Pretty much. Breakfast is egg-on-toast or cheese sandwich, with roasted zucchini.

...Lots of people seem embarrassed, upon seeing her. Even the cook handing out meals, who... Participated last night.

Ame gives the cook a friendly smile as she collects breakfasts, and complements the food. It is actually quite appetizing. Ame still isn't used to having real food instead of cheap packaged snacks.

"-I'd want to be super super careful with it even if enchanting is pretty stable but oh gods I really want to try! The first thing I'm thinking of us Law of Form on the barrel but I don't know Law of Form- Oooh, food."

Abyssia's hands are oil-stained and holding some unidentifiable metal bit as she waves at Ame. "What are you two up to, it sounds like you have something to do before we get walking?"

"Elizabeth noticed weird magic coming from Alectai's wagon; we went to warn him about it. He was concerned and he's asked Elizabeth to examine the thing he thinks is causing it. Some kind of Light emanation."

Abyssia frowns seriously. Anxiously. "Light magic can be... Trouble. You trust her, Ame? Maybe... A blessing?"

(Elizabeth pouts, then realizes this means a potential secret and tries to do a doe-eyes look.)

"I've unnerved Elizabeth a few times and she's never held it against me," Ame comments, remembering how Elizabeth reacted to finding out that Ame grew up as a street criminal. "I trust her to at least be polite about it if you do freak her out."

Abyssia leads them both off to her tent and performs a short ritual that involves more eldritch glimpses and daubing blood on Elizabeth's arms. She explains that it's supposed to make someone supernaturally steady. While she doesn't have a Skill for it, she insists that it does work.

Elizabeth is... Not entirely non-unnerved. And a bit skeptical, questioning whether anything that doesn't provide Skills can really be working, though something was clearly happening. Abyssia doesn't appreciate Elizabeth's doubts, but she doesn't do anything to refute them. Elizabeth doesn't flee in terror or say anything too rude, at least!

"...Think of it like saying 'good luck', then. Maybe it will help you. Maybe it won't."

"Well, I appreciate it. And I want to learn about the 'whispers' too at some point!"

"...Maybe later. Do your magic diagnosis, and please don't get corrupted or something."

"Aye aye, captain!"

"Not a captain."

"But the anchor-"

"It symbolizes my home. I don't have a boat right now. There's no boats within two hundred miles. Don't call me captain."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Abyssia sighs.

Ame watches this interaction and shakes her head.

"Maybe it doesn't work the way you expect things to work, but I'd take it seriously," she suggests wryly to Elizabeth. "There are always more ways for something to work than one would expect."

"Sure, but I don't know any of the other ways and I've never seen it happen. I'll try to keep an open mind. Except to hostile mind magic."

She heads back towards Alectai.

Heh.

Ame pauses a moment to summon her Healing Slime and then follows.

There is a box set up in an open field a ways out with a ring of what looks like spare spears driven into the ground in a big circle around it. Elizabeth carefully opens the box.

The sculpture is a slightly abstract grey metal sculpture of a woman, the dress fading into an angular and geometric base. It's somehow - captivating, the way the light plays off it, the way the abstract outline seems to slowly shift as if suggesting flowing hair or a subtle smile... Elizabeth hisses, squinting at its blazing patterns and lines to Windsight, and carefully watches it.

"...It's... Designed to gather something and store it. Or maybe to be stocked with something and distribute it. A slow effect either way. It's also definitely mind-affecting in some way. I think to make people think it's important?" Squint squint. "...Not quite, just to make people pay attention, maybe. I'm not sure."

Ame keeps her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, using Axiom continuously and watching. She has her own Windsight open too, but Elizabeth is still much better at this.

"Pay attention to it? Or pay attention to the stuff its supposed to be filled up with?"

"Pay attention to the statue and whatever else is going on at the time... I'm pretty sure it's supposed to collect something from people. Slowly, passively. Hey, doesn't this look like the Lady? The Lady of the Lake?"

(It's a faint resemblance at best, but the statue is pretty abstract...)

Ame doesn't actually remember what exactly the Lady of the Lake is supposed to look like.

"Could be. So... what isn't it doing? Can you tell what's broken about it?"

"...It's really not supposed to be this obvious, I think? The part that's broken is the part that hides what it's doing? That's the sense I'm getting at least. I can't - I don't know how - this isn't a sorcery enchantment and I am mostly guessing based off first principles and pattern matching."

"Well that isn't extremely ominous or anything. What do you want to bet this isn't the only one of these?"

"Uh, not. I think they have to be fairly big, this wouldn't work in something little. But yeah, I'm not touching this."

She reaches to close the box, shutting it suddenly and watching tensely before letting out a breath. The box is... Mostly... Containing and muffling it again.

Ame nods and backs them out of the ring of spears.

"What're we telling Alectai?" Ame asks quietly.

She shakes her head. "If we tell him the truth, it's likely whoever made this will realize someone's poking into their secrets..."

"If he says the wrong thing while delivering it they might realize that anyway."

"It's... It's a religious icon that makes you pay more attention to it, that much is reasonable, right? It's a curiosity that I don't know how to replicate and a clever way to inspire church attendance, and that's it."

"We really don't know what they will or won't feel the need to follow up on; we just don't know enough about them, period. But that's probably the best we can do, yeah."

"Who knew learning new things could be so stressful? If they come for our heads, at least we'll be able to stop worrying they'll come for our heads."

Snort. "Because we'll be dead," Ame finishes.

"Not necessarily. Danger means advancement." She gives a conspiratorial grin. "I leveled from that examination. Now, I'll do my best 'frustrated scholar' at him."