"It'll be cool!"

"No!"

"Think of the look on his face!"

"Think of what it'll look like when he accepts!"

That's… actually a good point. Damn.

H'okay, so plan Send Brightberry Up The Basket is out of the question, not least because Brightberry lacks a sense of [i]fun.[/i] But also Dyssia would somewhat mind if the great sage accepted her roommate as a tribute? She wants to get the message up, right, but she'd also like to get the messenger back? 

Keep in mind, it's still a good plan! See, emitting a giant laser message makes it obvious to everyone around, you can see for miles that she's not comfy just talking or flying up.

… Unless.

The plan is still salvageable. Who says you only have to put things that fit in the basket, into the basket? Things don't have to fit to be able to sit, after all. If she hitches [i]herself[/i] to the bucket, then it's just a matter of modulating her own grav rail to fall upwards at perfectly the same rate as the bucket, and that's child's play! 

Imagine his face, is the best thing. Whoops, here I am, Dyssia in your face, you wanted to see me? Dramatic, fun, [i]perfect.[/i] People really need to stop getting stuck on circumstance and have some fun with things, you know? So stodgy.

That's why the Great Sage is so cool, right? Ever since he got that crystal dragon, he's been so much more open to talking, and sharing, and he's just so much nicer than people think a famous old hermit should be?

Probably it's all those wrecks. Gives him an unapproachable air that just doesn't show up when you're talking back and forth over dragons.

You know, the Great Sage really does have things all figured out, doesn't he? He gets to be important, dramatic, and listened to, and gets to do that all while never having to talk to people! Or, you know, not talk directly. 

That’s the great thing about crystal dragons, you know? Sure, it's instantaneous messaging, but also it's not? You can talk to people, but not have to worry about getting back to them right away, or have an answer right when they ask, or even get the message at all!

(Hearts to you, Brightberry, by the way. Best roommate a girl could ask for.)

Right. Just a matter of getting hitched up to the basket and…

Hmm. 

See, the thing is. The thing [i]is[/i]. Yes, she could do this. Yes, she [i]should[/i] do this, it'd be awesome.

But is it the right thing to do for a supplicant? Is it the right way that everyone else has done? Isn't this just flying up, but with more steps and trying to be sneaky about it?

… Why didn't she think of sending a note up first? 

I mean, let's be real. It's friggin' [i]boring,[/i] is why. It's unsurprising, it's normal.

It's the action of a supplicant, instead of the action of someone who occasionally chats about cat pictures with a great sage.

… Which is what she is, right now.

Okay. She'll act normal, but just this once, under protest. 

And then there will be cat pictures later.