It was a quiet evening in the elven forest community of Peinartha, so Aninyel heard the approaching footsteps before Galain’s tap on the door of her workshop.
“A pleasure to see you, Galain. You have come to see about the device, I imagine.”
“Yes, Thamior is playing in the World Cup tomorrow.”
“I know; you are not the only one keen to watch the match. This was an interesting project. I learned much from it. These tomes you brought were most useful.” She gestured at a pile of books with “University of Pembina Libraries” stamped on them and the scattered papers bearing the logo of the Régie de la radiodiffusion et télécommunications (this document also available in English).
Galain had been surprised how easy stealing the books was. He had simply tied his long hair into an oversized man-bun while wearing a plaid shirt from the thrift store. The security guard took a hard look at him, assumed the anti-theft system was malfunctioning again, and waved him on without even bothering to look at the library card Aninyel had fabricated. In any case, the dust on the books suggested no one had bothered with the physical copy of Electronic Devices and Circuitry, 11th edition in years.
Aninyel picked up the device on her work table. It looked like a rectangular box with a plate stuck to the side. The device hummed and lit up as she placed it on the ground, the plate facing up. A faint glowing rectangle appeared above it, slowly resolving into a rectangle with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Although the image of two humans playing tennis seemed clear and steady, she noted that Galain seemed somewhat less satisfied with the result. “Is something wrong?”
“There should be sound,” said Galain.
Aninyel placed her hand over the device and closed her eyes. Nothing happened for a few seconds. She opened her eyes, gazed at the box for a moment, and then gently shook it. Abruptly, the thwack of a tennis ball being struck and a primal scream filled the room.
”YYAAAAHHH!”
“And that sets up match point...”
“That should do it. Low-energy lightning magic can be mysterious and tetchy,” said Aninyel.
Galain nodded. “Most of the humans’ work collectives have people whose entire job it is to help with such matters. Hopefully that will not trouble us tomorrow.”
“Will this be at your house?” Aninyel asked.
Galain pursed his lips before replying. “I had thought of holding a gathering in the dair, but some might not be too pleased with that. You know about the group draw?”
“You mean, do I know that Thamior will be playing for Kelssek against Valanora? Yes, I know.” Seeing that Galain seemed to be pondering how to phrase his response, Aninyel added, “You fear... difficulties?”
Galain simply nodded. Most syfirithà were Valanora supporters, seeing the Marauders as kin, and also much more successful than Kelssek. For that matter, it wasn’t unusual to see Kelssekians who were also fans. And then were was the lower-league professional club Mazinaw Vanorian which as far as Aninyel knew had no elven connections beyond the name.
On the other hand, for complicated political reasons that had never been fully settled, by default they were eligible to play for Kelssek if they got that far. The same complicated reasons had to do with a century-old attempt by humans to invade the forest and establish a logging industry. Kelssek had largely forgotten the incident, but many elves remained bitter about the violence and remained suspicious towards a people they regarded as violent and rapacious.
Moreover, while for the humans it had been a minor and regrettable skirmish by unsanctioned private mercenaries, for the syfiritha it was an existential crisis and the legal niceties on the other side were irrelevant. For the younger generation like Galain and Thamior, who were born after the war and even spent some time living in Kelssek’s cities when they reached adulthood, this was history.
Aninyel had lived through it, however, though she had been lucky enough not to have lost anyone close, and for her part, she was hesitant to speak on behalf of those who had.
“I see no problem if it is a matter of supporting our friend from afar. For Kelssek vs. Valanora, though... you are right to worry. That could become too complicated. We should see how the situation goes.”
Galain nodded. “Right. Tomorrow in the main hall then. We can see how others react, too.”
