How expensive is it?

"...Honestly you could afford a few scries for what sex usually costs." That's more often than not an understatement. Maybe if there were a lot of spam to wade through it could end up comparably priced. Maybe. It'd have to be quite a lot.

Oh! Is there a usual price? That sounds like a good career plan if acting doesn't work out.

"There is, yeah. I mean, it does depend on who and when and what exactly you want to do, but yeah, down here it's a common enough service to make some generalizations. You'll make more if you have your own place, I think, probably? I'm not sure, it's not a field I've ever worked in."

She'd have to interact with some state laws about limiting the spread of disease if she wants to advertise, and some people think those are annoying enough to put them off the profession - and some people are just not interested, and female humanoids are a lot rarer than the men, and magic can't substitute at all. He figures she can make a lot more than she'd make doing entry-level magic or professionally having hands.

Neat! I'm not making that much off the healing song license.

"...The what song?"

I do magic with songs instead of whatever people around here are doing and they recorded one of those and are using it in a hospital.

"...You have others you don't have any deals about right now, right? Anything interesting?" If there were more things she could be doing with her magic that were obvious to her he assumes she'd be doing them, but he's not sure she won't have just assumed something that's easy for her is easy for one of the local mage types...

The other ones I know that are magic are for looking like the same species as my baby, that was useful where I used to live sometimes, and one for running through trees and one for walking on water. I can write new ones though! The looking like that species one is mine, I don't know yet what would be most useful here though.

The baby is adopted? That's probably not an important part of it to ask about.

"Tell me about the running through trees and walking on water?" She's probably not going to be able to improve on flying but it's not impossible.

She's not adopted, it's just - it's complicated. She's mine. I've never actually run through a forest or walked on water but I know the songs for them.

"Would you stop being able to do those things as soon as you stopped singing? And how fast can you move while you're doing that?"

The chance the water-walking could help with hurricane prevention or fishing is pretty small, but he'd feel dumb if he didn't at least try to double-check that. He has no idea what exactly the tree one could be useful for but he vaguely thinks maybe a farmer would know.

It's not all that likely that any of these would be the best thing she could do, but everything's worth a look. Especially if there's any chance he can wind up getting a cut of the profits somehow.

I think they only work while you're still singing.

"Sounds pretty limited."

I guess, yeah, but singing is fun!

Music is also a thing there's a market for, even if it's not magical.

The snatches of songs in his mind come from a musical tradition that appeals to caralendri, mostly to the exclusion of other species although there's some notable partial overlap with human taste.

"You could maybe get a job singing but I don't know much about how."

Maybe somebody else will know. I haven't been here very long, it's fine I haven't figured out everything I'll need to know yet.

Scrying reveals that Beka tentatively has a part. They want her to show up shortly before dawn on this specific date for it, and before then at her convenience she should stop by and pick up a copy of the script (shielded from scrying) which she can read from and practice in a hidden location. If the general public becomes aware of the contents of the script because of her they probably won't want to work with her again.

Do they not understand the part where she can't read the local language yet? She will try going to the location and seeing if there is anyone there.

(The scrier thinks they probably expect her to get help secretly, but isn't really sure, they've never worked in show business.)

There is someone there. Their thoughts are hidden.

"Hello," she says. "I'm the orf." This she knows how to say.

She sure is. Here is a script for her.

She's just going to assume they want her to separately hire someone to help her read it. She will go... hang out in a crowded place till someone literate wants money.

This caralendar man is looking for the alien. He's horribly nervous about having his mind read but he thinks he can avoid thinking about the wrong things and he really wants to talk to her. And he's literate.

...What do you want?