"Thank you!"

(He looks like he has noticed Veron not saying something and is curious but politely isn't asking.)

"You're welcome."

(Veron looks like he has noticed Serik noticing, and is extra studiously not saying anything.)

...he giggles. "All right, what is it?"

Veron makes a face.

"... Don't mistreat her, all right?"

There's more to it than that, but wow it is so incredibly not his place to bring any of it up at all. Let's just leave it at that sentence and call it quits.

"I really, really don't intend to," he says, gazing adoringly at her again.

(She is on book number three, she's skimming very quickly to get a feel for the books in this language. The style is much different from what she's used to, she wants to see the variation within it more than she wants to read the books right now.)

"Good," says Veron. Yep. That is all he's saying on that subject because nope.

Then, just to be sure that the subject gets changed:

"Oh, also. I have presents for you."

"Ooh, presents."

He reaches into his bag, and he retrieves a slightly tacky looking circlet, and a less tacky looking ring that is outright pretty.

"I apologize for the." He waves the tacky circlet helplessly. "The this. But it's a circlet of intelligence and I couldn't find one as good that was less. This." Shrug. "The ring's a ring of clear thought."

"It's fine," says Serik. "I appreciate your presents even if one of them is kind of stupid-looking."

"Yep. I can try to look for less stupid-looking alternatives, but I figured getting you these as quickly as possible was more important."

He offers the stupid-looking circlet and the ring to Serik.

He accepts them and puts them on. One at a time, ring first.

The ring expands working memory sharply, and the circlet enhances conventional memory, and seems to speed up how quickly he can think. And also it looks terrible on him.

They're probably going to both be at least a little useful.

"...huh," he says. "Oh, I like that. That's useful. Thank you very much."

"You're welcome! Do you think it'll help with the spell creation?"

"Definitely!"

"Good, glad to hear it."

He smiles.

Saskia flits back after a little while, bouncing on her toes happily.

"i like your library a lot!"

"I'm glad!"

One might get the impression she's smiling, if she had a mouth. She does not have a mouth.

"i think i like it here. do you have a place i could stay that won't get too bright? m'lord said that this isn't as bright as it gets here, i don't think i'd like that very much."

"Hmm," he says. "I should probably just make you something, it'd be easier than trying to find a guest room that doesn't get any sun. What do you want in a room?"

"a bookshelf. a chair. a place to put things that i want to keep. maybe a desk?"

"She doesn't need to sleep," clarifies Veron.

"oh. yes. i can if i get bored though. can the chair be good for that if I want to?"