"Wonderful. I expect this Avalon would be an appropriate location, depending on how convenient it is for more regular visits."

"It's convenient enough for me weekends and afternoons. But not summers or some holidays; I visit my dad."

"Understood. I'm available...most any day of the week, actually." He smiles wryly. "As my sister is so fond of reminding me, I don't have much of a social life outside of her."

"Are you not in school?"

"I meant afternoons, on weekdays."

"Okay. Well, my social life being similarly impoverished, does 'daily' sound good until we've worked through this thing?" She waves Runecasting.

"I think that sounds excellent."

"Excellent. Four sound good? Earlier on weekends, optionally."

"Four sounds fine. I'm available at arbitrary times on Saturday, but not until after eleven on Sunday."

"Let's just make it four daily unless it turns out to be really tempting to sit in the park for six hours at a time spellcrafting, in which case it can be earlier weekends."

"Suits me."

He also buys the other copy of the dictionary for himself, of course. That's just good sense.

"Thank you," May beams at Kanimir when she receives her books. "It's nice out - well, it's technically indoors, even outdoors - we can study in the park?"

"That sounds pleasant."

"I don't mean to ditch you," May adds to Jaromira and Daphne. "If you want to look over our shoulders I won't object."

The girls exchange glances.

"We're good."

"Have fun poking at magic."

"I admit I'm slightly curious what precisely is wrong with your legs, but I'm also aware that that might be a discourteous question, so I apologize if it's unwelcome."

"Nothing's wrong with my legs in particular. My diagnosis is so vague you could drive a really clumsy monster truck through it, but it's probably neurological, and it'd affect my arms enough too if I decided I wanted to try wheelchair basketball but thankfully doesn't affect my handwriting or ability to brush my hair or anything like that. I could probably get by without the wheelchair if I were really determined and masochistic, except in wintertime - and since I have to have one to get anywhere in wintertime, I bust it out whenever I feel like it."

"That sounds preferable to several of the alternatives."

"Yep." Ah look, one of those park chess tables, unoccupied by chess. May rolls up to the side of it rather than transfer onto the bench, and plunks down the magic books and a notebook produced from the bag on the back of her chair. "All right, let's see what runecasting is all about."

"Oh, yes." He's completely unable to hide the excitement in his voice.