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Ranara and her little daughter Azabel move to Urtho's Tower when the latter can say six words ("up", "mama", "milk", "no", "now", and "please") and hasn't started to walk yet. Ranara sets up to teach little children to read, ones who don't have evident Gifts yet - Ranara herself has Mindspeech, is all, with about a classroom's worth of range. Azabel sits in on classes, worn on her mother's back or later plopped in a corner with toys or, when she's only four, plopped in a corner with a book, younger than the other kids in the class. When Azabel has in fact sat through her mother's curriculum she is turned somewhat loose, to walk very carefully up and down and around the Tower, exploring.
smol bell in urtho's tower
small-and-alone
:Just, wouldn't it make more sense to pick someone to have a crush on who'll still be around next week?:
anticipating_night
:I... guess? I think it's like any other emotion and for most people most of the time it happens in response to circumstances but not the circumstance of convenience:
small-and-alone
Ma'ar nods, still looking kind of amused. :How do... Er, how do people usually - tell - if they have a crush?:
anticipating_night
:Um, finding themselves dwelling on the person's virtues and fantasizing about kissing them or whatever, I guess?:
small-and-alone
:Just thinking:
Ma'ar glances away, almost self-consciously. Paces back and forth for a few moments.
:...I don't think I have a crush on her: he admits finally. :I have no idea what her virtues are, I guess other than being friendly and decent at dancing. Uh, is there a thing I'm supposed to - do - if I think someone might have a crush on me and I don't have one on them?:
anticipating_night
:Uh, I wasn't exactly so delighted with the results of the one time I have tried this that I want to recommend it and also I actually went on a date with him first. It's an inherently awkward situation:
small-and-alone
Ma'ar sighs. :...Well, I don't know for sure that she does, anyway. I guess I'll just...keep being friendly, but if she asks me on a date I'll say no:
small-and-alone
Ma'ar winces slightly. :It - seems deceptive and kind of mean to go on a date with someone I'm pretty sure I don't feel that way about?:
anticipating_night
:I mean, she knows you don't live here and aren't going to be around next week: Aza points out.
small-and-alone
:...I think it's still not a kind of practice I want to do. It - feels like it wouldn't even be practicing the right thing, if I don't like her that way? ...I guess it's hard to tell for sure if I would mind her kissing me, since I have no idea what kissing is like: Ma'ar is looking thoughtfully at Azabel again.
anticipating_night
:Well, up to you, obviously. I'm just guessing in the first place, it could be you merely present an excuse to get out of doing laundry or something:
anticipating_night
She shakes her head. Is this conversation growing subtext. Please don't do that, conversation.
small-and-alone
:Do you think you'd notice if you wanted to? I guess it'd be kind of silly to never kiss someone because you don't know what it's like, but it seems like people must get un-stuck from that somehow:
small-and-alone
:Mmm. That's a pretty useful way to be, I guess:
Ma'ar paces for a few moments longer, staring into space, and then changes the subject and asks out loud how her evening was.
anticipating_night
Apparently she's been doing various useful magic for townsfolk today - shored up the foundations of the bridge, patched a retaining wall.
small-and-alone
This is a much more comfortable topic! Ma'ar asks questions and offers to help with that tomorrow if anything else needs to be done around town.