"What kinda party?"

"A party with famous and rich people. It'll probably be really boring, honestly, but the networking's likely to be useful."

"And I bet the food's good at those things. When is it?"

"Next week, after your seminar."

"Yeah, sure, I'll come."

"You're so disproportionately pleased."

"A bit," he admits sheepishly.

"It's cute."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. What's the dress code?"

"Classy and expensive, as far as I can tell. I'm fine with throwing money at you so you can have a pretty dress."

"That would require me to be able to identify a classy one. I'll get my mom to take me shopping, and I think I'll accept your offer of a budget."

"Mhm. Should we be picky about matching, or not care?"

"We might as well as long as I'm purpose-buying a dress for the occasion, what're our colors?"

"I'm not picky, are you picky?"

"I don't think I look good in pink or yellow."

"Ha. And orange looks terrible on me. Should we go with purple or something?"

"Sure. Dark purple."

"That sounds nice," he agrees with a smile. Is that the lovey look? Yeah, that's definitely the lovey look.

Helpfully, Aldaras's brain decides to completely shut down and he's left standing there, staring. Silent.

"Thanks. There's also a little cape it comes with -" She reaches, and comes up with a thing of purple-dyed fur that goes over her shoulders. It clips at her throat with a silver clasp. "I was thinking of something more understated, but Mom said this one, and I brought her along for a reason, I'm glad you like it."

"It's very nice," he assures. "You look lovely."

"Thanks. Shall we?"

Annie talks to people and eats tasty food and politely declines to dance and seems to have a reasonably good time!

"Yeah," she says, looking up at him thoughtfully.

Apparently the agenda for today is a couple of brief exploratory kisses and not thorough makeouts, but she is smiling when she sets her heels back on the ground.

"Thanks for the invite. Home we go?"

"Home we go," he agrees, sounding like his head's up in the clouds, running an expedition to find the promised land of fairies and candy or something else that's delightful. He's probably not coming back down to this planet for a while.

Eeeee! Hand holding! Kissing! Annie in a gorgeous dress! This is the best day.

She kisses him again before she lets herself into her house and shuts the door.

"Salutations?"

"Salutations. Both the necklace and the thimble are missing. Probably stolen."

"...Shit."

"That was the word I used, too."

"Do they know how? When? Any idea who or why...?"

"Some time last night - they don't know how. Or who, or why. Or if they do, they haven't told me."

"Shit. On campus I can just - keep well away from any walls thick enough that I wouldn't hear the tic, but if it's been stolen - it could be anywhere, they could be gagging themselves or stuffing their mouths with caramel if they're willing to steal the damn thing in the first place -"

He winces. "Yeah. I - since I'm a tracker and immune to mind reading anyway, I'll look for it myself. But I might not find it quickly, or even at all. I - what do you want to do, Annie?"

"Flee the country?" she says weakly. "I - that's probably an overreaction. I can't stand - thinking about somebody watching me think -"

"You're allowed to flee the country if you want to. Or - house in the country, where no one could find you?"

"I - school, and - what if it isn't found quickly?"

"Tutoring, and - I... Hire guards? To watch for mind readers?"

"But I can't stay in the middle of nowhere forever. And it's stupid, they're almost certainly not interested in me specifically, or anything..."

"It's not stupid to never want your mind read," he assures, gently.

"I know, I mean it's stupid to expend that many resources on it when probably to the thieves I'm just some random person."

"Well. I'd help you anyway, because it's important to you."

"I know you would, but - I'm not asking you to. I might stay home from classes for a few days in case it blows over quickly. There's probably fewer things the thieves might want in my neighborhood than at school."

"Okay. I can pick up your homework for you before I go searching?"

"I'd appreciate that."

"I'll drop them off in a little while. I'll call you later if there are any updates, okay?"

"Of course. Be careful?"

"I will," he promises.

And the call is concluded and Annie goes to sit in the exact center of the top floor of her house.

Aldaras retrieves Annie's homework with minimal explanation, drops it off at her house, and goes to retrieve his sister to start looking for the artifact-stealing thief. Zevaia comes along without fuss.

When he gets home after a fruitless day's search, there is a note under their door from the administration - Called, but you didn't pick up. Necklace found. It did not leave the premises; it's been glued to the inside of the vase. Will not help in finding the thimble.

"Salutations?"

