirty-blond hair emerged, followed shortly by a muscular torso in a long, pocket-covered dark brown coat similar to Jade's, and then long legs wearing tight jeans.

"Nephew Kindall?" Jade slipped back to English as she stared at her now-present relative as the portal snapped supt behind him.
 
The very next moment, Jade felt the air shift around her and the hairs on her skin suddenly stood on end as she realised it was not wind. It was not a change in pressure or movement either, because what she felt was the jarring change of áratídéfíl around her. Inexplicable feelings stirred within her mind for a single moment, ones that somehow made her feel like she was not paid her due of attention, yet at the same time, she was clearly not ignored. It was also akin to that odd experience when one's mother or father were busy with one thing or another, responding to their child with only non-committed motions or noises, except that there clearly was a great deal of attention paid to her too. Maybe the priority of her identity was lower than that of Kinny's? No, that did not describe it either.

She did not have much time to contemplate it as her nephew seemed to suddenly lose all semblance of control over his limbs and started to collapse like a stringless puppet, much to the surprise of Máté, who really did not know what to do with the situation. Of course, he tried to move to rescue the man from collapsing onto the floor, but only Jade was close enough to Kinny to come to his rescue. Hopefully, the tiny woman was fast enough to catch him and even more hopefully, this did not escalate into an incident of some sort.

In the meantime, Kinny suddenly lost all of his senses to something... something. He no longer felt like himself, for his sense of individuality had been replaced with an obelisk of an instrument, a pyramid which reached to the heavens, the surface of which made music. The loud, but unspeakably silent harmony of raindrops that played on uneven surfaces drowned out everything in the background, then it coated him in a layer of haunting beauty. The whole thing felt, no, wrote like the ghosts he had seen before the war. Or were they the ghosts not seen after the war? No matter, because the only thing that counted was the fact that it was supremely beautiful to a degree that he could not ever hope to express, even if he had all the experiences he could ever live.

And to think that whatever created this experience was gracious enough to replace his lost windows to the world with new ones! Granted, they were clad in a thick layer of incomprehensible magnificence which obscured their true nature, but the being was kind enough to interpret for him so that he could never understand them. How could he? The instrument that he became was so much greater than his human self, it held so much more inside it that he could never hope to. He would be happy if he understood a single aspect of it, if he could as much as figure out one letter that made up its unparalelled song that reached to the skies just so it could bring them down for him to experience.

Ultimately, such kindness was lost in the sea of myriads that surrounded him, the unforgettable order of chaos that transcended consciousness, emotion, skin and soul. It was a speck of dust carried by a hurricane of a wind that blew amongst countless stars in the sky. It was an ant that stood in front of a giant amongst skyscrapers. It was a single soldier against the one and only unstoppable enemy. But it was so important. So crucial was that mercy that it was carved into sheets of woolen glass. So central it was that it formed giant pillars of straw which held up thousands of years old monuments. It should have been discarded, but it was held dear, it was cradled against a still heart that refused to beat with a rhythm.

And it was this aching paradox that brought the walls down. Maybe if it had been discarded into the endless vistas of rust that awaited or the fields of beautiful beginnings which closed as if they were flowers which had just finished blooming. The fault lied in the attachment, the endless anchor made of silver along with the ornate chain that lead one back to foregone conclusions played on instruments of steel. It was the thing that drove a wedge between the so perfectly comprehensible world and the one that pretended to be its copy. It was the thing that violently pulled Kinny down back into his body, then left him with an empty void that simply lacked.
 
Kinny stared upward, unaware he had flattened his tiny aunt. His eyes felt wet, and he could hardly move for several long moments. He laid there, even as his aunt squirmed beneath him and scolded him, until finally, he snapped back to reality and shot up.

Jade grunted, then pushed at him. "Nephew Kindall, you are pinning my leg with... your... rear end!"

That finally got through the post-strangeness haze, and he stood, then stared down at his aunt before he grabbed her arm and and pulled her up, then placed her on the chair. " Uh... Sorry... I..." He trailed off, looking around. "Where did it go?" His voice held a tone of loss.

Jade sat where she'd been placed, watching him, then sighed and patted his hand before she looked toward Máté. "I apologize. This is Nephew Kindall. He is a Hunter, and too curious for his own good." She tapped her forehead briefly, but gave no other indication of emotion.

