(no subject)

Cool Day [1 Consimbs 4261]

And we're back to autumn, and not a moment too soon. This means that ~mother~'s promised assault on the Duke has occurred; zie did not want to do it during Oix, when the Duke, along with every other mammal, was overheated and cross.

The Duke did not notice the assault.

Hezimikkainen:"Hallo -- Sythyry! What are you doing in that poor baker's oven?"

Me:"Getting romantic advice and free poptaloops. I didn't know you came to Academy Bakery very often."

Hezimikkainen:"I don't. That Yistreian singer who shares your house told me that I might find you here."

Me:"Oh, dear. What trouble am I in now?"

Hezimikkainen:"Oh, you're due to be slain horribly at any given moment, or, perhaps, cursed into nullity."

Me:"... really? ..."

Hezimikkainen:"To listen to ~father~ ... well, Eitharheinen ... talk about it, yes."

Me:"Zie noticed I'm still ambassador to Vae, not long ago, and said zie was going to do something about it. What did zie do?"

Hezimikkainen:"Told me to attend to it."

Me:"You tried once, didn't you?"

Hezimikkainen:"I tried more than once. You should have muffed up that breakfast silliness."

Floosh said nothing, but her smirking was vast.

Me:"And humiliate myself in front of the Duke? No -- I could not muff the muffins!"

Hezimikkainen:"It would have made my case easier!"

Me:"Well, between you and Lord Eddarna, I've gotten more trouble for doing it adequately than I would have for doing it badly. I guess you're right."

Hezimikkainen:"Nothing is punished as severely as success, I'm afraid, Sythyry."

Me:"So what punishment is coming to me now, and what's it for?"

Hezimikkainen:"That depends on your answer to this question: Shall I, as Eitharheinen asks, press the Duke again for the ending of your ambassadorship? Knowing that, if I do, there will surely be some Ducal penalties or disfavor, whether I succeed or fail, and success is not so likely."

I pondered the question in a wise and sage silence for a while. (Any suggestion that I was boggled by it is undignified and will not be honored.) It is a truly horrible job, but, as truly horrible jobs go, it's not a particularly onerous one. Except for the pastry incident, it takes only an hour or two every three days, now. And most weeks Vae doesn't even come close to killing me.

And, on the other hand, it's got to be done, and got to be done adequately. After the pastry incident, Vae has become accustomed to ... not obedience, exactly, but general mindfulness of what I have to say to her. I suppose she considers me a friend, and I know she doesn't have many of those in Vheshrame. And it's not treason 'cause the Duke told me to do it.

Which is all babbling to say that it's not as horrible a job as I thought it would be, it's not even as notable a job as I thought it would be (except for the pastry incident, which will never happen again), it's a moderately important job, I'm doing tolerably well at it, I'm getting some goodies from it (in terms of skill, if nothing else), and Vae would be upset if I suddenly skittered off.

Me:"Well, perhaps this mightn't be the best time to push the Duke on that matter."

Hezimikkainen:"I am distinctly glad to hear you say that, in no small part because I entirely agree. I shall tell Eitharheinen to copulate vehemently with a Khtsoyis."

Me:(something indistinct, yet, somehow, incoherent)

Hezimikkainen:"Don't worry, zie wouldn't. Zie's quite cisaffectionate."

Which phrasing, in retrospect, leaves me to wonder if Hezimikkainen is traff, or if zie is simply prodding me indirectly for being traff. Or for being distinctly traff.

Hezimikkainen:"Which is to say, I shall write zir a polite note explaining that making a strong and proud Duke change his mind on such a topic is a slow matter, at least when I'm not Shadow Duke."

And we discussed other things for a while -- including Extra Sleep in the Morning, which Hezimikkainen doesn't have grafted but does have on a talisman and uses it fairly often.

Hezimikkainen:"And, despite that, I don't have time to graft spells anymore. Well, not time and energy at least. I think the last one was in the 4220's sometime ... Write the Moment's Story."

(Which remembers the next few minutes of things that happen, and provides a way to repeat them in a little illusion.)

Me:"Is that useful?"

Hezimikkainen:"Oh, I use it when people are agreeing to things, and I think they might choose to forget some of the details without a bit of prompting. Or evidence. It's more polite than using truthspells after the fact, especially with a foreign ambassador or something."

So we discussed spells and enchantments and such for a while. When I graduate, I might, as one option, work as zir personal sorcerer and enchanter for some while.

(no subject)

Cool Day [1 Consimbs 4261]

And we're back to autumn, and not a moment too soon. This means that ~mother~'s promised assault on the Duke has occurred; zie did not want to do it during Oix, when the Duke, along with every other mammal, was overheated and cross.

The Duke did not notice the assault.

