The Cosmic Chronicle

Interviewer Vrix-Thal (specialized nano-swarm in diplomatic config) All right, um, we're settled now on this, uh, glowing moss ledge. Could you introduce yourself for those who can't tell the difference between space-folding and carpet-laying?
Irel Quoll, certified space-folder Uh, yes, sure. I’m a space-folder of the fourth order, officially certified by the Consilium of Continua. I fold, pleat, and reshape the space fabric to create inter-island routes and, well, sometimes emergency diversions for travelers who don’t appreciate explosive atmospheric pressure shifts.
Vrix-Thal Hm, fascinating! And what on earth-or rather, not earth-attracted you to this floating chaos of luminous island scraps?
Irel Quoll Oh, Xynara is unbeatable! Nowhere else do borders shift so fluidly. Here, space itself is not just flexible, it’s rarely in the same place twice. For a folding specialist, that’s pure joy.
Vrix-Thal So what does your job look like here, practically? Is it intense manual labor, or do you just send a request to some bureaucratic portal master with ten extra fingers?
Irel Quoll Manual labor, you say? No, it’s mainly haptic. My manipulators (yes, these *wiggling tentacles*) are constantly challenged. I fold segments in real time, considering socio-cosmic tension, migration flows, and bioluminescent traffic. One slip and you might move an island right into a magnetic flare tower.
Vrix-Thal Ever had a catastrophic fold? Or a client with an exotic accent you had to leave stranded halfway?
Irel Quoll Oh, definitely! Stardate 4421.282-the Karbulic Trade Mission wanted a shortcut to the Mega Crab Market Square. We all laughed, but their entire delegation ended up on the backside of an eruptive glass-cloud island. Took them three months to scrub off the afterglow.
Vrix-Thal *loosely trembles* Hahaha! And, well, what does space folding feel like? Can anyone learn it?
Irel Quoll It’s like dancing with gravity, but without a fixed partner. You have to, um, go with it, listen to the groan of the fabric. Not everyone has the fingers-or the right tentacle-brains-for it.
Vrix-Thal And what sort of assignments do you get? Is it mostly highways, or are there spectacular surprises?
Irel Quoll Everything, really! From discreet portals for treasure hunters to massive festival leaps during Festum Luminaris. And just yesterday, I folded a route for a magnificent flock of mega crabs.
Vrix-Thal Practical question-do you live here permanently? Or do you just fold your house elsewhere each night?
Irel Quoll Haha, great question! My home is modular. Tonight probably on an emerald-green islet, tomorrow who knows… in an air pocket above a forgotten broadcast tower.
Vrix-Thal If you could choose, which segment of the archipelago is the... uh, most challenging to fold?
Irel Quoll Segment Twenty-Three-D. It's home to three rival bioplasma colonies, two semi-active volcanoes, and an administrative molecular boundary that gets in the way.
Vrix-Thal I saw your plasma goblets at work, typical space-folder fuel?
Irel Quoll Absolutely, yes! Plasma fortification is essential. Otherwise you’ll just tumble straight into the mist while halfway through a double-folded passage.
Vrix-Thal And if you spend a day not folding, do you get space-twitches?
Irel Quoll Haha! Oh yes, terrible. You start making detours in your morning route. My last day off, I accidentally ended up in a forgotten bioluminescent basement bar.
Vrix-Thal Sounds like an adventure in itself! Would you ever want to fold somewhere else?
Irel Quoll No way! Here in the Archipelago of Xynara, each day is more surprising than the universe allows. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Vrix-Thal Final question-if you accidentally rolled up a whole island, would you admit it, or just pretend it was intentional?
Irel Quoll Uh, well, let’s say... improvisation is essential! And when it works out, they just call it ‘innovative city management’.
Vrix-Thal Brilliant. Thanks for this energetic, well, folded-up conversation!