Esdras wasn't going to comment on it, but they brought it up and Oran might give some insight into the situation. "Madame Pomona offered arranging a trade: Rafa gets to skip the waiting list in exchange of his new form being done to specifications for someone to use."

"...and you're okay with that?" he asks Rafa.

"Sure, it's an option," he shrugs. "I'd sacrifice the Petram shape after to get some cool power and get a new one, but then that means that the minimum time we could spend here would be seven days, and if the waiting list is shorter than four days..."

"Places like this it can get pretty long. It's usually for people that have no better options besides waiting. How long can you delay your expedition, Oran?"

"Delay? I don't have an expedition planned, I'm coming up with one right now for you, it's up to you."

"Ah, okay. If Rafa wants to come with us, I don't mind waiting for his thing. The benefits of extra magic and all."

Plus, it make it less likely Pomona pulls something unpleasant towards Rafa.

"Then perhaps Rafa should do his thing while I get organised. Any idea when you'll figure out how long it'll take?"

"Like I said, three days to obtain the shape so that's six days total to get one I like plus one Pomona's client likes, then I'd guess one day to service her client, and then we're good, but I'd have to ask her whether it'd take longer than that."

"Have you spent any other shape?" Esdras wonders. "I think Pomona is the main constraint here."

"I have not."

"I am just curious, but why not?"

Shrug. "Didn't have a good reason to."

"Fair enough. Have you picked which form you are feeding Petram to?"

"Ventari probably."

"Could you get multiple powers if you were willing to spend long enough on it?"

"Presumably."

"Okay, I think that if I don't keep you around until we find Tempus he is never going to stop until he finds you. His dance is magic copying. And before your ask, our father's dance is having shift-dancer children."

"—how did he find that out?"

"Knowing that Tempus is alive is part of the dance rather than a separate magic power. He could tell a few days after birth what our dances would be."

"Fascinating. Does he have many other children?"

"Total of six. Total of three different women," Esdras says. His tone makes it pretty obvious that the word choice is meaningful. "I have an older sister and Tempus is his mother's only child."

"And you still get along fine with each other?"

"Who gets along fine with who? There is a total of ten people only counting parents and children, relationship varies. My sister Auria and half-sister Marganita get along well, but my mom threatens to disown us every time we interact with the rest of the family."

"But you seem to want to go after your brother and stuff? So at least you don't hate him."

"Well, not wanting someone to die by rain or monsters isn't exactly a high threshold, but yes. Tempus is nice, if a little careless about magic. Or maybe not careless, whatever causes you to eagerly copy people's magic despite the fact that it hurts each time."