Hezimikkainen:"Hallo -- Sythyry! What are you doing in that poor baker's oven?"

Me:"Getting romantic advice and free poptaloops. I didn't know you came to Academy Bakery very often."

Hezimikkainen:"I don't. That Yistreian singer who shares your house told me that I might find you here."

Me:"Oh, dear. What trouble am I in now?"

Hezimikkainen:"Oh, you're due to be slain horribly at any given moment, or, perhaps, cursed into nullity."

Me:"... really? ..."

Hezimikkainen:"To listen to ~father~ ... well, Eitharheinen ... talk about it, yes."

Me:"Zie noticed I'm still ambassador to Vae, not long ago, and said zie was going to do something about it. What did zie do?"

Hezimikkainen:"Told me to attend to it."

Me:"You tried once, didn't you?"

Hezimikkainen:"I tried more than once. You should have muffed up that breakfast silliness."

Floosh said nothing, but her smirking was vast.

Me:"And humiliate myself in front of the Duke? No -- I could not muff the muffins!"

Hezimikkainen:"It would have made my case easier!"

Me:"Well, between you and Lord Eddarna, I've gotten more trouble for doing it adequately than I would have for doing it badly. I guess you're right."

Hezimikkainen:"Nothing is punished as severely as success, I'm afraid, Sythyry."

Me:"So what punishment is coming to me now, and what's it for?"

Hezimikkainen:"That depends on your answer to this question: Shall I, as Eitharheinen asks, press the Duke again for the ending of your ambassadorship? Knowing that, if I do, there will surely be some Ducal penalties or disfavor, whether I succeed or fail, and success is not so likely."

I pondered the question in a wise and sage silence for a while. (Any suggestion that I was boggled by it is undignified and will not be honored.) It is a truly horrible job, but, as truly horrible jobs go, it's not a particularly onerous one. Except for the pastry incident, it takes only an hour or two every three days, now. And most weeks Vae doesn't even come close to killing me.

And, on the other hand, it's got to be done, and got to be done adequately. After the pastry incident, Vae has become accustomed to ... not obedience, exactly, but general mindfulness of what I have to say to her. I suppose she considers me a friend, and I know she doesn't have many of those in Vheshrame. And it's not treason 'cause the Duke told me to do it.

Which is all babbling to say that it's not as horrible a job as I thought it would be, it's not even as notable a job as I thought it would be (except for the pastry incident, which will never happen again), it's a moderately important job, I'm doing tolerably well at it, I'm getting some goodies from it (in terms of skill, if nothing else), and Vae would be upset if I suddenly skittered off.

Me:"Well, perhaps this mightn't be the best time to push the Duke on that matter."

Hezimikkainen:"I am distinctly glad to hear you say that, in no small part because I entirely agree. I shall tell Eitharheinen to copulate vehemently with a Khtsoyis."

Me:(something indistinct, yet, somehow, incoherent)

Hezimikkainen:"Don't worry, zie wouldn't. Zie's quite cisaffectionate."

Which phrasing, in retrospect, leaves me to wonder if Hezimikkainen is traff, or if zie is simply prodding me indirectly for being traff. Or for being distinctly traff.

Hezimikkainen:"Which is to say, I shall write zir a polite note explaining that making a strong and proud Duke change his mind on such a topic is a slow matter, at least when I'm not Shadow Duke."

And we discussed other things for a while -- including Extra Sleep in the Morning, which Hezimikkainen doesn't have grafted but does have on a talisman and uses it fairly often.

Hezimikkainen:"And, despite that, I don't have time to graft spells anymore. Well, not time and energy at least. I think the last one was in the 4220's sometime ... Write the Moment's Story."

(Which remembers the next few minutes of things that happen, and provides a way to repeat them in a little illusion.)

Me:"Is that useful?"

Hezimikkainen:"Oh, I use it when people are agreeing to things, and I think they might choose to forget some of the details without a bit of prompting. Or evidence. It's more polite than using truthspells after the fact, especially with a foreign ambassador or something."

So we discussed spells and enchantments and such for a while. When I graduate, I might, as one option, work as zir personal sorcerer and enchanter for some while.

(no subject)

No Party For Me (or, Party For Me) [3 Consimbs 4261]

Following my ~mother~'s advice, I did not have a spell-learning party for Extra Sleep in the Morning. Instead, I had a very ordinary date with Ilottat, except that the next morning showed up a good three hours later than one might reasonably expect.

Well-rested and well-stickied is a very nice combination.

Though, at this rate, I'm gonna wind up buying cley two or three times a week, once Enchantment gets going.

