bewitched armor

[thaumobabble]

There are plenty of things to do. Bella orders a carpet to enchant so she can commute to and from Reformist Wizards efficiently and move house. She starts combing through the castle library to find background material on her Minor Technical Issue.

Sometimes she watches Sherlock cook.

Sometimes she watches Tony forge. (Nnnnf.)

Comments

[calendarofcrime]

"Perhaps Tony will show you the Skyvault," says Sherlock.

[thaumobabble]

"The Skyvault isn't exactly locational in that way," says Bella. "More my area than Kanim's. Kanim will be poking at the forest magic itself, figuring out the moss and interrogating squirrels and following trees around while they try to escape."

"Of course I'd like to see the Skyvault for more standard tourist reasons, though," says Kanim earnestly.

[allthebrightest]

"It's not like the Skyvault and the forest magic are that separate," says Tony. "I mean, in one sense it's just a big magical windmill making everything else go round, but it does other stuff too."

[thaumobabble]

"Yes, but it's not a natural component of the forest magic, is it? I'll pay attention to how they interact, but it's not the part that I'm likely to write a thesis on."

[allthebrightest]

"Neither are the squirrels," Tony points out.

[thaumobabble]

"The squirrels are experts to be consulted," Bella explains, "not themselves the objects of study."

"I do not know nearly enough about the Enchanted Forest to comment on the squirrels," says Kanim.

[allthebrightest]

"I think you could say the Skyvault is kind of an expert too," says Tony.

[thaumobabble]

"Is it? Does it talk?" asks Kanim.

[allthebrightest]

"No, it just - is," says Tony. "I dunno, maybe you have to be me to get anything useful out of it."

[thaumobabble]

"Royal magic is a huge advantage there," says Bella. "My specs helped. I need to reconstruct those, I feel really weird without them, I shouldn't have put them on, I just felt like I had to know what was going on... Anyway, I don't think Kanim, not being a member of the royal family, will find the Skyvault's expertise directly helpful."

"Oh, is that why," Kanim starts and does not finish.

"No. It's gonna be a perk, though," says Bella. The carpet is flying in a straight line at this point; she can lean over and peck Sherlock on the cheek. "We're not sure if I will get more than standard courtesy access if I marry them both, anyway, and standard courtesy access would be lovely but not very practically helpful."

[allthebrightest]

"And, you know, my dad built the thing and I'm the one who maintains it," says Tony.

[thaumobabble]

"Yes, that too," says Bella.

"I will enjoy having a look! Honest! I just am not so much specialized in made things," says Kanim.

[allthebrightest]

Tony snorts.

[thaumobabble]

"I do made things," Bella says. "Especially glass, I'm good with glass."

"Explains the specs."

"How do you find your way around unfamiliar magic?"

"I try not to trust specific solutions like that for anything. I work with a lot of freeform and intuitive stuff. You can probably - well, when you have your spectacles - see more detail than I can, but," he adds archly, "my finely honed magical senses will not explode in the Cave of Unpleasant Surprises."

"Ha."

[allthebrightest]

"It would be kind of horrible if they did!" says Tony.

[thaumobabble]

"Yes! It would be - well, it would be unpleasantly surprising," says Kanim, "but not in a way the cave was disposed to exploit."

"I also lost a window, looking for Tony when we noticed she'd been missing," Bella says.

"Oh dear."

"The window's easier to replace than the specs," says Bella, shaking her head.

[allthebrightest]

"How long are the specs gonna take?" wonders Tony. "Can I help?"

[thaumobabble]

"Well, each lens gets made separately, you can totally help me with the dwarf lens again, and if you want to make me some lensframes I bet you're way faster at that than I am. I think re-making everything but the dwarf lens will be faster without."

[allthebrightest]

"You betcha I want to make you some frames!"

[thaumobabble]

"That is because you are wonderful and useful," says Bella brightly. "I think I can figure out enough to un-blue and un-fire-suppression-you without those, though, so that'll be the first priority when we're safely home."

[allthebrightest]

"That makes me so happy. Blue is not my colour," laughs Tony.

[thaumobabble]

"You aren't planning to keep your own fetching cosmetic change as a souvenir?" asks Kanim. "I went to the Cave of Unpleasant Surprises and all I got was this lousy palette swap."

Bella snorts.

[allthebrightest]

"Nope," says Tony. "I am done with the blue."

[thaumobabble]

"I will unblue you," promises Bella.

[allthebrightest]

"I love you," says Tony.