She... actually will change into her nightclothes and clean off the daytime robes before eating. Yes the Prestidigitation helped but that was still far too much mud. But after that, berry! And then cleaning various clothing when it's folded and she ca get it all at once, and then to sleep.

Tencednil wakes up to a shift in her magic. She has gained three new spells and lost one spell.

The new spells are an evocation cantrip that feels like light, an illusion first circle that feels like heavy shadows, and an illusion second circle that feels like her imagination. She no longer knows silent image.

What... happened to Silent Image.

How does that even work.

She reaches out with her magic, tries to put together the same general shape, hopefully not casting it... and it clicks together as a new second circle spell, definitely still holding some of the structure from Silent Image but with elaborations and extra bits. She manages not to cast it, but that does explain what is going on. Her magic must have... swapped Silent Image for an improved version? Something like that.

Try as she might, she can't remember the structure of Silent Image in the same perfect clarity she had yesterday. She gets this new shape instead, or the new first circle spell if she approaches it a little differently. It's a strange feeling, reaching for her spell and being unable to find it.

Once everyone seems awake enough to not be disturbed by any resulting light, she tries out the new cantrip. (Which she is currently reserving judgement on.) Can she point it at her hammock?

This spell has options! She can have four lights that flicker, or four lights that don't flicker, or one light of a vaguely humanoid shape.

She doesn't actually grin involuntarily. She's better than that. This is still definitely the closest she has been to an involuntary grin since... well, since learning Feather Fall.

Verify first. She could still be wrong. It would be strange but it's possible.

She pushes the spell in the way that splits it in four, and then she squeezes it in the way which feels flickery.

Four flickering lights appear above the hammock. They resemble the flames of a torch.

And another cast, four again but the other way?

Four glowing spheres of light appear above the hammock. They resemble will-o'-wisps and are whatever colors she desires. The previous casting ends.

eeeeeeee all is forgiven she finally has Dancing Lights 

It takes her a minute to recover, moving the lights around alone in her hammock with nobody looking at her or particularly listening. When the new set of lights blink out she finally starts actually thinking again.

She's still missing Levitate from the commonly used noble spells, and Faerie Fire and Deeper Darkness as well. But Dancing Lights is a step that matters. All drow can cast it, but most lose it afterwards — only nobles can cast it like breathing, as easily as a wizard catching a cantrip. She can, of course, catch it.

It's obvious to anyone paying attention that she's casting it as a caster, not as a native user — the invocation and the gestures are easily observed. Still, having a swarm of lights bobbing along in your wake is one of the obvious signifiers of nobility. It's possible to replicate, but (Mother says) it's important to be able to show it. Anyone who can't, after all, must not be that important.

And now she can.

...and tactical utility is more relevant right now. She can light the way for her light-blinded allies without anyone being an obviously visible target, and have some extra distance on her own vision. It may need regular recasting, but the ability to throw your light source a hundred feet away has all sorts of uses, especially when they're so effortless to manipulate. That matters more than looking like a noble. 

(Still. eeeeeeeeeee)

Yanor serves everyone breakfast. "I have more spells today than I did yesterday. An extra second and third."

"I have a new cantrip! Also a new first circle spell, and my Silent Image seems to have turned into a second circle version. I haven't tested them out yet. The first circle is a shadowy illusion which seems like it wants a single enemy, and it feels like the shortest sort of ranged spell, I think that doesn't leave many options?"

"Shadow Trap! It makes their shadow stay still so they can't go very far! I think it's against will. Or there is Shadow Weapon but I don't think that one. Maybe Shadowfade? I think that one is friendly and touch though."

"I can't think of any besides Shadow Trap, but maybe one of you has seen something else. I might also have more spells today than yesterday, I can't always tell until I'm almost out."

"I don't know much about shadow magic. I do, however, have an extra second circle spell today."

"Nice. It seems we've all improved a little."

"I don't have any spells to improve. Perhaps I'll be stronger the mundane way."

"I don't know how it works, but practicing is certainly supposed to help non-casters as well as casters. Any more idea how to capitalize on blinded targets, maybe? There was a lot of that yesterday, and the day before."

He shrugs.

The party leaves the sylvan hideaway and returns to the hydra's cave. It has a tunnel, too small for a hydra to squeeze through, in the very back.

"This way leads to the room with the enchanted pillar. We'll avoid the violet fungi and the troglodytes both. Our destination is deep within the caves."

It seems the hydra wouldn't have been a threat. Still worth killing, both for the money and for the security of knowing it won't wander into one of the other caves when they come out. And she might not have gotten the new spells without it.

Onwards!