faun

[shesepankh]

Saturday morning sees Bella with her notebooks about magic all in her knapsack, her medallion safety-pinned by its chain to her bra just in case she trips the wrong way, waiting with Charlie for pickup for the Avalon trip.

Comments

[shesepankh]

"That's what unions were originally for, you know. The forty-hour work week, safer conditions, and soothed egos. You didn't sleep through class that day in History, did you?"

[castmyown]

"Of course not," he snickers. "I am well aware of the horrifically unfair working conditions that left egos unsoothed. I'm glad you're avoiding that route."

[shesepankh]

"I want to be on the right side of history, of course. Remember me kindly in your memoirs."

[castmyown]

"Certainly, just keep soothing my ego and we will get along fine."

[shesepankh]

"You are infinitely more interesting than Mike Newton?" suggests Bella.

[castmyown]

Darren laughs. "Thank you. I wasn't comparing myself to him at all, actually, but I'm glad I win in a contest against him."

[shesepankh]

"You are also highly interesting on an absolute scale, I assure you."

[castmyown]

Well that just makes Darren blush and be flattered! "You are, too," he says, giggling.

[shesepankh]

"Thank you. My ego was not troubled, so it does not need soothing per se, but it can always use a bit of inflation."

[castmyown]

"Of course, is that a secondary job I have? Along with a luggage carrier, an ego inflater?"

[shesepankh]

"Yes. I might wind up giving you so many tasks that I have to abbreviate your job title to 'personal assistant' or something."

[castmyown]

Darren snickers. "Exciting stuff. I can move up in the world!"

[shesepankh]

"Mm-hm."

[steppingup]

That is when Vernon shows up to collect them! "... Coming with us, Bella?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

[shesepankh]

"Yes please. Also if it's okay with you I'd like to borrow the car to go out for dinner with Darren."

[steppingup]

Pause. Consideration. "Hm. Okay, go ahead, but your father is going to be informed of this, right?"

[shesepankh]

"...That I'm driving, or that I'm going out with Darren? I mean, the answer is yes either way, but it hasn't escalated to urgent information yet."

[steppingup]

"Making sure. Responsible parenthood, it's required."

[shesepankh]

"...Okay."

Bella's not sure she likes Mr. Sanders attempting to parent her, given that he's not her parent, but if he doesn't get more obnoxious about it she's not going to make a fuss.

[steppingup]

Yup, that seems to be about the end of that!

Off to the car they go.

[shesepankh]

"Oh, by the way," says Bella, "I don't have my computer with me, but I got a ways into making Excel spreadsheet formulas produce sums of the final totals of how much of each effect a set of runes at various size multipliers will yield combined. It can't actually draw it for me, or suggest rune sets, but it'll do the calculation for most of the runes I've picked up so far."

[castmyown]

Darren grins! "That is the best idea. I've been focusing on getting as many runes as possible rather than using them efficiently, that's kind of a huge help."

[shesepankh]

"Once we have your entire extant rune dictionary loaded up into the spreadsheet it'll be a good checking step in spell creation. How much have we covered of what you've got, so far?"

[castmyown]

"About a third. There are an absurd number of runes, it's ridiculous."

[shesepankh]

"And you don't even know about all of them. Well, I think that's all to the good, anyway, the more there are the more flexibility there is, even if it's a steep learning curve. We should see if photocopied spells work soon. Do you have a safe smallish one that would be a good test subject?"