|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- PECULIAR LATHER--CUP 12--"THIS SUPERNATURAL URBANIA" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Peculiar Lather  ||  -------> (Cup SRpl012, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Fluffy sipped her coffee and studied Tanner's features. He seemed sincere and earnest and lacking anything to hide. She sort of felt sorry that he had stumbled into the whole deranged milieu of Agoopish. "Tanner, you look a little tense." Fluffy remarked. "Yeah, I suppose. I'm just running on dream logic and, uh, stuff right now. When I finally sit down and realize what's going on, I'll be in trouble. This whole Agoopish thing is remarkably shocking." "Well, I can't really relate, since I've been living here for all time. So nothing really seems so new or shocking to me." "How--now if you don't mind me asking--how, uh, how old are you?" "Well if I were an earthling or denizen woman I suppose I'd be reticent, but as a goddess, I've no problem. See, I've been here in Agoopish always." "What do you mean--that you're infinitely old?" "No Tanner, not infinity, but since the dawn of time." "That's like--isn't that like twenty billion years ago or something? You're saying that you're twenty billion years old?" "Look Tanner, it's not something you can measure in years--we've just always been here." "But you must have memories of your life. How far back can you remember?" "Look, let's talk about this later, hey? Now Tanner--how old are you?" "Well, it's not as impressive, but I'm nineteen." "That's a fine age." "You must think I'm awfully young." "You'll find that when you're ageless, age means very little to you." "I could see that." Tanner said. They sat in silence for a few moments. A calm female voice speaking over a public address system was reciting a series of numbers. "415... 80 ... 611... 552..." Tanner considered asking Fluffy what the numbers meant, but he didn't want to seem ignorant. "Oh look," Fluffy said, nodding her head in the direction of the coffee bar, "there's a god you don't see around here too often." Tanner looked over. "His name's Cxoven Greatcicle--the big tundra deity. A real effem type, if you see what I mean. Sort of keeps to his own little band of pals and hangers on. I wonder what he's doing here?" "Hmm." Tanner said, sipping his coffee. "Cudworth tells me he's throwing a big party for everyone, but I find that hard to believe." "Cudworth is the guy in the lobby?" "Yeah." "I thought so. I was talking to him before." "About Janine?" "Yeah. I was just walking around the outside of the Hotel when I saw that banner Janine put up. Y'know, I was really riding high on being in this... this supernatural urbania, if you will, and being invited to a dance by a goddess. And man, did that banner ever sour my bliss." "Well, one of the things you have to learn very quickly is that you should be cautious and modest here if you're ignorant of our culture, customs, and laws. I dare say you have little if any real knowledge about Agoopish." "I don't. I admit it." "So it was a bit unwise of you to go and summon Janine, don't you think?" "Well I'd read that if you had a legitimate gripe with a god or goddess, that you could summon them and they'd have to appear." "Well, that does work, I suppose, but so would picking up the phone or writing a letter. I mean, if someone summoned me for such a trivial thing, I'd be totally pissed. When you're summoned, you have to drop everything and disappear out right away." "But Janine knew I was from out of town, and I think she just led me on to be mean." "I'm not so sure of that. I think she misinterpreted what you were saying, and after she found out that you had really just discovered Agoopish, she understandably had apprehensions about going to a dance with you. I mean, it could be most embarrassing if your date knew nothing of Agoopi etiquette and form." "Well I didn't think of it like that--but what about the banner? How can you justify that?" "Well Tanner, first of all, me and Janine don't get along, so I'm not trying to defend her. But being a fellow goddess, I can understand where she's coming from. And the banner--that really is a traditional way for a god to convey an urgent message to someone if he or she is not to be found through normal means." "But the degrading tone..." "She is a rather degrading person, but that's her right. Gods and goddesses have the right to have whatever personality they desire. But something you might not realize is that it is an Agoopi custom that once a date is made, it must be officially broken before other arrangements can be made. So by hanging the banner she officially broke the date--whether or not you saw it. It's assumed that if you didn't see it, someone you know would surely see it hanging there and tell you of it." -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----