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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
"Three, four days. You won't be missing much, just me telling the twits that call themselves nobles to calm down and maybe untangle some plots before you get there."
dark_light
"Yes. It's terribly comfy. I'm surprised you haven't asked to try it."
Is she flirting? Does she mean it innocently? It is so hard to tell!
Is she flirting? Does she mean it innocently? It is so hard to tell!
prodigal_miser
He giggles, a little, snuggling her.
"I'd like to say I was raised to never ask to borrow a lady's bed, but - nope, I'm just weird that way."
"I'd like to say I was raised to never ask to borrow a lady's bed, but - nope, I'm just weird that way."
dark_light
"So very weird. The Sense Inquisitor might come knocking if you don't watch out."
Snuggle. Was he going to leave at some point? Huh?
Snuggle. Was he going to leave at some point? Huh?
prodigal_miser
"I've been told that I drive away people in the streets from my sense. I think I'll be safe from her wrath," he says wryly.
He gives her a little gentle squeeze, then regretfully releases her from the snugglehug. Well. Now he doesn't know what to say.
He gives her a little gentle squeeze, then regretfully releases her from the snugglehug. Well. Now he doesn't know what to say.
prodigal_miser
"Yeah. I'll be looking forward to it."
Pause. He makes a little shy smile, then he carefully takes her hand, and plants a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
"Bye," says Adarin, softly.
Before he can stutter or say something stupid and screw this up, he returns her hand, picks up his kagu, and casts his spell.
Predictably, he disappears. Isabella's now alone.
Pause. He makes a little shy smile, then he carefully takes her hand, and plants a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
"Bye," says Adarin, softly.
Before he can stutter or say something stupid and screw this up, he returns her hand, picks up his kagu, and casts his spell.
Predictably, he disappears. Isabella's now alone.
dark_light
Eeeeee hand kisses.
Isabella's gonna go be happy about that for a while now.
And she will wait.
prodigal_miser
The days until portal creation pass without much incident. Adarin talks to Isabella by magic mirror, and informs her of several plots that go on while he's there and she's not. They're all pretty boring - some mages argue, they manage to stop without causing massive destruction, Adarin foils a disturbingly large number of attempts to drug him, and plans are made to get various technological wonders to the common people.
During all of this, Adarin's smiling far, far more than normal. He's genuinely happy, which is a huge change from polite tolerance and a lot of patience. There's some counting down of days, until at last, he thinks he's up to making the portal.
He does that, and then retrieves the mirror to Isabella and half sing-songs into it, "Guess what I just made?"
During all of this, Adarin's smiling far, far more than normal. He's genuinely happy, which is a huge change from polite tolerance and a lot of patience. There's some counting down of days, until at last, he thinks he's up to making the portal.
He does that, and then retrieves the mirror to Isabella and half sing-songs into it, "Guess what I just made?"
prodigal_miser
"No, no, of course not, it was a - okay I can't do that to you with a clear conscience. Yes, you're right."
prodigal_miser
"I put it in a place no one's scoping out, so you're free to just fly through. Mind the drop, I put the portal on a cliff."
dark_light
"That's what cloudpine is for. Here I come."
She has a bag packed up already; she tucks the mirror into it, and Path alights on her shoulder, and through they go. (At a sedate pace; if something has gone awry she doesn't want to slam into a wall at two hundred miles an hour.)
She has a bag packed up already; she tucks the mirror into it, and Path alights on her shoulder, and through they go. (At a sedate pace; if something has gone awry she doesn't want to slam into a wall at two hundred miles an hour.)