1227.3 What Happens Next

Retired Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: In the Ruins of Bibracte
181

(( The scribe on the covenfolk list doesn't have a name: I hereby dub him Yves d'Aurillac, and will edit OP accordingly. :slight_smile: ))

A short while later...

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my carrel??"

Stultus blinks up mildly at the interruption, and the scribe swallows and draws himself up. "M-my apologies, magus. I didn't realize who you were. O-of course you can use my carrel... if you want to... not sure why, I mean, you have your own space, with better lighting..."

"Quit babbling, man. I don't eat scribes, last one gave me indigestion. Stick around, please, I'm going to need your services in a minute." Stultus returns to what he's doing -- drawing on a piece of vellum with meticulous, careful strokes. The image of the Mighty Magus Scribing Portentous Thoughts is spoiled somewhat by the fact that Stultus' tongue is sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

A few minutes later, Yves has recovered from his fright sufficiently to crane his neck and peek at what the dwarf is doing. "Um. Sir? That's pile is scrap parchment, to be scraped down into palimpsests and reused. I can get a fresh sheet of vellum for you...?"

"No need. I know it's scrap, that's kind of the point." Stultus lays the quill aside, scatters sand over his work and shakes it off. "There. Done. Come here, if you would." He hops up from the chair, giving the long-suffering scribe his work area back, but stands at his elbow. "Do you see what I've done here?"

"I think so... You, uh, took a bill of lading from a week ago, and ... added a decorative border to it?" It's not a very good decorative border. In fact, it's a pretty bad decorative border, and the scribe's pride in his skill briefly overrides his caution of the magus. "I could straighten it up for you..."

"Because it looks like an apprentice illuminator was practicing while drunk? No. Don't straighten it up, I want it to look like that. What I'd like you to do instead is scrape this down and turn it into a palimpsest... and do a piss-poor job of it. Like, say, you were an apprentice in a hurry so you did the absolute minimum amount of work possible. I don't care about the text, but I do want that border visible. Faded, but visible. Think you can do that?"

Yves looks from the magus to the drunken-looking decorative border down the side of the page (that, unbeknownst to him, has the Hebrew letters of the missive to Gabrielle worked in among the curlicues) and nods dubiously. "I suppose..."

Stultus claps him on the shoulder. Well, on the elbow, he can't reach any higher. "Good man. Get it to me in the next few days, if you please -- and thank you, I appreciate your work." He saunters out of the scriptorium, humming under his breath.

182

A few weeks after Tranquillina gets back from Nigrasaxa, she receives a very polite (for once) note from Stultus, requesting a few minutes of the Diocetes' time at the Diocetes' convenience.

183

After the Normandy Tribunal and the subsequent vote to accept the new covenant members, Tranquillina spent two weeks visiting her former covenant Nigrasaxa in the Stonehenge Tribunal. She shared a thorough account of her new laboratory with Maximianus, who had "seen it all" in his many decades in the Order but still displayed pride that his filia was in a prime position to contribute to its knowledge. She made Caltis green with envy with her description of the construction of the stone Tribunal city, and told him (some of) what she knew about Rose; as before, she greatly enjoyed the almost game-like meanders spying on the local fae life with Morlen, who reveled in Tranquillina's presence but probably instantly forgot about her once they separated. She politely chatted with Siffed despite his off-putting nature, and Herrit politely chatted with her despite her own; and she relayed to all of them at mealtimes whatever she knew through correspondence about Ariel's new life as Prima of her House. And nearly every night, she stayed up late talking with Thamik, about the foundations of their Magic, about her struggles to come to grips with her vis-stricken body, and, most of all, about nothing in particular. Each day was long (longer than at Mons Electi, for reasons she never quite understood) and relaxing, but the two weeks went by too fast. Soon, laden with local delicacies and even a few hard-to-find lower-end gemstones, she said her goodbyes and Leapt back to her sanctum.

The sabbatical mitigated, but did not completely rectify, her fatigue and feelings of withdrawl from the spring, when she had used Mentem magic upon herself almost daily in order to finish both Invocation of Weakness and Twist of the Tongue before the Tribunal began. She resolved to take it easy for the rest of the summer: she would skim through In Flux Veritas one last time - even though she had read it cover to cover already - and seek any scraps of information or insight she might have overlooked the first time around. That other giant tome will still be here for the rest of the year, she rationalized. I'll have time to take it in when the leaves turn, and when I'm completely recovered. She tried not to think of the fact that recovering from physical exertion always took longer for her than it seemed it ought to.

