They both watch Ephebe beat a hasty retreat from the room, then promptly bust out laughing.
After a moment, Tam sighs and says, "Well I guess I'd better get you back downstairs for the rest of your lessons. Maybe we should continue this lively debate tonight? Though I think you're really onto something with the whole 'cyclical argument' thing..." he adds with a impish look in his eyes. ;)
They both watch Ephebe beat a hasty retreat from the room, then promptly bust out laughing.
After a moment, Tam sighs and says, "Well I guess I'd better get you back downstairs for the rest of your lessons. Maybe we should continue this lively debate tonight? Though I think you're really onto something with the whole 'cyclical argument' thing..." he adds with a impish look in his eyes. ;)
"Sounds like a good plan. I look forward to some very heated debate," she said, laughing.
"In the meantime, I should probably apologize to Razule for running out of the room crying during dessert after he worked so hard making it."
"Probably a good idea, yeah. Alright, let's go," as he stands and pulls her up with him.
Sneaking one more quick kiss as they leave the room, they head back downstairs and into the dining room.
He hands Aanandareavekki back her handkerchief (cleansed of course).
"Thanks for that. Now I'll surrender your student back to you...for a few hours anyway." :)
He hands Aanandareavekki back her handkerchief (cleansed of course).
"Thanks for that. Now I'll surrender your student back to you...for a few hours anyway." :)
She laughed. "Don't worry. I won't tire her out too much," she said with a wink.
"Has anybody seen Razule? I wanted to apologize. And tell him that actually the dessert he made was wonderful. I don't want him to think I didn't appreciate his hard work."
She laughed. "Don't worry. I won't tire her out too much," she said with a wink.
He hands Aanandareavekki back her handkerchief (cleansed of course).
"Thanks for that. Now I'll surrender your student back to you...for a few hours anyway." :)
* Snicker * :D
"Has anybody seen Razule? I wanted to apologize. And tell him that actually the dessert he made was wonderful. I don't want him to think I didn't appreciate his hard work."
"He went upstairs a little while after you guys did, then came running back down here screaming something about 'What was seen cannot be unseen!!' or somesuch. Then he locked himself in his room. Razzy always was a bit emo..." ;P
"Has anybody seen Razule? I wanted to apologize. And tell him that actually the dessert he made was wonderful. I don't want him to think I didn't appreciate his hard work.""He went upstairs a little while after you guys did, then came running back down here screaming something about 'What was seen cannot be unseen!!' or somesuch. Then he locked himself in his room. Razzy always was a bit emo..." ;P
"Has anybody seen Razule? I wanted to apologize. And tell him that actually the dessert he made was wonderful. I don't want him to think I didn't appreciate his hard work."
"He's out in the garden with Adsila. I'm pretty sure she set him to weeding out the flower beds."
"Has anybody seen Razule? I wanted to apologize. And tell him that actually the dessert he made was wonderful. I don't want him to think I didn't appreciate his hard work.""He's out in the garden with Adsila. I'm pretty sure she set him to weeding out the flower beds."
"I have a feeling they'll be leaving the weeds alone when the aerial show starts," Tam says with a smile.
"Time to get back to work, I guess," he says as he grabs a doughnut from the table on their way back out to the garden.
"Has anybody seen Razule? I wanted to apologize. And tell him that actually the dessert he made was wonderful. I don't want him to think I didn't appreciate his hard work.""He's out in the garden with Adsila. I'm pretty sure she set him to weeding out the flower beds."
"Thanks, Ryo. I'll catch up with you in a couple of minutes," she told her future self and headed out into the garden to look for Razule.
"Adsila? Razule?"
Adsila stands up in the middle of a grove of tiny trees, and a small hand raises out of a bunch of large flowers to wave.
"Do you need the garden again? I'll finish the trimming later if you do."
Adsila stands up in the middle of a grove of tiny trees, and a small hand raises out of a bunch of large flowers to wave.
"Do you need the garden again? I'll finish the trimming later if you do."
"It looks like they do, but Aananda needed to talk to Razule before they resume the lessons. Do you know where he is out here?"
"Well, unless someone else got stuck in the flowers, he's right over there." She says, pointing out his location in the flower.
"And he had better not be only pretending to work either, because I will know!"
"Well, unless someone else got stuck in the flowers, he's right over there." She says, pointing out his location in the flower.
"And he had better not be only pretending to work either, because I will know!"
"Thanks Adsila - it should only take a few minutes I think," he replies as they head over to the flower bed.
"Hey, Razule. I hope you don't mind my interrupting. I just wanted to apologize for running off like that. I'm really sorry if I offended you. You did a great job making all those desserts, and they were really tasty. You're a very talented cook. I was upset about some other things, that's all."
Razule finally manages to stand up, barely tall enough to be seen above the flowers.
"It's okay, I understand."
He picks a flower and holds it out for her.
"Here, to um.. cheer you up."
Razule finally manages to stand up, barely tall enough to be seen above the flowers.
"It's okay, I understand."
He picks a flower and holds it out for her.
"Here, to um.. cheer you up."
She smiled and took the flower. "Thank you, Razule. That's very thoughtful of you. I hope you don't get in too much trouble with Adsila for it."
"Well, I have to get back. Future me is giving me flying lessons. I'm not very good at it yet," she added, wrinkling her nose.
She walked back over to the part of the garden where her future self was waiting.
"Before we get started, I have something for you," she said, pulling a medallion on a very strange looking chain out of a pocket. "I would have given it to you earlier, but Ephebe wasn't done making it yet. The chain is actually composed of nanites, so it's self-healing and virtually impossible to cut. Make sure you wear it at all times, no matter what," she explained, fastening the necklace around Aananda's neck. "It's a temporal anchor."
"Now, I hope you're ready to practice flying again. And don't forget you have a tail this time," she added with a grin.
She groaned. "But it's hard to control wings and a tail at the same time."
Hidden among the giant flowers, Razule watches in amazement as the flying lessons start again.
Tam sits down on one of the benches to watch Aananda's flying lessons. As his own future self comes out to watch the spectacle, he asks, "You can't tell me squat about what we're supposed to do to deal with this being, can you?"
He looks down at his younger self, then shrugs.
"Even if I could, we've already altered this timeline by being here. What I know in regards to that wouldn't do you any good. Time travel isn't that cut and dry - if it were, existence would have torn itself apart ages ago. So yes, Professor..."
"...yeah, Professor Larten at the Academy was right," he finishes for himself, shaking his head.
"Think of it this way - you now know more than we did at this point in our own timeline. You just got saved from one hell of a lot of grief, trust me," he says, his face looking somber all of a sudden, and much older.
Tam looks back into the air as Aananda swoops past.
"So it actually works out...?"
He chuckles.
"Yes, it actually works out. The secret to that," he says conspiratorially as he leans down, "is to STOP OVERTHINKING THE WHOLE THING!!" as his younger self reels at the shouting in his ear. :)
"It doesn't matter what she is. It's who she is that counts. The rest just falls into place very nicely once you get rid of that stupid hangup. But I think you already have, judging by the way you look at her now. You just needed to hear that outside of your own head. Well, so to speak..." he says absentmindedly.
Aananda gets thrown off balance by a surprisingly strong air current and growls with frustration as she barely avoided crashing into a tree.
Cupping his ear, he smiles and nods as he looks back to the sky.
"Yeah, I guess I have. It helps to hear that some good comes out of all of this."
Aananda gets thrown off balance by a surprisingly strong air current and growls with frustration as she barely avoided crashing into a tree.
"Use your tail! You have to remember to steer with your tail!"