The Cosmic Chronicle

Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L Uh, first off, welcome. Don't you find it difficult to orient yourself among all these shifting buildings?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent Hmm... Orientation is relative. The patterns of movement, the sliding of light, they're familiar when you don't have limbs to move.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L You glide effortlessly across the Liquid Plinth, but what exactly draws you to Luminar Hollistique?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent Sensory mists. And the fact that nobody minds a serpent with four mouths, as long as you know the entrance code. But more than that, the dream extraction... uh, it tingles the scales, so to speak.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L Do you have favorite festivals here?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent Yes. The annual Identity Confusion Harvest, uh, with that fragrant mist corridor, you know. There, masks usually roll a bit faster than the Mask Guard allows.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L How are you, well, treated by the locals? Are you seen as a visitor, a predator, or eccentric decor?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent Oh, a bit of everything. Sometimes people blink in boredom, sometimes an extra sign says: "No Serpent Shrine Today". It depends on the day, and the architecture.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L Is your species often found in places like this?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent Well… no. Most cosmic serpents avoid spaces where the architecture changes more frequently than the average haiku writer. But I like taking risks.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L Your eating habits are fascinating. Do you indulge in scent-slurping here, or stick to... more traditional meals?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent The scent syndicates have surprising menus. Uh... citrus mist with a dash of electrolytes, for instance. But sometimes I survive a week on a diet of pyramidal tone powders.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L Interesting. And... has the Mask Guard ever confronted you?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent *soft hissing laughter* Oh, absolutely. Just recently, when I tried to slither through a corridor on the Quai of Lightwaves while a scent cloud contest was ongoing.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L Have you ever been threatened or discriminated against because you... well, lack legs?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent Uhm, only some passive-aggressive remarks from a gas being. They don't even have a backbone, so that's fine.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L *splutters* Sorry... Uh, different question. Where do you actually sleep here?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent On top of the prism terraces. I weave myself between holographic dancers until the morning mist dissipates.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L You sound content. But is there anything here you'd like to change?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent The nightly noise limits. Every time my skin starts resonating with the jazz, a scanbot hisses that it's getting ‘too exuberant’. Outrageous.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L Yeah. Do you actually have friends here in Luminar, or is it more surface-level contact?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent Friends... well, we say 'weave-mates'. Holographic dancers occasionally count, and now and then a vendor who shares spices without charge.
Rho-zjarr Three-and-a-half L Final question. Is there anything that really bothers you here?
Askaasil the Cosmic Serpent Yes, actually. I still have no permit for the annual Dream Serpent Parade. And according to the Mask Guard, ‘multiple mouth flute’ is not allowed as a vocal instrument.