exploratory kidnapping

[alicornucopia]

In this room are two women, one gray and sixty years old, one just thirty and red-haired, both wearing elaborate outfits. The younger casts a spell.

In this room is now also a third person. (On whom the elder woman promptly also casts a spell, which she had at the ready.)

Comments

[missnicegirl]

Matilda observes.

[alicornucopia]

It takes a couple of degrees.

And then pinkness bleeds into the paper.

[missnicegirl]

[alicornucopia]

Annei grins. "Woo! I'm going to start doing my makeup like this every morning."

[missnicegirl]

Matilda giggles.

[alicornucopia]

Sarsia takes another sheet of paper and turns it green after about a degree of staring.

[missnicegirl]

"Good for you both!" says Matilda.

[alicornucopia]

Terali writes. "I've noticed," she says, "that there are sometimes extra little effects - sparkles - when you do unrelated things. Do you have any idea why that might be?"

[missnicegirl]

She shakes her head. "I don't know."

[alicornucopia]

"Well, that would be nice to know, if you think of anything; I'll keep an eye on it too - and so should you two."

Sarsia and Annei nod.

[missnicegirl]

"You know," she says, "now that I'm thinking about it, I haven't read any Elcenian fiction. Can somebody take me to a library sometime? I think that would be fun."

[alicornucopia]

"I can take you to a library," Terali says. "When do you want to go?"

[missnicegirl]

"I wouldn't want to miss a magic lesson for it... how about tomorrow at, let's see, sixth-and-naught your time? Would that work?"

[alicornucopia]

"Sure," says Terali.

[missnicegirl]

"Okay! Then maybe I can help you practice moving things for the rest of this lesson," she suggests to Sarsia and Annei. "And I'll come back tomorrow for the library."

[alicornucopia]

Sarsia and Annei both levitate nearby objects (Sarsia grabs the office waterspout, Annei takes off an earring and floats that).

[missnicegirl]

Matilda encourages them both to develop their fine control.

And the lesson ends, and she comes back the next day for the library.

[alicornucopia]

And Terali takes her by the hand and casts a teleportation spell.

This

is

an

enormous

library.

[missnicegirl]

"Woooooooooow," says Matilda.

[alicornucopia]

"This is the Peiza National Library," says Terali. "What do you want to find?"

[missnicegirl]

"I don't know! I think I want to read everything," she says. "...But maybe some interesting fiction to start with."

[alicornucopia]

"Well, the fiction's over this way."

Over this way may indeed be found fiction.

[missnicegirl]

Matilda has to stop and have a moment again at the size of the fiction section.

"Can I come back here when I want and read more books? When is it open?"

[alicornucopia]

"This library is open from first-and-naught to twentieth-and-naught every day except major holidays," says Terali. "The next major holiday is Taieh in two weeks."

[missnicegirl]

"Thank you!"

Matilda dives into the books.