Search for traps and treasure

[aestrix]

There is a library.

It is actually an excellent example of one: it has books on history and philosophy and astronomy and science and languages and even a little modest section for storybooks, tucked in a corner against the wall. These books are all easy to pick up off the shelves and read, like ordinary libraries.

The books on magic, on the other hand, are behind locked and spelled glass, with their position signatures scrambled and constantly shifting so they can't be teleported away, each one built to set off a silent alarm that'll alert the owner if touched, and to turn completely blank if opened without permission. And then burst into flames if someone tries to force it to show what it's hiding or tampered with in the wrong sort of way.

Just another day in Kystle. Stealing peeks from books in a mage's library is not recommended for the casual reader.

Comments

[aestrix]

Kavet snorts.

[pythbox]

"Dumb rule," laughs Tierval.

"Infighting weakens an alliance," says Serin.

"Do you have any more cookies?" says Orion.

[all_too_familiar]

"Yes it's a dumb rule, yes, I agree, and yes we have more cookies. Do you all want some?"

[pythbox]

"Yes please!" says Tierval. The other two nod.

[aestrix]

"Okay, this way!" says Kavetnia, and off they go to the kitchen where cookies are kept.

One of the benefits of being a mage family: you can have a cook that will bake you cookies. There's the cook! There are the cookies, in a cookie jar, in easy reach of ten and nine year olds alike!

Kavet waves brightly to the cook before retrieving it. "Cookies," she pronounces.

[pythbox]

"Cookies!" says Tierval delightedly. Orion grins. Serin smiles. There is a brief triplet-subset conference between Tierval and Serin, barely more than an exchange of silent glances, and then Tierval adds, "Serin wants the recipe."

[all_too_familiar]

Aw, that's cute.

"Thurvis, could you please make a copy of the recipe for them to take home?"

[aestrix]

Thurvis looks sort of delighted with having his cookies liked this much.

"Oh, um, yes - but they haven't actually had any yet?"

"They were here earlier," clarified Kavet, "and had some then."

"Ah, all right then. I don't have any paper -"

"I'll go get some, hold on," says the nine year old brightly. She solicits a cookie and then leaves the kitchen to fetch paper.

Thurvis smiles a bit.

[pythbox]

The triplets each take a cookie.

"Thank you," beams Tierval at the cook.

"They're really good cookies," says Orion.

[aestrix]

"Thank you," says Thurvis, looking even more delighted. "I made the recipe myself."

[pythbox]

"Serin is very impressed," translates Tierval from an unreadable glance. "So'm I, but Serin's the one who's learning to cook."

[aestrix]

"Oh! Uh, I would be happy to give him some lessons if he'd like. As time allows, I mean, I do work for," he waves a hand at Savril. "This family."

[all_too_familiar]

Savril smiles. "And we are very glad to have you."

[pythbox]

"Serin says he'll think about it," says Tierval, this time without any apparent communication whatsoever. "And thank you for the offer."

[aestrix]

"Sure," says the cook as Kavetnia returns with paper and a pencil. She offers it to him - he smiles and writes down the recipe. "Thank you, little miss."

"You're welcome!" she chirps. She has another cookie. She finished the last. Nom.

Thurvis finishes writing and offers the recipe to Serin.

[pythbox]

"Thank you," says Serin expressionlessly, taking the recipe and tucking it away into a pocket.

"So I was thinking about the conversation we had," says Tierval, turning to Kavetnia, "about copying a lot of books quickly, and I've got some ideas I kind of want to try out, can I?"

[aestrix]

"Yes!" says Kavetnia, grinning. "Can I watch, can you explain it to me, that sounds really interesting!"

[all_too_familiar]

(Someone else is also interested, but is much more low-key about it. He has a quiet conversation with Thurvis about how a temperature regulation spell on his house is doing: pretty well, especially since Savril added the bit that keeps the roof from leaking.)

[pythbox]

"Of course you can, and I'll do my best! We should probably go to the library, then, when we're done with the cookies."

Orion looks at the cookie jar, and at Tierval, and at the cookie jar, and takes another cookie, and eats it. Tierval nibbles up the last of his first cookie. Serin is already done with his.

[aestrix]

Kavetnia nods. "Yeah. Are you doing the shield and illusion thing or copying all of the books into blank books so you can take them home and just have them? Because we don't have enough blank books for that."

[pythbox]

"No and also no," Tierval says cheerfully. "Are we all done eating cookies?"

Nods from both of his brothers.

[aestrix]

"... No and also no? Oh, uh, I am. What do you mean by no and also no?"

[all_too_familiar]

"I'm done eating cookies," says the person who hasn't had a one, "so why don't we go find out?"

[pythbox]

Tierval giggles.

To the library they go!

[aestrix]

The books have been rearranged!

"You can open that one now and read what's inside," she says, pointing. She grins at Tierval, looking impatient. "What are you planning, exactly...?"