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

[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.

[thaumobabble]

"I love you too," says Bella brightly. Tony's easy to love; she fretted about exact meanings of the word for a while, but finally decided that there is no reason not to call how she feels about Tony by that name.

"Aww," says Kanim, "cutest and least combative two-princess love triangle ever."

Bella snorts.

[calendarofcrime]

Sherlock laughs.

"We are, it's true."

[thaumobabble]

"We are the best two-soon-to-be-three-princess love triangle," says Bella.

"I'll believe it," says Kanim. "About your technical issue, what're you thinking?"

Bella launches into extremely technical chatter that it is unlikely either princess will be able to follow.

"Well," says Kanim finally, "I don't know if I'll be much help, but I can assist with literature searches and so on, since, this not being a traditional rescue by any stretch of the imagination, repayment in the form of a kiss would probably not be welcome."

"I'm gay," says Bella. "I didn't say anything about them."

[allthebrightest]

"I'm not gay," Tony says brightly.

[thaumobabble]

"Aren't you now," says Kanim, looking with something between speculation and wrongfooted confusion at the bluer of the two princesses.