we will seek my buried inheritance

[self_composed]

Bella fixes French toast for breakfast to salvage stale bread, and, having seen Charlie off to work, hops in her own car and makes for Alice's house. She arrives at nine-thirty, and goes up to the doorbell and rings it.

Comments

[self_composed]

"Mkay." She sighs. "I could probably make it a permanent hack with a pentagon - but - I don't know if those are reversible. It doesn't say in the book. And I don't really want to keep the... predilection... forever."

[edgeofyourseat]

"...Why not? I mean, you know, it would kinda come in handy."

[self_composed]

"Yes, it would. But I haven't fully thought it through, it would probably have other effects, and I take alterations to my brain very seriously."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yeah, I guess," he says.

[self_composed]

"Also," she says, "I'm not sure if it counts as a skill. If I worked really hard for some months or years and then got good vocal training I could speak fluent Spanish without much accent. Same thing if I studied and practiced the piano or got serious about being really good at cooking. If I wished on a pentagon I could do the same thing. I'm simply not clear on how one could, sans magic, turn into you - which means it could be a hex problem, to do it permanently - which means this doesn't solve the current problem and will be nearly redundant after the current problem is handled."

[edgeofyourseat]

"...Getting used to pain and liking it aren't the same," he offers. "First one sounds like more your kind of deal."

[self_composed]

"It's not the pain," she says. "I could move my leg around after it was broken. It's the fear."

[edgeofyourseat]

"You can get used to that, too."

[self_composed]

"But," she says, "not soon, and not easily."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Guess not."

[self_composed]

They pull up to Alice's house.

"Well," Bella says. Her voice is just a touch trembly. "Here we are."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yep," says Alice.

[self_composed]

Bella gets out of the car.

Her legs are tired from the hike, still, but she walks up to the door anyway, and rings the bell.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Hiya!" says Hilary. "Muffins just came out of the oven; you want some?"

"Ooh, muffins," says Alice.

[self_composed]

"Can I take a few home?" Bella asks. "I'm not feeling well at the moment and that would be unjust to the muffins."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Sure!"

Hilary stands back to let Alice in; Alice reaches out to stop the door from swinging closed.

[self_composed]

Bella enters, too.

She really isn't feeling well.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice can tell!

"Basement?" he suggests.

[self_composed]

"Sure."

[edgeofyourseat]

He leads the way to the appropriate stairs, and then down them, shutting the door at the top.

[self_composed]

"Do we bother magicking you into the pillar, or just - sit anywhere?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"Basement's soundproof," he says.

[self_composed]

"Right."

Bella sits against a non-permeable pillar.

"Dry run," she says.

And makes a wish.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Dry run meaning...?"

[self_composed]

"Meaning don't run and fetch lye, I was just making sure that squares can do this," she says, peering at her phone for timing purposes.

She tilts her head. "This is interesting."

She drags her fingernails across her forearm. Hard.

"This is very interesting."