Just because you don't look alike doesn't mean you don't have a twin out there, somewhere. So, a team of researchers asked themselves, what if good luckers had bad luck counterparts, all of them? And, if that were the case, was there a way to ensure good luckers don't gain an ego, and bad luckers have a way to save them from, literally, themselves? What if good luckers... have a bad luck twin? -- Anon Guest
[AN: The actual term is "match" or "counterpart" as twin has familial implications that confuse a great many Galactic Alliance citizens.]
Lucker Kash and Lucker Dov had been the first. The forces of science wanted to analyse the odd device that Ambassador Shayde had made for hir. It didn't matter how many times she told them that it was based on magic, they wanted to find out how it worked. They wanted to find out why it worked.
Magic and science didn't mix. After all, any significantly analysed magic is indistinguishable from science[1]. Some magic, by its very nature, defied analysis. Such as selecting a nontoxic quartzite river stone and holding it under the subject's tongue for an hour. Shayde insisted it was for the aura impression from the patient, but... one could never tell with Shayde.
She could be making them do that for her own amusement.
Those who knew her better doubted that motive. After all, those who came to her for the device were the desperate Bad Luckers. Honestly seeking balance at minimum or the spawn-of-a-nasty-thing that kept doing this to them at worst. The Ambassador did have a soft spot for the downtrodden, after all.
Rare indeed was the Good Lucker who felt guilt about their fair fortune.
She selected a very plain pebble of common quartz, and immediately did as she was bade, even to sitting in the corner like a child.
"Awreet there's a story tae tell there," said the Ambassador. "I'll be playin' Lemmings fer an hour. Or Sudoku if I ragequit. An' then... There'll be some que an' ay."
It was an hour of relative silence, occasionally punctuated by curses and digital loss tunes.
"Awright. Spit it oot. In both possible ways."
Ptui. "I know someone's suffering for everything good that happens to me. I want to find them and help them."
"Are ye Catholic?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Makes perfect sense tae me. I'm familiar wi' th' type." She added some distinctly Catholic prayers as part of the blessings. That was part of the tailoring to the user. Then the almost complete device on one side of her libra scale, and the attuned stone on the other, then she fed her own threads of mana into it until they balanced.
Then it was time to finish the assembly. Which included a little digital readout to show the direction and distance. It could even tell her which wormholes to take.
"There y'are. All set an' ready. You'll find yer counterpart wi' all due speed, belike."
"Thank you so much. What do I owe you?"
"Aw, ye get a repentance discount. First good lucker tae ever come lookin' fer one. If ye want tae pay fer materials, it's fine enough. It'll help build th' next one." At least this time, she didn't need to wish her client luck.
[1] Agatha Heterodyne, by way of the Foglios and Girl Genius.
[Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash]
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