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[summonere]

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[sealeted]

[She lingers at the demon bird's side for a few minutes longer, then retreats to the kitchen to grab the kettle and some teabags. She gets two mugs steeping for them, and brings them and two small mason jars of sugar and milk into the study-in-progress on a tray that was probably supposed to be decorative.]

Give it a couple minutes and it should be ready.

[Her own mug has a fruitier blend steeping, apparently.]

So, did you get anything helpful from the blessings, this round?

[summonere]

[ V has already wandered over to the study's window, looking out curiously at the view from the interior. He turns his head when she comes back. ]

It was... generous. I wasn't expecting to receive so much assistance.

[ Maybe if he had he wouldn't have jacked that violin. ]

My largest familiar Nightmare has been returned, albeit... shortened.

This guy's usually real big, Nerd. Comes crashing down like a fuckin' comet and you can take out a whole squad of demons! [ Griffon cackles with glee. ] He's kinda shrimpy now though.

[sealeted]

Nightmare, huh?

[She tries to picture what it might be, using "Griffon" as a name-to-appearance standard.

...

Yeah, nothing's coming to mind.]

He sounds like a handy guy to have around. Short or otherwise. I think you mentioned he wasn't as, um... eloquent as the good Chevalier, here.

[summonere]

[ It's some horrible amalgam of a thing, V has seen inside its thoughts. The voices, the hands reaching. Better to just call him a golem. ]

No, it doesn't speak. It was really created for war and destruction. But... I'm fairly certain I can convince it to move a bookcase.

[ He smiles at the absurdity of that. ]

[sealeted]

[Cheery. The pithy naming streak continues, it seems.]

Tools of war still have plenty of use when peace comes around. I'd appreciate it, really.

[However fleeting that might be.

Glancing at the tea, Hakuno starts prepping Griffon's with all the trimmings, now that it's the right color.]

Is that enough sugar?

[summonere]

[ The demon spreads his wings easily. ]

Bring on the drink, Nerd!

[ That is definitely not please and thank you. ]

The rest of the blessing items were warm clothes.

[ Which he also finds kind of absurd; that Santa was concerned about him staying warm in the winter. ]

[sealeted]

[She passes over the cup, trusting in his nifty little wing-trick to keep matters tidy.

She lifts her own cup in a little toast to V.]

Well, that's good! You could always use more of those. Aside from the house... hm... I suppose I've made a breakthrough?

[summonere]

[ Cheers fam. ]

What do you mean?

[sealeted]

Congratulations, V.

[Hakuno, what.]

You're drinking tea brewed by a Master Alchemist.

[summonere]

[ What indeed! He laughs a little in surprise of the punchline. ]

You've graduated, I see.

[sealeted]

I have a week of in-school classes to my name. Does that make me a prodigy?

[As if the Moon cell even counts.

It's good joke, though.]

[summonere]

I'm very jealous.

[ In an idle kind of way, he's power hungry. ]

[sealeted]

Don't be; you get to reap the benefits without months and months of studying.

[He knows how free she is with her gifts, after all.]

[summonere]

I'll just find something else to study for months.

By which he means he already has.

[ Apparently Griffon's tea is gone and he's ready to pipe back up. ]

[sealeted]

Oooh, which one?

[She's guessing it isn't Conjuration, if he's got his heavier hitter summon back.]

[summonere]

The faction leaders' summoning ceremony.

[ He's not going to lie to her, but he is also curious on her take on this plan. ]

[sealeted]

Oh. That's... that's not a specific school.

[A faltering reaction, but there's a lot firing behind her eyes for a moment, as she digests the answer. She rubs a thumb over the lip of her mug, staring into the fruity depths as if searching for something.

At length, she speaks.]

...they're burning the candle at both ends, doing that. If you're looking into it as a way to summon more demons from home, then... V, it's really not worth the price. Please trust me on that.

[summonere]

Hah! That's what she thinks of you, V!

[ Griffon just laughs and V doesn't bother to shoosh him. ]

I know. Both Temperance and the Warlock were clear on that matter.

[sealeted]

I think it's entirely normal to look at the thing that brings us here and think of what else it could bring us, if it was altered or fine-tuned, somehow. My research into the magic loss has just made me... well, it's made me pretty leery of any 'big purchases' on that front.

[She blinks, looking up.]

...wait, you spoke with the Warlock? When?

[She saw Temperance at the party, but she's certain her friend wouldn't have reached out so publicly to an Otherworlder. Not now, at least.]

[summonere]

A few days ago. There was a summons to the Landing in my cloak.

This asshole thought it would be a great idea to head home with one of your buddy's violins.

[ Just! Hey! He's telling this story. ]

It did get me an audience with the Warlock, didn't it.

[sealeted]

You took one of—

[She blinks again, tilting her head as she thinks it over.]

...huh. Okay. So, what do you owe him, now?

[Notably, she doesn't ask him why or what he was thinking. She knows the place V is coming from; the point he's growing from. He needed it for some reason, and it was there, so he took it. She doubts its for anything insidious, or that the Warlock was cruel over it.

She hasn't claimed him as a friend, publicly, since he withdrew from the public eye, but her expression doesn't show the momentary jolt that runs through her before she remembers that she did admit to being fond of him. Griffon's just being Griffon, or connecting dots she hadn't fully obscured to begin with.

Plus, neither of them are going to bring it up with the Priestess, she's pretty sure. Certainly not if they think it might get her unwanted scrutiny.]

For future reference, if you have something to say to him, offering bowls are usually a safe bet.

[summonere]

I told him what I thought of Lady Temperance, and he gave it to me in exchange. And then we discussed the merits of her methods.

[ And that's why he's researching the ceremony without pledging himself to her. ]

[sealeted]

And lack thereof, I imagine.

[Given what she recalls of what Warlock said to her about Temperance.]

The Ceremony came up then?

[summonere]

While unmoved to commit to the Lady's cause... I asked her what the most pressing matter in Fellden's survival was. As you've described, the Ceremony is only accelerating the death of this world. I asked the Magician how I might intervene. He is allowing me to come to him for certain information as long as I don't involve him further.

[ And it's obvious why; the neutral kingdom had to stay neutral. ]

[sealeted]

That's good. Um—he doesn't like that title much, I don't think. You can just call him the Warlock.

[In several ways. She swallows back a relieved sigh.]

I... wouldn't bring it up, publicly. The gods here react... emphatically, when they're led to believe a Neutral party might be biased towards a certain side.