Carissa was preparing Dimension Door, and there's a loop in Dimension Door that's the difference between it and Teleport, for Teleport it has an extra circle for power and targeting and she pushed into it, and now she's exhausted and is not going to be able to prepare any more spells for at least three hours because she was an idiot and you're supposed to have an external source of magical energy for spell prep as a FIFTH-CIRCLE CASTER but you see she did not know she was a FIFTH CIRCLE CASTER and that's Teleport. Look at it. It's beautiful.

It is!!!! Mhalir is so excited and proud of her!!! This is going to be incredibly useful and - it feels good, it feels safer, being more powerful. 

...He should take his turn in the pool, though, he forgot about it last night but he should do it now before anything ELSE happens that requires his attention. 

He SHOULD and Carissa will read a lot of magic theory in the meantime, paying attention to fifth-circle spell technique.

Mhalir dunks in the pool to get his kandrona rays. 

Ma'ar doesn't have a Ring of Sustenance and also went to bed much later than Carissa. He drags himself out of bed after six hours, not feeling nearly rested enough but it's morning and things will be happening, he should check in with his generals and see if logistics for their retreat needs troubleshooting and then probably talk to Urtho... 

One of the mages asks if he wants coffee. The ship has coffee, it's a drink from Earth, it's like tea but BETTER and it makes you feel less tired even when you don't have time to sleep enough. 

Sure, coffee. 

It makes him feel less slow and stupid, at least, if not exactly less tired, there's still the heavy exhaustion that isn't really about sleep at all. It doesn't help with the sense of having forgotten how to have emotions, of being unmoored and disconnected from the world - when he tries to reach for his memory of the stars above Urtho's Tower, that feels fake too, like it happened to another person in another life. Maybe this is just because interacting with a different you is disorienting?

He deals with logistics. There are a lot of headaches and grumpy upset people who need reassurance that Tantara isn't going to execute them for war crimes or something. There aren't any real emergencies or surprises, at least. 

Carissa nods off in the middle of reading about spell theory - you're really not supposed to prepare a fifth-circle spell for the first time from reserves - and wakes up a couple of hours later feeling a little better and gets Mhalir and prepares some more of her spells.

After spending the morning on the communicator with Urtho and using magic to talk to his people on the ground, Ma'ar comes to see if Carissa and Mhalir are available. He looks simultaneously tired and twitchy (the latter might be all the coffee.) 

Carissa and Mhalir are available! Carissa is a FIFTH CIRCLE WIZARD did he hear. 

Urtho on the radio is not sure what that means! But it sounds exciting, congratulations to her, and he would be very eager to hear more if they can come back to the Tower today! Also he would like to hear more from lucid-Mhalir about the Yeerks and the Andalites and their technology. 

<I have no objections to going back to the Tower> Mhalir tells Carissa. Glance at Ma'ar. <We...should probably not bring Ma'ar. Maybe we can drop him off in Predain so he can coordinate in person, I think he is tiring himself out using magic to talk to his people.> 

That makes sense.

She gives Ma'ar a hug. "Mhalir proposes we drop off Ma'ar in Predain and then come to the Tower to meet you," she says to Urtho.

Urtho thinks this sounds very reasonable. 

Ma'ar takes a deep breath. "Yes, it would be a good idea to coordinate with the King in person, I think he is - very confused and alarmed. Also I can return your headband? If I could keep the rest of the items - and also my own communicating device - it would be very helpful as proof for him that you are powerful aliens and - that it is in Predain's interest to be on friendly terms." 

"Yeah, definitely. ...and you should take Earth movies and something to play them on. Earth movies are great. They provide cultural exposure to Earth."

"Oh?" He smiles at her; briefly, but it softens his whole face. "I will do that, then. Have you been to Earth?" 

"No. It's a really long trip, from here. I guess Mhalir's special hyperspace jump arrangement might shorten it. But we have some movies on the ship and they're great."

Nod. "Thank you for informing me. I suspect it will be - disproportionately impressive and pleasing to people." 

They get on the shuttle, which descends to the capital of Predain. It takes less than half an hour, which Ma'ar seems to find very impressive. 

Ma'ar gets off, talks briefly to a mage on the ground, and ducks back in to offer Carissa back her headband. "I wish I had time to try it," he confesses. "Maybe someday. Good luck talking to Urtho." 

Carissa should be planning diplomacy things but actually she spends the whole time reading through fifth-circle spells. Mhalir can handle the diplomacy things.

She is very happy to have her headband back. "I'm sure we'll get you one sooner or later. Good luck with things."

Mhalir kind of feels like 'have lots of shiny magic to talk about' might be the most effective kind of diplomacy, when it comes to Urtho in particular. He spends the time thinking about technology, and what they might be able to trade with Urtho - the Yeerks, unlike the Andalites, don't have a policy against tech-sharing - and also he should have a chat with Urtho about the possibility of voluntary hosts in Tantara, he expects Yeerks can be effective study aids for mage-gifted youngsters just like they can help wizards learn magic in Golarion, though that he would want to run past the Andalites... 

(He's also musing on Yeerks as a replacement or at least supplement to compulsions in Predain; he can guess exactly what sort of corruption Ma'ar was trying to stamp out with that practice; it's unclear if anyone in Velgarth would consider Yeerks an improvement.) 

Lady Cinnabar is waiting outside the Tower in the courtyard when the shuttle touches down. "Thank you for coming." 

"Of course!"