Family Reunion

[Anastasia]

"Not so little," he agrees with a warm laugh, "Not so little at all!"

Next move here?

[Iron Dragoon]

Either continue the tour and introduce them to Lorithana or start work on the proposal.

[Anastasia]

"Greetings," Lorathana declares as you step in, bowing to your family. The tour continues apace as you enter your personal quarters.

[Iron Dragoon]

"Family, this is Lorithana, my assistant. She's the real reason I'm in the position I am. Lorithana, these are my parents and sister."

[Anastasia]

"Charmed," Lorathana says completely blandly.

Alihana nods, "So you're Alyssa's lady in waiting?"

"It's a pleasure, miss," Father seconds.

"...I prefer the term assistant," Your assistant says coolly.

[Iron Dragoon]

Alyssa chuckles.

"I'm not royalty, sister. First among equals. Lorithana doesn't serve me quite the way a lady in waiting does. It's mainly administrative."

[Anastasia]

"For now," Your assistant notes dryly, "Ahem. Is there anything I can help you with, Alyssa?"

"AS long as you're taking good care of Alyssa, I have no complaints," Mother declares, "Are you? Are you eating enough, too?"

"More than enough," Lorathana says coolly.

[Iron Dragoon]

"It's true. I eat regularly even though I have a magical item that makes it so I only have to eat every few days."

Alyssa trails off... "I wonder.. could a version of that, lesser maybe, be made cheaply and put into the foundation of a home... Reduce starvation ro a point... Or... I need a druid. If we could do something similar for crops, then drought seasons and bad soil might be mitigated..."

[Anastasia]

"Hire a druid, ma'am," Lorathana pipes up, "Shall I put that on your agenda?"

[Iron Dragoon]

"Yes, though see if we have anyone who's dabbled first. It might not be that complex to make work."

[Anastasia]

"What are you thinking about, sister?" Alihana asks, frowning, "What's that about druids?"

[Iron Dragoon]

Turning to Alihanna, Alyssa says, "Well, without going into a deep lecture, there's different types of magic. Arcane and Divine are the broadest divisions. Some magic gets along okay across the two types, some don't. Wizards, like me, use Arcane magic, and Druids use Divine If I can develop a version of the magic that lets me go without as much food, but for plants, and we can find a way to apply it, like say... Into a series of cornerstones around a field, that will reduce the amount of nutrients that crops need by enough to be worth doing, then it'll help crops grow in areas they'd normally have a hard time growing."

Alyssa taps her chin and looks up at nothing, "Like if we can... Oh, let's say reduce the amount of water needed for a field by a third, then that would be a massive benefit for anywhere that has a water shortage. Or if we can reduce the amount of good soil needed, then it'd be easier to grow crops in mountains or places with poor soil. And if we can put it into a house, then the people living in the house would need to eat less food, so a bad harvest wouldn't necessarily mean people would starve. It has military and trade applications, too. If we can make it work in a ship, for example, and they need a third less food an water, that's a more trade goods they can carry, or farther they can sail. Same for soldiers."

[Anastasia]

"Oh."

Alihana sits down at that, just wide eyed all over again. Lorathana merely clears her throat, "I can escort all of you for a lunch by the sea, if you'd like."

[Iron Dragoon]

"That sounds lovely. Some roast lamb and fruits sounds excellent."

[Anastasia]

Next move then?