Which probably translates to "I was up all night playing with this." Whatever, she's a university student, she can't judge. "I should probably teach you the meditation techniques for limiting the influence the magic has on you," she muses. "You're not going to be influenced by the level you're currently playing with, but it's better to have the habits in place before you need them."

"Yes, that sounds useful."

"I'm glad I don't have to try teaching these things to someone who isn't telepathic. So, um, how about I do the meditation myself--I could use it, honestly, after yesterday--and you can watch, and listen to what I'm doing, and ask questions after."

"That sounds good, yes."

She sits up, crosses her legs, and closes her eyes.

It's an intensely introspective process, and also oddly ruthless, examining her feelings and crushing the ones that appear too new and too explicable-by-magic dispassionately. She runs through dozens of simulated situations, and practices responding to them in ways that don't support what the magic is presumably doing her.

"Thank you, that does seem useful. How common is it for people to experience major personality shifts after a few decades of practice?"

"I don't know the exact statistics, but most mages retire after less than half a century for exactly that reason," she admits soberly.

"Hmm. We were planning a major offensive within that time frame, so maybe we'll just push it to the limits for a few decades, try it, and then spend a couple centuries in perfect isolation on the beach with - with an old friend of mine, celebrating our victory."

"Should I not ask?"

"Ask what?"

"Who it is? You sounded like you were avoiding saying it."

"Oh, just realizing you wouldn't know the name. The - ah, either most powerful vassal or most loyal ally of my father to the east is an old friend of mine and very much looking forward to winning this war."

"Ah. Well, I'll do what I can to help hurry that day along, then."

"It's been four hundred fifty years, we're not dawdling on your account."

"I'm joking, mostly, and the rest is mostly trying to--adjust."

"Adjust?"

"Suddenly being in a war zone is a pretty big change for me. The best way for me to deal with it so far seems to be assuming that I can do something meaningful to help."

"We can resettle you somewhere safe as soon as we determine that you are in fact yourself safe."

"I mean, yes, but that wouldn't make people not die. Except me, but I'm only one person."

"We grew up in a peaceful land. It takes some adjustment."

"That, and if my sister showed up here then you can bet she's already decided to do whatever needs to be done to end this, or will when she finds out if she hasn't, and...I don't want to be the useless twin."

He laughs. "Understandable. Well, if she's shown up here and not with the Enemy, then she's probably either alone and will be found - hopefully by our scouts - or with some of my people, so we'll hear of it soon."

"It will be a relief to know she's alright, assuming she is."

He nods. "How often does magic produce results that unintended?"

"I've never even heard of anything like this," she says wryly.