184

The very top floor of the mansion was not large on the regio side (nor, of course, on the mundane side). It contained the ceremonial casting chamber, as well as the room constructed to house the entrance to the regio that once hovered fifty feet above the ground (the latter constantly guarded by two grogs and a very loud bell to be rung at dire events). Otherwise, there was only room for a single U-shaped hallway, the apexes of the two staircases, and three offices. Consequently no office was officially devoted to a single purpose; but certain habits cemented themselves over time. The central office, which contains among other things a map showing all of the Tribunal borders, is the customary setting for the Princeps's activities and meetings, and also (when not thereby in use) for the Interpres to use. To one side, where the window looks out over the smaller and larger stone bridges that link the circular garden to the mansion and Tribunal plateau, respectively, the records concerning the soldiers and defense plans of the covenant are safely kept; here is where one might find the Scutatius and, when not actually discussing matters with the turb officers on the mundane side, the Imperator as well. To the other side, accounting sheets and trade contracts and the like form an even larger pile; it is here that the Diocetes and Vilicus could choose to sit when their duties call (again, if those duties do not involve meetings with mundanes outside the covenant). Although the Aedilis is welcome to use any of this space when appropriate, it seems to have become more common for Aedilis business to be transacted in the small room attached to the library, one floor down - probably because the vis storage itself can only be accessed through the library.

Thus Tranquillina does not even consider a location other than that third office when she accepted Stultus's meeting request. She arrives somewhat earlier than the agreed-upon midmorning time, making sure all the documents were organized and easily accessed; she instructs two servants rotate the largest table so that people seated on both sides would receive the benefit of the plentiful mid-August sunshine (and, perhaps not even consciously realized, to make sure that her guest was not seated between her and the door). In her chamber that morning she had selected a persona that she often adopted, initially ironically but eventually with a strange fondness, when working in her Diocetes role: her face is that of a middle-aged spinster, with red-but-graying hair tightly stabbed up into a bun, and her raiment consists of austere accountant's robes falling straight down to the ground. After she had looked at herself in the mirror, she used her talisman's power to change the robes again - instead of hiding the Bonisagus emblem of her fibula, she kept it visible and indeed perhaps a bit larger than usual. Satisfied with her appearance, she waits patiently in the office for Stultus's arrival, considering a couple of recent reports from the wool sellers but mostly focusing in advance upon keeping herself calm and professional.

185

(( Thank you for setting the scene, gerg. Marvellous work, as always, and really helps the sense of immersion.))

Stultus pops out of the regio entrance, nodding to the guards; looks around for a minute until he can locate the correct door, and walks over to it. He's a few minutes early, so he uses the time to cast a brief Rego Imaginem spell and check his appearance. Clothing looks all right. Faint ink stains on the fingers -- oh, well. There wasn't really time to rub them with pumice. And .. what the heck? Oh. Oops. He removes the quill that was stuck behind one ear, secreting it in a pouch where it belongs.

"So... why are you primping, exactly?" Rahere's voice asks drily inside his head. "Don't want her to stain her shoes when she steps on you?"

"That's a very good question, fuzzball." Stultus sends back. "As soon as I have an answer, I'll let you know. Just that kind of mood, I guess." He lifts his hand, knocks briefly on the doorframe, and enters.

"Good morning, D..." He stops and doubletakes briefly at the woman behind the desk. For a second, he wonders whether he's in the right place, but the sight of the Bonisagus emblem quickly sets him straight. "Aha. Good morning, Diocetes." The shift in appearance reminds him rather forcibly of Cumhachd for a moment. He crosses to the desk, inwardly amused at what Tranquillina's reaction would likely be if she heard him say that, and clambers into the chair.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me. Ah... before we launch into the business at hand -- how was your stay at Nigrasaxa?"

186

((You're welcome! :smiley: I enjoy the immersion as well, and am happy to contribute to it. When I have time, that is....))

Naturally, Tranquillina would have been livid if any resemblance to Cumhachd had been proposed - and twice as livid if she had noticed that there was a tiny hint of truth to the suggestion. Fortunately, no such disaster manifested, and so she simply motioned Stultus to the opposite chair, far too large for him of course. "Good morning, Stultus," she responds in an equal tone. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but she was slightly pleased when her appearance seemed to throw him off his game.

