Zhyrgal Waxes Homesick

Miscellaneous

Upon the starlit decks of Hashinara Kurayume, Hashinara Yoshitakatomo's training of Ganzo Sada was proceeding as well as it ever had. That is to say, poorly. Perhaps awoken by the lose threads of magic being thrown around, Zhyrgal wriggled out of the Daimyō's pocket and helped herself to some.   Slurp.

Perhaps amused, Yoshitakatomo herself reached out and fed the tiny Zoog with a portion of her own energy.   "Mmm!" the little one exclaimed, "I haven't ever eaten this well."   "I hope you're quite full now," the Princess voiced, "At least for the moment."   "Those stingy stinges at the Collegium would only feed me when I did a job for them. What kind of a life is that?"   Yoshitakatomo was momentarily nonplussed by this complaint. "A...logical exchange of resources between two parties. Were you a captive?"   "Yeah," Zhyrgal kicked the air forlornly, "I only went out when I had a job to do."   "And what sorts of job were often requested of you?"   The zoog twirled in the air for a moment. A thoughtful expression crossed her little face, mixed together with worry. Apparently she hadn't been anticipating all these questions when she awoke. "Uh... Mostly like, running messages. Moving stuff. Eating rogue spells. You know, Zoog stuff."   "How does a spell become rogue, exactly?" Yoshitakatomo, a known master of the mystical arts, had never heard of such a thing. Spells did what they were designed for at a scale determined by the amount of energy provided, no more and no less.   "Like," Zhyrgal did a backflip, "If you're experimenting with new spells and one of them gains sentience and starts to go crazy from understanding the enormity of its own existence...or something."   That was concerning, and so too was Zhyrgal's assertion that only the most favored of zoogs ever had a chance to devour these animate spells. "And what made the others more suitable than you? Were they capable of eating more powerful energy?"   "Nah," the zoog continued her aerial acrobatics, apparently now left with an excess of energy to burn, "They just didn't play as many pranks or mess up as much as I did."   "Perhaps they understood the danger of their duties."   "Uh, maybe?" She stopped to ponder that one. "I never really worry about that kind of thing." Then returned to zipping around.   "But you are free of such duties now," Yoshitakatomo continued, "Where is this place and what entities could create sentient spells? They have my interest."   Ganzo Sada, all but forgotten in the esoteric discussion, merely traced Zhyrgal's flight patterns with his eyes. None of this was getting through to him, but he would never be so rude as to interrupt his Daimyō's discussion to say as much.   "It's the Caelestis Collegium," Zhyrgal said it with a casual air, as though this were something everyone should know as a matter of course, "In Dylath-Leen. We're gonna go there eventually, right?"   "Indeed we are," Yoshitakatomo confirmed, "Do you have objections?"   "Nope! It's about time I got back after all. I'm probably going to be in lots of trouble for being away for so long."   "Why not free yourself of your duties?" the Princess asked. "If you caused as much trouble as I can imagine, they might have celebrated your departure by now."   "Huh?" Zhyrgal's twirling slowed. "I don't think I'm following?"   "Are you not able to just...quit your job?"   The zoog stopped completely as the enormity of new possibility settled over her. "You mean just...stop working for Azophi?"   "Perhaps it won't be as easy as all that," Yoshitakatomo began to quickly backtrack, realizing her mistake, "Tell me more about this Azophi. Are they your creator?"   Zhyrgal didn't answer immediately. Her eyes were full of stars. "Just...stop working...?" Then, she focused once again. "Uh... Azophi is one of the bigwigs in Dylath-Leen. Her real name is Abba dabba Ramma Sophi or something like that, so we call her Azophi."   Both Ganzo Sada and Yoshitakatomo reeled at the ridiculous name Zhyrgal spilled out. "This Azophi," the latter said, recovering, "What is her connection with the Great Ones of Kadath?"   They had a vessel, a mystery, and a delinquent zoog. Perhaps Yoshitakatomo's next destination was now clear.