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]

"Yay!" says Matilda.

[alicornucopia]

Annei beams.

[missnicegirl]

Matilda beams back.

[alicornucopia]

"Is it the same for all of it? Concentrating on what you're trying to do?"

[missnicegirl]

"Pretty much! Sometimes, if I'm trying to do witchcraft in Elcenia, I have to concentrate on not doing it instead. But that part probably won't come up for you unless you're a witch."

[alicornucopia]

"I'm not a witch," confirms Annei. "I do some wizard spells, though, I can tell time and so on. Will it interfere with that?"

[missnicegirl]

"I don't think so. I can't do wizard magic at all so I don't have a good way to check. Try telling time and see what happens?"

[alicornucopia]

Annei casts the time-telling spell.

[missnicegirl]

It is perfectly ordinary and time-telling.

"I guess you'll probably be okay then," says Matilda.

[alicornucopia]

Annei nods; the time vanishes from the air. "Should I practice anything in particular between now and my lesson, besides floating?"

[missnicegirl]

"You could try floating things that aren't yourself, and try making the light," says Matilda. "Those are both pretty safe even if you don't get them quite right, I think."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay," nods Annei. Float float.

[missnicegirl]

Near the end of the ten degrees, one of the two lights flares up in Matilda's magic vision. Matilda points her out with a little sparkle-flare. "You've caught it too!"

[alicornucopia]

"I have?" says Purple Light. "Oh wow. Okay."

"Name?" says Terali.

"Sarsia Teiat."

[missnicegirl]

"Congratulations!"

[alicornucopia]

"Is meditating helping? I never really got anywhere with trying to meditate," Sarsia asks Annei.

"I think it's helping me, but I don't know if you really need to?" shrugs Annei.

[missnicegirl]

"I never meditated and neither did Lavender, my friend who can fly."

[alicornucopia]

Sarsia nods and concentrates without doing the same thing Annei was trying.

[missnicegirl]

The ten degrees run out without anyone else catching.

[alicornucopia]

"Does anybody look like they might catch with more time, Matilda, or should we call it a day for this batch?" Terali asks.

[missnicegirl]

"I don't seem to be able to see who will and won't catch," she says. "At least not yet. I think we can stop for now. If anyone really wants to try again later, they can."

[alicornucopia]

"All right. Thank you all for coming," Terali says.

(Sarsia rises slowly into the air.)

[missnicegirl]

Matilda giggles.

[alicornucopia]

Sarsia smiles. Everybody else puts their books away and leaves when Matilda has put their chairs down.

[missnicegirl]

"Should I be trying to give Sarsia magic lessons too?"