you can't just WRITE to the person who made a FORMER BEST THING what if you say something WRONG Mordred is, in fact, no longer fifteen, and can in fact write to academics to ask them about their languages if he wants to.

"I will, thank you."

"He is a very sweet person," Louise says, "and I am sure he would love to talk with you about Middle English."

Mordred's experience of academia suggests that that is probably true and, also, when he was fifteen he had half of Tolkien's Sir Gawain and the Green Knight memorized and this feels a bit like being told you could just write to God, except for how in fact anyone who wants to can write to God and also John Tolkien actually exists.

"Probably," he agrees, because getting into how obsessive he was at fifteen sounds like it will not take this conversation good places.

inaaya thinks it would take the conversation amazing places?????

if inaaya knew she were being deprived this mordred fact she would be so mad about it?????

Louise looks at Mordred seriously. "Have you considered taking up, mm, metaphysics?"

"-- I haven't, no?"

"She means magic," Inaaya clarifies, "it's just embarrassing to call it magic."

Louise says "hmph."

"Not a thing you get funding for, magic."

"On the other hand, if you're a scholar of medieval metaphysics with an interdisciplinary interest in folklore--"

"Then everyone involved either politely pretends they have any idea what you're talking about or politely pretends they don't know you mean magic, right."

"There are three Scholasticism specialists who are very confused by every academic conference in their discipline they ever attend."

"--actually, two, Hernandez died."

"Oh no, poor them."

"Regardless. You should consider taking up metaphysics. The primary qualifications are an interest in languages, a fondness for old books, and the lust for power such that you can reshape the universe to your every whim. You seem to have the first two and if you didn't have the third you wouldn't be here."

See in Mordred's experience of magic the wanting to reshape the universe is at least as much a hindrance as a help but he is sure as fuck not going to tell Louise that the only spell he properly knows is the rituals of self-denial.

She considers her statement.

"In addition, you should either have a remarkable degree of emotional stability or not be particularly attached to life plans that require you not to spend the rest of your life in the woods only talking to aliens and zombies."

I didn't panic when I was getting murdered does that count add that to the pile of responses rejected for obvious reasons.

"I am in fact so attached, but I'll consider it."

Louise returns to her book.

Mariam leaves her bedroom. She would look tired, if she were not covered with a layer of expertly applied makeup that instead made her look perky and happy.

"Hello, James."

And here is the part of this set of interactions he super doesn't know how to have. "Hello."

"Has Joan handled the murder threats already?"

Her accent is perfectly cultivated British Received Pronunciation in a way that Mordred, who has also perfectly cultivated his accent, can recognize is completely fake.

"Inaaya and Louise have both separately handled the murder threats, actually."

"Ah. Joan is slacking on her job. What do we pay her for."

"In fairness to Joan I don't think I've been in a room with her since Ethiopia."

"Well. I am not very capable of murder and from what Inaaya says I doubt you would care about the ways I can destroy you."

"You do not strike me as the sort of person who minds being disinvited from all the best parties."

Mordred cares extremely much about the ways Mariam can destroy him but that's not really the salient way in which this might happen, no. He doesn't say that.