"Of course: it is my - hmm?" She wasn't expecting a personal question. "Well ... ah, it was quite pleasant, thank you." Her forehead wrinkles slightly more than her spell dictates, as she herself is taken a bit off balance. "Beautiful weather, actually, not this oppressive heat we have here. And a change of scenery, and lack of responsibility, is always refreshing after a whirlwind of activity." She realizes suddenly that she had intended, but forgot, to use her cloak's Aura of Ennobled Presence effect upon herself this morning. She exhales deeply, wondering if there is any tiny chance an opportunity to do so will arise.

187

Stultus chuckles, nodding. "I hear you there. I was exhausted just watching the tribunal, and you all had to run the thing. Finances alone must've been a monumental headache."

"As it happens, it's finances that bring me here. There are several things I wanted to run past you, to see if you think they're feasible, and they're kind of all of a piece: each one affects the others. So please, bear with me."
"When I was looking at various covenants, and trying to tell how well-established they actually were, I looked for vulnerabilities. Where are they weak? How can they be attacked? How would I attack them if I had to?" He wrinkles his nose, an expression of wryly amused self-knowledge on his face. "I'm a Tytalus, my mind just kind of naturally goes there. So ... there is one point where Mons Electi is vulnerable.". He pauses, and adds "It's been vulnerable since it was founded, as far as I can tell," explicitly to defuse any attempt on Tranquillina's part to take what he's saying personally.

"We derive the lion's share of our income from our herds, mostly sheep and cattle. So one good bout of murrain would deal us grave damage: we'd be years recovering from it, and murrain is an unfortunately common occurrence. What's worse is that we are known to derive the lion's share of our income from herds. Now, I haven't looked to see what it would take to create a murrain magically, but I'm fairly certain it's at least possible. I'm not even talking about other avenues of attack: manipulating the wool markets, say, or targeting the outside dyers so our wool falls apart when dyed. Bottom line is, we've kind of got all our eggs in one basket."

He pauses to let Tranquillina get a word in edgewise.

188

Surprisingly, Tranquillina does not jump at the opportunity to misconstrue Stultus's words on their vulnerability as a personal slight. When he pauses, she continues looking up into a corner of the room for a moment, then sighs and slumps back in her chair. "What you say is self-evident," she agrees. But, realizing how that could be taken badly, she stammers to reword it: "I mean, it is clear that you - it is undeniable, the truth of your observation." She stops for a moment, then nods slightly. "I know the shepherds and ranchers deal with sickness among the animals all the time; they doubtlessly have time-tested ways of keeping a major outbreak from spreading. But, if the source is magical...." She trails off, knowing Stultus is already aware of the implication.

"Is this the lot we have drawn, then," she asks rhetorically, "to have to guard against a failure so mundane as having our silver stocks bled out from under us?" She thinks longingly of her laboratory, of not having to deal with the world's messy, interlocking inanities. Then she pushes the notion aside and gestures for Stultus to continue.

189

Stultus shrugs. "I don't really see it that way. To me it's like... oh, I don't know, basic lab safety," he says, unwittingly echoing Tranquillina's thoughts. "The scale is different, that's all. You know the kind of thing -- wear gloves when working with Ignem, but have a jar of burn ointment handy in case the gloves fail... oh, hell's bells, you know lab safety far better than me, I'm teaching grandmothers to suck eggs here." He shakes his head ruefully. "Sorry about that, forgot who I was talking to for a second."

"Anyway, as you said, the problem is obvious. The solution is just as obvious -- diversify our holdings. I've been thinking about how to do that when I got a note from Korvin." He glances up at Tranquillina, meeting the woman's eyes for a moment. "Incidentally, I will never underestimate a Mercere again. That man's sharper than a handful of razors."

"I'm working with him on a few things, one of which is the establishment of an intelligence network. He was thinking along the same lines I was: building it around jongleurs and troubadours and travelling actor troupes. So for a little bit, I was thinking that this might be the answer to our finances issue: set up a factor as a 'patron of the performing arts', and have him hand out small seed loans in exchange for intelligence and a cut of the profits."

"Unfortunately, that's not going to work. Most acting troupes run on a shoestring and a prayer. I'd be astonished if we broke even, much less made a profit. However, that led me to the idea of something that just might work."

