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They said that they will put him in the box again, if he isn't able to do what they want him to. Being in the box makes him feel terrible. You can't move, and it feels really bad when he can't move.
He chooses not to say anything when he sees the technician incorrectly set the wards surrounding the testing chamber.
The proctor says it's time to test Firecalling. A full force test. He doesn't see who it is – he just hears the voice. He complies, and puts out as much Fire as he can. His fire is black, rimmed and flecked with red.
An alarm sounds. The proctor says to stop.
He does not stop.
The proctor says to stop, now more urgently.
He does not stop.
The proctor says that if he doesn't stop, they'll bring out the ball.
He does not stop. And now, he uses his Metallurgy and and Windkeeping too.
The proctor stops, because the testing chamber has exploded. In fact, the whole of Alphazon's base on Mars has exploded.
He realizes what's happening and creates a bubble of air around him, even though he doesn't need air. Not anymore.
Is there anything left of the base? Is there anyone left?
Cumin will head over. Has Conrad closed the door to his room? She should maybe explain that he's allowed to do that.
He has the door to his room closed but not locked. He is used to the door to his room always being closed but potentially having people enter through it at any moment.
Conrad is very confused about the knocking sounds, but doesn't do anything about them, even though he knows that it's coming from someone knocking on his door.
Well, the knocking has stopped and he can hear Cumin's voice through the door now. "Conrad? Are you alright?"
"Oh, I should explain, shouldn't I. Knocking on someone's door is a way of asking them to open the door."
"Ah. I didn't know that. I thought that people were supposed to just enter and exit rooms."
"It depends on the room! That's true of rooms like the dining hall, or the linen closet, but this is your personal room. Generally the rule is that you shouldn't go into personal rooms besides your own without getting permission from the person in the room, though there's exceptions – if the person in the room seemed like she, sorry, they might be sick or injured, they might not be able to give permission, so it would be reasonable for someone to go in to help them. Also, this is Saffron's house, so if she thought you were damaging the house or such she'd go in without permission."
«Sorry about that.»
«Conrad, I've been asked to stop shouting through the door. If you're ready to be shown to the baths, you can head out of your room now.»
Conrad will step out of his room, close the door, and reply with Sending.
:I will get permission from the person in their personal room before entering unless they are unable to give permission because they are sick or injured.:
Conrad will remember the way from his room to the baths. Is it especially far away?
Tragically, nothing in Saffron's domain is all that far from anything else in it, and not because Saffron is a mistress of portals, either.
Cumin will talk about baths on the way. "So, mundane clothes and clothes from Witchery zero or one aren't very comfortable to bathe in, and some people think bathing is nicer if you're not wearing clothes. This means that some people at the baths are wearing their garments and some aren't wearing anything and some are wearing bathing costumes. You're good with Witchery, and I'm not sure everyone in the household has been sufficiently lectured on decorum yet, so I'd suggest you keep your garment on, or borrow a bathing costume."
"I am indifferent between wearing clothes and not wearing clothes. In that case, I will keep what I am currently wearing on. Why does other people not being sufficiently lectured on decorum mean I can't not wear clothes?"
"I'm not sure how to say this politely … but you seem hard to offend, so I'll just say it straightforwardly. They might say or do sex-related things you don't want. Some people don't handle being eternally twenty-something very well, and apparently our household unfortunately includes some people like that. For now. I'm sure Saffron's giving lectures and assigning extra shifts over this, I think it surprised her as much as it did me and she's pretty disappointed with some clients right now."
"Oh, I see. I didn't know sex required being naked. I do not know anything about sex so I will simply continue wearing my clothes. I didn't know it was a big thing. I thought it was just Dee that was very into it."
"No, it's a pretty big thing, a lot of people are into it. I suppose it's technically feasible with clothes on, but it involves body parts which are covered by your clothing, and if people can't see those body parts they're less likely to get bad ideas."
Cumin sighs. "Someone should really explain sex to you. Even if you don't want to have any, it's useful for understanding other people's behavior. I think the done thing these days is to lend you books on it, we can look at the library here and see if it has any and get a book on loan if it doesn't."
"Alright, we have a plan! No, hold on, I'm not supposed to keep household plans in my head. I'll ask Saffron to remind me of it or otherwise resolve it."
«Saffron, someone needs to find Conrad some books to learn about sex from. I'm fine with doing it, but I am forgetful, so I'm letting you know."
«No, no, I was just explaining why I think he should keep his garment on for the baths and it came up.»
