cake and ice cream

[self_composed]

Bella finds Milliways next, too, on New Year's Day, and calls in Alice (he's not coming to Goldenworld even if they find a person who can take them there, but he might find someone interesting to talk to in the bar) and also Lazarus. She mentions the door to Libby, too, in case she and/or her wolf want to take an excursion and see if his friends and family back home can be visited.

Comments

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Oh, absolutely," Addy says. "Somewhere less distractingly beautiful." She turns to Chris. "May I?"

[self_composed]

[I'm pretty sure that my alt has put a stop to this kind of thing,] Bella says to Lazarus, [but you might want to know that when Addy was "training" Elspeth, she responded to a brief flagging of Elspeth's motivation by sending her to be tortured by a since-deceased witch whose power was rather like my agony beam. Be careful of her. Consider only working within range of the Emperor even if you don't want company directly.]

[queensidecastle]

Chris extends a hand toward Addy.

[nonbird]

[Noted,] says Lazarus.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Addy shakes hands in a terribly friendly way. "Oh, this is cute," she says. "What a polite power. Why would anyone object to you protecting them?"

[queensidecastle]

"Huh?"

[nonbird]

"Oh, of course," says Lazarus.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I know, it's a little tricky to see," Addy says to Lazarus sympathetically. "Tastes obvious, though. You can protect people who wouldn't mind if you did, but the magic will back right off if they'd disapprove. I wonder why. Maybe you haven't noticed? It tastes... still. You could move it around but you haven't much. Have you not even been systematically checking people for protectability? Where is everyone's sense of scientific investigation?"

[queensidecastle]

"Protectability of third parties is kind of a moot point for me," she says, patting her niece's shoulder.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"But don't you even care what you could do?" says Addy pleadingly. "What if you could add more targets?"

[queensidecastle]

"...Okay, slightly tempted," she admits.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"You know, I don't think it would even be that hard, if you started the right way," muses Addy. "Whose loss would just devastate her? Is there anyone she sits up at night worrying over? It would just take the tiniest stretch..." Addy undergoes a brief all-over shudder. "See, this is why I have to help people, I can feel how close the improvements are but I can't touch them unless the original witch - ingot - does it first."

[queensidecastle]

"Good luck with that," Chris says flatly.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Well, you don't have to work on it the straightforward way if you don't want to, and honestly, I didn't even describe it," huffs Addy. "Anyway. I'd like to try you again, Your Majesty, if I may? Now that I have the hang of ingots?"

[self_composed]

Bella permits a brief handshake.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Nope," sighs Addy. "Like biting tinfoil."

[queensidecastle]

"Alas," says Chris.

[prima_sequentem]

Libby snorts.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Could I," Addy says, "hold a coin? Just for a moment, just to see if I can do anything with it, it can be a little one, I won't wish on it."

[self_composed]

"I'm thinking not," Bella says.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Do what with it?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Copy it," says Addy plaintively. "That's what I do. I'm a mimic."

[edgeofyourseat]

[...I kinda wanna see what happens,] he says to Bella.

[self_composed]

[Oh, it'd be fascinating, but she's only not doing evil things because she can get access to more and more different magic by cooperating with my alt. On the off chance she can render herself a mint or some mintlike thing by holding a coin, that goes out the window and she may well go back to torturing five-year-olds and the like instead of being useful.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Aww. Okay, no coins around Addy. Love you.]