He pauses again, to let Tranquillina (again) get a word in edge-wise.

190

The analogy to laboratory safety resonates more deeply with Tranquillina than Stultus could suspect: she has spent over a year of her short time at Mons Electi improving her laboratory, and much of that time has been spent taking advantage of the space and equipment to install multiple lines of prevention against accidents. I wonder whether Loys's presence starting in the winter will help or hinder that, she wonders briefly. I suppose a second pair of eyes can't hurt.... She snaps her focus back to the conversation when Stultus compliments her knowledge; peering keenly at him, she tries to determine whether he is sincere about his admiration or simply buttering her up. ((Per 2 + Folk Ken (opinions of her) 4 + stress die 1 / exploder 10 = 26. Ante up, bitch! :wink: ))

"It is not easy to diversify an enterprise this large," she points out. "Even a simple magical creation of silver would enhance our revenue only by a tiny fraction, before we drew the Quaesitors' attention at least - which surely would happen more quickly to us than most, bless their nosy little hearts." Her spinterish face puckers up like she just bit into a lemon. She nods in full agreement when the dwarf praises Korvin, then looks askance initially at him when the idea of an acting troupe arises. "Yes, well, I understand that gathering intelligence can be better done by those who are both mobile and able to be invited behind closed doors of power. So that much makes sense ... but what then is the idea that has something to do with diversification?"

191

(( The answer's "yes". :smiley: He is sincere in his admiration -- but he didn't for a second forget who he was talking to. He said it explicitly in order to let Tranquillina know that he admires her skill. ))

"Well, the intelligence network is going to need a place where the reports are collected, and this 'patron of arts' is going to need someplace to reside, so I was thinking an inn or something... and then it hit me. What about a place specifically dedicated to putting on plays? An entire building with a skene and a paraskenion and tiers of seats, all that?" His eyes get a far-away look in them for a second, voice growing soft and awed. "The Greeks had it -- I visited the great theatros at Delphi, it was a 1600-year-old ruin and it was still breathtaking. The Romans had it. Perhaps it's time to resurrect the practice?"

The dwarf rushes on, obviously fired up about this idea. "Not here, of course. Build it someplace like Paris, or perhaps Lyon or Marseilles. Troupes will leap at the chance to perform in front of thousands of people, and commoners will gladly pay a penny for a chance to sit and not be rained on. The nobility won't want to mingle with the hoi polloi, of course, but if we had expensive, sumptuous seats -- like the noble boxes at the Hippodrome in Constantinople -- they'd make it into a place to See and Be Seen, or I don't know human nature." And when all's said and done, Stultus does know human nature.

He calms down slightly. "It'd require a very large initial outlay of funds, of course. If we build it in Paris, we might possibly be able to sweet-talk Mathieus into assisting, or at least lending his name to the project, but the funds issue is still there. So I thought I'd bring it to you, to see if you thought it was at least feasible, before I sat down and crunched the numbers."

192

((I think with a roll of 26, Tranquillina will get both the sincerity and the calculated nature of revealing the admiration. Man, with the rolls she's been getting, she can read Stultus like a fish! :laughing: ))

Tranquillina sits back and laughs, not unkindly. "You do not think small, do you? - So. You are right about the initial capital required. I mean, even building the Tribunal city, using magic without restraint and having the supply of stone in immediate proximity, was an enterprise taking multiple years. Much of that was the bridge, but still...." She looks around for a moment, but elects not to delve into any of the piles of parchment. "I cannot immediately estimate what funds might be required for such an enterprise. Still, I am not so naive as to imagine that we will significantly increase our income without spending silver on that development - so the idea is not off the table. I can tell you, whatever the cost is, that we do not have it in stock right now." Her mouth gathers wryly to one side as she says the last. "We are paying our expenses - well, the vast majority of them - but certainly not accumulating a surplus of wealth right now." Then, remembering that this guy can supposedly speak every language there is, she belatedly murmurs a Gaelic aphorism: "You have to have sheep to make sheep."

At the mention of Mathieus, Tranquillina becomes pensive. "I enjoyed a pleasant dinner with the Archmagus, during the Tribunal. Well, pleasant at the time, but Praxiteles was also with us, so his death colors the memories sadly.... You are right that he might well be interested in such a project. And if currying his favor is necessary, he indicated that the Itinerarium is always looking for magi to assist - without Parma Magica, most of the apprentices would be at one another's throats."

