Patchouli blinks. "...Since when are you interested in magical theory, Flandre?"

Opportunity!~

Hmph. What else did she think I had time to do besides examine her wards, huh?

'I'm trying to do better. I thought focusing on something external would help.'

Now, as you say that - important distinction, everyone. Do we want to actually learn something or distract her into lecturing and take advantage of that?

If we're not using her for amusement, then we should at least wring what value we can out of her. Though I favor the latter.

Learning is good. Being with Patchy is good.

Not being thrown into the basement again is the best. Learning is not on the path to being thrown into the basement.

"Focussing on something external" is way too wordy, it doesn't sound like we should. If you insist on talking to her, at least try to keep up a facade of normalcy.

And so I must beat my silver tongue until it resembles a club. Very well. Do not say I do not rise to the challenges put before me.

'I'm trying to do better. I thought doing something besides talking to myself would help. Magic's interesting, right?'

Or we could just kill her and skip having to figure out how to phrase every single damn sentence.

Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

See what I have to work with?

It is the most direct solution. Alternately, we could torture her for information. Best of both worlds.

And how will we not attract anyone with the screams, hm?

I don't see why that matters.

No, she's being frieeendly.

Say 'The basement can be lonely. You like magical theory, so it can't be all bad.'

Sigh.

Say what I've offered or kill her, I care not which.

That's a stupid thing to say. You should stop offering suggestions. Follow the poetic's direction, if anything.

"It gets lonely down in the basement: I just really want to talk to someone. You like studying magic, so it must be at least a little interesting, right? And it'd be something to do together."

"... I'm not very good at teaching. But if you wanted to fetch books for me and maybe read over my shoulder, I guess that could be okay."

Does she not like us?

Fetching books? Booooo-ring.

We should go along with it: if we read over her shoulder for long enough she'll probably start talking to us just to seem sociable.

Reading is fine with me.

I still want to ask her about eyes.

She never cared about us. Always too occupied in her books. Our prison is like a pet project to her.

Reading over her shoulder means we will be behind her, yes? An excellent spot from which to attack.