"Auntie?" Kinny looked down at his tiny aunt.

She switched to English, then stood. "Have a seat, Nephew Kindall. That was... áratídéfíl. I can send you home shortly." She returned to óníc. "I can send him home once he has regained his balance. I apologize for the interruption."
 
"We humbly apologise for the trouble we caused," said Máté as he retracted his hands. He had been all too late to have been of any help with the situation at hand, which was not the sign of a good host. But at the same time, not even Two-Stars-Weeks-Away had expected for another humanoid being to step through a newly-opened portal connected to some other universe by the looks of it. While he was thankful for what data they managed to collect from their appearance, he was not quite sure about the guest that appeared out of nowhere. Especially because they did not seem to be able to speak ónic. Jade did not seem pleased by the man's appearance either, however, at least it appeared that she knew him. It turned out he was one of her subordinates.

"We are grateful for the offer, however, given that your nephew comes from another universe, we would like to have him tested for various diseases as well. We humbly apologise for any interference this causes with your operations, however, the safety of Civitatem Lucis' citizens is of paramount importance. If you would like, we can take a brief break for you two to discuss matters between yourselves before we resume our discussion before you are moved to a medical facility." Really, this was a rather shocking scenario. Two multi-versal travellers within a matter of days, both of them speaking an ancient language. One of them hailed from the distant past and was the head of a multi-versal police, the other was an unknown and was from the very same organisation. Any normal person, Máté included, would have started to doubt his senses if this happened to them.

But the people in front of him along with their identities were very much real as Two-Stars-Weeks-Away confirmed for him. They were people who existed far beyond a reasonable doubt and that was comforting. He just wished that there had been some advance warning given about the man called Kindall arriving so he could have prevented this little incident.
 
Well, now it wouldn't be easy to send Kinny home. Once he started meeting new people, he would pursue any reason to stay, and likely just come back if she sent him away. "I understand the importance of keeping your people safe. He will be happy to be tested once I explain to him." She paused, then glanced toward her nephew. "As for a brief break to speak with Kindall, that may be a good idea, if we do not wish him to constantly interrupt with questions." She looked again toward Máté. "Again, I apologize for his interruption, and any troubles his existence causes to you and Two-Stars-Weeks-Away."

Her nephew was, after all, more impossible to them than a demi. At least, as far as she could tell. Then again, to her a demi was a being that could be explained for the most part with science, even if some people refused to believe it. A Hunter? Impossible to explain.

She opted to wait a few moments to let Máté have a say in anything if he needed to.

Kinny, meanwhile, let his eyes dart between Máté and Jade. He wiped at his eyes as he looked around, then spoke when both were quiet. "Hey, Auntie? What language is that? I've never heard it before."

"It is called 'óníc', and it is a constructed language that is very orderly." She kept her answer brief.

"Is it the only language here?"

Jade nodded.

A pause, and then Kinny grinned. "Cool." He sat quietly, looking between his aunt and Máté, eyes bright with interest.
 
"In this case, you may talk with your nephew. We will have questions for you when you are ready to answer them and we hope that we have not caused any inconvenience." There was not a great deal more to say on the matter. Of course, both Máté and Two-Stars-Weeks-Away were curious about various matters, primarily as to how a single man could cause them trouble and how Jade was able to tell that the rahn'fehr have not developed multi-versal travel. If she really was right, then it was a relief beyond Máté's capability for expression, as there was no telling what those insane beings would do with that knowledge. Its implications on their society were even worse; given their penchant for trying to do the literally impossible, it would probably contribute to their insanity.

Such concerns could wait for later. Until Jade and Kinny were finished talking, he would connect to the network of Civitatem Lucis to share the information he had gathered so far about their esteemed guest.
 
Jade nodded to Máté. "You have caused no inconvenience for me." Really, she was the one inconveniencing them, and now Kinny would be, also. As the two went to their own business, she looked to her nephew.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" He stood, his body more capable of managing the gravity than hers. He was muscular, tall, and accustomed to fighting hard and lifting hard.

