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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.
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dark_light
prodigal_miser
"You are entirely free to tease me about whatever you like," says Adarin in the least helpful manner possible.
dark_light
(Path laughs, from the corner where he's snuggling Vern.)
"Are you sure you want to hand me blanket permission like that?" says Isabella speculatively.
"Are you sure you want to hand me blanket permission like that?" says Isabella speculatively.
prodigal_miser
"Hmm," he says, speculatively. "Yes? Tentative yes? Why, are you plotting something?"
prodigal_miser
He raises an eyebrow. "Alright. I'll trust that for whatever it is your priorities will be in order and it won't screw up any of my plots for New Kystle restoration project."
dark_light
"You're very trusting. Well, of me, anyway, I have no reason to fault your paranoia about everybody else."
prodigal_miser
"To be fair, so far you've earned my trust. I mean, you handed me Wikipedia, and - you had a mage who would do a favor for you and the very first thing you asked if I could do was fix death, not 'omnipotence' or 'make me tons of money' or something. That says a bit of your character, I think. Not to mention you've yet to disprove that first meeting, so if this is a long-term plot to do something in the future, consider me played."
dark_light
"To be fair, if I had imagined you could do omnipotence you can believe I'd have angled for it."
prodigal_miser
"Yeah, but so would I. It's the reasoning behind the 'why' that matters more to me."
To Path, Vernaia says, "He does admire her, you know."
To Path, Vernaia says, "He does admire her, you know."
dark_light
"She admires anybody with the sense to admire her," says Path. "We are somewhat arrogant that way."
"And you are totally going to make me tons of money, at the scales in question I don't think I can continue to operate in non-liquid format, unwitchy though cash may be."
"And you are totally going to make me tons of money, at the scales in question I don't think I can continue to operate in non-liquid format, unwitchy though cash may be."
prodigal_miser
Vern giggles. "We don't mind. You do things to make things better and we think that's the best reason for arrogance, ever."
Adarin looks incredibly amused. "So what you're saying is that I'm being played like a fiddle and I should shoo you, snatch the portals away and do my own thing?" he teases.
Adarin looks incredibly amused. "So what you're saying is that I'm being played like a fiddle and I should shoo you, snatch the portals away and do my own thing?" he teases.
dark_light
"Noooo," laughs Isabella, flinging her arms around his neck as though he had made any move to actually leave the room, "do not do that. We have things to do."
prodigal_miser
She's joined in laughter, and he wraps his arms around her and looks like he's contemplating doing something, smiling a little deviously.
"Ah yes, things. Wonderful things."
Adarin wants, very dearly, to kiss her. She's right here, in fact. There is literally nothing stopping him from, say - dipping and kissing her. Daemons have made it clear that she supports this, and he wants to, so...
He can just do that.
"Ah yes, things. Wonderful things."
Adarin wants, very dearly, to kiss her. She's right here, in fact. There is literally nothing stopping him from, say - dipping and kissing her. Daemons have made it clear that she supports this, and he wants to, so...
He can just do that.
dark_light
"Productive, cooperative things," murmurs Isabella, absently, looking up at him (he's got more than half a foot on her; it's very much up). Not quite all the way to expectant, maybe, but solidly in hopeful.
prodigal_miser
Well. There there they go, good bye inhibitions. There's no way in hell he can not kiss her when she's looking at him like that.
He laughs, softly, and dips her, leaning in to kiss -
- It's right at this moment that the magical equivalent of the doorbell rings.
"Fuck," he hisses.
He laughs, softly, and dips her, leaning in to kiss -
- It's right at this moment that the magical equivalent of the doorbell rings.
"Fuck," he hisses.
dark_light
"Yambe Akka take all the stars and drown them," snaps Isabella, reverting to English in her frustration, "timing, timing..."
prodigal_miser
"All that, with a second added fuck," he swears. "They pick the least opportune time."
Sigh. Well. Apologetically, he rights her - he's not going to drop her because the moment's ruined.
"We will," he sighs, "have to pick this back up later, Isabella, I'm sorry..."
Sigh. Well. Apologetically, he rights her - he's not going to drop her because the moment's ruined.
"We will," he sighs, "have to pick this back up later, Isabella, I'm sorry..."
dark_light
"How much later?" she wonders wryly.
(Path makes disgruntled noises.)
(Path makes disgruntled noises.)
prodigal_miser
He smiles, affectionately. "When there aren't idiots at the door and it seems appropriate?"
Magical equivalent of a doorbell noise, again. Adarin glares in the door's general direction.
(Vern is doing the same. "They were so close!")
Magical equivalent of a doorbell noise, again. Adarin glares in the door's general direction.
(Vern is doing the same. "They were so close!")
dark_light
Path nuzzles Vern, still grumbling, and flies to Isabella's shoulder.
"Well," sighs Isabella, "let's go attempt to not call whoever it is an idiot to their face, shall we?"
"Well," sighs Isabella, "let's go attempt to not call whoever it is an idiot to their face, shall we?"
prodigal_miser
"Yeah," sighs Adarin. He leans down, avoiding Path carefully, and kisses her forehead.
"Worst timing imaginable," he mutters, collecting Vern and going to the door to answer it.
The introductions begin. Most of them are exactly what they appear to be, and Adarin's information proves to be pretty accurate. At first, it goes without any problem, but then someone decides to cause a bit of trouble.
"Hiiiiii, Ada," says a blonde, from behind Adarin. His face tightens a little, subtly going from 'poker face' to something that looks long suffering and hopelessly resigned.
Immediately after, it's pretty obvious why. With absolutely no regard for his personal space, she drapes herself over him, hands exploring his chest a little. It's very, very obvious that Adarin is not pleased with this.
"Hello, Lenora," he says, in a very practiced evenness. "Please get off of me."
"Worst timing imaginable," he mutters, collecting Vern and going to the door to answer it.
The introductions begin. Most of them are exactly what they appear to be, and Adarin's information proves to be pretty accurate. At first, it goes without any problem, but then someone decides to cause a bit of trouble.
"Hiiiiii, Ada," says a blonde, from behind Adarin. His face tightens a little, subtly going from 'poker face' to something that looks long suffering and hopelessly resigned.
Immediately after, it's pretty obvious why. With absolutely no regard for his personal space, she drapes herself over him, hands exploring his chest a little. It's very, very obvious that Adarin is not pleased with this.
"Hello, Lenora," he says, in a very practiced evenness. "Please get off of me."
dark_light
Isabella supervises with what might be called controlled dismay, then says, carefully in English: "Nobody else has that spell on, do they?"
prodigal_miser
"No," he replies in the same language. "Not a one."
"But you're comfy!" says Lenora, looking amused. "And you're sharing secrets."
"All the same," sighs Adarin. "Do at least attempt to get off of me."
"But you're comfy!" says Lenora, looking amused. "And you're sharing secrets."
"All the same," sighs Adarin. "Do at least attempt to get off of me."
dark_light
"Do you need help with her?" asks Isabella, still in English.
prodigal_miser
"Probably not," he replies to Isabella.
"Bu-"
"Off," growls Adarin.
She sighs dramatically, and then extracts herself from him. She gives Isabella a curious glance, then looks back at Adarin. "Soooo. What'cha talking about?"
"Bu-"
"Off," growls Adarin.
She sighs dramatically, and then extracts herself from him. She gives Isabella a curious glance, then looks back at Adarin. "Soooo. What'cha talking about?"