Isabella's spell-writing process appears to involve a lot of notes, half in English and half in witch-symbols, half on paper and half on random surfaces around her room.

It is fascinating, and also adorable.

Her excitement appears contagious - at least to Path, who keeps fluttering from perch to perch around the room. Petaal's terrier form is big enough to count as a perch.

Shortly after Path flutters away again, Petaal becomes a tiny, brightly coloured dragon and chases after him to give him kisses.

Path laughs. Isabella is momentarily distracted by cuteness, and then goes back to writing a grid of miscellaneous symbols on her wall in pencil and then circling half of them.

Kas hugs himself and awwwws and watches Isabella write.

"This could take a while," Isabella says. She frowns at her grid, erases a circle, draws two more, erases two others, and then picks up a notebook and starts muttering to herself about herbs.

"Okay," says Kas. "Will your teacher mind if I stick around for a while again?"

"Doubt it. Attic's right where you left it, probably slightly dustier. Nice choice of cloud-pine spray, by the way. The first one I cut had a balance issue and I had to go back for another inside of a year. Although maybe you crashed enough to ruin your first and this is your second?"

Isabella laughs. Pathalan lets himself be caught and gives Petaal an affectionate peck/nuzzle sort of gesture.

Petaal nuzzles Path right back, then lands on Kas's shoulder and turns into a king cobra.

Isabella's not really paying attention to any of this. She's drawing shapes on the wall and then smaller versions of them in her notebook and writing T-charts of pros and cons underneath the junior versions.

"That is not the hallway," Kas agrees. "That is a bar. Wanna go check it out?"

"Why in the name of any and every goddess is there a bar in Metis's house?"

"I have no idea!" says Kas. "But I wanna find out!"