The Magic Guild: Nesting

[gorgonfondness]

Six weeks and two days.

It's hard to concentrate on much of anything when that's all you've got left. And since she's already taken her leave from work so it won't happen in the middle of the semester, that means Mia doesn't have as much to do.

So today has been devoted to cleaning up her living quarters, the nursery in particular. And doing the baby's laundry so it will be ready for him. And making sure the baby's toys are clean. And then Draco's laundry and ironing Draco's work shirts and trousers. And then preparing things for tonight's dinner. And then her laundry while the inner slow-cooks. And then making dessert. And then folding all of those clean clothes and putting them away. And then the kitchen will have to be cleaned up, of course. And then the table should be set. And what about the bed, is it clean?

It sounds like a lot, but magic does help get it done. Though, once it's done, Mia finds she would rather it wasn't done and then does it again the muggle way to make sure it's done right.

At least it hasn't gotten to the point where she's ironing the baby's clothes...

Comments

[gorgonfondness]

"While I have become happy with my position, I am aware of my criticism," she says. "Not everyone was happy about me opening the city to guests who didn't have to pass the Cave of Trial first, such as yourselves, and I've been questioned about my choice to marry instead of skipping right to conceiving my heir. But I encourage people to tell me any issues they might have, especially after what happened during my mother's abduction a few years back. People were imprisoned for asking perfectly reasonable questions, so some might still be afraid from that. It can be a difficult thing to be rid of."

[xamotomax]

"'Consumer feedback', we—"

"—Would call it. You—"
"—Have an openness about you—"

"—That would quell any unease—"
"—In others about the way you—"

"—Do things."
Pause. They smile approvingly. Mia is smart enough to know that complacency breeds false security.

They will have to adjust whatever game plans they might have to account for this.

"It is a good thing, and—"
"—Will convince any hold-outs that—"

"—Remain that your decisions are—"
"—Considered enough to convince them that—"

"—Future newcomers need not be—"
"—Be sent through this—"

"—'Cave of Trial'."

There must be. They're positive of it. People like that are always around.

[gorgonfondness]

"I don't know about the last part. Tradition's pretty hard to shake. And they're even more wary about so-called outsiders becoming citizens without passing the Trial, though so far that's only been two people. But while I'm not holding my breath on that, I hope you're right about everything else."

[xamotomax]

"Traditions die when there is—"
"—No one to maintain them, Mrs Ausa. And—"

"—They usually die when—"
"—People change their minds, or—"

"—Well, they perish along with it."

Pause.

"The answer to that—"

"—Will come in time."
Another pause. The cups are drained.

"Perhaps we should think of this another time? It is—"

"—Prudent to consider their opinions, but—"
"—Some days are more conducive to it—"

"—Than others. Besides."

"We would like to see more of this place, if we could?"

[gorgonfondness]

"Of course," she says, carefully standing herself up and putting her hands on her back. "I would be glad to show you around."

Mia leads them out, waddling as she goes, through the door of her living quarters to the hallways of the Magic Guild. They receive nods of acknowledgement from the guards stationed throughout.

[xamotomax]

Here is where they manage to rein in their apparent touristy behaviour.

Instead of gawking, they nod and examine what is shown, looking but not touching, all while keeping up a steady-but-silent exchange over all there is to see, and chiefly centred around its potential for replication and use in their world—at least when something of magic is observed.

R&D at Extensive Enterprises would salivate at the prospect to examine, reverse-engineer and replicate the magics of this world.

As to the architecture, well, that conversation is more audible. Mainly a series of compliments about the design and the designers who created it.

They might even be coveting some of it, wishing to add some of the ornate embellishments to their own homes. Spoken, of course, in a tone of appreciation for what Mia has here.

[gorgonfondness]

They're fortunate guests: they've been to visit the current Guildmaster's quarters and now the get a glimpse of the former's.

The group's first stop is an unassuming little door where Mia knocks and a woman who looks like an older, blonde Mia answers.

