>>6020897>EXCERPT FROM THE NOTES OF CORRESPONDENT #314, ETC."It was time. How much time? There were no clocks. My wristwatch was missing. Subjectively, it was minutes since my last entry. But the females were gone--- spirited off to their own competition, once and for all--- and more objective measures suggested a month and a half in r-time. A month and a half! At least I was well-preserved. They had taken the time to create likenesses of us--- I thought mine was rather good, if simplistic, and made with limited information about my appearance. Much better limited information than too much.
But I digress. Before I was aware of much of anything, they had me and a creature--- some manner of two-legged feline--- out on the ocean. Not our ocean. Inert water. I was delivered a floating oval and a paddle and was instructed to paddle myself along a course. The fastest would win. (Not that my trials would be over after that, but it was a start.)
I had never heard of such of an activity, and frankly I could not grasp why anybody would do such a thing willingly, but out of everything on offer I'm sure it could have been worse. This "stand-up paddleboarding" took more balance than it did raw athleticism. Moreover, the organizers, such as they were, provided next to no instructions. "Get there faster." They did not say I had to be fast. It did indicate that the feline had to be slower than me, which could be easily accomplished if, e.g., a wayward sea snake were to accidentally wrap itself around the feline's paddle, throwing him off balance. It would be even more helpful if the snake, understandably angered from furious attempts to beat it off the paddle, were to bite the feline on his exposed toes, sending him flailing off entirely. If this were the case, I could take my time, enjoy a cigarette, and consider this an opportunity to learn something new."
>Richard (Drowned Quest Redux)----
"Taming a child is near exactly like taming an animal. Moreso if the child is, in fact, a type of animal. The other one--- his mate might be skilled at it, but it's not her contest, is it? She was disqualified. I saw it happen."
>Sir Reynauld of House Numitor (Kobolt Klan Adoption) 