Here's more or less how it works. [Yes, this is how zie wrote the table. I know it's confusing, even without the mistake zie acknowledges. -bb]

	Good Day	Bad Day
Cley I get naturally	17	22	Oops, I wrote these backwards.
Cley to visit Ilottat	0	6	Well, usually the 6 is a really really good day.
Cley for enchantment	7	15	It *can* go as low as 3 or as high as 18, but that's rare.
Cley for learning spells	0	6
Cley from meditation	3	0	If I spend time in a fireplace, and if things go well.
Cley for grooming	2	2
Cley for adventurer training spells	0	2
Cley for practicalities	0	6	Carrying books!
Total	-16	+20

Which is not to say that I'm going to need to track down eighteen cley on a bad day. But I might well need three or four, and not have time to meditate to get it. (I had sort of thought that Extra Sleep would help with meditating time, but Extra Sleep really only works if I have an hour or two to use it on -- it doesn't create entirely new time, it just gives a really good deal on time I already have.)

So ... yes, I have bought cley a few times already this term. I can imagine that I'll need to do it more often.

For the information of monsters and exceedingly decent people: buying cley is not a very decent activity. Indeed, selling cley is rather shameful -- it's rather like selling your sexual services for cheap. Buying cley isn't so embarrassing, but it does point out that I don't get enough. And I get a lot, by student standards; I've really been working on it.

Yes, ~mother~ did give me a budget for buying cley.

No, after the incident with buying spells -- in accordance with zir budget! -- I don't really want to take full advantage of buying cley.

So, I could cut down on the cley I use (which is possible but awkward and will render life itself meaningless and miserable, or at least, cut down on my time with my boyfriend). I could increase how much cley I get (which I am doing as quickly as anyone could -- adventuring is good for that -- but it's still slow).

I could find other ways to do these things...

1. Find a nonmagical way to get to Ilottat's apartment without the spies thinking he's traff. Or perhaps persuade him to come get sticky in my room once in a while. Or otherwise need less magical subterfuge there.
2. Enchant devices for grooming myself and carrying things.
3. Hire a bodyservant to carry things. (Or one who has the right grooming spells and the skill to cast them, but that's harder)

There's really only one sensible choice in that list, isn't there?

(no subject)

No Party For Me (or, Party For Me) [3 Consimbs 4261]

Following my ~mother~'s advice, I did not have a spell-learning party for Extra Sleep in the Morning. Instead, I had a very ordinary date with Ilottat, except that the next morning showed up a good three hours later than one might reasonably expect.

Well-rested and well-stickied is a very nice combination.

Though, at this rate, I'm gonna wind up buying cley two or three times a week, once Enchantment gets going.

Here's more or less how it works. [Yes, this is how zie wrote the table. I know it's confusing, even without the mistake zie acknowledges. -bb]

	Good Day	Bad Day
Cley I get naturally	17	22	Oops, I wrote these backwards.
Cley to visit Ilottat	0	6	Well, usually the 6 is a really really good day.
Cley for enchantment	7	15	It *can* go as low as 3 or as high as 18, but that's rare.
Cley for learning spells	0	6
Cley from meditation	3	0	If I spend time in a fireplace, and if things go well.
Cley for grooming	2	2
Cley for adventurer training spells	0	2
Cley for practicalities	0	6	Carrying books!
Total	-16	+20

Which is not to say that I'm going to need to track down eighteen cley on a bad day. But I might well need three or four, and not have time to meditate to get it. (I had sort of thought that Extra Sleep would help with meditating time, but Extra Sleep really only works if I have an hour or two to use it on -- it doesn't create entirely new time, it just gives a really good deal on time I already have.)

So ... yes, I have bought cley a few times already this term. I can imagine that I'll need to do it more often.

For the information of monsters and exceedingly decent people: buying cley is not a very decent activity. Indeed, selling cley is rather shameful -- it's rather like selling your sexual services for cheap. Buying cley isn't so embarrassing, but it does point out that I don't get enough. And I get a lot, by student standards; I've really been working on it.

Yes, ~mother~ did give me a budget for buying cley.

No, after the incident with buying spells -- in accordance with zir budget! -- I don't really want to take full advantage of buying cley.

So, I could cut down on the cley I use (which is possible but awkward and will render life itself meaningless and miserable, or at least, cut down on my time with my boyfriend). I could increase how much cley I get (which I am doing as quickly as anyone could -- adventuring is good for that -- but it's still slow).

I could find other ways to do these things...

1. Find a nonmagical way to get to Ilottat's apartment without the spies thinking he's traff. Or perhaps persuade him to come get sticky in my room once in a while. Or otherwise need less magical subterfuge there.
2. Enchant devices for grooming myself and carrying things.
3. Hire a bodyservant to carry things. (Or one who has the right grooming spells and the skill to cast them, but that's harder)

There's really only one sensible choice in that list, isn't there?