we are invariably pleased to welcome tourism

[cross_and_bow]

Sherlock is usually very puncutal. He's only one minute late, but that's still not quite as punctual as usual. Bella peers out the window, not yet allowing herself outright concern.

Comments

[eversomuchfun]

He shrugs. "It's a vague rumour, at any rate. Doesn't seem to happen very frequently."

[cross_and_bow]

"But you've heard of it - what can other people do?"

[eversomuchfun]

"Visions of the future. Telekinesis."

[cross_and_bow]

"Those are cool," says Juliet. "On balance I think I'll stick with mine, though, I don't want nightmares or for magic to eat my brain or anything."

[eversomuchfun]

"Yes, magic eating your brain would be a tragic loss."

[cross_and_bow]

"I'd really object," says Juliet, nodding. "Maybe Mr. Giles will be able to help me find something that does work. He did pretty much agree to teach me in between all the dire warnings."

[eversomuchfun]

"Let us hope," agrees Sherlock.

[cross_and_bow]

"Anyway. Lemme put my new magic through its paces, huh?" says Juliet, rolling her shoulders and reaching behind herself to poke at the hidden tattoos. "Just Sherlock to start, and when I'm used to the boosts I can practice trying not to give Amariah an opening into which she might insert something sharp."

Training ensues. Amariah doesn't prove particularly useful as a stabby prop, but the blessings she cast are definitely helping. Juliet is less tired, less bruised, barely scratched, more alert, and surer on her feet than before, and it adds up to a definite edge above and beyond the revisions she's been making to her "autopilot".

Sherlock violently encounters the wall on more than one occasion.

[dark_light]

When Juliet's done for the night, Amariah gives Sherlock a hug, and then casts the quick verse-and-parsley notice-me-not spell so that she won't attract attention from bad guys, nosy neighbors, or Charlie. She walks home with Juliet and parks her cloud-pine, its hammock, and herself outside her alt's window.

[cross_and_bow]

The next day, Juliet takes Amariah to school with her. As long as Amariah doesn't do anything weirder than loitering and speaking in a normal tone of voice, she is completely unobtrusive.

Including to Mr. Giles when study hall rolls around and Juliet goes to return the books she's gotten through and talk magic.

[pythbox]

"That's more than I expected," he says as he reclaims them. "Considering the depth of your note-taking."

[cross_and_bow]

"I read pretty quickly," says Juliet. "You can look over my notes on them if you want proof they got read, or something."

[pythbox]

"I don't plan to be that kind of teacher," he says, with what might be a vestige of a smile.

[cross_and_bow]

"What kind of teacher do you plan to be?" she inquires.

[dark_light]

(Amariah, meanwhile, is reading through one of the books. Reading a book in a library is not unusual enough to break the spell, and she'll put it right back when Giles reaches for it.)

[pythbox]

"I have no idea," he admits. "Well, I have some idea. But 'not that kind' isn't much of an answer."

[cross_and_bow]

"It's not. Do you have an idea where we're going to start? Or are you stalling for time with the huge stack of demonological texts?"

[pythbox]

"The huge stack of demonological texts is full of crucial, valuable information," he says. "...And yes."

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet laughs.

"Hey, maybe you can answer a theory question for me," she says, when she's recovered. "You said I was lucky the only way I've had a spell fail is by not working at all. Does magic do a lot of uncontrolled stuff? Swirl around in random eddies breaking the laws of physics at random, stick to people who didn't especially solicit any, escape from poorly-worded spells and turn the local wildlife pink? Or is it all spells and sometimes exploding spells?"

[pythbox]

"It depends," he says. "Any spell that invokes a deity or demon—the difference isn't always perfectly clear—runs some risk of the named entity, ah, failing to cooperate. The results of that can be catastrophic, depending on whose attention you caught and how powerful and capricious they might be. Some spells, especially powerful ones, can backfire on the caster if done improperly. And magical artifacts of various kinds can have unpredictable effects. In general, no, magic doesn't do anything unless someone somewhere was trying to use it."

[cross_and_bow]

"A lot of the spells I saw invoked deities-or-demons - they're basically the same, really? - but that just pushes the question of how the magic works back one step farther. Do the deities-or-demons do their own magic when no one's bothering them to do someone else's? And what's this about artifacts, let's hear about artifacts," says Juliet.

[pythbox]

"Some do; some don't. If you want to know about them, or about artifacts, I can give you more books."

[cross_and_bow]

"I would like that," says Juliet decisively.

[pythbox]

He smiles tentatively and retreats behind the counter to haul out another armful from his personal collection.

[cross_and_bow]

"Did you expect me to need those?" Juliet asks. "For that matter, why did you bring your personal demonology collection, yesterday?"