"So. How'd it go?" Medea asked.
"Fine. But I still think it's silly, trying to teach 2 year olds different languages," Aranince replied.
She had just spent a session with Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Quinten talking to them in Elvish.
"The younger they are, the easier they are to teach," Medea responded. "And I want my spies in particular to know as many languages as possible."
She paused briefly, before continuing:
"Your sister has been teaching her daughter both English and Elvish."
Aranince frowned.
"What do you know about Shannon?"
"Plenty. I like to know all I can about my employees. Besides, the man who fathered her daughter also fathered these our werechildren. Zac Hanson. I've found he's rather prolific - has a great number of children, and interestingly enough to a great variety of different DNA makeups in the mothers. I should like to do a more indept study."
"So, why don't you?"
"Two reasons. His house, and one of his sons, Saku."
"Ahh, Saku's Nyx's brat right?"
"So you're aware of that?"
"I used to hang around at Xavier's - but you knew that. One of Nyx's other children lived there - Faolan," Aranince looked at Medea curiously. "Why would a little rugrat hinder you?"
"He is a godling. And he may be a young one, but he had certain perceptions and abilities which would make a study of his father difficult at best. Had he been older, Alexa wouldn't have succeeded in subduing Zac - I certainly couldn't get away with it now. And I find it best to not attrack the attention of the gods and goddesses."
"No one even knows where Nyx is."
"Just because we don't know, doesn't mean that Saku doesn't."
"Whatever. And how the heck does a house hinder you anyway?"
"It was constructed by a sorcerer who designed it to adapt to the needs of the residents."
"So?"
"So, it is also capable of protecting it's occupants from certain threats - including practioners of certain magics who try to get in uninvited, and their devices."
"Ahh."
"Of course, giving this ability of choice to the house brought in another factor the sorcerer didn't expect. You see, the house needs to be able to pick and chose who to defend the occupants from - it can't know automatically whether a potential threat is arriving by invitation or no, it must be able to use its discression. Unfortunately for our dear sorcerer, he didn't realise that the house could also choose to not defend the occupants if it didn't like them."
Aranince started laughing.
"Let me guess, the house felt mistreated by the sorcerer and when his enemies came to get him, the house just let them on in."
"Exactly. However, the house tends to find it's current residents to be rather pleasant, and considerate of it. As soon as they clued into the fact that the house was magical, they were rather mindful of the curtosies. And thus, again, making any study of Zac difficult."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Continue rasing these five of course. Either a good opportunity to do a study on Zac will come up, or it won't. It is of little consequence. More curiousity on my part. I am effectively immortal, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to find a better opportunity or a better study. History repeats, and all that."