"Salutations. They found the necklace, but not the thimble."

"Where's the necklace?"

"Glued to the inside of the vase," he sighs.

"Apparently."

"Pour some kind of solvent into the vase, let it sit, have someone with gloves on dump it out?"

"I haven't asked how they're getting it out, that might be it, I just got a note about them finding it. I'll give them that advice, though. It's clever."

"Well, it's unlikely to harm the artifacts - they're sure the thimble's not in the same place, making this a prank more than a theft?"

"I can go ask," he offers.

"I'd like to know, if you find out - but it seems a bit much to hope for."

"You'll be the first person I tell. Maybe we'll get lucky and find out it hasn't left the building at all."

"It'd still mean there was probably an unethical mindreader wandering around, but not likely a gang of them..."

"Yeah. That'd be - something, at least."

"Yeah. I'll - keep staying home, I guess. Best of luck."

"Thanks. I'll keep looking for it. Vai's helping, and I think there are some other trackers that want to touch the necklace so they can sneak up on any mindreaders."

"I - wish I had a better answer to give you," he sighs.

"Me too. Well - it's what it is."

"It is. Let me know if there's anything I can do? For you, specifically, I mean."

"If I think of anything I'll tell you."

"Thanks." Pause. "I love you," he adds, because for some reason it seems the appropriate thing to say.

"I know. Thanks."

"Mhm. I'll go see about retrieving the necklace and hunting down whoever has the thimble."

Aldaras calls the administration of the college. He's going to ask them, very nicely, how they're planning to get his necklace out of the vase. He'll pitch Annie's solvent idea, if they don't have something better.

They say they'll try it. They call back after; his necklace has been extracted and he can retrieve it at his leisure if he wants it right now.

Annie picks up, again. "Salutations."

"Salutations. Again. Sorry, I know I'm calling a lot. The necklace was extracted just fine from the vase, your idea worked quite nicely."

"Oh, good, I helped."

"Yes! Actually that was part of why I was calling. I don't just want to throw the necklace at - literally anyone that wants it, because of the whole 'in love irrevocably' part. I realize that some people can do some excessively nasty things in the name of what they think's love, and - I want to be careful. You're smart, and you have a different perspective than me and know the problem. Want to help?"

"Uh - maybe. Have you already checked the people who were already necklaced because they've been cut and ruled them out as helpers?"

"Haven't, yet, I figured I should ask you first."

"Well, there's those, but if you need more people - if any of the necklaced people have already found the objects of their affections you could necklace them without it spiraling out of control, if they agreed - and if you need to involve completely new people I'd say find single ones and find out why they're single. And avoid respondents whose answer is of the form, like - 'people just don't like me' or whatever. 'Focusing on my career' is probably fine, breakup stories that don't vilify the ex are likely fine, I mean as a first pass - but not - you know what I mean?"

"Dangerous mental processes," he agrees. "We're on the same page, there."

"And you could get them to guess what they'd do with necklace-targets - and keepers, where applicable - just in case that turns up any red flags."

"Right. I think when dealing with trackers, I'd also like to talk to their keepers and figure out how they're already being treated and try to prevent any sort of - jealousy problems."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I can do some of the interviewing if there's a lot of people and you don't think it'd be a big deal to handle it over the phone."

"Mhm. Some people might also want to hear your side of things, so they know what the object of their affections might be getting into by accident. Fair warning."

"Yeah, that's reasonable, I can do that too."

"Okay, I'll send people your way if they're curious. Feel free to be brutally honest, I'm not going to ask them what you say and will actually be annoyed at them if they start talking to me about it."

"Will do."

"Thanks. Another problem I foresee is - couples that are afraid of mind reading and certain that they'll fall in love with each other. I'm not sure how to handle those, I - if I could give everyone immunity to mind reading I would, but I also think it would cause a great deal of heartache if their guesses were wrong."

"Well - the Dean thought it checked for compatibility. Are there any obvious counterexamples yet?"

"Mm. None yet, but I don't think the Dean had time to check for what level of compatibility was required. The compatibility levels to go on a few dates with someone without issue versus the compatibility levels required by the necklace might be very different."

"Well... tread carefully, I guess. And if one of the couple is willing to be squirreled away like Sintre just in case the necklace disagrees with them, necklace that one first as a test."

"Yeah. And - it might be possible that if they both are squirreled away together it just might not be an issue. They can not immediately break up over it, just - tweak their lifestyles. A lot."

