surefooted moccasins

[thaumobabble]

Bella completes her moccasins. They're easy, but tedious; she's putting tiny parts of the spell on each of the hundreds of glass beads that gets sewn on. Last time it took her a couple of days, but by the end of the process she could do the magic and the sewing at the same time; this time it's an easy rhythm and by an hour after lunch she's got them beaded and pieced and a binding enchantment laid on each of them and the pair together to hold all the beads in a coherent whole. She says her cleaning spell - the castle isn't dirty, but any amount of walking around barefoot leaves dirt on one's feet - and slips them on and gets up and walks around experimentally. Success!

She spends the rest of the time before the delegation is prepared to go sitting outside at the Skyvault, looking at it with various lens combinations and taking fascinated notes, and spending time with her fiancée-and-a-half.

She's ready to leave when the rest of the wizard-visiting party is.

Comments

[pythbox]

Bella has every right to be pleased with herself!

The dragon representative (who turns out to be somebody's princess) takes the time to congratulate her on their way out.

[thaumobabble]

"Thanks," says Bella. "I hope the dragons will be happy with the results."

[pythbox]

"I think they will!"

[thaumobabble]

"Are they going to object if I teach a bunch of wizards' wives how to kindle witchwells so they can supply the wizards with spellpower? Even Reformist wizards?"

[pythbox]

"If it keeps them out of trouble, I don't see why not."

[thaumobabble]

Bella grins. And castleward they go!

[calendarofcrime]

When they arrive, Sherlock is waiting at the castle gate, under the arch of the Skyvault.

[thaumobabble]

Bella trots right up to her as fast as her moccasins will allow and hugs her.

[calendarofcrime]

Sherlock hugs back. Gently, because armour.

[thaumobabble]

Of course. But unless she has a helmet on she is getting a kiss armor or no armor.

[calendarofcrime]

Never has she been so pleased not to wear a helmet!

[thaumobabble]

"Everything turned out well," Bella reports. "This wizard faction are Reformists and they don't get along with the Orthodox wizards and they promise to behave themselves."

[calendarofcrime]

"I am so pleased," says Sherlock. "Let's let the rest of them tell Mother. I would like to reacquaint myself with my betrothed."

[thaumobabble]

"Okay," says Bella, beaming. "Reacquaintance sounds good!"

[calendarofcrime]

Sherlock kisses her again.

[thaumobabble]

Mmmmkisses. "I missed you," says Bella breathlessly.

[calendarofcrime]

"And I likewise," says Sherlock. "Shall we go to your rooms?"

[thaumobabble]

"Yes. I think we shall do that."

And they do!

And then it is lunchtime. Hello, lunchtime. Hello, Tony and Queen Marianne!

[allthebrightest]

Tony is pleased to see them both!

[pythbox]

So is Queen Marianne.

"I've heard you did very well for yourself on this trip," she says with some degree of amusement.

[thaumobabble]

"Oh?" Bella blinks.

[pythbox]

"Why don't you tell me how the visit went?"

[thaumobabble]

"Well, we went to the cave, and no one seemed to know how to start, and so I asked the wizards a few questions and then the diplomat picked up from there and gave them the list of laws and customs and so on," says Bella. "Oh, and unless you object or I have too much else on my plate, I might teach the wizards' wives to cultivate witchwells so they don't have to be parasitic on anyone else for their magical energy, in exchange for some straight information about wizardry that didn't have to be gotten by subterfuge."

[pythbox]

"Very sensible," the queen approves.

[thaumobabble]

"Thanks," says Bella. "I did want to run the witching idea by you, though, since it wouldn't just mean that they wouldn't have to be parasitic, it'd also mean handing them a fair amount of magical power to work with - not just the wizards who'd have witch donors, but the new witches themselves - and I'm not sure how far you want to trust them, even if they have an apparently consistent political philosophy that would put them on the outs with the rest of the Society of Wizards."