i'm just that fascinating i guess

[self_composed]

The first day Bella spends out and about with her new who's-watching-me powers, she is rather alarmed.

Maybe she's just mistaken about how much time people spend looking at reasonably pretty eighteen-year-old girls. She kills a pentagon to try it on a nearby control - who's looking at that girl over there?

Fewer people. Fewer people are looking at that random girl, and less intently. They're looking at her familiarly - they know her - or casually - they're checking her out.

[I have a spy problem,] Bella says. She makes a faintly exaggerated show of snapping her fingers in frustration and turning around. She's going back to her room to get a mirror and bobby pins and barettes, so she can spy back on the pretense of checking her hair, without making it overwhelmingly obvious that she knows what's going on.

Comments

[nonbird]

"Well," he says. "You've warned me. I agree that it would be very bad if someone blew up the planet. Now what?"

[prima_sequentem]

"That," she says, "is what I'm trying to figure out."

[self_composed]

[See if she'll give you a hexagon to use on defensive magic - maybe ask for one for Kolya too, I don't know how many she has but it should be a smaller number - so that I can't do anything too bad to you, har har, and assure her you don't want the world exploded, and ask if you can leave?] Bella suggests.

[nonbird]

"You could hand me a stack of coins and let me go home," he suggests. "Then I wouldn't be defenceless anymore."

[prima_sequentem]

"I don't exactly have stacks of coins to play with," she says. "And, no offense, I'm not sure you have the experience to protect yourself if I gave you the magic. And even if I send you home protected against mind control, there's no guarantee she won't try a more primitive kind of coercion."

[nonbird]

Lazarus supplies this to Bella with the added commentary, [You two should really talk sometime. She is seriously beginning to remind me of you.]

[self_composed]

[I'm offended,] Bella says, not sounding all that offended. [You could make the case that you know plenty about magic - you know, being you - and can come up with sufficiently creative uses of the coins.]

[nonbird]

"What exactly do I need experience for?" he asks, ignoring the part about coercion because he doesn't have a good answer for it and also no. "Of all people I'd think I'm the best equipped to figure out new magic."

[prima_sequentem]

"On the other hand, you clearly don't have my suspicious nature," Libby points out gently. "It's not your ability to use magic that I'm worried about, it's your ability to figure out when and how you should."

[self_composed]

[Do you need a suspicious nature to judiciously use a limited amount of defensive power for self- and beloved-other preseveration?] Bella asks incredulously.

[nonbird]

[...possibly,] says Lazarus.

And out loud, "I am open to suggestions. You could at least change the restriction on who can do magic to me so that it includes me. That seems like a pretty good start."

[prima_sequentem]

"Sure," she says. "I'll do that when I send you home. And I'll do that when I'm satisfied that you can take care of yourself. A few tips on things to watch out for are not going to be sufficient."

[self_composed]

[How long does she plan to keep you in a warehouse until you can "take care of yourself"?] Bella asks. [Hours? Days? Weeks?] She bites her tongue before asking, "Until you completing your diploma and earning a gold star?".

[nonbird]

"Here's a thought," he says. "I'm already protected against magic in general, or I will be with a slight change in permissions. So why don't you hand me a coin of the right size and I'll duplicate a very effective physical protection power that I'm betting you know about?"

[prima_sequentem]

She gives him a considering look.

[self_composed]

[You want to leave the no-magic-done-to-you bit on?] Bella asks curiously. [Really, or is that just what you're telling her?]

[nonbird]

[...Yes?] he says. [I can always allow exceptions. But if I leave it on and cut these people out of the permissions, they can't do this to me again. That is definitely something I want.]

[self_composed]

[I guess if I wanna give you more magic I can just give you coins directly,] Bella allows.

[nonbird]

[Good plan. Excellent plan,] says Lazarus.

[prima_sequentem]

And, finally, Libby nods.

"Okay," she says, and spends a square to unlock a hex, which she hands over. A pentagon puts Lazarus on the list of people who are allowed to do magic to Lazarus, and removes the travel restriction at the same time.

[nonbird]

He takes the hex and, as promised, wishes himself Bridget's defensive powers.

"Done. Do I get a teleport home, or do I have to take the bus?"

[prima_sequentem]

"Under the circumstances, I think I can justify spending another fiver on you."

She makes the wish.

[nonbird]

[Home sweet home,] Lazarus announces. [How's that cake? Some cake would be great right now.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Frosted,] Alice reports. [Also, delicious.]

[self_composed]

[Does your antimagic ward protect you from further spot-checking of the kind that let them determine my location last time?] Bella inquires. [I should probably not show up in your apartment again, because as your enchanted watch shows there are ways around it - they could just look in the window - but we could meet in places they don't know to expect you to appear, if they can't look at you anymore. Also, you may want to call Kolya back from wherever he's escaping to.]