A voice Squat left the room with his cane tapping on the floor in front of him as though he were using it to see the way for him and Genius paused for a moment, considering what kind of spells there might be on the building that would necessitate people who were expected to be here being that careful. He looked around the room again, wondering if there was anything he'd missed. "Unlikely," said a voice from the air. He started; it was Lady Jeniver's voice but there was no sign of her, and his innate abilities negated most invisibility effects. "You are most thorough, Mr. Loci, which is part of why you continue to receive excellent ratings in your performance reviews. Mr. Squat is also most careful." "Where are you?" asked Genius, not moving. He was almost certain that the room was empty. "Above you," said the voice. "Incoming!" There was a very small thunderclap as air had to move rapidly out of the way of an arriving body, and Lady Jeniver materialised by the table. "Dangerous spell, that one," she said, dusting her clothes with her hands. "The kinetic components are a pain to calculate. I can't imagine how hard it was for people before we had computers to do it all for us." "Portals are safer," said Genius, frowning. Why would Lady Jeniver use a transporter spell instead of a portal? He thought about it, trying to ignore that she was obviously watching him think, and had a slight smile on her face. The usual reason for using a transporter was when the destination was moving because portals required static end points, but this was a conference room. He felt his thoughts move on in a new direction and it was like a revelation. This was a conference room with a name like a ship, and there was a constant smell of salt air, and it would be very like the British government to have their conference rooms magically some distance from where anyone thought they were... "We're on a ship?" he asked. "Very good," said Lady Jeniver. "The doorway is actually a modified transporter -- don't look at me like that, it's a very safe one given that one end is static and the other never changes its target, just its position -- and not many people who even work here have realised that. Now, Ben has lent you the Notebook that you wanted, and you've been nicely discreet about it. There are about thirty pages in here that we've protected -- I completely expect Miss Mangey to spot that and break those protections. There are another five that are much better hidden because I think they contain ideas that she doesn't need to have yet. If she finds them, we'll know about it, so don't worry; I'm telling you just so you don't overreact." "She's trying to find the other Notebook that Bumblebee took as well," said Genius. "Yes, that's fine. It's overdue anyway and it would be nice to have it back. I doubt that he's failed to protect the sensitive pages there either, but you'll be there to keep an eye on things. Won't you?" Lady Jeniver smiled sweetly. "Assuming that Harry hasn't manifested any more strange abilities," said Genius. "Did I mention that he's somehow become a tanglethread?"
Greg - ooh, actually being on a ship is a delightfully unexpected reveal! How far in advance are you planning things? As in, was that a decision brought about by the prompt or had you already decided on that detail?
Either way. Still enjoying. Still liking Genius. Starting to be quite fond of Lady Jeniver.
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A voice
Squat left the room with his cane tapping on the floor in front of him as though he were using it to see the way for him and Genius paused for a moment, considering what kind of spells there might be on the building that would necessitate people who were expected to be here being that careful. He looked around the room again, wondering if there was anything he'd missed.
"Unlikely," said a voice from the air. He started; it was Lady Jeniver's voice but there was no sign of her, and his innate abilities negated most invisibility effects. "You are most thorough, Mr. Loci, which is part of why you continue to receive excellent ratings in your performance reviews. Mr. Squat is also most careful."
"Where are you?" asked Genius, not moving. He was almost certain that the room was empty.
"Above you," said the voice. "Incoming!"
There was a very small thunderclap as air had to move rapidly out of the way of an arriving body, and Lady Jeniver materialised by the table. "Dangerous spell, that one," she said, dusting her clothes with her hands. "The kinetic components are a pain to calculate. I can't imagine how hard it was for people before we had computers to do it all for us."
"Portals are safer," said Genius, frowning. Why would Lady Jeniver use a transporter spell instead of a portal? He thought about it, trying to ignore that she was obviously watching him think, and had a slight smile on her face. The usual reason for using a transporter was when the destination was moving because portals required static end points, but this was a conference room. He felt his thoughts move on in a new direction and it was like a revelation. This was a conference room with a name like a ship, and there was a constant smell of salt air, and it would be very like the British government to have their conference rooms magically some distance from where anyone thought they were...
"We're on a ship?" he asked.
"Very good," said Lady Jeniver. "The doorway is actually a modified transporter -- don't look at me like that, it's a very safe one given that one end is static and the other never changes its target, just its position -- and not many people who even work here have realised that. Now, Ben has lent you the Notebook that you wanted, and you've been nicely discreet about it. There are about thirty pages in here that we've protected -- I completely expect Miss Mangey to spot that and break those protections. There are another five that are much better hidden because I think they contain ideas that she doesn't need to have yet. If she finds them, we'll know about it, so don't worry; I'm telling you just so you don't overreact."
"She's trying to find the other Notebook that Bumblebee took as well," said Genius.
"Yes, that's fine. It's overdue anyway and it would be nice to have it back. I doubt that he's failed to protect the sensitive pages there either, but you'll be there to keep an eye on things. Won't you?" Lady Jeniver smiled sweetly.
"Assuming that Harry hasn't manifested any more strange abilities," said Genius. "Did I mention that he's somehow become a tanglethread?"
Greg - ooh, actually being on a ship is a delightfully unexpected reveal! How far in advance are you planning things? As in, was that a decision brought about by the prompt or had you already decided on that detail?
Either way. Still enjoying. Still liking Genius. Starting to be quite fond of Lady Jeniver.
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