"It sounds it. I'd offer to help, but I suspect that there's little I could do. Am I wrong?"

"You're not wrong. I couldn't even use Grandfather's design notes if I had them, which I don't; the magic I use functions very differently."

She nods solemnly, and sips her tea.

It's perfectly good tea.

Rivethira sighs.

"Mom."

"Yes, dear?"

"I know you have a personality, but you're kind of not displaying it at all? Could you, um. Stop that."

Eyebrow raise.

"I get it, you have no idea what to do with him, but. Come on, mom."

"Very well," she sighs. She puts down her tea.

Lady Nisari closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, and lets herself relax. A little. She guesses. If she has to.

When she opens her eyes again, she looks less - starchy.

"Unfortunately, displaying a personality does mean I am in the unenviable position of having absolutely no idea what to say."

He laughs. "Sorry?" he says, with a little half-shrug. "I'm having a similar problem. Hi, I'm Serik, I'm in love with your daughter."

She smiles, slightly. "Hello, I'm Nisari. I am confusedly pleased about you being in love with my daughter, but ultimately something resembling supportive as long as she's happy? And she seems it?"

At the mention of Rivethira being happy, he smiles. It is... quite a smile.

Rivethira scoots over to hold his hand and smile at him.

"I'm not interested in treating you as a villain," offers Nisari. "Though the torture is - concerning, Rivethira assures me you and your daughter are trying to cut it out of the magic system altogether?"

"Yes, we're trying to cut the dependence."

She nods, accepting that answer as the best she's going to get.

... But while she clearly doesn't want to treat him as a villain, the expression on her face does not speak of a woman who particularly trusts him to always treat her daughter so well. Not that she'll accuse him of that.

Well, if she doesn't raise any concerns, he can't really address them.

Raising concerns involves thinking about all of the terrible things he could do to her daughter that she's absolutely powerless to stop.

Which is not a thing she is willing to do right now. Or able to do right now.

"... I'll probably be more able to voice my thoughts when they've had time to calcify," she says. "As it is, I have had a trying day."

Rivethira gives Serik's hand a squeeze before releasing it, so she can hug her mother.

"Yeah, I'll bet you have," he says wryly.

"Please endeavor to not match it in the future."

He laughs. "I'll do my best."

She looks at him.

Then she looks at her daughter, and there are more hugs.

"I'll be all right, mom," murmurs Rivethira.