"Smallest thing I have doesn't need mana," she mutters. "Are you going to pay me back for it? I don't adore pushups, you see, or they wouldn't work so well."

Wow, she's bitchy. Would having an aura like that make Oria that bitchy? Maybe if she didn't have the 'clave who were used to it. Still obnoxious.

"I'll cover... what you can make in an hour. Trade it for your name."

"Did Frank not say? I'm Galadriel."

"New York doesn't actually like working with maleficers, even the tame, stable, well-mannered kind like my family. Galadriel what?"

"Higgins."

Oria raises an eyebrow. "Ah, not a comparison I'd want to draw attention to, either. Sure, do whatever, I'll pay you back immediately."

"Yes, aren't I just the spitting image," growls El, and she sweeps together the items for her and Lissa's molds, glances at the assignment sheet's spell instructions, and make-and-mends the both of them into place. She shoves Lissa's over to her.

Lissa takes them and gives Oira a look that's slightly less of a glare than Frank got.

"Wow, you really are spotless. Maybe even strict mana? Well, you're clearly not a suspect, sorry for the bother. I'll do my best to get that fact spread around."

She extends a hand to transfer mana, gathering about a fourth more than El actually spent.

"I am," says El, taking it without particularly remarking on the extra. "Strict mana."

"Huh. I suspect some of my enclave would love to ask you questions about your aura. But I'll leave you be, I should go rein in Frank." She gives a polite nod and turns away.

"Well," El remarks to Lissa, "that went well, in the sense that it saved about as much time as it cost." She knocks on the edge of her mold and picks up her wax to start carving.

"Well, that's a relief." Lissa grabs her equipment as well, working somewhat more slowly as she tries to figure out the best way to carve out a knife shape. She might glance over at El's work a few times to get some idea of how to do hers.

She's welcome to watch but it's not like El is especially good at this beyond knowing that you cut away from yourself and that knives have a pointy end.

They can cut their awkward mold shapes together, then. Lissa is just happy to have company for it.

"Ah, you met the charming girl," Frank says to Oria.

"I did. She's completely clean, not a speck of malia."

" - huh. She's - I'm not just imagining the vibe, right, are there other things that give you that vibe -"

"You're not imagining it and there isn't anything else I've heard of that does. It's very weird."

"How sure are you?"

"Pretty damn sure. I'd be a little less surprised than learning you were a maleficer but not much less."

"All right. Not sure the vibe will hold her back as much as the personality, but if she's not our killer it's not our business. Thank you."

"Happy to. I want the real killer found as much as anyone."