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

[alicornucopia]

"It's not illegal or anything," puts in Raha. "Why this sudden concern about boys?"

[missnicegirl]

"Because I suddenly learned that there aren't boys' schools in Linnip. If I'd heard about it before I would've been concerned then," she says.

[alicornucopia]

"There are so many things more worth worrying about than boys in Linnip," says Terali. "It's much pleasanter to be a boy in Linnip than a girl in Ryganaav -"

"To be much of anything, in Ryganaav, I'm sure," says Raha.

"Or a dragon in Egeria or a, I don't know, a vampire in Imminthal," Terali concludes. "A Southern elf in Mekand, a Sand Dusk Chanter in Iraam."

[missnicegirl]

"Then I guess I'm going to do something about all of those too once I find out more about them," says Matilda. "But in the meantime, it's still important that boys should be able to learn things."

[alicornucopia]

"And they can go to libraries, and read whatever they want," says Terali.

"Conservatories and some of the military academies will take boys. You could count monk training too, if you stretched the definition a little," says Raha. "Some of them have home tutors, if they're from the right families."

[missnicegirl]

"So I don't need to be doing anything about it right now, like I had to for shren babies," says Matilda. "But I still think there are probably boys in Linnip who would be learning things if it was easier and aren't because it's not, and that's sad, and it should stop."

[alicornucopia]

"We understand," says Raha. "But it's not relevant to learning witchcraft. Unless you're all done learning witchcraft?"

[missnicegirl]

She shakes her head.

And once she gets into it, witchcraft is still exciting.

[alicornucopia]

This is rather relieving to her supervisors.

[missnicegirl]

Good for them.

At the end of her lesson, instead of going home, she goes straight to Jensal's house.

[alicornucopia]

Jensal will answer the door if the bell is rung.

[missnicegirl]

"Hi, Jensal. I have a few more angles to fix shrens in now."

[alicornucopia]

"I've made up a priority list while you were gone. How many people can you take to the bottom of the world at once?"

[missnicegirl]

"A lot, probably. As many as I can fit in a room with me. And it can be a big room."

[alicornucopia]

"All right, let's go to the courtyard and then I'll call in a batch."

The courtyard is surrounded by house on all sides and has some deteriorating playground equipment and a garden and a lawn.

Jensal brings out a bunch of children and several adults.

[missnicegirl]

The flicker of light that accompanies this teleportation is bright enough to leave afterimages.

"Natural forms, everybody," says Matilda when they are all on the bottom of the world. Then she starts pointing.

[alicornucopia]

Everybody shifts, more or less promptly - some of the midsize children need to be coaxed by their minders - and then everybody flies.

[missnicegirl]

Matilda turns to Jensal and asks, "Are there more people in your house? Should we go get them right now?"

[alicornucopia]

"There are more people. We don't have any inside shrens in my house at the moment so you can fix them all here."

[missnicegirl]

"Okay."

She teleports herself and Jensal back to Jensal's house.

[alicornucopia]

Jensal gets more people, mostly adults this time.

[missnicegirl]

And Matilda brings them all down to where the cloud of former shrens is flying, and fixes them all. She has enough time today to get everyone in Jensal's house.

[alicornucopia]

Then everyone in Jensal's house will be very pleased.

[missnicegirl]

She checks the time.

"The iceberg house is smaller, right? I think I might have time to get all of them today too."

[alicornucopia]

"That's the smallest house, yes."