Tranquillina will be in her assigned place at the table when the results of the council vote are announced to the applicants, so that it won't seem unnatural for her to effusively congratulate Gerulf, briefly congratulate Rose, and avoid talking to Stultus. ((for now)) She makes an accurate calculation of how much more she can drink that night without being inappropriate ((Int 3 + Carouse 2 + stress die 7 = 12)), and in fact even after her third and last glass of wine (and the shot of whisky from earlier) she can still carry on quite lucid conversations. At some point, she makes a point of telling the council that she will be "away from Mons Electi for the next couple of weeks, for personal restoration, starting tomorrow afternoon".
Twice, with kind laughter, Tranquillina has to promise Gerulf that he will have access to Obesarus's commentary now that he is a Probational Member of Mons Electi, and she has Loys return the tractatus to the library. After others have had their chance to look at the new summa by Hermanus, she takes her turn, skimming through its contents and appraising it, with impressive speed and accuracy, as worthy of her further study. ((Int 3 + Magic Theory 7+2 + stress die 9 = 21)). "Oh, Viscaria would have loved this," she murmurs upon seeing the step-by-step description of the vallation spell. It is easy to see ((Per + Folk Ken vs. EF 6)) that she very quickly gets engrossed in the Magic Theory, to the point of letting go her anxieties or friction with others in the room; some might notice ((Per + Awareness vs. EF 12)) a couple of times where, looking at the summa, her right hand grasps at air as if reflexively reaching for a quill (and the small wry smile she then gives herself).
Fiona congratulates the new members with a smile at each of them. Once the meeting is officially adjourned and they're into the socializing portion of the program, she will continue to mingle and make idle banter with everyone. She will whisper to Sheelagh in an aside (in Gaelic) at some point to go ahead and socialize, get to know everyone a little better, and they can both return to their studies the next day.
She also skims through The Architect's Tool Chest, and is likewise suitable impressed...a Magic Theory tome that she actually can benefit from! (I'll have no idea what the spells in the book do until next week, but I doubt I'll be needing them by then anyway.)
If there's discussion about who's staying where, she will try to subtly listen in. ((This would be Stealth? Dex 0 + Stealth 1 + die roll of 4 = 5.))
After a reasonable time, she will excuse herself and head back to her cottage, change, putter in the garden for a while, then head over to Alexei's cottage after dinner to check on him.
"Exactly to Scale" uses ReAq and a pot of ink to let the caster draw a diagram of exactly what he's talking about.
"Simple Method for Rapid Vallation" uses CrTe to create a wall with a parapet for defenders to stand on.
"Tree Falling in the Forest" drops a tree. The Sight-range Flambeau variant drops a tree on someone's head. This one is Voice-range, and the text mentions dropping trees to create makeshift fortifications, or blocking an enemy's line of advance. (Hermanus was just a tad obsessed with defensive magics. )
Gerulf accepts the congratulations graciously, and watches somewhat longingly as the tractatus is carried away. He spends most of the evening engaged with Tranquillina in conversation. Though he seems cheered by her company, one wouldn’t know it to look at him. As the night wears on, he becomes more aloof and visibly weary. Even so, as Tranquillina peruses the book, Gerulf observes. “Viscaria,” he asks, looking at her.
Tranquillina nods absently, momentarily not realizing it was a question. "Hmm? Ah yes, Viscaria ex Verditius. A long-term guest of our covenant - in fact she was already set up in her sanctum up the mountain before I even arrived, so I thought she was a permanent member. But no, more of a contractor for the Tribunal preparations. She was responsible for the layout of the Roman city, and built solely by herself the half-mile-long bridge from here to the Tribunal plateau." She winces unconsciously as she remembers their first journey together to that plateau. "Very likeable, altogether, and generous ... though she was quite a character."
))