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It's been a bit of a long day, but rather relievingly, a long day of the boring kind. Boring means nobody got shot at by a Neuroi today, so she'll take it and maybe even call it a good day.
There's card games every day at six, with whoever's not too busy to attend. She changes out of her itchy uniform into more ordinary clothes and makes her way to the breakroom.
...This is not the breakroom. This is a bar.
witchwatcher
thaumobabble
"Yeah. I have a few healing ones, but I can do triggers for a lot of possible things - one famous trigger spell shoots a jet of soapy lemony water, which does have an important use but is none the less quite arbitrary from a setup standpoint."
witchwatcher
"I'd invite you into our world but I assume you don't want to be stuck there. I wonder if I can whisper spell at other people on base if I hold the door open, have them come in here? Four healing triggers are better than one, if you're willing to do that many."
thaumobabble
"I don't have any inclination to charge for labor under the circumstances. Ingredients would add up, but if you can get more people here presumably they can bring money?"
witchwatcher
"Oh, if we can get the wing commander in here money won't be a problem. She's allowed to draw from her clan bank account, and she almost certainly would for something as good as this. I'm gonna try it."
She walks towards the door. The door disappears.
"Uh, what the hell?"
She walks towards the door. The door disappears.
"Uh, what the hell?"
thaumobabble
Bella squints at the door. "Uh. No idea."
Occasionally the door does that. It is very unlikely to keep you here for more than a day or two of subjective time, apologizes the bar.
Occasionally the door does that. It is very unlikely to keep you here for more than a day or two of subjective time, apologizes the bar.
witchwatcher
"Lovely. I'm sure I can survive a day or two, but I'm rather more suspicious of this place now."
thaumobabble
I do apologize. I don't control the movements of the door.
"She doesn't, far as I can see, which isn't that far but still."
"She doesn't, far as I can see, which isn't that far but still."
witchwatcher
"Fair enough. What do you need for a protection amulet and healing trigger? Bar, I'll buy the things she needs with Svalten."
thaumobabble
"Best all purpose healing trigger will need..." Bella pulls a notebook out of her sleeve and rattles off an ingredient list. "Protection amulets are - depends on what kind you want? I can guess, but my guess will be better if you tell me about what you need protecting from."
witchwatcher
"Neuroi beams are by far the thing we'll need protecting from most often. They're mostly heat with some concussive force on top, so fire protections?"
thaumobabble
"Okay! I can get you something that will work okay for that." More ingredient list. Bar provides.
witchwatcher
Gren asks Bar for some books on engineering, but pays close attention once it's clear that magic is about to happen.
thaumobabble
The magic includes setting things on fire, mixing herbs in interesting ways, boiling a little liquid, chanting, and daubing something on Gren's nose.
Eventually the spell is over. "Your healing trigger word is 'Mulaglarby'. It's hard to say by accident."
Eventually the spell is over. "Your healing trigger word is 'Mulaglarby'. It's hard to say by accident."
witchwatcher
She brings out a notebook and keeps track of the things Bella does, with notes on the synesthesia and structure of the magic.
"Thaaat was interesting. I can't copy it directly, but I could tell how it was moving as you prepared the things. Do you need to be anything special to learn to cast this stuff? I'm tempted to try, if not."
She writes down 'Healing trigger - mulaglarby'.
"Thaaat was interesting. I can't copy it directly, but I could tell how it was moving as you prepared the things. Do you need to be anything special to learn to cast this stuff? I'm tempted to try, if not."
She writes down 'Healing trigger - mulaglarby'.
thaumobabble
"...Not exactly. There are species affinities for magic but humans don't have any; but I'm not sure if you can do it because you're not from my world and that might matter."
witchwatcher
"Only one way to find out. Would you mind showing me something simple and harmless I can try, a breeze spell or something?"
"...And I've said this already probably, but if there's anything I can do for you in return I'll be happy to provide."
"...And I've said this already probably, but if there's anything I can do for you in return I'll be happy to provide."
thaumobabble
"Mmm, it takes more than one spell to cultivate, say, a witchwell... I could maybe teach you a simple dragon spell or something but there's nothing obvious to actually cast...?"
witchwatcher
"How do witchwells work? It sounds like a pool of power that witches can use. I wonder how it'd interact with my mana."
thaumobabble
"It doesn't look anything like your mana, so probably not much? But yes, that's about what it is."
thaumobabble
"I might think of something that you could reasonably cast to see if you can do any of my kinds of magic, it's just I started with witchery and therefore things I think of as 'introductory spells' involve spending ages cultivating your witchwell first."
witchwatcher
"Well if you do think of something let me know."
Time for ice cream, the rest of the food is gone.
Time for ice cream, the rest of the food is gone.