At some point, Tranquillina sits forward, tapping on the desk with one finger. "Now let me turn your question back upon you: what are the vulnerabilities of such an edifice? Where could it be struck? Does having such assets in the middle of a city put us in danger - especially here in Normandy, with its rules about raids and such things?"

193

(( And now you see the true depth of his diabolical plan! That will lull her into a false sense of security, and JUST when she thinks she can read him like an open book, he shall STRIKE!
Oh, wait. Did I say that out loud? Oops. :laughing: ))

Stultus -- who, incidentally, nodded at the Gaelic aphorism and replied "Just so" -- nods. "The greatest degree of protection from Hermetic raids would be derived from the fact that this... 'playhouse', for lack of a better term ... would not be publicly associated with us. Even if Mathieus lends his name to the project, it would be associated with Eboris rather than Mons Electi. I was only a long-term guest at Eboris, not privy to all of the covenant's doings, but I got the impression that Eboris doesn't have many enemies. In either case, security through obsurity is not the best solution, but it is much better than no security at all."

He tries to lean back in the chair, but since that puts him into an almost horizontal position, abandons the idea and leans against an arm of it instead. "The vulnerabilities I thought of would not be Hermetic in nature. First of all, fire is always a danger in the city. Building from stone would make the building more expensive but less vulnerable. Using wood as building material would make it more vulnerable, but cheaper and easier to rebuild. It's a trade-off we'd have to consider."

"The biggest danger would actually be the Church. St. Augustine condemned theatre in the strongest terms, considering it a diabolical invention and a threat to the soul. We've come a long, long way since Augustine, but the Church still periodically tries to crack down on wandering actors and such. So we'd need to make certain that the local ecclesiastical authorities are reluctant to shut us down."

"This could be done in two ways." He's obviously thought this through. "First of all, we'd need to give a portion of the income to the Church, perhaps even over and above the appropriate tithes. That would make them reluctant to kill their own cash cow." A wry look crosses the dwarf's face. "There are many priests in the Church, but few saints. Secondly, we might reserve a day or two a week for the performance of ... uplifting, spiritual material. Passion plays, morality plays... Hildegard of Bingen's 'Ordo Virtutum', that sort of thing. In that regard, there's another advantage to building in Paris -- a friend of mine is a Canon at Notre Dame, and has the archbishop's ear."

194

((No matter how high my Folk Ken rolls are, your Intrigue rolls might be even higher! But I'll have to see the 1s before I believe it :stuck_out_tongue: ))

Tranquillina's ersatz face makes a face. "We give so much silver to the Church already.... But we cannot deny the realities of the situation. I encourage you to come up with some cost and revenue estimates; with them in hand we can discuss, all of us, how realistic the plan is. Of course council approval would be necessary for any such enterprise, even were cost not an issue." She perks her ear up at the last statement. "You know someone with access to the Archbishop of Paris?"

195

Stultus nods to the comment about cost and revenue estimates. "I'll do some number crunching." (It's not a very well known fact, but PowerPoint does in fact exist in the Ars Magica universe, or did at one time. Unfortunately, the secret of making PowerPoint slides has died with the inventor, Tasgillia ex Tytalus.)

Stultus peers at Tranquillina in mild surprise -- he can see her ears perking up, but doesn't really know why. "Yes, I do. Or rather, a scholar named Jaufre of Barcelona does, but since Jaufre is merely an identity I adopt from time to time, it works out to much the same thing. Fellow's name is Zorzi. Nice guy, not too corrupt or venal as priests go." That gives a new meaning to 'damned with faint praise'. "His overriding vice is books and philosophy, which I personally understand completely.

Why do you ask, sodalis?"

196

((It was entered into the Peripheral Code at the Grand Tribunal of 1129 that the "deal with devils" provision in the Oath of Hermes applies also to Microsoft products.))

((Also, you might well know these references, but: City & Guild page 68 for production times and page 126 for building prices, and Covenants page 71 for more building prices and quality modifiers (stone instead of wood is probably x2, for example).))