His aunt lifted one leg like she was going to try to kick his head like she did to any of the Hunters if they did something that could endanger themselves, others, or diplomatic relations. And then, instead of going through with it, she lowered her foot. "You can imagine I kicked you. Your arrival thankfully did not appear to harm anything, but it could have, and that would have put both of us in danger had the people of Civitatem Lucis not been so tolerant."

"Civitatem Lucis?"

"Far future of an S.T. Earth, separated at an unknown point. They don't have their history beyond a certain point. I'm arranging for relations between Civitatem Lucis and Mother."

He nodded, then sighed and signed a few things. Jade signed back, and Kinny's shoulders dropped. "Ok. Should I go home?" He scratched his head.

"No. You're to go with me for medical testing because they want to prevent any disease we might carry from turning into an epidemic."

Kinny stared, then snickered. "Seriously? That's a bit exc-"

"Shut up and deal with it."

"Yes, ma'am," he huffed, then shifted his weight. "Just tell me what to do, who to seduce, who to stab, if we're going like that."

Jade stared up at him for several moments. "You should seduce the floor." It was a joke, but delivered in the same expressionless monotone as the rest of her side of the conversation.

"Yes ma'am." He smirked and began to drop to the floor in front of her.

"Stop that!" She reddened and covered her face. "I am done talking to you," she grumbled.

She looked toward Máté. "Save me from further conversation with my nephew. He intends to seduce the floor."
 
For his part, Máté completely shut out the conversation between Jade and Kinny as he was focused on selecting the important parts of the conversation along with compiling the information so that it could be easily referenced. It was not a difficult process, just tedious as he had to go over various parts of their exchange time and again in order to make sure that he had not missed any important points, especially about the Hunters or the Earth that Jade had come from. Along with Kinny, presumably, because they spoke the same language. Or maybe it could be another Earth or maybe he could have learned the language and oh look the possibilities were giving him a mild headache. He decided that he would ask about it when he was done.

Of course, being so pre-occupied with the details of their conversation, Máté had severed his connection to Two-Stars-Weeks-Away, which may or may not have been a bad idea. It also may or may not have resulted in the soundmason diverting its full and complete attention to these two oh-so-very-strange people while it recorded their interaction, which would no doubt move the soundmason cause forwards. It did not matter that they were from a completely different culture than that of Civitatem Lucis, as all of human interaction was valid in and of itself. There was no need for other justification, for the proper context would make itself known through analysis.

It was not a surprise then, that Two-Stars-Weeks-Away had drawn Máté's attention to when the conversation finished and Jade's quip in ónic that left the man with a peculiar expression before he reconnected with the soundmason, then assumed the diplomatic posture along with the gravitas he held up until know.

"If you would like to be rescued to be further conversation from your nephew," he stated with a straight face, "Then I sincerely hope that we will not overreach our boundaries in asking how you were able to determine the fact that the rahn'fehr do not possess the technology to cross between universes. We are extremely grateful for your assurances, however, we would like to know the grounds on which they rest," he said, summarising his concerns for Jade. Most certainly, the news were incredibly welcome, but they needed to be properly backed up if they were to be of any value.
 
A slight shift in Jade's expression was the man's warning that he would not like her answer. She took a deep breath, let it out, then closed her eyes for a moment. "I spoke with your universe." It was the simplest, yet probably most horrifying way she could answer. She decided more detail would either help or hinder his understanding, but decided the man would surely want to know more, given his curiosity.

"Every universe is sentient. Some take the form of one of their inhabitants for the purpose of living among their creatures to increase understanding. Their subconscious mind and their dreams shape how a world forms, the path of evolution, and the path its sentient creatures take, however those same creatures it leads also lead it and shape how it thinks." She decided not to tell Máté about how she perceived the spirit of this world, or how cold they had been to her questioning in contrast to the welcoming of their people.

Granted, most world spirits didn't much like her anymore, though they respected her for all she'd done for them and in them.

"I apologize if my explanation leaves more questions than answers. It can be a difficult subject."



Kinny stood properly as his aunt put on her 'explaining something you won't like' tone. It was a subtle shift from the usual explaining tone she used. He turned his attention to the hottie who appeared to have a stick up his ass, and his eyes roamed freely. He glanced at his aunt, shrugged, then decided he'd turn up the charm with a broad, warm smile. Smiles were pretty multi-universal.

