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Everyone pops in. All the Bells, all the Jokers - except for the Joker, who is missing for some reason - and the Bells immediately, without having to speak, divide their tasks amongst themselves. Stella and Angela and Pattern and Cam start brainstorming solutions - not implementing them, yet, just generating ideas that might work depending on what they're dealing with. Golden, as the one who's actually had her mind read by a loved one - albeit under more controlled circumstances - is working with Shell Bell, the other previously broken-beyond-recognition Bell, on coming up with a plan to help walk Isibel through recovery after they fix this somehow. Cam eventually folds into this conversation from the other since he's the one with a talking notebook; if they can find Isibel's old books they might be able to turn them into something that could help more actively. Rose is peering into Isibel's mindscape, looking for visible damage that she can just heal directly. Amariah's popping back into Milliways and forcing the door to the elf's world so she can drop a Janepoint in the cave to keep it temporally synced, then coming back and joining Juliet and Aegis in interrogating the demon and the waking dragon about what exactly they have done to Isibel.
"Anyway," says Liselen, "I don't get - detailed summaries, or anything, just kind of a... general tone. And even that is awfully blurred for some of you. And weren't you asking me about the elf magic thing?"
He twitches his tail again. "I was trying to think about it, but then you distracted me! It's hard to translate these things, I think when the Wild Magic calls on unicorns to be messengers it's usually not so directly. But I'll try. Um... you're not supposed to take elven magic because if you do, there'll be less for the elves. They already don't have very much of it at all. If you take enough elven magic to make one of you a proper Elven Mage like there were in the old days, without bonding to a dragon, there won't be any elves born with any magic for a really long time, not even the little stuff they've had since the time of Vairindiel."
"So I could maybe duplicate the effects but I'd have to fuel it some non-naive way?"
"That... sounds about right," says Liselen dubiously. "What is it about you, anyway, the Wild Magic doesn't chat with people like this, maybe it's just because you can all do so many impossible things."
"I wonder if we should just, like - is the Wild Magic something we could just go visit and have a chat with, if it's so eager to be in touch with us?"
"It's not that kind of a thing at all. It can't talk to you unless you're - well, it can't talk to any of you, except using me as a messenger. And fixing that is also something you could get wrong in various horrible ways," he adds, "a lot of them, apparently, depending on how exactly you tried, I don't have a list or anything."
"Today seems to be a day for carelessly tripping over Thilanushinyel magic," remarks Juliet. "Maybe we'd better not do anything much here."
"That is a good plan," says Liselen. "But thank you for fixing the virgins thing! The virgins thing was really annoying!"
"With some of the luck we had working on Isibel earlier we're probably all lucky you didn't wind up magnetized to sex addicts or something."
"Well, I did end up sitting next to the person who would've made me the most uncomfortable before, but only because I'm reckless and irresponsible and contrary," says Liselen.
"What, am I really the most - tell me Amariah at least gives me a run for my money?"
"It's kind of a toss-up," he says. "Why, is that bad?"
"Oh," says Liselen. "See, I don't know these things, because I'm a unicorn."
"I guess that would tend to put you in contact with a skewed population."
"So, no throwing around serious magic in Thilanushinyel till we have a better idea what's going on - maybe Lazarus will want to have a look at the place - but fixing unicorns' virgin thing is safe," says Stella, "is what we have learned today. Also that elves don't like questions for some reason."
"A question is a demand for information," says Magania, "and is therefore considered rude. Except in times of great need or urgency, a civilized person does not demand, only suggest. But of course," she continues with a slight smile, "the elven way to be civilized is only one such way, and it is known to me that other folk find our indirection as maddening as we find their impatience. I am also pleased to announce that the tea is ready," she adds. "Perhaps if those who wish to drink it would create cups, I could pour for them."
Stella creates a cup. The other Bells, except for Aegis who declined tea and made herself juice instead some time ago, follow suit. The cups vary; Stella's is a willow-patterned mug.
"Darn right a question is a demand for information," mutters Juliet, creating a little teacup with a craquelure design. "Sometimes we demand information."
"Sometimes you do," Magania agrees, pouring tea gracefully into Juliet's cup and then holding it out to her. "I hope that you enjoy the tea. It is one of my favourite springtime blends, and I thought it suitable to the occasion."
(It is the first time she has laughed in over a year.)
"She thinks," giggles Sarion, "that you are so, so spectacularly rude, and she is going to be very very polite to you by way of reply."