While Andrea flew back to their base camp, Lin continued to speak with Orna. She spent most of the conversation asking them about the journey they'd taken from the Protectorate, trying to glean more information about how their people traveled, and the approximate size of the explored regions. Around half an hour after Andrea had safely returned to camp, the caravan arrived at the hill where the meeting had taken place. "Do you not need to rest at some point? I can't imagine flying continuously for as long as you have is easy. If you need, you could perch on my shoulder and rest while I introduce you to the others." Orna expressed their concern, Though it was obvious they also worried they might give offense. Lin suspected that the offer of a resting spot would have been made much sooner had Orna been more certain of the proper social rules for interacting with a person who could fly and who was significantly smaller in stature.
Lin waggled the small drone in place, realizing as she did it that Orna wouldn't recognize the gesture as a way of waving away concern. "I appreciate the sentiment Orna, but this particular body has a great deal of stamina and can maintain flight for many hours, provided no extreme speed or acrobatics are needed. It might also be more of a concern were I carrying something. All of that being said I have no qualms about perching somewhere convenient if you think that might be more comfortable for you or the others."
Orna shrugged "If you're not tired then I see no reason to insist. I don't think having you perched will substantially alter the degree of oddity that we feel in speaking with a person that is so small. That is quite aside from your usage of multiple bodies, which is the most alien concept to wrap one's head around." Orna waved Tirnii ahead, and the large figure loped down to the truck where their living armor was usually stowed. With Lynn hovering at shoulder height and slightly ahead of Orna the pair began moving down the slope to join up with the convoy. As they neared the convoy's guards Orna called over to them to let them know not to attack Lin, since to their eyes she looked like some strange insect. Orna clambered into the back of one of the trucks while Lin followed, weaving through the nervous looking expedition guards as she joined Orna inside.
Once they were both aboard the truck Lin spoke up again. "After giving it a little more thought I think it would actually be good if we arranged a place for me to perch while we talk. Otherwise I'm going to have to keep pace with the truck as it moves and a sudden enough maneuver might wind up with me smacking into something. I wouldn't want to damage anything important or injure somebody that way." Orna had a look of sudden realization on their face. "That hadn't occurred to me, It seems that flight comes with its own unique set of considerations. Though I imagine the ability is well worth the inconvenience." As they spoke, Orna's companions from earlier showed up. Climbing into the back of the vehicle first was Lori, who was too busy focusing on their hands as they climbed aboard to actually look up. "Who are you talking to Orna? What's this about flying?" As Lori finished climbing aboard they were finally able to look up and answer their own question. Though from the look on their face they now suddenly had many more questions.
"Let me make sure I have this straight. You are a single person, but you have multiple brains in separate bodies that are wildly different from one another physically and, in some cases, separated geographically by kilometers of distance?" It had been twenty minutes and they were all seated in the back of one of the trucks while the convoy continued its steady progress towards the mountains. All of Orna's close companions were there, and they all seemed to be fascinated and confused by Lin. Though Lori seemed to be having the most difficulty accepting that Lin was even telling the truth. The incredulity was very audible in their voice as they continued to speak. "I don't wish to be rude but I find that extremely hard to believe. How does that work? What does that feel like? I can't quite imagine how you even perceive the world if you have so many different perspectives simultaneously. How do you use so many different limbs and undertake actions that need to be coordinated across who knows how big a distance? Do your other bodies just stand there while you are focused here or can they engage in some basic routine tasks while you're busy having this conversation?"
Lin chuckled a bit. "I know that meeting someone whose existence is so radically different can be challenging to understand. I'll try my best to answer your questions, but I would like you to keep in mind that I have always lived like this and while I have some grasp on what it's like to live in a single body, it's not a state that I have much experience with certainly not enough to internalize it and that sometimes makes it difficult to bridge this gap in understanding. I will say that from the few occasions where I have been limited to occupying a single body it is radically different from how I normally exist. I genuinely think you will never fully grasp what it's like unless you decide to become a body independent being like myself."