To be honest, he'd be pleased to tap or be tapped by that tall drink.
 
The world seemed to come to a halt with Jade's answer and its explanation. It did not go against any particular path of thought within Civitatem Lucis; it instead chose to target every single one of them as it was widely understood that the universe was not sapient. The various laws of physics existed with or without the acknowledgement of any sapient intelligence and there was absolutely no need to be something intelligent behind it all. Could it be possibly a problem with the translation along with the limited tools of language? No, Jade knew what she was talking about, of that, both Máté and Two-Stars-Weeks-Away were absolutely certain. She was aware of the absurdity of her statement all the while she was saying it.

It was exceptionally difficult to swallow it as truth, so much that both Jade and Kinny could feel a shift in the feeling that enveloped them like a warm blanket. Had this occured many thousand years ago, certain groups of people would have shouted 'AHA! We were right!' at the top of their lungs, but as it stood, Máté sat on his throne with a blank expression on his face as he processed this. He could not dismiss the hypothesis outright of course, yet the scientist in him was practically screaming its little head off that he should object to this piece of absolute nonsense. How could something that showed no signs of sentience be so?

"I believe that this issue may be something we will need to discuss in the future," he chose to reply, shoving aside the concerns of Two-Stars-Weeks-Away, because if they went into the details of this issue, they would be here all day long. "However, we would like to know if there is any way to recieve some sort of tangible reassurance of the rahn'fehr having not developed inter-universal travel. While we have no reason to doubt your word, we are confident that this concern will be raised and there will be people who will question you on this subject." Even worse, they could not keep the existence of the multi-verse private as any visit to a soundmason would reveal it right away, so the concern would be raised immediately. So Máté sincerely hoped that Jade would be able to present some form of reassurance other than her word that she was right.
 
Jade closed her eyes to think again. "Perhaps if you had people capable of viewing the majority of your universe all at once, who could detect alterations to reality itself, or the technology to do so. My mother has a device that allows for viewing alterations to reality, but I do not believe it would be effective for Civitatem Lucis, because its display interface relies on knowledge of a coding language likely long-dead." She opened her eyes. "The best I can offer is the Multiverse's assurance that the rahn'fehr have not been found in any other universe, nor in the areas between. I do not feel the presence of the beings you described anywhere else, though some worlds have similar peoples."

She hoped that wasn't too much for the man. The function of the multiverse was hard to grasp for minds that were too far entrenched into science and logic.


Kinny stuffed his hands into his pocket and let his attention wander, Clearly this was a talk among the 'grown-ups' and he had nothing to contribute, unless he wanted to give his aunt wet-willies, which didn't seem like a good idea. He had a growing sensation of being watched, though, and his nose felt tingly, even if it wasn't bleeding. He wiggled his nose side to side to ease that itch. "Can I explore?," he whispered.


Jade glanced at him, then shook her head 'no' before she returned her attention to Máté.
 
That was not the answer that Máté had been hoping for. He really hoped that Jade would be able to provide some sort of evidence that backed up her statement so that they would not have to rely on the reassurance of a single person, but as it stood, her claim could not be verified by any means that he knew of. Two-Stars-Weeks-Away agreed, however, the soundmason seemed to be content with the explanation for reasons that were beyond the Ruler's understanding at the moment. It had something with áratídéfíl and the way it changed when she supposedly observed the universe, because there was a slight, barely percievable change in her that he failed to notice. The recording would have to be examined more closely.

"We do not know if that will be enough to reassure the concerns of our people," said Máté after a brief pause. "However, we will have to trust your word and prepare for the worst-case scenario." In other words, the military will have to allocate more staff to observatories and make sure that they watched all corners of the sky for a while. At least until the initial wave of panic died off or until they got some more tangible proof that this was the case. Maybe they would have to seek a rahn'fehr fleet out in order to capture their technology, which was not as easy as it sounded.

"We are extremely grateful for your patience and assistance," he continued. "However, is it possible for you to give us a more detailed explanation as to how your information was obtained? We are not sure how to interpret your words, however, we are certain that you have not misspoken in your previous explanation. We would especially like to inquire about the sentience of universes, because according to all of our experiments so far, the substance of space shows no sign of intelligence." And because if he could not have another reliable source for this information, then he was going to make sure that he vaguely understood how it was obtained. Two-Stars-Weeks-Away agreed with the sentiment.
 
