Server

Myriad Reality

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*Squints through it at the shift of brightness, and flicks the wrist of my hand out to my side, dissolving the ball of light into a small bunch of fading sparkles*

@Magnanimity

That was an impressive trick! How'd you do it?

Myriad Reality

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Mud really stands out on white hair, you know. Glad to be dodging that bullet.

@Magnanimity

*Eventually it opens up into a clearing with a pale blue sky under a muted white sun, which washes out the colors of the area world like an overexposed photograph, and grass sticks up from the water with the boardwalk visible in the distance*
I agree!

Myriad Reality

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It’s not terribly deep then either. At least in most spots.

@Magnanimity

It's pretty shallow overall. The deepest parts you can submerge yourself, but others only go up to your knees. But the mud. There's so much mud.

Myriad Reality

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*Glances to the side at it for just a moment, but otherwise goes out of my way to pay it no mind*
Drown from the trees? Are the roots exposed under the water or something, so you can get tangled up in them?

@Magnanimity

Yep! These trees thrive in the bog by having a ton of smaller, twisting roots that go everywhere. They're great places for fish to hide if you ever want to catch something.

Myriad Reality

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I can imagine. It’s probably messy.

@Magnanimity

Yep! Also really easy to drown with all the trees.
*A reptilian creature swims just next to the three of us, barely poking a set of scales above water*

Myriad Reality

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But you used to swim it, huh?

@Magnanimity

Every now and then, but I'd risk getting yelled at for it.

Myriad Reality

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*Blinks a couple of gimes after a moment, but otherwise doesn’t react, and floats over the surface of the water behind you*

@Magnanimity

Now that I think about it, this is a lot like the way you'd get home from the nearby town I used to visit all the time! We had a family friend who lived there.

Myriad Reality

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In the real world, I can definitely buy that. But if you just do what you think you should do, I think we’ll end up somewhere no matter what.

@Magnanimity

Makes sense.
*Spiderlike appendages of bone burst from my back and trail across the open face of the water, much freer from the foliage obscuring the trail*

Myriad Reality

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*Glances down at my feet, which are still lifted just off the ground as I levitate around*
Is specifically swimming absolutely necessary?

@Magnanimity

*Taps my chin with my right index knuckle*
Now that you mention it, probably not. I haven't been home since I developed my species, so it never really occurred to me. The biggest risk is getting lost.

Myriad Reality

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I say go for it. Your feelings will probably be the best guide we have.

@Magnanimity

Okay!
*Wanders into the glut of the swamp, brushing past tangled roots and vines that seem precariously grown across the path*
I think there's a shortcut if we swim, but we'll get real muddy if we do.