Before facepalming and summoning a maid hand, which promptly starts collecting all the dishes and washing up.

"Ooh, have any tips for using maid hand? All I did was unpack my stuff from the bed with it."

"You two seem better suited for most chores than me," Bys pipes up.

"From what I read, and the little experimenting I've done so far, it takes orders, can have preloaded orders when you make it, and the orders can have an ending time or condition."

"And if nothing else, Bys, you can help with household potions and the like. Be good practice, probably. I certainly don't mind divvying up all the grunt work between Lenora's and my maid hands. What counts is that everything gets done."

"I don't mind going shopping either. Maybe I've got a hoarding instinct. Shiny food, give please. Be right back, you keep eating I'm gonna go get instructions for some R1 ink."

"Okay!"

She blushes and grins and wags.

"That, um, petting yesterday was really nice."

She blushes brighter.

"It really was. Feels nice, good for us both, plus spending time with someone I'm really fond of? That sounds like a win on far too many counts not to make it a regular thing."

"And we'll be awake enough to properly appreciate it next time, too! Find the good in the weird. Plus it's nice to make others feel nice. Right~?"

Sable grins and nods, still blushing, and sips some more of her coffee.

Bys comes back just a bit later. "Looks like it takes about an hour to make what I was thinking of. So I'll try it after the testing office."

Sable nods, still blushing and grinning and sipping her inky coffee, waiting for Lenora to be finished eating so they can head off to the office, and unsure how much Lenora wants to advertise the fact that they have a cuddlepile planned for later.

Glugglugglug. Coffee vanishes in an instant. "Let's gooo."

"Sure. If you hate any of those cups by the way, I'll dispose of 'em."

Sable giggles, knocks back the rest of her coffee, then sets the mug in reach of the maid construct. "I'll keep that in mind and go through 'em later. I normally prefer to drink from a thermos-type thing anyway, keep my drinks hot longer."

She stands, tosses her purse over her shoulder.

"Ready."

Bys leads the way. A different exit to Scotia than the one they came in, this one leading to a town that looks straight out of the American fifties. Lots of smooth chrome and bright red and A-frame houses and occasional official looking buildings.

The Arcadia Testing Office is a two story office building full of potted plants and a big lobby. A thin man with glasses waves as they enter. "Ahh. I sense new students. Be welcome and come learn your fate and power."

Sable grins curiously and shoulder-bumps Lenora. "He's got a sense of drama, this is gonna be fun," she says quietly as they follow Bys inside.

"I recommend having your affinities and potential read privately even if you plan to discuss it later. Many consider your precise strengths, and potential rank, to be sensitive information. Knowledge is power! That said, if you agree to aptitude testing, I will be bound by compact not to reveal what I have learned. The secret will be yours alone. Arcadia funds the privilege of learning your rank, at least, and in exchange for telling you a bit more I would ask only the chance to introduce you to... A few opportunities. Nothing mandatory, nothing binding, on your end. Good fortune is something that the wise make for themselves, by taking opportunities."

Okay, how does this Sending thing work...

She twists a tiny little twist of mana, addresses it to Lenora and Bys, aaaand...

Networking is useful, and Arcadia seems to run on it, but the people he sends us to may or may not be advantageous. Meeting them probably can't hurt, especially if we do it on campus, but we probably shouldn't agree to any deals with them until we've researched things. I can help us with that at home.

Meanwhile, without missing a beat, she responds excitedly with, "Networking opportunities are pretty great! I'm game."

Bys twitches when the Sending hits, blinking. But Lenora manages to barely visibly react.

This one at least knows there's a game being played. Excellent.

"Excellent. I am Marin Volans, fourth-rank Diviner in the employ of the College at Arcadia. Right this way. As for your friends, please feel free to partake of the refreshments in the waiting room."

"Sounds great. It's good to meet you, Marin. I'm Sable." Then to her housemates, "Y'all don't mind if I go first, right?"

I'll fill you in before it's y'all's turns.

At the chorus of negatives, she follows Marin in.