"The library's full of books. I've found some things, but they probably don't have a lot of correlation with whatever you'd put on an introductory curriculum. You should swing by the school sometime and see what you recommend I put first. I think Soph has a process that works for her in the magic department, but I don't know when I look at a book if it contains demons I will need to know how to slay next week or obscure ones who only materialize in Antarctica until I've spent a while looking through it."

"I am certainly qualified as a book sorter," Tamara agrees, amused. "I'll put together a list for you to start with. Did you want help with combat training as well?"

"In theory yes, in practice how would you go about it? I'd sign up for martial arts if I thought it was necessarily safe for me to come to blows with an unenhanced human; am I wrong?"

"Just walking into a martial arts class unannounced? Probably dangerous. But carefully, with planning and an informed instructor, invaluable. Vampires are not the world's only dangers, merely its most numerous. Witches, or humans who are for whatever reason doing the bidding of various evils- there are many situations where you might need to know how to take down someone non-lethally. And you are, at present ill-equipped to do so safely. The Council has some exercises it suggests, or there's a local trainer I might suggest you ask."

"Yeah, Soph's list of things to find has 'enchant darts so they make people fall asleep' as a nonlethal option but she hasn't done it yet and aikido or whatever would be good too, sign me up."

"And the fewer objects you have to carry with you constantly, the better," Tamara observes. "Was that a literal, here is my schedule arrange a class please request, or a rather more metaphorical one?"

"I have a magic seashell knife, so I don't have to smuggle my crossbow into school every day, I definitely hear the 'objects' thing." She taps her magic seashell knife. "But my schedule's pretty straightforward. Visits to the morgue in the early mornings, school till three, my sister and I split a car but she's pretty flexible and I can get around by jogging pretty easily. I'd want to know when you were signing me up for exactly what, but I would like to move towards signing-up-type behaviors."

"Magic seashell knife...? Well, if it works for you. Let's say- I'll aim for twice a week martial arts lessons, subdue not attack, and twice a week general fitness training? Is that too large of a time commitment?"

"It looks ornamental, and I and only I can turn it into a knife at will, and supposedly it'll cut through anything, although I have no steel girders that I would like to slice into small pieces. Unpack 'general fitness training'?"

"I am not actually a trainer, but I can guess. Cardio and endurance? Building up staking muscles? Super powers or no, you can always be better."

"Sure, but one increases those things by working at the limits of one's abilities and I think lifting cars would probably be bad for the cars and running long enough to wind me would take all day long, so I'm not sure how it would be arranged."

Tamara laughs. "I don't think the problem will be quite as bad as all that. You could always lift things in a scrap yard, for instance. We'll talk to your trainer and see what they think."

"Sure."

"Good, I'll take care of it." Tamara digs up a rag, dampens it and starts attacking the nearest en-floured surface. "Anything else on your mind? Anything I can tell you about me?"

"Do you know any obvious ways to improve significantly on learning magic out of random library books, for Soph or our potion specialist friend? Soph seems to be picking things up very fast, especially considering that unlike me she doesn't find it that interesting in its own right and is only doing it because I can't - but I don't know what ordinary progress is like."

"I can add a second list, once I see what the library has on hand. Unless it's pressing, that is. Do you encounter many situations that require magical aid?"

"Magic's more my style than violence," Bella says, "is the thing. In roughly the same way shooting at stuff is more my style than getting in close and punching it, but by an even wider margin. I like my superpowers, I will absolutely take them over not having them, I am even glad to take them over some other, randomly chosen girl who wanted to be an accountant when she grew up getting them. But I'd have rather gotten witchy blessings. I can't - I can't make any of it work, and it drives me nuts, but Soph can make me magic stuff to use, and Alli shares doses of potions, and it makes me more flexible, less one-note. Means a little less psychological maintenance if I am not just Hitting Things, Occasionally Tactics, style of superhero."

Tamara looks like she can't decide if she approves of this approach or not. "Well. Why don't we at least consider alternatives, the next time you're inclined towards magic? I'll be the first to admit it's useful, but it's best to be cautious with magic. For your sister's sake, if nothing else."

"Yeah, she's rationing her practice since she heard it could be addictive. No danger signs yet that we've picked up on, she can go a week and change casting nothing and be totally indifferent and only hasn't done longer because there keep being useful things to magic at. Things like my shell knife are one-time castings for something I can keep indefinitely, though."

"Sensible of you. And good for the other witch, for warning her."

"From what I know of you, I'm inclined to agree. Was there anything else? Would you like to stay for supper?"

"If you have enough to go around, sure, why not. I'll have to call home though."