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Adarin's magic has some advantages over witchcraft, but it is imperfect. Still, over time, mana recovers, and in this time Metis's hospitality does not run out.
They watch Harry Potter, Adarin is introduced to Wikipedia, he makes the second thingamajig. Isabella interrogates her alethiometer.
It's kind of cryptic about whether she has to fear being a "crazy witch". But she's tentatively optimistic and still brainstorming new ways to format the question. (She complains about the alethiometer being bad at numbers and at "yes" and "no".)
It can, however, identify landmarks by referring to whatever they're named after. It's not so hard to interpret on the subject of where she may find a place to claim. She moves into it, Adarin in tow, Metis retained as a friendly advisor but apprenticeship terminated. The place has plumbing and a generator already; she gets satellite Internet for an entire half-day of spellcasting and collects a hand-me-down laptop from a mortal friend of her mother's. She sets up arrangements for building a nice big wall along the edge of a clearing on her appropriated property. It's a very busy couple of weeks.
Eventually she tries asking the alethiometer a fifteenth way whether she's prone to crazy witchitude. Whether she'd ever hurt someone she loved if they rejected her, or even threaten it.
The alethiometer says: love violence counter-to querent nature.
She's starting to get the hang of interpreting it, even if most of the practice has involved getting the addresses (via intersection and cardinal direction because it can't give her anything so useful as house number or latitude) and this is - this is pretty damn good.
This is good enough.
Of course, that's not all the answer she needs, is it?
Path goes looking for Vernaia.
dark_light
prodigal_miser
Vern nuzzles her mortal, then switches languages.
<"You're not going to leave me?"> she asks, shivering.
Adarin gives her a 'What on earth made you think I would do that' look. <"No?">
<"I'm - a liability, I could get hurt so easily, it would kill us both and I can't do magic, I was scared you'd just leave me here and -">
<"No,"> replies Adarin.
<"Promise?">
<"It's not the kind of thing I'd need to promise. The answer is no. You're stuck with me, I hope you like traumatized crazy mortals.">
Delighted kagu cuddles ensue.
<"You're not going to leave me?"> she asks, shivering.
Adarin gives her a 'What on earth made you think I would do that' look. <"No?">
<"I'm - a liability, I could get hurt so easily, it would kill us both and I can't do magic, I was scared you'd just leave me here and -">
<"No,"> replies Adarin.
<"Promise?">
<"It's not the kind of thing I'd need to promise. The answer is no. You're stuck with me, I hope you like traumatized crazy mortals.">
Delighted kagu cuddles ensue.
dark_light
"You probably would've spoken English if you wanted me to know what you were saying, huh."
prodigal_miser
Adarin smiles. "It was mostly very sappy, anyway."
Yeah, Vern's not mad at him. Cuddle, pet pet pet.
Yeah, Vern's not mad at him. Cuddle, pet pet pet.
dark_light
"Okay."
Isabella goes for her herb collection and finds something to fling at Adarin in a cloud of spicy smells; it vanishes when she completes a healing verse, as do all his injuries less a little sting and mark to indicate where they were.
Isabella goes for her herb collection and finds something to fling at Adarin in a cloud of spicy smells; it vanishes when she completes a healing verse, as do all his injuries less a little sting and mark to indicate where they were.
prodigal_miser
He startles a little at having herbs flung at him, but once the effect takes hold he smiles. "I owe you a hug, at some time in the future."
prodigal_miser
"Thanks - remind me so I don't forget when we've recovered."
Pet, pet, pet. Vern has calmed down quite a bit. The snuggles are less desperate, and more comforting. Their conversation seems to have helped, along with continued cuddles.
Pet, pet, pet. Vern has calmed down quite a bit. The snuggles are less desperate, and more comforting. Their conversation seems to have helped, along with continued cuddles.
prodigal_miser
Comfortable silence passes for a little while, until Adarin asks, "So, I'm willing to have a house built for you in New Kystle - is this the kind of thing you'd want, or...?"
dark_light
She looks up. "I hadn't actually given much thought to where I'd be staying during my visit. If you want to give me a house - and this isn't a woeful misallocation of resources, given that I will be perfectly comfortable hammocking under my cloud-pine in midair on the nightside of the planet every night - then sure."
prodigal_miser
"I mostly just want to, if I'm perfectly honest," he says a little sheepishly. "And you wouldn't be able to stay there during your first visit, they take time to be built. But I thought it might be nice."
dark_light
"It's reasonable to anticipate that I'll be in and out often enough that it'd see use, anyway. Where did you have in mind for the first visit? Crashing on your couch? The hammock thing?"
prodigal_miser
"Whichever you prefer. I do have a few spare rooms, but if the hammock's more comfy I won't make faces at you for ignoring the perfectly functional extra beds."
dark_light
"Well, I do have a fondness for not being hailed on, even if the cold per se is untroubling."
prodigal_miser
"It's alright, you'll just have to sleep in the shed, or something. Do I have a shed? I don't have a shed. Touch luck, I suppose."
dark_light
"If you actually want to stash me in a shed, I won't complain much, you know. But building one just to put me there would probably be silly."
prodigal_miser
He snickers. "Nonsense! It wouldn't be silly at all. I would label it, 'Isabella's shed, beware of good sense.' Everyone would leave you alone."
dark_light
"Good sense is that terrifying in New Kystle? You must part crowds of screaming pedestrians wherever you go."
prodigal_miser
The snickering turns to giggles. "I also get mothers who hide their children for fear that it'll spread like a plague. Don't forget that, that's my favorite part."
dark_light
"Oh gosh, are you contagious, that would be great, come wander around densely populated cities with me for a year."