Short of summoning the world spirit to this place, Jade was uncertain how to approach. The spirit, she doubted, would welcome being thrust into such a spotlight. Most were quite upset when she had revealed them in the past, and many had the capability to control their denizens, even against their will, for a short period—long enough that Jade could be put into danger. "I spoke to your universe's sense of self, and was informed that I was the only to come or go in, as the universe put it, several centuries. They refused an exact time period, or the details of the alluded-to previous contact outside of the universe."

If she could bring her Aunt Luna, this could be explained simply, however, she'd already had one intrusion that had disturbed the conversation. She was on her own, especially since the only thing Kindall was good for at this moment was standing beside her and 'looking pretty'.

"It is difficult to explain, but my relationship with the universe-selves is the same as a body and its parts. I am the whole, and they are each parts that possess their own sentience," she explained, then tapped her head. "I do not think that comparison was very good."

She thought a few moments, brow furrowed slightly, before she lifted her head. "It is more similar to a council. They are the members, and I am both leader and the building in which they convene."

That sounded... vaguely more accurate. The rest of the comparison would likely sound insulting, though. She doubted anyone present wanted to be compared to intelligent microbes.



Kindall tried his hardest to stay still, but understanding nothing led only to boredom, and it ate at him. He tried to distract himself by looking around, but eventually settled his gaze onto Máté.

Man, he was pretty. If he didn't have such a serious expression, Kinny would have already climbed onto his lap, but as it was... well, both Máté and Jade were being somber, and Jade again had that look of being forced to explain something she didn't think the asker would understand.

Kinny pushed his curls from his face and let his eyes wander again, only to find them plastered awkwardly on Máté's crotch. He yanked his gaze away and turned to one side as he pursed his lips, then bit down on both to try and distract himself.
 
The first part, Máté could vaguely understand. If he accepted the premise of the universe being sentient, then if Jade could talk to it, it could tell her if the rahn'fehr have discovered multiversal travel. If he did not accept those premises, then he could still live with the fact that she had some unique insight into the workings of the cosmos that could tell her if there has been an incursion into a certain universe or an excursion into another one. It was incredibly easy to stomach that given her position as the head of a multiversal peace-keeping organisation that concerned itself with matters similar to the current one. They would have likely developed or came across some method of detection so they could keep track of troublemakers.

It was the second part of the explanation that gave the problem.

So many problems, in fact that áratídéfíl changed in a tangible manner. Jade would suddenly feel as if she was being lifted up by her ankles while she somehow remained completely upright and her spine also started feeling tingly. Of course, that did not do any justice to the completely disorentiating feeling that seemed to grow from somewhere on her person which was nowhere on her person at the same time. Fortunately, at least her sense of balance would hold up under the stress, but she would feel as if everything around her was constantly wobbly. Even more fortunately, the absolutely bizzare combination of emotion and sensation only lasted a couple of seconds. It withdrew before it could do any serious damage.

But the air had definitely changed. There was something intangible in it that made its presence known nevertheless in the vague feeling that it left behind as well as Máté's words.

"We... We are not sure how to pursue this venue of inquiry. Are we correct in believing that you have not misspoken and that you have not substituted words which we do not have with different ones?" he asked, because he had to know. Was this woman stark raving mad? No, Two-Stars-Weeks-Away dismissed that thought outright. She was stable and indirectly telling them that she somehow was the entirety of the multiverse in some fashion.
 
The tiny woman squawked at the sense of being lifted up and shook around. Her eyes widened as she struggled through the sensation, and then it ceased, and she blinked and slowly worked through the sensation. "I appear to have confused you." She murmured to Two-Stars-Weeks-Away as her mind worked through sorting sensation from actuality. It took her several moments before she could address Máté's question.

Oh. She'd been trying to avoid that topic of being the Multiverse. Clearly, it was too late now.

"I am not mistaken. I am host to the multiverse itself. I was given the position thirty six years ago by my predecessor, Multiverse Beryl, and will pass the duties on similarly when I reach such a point as I no longer live in awe of my domain. The host to the multiverse must be capable of learning, growth, and wonder, or her inhabitants will also lack those abilities."

