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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.
Harry Dresden in Elcenia
Harry reddens slightly at the thought of inadvertently catching Karrin the same way they got him. Or, for that matter, Michael. "Yes, letters, good policy. Warnings to not be naked for a while."
He doesn't respond to her second point. He's long since learned that Murphy's Law is not just a suggestion. And he's a bit worried that by the time he gets back, it might not be a world he wants to live in. He's not bigheaded or anything, but it doesn't escape his notice that he's personally stopped the apocalypse four or five times in the past seven years.
He doesn't respond to her second point. He's long since learned that Murphy's Law is not just a suggestion. And he's a bit worried that by the time he gets back, it might not be a world he wants to live in. He's not bigheaded or anything, but it doesn't escape his notice that he's personally stopped the apocalypse four or five times in the past seven years.
"Exactly."
At the end of the hall is a closet. Green Lady, her accessory, and Harry - assuming he obeys her gestured suggestion - enter this closet.
At the end of the hall is a closet. Green Lady, her accessory, and Harry - assuming he obeys her gestured suggestion - enter this closet.
Harry raises an eyebrow (or something like that - he's working on the expression, okay), but follows her in on the assumption that the closet is more than it appears. If she's going to store him in the supply cupboard, he reserves the right to be confused and irritated.
There isn't any evidence of supply storage in the closet.
"Headmaster's office," she says, and it moves. Sideways.
"Headmaster's office," she says, and it moves. Sideways.
Harry lurches a bit, but takes it in his stride. "Is this technological, or do you just have enough magic lying around that you can be hilariously excessive with your enchanted items?"
"I'm Harry, nice to meet you," he responds. "You really weren't kidding about that "minimally invasive" thing, huh." He appreciates that. Unless this exchange was just to throw him off guard, but he's not dealing with Mab, here; he can afford to be slightly charitable with his assumptions.
"Your name wasn't attached to any of my questions," she says.
The lift starts going down. Then forwards. Then up.
The lift starts going down. Then forwards. Then up.
Harry leans against the closet wall and enjoys the ride. It's been a while since he was on a rollercoaster or anything. Inertia is fun!
A thought strikes him. "So, how advanced is your technology here? Because wizards kind of mess up anything past the invention of the steam engine, and I'd rather not break all your stuff, you seem like nice people."
A thought strikes him. "So, how advanced is your technology here? Because wizards kind of mess up anything past the invention of the steam engine, and I'd rather not break all your stuff, you seem like nice people."
"Well, I don't know what a steam engine is, if that answers your question," says Keo.
The lift comes to a halt and opens on an office with a lot of bookhelves and a desk and some chairs. Kanaat heads for the bookshelves and looks for a book.
The lift comes to a halt and opens on an office with a lot of bookhelves and a desk and some chairs. Kanaat heads for the bookshelves and looks for a book.
"That's reassuring."
Harry finds a chair and weighs the benefit of sitting down against potentially offending the dragony goddess woman by getting her chair wet. He eventually decides that he's tired enough that he doesn't care if she decides to smite him. As usual.
Harry finds a chair and weighs the benefit of sitting down against potentially offending the dragony goddess woman by getting her chair wet. He eventually decides that he's tired enough that he doesn't care if she decides to smite him. As usual.
She doesn't protest about the chair. She rummages in the desk and comes up with square paper and a stick of graphite (there's a rubber grip on it, but it's not wrapped in wood like a pencil). "For your letters," she says.
"Thanks." He takes the stick and the paper and starts writing.
After a few minutes, he writes out a letter in a cramped, spidery hand, then folds it up and writes "KARRIN, READ THIS" at the top. "Can she respond?" he asks.
After a few minutes, he writes out a letter in a cramped, spidery hand, then folds it up and writes "KARRIN, READ THIS" at the top. "Can she respond?" he asks.
"We can summon the paper back again after sending it. Leave room," suggests Keo.
Kanaat has found what he's looking for and is now drawing on the floor.
Kanaat has found what he's looking for and is now drawing on the floor.
Harry nods, then adds "Respond on back" to the note. He reconsiders, takes another sheet, folds it into the first, and scratches out "back" to replace it with "sheet attached". "Okay, I think we're good."
"Did you give her a time constraint on writing back?" Keo asks. "We need to either know when to summon the letter back, or scry on her to find out, and the latter has several disadvantages."
He slaps his forehead. "Respond on sheet attached" gets a neighbor reading "within one hour". "That sound good to you?" he asks.
"Assuming it gives her enough time," agrees Keo. "First order of business, clothes. If you'll go put your hand in that loop coming off the first circle -" Kanaat is now drawing a second circle - "we can collect whatever clothes you concentrate on, one article at a time."
He goes to do so. "Can that do other objects? Because I have kind of a lot of magic stuff that I wouldn't want to have to re-enchant."
"...If I'm harmless, they're harmless?" hazards Harry. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people? I use them in self-defense? If it's a problem I can just summon the ones that aren't weaponry and Molly could take the heavy stuff, it'd do her a lot of good anyway. She's bad at the whole "crush your enemies" thing."
"No one is likely to attack you here," says Keo. "If someone does, you can think my name really hard and I'll hear it; I'd rather not have weapons on the campus."
Harry pouts a bit. They're taking away his toys! "Well, that's a welcome change, I guess. Molly will love the blasting rod. I can still have my staff, though, right? That's a general-purpose tool that I can use to hurt people, but I don't have to. And it's got sentimental value."
"Yes. Clothes." He retrieves: pants! Pants are a wonderful invention. He also retrieves a shirt, and socks, and shoes, and a leather duster jacket. This last he clutches to himself as though it were his dearest friend. He quickly dons them, since he's dried off about enough to do so. He looks much more comfortable. Not, like, particularly comfortable, he's never particularly comfortable, but he looks less uncomfortable.