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Two girls are moving their hands through the air and speaking together in perfect parallel.
Two girls are looking expectantly at a circle of red chalk on their floor.
Two girls have done something exceptionally stupid.
Arcane in Elcenia
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She stops. Something makes a loud popping noise; a cloud of soot comes into existence and settles, mostly on Keo.
infinitely-stranger
"Truthfully and concisely, without taking extraneous action, explain how it is you were able to move just now."
"My husband can operate my body," whispers Keo.
infinitely-stranger
"Answer all of my questions truthfully and concisely, and do not contrive to deceive me by any means. Do not take extraneous action in the course of answering my questions. What is your husband doing right now?"
"He's contacting my brother and getting circle chalk."
infinitely-stranger
"As expediently as possible without inflicting lasting harm, prevent your husband from continuing to interfere. Then tell me how you did it."
"I can operate his body too," she murmurs. "He's not moving anymore except to breathe."
infinitely-stranger
"What are the likeliest sources of immediate interference with my control of this situation?"
"My brother will be confused about my husband contacting him via whisper spell. One of the girls' neighbors may have heard me botch the teleport and come to see what's going on. If any student or one of my friends or family members tries to get my attention for any reason and I cannot respond they will be alarmed."
infinitely-stranger
"Which of these sources has the greatest capacity to interfere?"
"My brother."
infinitely-stranger
"Can you, without extraneous effects, determine what your brother is doing right now?"
"Yes."
infinitely-stranger
Arrangements of individuals involving siblings often involve plural siblings.
"How many brothers do you have, what are their names, and which one did your husband contact?"
"How many brothers do you have, what are their names, and which one did your husband contact?"
"Two. I don't know the elder's name. My husband contacted Narax," says Keo thinly.
infinitely-stranger
"Without extraneous effects, determine what Narax is doing. What is he doing?"
"He's reading my and my husband's and our daughter's emotional states and trying to talk to me and drawing a scry diagram."
infinitely-stranger
"How might you, expediently and without inflicting lasting harm, prevent Narax from interfering in this situation?"
"I - " Twitch; she was trying to say something that is not allowed. "I can stop him moving."
infinitely-stranger
"Without taking extraneous action, do so. Does the means by which you have stopped Narax moving require your active maintenance?"
"Yes."
infinitely-stranger
That is probably all of the immediate trouble handled. To the point where he can afford to do something other than react to the next likeliest threat vector.
Arcane takes a calming breath.
"I apologize for my conduct," he says. "Can you, easily and without extraneous effects, verify to your satisfaction the truth or falsehood of statements I make?"
Arcane takes a calming breath.
"I apologize for my conduct," he says. "Can you, easily and without extraneous effects, verify to your satisfaction the truth or falsehood of statements I make?"
"Only if you don't have some kind of mental spoof in addition to whatever you're using to do this with. Probably."
infinitely-stranger
He considers wording.
"You may, without extraneous effect and where doing so does not distract you from the fulfillment of previous orders, verify the truth of statements I make." Pause. "I am sincerely sorry about all of this. By the same means through which I command you, I have been commanded to secure significant potential threats against my Queen. You represent such a threat."
What's unprecedented is the degree to which she represents both a unique threat and a unique resource. The correct way to handle her from here is very different depending on which interpretation he picks, although neither option looks very good from his perspective.
"I suspect that your entire world represents such a threat, in fact. Is the ability to summon people from other worlds common?"
"You may, without extraneous effect and where doing so does not distract you from the fulfillment of previous orders, verify the truth of statements I make." Pause. "I am sincerely sorry about all of this. By the same means through which I command you, I have been commanded to secure significant potential threats against my Queen. You represent such a threat."
What's unprecedented is the degree to which she represents both a unique threat and a unique resource. The correct way to handle her from here is very different depending on which interpretation he picks, although neither option looks very good from his perspective.
"I suspect that your entire world represents such a threat, in fact. Is the ability to summon people from other worlds common?"
"Wizards in general can do it if motivated but it's unusual to do so."