She sounded so full of herself, she was sure. At least, in a way, she was easing them into knowing her full identity. They appeared to be taking it well, despite the áratídéfíl spike of confusion.

Kinny, while not the focus of that bit of áratídéfíl, could perceive part of it. "What just happened? Was that the áratídéfíl still doing things to you, Auntie?"

"Yes. It is fine. I... confused one of our hosts. More than likely both, but Máté, the one who you have been looking at so intently, hides his emotions well." Jade answered quickly before her attention returned to Máté and Two-Stars-Weeks-Away. She was sure they could record and later translate her conversation with Kindall, so refrained from offering translation. Besides, knowing linguistic historians herself, like Prince Nilh from Pehl-la, they needed things to do now and then.

"Máté, huh? He's hot." Kinny's eyes narrowed as his smile grew, appreciatively eyeing the Ruler.

"Put your libido away for a few minutes."

"It's January back home." He huffed.

Jade ignored that.
 
It took all of Máté's willpower and every single ounce of influence he had with the soundmason to stop it from initiating certain processes. The previous display of confuison may have been within acceptable parameters, but he most definitely did not want to leave his guest in an absolutely catatonic state while Two-Stars-Weeks-Away attempted to figure out what was real and what was not. It had been an incredibly difficult task, especially considering that he had his own emotions to fight with. He triumphed nevertheless and while none of his guests would get to know what kind of experience they were just rescued from, he had to imagine them thanking him from the bottom of their hearts in order to remain stable.

Then it was time to digest that absurd statement of hers which blatantly went against pretty much every chain of logic that he could construct. He mangled with its meaning for quite a long time before suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head. He was an envoy of something much greater than human, was he not? Therefore, it was not unreasonable to assume that the being called Jade who stood before him was also something along those lines. Judging by her explanation so far, it seemed to make a vague sort of sense, especially if he accepted the hypothesis that universes were sentient.

When he started from that assumption and ignored the incomprehension of Two-Stars-Weeks-Away, it did make a very vague sort of sense. Even non-sentient living beings expanded in their space of living and more to the point, they wanted to continue existing. If universes are sentient, then it is reasonable to assume they would form some sort of a loose hierarchy or organisation that ensured their continued existence. Just like humanity did at the start of its civilization. This hypothesis hinged on too many loose points, of course, however, it was logically sound as soon as the premises were accepted.

Sometimes, that was the first step to something greater than before.

"Are we correct to assume then," said Máté as he lowered his hand that he had been resting on his forehead, "That you are a representative of the multiverse's desire to survive and avoid heat death?" Please, for the love of everything that was reasonable and scientific, let the answer be yes, he thought as he prepared for the consequences.
 
Jade had not realized she was holding her breath until Máté asked after her meaning. For a few moments, relief colored her features. "Yes, that is correct." There was more than that, however: it was also the desire to continue hosting life, but she wasn't certain how much Máté could take of this discussion.

In a way, she was more advanced than them, for understanding more of how the multiverse worked, and Máté and Civitatem Lucis were advanced in their way, which meant the things they could observe and manipulate. They were both puzzled by the other, and at least they weren't all-knowing.

At least there was that.

After a few moments, Kinny spoke up again. "Auntie, you're being nice, right?"

She glanced back and nodded.

"He looks about to shit himself."

Jade sighed, then looked back. "I am so glad you can tell, Nephew Kindall. I had no idea."

The young man winced, but grinned as his aunt directed her attention back to their host.
 
That was a little bit of a progress. Granted, Máté nearly got a headache from the countless questions of Two-Stars-Weeks-Away and he had to wrangle with it for several long seconds before he managed to return to the real world. By then, his guests were surely thinking him to be quite rude, so he chose to explain the situation to them.

"We humbly apologise for this great break in the dialogue, but we ask you to consider that you are telling us something that we find to be unbelievable. At the same time, we have no reason to doubt your words or be skeptical about your claims, because as far as we are aware, you are telling the truth. We hope that one day, we will be able to bridge this gap between our understanding and talk about this subject in greater depth." It was a sincere wish. He really wanted to be able to somehow explain all of this, then fit it into the views of Civitatem Lucis along with that of the soundmasons. It was not easy to negotiate with Two-Stars-Weeks-Away on this front and he only managed to do it by saying that they would need the entire council to see if they could figure something out. And that, they could not summon with a guest here.

