likesfootnotes | 4th summon [text]

This little vacation is doing nothing to restore my essence, but all sorts of things to restore my mood. ¹ I feel positively jubilant the longer that this cruise continues. What my essence has been lacking for concentration is made up for by the good karma that builds up every day. Laughter is the best medicine, as they say!

But, I have to admit it can be a little lonely without a few familiar faces. Extremely specific familiar faces, in particular. ²

Is there any way to go about putting a name on a waiting list for this cruise?

I think it would do the person I am thinking of wonders to be humbled by this grand ship and its passengers! Being the magnanimous spirit that I am, it would be wrong of me to deny him the opportunity to expand his world view.

1 - My indefatigable good cheer and debonair wit are renowned the Other Place over, but recently suffered a wearing down by servitude to the hardly dashing and increasingly surly John Mandrake. I told him often that bad moods are contagious, but his unchangingly bitter attitude tells me that he did not believe me.

2 - I refer to a certain magician that would be delightfully infuriated to find he could not control me here. Conversely, I do not refer to certain malignant spirits that would take particular offense in seeing me happy and healthy once more.

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Your essence, you say?

[Curious Xellos is curious.]

And, there's a magician who controls you? Is it a pact? Pardon me, but I have an insatiable curiosity when it comes to such things.

Think of it like a human's blood. Without it, I cease to exist. However, unlike a human, this boat does not have passengers that can consume it.

[This is a particular detail that Bartimaeus enjoys. Were a golem to be unleashed here, then that particular statement -- and probably Bartimaeus -- would be tossed overboard.]

A pact indicates some form of agreement between the parties. This is, I can assure you, the exact opposite of the situation. When a magician binds me to a task, it is very much against my will. Though I tend to complete it with a sunny disposition and a few Detonations, the fact of that matter is that I would not be caught dead undertaking it of my own volition.

Fascinating. I would assume, though, it cannot be destroyed, either?

[Xellos cannot help but be reminded of his existence on the Astral plane, and how, worryingly enough, it is very not here.]

In my world, pacts between otherworldly beings are very, very rarely against one party's will... though, there is always something for both parties to gain, in the end.

Everything can be destroyed, especially essence.

Then your world is more civilised to spirits that mine is! The only thing I gain for being summoned is an ache in my essence from maintaining physical form, and a pain in an inappropriate area from doing what inane task has been charged of me.

Ah, I think my world would be far more suited to your tastes, though there aren't many spirits-- spirits of humans long dead, certainly, even of dragons or monsters, occasionally. As far as I understand it, Monsters can only interact directly with humans from the physical plane. It's possible to communicate from the Astral Plane, but it is somewhat difficult.

Humans at home, however, understand that Monsters should be paid the utmost respect.

[Well, to some extent. Most people just fear them.]

Who would want to call a human from the Other Place?

[This is part bravado.

Bartimaeus can recall two instances where he did just that, but only after the human(s) in reference stretched out their hand in trust. It is not commonplace, as some two thousand years stretched between the incidents.

Frankly, he is content without it being commonplace. He likes his opinions and affection towards human to be sufficiently distant.]

That is unlikely to ever happen in my existence, far-spanning as it is. There are some spirits who disagree and think we ought to fight for the respect -- or at least enslave all humanity. The idea's a fancy, but only that.

[Besides, seeing it through requires an icky process, in his opinion. Possessing a human, with all their flesh and bones? Yuck.]

I don't think enslaving humanity would really gain anything for anyone. Humans are a rather resilient bunch.

[He has to watch his words, if he wants to keep up the human facade for now.]

They are notoriously bad specimens for enslavement! Flighty and plagued by an entirely unfounded sense of pride.

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