"Yeah. It doesn't have any effects until you see your chosen person, so."

"Which is convenient. Do you suppose it's possible for some people to just - not have anyone that's compatible for them, ever? Zevaia hasn't had the - love thing yet. I'm holding out hope that she misses it entirely."

"Maybe. Maybe some people are just super picky."

"I did go through a crowded city with no problem until I met you," he observes. "So I don't think it's just casual compatibility."

"We seem to work pretty well."

"We do. I mean - not just - I don't think it's just a chemistry thing, you're genuinely the sort of person I seem to work well with."

"I wonder how the necklace knows."

"I have no idea. How does any of this magic work, really?"

"I'd dearly love to know. The necklace seems like it'd have to involve mind-reading, although at least there's not a person supervising it..."

"I suppose. Bleh, now I want to encase it in concrete and throw it into the ocean. But it's useful, so I shouldn't."

"I'd rather be necklaced than mind-read. I'm just - not sure enough that I'm in danger of being mindread to come and demand that you let me touch it right now."

"Yeah," he agrees. "Let me know if you're ever worried enough for me to bring it to you. I'm never going to pressure you into it. For obvious reasons."

"I'm thoroughly reassured on that point."

"Good, I - probably sound broken, don't I? Repeating myself over and over again."

"Just a little."

"I'll try to stop, but I think it's just in my nature to be absolutely sure, twice, that you are not having your opinions and desires ignored or forced aside in this sort of situation."

"I noticed."

"Heh. Good."

"I think I need the necklace now," she says in a small voice.

"You've - thought about it, right, this isn't - a spur of the moment kind of thing...?"

"I can't even think straight with the - but as much as I could - yeah."

"If I want different things after those are the wants I'm stuck with, right?" she mutters. "No point ignoring them."

"I have no idea what the mindreading range is now." But she's hesitating in case he can talk her out of it.

"If it's infinite," he points out, "I think the strain would kill him or drive him insane. So it's not that. We'd need to check some history texts and see by what percentage a touched person's senses are changed, and then multiply the ordinary range of the mind reading from there."

"I - maybe - I can't think straight, I keep - it's like - ugh," she says, sitting down hard in the nearest chair.

She drops her face into her hands and sobs. "That's - I - it's not even like - the necklace is right there -"

"You can," he says softly. (Please, he almost begs, just touch it, I love you, I hate seeing you like this, please I just want you to be safe.) "I'm - trying to offer other options, because I love you."

"No. He didn't get the chance to study it more in-depth. I - that's an option, too, we can try that if you need your mind guaranteed safe right now."

"I could barely even trike here I was so -" She takes her sweater off and wraps it around her head, over her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I just -" She gropes blindly for the box.

"It's okay," he assures, gently. He steers the box towards her hand, and - and then she touches the necklace. It feels like nothing at all.

He opens his mouth, and then closes it. "... Yes, I can shoo her?"

"...I mean, unless you had something planned for nowish that makes progress on the - catching the thimble person, because - that should probably be a higher priority, but - um."

"Bye," he says, and then the door closes behind her and she's officially out of the apartment.

Annie kisses Aldaras.

For a few delicious, wonderful seconds, all he does is kiss her the hell back. And then his head is annoying and gets in the way. He carefully extracts himself from the kiss, breathing heavily, and murmurs, "How - close are your preferences and thoughts now in comparison to before...?"

"How much detail do you want about my previous thoughts?" wonders Annie in a murmur.

Oh this is going to be difficult. "I. As much as - whatever you'd like to give me...?"

She giggles, then shakes her head and says, "Mostly intact apart from the obvious. And it's not like I didn't like you before. And what would you do if I were wildly different, kick me to the curb?"

She is entirely on board with this project. Well, insofar as trying to move it along a bit past Step 1 counts as being on board as opposed to something else.

How fortunate that his sister is no longer home.

...Maybe after round one?

Maybe. If they're lucky and try really hard and believe in themselves.

They're both very talented people and can probably manage it.

But do they care, is the question.

Aldaras will probably care a lot in a hurry when Annie peers at herself and observes rugburn.

Oop, yep, he cares now. He makes a vaguely displeased face, and then picks her up and relocates her to someplace that will not happen. For example: his bed!

Oooh. Cozy.

