"Ah. If scrying weren't so straightforward I don't think any of us would be able to get anything done. It's really, really necessary. At least if you don't want to do something horrifically wrong and get yourself killed. Which, obviously, I'd like to avoid."

"It's like - reminders? If you memorize a thing to say that will remind you of all the things you need to remember, and then say it as you're casting the spell, it'll help you remember what you need to. Like a checklist, sort of."

"Sensible of you," snorts Luzia.

"And the thing you memorize is shorter than the thing it reminds you of, I guess?"

"I try," snickers Zeviana.

"Yup! Because there's not really any way you can say everything you need to remember in any kind of useful time frame. Zeviana's brother keeps a book of cheat sheets and that works out pretty well, too."

"It's been occasionally hypothesized that witches could get useful magic out of getting themselves killed - or for that matter other people - but nobody's been doing it in practice far as I know," says Luzia. "Usually if we need to kill something it winds up being a rabbit or a pigeon or a deer or whatever, and since it's a sacrifice we then go on to not eat it, is how it works."

"Cheat sheets like what?" asks Radna.

"Yeah, uh, let's avoid human sacrifices. Does the magic undo itself if you eat a sacrifice, or does it become - I dunno, unfit for eating?"

"Like - notes on spells that he worked out but then didn't use for years or something. The necessary checklist of things that need to be known, and if everything there is understood, he can just do the spell."

"Little of both depending on the spell, little of bad luck in general too, especially with animals. Not the sort of thing you want to make a habit of."

"Makes sense," says Radna.

"Oooh. Okay, so it's a - proper sacrifice, then. I doubt it'll come up for me, but it's still cool to hear," says Zeviana. "So is being gorgeous just a natural part of being a witch, or is that all you?"

"Yeah. Our magic likes making sense, we think. It doesn't like making something from nothing, for example - it'll just keep eating up mana until that goes away."

(Ranata laughs quietly.)

"Ha," says Luzia, but she smiles. "It's not part of the package. You could say we've been breeding ourselves for it, scooping up the prettiest mortals. The ones who go for mortals and breeding, at any rate." She smiles a little wider.

"Are you hitting on us?" wonders Radna.

"Aha, that explains a lot. Good on your ancestors, they chose nicely."

Zeviana's grinning back. Goodness, why could that be? It's a mystery, of course.

"Yes," Lecasryn says. "But there won't be any hard feelings if you turn us down."

"If I recall right Mother thought my father had the most beautiful hands and that was why she wanted him, but I'm sure other choices have been made for other reasons. You are just lucky, I take it?" says Luzia.

"Good to know," says Radna. And she hops forward a step.

She giggles. "I think so! For lots of reasons, even. For example - helpful, gorgeous witches. Especially the ones that are that good with a dagger."

Lecasryn is pleased by this! She makes a happy noise, and looks very interested in Radna. "And you're returning the interest, I take it?"

Ranata finds something to do off thataway. Not too far, but enough to be out of earshot.

"Especially, huh?" Luzia takes her dagger out, spins it in her fingers.

"Maaaaybe," says Radna coyly.

"Ooo, a dagger. And I bet you know how to use it, even," says Zeviana, winking.

Lecasryn laughs. "Maybe? Aw, now I'm disappointed."

She does not look anything of the sort. At all.

"Sure. Not that I get much chance for, you know, field work. Haven't had a war in decades and decades, not supposed to wave the sharps at the mortals anymore..."

"Well, we're convincible," says Radna.

"... You know, I know lots of mortals you can poke lots of holes in and no one on this plane will care, but I'm pretty sure my brother will make faces at me if I do that. Pity. I would have loved to see it."

"Ooh? Are you? What are recommendations for convincing?"

"I meant in the more traditional sense than the serial killer sense," says Luzia dryly. "Neither was ever my style for my own sake... I helped my sister with a boy she wanted once though. This was a long time ago."

"What's your usual convincing repertoire look like? I'll help you narrow it down," chuckles Radna.

"Sorry, uh - dark subject, I get stuck on it every now and then. Didn't mean to come off like a psychopath. The people I'm talking about were the type to think torturing an eleven-year-old was a good idea. It would not be random murders. They're kind of deserving bastards."

"Well, we are fairly straightforward when we want something. Flirting, kisses - Zeviana is thinking of asking for dagger lessons."

"They still call them serial killers when they're vigilante justice. An eleven year old? Seriously?"

"Dagger lessons she can have," declares Radna. "If she doesn't mind my Luzia correcting her form. Probably a lot. So to speak."

"Yup. My world isn't nice. Thus, why I and my brother left. We like it here more, anyway." To keep this from becoming a pity party, she adds with a wink, "Helps that there are such lovely people."

Lecasryn giggles. "I don't think my mage will mind."

"How'd you turn out so sane and, mmm, pleasant company?" wonders Luzia.

"Good," says Radna, hopping closer again. If Lecasryn were inclined to lean over and peck the mousebird on the head now she could do it.

"Sheer talent," teases Zeviana. "Also taste."

"You know," says Lecasryn affectionately. "I feel like there's something you'd like me to do but I can't for the life of me figure out what. Give me a hint?"

"I can see that," says Luzia. "How long have you been here, anyway? The plane, I mean. Never heard of anybody visiting from that far away, apart from a story I heard about armored bears which is almost surely false. And you are certainly not a bear." (Is she checking to see if Zeviana is a bear? Well, she's checking something, anyway.)

"Nothing pops into your head?" wonders Radna. "You'd think you don't hop up to other daemons attached to witches you're coming on to every day. Are we special?"

"I am certainly not a bear! I got here yesterday, though it feels longer now. I've seen a zoo, and now the clan lands! Both have been pretty fun."

(She is free to check whatever she's checking for as long as she likes. She understands if Luzia needs to check for secret bears. It's in the name of safety.)

"Actually, yes. I've never flirted before. There were no daemons in the plane we came from. My Zeviana's done this before, but I haven't at all. I think you're quite cute, though."

Luzia is sufficiently alarmed by Lecasryn's utterance to snap her attention to the birds, rather neatly ruining the parallelization. "What?" she says.

"What?" echoes Radna, taking a step back and looking at Lecasryn again as though to confirm she's real.

"Oh. Um, yeah. I wasn't a zombie or anything, I just didn't have Lecasryn flying around," explains Zeviana a little awkwardly. That was a mood killer.

"Yes," agrees Lecasryn. "I existed, I have memories from then, but I was - asleep? Inactive? I don't know which word seems more appropriate."