"We, however, have one question. Are you aware of where the multiverse acquires its energy from in order to prevent entropy? Furthermore, has the structure of the multiverse been discovered or analysed? Or is it tédésna like some of your people?" Hopefully, these questions would not overwhelm Jade. Máté really was not sure if he wanted to ask them in the first place because his intuition told him that he would not like the answer. However, soundmasons were not bound by such things.
 
Jade didn't know why Máté felt the need to apologize, but she simply accepted it. Perhaps pausing was rude? Uncertain, the tiny woman decided to ask later, since the man was still speaking. For now, she listened.

Neither him nor Two-Stars-Weeks-Away could comprehend, though it didn't take Kindall to see that they wished to delve into the mysteries of the multiverse, to understand them, to utilize them. Finally, he reached two questions, though he mentioned only one. Somehow, it amused her, but she kept still and nodded, ready to answer.

"The two questions have answers that are closely linked, though my best explanation will require me to draw a diagram and utilize..." She paused, then used the English. "Metaphors."

Already she had one in mind. Certainly, Civitatem Lucis knew of thread, needles, wheels, and spokes. It was the most basic of technologies. If they didn't, they truly had forgotten much.

She looked toward Kindall and spoke in English. "Do you have a large sketch pad?"

He nodded, then pulled from one pocket a carabiner hung with loops of yarn. A beaded tell hung off, and for a few moments, Kindall fiddled with the beads along the tail, then unhooked the carabiner and flung it against the floor.

Jade smacked herself in the forehead. "I meant with you."

"My pockets aren't that big!"

"If they can hold-" She cut off as she felt a growl in her throat, then took a deep breath and let it out. "Nevermind."

The other side of the portal showed a bedroom. The walls were painted deep red, and a fancy runner decorated the tops. The floor, gleaming hardwood, played host to not only a thick woven rug, but a large plush bed, a desk with a laptop, a bulky office chair on wheels, and a dresser. Three doors were visible, all of them closed, and the young man stood inside, looking around, before he threw open one and reached in, then withdrew a pad of paper as large as his torso.

Up he threw it, through the portal to land with a clap at Jade's feet before he jumped through as well and picked up the edge of the portal. The moment it stopped laying flat, the vision of the room below vanished, and he wound it up about the carabiner once more.

Jade stroked one of her braids. "You are going to stress our hosts."

"Sorry." He offered a lopsided grin and waved briefly before he sat and opened the pad, then flipped through several pages of rough, pornographic sketches done in graphite. The anatomy was terrible in the beginning, but grew better towards the end, until he finally got to an empty page and folded the rest back, then held it up for his aunt.

The tiny woman glanced toward Máté with brief concern on her face before she switched back to a language he could understand. "I apologize. I had hoped he had paper larger than my notepad in one of his pockets. He thought I meant something this large. A misunderstanding."
 
Surprisingly, neither the portal, nor the nude drawings did any damage. For the former, both Two-Stars-Weeks-Away and Máté have seen a similar phenomenon. They had agreed to consider it tédésna, then submit it for the other pairs for review with all of the data they could get on it. Indeed, this was only furthering the information they had at hand even though this sort of portal had a different reading than before. As for the latter point, the soundmason was not interested while the Ruler himself had seen better. As long as his guests did not start to have sex right in front of him plus they took responsibility for their actions, their private tastes or collections were of no importance.

On second thought, the former could be acceptable. It would only not be if he was asked to join in, because he had committed his life to a beautiful and lovely woman.

"Your apology is not necessarry," said Máté. "You have not committed any offense. Please continue with your explanation, as we would like to have an answer for this most strange mystery." Of course, it was not really a mystery and he was unlike to understand the explanation. Two-Stars-Weeks-Away, however, was completely different and it could be felt in the air. The áratídéfíl in the room was going through an incredibly subtle shift. It almost felt as if Jade and Kinny were being watched by benevolent eyes.