The cafeteria is packed, with easily a hundred witches in Hawthorne uniforms sitting at the long tables eating. There's a line of witches for the cafeteria counter, which is apparently currently run by a shadow with red eyes. It smokes faintly. 

Marianne stands in the elevator for blank-faced seconds on end —

She does not like crowds of people. They require different manipulation tactics than one or two, not where she specced her skill tree.

She does not like food either. It is ideal if others believe she doesn't eat, or failing that not see her do so.

She does really really like Isabel, enough for it to be a calculation rather than a simple decision.

Also witches seem to have a different outlook on drugs — or at the least, Professor Ravi does. She was just like 'it's important that you pay attention in my class, have some magic cocaine.' It's unclear how much they can generalize off of her, because if all witches were as batshit as Ravi the world would look incredibly different.

But it seems at least plausible they have more drugs in the cafeteria, and it would be stupid to turn herself off for several hours if she could instead get on anti-sleep.

— so she ends up following Lillian, hovering at her shoulder.

Lily gets in line, and looks back at Marianne and gives her a little reassuring smile. 

It takes a little while for the line to move, but people seem pretty focussed on getting their meals. Nobody seems to have noticed the new girls. 

Lily takes a plastic tray from the stack as she comes up to the counter, and scans her options.

There is a selection of standard cafeteria food with various enchantments which Lily cannot eat and Marianne cannot enjoy, and then a small section for specialty items. 

The specialty items section has small sheets of various metals, shots of strong alcohol, blood apples, and nutritionally complete R2-stimulant-laced meal-replacement chocolate bars.

Well, that's obvious. She takes two blood apples and offers a pair of meal bars back to Marianne. "Do you want to get something that's not laced too?", she asks.

She had guessed maybe a 20% chance of finding drugs in the cafeteria, but what do you fucking know. She prevents herself from being unnerved about it. Caffeine is ubiquitous for mortals and it makes sense that richer societies would have their own better ubiquitous drugs.

They are lucky the school is high-minded about giving their students high quality food. She hasn't developed an intuition for what witches are high-minded about and what they aren't. Corporal punishment for adults. The utter mercilessness of standard demon contracts. Probably there's twenty other things like that.

"No, thank you. I poked Scythe and she didn't respond, so I am going to try off the grounds outside of time dilation and the likely wards."

She heads to the elevator.

"I'll go get started on the book. See you back at the room."

She waits till Marianne's back is turned to bite into her blood apple. 

... She looks at the apple again. It's... rich and umami and delicious. She could get used to this.

Okay, studying. 

She heads for the elevator too, but she's going in the opposite direction from Marianne.

Once outside, she takes a few steps outside of the time dilation bubble.

Cytherea acknowledge over.

Took you long enough. I've been lying in an alley exhausted and focusing on not dismissing for the past thirty minutes. 

Um??

You stopped feeding me mana for some reason. Just focus on the link and you should be able to top me off again.

I haven't been feeding you anything. I've been tired over you, yes, but there hasn't been any mana tithe.

Then it's probably coming from the artifact. Did you dismiss it?

—does her necklace have mana in it? She didn't see it when she was looking over the composition, but it seems possible to miss things from a high level blueprint view.

She substantiates the inverse pentacle, running a finger along its onyx smoothness.

It sure would be convenient if witchhood came with mana-heat-graph-sight. Instead she has to wonder.

Whatever you just did seems to have fixed it.

Sorry. Would you be bothered if I asked what you've been up to?

I have to be delicate. If I ask a question, then she contractually has to answer.

Coercion makes people like you less. Even if you can't imagine how it might happen, even if you don't see it as a big deal, it will always be this damoclesian liability. You can mitigate it, make them like you anyway, most parents manage it — but we want to be a healthy competitive option to a clear-seeing and free person. We want all of her, not just the parts we can take. That's what winning someone means.

I am willing to coerce her. Ideally I'd just pay to offset the unpleasantness, but I want her out of the transactional frame and into one of goodwill. She's going to know that first frame very well, while I am more comfortable squeezing value from the latter.

First, I literally didn't say anything. Second, I'm not occupying the cycles I would need to argue with you. Third, you're going to talk yourself into doing whatever you want anyways.

Not at all. I've been figuring out employment. And warding. I'm fine on warding, if someone tries to do something awful to me I can just go back to hell, in the worst case. It's less guaranteed for you. And to be blunt, you're my meal ticket. I'm invested in nothing bad happening to you, and you're an R5 potential. 

Now, if you're going to be hanging out in Hawthorne you're probably safe for now, but I still want to be useful.

Cytherea has chosen her persona and it's a good choice! She really does like people who want to be useful; Marianne Belor is also one of those.

(A burst of confetti goes off in her head to celebrate the moment, and the very sparse model of Cytherea that lives there smiles thinly.)

What likely outcomes might wards prevent?

Most of the dangers that could reach you in Hawthorne would be subtle or else outside your control. Mental influence is the one that I'd be worried about. Some witches have a Wild Gift that lets them - nudge you, mentally, if you meet their eyes too long. And then at the rank five level you have to worry about Psychotics specialists and set-spells. A decent ward-rune can give you much more of a fighting chance. 

Enrollment at Hawthorne Academia would also be a good idea. They have solid wards and well-tested security. Sticking with the herd makes you less vulnerable to random Hespatians or Outsiders. 

Oh, we enrolled yeah! Room 1273, you can swing by or take the apartment if you wish. I will stop paying rent for that but you could start and probably no one would notice.

When you have a few spare hours it would be totes legit of you to bring over the HexVPN and laptops; we have something of a project already. I strongly prefer you don't feel obliged to: would be a favor to be repaid, not you running my errands. If you do though, the other important objects are the stuffed animals and some books: 'A Place for Lost Things', 'Waiting for Sunrise', 'The Ordeals of Kashriva.'

Also! This channel appears to be flummoxed by the time bubble and I intend to go back in shortly. I'm not sure if a cell phone would do the trick or if they even have service down here. Perhaps I should take into my employ a flock of carrier pigeons.

Calling my phone should work so long as I'm on the ghostnet, which I am right now. I'll head back to the apartment and collect your things for you - do you have like a backpack I can use, or should I pick one up at the market here?

I would prefer to be inside Hawthorne's wards if you can get me space. You'll have to fill out a form stating I'm your succubus on a long-term contract to get me allowed in your housing, that can be your favour in return. I'll probably sleep at your apartment tonight. Do you mind if I take clients there while the rent lasts? I'm not currently planning to, I just want an idea of what you're comfortable with.

Do you expect to kill or maim anyone in the next week?