Scheherazade in Blue Jeans

The city was an assault on Alexander’s senses from the first moment: hot as a blast furnace. Noisy. And crowded, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with…them. Revolting half-brained things.

Humans. Full humans.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, the better to focus… and searched the crowd for his own kind, for Dasaroi minds. Here and there a flicker, as of a dying candle-flame, but ah – there. A familiar blaze of power. He opened his eyes and raised a hand in greeting to Martin, who leaned against the back wall of the train station, looking amused.

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Yes, part of what Alexander Telenias is there to learn is to not be such a freakin' bigot.

Notes:

* Train, not plane, because he doesn't trust planes. This is someone who idealizes a time period prior to air travel.
* Shayara is a walled city, and he's lived there and nowhere else for centuries of past lives. Vegas? Kinda wiiiide open to the desert. He's going to get a little agoraphobic.

More later. Too tired. Benadryl + Trileptal = brainfog & sleepytime.

I've been tagged for this by two people now, so I s'pose I ought to do it... going to try to stick to things that most people don't know. Which is hard. Because I'm very, um, open here.

1. My newest collection? Teddy bears that are dressed up as other animals. I have bears that are dressed as moose, ducks, and frogs. Two's a coincidence, three's a collection. So. Please send any stuffed animals dressed as other stuffed animals to the Shadesong Home for Stuffed Animal Species Dysphoria.

2. I want to learn how to play the fiddle.

3. I love the names of bones. Zygomatic arch. Xiphoid process. Metatarsals.

4. It was LJ that got me started wearing cute socks. eilonwy, to be precise; she asked if anyone on her friendslist wore 'em, and expressed surprise when I replied that I didn't. So I thought hm... why not? And I have ever since.

5. I was happiest with my body when I was pregnant.

6. The only time I've ever seen toes like mine was at a pool in Laughlin, Nevada. Tweaker road trip. An old man came up to me and pointed out that we had the same thing (brachymetatarsia). "It's hereditary, you know," he said. Ever since, I have wondered if I'm related to that man.

7. I'm terrified at the very idea of looking for my birthfather. I know that I should, to get medical information - but you can't un-find someone once you've found them. And I don't know what kind of person he is. Et cetera.

8. I also collect Buddhas. No, I'm not Buddhist. I just like Buddhas.

9. I wish I could sing.

10. There are two men in my life who want to be/are submissive to me. They have something very obvious and significant in common. This makes me giggle. I am dying to post it, but can't, because it would out them instantly, and at least one of them doesn't want to be outed.

11. I eat cereal dry. (I was allergic to milk as a child, and just got used to eating cereal dry.)

12. I have recently become interested in polka dots. And aprons.

13. Favorite spice = clove.

14. All of my primary and many of my secondary characters have iTunes playlists.

15. Parts of Shayara = me atoning.

16. I am medieval about guest-right. And tribe-right.

17. Most of the porn I write is from the man's point of view.

18. I can bend my thumbs back all the way to my forearms.

19. I feel guilty for having Too Much Stuff.

20. I just signed up to get info about being an Avon Lady.

I tag everybody who wants to be tagged, and nobody who doesn't.

wispfox asked: "Do any of your characters write porn, even if they never show it to anyone else?"

Those of you who follow the Shayara stuff must know that at least one particular character must...

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Capri swung slightly on the doorframe as she returned to the living room, humming - and froze in her tracks. "Um. You're... early."

The Telenias lowered the stack of papers he'd been reading, faint embarrassment actually showing through his cool exterior. "Ah. My apologies for the..." he waved the papers at her, and she winced. He set them down on the coffee table. "Intrusion. I'd assumed, due to its proximity to your history textbook, that that was your homework."

"Ah. No." She danced closer and grabbed the pages away, clutching them to her chest. "Sorry."

"No, truly. I should not have done so." He cleared his throat and looked down. "I assume that your essay on the societal impact of the Industrial Revolution is as... detailed."

"Oh!" She slapped a hand to her mouth, blushing furiously. "Telenias, I forgot, I'm so sorry..."

"Miss Donnelly."

"Yes?"

He was half-smiling: "You are aware that your punishment for failing to complete your homework in real life is not as described in... that."