And zero rugburn! How delightful!

It could be made more delightful in this bed with a little effort.

See, she is thinking too small, he is not planning to use just a little bit of effort here. So it will be extra, special delightful.

Oooooh. Annie appreciates this very much.

Good, that was the point!

How ever shall she show her appreciation?

That's up to her, he's actually really happy with things as they are now.

What if she doesn't want to settle for "really happy"?

Then she can have a ridiculously happy Aldaras who loves her very much!

Best.

Hopefully his sister will stay shooed for a while.

Aldaras is pretty sure she's smart enough to find a hotel.

Good for her. Annie appreciates the time to enjoy the perks that come with being necklaced.

Ooh. Annie thinks that's adorable. He should definitely do it. And since he is hungry too she can feed him likewise.

Awwww. They'll be one of the lovey-dovey necklaced couples in no time. Actually, wait, no, they're already there.

They're super cute. They could pose for greeting cards if only that wouldn't mean holding still and not getting their hands all over each other.

Good luck with that. Because that is not happening any time soon.

Good.

So eventually they are snoozing on each other. In, mercifully, Aldaras's bed.

Yup. Snuggled and exhausted and in love.

Annie eventually wakes up, but she doesn't get up right away. She stays snuggled up, thinking.

Aldaras is out, she's entirely free to think in peace. And privacy, thanks to the necklace.

Breakfast is available, in various cookable and non-cookable forms! And Zevaia is not present. She's a smart girl.

Annie gets some cereal and goes to eat it in Aldaras's room because he is nice to be near.

"Morning," she says, petting his hair.

"Mornin', beautiful," he mumbles. A morning person he is not.

"Never learned. Can ask?"

"But it hasn't been publicized?"

"Nnnot that I know 'f?"

"And its side effect involves talking. Do you think we could put out a false rumor about what it does that would make it appealing to the thimble thief and set a trap?"

She beams and kisses him.

He kisses her back, clumsy from drowsiness.

And she finishes her cereal and puts the bowl aside and flops on him. "Something transportational or maybe stealth-related. And maybe the original owner can be convinced to take the thing home so the thief's not risking an assault on the university again when they're expecting it."

"Bet the university," he adds, "will help. S'not like I don't have their number..."

"Yep."

He giggles, a bit. "I love you," he adds, again. "You're clever."

"I love you too."

Annie helps. Mostly.

"Well, I only have the one outfit here and it's not in the best shape. You have lots of shirts here."

"Good. Hopefully the department will have an idea of what exactly to say the thing does and how to catch the thief if the bait works..."

"Yeah. If not - I throw it at my sister, 'catching thieves' seems to be her style. At least the combative portions of it."

"And she's conveniently already necklaced."

"Mhm! Though. I think the mind reader would notice if every single person around the bait was necklaced."

"I mean, there's a perfectly good reason for that - the artifact is appealing and has to be guarded by necklaced people. We just need to make it look like it isn't guarded very well - having a non-necklaced dupe loitering around too would be weird."

"Fair. Okay. I'm just worried that if it doesn't seem like it's worth the risk to get to it, we'll lose the chance to grab them."

"What we could do is have it announced that the artifact does thus and such a thing, and will be transferred to an undisclosed location, and then tell some un-necklaced people when and where it's being moved."

"I love you too."

"Yeah, let's go in person." Pause. "Want company in the shower?"

"I would love company in the shower." Pause. "... On the caveat that I would also like to take care of the mindreader in a timely fashion. So just one round of sex before we go set a trap for them."

"As you wish, my dear."

"Later, we can have more," he promises.

"I will hold you to that."

It turns out that the Dean has determined (while the necklace and its higher-priority investigation have been unavailable to him) that the chalice actually enables its touched to make controllable visual illusions within a one-foot radius of themselves. But they haven't disseminated this information. They agree to cooperate with setting the trap - they release the chalice's real side effect, and a lie about its primary effect saying that it enables telekinesis. It is announced that it will be stored somewhere besides the university, and it is leaked to a few un-necklaced people when it will be loaded onto a car and driven away.

Zevaia's found (after a bit of trouble, considering they didn't know which hotel she was in) and asked to help. She agrees. She's kind enough to not make much comment of Aldaras and Annie's - whatever they have. Permanent creepy love necklace voodoo relationship. But they're cute and happy together, so - she's letting it slide.