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Lori looked intrigued at Lin's final comment. "Does this mean your people have a way of converting someone from a single body like I have into someone who exists like you do? Is that what happened to you, did you start out as something more like me and get changed into what you are now? Would it be possible for me to experience that for real?" Orna lowered their face into the palm of their hand. "Lori, please don't try to rush into splitting your mind into multiple bodies on an impulse born from curiosity. I feel like I shouldn't have to say that, but considering what you did with your legs I think I do need to say that." Lin gently interjected "I was 'born' as a body independent human rather than being changed into one later in my life. Making that sort of change is entirely possible though it is a massive alteration, plenty of people just can't handle it, and a great deal of preparation and psychological evaluation is involved in the process to help prevent people from making a change that they will regret. Theoretically I could put together the equipment to do what you ask pretty quickly actually, however I would insist that you go through this sort of process that I mentioned above and indeed since you're not a human it would be an unprecedented procedure so I will have to deny any requests of that nature. Though I'm sure at some point if our peoples continue to interact you could eventually undergo that procedure after the proper screening."
Lin's response visibly reassured Orna while also putting a contemplative look on Lori's face. "I may take you up on that in the future, I still can't wrap my head around what it might be like to exist in multiple places simultaneously, to be existentially incapable of saying I am right here and having it be true, because your 'I' is distributed in many places at once. I think I may want to try it just so I can know what it's like, Though it does also sound like it would be convenient for my research." Podel, who'd been quietly listening to Lori and Lin's conversation up till now interjected. "While it is different in practical terms, from a philosophical perspective you both exist in multiple places simultaneously. Lori, if you spread your legs such that you were standing with one foot on this side of the truck and one foot on Orna's side of the truck, you would be standing in two places at once. Really by existing as more than a singularity that occupies a null volume, you exist in more than one location simultaneously."
Lori rolled their eyes and scoffed. "Please, that's pure sophistry. The difference between the way Lin describes their existence and the way I exist is not a philosophical nicety but a very distinct practical difference that needs to be bridged in order for true mutual understanding." Lin quietly shifted some of her focus back to her lab at the base camp, this particular disagreement seemed like it might drag on for a while.
The next couple of days consisted of Andrea and Lin working together to arrange a meeting between the Protectorate expedition in the form of Orna and Podel and the League-Maleprian joint expedition in the form of Unla-Ela and Olan Lunere. This was complicated by the fact that Unla-Ela and Olan Lunere were still not aware of Lin's existence. At this point Andrea and Lin had mutually agreed to hold off on making that introduction until after the current misunderstanding had been cleared up. Considering the degree of consternation from the seemingly far less tense Protectorate leaders, trying to introduce and explain who and what Lin was to Unla-Ela and Olan Lunere when they were obviously showing signs of tension in the face of the imminent meeting seemed like a poor choice.
Despite that wrinkle it wasn't difficult for Andrea to feign making trips back and forth with the 'flying animals' that had made such a colorful impression during the stampede. In the end a meeting was set and a location agreed upon. Both sides would bring an escort to a narrow spot in the pass over the mountains that the Protectorate expedition would be climbing up. Prior to the meeting Andrea would set up a meeting spot, for this purpose she fabricated a large field tent of a kind normally used to protect weather sensitive excavation sites. The guards from both sides would remain outside the tent and Andrea would mediate a discussion between the two groups to clear the air.
A plan in place, the remaining time passed quickly. Lin became better and better acquainted with many members of the Protectorate expedition as they traveled. In some ways the tables had turned, and now Andrea was left feeling a bit envious about Lin's access to social interaction. The members of the Protectorate expedition were a much friendlier lot than the rather grim and staid attitudes of the people in the valley with whom Andrea was in closest contact.
Soon enough the Protectorate group had left their vehicles behind, with a small group of guards to keep the local wildlife from getting too curious. All of their supplies and equipment were transferred onto the pack animals and the living armors disembarked and began to assist in transferring heavier equipment and scouting the rough terrain of the pass. Andrea and Lin made their way to the meeting point near the top of the pass, a pair of Donkeys were carrying Andrea and the packaged tent up to the meeting point, The location was a little too precarious to safely land the heavy lift drone, outside of some emergency, so the duo took the extra time and made the trip by land. As she set up the tent Andrea confided her concerns to Lin. "I hope this goes well, Olan Lunere is my biggest concern, they seem quite paranoid about the intentions and composition of the Protectorate expedition. I'm worried they might act hastily, out of fear that they are only inviting disaster if they don't strike first. I'm sure we can keep things peaceful but I think regardless of how it goes, this afternoon is going to be 'interesting'."