There is a silence for several seconds, but not an ominous one: Tranquillina is just letting a theoretical notion run in her head, about a "Catalonian scholar" not being able to speak his "native tongue" in Paris with no countrymen around, but how that's actually quite a convenient way never to be caught out as a fraud ... but maybe, one could in theory capture his attempt at words with a Rego Imagimen spell, then recover them in the presence of a Catalonian ... when she realizes Stultus asked her a question.

"Oh - just curiosity, as to such intangible assets as well." She glances down at him, noting his skeptical gaze. "Mine is the House of Trianoma as well as of the Founder," she chides him. "The parries and feints of intrigue are not unknown to us...."

197

(( Yep, that's where I was gonna go. Thanks for providing the page numbers, though. :slight_smile: ))

(( Ho! Haha! Guard! Dodge! Parry! Spin! Thrust! TWANGGGG! ))
(( Incidentally, not quite sure where you got 'skeptical', but I'll run with it. ))

"Oh good!" replies Stultus. "I have precisely zero interest in being the Covenant's lone Cassandra, warning people of dangers they don't see and do not believe exist. I'd quickly get on everyone's nerves. Even more than I usually do, that is."

EDIT: (( Think I figured out where you got 'skeptical' -- my line about Stultus not believing Tranquillina has a manipulative bone in her body. If that's the case, you're simultaneously right and wrong. He thinks she's familiar with intrigue, and he's perfectly willing to stipulate that she can plot with the best of them when she has to. But he doesn't believe that it's second nature to her.

There's a small part of Stultus' mind that's always watching, always plotting and evaluating. Looking for weaknesses, highlighting opportunities to manipulate. Calculating, cold, nasty, downright reptilian, like a snake coiled around the mid-brain. He keeps it under very tight control, and almost never gives it free rein, but it's always there. He believes he's almost unique in that regard, that other people don't have the Snake. Certainly not Tranquillina.))

198

((Daffy Duck reference noted :wink: ))

Tranquillina expels a single laugh that couldn't quite decide whether it was going to be a "Ha!" or a "Ho!", then clears her throat. "If you were interested in being the one with the greatest list of perceived dangers, you have joined the wrong covenant." Her genuine smile at the humor of the situation lasts but a moment, as her own comment reminds her that she is stuck in a covenant with a Tytalus and all the baggage of his specific background - somehow she had managed not to think about that for the last few minutes.

((Owell, maybe she just thought he looked skeptical. But yeah, I think I see what you mean. Tranquillina is certainly opportunistic, and has no trouble playing dumb or being manipulative if she things the situation calls for it. But it's not her overriding paradigm. (Much to her two maters' dismay, I'm sure....) ))

199

"Well, as it happens, that wasn't my desire." Stultus smiles slowly. "I was interested in joining a covenant where my days would be interesting and filled with purpose. So far, I seem to have gotten exactly that. Now, what was that line about being careful what one asks for?" He raises his eyes to the ceiling, fingers tapping on his chin, the very picture of a man deep in contemplation, and holds the pose for several seconds. "Nope, can't remember it. Must not have been important."

"Anyway, that was pretty much all I had for the Diocetes, so I believe that I'll go back to swearing creatively at the other task Korvin's set me. Thank you for your time, sodalis." He starts to push himself out of the chair, but pauses on the edge, cocking his head at Tranquillina. It's a curiously birdlike motion -- combined with his nose and the bright clothing, he looks rather like an over-sized parrot. "Unless you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

200

Tranquillina shakes her head, suddenly relieved. "No, nothing more. Ah, thank you for your service to the council," she adds, a bit lamely.

After Stultus departs, she sits alone in the office for a couple of minutes, eyes closed. But eventually the heat of the room gets to her, and she mutters to herself in Gaelic as she pushes her chair back from the desk. A cold drink, that would suit me, she thinks as she walks down a flight of stairs and stops by the library. And I'll take out In Flux Veritas, and spend the afternoon in my study nook. Can move the amphora in there, to keep the air fresh. She goes through the ritual haggling with Alexandria before she can remove the valuable tome from the library, a transaction that would go much less smoothly if she mentioned she planned to have a beverage present while reading.

When she descends the rest of the way to her sanctum door, Loys is there, of course. She has him fetch the cold beverage (he nearly sprints down the hallway) and sets up her nook, shaking her head. What have I gotten myself into with that boy.... Tranquillina is very much looking forward to several hours in the tiny room, alone with her thoughts and the words of a Hermetic master.