"Mia, are you all right dear?" she asks.

"I'm fine, Mama, but I have guests to tour the city and I was wondering if I could borrow the carpet for it. We'll make more progress that way than if I have to waddle along."

Her mother shakes her head a little with a sigh. Kids today and their ideas.

"This probably goes without saying, but you're not to go near the edge of the city. I know you're grown with your own child on the way, but I'm still your mother and I still don't want you or your baby hurt. And I'm sure Draco and Rabastan wouldn't want that, either."

"Of course, Mama. I'm sure my guests will help keep that from happening."

Mia holds her hand out to present her mother and says, "Xamot, Tomax, this is my mother, Majesty Lemia Ausa."

"How do you do?" Lemia says with a nod.

[xamotomax]

More amused smiles from the twins. Now it's clear where Mia gets it from.

"Pleased to meet you.

Pause. They might be amused if Lemia shows the typical reaction they get to their dialogue.

"We will make sure no harm comes—"

"—To your daughter, Mrs Ausa."
And we are fine, thank—"

"—You very much.

"You?"

[gorgonfondness]

Lemia looks back and forth at them.

"You two are going to make me dizzy, but I'm fine otherwise. And it is Miss Ausa, I'm afraid."

Mia leans to whichever twin is closest to her and quietly says, "Mother never married. Most Ausas don't."

[xamotomax]

You know, I think they enjoy the reaction they get.

Thus why they look so humoured.

Then...

"They don't?" Xamot returns, looking a bit surprised.

"She did say 'get straight to conceiving her heir', did she not?" Tomax sends back, though just as surprised.

They recover, then,

"It's unusual to us, because—"

"—That's not something we encountered often—"

"—Back in Corsica."

[gorgonfondness]

"It's not common here, either. Only our family does it."

"I'm still standing right here," Lemia says bluntly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mother," Mia says with some surprise. "I just didn't know how to bring up the subject otherwise."

"It's all right. It's not something that bothers me. Here, let me get the carpet so you can be on your way."

[xamotomax]

Still laughing when Lemia leaves, the twins wait until it's just Mia who can hear them.

"Your mother is—"

"—Quite the charming woman," they observe.

"We'd like to meet—"

"—Her again, at a—"

"—Future time."

[gorgonfondness]

"She is very kind and warm," Mia says. "And her food is always wonderful. I have yet to meet a person who has tried her strawberry preserves and not be completely in love with them."

Having received the carpet, Mia unrolls it and takes a seat. It rises up in the next moment and she moves along to lead the twins.

"Here, I'd like to show you the library. But on the way, do tell me of Corsica. You mention it often and it's a place I'm not familiar with."

[xamotomax]

Saying nothing audible for several moments, the brothers exchange glances behind Mia's back.

Should we tell her, brother?

I think we should. It is ... fair.
So they collect their memories of home and life there and begin.

"It is an island, a tiny one, off the coast of France in the Mediterranean Sea, and has seen much strife and conflict over the centuries," Xamot begins. It's not often that he gets truly emotional about something.

"A bone of contention for many countries in Europe, who spent much time occupying her—still do, in fact—many young people there grow up knowing little but hardship."

Tomax, too, is equally solemn.

"And there are few ways out, the most popular way for young men is with a soldier's uniform and a gun."

"Namely, that of the French Foreign Legion, which can be seen as ironic, since France controls Corsica now."
Something the brothers do not like, and thus do what they can to help Corsica gain some measure of autonomy—one of the few genuine altruistic acts they perform.



And they say terrorists have no heart.

[gorgonfondness]

All terrorists have heart. Why else let their causes carry them away? But it is surprising for terrorists to have heart enough for something else as well.

"And here I must seem like a spoiled brat, showing you my life of luxury when you've had to work for everything you've got. This is precisely why I didn't like my inheritance: exactly how did I earn it before my own service?"

