"Thank you."

"Generously refraining from lighting people on fire, that's me."

"Truly your generosity knows no bounds."

"Until you try to kidnap me, then I fuck you up."

"Kidnap you to where, exactly?"

"That was more of a general 'you', I don't think you in particular are actually going to try to kidnap me and if you did I'd expect you to run into practical difficulties."

"Yes, as the only person in the castle who does zero pain magic, I expect I should avoid trying to kidnap anyone."

"Good plan!"

"Also, you're a girl and I'm gay. Which somewhat detracts from the even theoretical appeal."

"That can't be the only possible reason to kidnap somebody."

"I wouldn't have the foggiest clue who to send a ransom note to."

"Nobody'd ransom me, so you're out of luck there too."

"I suppose my earlier point stands, then."

"Guess so!"

"And so my already-negligible risk of being set on fire plummets."

Anlei laughs.

So does Fia.

Necori smiles and returns to his book.

Siva does, in fact, spend the rest of a very lovely indeed day in bed, but the next day she wanders back to the library to shove some more Ansati into her head and see if she can get anything done in terms of deciphering magic theory books.

Necori is still there, or more likely there again.

Siva wanders over thataway.

"Hey," she greets him.

"Ah, hello," he says, looking up. "How have you been?"

"I've been great," she says. "Have you met the new ones?"

"Yes. Fia was very nice. Anlei was interesting."

"She is at that. Also insanely forgiving."