22 Senessay

More reading. Another argument with Sai Aleynten, short-lived and completely my fault this time, and I managed to suppress my dislike of him long enough to apologize genuinely. No time to read the pouvra book, no time to write anything longer. Very tired.

23 Senessay

See above, except without the argument. I think—I wouldn’t say I like Sai Aleynten, but I don’t dislike him anymore, either. I don’t I was about to write “I don’t know why” but I do know why, it’s because his annoying mannerisms no longer annoy me. I suppose I’m getting used to him.

There was an unexpected quarrel between two of the groups over resources, namely a book they both demanded, that turned into a fist fight before Sai Aleynten broke it up with loud, penetrating sarcasm. There’s been quite a bit of muttering recently, nothing nearly so explosive as the fight, but tension is high, and I heard a couple of people saying they’d better have a rest day soon, or there might be real trouble. I’m nervous because I don’t know the politics of the Darssan and am now constantly afraid of saying or doing something inadvertently offensive. They’d probably laugh it off as just another example of my foreign ignorance, but I find I want these people to like me.

Read a few pages of the pouvra book but was too tired to focus. Bed now.

24 Senessay

I’ve decided I have to insist I be given time for my own research. I don’t even care if this new pouvra helps their research; I’ve spent too many years working at becoming a mage to be able to pass up the opportunity to learn something new. I still don’t know what it does, but from the reading I’ve been able to do, in pieces between doing other things, I’m certain this describes a pouvra I don’t know.

Oh. I’m so stupid. This book was written after the disaster. I’m going to blame my constant tiredness on not realizing it sooner. If this was written post-disaster, and it contains instructions for a pouvra, AND these mages have never heard of pouvrin—

I have to talk to Sai Aleynten right now.