Hitting the Road

[seat_five_girl]

It took a fair bit of asking around after she managed to connect with Claudia-san on T-Minus but Ako is off to find Fairy Fixit-san.

Milliways exists and is, kinda, sorta, back to normal.

Comments

[not_my_sandbox]

Fairy Fixit, it so happens, is fixing something outside the mill.

Funny thing about Zanaris is that there isn't much of a wind or breeze there. Ever. Which is odd, since the fairies there, in addition to spiriting away discarded teeth and providing some interdimensional travel and delivery routing, also control the weather to some measure on other planes.

They must not like the wind.

The fairies, being a practical people, decided to power their mill using a cow on a vertical exercise wheel. Instead of something more horizontal and carousel-like.

Watch for falling cowpies!

[seat_five_girl]

And that would be reason #114 to keep your mouth closed while looking up.

"Fixit-san? I've got some news about Milliways!"

Ako has her T-Minus handset out and in one hand, ready to show.

[not_my_sandbox]

The news (well, news about the news, anyhow) causes Fixit to drop what she was working on, but after a momentary dive-bomb, her work is saved.

"Oh, good, nothing broken. So, news of MilliwaysHUH WHATHOW?"

[seat_five_girl]

"See!"

The handset is waved too quickly to be read. There are things on it though. Maybe even words.

"There's this text message system that one of the patrons set up and it won't work without there being a Milliways. And Claudia-san says things are mostly better again."

[not_my_sandbox]

Up and down and up and down.

The tiny fairy tries to keep up with the device in an attempt to read it, but it is all for naught.

Mostly.

After catching her breath, "Is that a magic self writing book type thing? Why didn't you tell me you had one?"

Ako, you have earned yourself a very stern look.

[seat_five_girl]

"You never asked!"

Quieter: "And it needs Milliways to work at all."

And between the world devourers, the black hole coming in etc. and so on...

[not_my_sandbox]

She's thinking.

"You know, that thing probably has a record of where and when Milliways is. It isn't were it was before. Will be ... before this stuff happened. Will happen."

Gosh, it is hard to keep correct verb tense. Time travel is so complicated.

"May I fiddle around with it?"

[seat_five_girl]

Ako sympathizes, really. She also stops and bites her lower lip in thought.

"Carefully, please," she says, "I don't have a spare with me and it needs some food once in a while to keep working. Do you have anything sweet?"

Not teeth you see, so high calorie syrups are the way to go.

[not_my_sandbox]

"Hmm, I suppose mango juice might work." Wait, how does this thing eat?

[seat_five_girl]

"That'll probably be okay."

There is an opening in the back to the slime reservoir you press to turn it on if you look closely. After that it is all touch screens and mildly psychic snarking software.

[not_my_sandbox]

A couple of hours later...

(Well, after some weirdo named OmniscientSavant started trolling AnomalousApportation about how the device was giving away their position ahuehuehuehuehue)

Tlap', Fairy Fixit, and an unfamiliar, particularly long haired fairy meet Ako in a large open space.

"Well, we figured out where and when Milliways is and a possible way of getting you there -"

"Fixit, stop talking so much, I have things to do," says the long haired fairy.

"Oh, Ako," Fairy Fixit says as she hands back the T-minus device, "The is Co-ordinator. Co-ordinator, this is Ako." (Don't these fairies have the oddest names ever?)

"Meh."

"Co-ordinator is really swell with teleportation magic, and we thought that you would like to go back to Milliways instead of waiting until we fix our network's connection. Then again, we would probably have to make a special connection for you anyhow; I am sure you wouldn't appreciate winding up in a freezer or a barrel or an ove--"

"Can we just send the human away already?" Co-ordinator remarks impatiently. She produces a wand and with a couple of quick motions, opens up what looks like a purple and very angry gash in reality.

"I feel a door at the other end," Co-Ordinator reports, annoyed. "They must not allow direct connections."

[seat_five_girl]

"Doors are normal for Milliways," contributes Ako, "Do I just, um, reach through?"

[not_my_sandbox]

"Well, I think you have to go all the way through first," offers Fixit.

"Yep," answers Co-Ordinator, flatly.

"If it doesn't work, you can come back. Right? It is two-way, isn't it?"

"... ... yeah."

[seat_five_girl]

"All right."

Ako nods, runs her hands over her skirt and steps through.

[myriadbeautiful]

Before Ako steps all the way through, Co-Ordinator, flies up behind her and sticks a note to Ako's back.

After Ako is gone, Tlap' groans and facepalms. "Darn, I forgot to ask if she could get me an autograph from Raspberry Beret."

"She doesn't live in Milliways Lake anymore," answers Co-Ordinator.

"I'm sure she still visits from time to time," Tlap' shoots back.

"Don't worry, you might get another chance soon," Fixit says while patting Tlap' on the head. "Come on, we have work to do. Milliways needs its rum, I am sure."