They go down the streets of Vane, people commenting on Majesty Mia being out when so near due but at least she had the sense to bring the carpet and what's this about not liking her inheritance? The people are a bit surprised, but they always seem to be when it comes to Mia.

And some even seem genuinely sympathetic about what they've eavesdropped from the brothers...

[xamotomax]

And they have enough. Enough heart for home and family and maybe enough for a few others, too. People who are close enough to be dear to them.

But if asked they'd say that their criteria for what and who they care about is more exacting than others'.

Don't meet them? Well, then too bad.

"You appreciate it more when you've worked for it," Tomax points out, briefly considering using their story as a means to gain sympathy, but Xamot shoots it down. It can work against them as well as for them.

"Earning it makes what you have more satisfying."

And more likely to be vigorously defended against those who wish to take it away.

[gorgonfondness]

"I have at least done what I can to protect my city, though that has lead to its current flightless state."

If the twins notice, the city just kind of drops off around the edges like a cliff.

"The library in particular is quite dear to me. I housed most of the books in my own office while it was being rebuilt."

To the point that she couldn't use her office, there were so many books.

[xamotomax]

"A library? We—"

"—Would like to see that."
Cliffside cities they've seen and been to before. It's nothing new to them. So that does not get noticed.

Flight, however...

"The city ... flew?"

[gorgonfondness]

Cliffside cities are one thing; cities with physical evidence of being completely detached from the ground are another.

"Yes. It used to fly in an orbit around the Goddess Tower. My family, being the founders of the city, have been the only ones allowed access to Vane's magic. When the Goddess Tower was threatened, I ordered an evacuation and used the city according to its purpose: to protect the Tower. And though Vane fell, we were able to stop the threat in its tracks."

If the brothers look, there is a tower in the distance, but it certainly doesn't look like anything one would call a Goddess Tower. Mia points out the structure to them if they don't find it on their own.

"This is what remains of that threat, the empty shell of the Grindery. But while it was not the cause, the Goddess Tower did still fall."

[xamotomax]

But wouldn't that evidence be mostly on the underside of the landmass? Where it can't be seen but from below?

"So Vane will never fly again?"

It's not so bad, they might think. A flying city might require the acquisition of a different kind of sea legs. One they don't have.

[gorgonfondness]

While that is true, there is the fact that there's a cliff edge around the entire city. A rational mind could explain it away as a plateau, but that doesn't change the fact that it is evidence that the city wasn't attached to anything.

"I don't know. And since Vane was founded so long ago, it's hard to say exactly how it came to fly in the first place, though many think since my family has access to its magic, we were the ones to do it. There is a charming legend in our creation stories, if you care to hear it."

[xamotomax]

And the boys are rational. With no practical experience with magic before encountering Milliways. So they wouldn't know it by seeing it. It needs to be pointed out.

"We have the time to."

"I think we would like to hear it."

[gorgonfondness]

"Ages ago, when the people of Lunar lived on the Blue Star, the evil demigod Zophar poisoned their hearts with evil and the great war that would make the Blue Star uninhabitable began. The goddess Althena, in her mercy, took her remaining children of that world to the then-dead world of Lunar. As she was shaping the animals and growing the plants, she wept in sorrow at losing so many and having to bring the survivors so far from the home they knew. Her tears flowed here, so many that they swept the land up in the current. Whey the tears finally ebbed into what would become the Meribian Sea, the land was imbued with her magic and stayed afloat in the air. That is how Vane came to be an island in the sky."

[xamotomax]

"And what became—"

"—Of the Blue Star—"
"—After that?"

"It will be a habitable world again—"
"—Should someone attempt—"

"—To restore it."

"Right?"

[gorgonfondness]

"There is a book of prophecy that says a girl remained on the Blue Star who will one day awaken it again. When that happens, the people of Lunar can return to the Blue Star. But I don't know when all of these events happen compared to your timeline, so I don't know if the exodus is yet to happen for you or if we have since returned."