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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
"I don't like the kind of person I would have had to be in order to avoid the situation entirely. I would have had to - never come to this plane, never have met you, never have learned of a fantastic way to fix things, or I would have had to be so paranoid that I never let anyone in, ever, and..."
He trails off. "I like having you here."
He trails off. "I like having you here."
dark_light
"I'm glad we met," she murmurs.
She's more running her fingers through his hair than petting him now.
"I like you."
She's more running her fingers through his hair than petting him now.
"I like you."
prodigal_miser
"Well, good," he says, wryly. "Because otherwise it would be awkward, I did just spend a while crying on you."
He sounded very much like himself, there.
He sounded very much like himself, there.
prodigal_miser
A little amused, he says, "I think I like you playing with my hair. That's bewildering."
prodigal_miser
Time passes. Adarin improves slowly, getting out of the dull, lifeless and quiet mode he'd been stuck in after New Kystle. It's not a fast process, and sometimes he does just take time to be by himself, but cuddles with Isabella help. They help a lot - he seems to find Isabella's presence soothing.
Eventually, he considers himself mentally stable enough to think about more than just fixing himself from being hurt. When this happens, he decides that there is a thing he would like to do, and regrets not doing sooner.
He goes looking for Isabella.
Eventually, he considers himself mentally stable enough to think about more than just fixing himself from being hurt. When this happens, he decides that there is a thing he would like to do, and regrets not doing sooner.
He goes looking for Isabella.
dark_light
She looks up from confirming that the herbs she was using for the spell have disappeared correctly. "Yeah? Are - you okay?"
prodigal_miser
"Well. Yes, I'm fine. There was just something I'd like to do and - er. I'm terrible at this," he sighs.
prodigal_miser
Fidget, fidget. "Do you have any sort of - um, opinion on what happened before the really badly timed party?"
dark_light
"I... was very annoyed that the moment was wrecked, and correctly guessed it wouldn't be recovered anytime soon. You may recall me wishing unkind fates on celestial bodies."
prodigal_miser
"Well, yes," he says, half amused and half incredibly awkward. "May I borrow you, for a little while?"
prodigal_miser
That's good enough for him.
He closes the distance, grins, and on a whim decides to at least make an effort to recreate the Lost First Kiss of Bad Timing. She is dipped, then... Kisses?
He closes the distance, grins, and on a whim decides to at least make an effort to recreate the Lost First Kiss of Bad Timing. She is dipped, then... Kisses?