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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
He smiles. <"I think that's about it, the details I can tell you as we go. Would it help if I gave you a list of the people that have been particularly unhelpful or have tried to drug me?">
dark_light
<"Couldn't hurt."> She pulls out a notebook, notes that the spell does literacy just as nicely, and adds, <"I might start taking notes in this language just to confound anybody from back home who finds my books.">
prodigal_miser
<"Sure. It works with other languages, too, so if there's one you know that's really obscure, that might be a better idea. This spell was designed with potential infiltration in mind, I had no idea what your language actually was,"> he explains. <"Anyone under the spell would be able to read it, but obviously I'm not going to. Invasion of privacy, also jerk move.">
dark_light
"Okay, maybe I'll write in some dead language that only four people know existed," she says. "And yeah, if I expected you to read my notebooks we would not get along so famously."
prodigal_miser
"Yes. While I like getting along famously with you, I just don't read people's journals, diaries, and so on without permission anyway. Because I try not to be a jerk."
dark_light
"Best not-jerk." She nuzzles some fluff, since most of Adarin himself is not accessible right now.
prodigal_miser
He grins, and cuddles back. Yeah, he's not accessible, but he can still enjoy it.
"I disagree. I know another not-jerk who's rather nice..."
"I disagree. I know another not-jerk who's rather nice..."
dark_light
Isabella squirms. "But I aspire to be so much better than merely not a jerk."
"He is really taking his time," Path mutters under his breath to Vernaia.
"He is really taking his time," Path mutters under his breath to Vernaia.
prodigal_miser
"Oh? Was I just simply not a jerk, then?" he teases.
"I know," mutters Vern. "I've been trying to get him to hurry up, you've seen."
"I know," mutters Vern. "I've been trying to get him to hurry up, you've seen."
prodigal_miser
He snickers. "Thanks. I do try to be multi-dimension- Oh hell, that was a pun. I am so sorry."
prodigal_miser
He giggles a little, himself. His coat is indeed fluffy.
"So! Want to see my house?" he asks, affectionately.
Vern makes a face. "Should have just kissed her," she mutters.
"So! Want to see my house?" he asks, affectionately.
Vern makes a face. "Should have just kissed her," she mutters.
dark_light
"At this point if he kisses her it might be very hard to peel her off of him for the next week," Path mutters back.
"I would love to see your house," says Isabella, bidding the fluffy coat enough of a goodbye to set up her cloud-pine to take passengers. Path nuzzles Vernaia and creeps out from under the blanket to take to the air; he circles overhead until he has a flying witch to follow.
"I would love to see your house," says Isabella, bidding the fluffy coat enough of a goodbye to set up her cloud-pine to take passengers. Path nuzzles Vernaia and creeps out from under the blanket to take to the air; he circles overhead until he has a flying witch to follow.
prodigal_miser
Vern trills a little goodbye, nuzzling back.
"You know," says Adarin, amused. "When I got this coat I didn't realize you'd take such a liking to it. I got it because it's warm."
He and his kagu hop up onto the cloudpine.
"You know," says Adarin, amused. "When I got this coat I didn't realize you'd take such a liking to it. I got it because it's warm."
He and his kagu hop up onto the cloudpine.
dark_light
Whoosh!
Path follows; when she accelerates past where he'll be able to keep up for a long trip, he dives to cling to her silks.
Path follows; when she accelerates past where he'll be able to keep up for a long trip, he dives to cling to her silks.
prodigal_miser
Whoosh!
Adarin will not get tired of flying. It's impossible. Vern giggles with delight most of the way, and Adarin's grinning. They arrive there in a few hours - it warms up, and the sky brightens a little. Lights are visible in the distance, and Adarin directs Isabella to them.
There are a set of fancy houses in one particular area, and some smaller, pleasant little cottages a ways away. Quietly, he says that until the fancy houses were built, he couldn't get the workforce to get the cottages up, but now they're up and he's focusing on some other towns, further away, to make sure there's definitely no one living in tents or something.
Then they're at his house! It's smaller than the other fancy houses, and kind of cute.
Adarin will not get tired of flying. It's impossible. Vern giggles with delight most of the way, and Adarin's grinning. They arrive there in a few hours - it warms up, and the sky brightens a little. Lights are visible in the distance, and Adarin directs Isabella to them.
There are a set of fancy houses in one particular area, and some smaller, pleasant little cottages a ways away. Quietly, he says that until the fancy houses were built, he couldn't get the workforce to get the cottages up, but now they're up and he's focusing on some other towns, further away, to make sure there's definitely no one living in tents or something.
Then they're at his house! It's smaller than the other fancy houses, and kind of cute.
prodigal_miser
He giggles. "Thanks. I was aiming for cute."
He doesn't have a key, but he doesn't need one. He leans over and pokes the door, saying, "Boop."
It opens on its own. Ah, the wonders of magic.
He doesn't have a key, but he doesn't need one. He leans over and pokes the door, saying, "Boop."
It opens on its own. Ah, the wonders of magic.
dark_light
"...Is the boop functional or for decoration, and will I be able to enter this house without you accompanying me?"
prodigal_miser
"Functional! It amuses me. And no, not unless I messed with it and gave you access, but you'd be able to leave just fine."
prodigal_miser
"You will be announced, I gave them some forewarning that I'd have a visitor, but I didn't want them immediately descending the moment you got here."
He steps inside, and holds the door open for her.
He steps inside, and holds the door open for her.