extradimensional space

[thaumobabble]

Here is a house.

It is pretty and trim and green-and-cream and really ought not to be able to hold itself up like that, and yet here it is, somehow defying the laws of architecture. It is surrounded by a neatly bordered garden of ornamental and useful plants of all sorts: here vegetables, there herbs, there spell components, there rows of flowers.

There is a sign out front. It says only: Magic. Not, Beware, Magic or Magic Emporium or anything like that. Just: Magic.

Sitting on top of this sign is a cream cat with smoke-dark points of color on each paw, his ears, and his face and tail.

All in all, you could be forgiven for thinking that a witch lives here.

Comments

[allthebrightest]

"If you actually want me to carry you all or part of the way to the castle," says Tony, "then I absolutely will."

[thaumobabble]

"I would like that." Bella declines to specify what fraction of this liking is merely because the alternative is falling down a lot and what fraction is getting carried by a pretty princess who makes artful armor.

[allthebrightest]

So Tony steps up to her and scoops her up gently.

[thaumobabble]

Bella settles in to this arrangement quite comfortably. "Thanks!"

[allthebrightest]

"No problem," Tony says cheerfully.

[thaumobabble]

Bella doesn't have to look where they're going anymore! She produces a book and looks up at the scenery once a page, and also at princesses if addressed.

[allthebrightest]

"Whatcha readin'?" asks Tony, who is not well-placed to see either the pages or the cover.

[thaumobabble]

"Highlights of Elven Theurgy by Raxtus Shadowmusic-Smith!" reports Bella.

[allthebrightest]

"Is it interesting?" she laughs. "With a title like that it could go either way."

[thaumobabble]

"It contains fewer things I didn't already know than I'd hoped, but it's very well put together."

[allthebrightest]

"So what is it actually about?"

[thaumobabble]

"It's a survey of the coolest parts of elf magic. This section's about wards and other defensive spells."

[allthebrightest]

"Anything I'd understand in there?"

[thaumobabble]

"Mmm... I'm not sure. I don't know anything about royal magic. Certainly it's nothing in common with dwarf magic or fire-witchery. 'Anchoring a ward on a tree does nothing to defend the tree, so wards are routinely stacked with the copious application of arbrex charms; it may also help to invert the dimensional identifiers differently with each layer if the wards are otherwise meant to cover the same area'?"

[allthebrightest]

She laughs.

"Nope, totally incomprehensible."

[thaumobabble]

"Sorry," chuckles Bella. "I'll pull a novel next and I can read aloud if you want."

[allthebrightest]

"It's okay," says Tony. "Read what you wanna read."

[thaumobabble]

And so she does.

She doesn't particularly notice when she winds up with her head on Tony's shoulder.

[allthebrightest]

Tony does!

Tony awwwws.

[thaumobabble]

"Hmm?" Bella looks around, expecting something along the lines of a baby rabbit.

[allthebrightest]

"No, the cute thing is you," Tony says fondly.

[thaumobabble]

Bella peers down at herself. "Did reading become cute all of a sudden? Or did I turn fluffy and not notice? Or is it a mystery that will be explained only with cunning graphs?"

[allthebrightest]

"You had your head on my shoulder," Tony explains. "It was cute."

[thaumobabble]

"Oh," says Bella, turning a little pink. "I didn't realize. You don't mind?"

[allthebrightest]

"Aww is not a sound of minding."