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Iobel gets up fairly early. There's a large table full of work from yesterday available, and she thinks Edarial sleeps later than she does - so Adarin probably does too, and so even if Isabella's awake, she can't visit without disturbing her.
She orders two people's worth of breakfast - hot cereal with fruit, fried eggs, buttery toast, on a hexed platter to keep it warm, the palace is practically lousy with expensive hexes - and nibbles slowly on her half while she goes over yesterday's notes and what still remains to be done.
She has drafted a letter to her great-aunt (who is, after all, a countess and related to her and occasionally inclined to remember this, and may be able to help in some ways with some things - the loan of this property in the moors, these words in those ears, her recommendation on who to hire for this project) for review by her husband before she sends it, and begun to tediously pick apart some of the incoming mail full of requests and separate out the sincere from the strategic from the insane, by the time Edarial is likely to so much as wander out of his bedroom.
come_midnight
royal_obligation
He does, eventually, wander out of his bedroom. Berathyme isn't with him, and Zevros isn't following him to badger him about something. He recalls the pile of work left to do, and groggily decides to sort through them.
Edarial's caught off guard by Iobel's presence here. "Er, hello."
Edarial's caught off guard by Iobel's presence here. "Er, hello."
come_midnight
"Hello. I didn't commit to anything on our joint behalf while you were asleep, just - wrote a letter to my great-aunt and started reading the mail we hadn't touched yet. Rest of the food is for you."
royal_obligation
"Thank you," he says, caught off guard again. He sits down and nibbles the food. "What sorts of letters so far? Any interesting ones, or another letter asking me to do my spellbinder mojo to make it rain over the crops at appropriate times?"
come_midnight
"Someone nearly drowned in a canal while blind drunk and wants them all fenced. Someone - here, I wrote summaries of all of it," Iobel says, pushing one of her ever-present notebooks at him; this one's in plaintext. "The most interesting one is probably the person whose familiar has run away and who wants her dragged back."
royal_obligation
Read, read, read.
"I'll have to think of a way to properly personalize a concise 'No' while still sounding suitably monarchy," snorts Edarial. "For the person who wants the familiar dragged back."
"I'll have to think of a way to properly personalize a concise 'No' while still sounding suitably monarchy," snorts Edarial. "For the person who wants the familiar dragged back."
come_midnight
"I was thinking it would make a good test case for the general principle, especially since sometime today at least one of us will acquire the ability to talk to arbitrary familiars."
royal_obligation
He goes back to reading.
"Anywhere you'd like to start on work, today? Or just - whatever seems to need our attention the soonest?"
"Anywhere you'd like to start on work, today? Or just - whatever seems to need our attention the soonest?"
come_midnight
"Before we quit for the day before, I felt like I was nearly at something clever but I need to know more -" She looks up the notes she had in mind and reconstructs her state of mind and starts asking questions.
royal_obligation
Edarial answers them! He is Question Answering Person.
She was, as it turns out, nearly at something clever. She is now officially at something clever, and Edarial thanks her for it.
She was, as it turns out, nearly at something clever. She is now officially at something clever, and Edarial thanks her for it.
royal_obligation
He smiles back.
Then, back to work. They get to skip patronizing entirely, he will go right to where they were yesterday with helpful explanations and how he was planning to approach the problem, along with reasons why some of the things she suggests won't work. Worded nicely.
Then, back to work. They get to skip patronizing entirely, he will go right to where they were yesterday with helpful explanations and how he was planning to approach the problem, along with reasons why some of the things she suggests won't work. Worded nicely.
come_midnight
Excellent. She is very glad to be past the patronizing stage.
After it's been a while and there is a lull in the rhythm between tasks she sends Cricket to see if the visitors need anything, or prefer this time to other possible times for further spellcasting.
"We should pick a place for them to put the portal, too."
After it's been a while and there is a lull in the rhythm between tasks she sends Cricket to see if the visitors need anything, or prefer this time to other possible times for further spellcasting.
"We should pick a place for them to put the portal, too."
royal_obligation
"We should. Probably some place out of the way that no one will happen to find. A pity that the palace doesn't have secret passages, that would have been perfect."
royal_obligation
"Hmm. Or near it, the palace is pretty big. If we had teleportation spells or flight that didn't last such a pitiful amount of time, I'd say far away. But we don't, so nearby-ish so we can keep an eye on it in case anyone stumbles across it."
come_midnight
"I am working on teleportation, but I certainly can't guarantee having it done anytime soon, let alone in a form that keeps all the features I'm designing," sighs Iobel. "The dungeon didn't look terribly full when we visited Nataliem... but then we'd have to pass him on our way to and from every time. Is there an obscure tower, maybe? Does anyone use the south one for anything?"
royal_obligation
"The south one's for guest overflow, but other than that, no. I'll take that over Nataliem - we should ask if it's possible to put it on something portable or easily hidden. I don't know the rules of their portals well enough. Should we go ask them, once Cricket returns?"
royal_obligation
"Mhm. Then we can just put the project on hold and work on other things."
Meanwhile, Cricket is addressing the door to their guest room.
"Iobel wants to know if you need anything and if this is a good time to cast spells on her and the neglectful one!"
"Iobel wants to know if you need anything and if this is a good time to cast spells on her and the neglectful one!"
prodigal_miser
Adarin doesn't comment on this label for his alt. "I'm fine, love - up for watching me cast some spells?"