Fandom Island Museum, Thursday Daytime

[hasaknightjob]

Visitors' Weekend was coming up. As such Steven was making sure that the Museum was in good shape for anyone from out of town. A fresh stack of maps was available. The signage pointed to particular highlights within the museum for anyone who wanted to do their own self-guided tour. And there were gift shop items as well!

It was a new thing. They were trying it out. But one could get a postcard or a fridge magnet with the museum's logo on it. It had been Steven's idea with Blathers's approval. Steven was very proud.

He had a small display of them at the Welcome Desk and was ready to show them off to anyone who was interested.

Yes, the outside visitors weren't arriving today, but there were always the people who lived on the island. You never knew if one of them might want one. If so, Steven was ready.

[open!]

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[deathsmajesty]

As much fun as spending her lunch playing hide and seek with a malevolent chair sounded, Liliana decided to wander over to say hello to Steven at the museum instead.

"Steven! Steven we need to talk about your book recommendation! Steven, I'm so mad!"

That was like a hello, okay?

[hasaknightjob]

Luckily, Steven was used to little to no segues. Though he did wave cheerfully upon seeing her.

"Hello, Liliana! The one about the - er - stitcher?"

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana huffed. "I am close to certain that your Mary Shelley was a Planeswalker from Innistrad," she declared. "I haven't seen a more accurate impression of skaaberen since I left Nephalia!"

[hasaknightjob]

"That's another word for stitcher?" Steven asked, to be sure he was following along. "Skaaberen?"

He said the word more slowly than she had to try to make sure he pronounced it right.

[deathsmajesty]

"Hmm? Oh yes," Liliana said with a nod. "Skaab is what they call their creations. Apparently they're too good for 'zombie' or 'ghoul' or what-have-you." She sniffed disdainfully, then added in begrudging tones, "Though, technically, I suppose it's useful to have a term for 'undead creature stitched together from scavenged parts and bathed in chemical soups' that separates them from proper zombies."

Snob.

[hasaknightjob]

"Do you differentiate regular animated dead from mummies?" Steven asked.

Look, he was the Egyptian nerd. He wondered about these things.

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana shook her head. "They're zombies in fancy dress," she said with a small chuckle. "No difference between the two."

Just wait till you got to Amonkhet, Lili.

[hasaknightjob]

"I see," Steven said. "I wasn't sure if the different preparations of the bodies might affect things, you see."

[deathsmajesty]

A thoughtful expression and shrug were Steven's answer to that. "Maybe for a lesser necromancer?" she hazarded. "But the body is still a body, regardless of what rituals or prayers are said over it."

Boy were they going to laugh about this when they got to Amonkhet. Just like. So much.

"I just infuse the bodies with mana, followed by my will," she explained. You know, rather than a bunch of creepy chemicals or whatever, Stitchers. "And that's it, unless other magic is involved."

[hasaknightjob]

"Well with mummies they're usually missing bits," Steven said. "Taken out of the body and put to the side in jars. That's why I wondered."

[deathsmajesty]

"Which ones?" Liliana asked with a totally normal and appropriate amount of interest.

...Actually, this was Steven, so that was probably true.

[hasaknightjob]

It was a hundred percent true.

"The brain and most of the internal organs," Steven explained, possibly far too cheerfully for most people. "You leave the heart in, obviously. But you put in herbs and the like before you close up the body again and get to the dehydration and bandages and all. The bits you take out you leave in jars nearby. So they are there if you need them, I suppose."

The you in this case meaning someone like Liliana.

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh those." Liliana waved that away. "Very rarely would any of those be necessary for a ghoul. Even if you need to grill the dead for something they knew, having the brain doesn't really matter. Which is odd, because you do for the living. But I suppose once they're dead, they're dead and it all becomes magic anyway."

Something for her to perhaps do a bit of experimenting with sometime. Hmmm.

"But most of the time, the bodies are simply a vessel for the will and the mana."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell was actually wearing oversized sweats today with the school'd FU logo on them. She'd decided to be daring and wear them to class rather than change when she got there. "Good morning, Steven."

[hasaknightjob]

"Good morning, Nell," Steven said. Noticing her outfit he asked, "Class go all right today?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh, heading over there afterwards," Nell said. "Just thought I'd stop in to say hello beforehand."

[hasaknightjob]

"I see," Steven said. "Well hopefully it goes well then. Have you been enjoying the classes so far?"

[mylandmyrules]

Nell grinned. "I like the class and I like the teacher even better, so yes, very much so. And how are you doing? Is anyone coming to visit you ths weekend?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Layla should be," Steven said. "She's looking forward to seeing all the new things. The new home included of course."

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh, of course," Nell said. "Please give her my best. I'm not expecting anyone, obviously, so I'll probably have the store open, maybe get a little extra business."

[hasaknightjob]

"You never know," Steven agreed. He indicated the small display of postcards and magnets. "That's why we've these in now. Been kicking around the idea for a while but before this weekend seemed like good timing. Odd chance anyone would like a souvenir, right?"

Other than their very own FU branded sweatshirts, which would probably go like hotcakes if visitors were able to buy them, let's be real.

[mylandmyrules]

"They're wonderful, Steven. Are they new?" she asked. "I don't remember seeing them before." Of course she really only came to see Steven, so she didn't always pay attention to the smaller things around.

[hasaknightjob]

"Brand new today," Steven assured her. He made a grand gesture towards the small display, as though they were a prize being shown off on a game show. "I've only just unpacked them and set them up before you came in, actually."

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh good, I feel better about not noticing them before then," Nell said with a smile. "They're great, Steven. A wonderful addition to the museum."

[hasaknightjob]

"Nope, you're perfectly fine," Steven said with a smile. "If anything, you've reassured me I have them in a good place, if they caught your eye when you came in. So cheers for that."