Viola doesn't attempt to engage Stephen while he's talking with Fray, but eventually, when a lull enters their conversation, she cocks her head and fixes Stephen with an eerie stare, as if she's expecting him to say something.
Scott
"My river boat might be able to help out with that," Stephen suggests. "That is if it won't upset the local river men too much. It's never a good idea to cross the locals too much."
In response to the stare, Stephen smiles and does his best to open up a conversation with Viola. "I'm quite impressed by all you've done with Nova Castra. I can only imagine what the place will look like once it's fully restored."
Viola nods, chuckling darkly...."Yes...restored."
Scott
Keeping the discussion with Stephen flowing, Fray replies, "Ah, you have a special boat? I hadn't though on how you and your companions came here, but of course you'd need a sturdy and safe method of travel. When you have time I would like to see it and know more."
"My pondering on haulage is based more upon removing the need for a large conveyance. It seems we magi have either teleportation or alteration of a hauler, and if successful we may have a third option. I came to the problem in a round about way due to frequently transforming myself, but being unable to carry a lot of equipment."
"I've gone with the second option," Stephen replies. "I devised a spell to make a boat fly, thus removing the need to follow rivers or canals. I also invented a spell to keep the boat hidden from view, as I knew that a flying boat would gather too much attention from the mundane population."
"But transformation," he pauses and nods. "That's a novel approach. I know that House Mercure does that on a small scale when transporting books. But if it could be implemented on a larger scale ... that could be a real boon. Have you had much success in your research so far?"
"Oh I'm just beginning the work and having so many peripheral distractions" gesturing to the pile and the room "means that my plan is to create smaller in series effects rather than a single diverse spell. I like the approach of using utility too. By seasons end I hope to have the first done, and then perhaps look to the invested effects or variants. I think the when the smaller version is finished everything after that is just scale and precision. "
"And admittedly transformation is where my thoughts tend to start. When you have a hammer everything looks like a nail. Reminds me again to spend some time widening my arts. "
"We all have our strengths," Stephen replies. "And I'm as guilty as looking there before anywhere else myself."
"Well when circumstances present themselves, I'd like very much to see the ship being used under your effects."
"It would be my pleasure," Stephen replies. "At the very least, we'll probably move the boat to the river once it's fully unloaded. We can take it for a ride then."
After that Fray will settle back intro reading the tablets and notes he brought with him, and finishing his dinner. He prefers letting the other magi talk now, being a shaken after talking about his wife and not intending to share as much as he did.
If after eating and quickly ordering his thoughts and papers there is not much else being discussed, then he will return to his lab.
Stephen doesn't press for conversation, but allows Fray to go back to his tablets. The newcomer is happy to engage in idle talk with whomever is interested, but won't be pushy if no one wants to talk. Once his meal is finished, he returns to his own sanctum and lab to continue the unpacking and arranging.
Gregorius will make chitchat, but is mostly content to leave Stephen to talk to the other magi he hasn't met yet. He does make one offer, however:
"You mentioned the barrows earlier. I'm happy to take you out to show you them once you've settled in here - there are several points of interest spread across a couple of sites."
[hr][/hr]
Calliope is a moderately pretty young maga - tall, poised and elegant, with an almost regal bearing; black haired but with strange golden eyes that would suggest faerie blood even if you didn't already know she was a Merinita. She smiles at Stephen when he introduces himself, and welcomes him to the covenant, but seems reluctant to get into deep conversation when Viola clearly...isn't.
"I'd love to see them," Stephen replies. "It is much of the reason that I came here. I suppose I'll fit a few glances in over the next few days. But, it looks like the preparation of my lab and sanctum may take a little time. You've got an excellent lab set up in the caverns, but there's precious little space for living quarters. Thankfully, Terram is one of my specialties. I should be able to expand the cavern that holds the lab to give me enough space to set up proper chambers. But if I'm going to do that carefully - and I intend to do it carefully - it will take time. Shall we say sometime next week?"
Stephen is perfectly friendly with Calliope, but doesn't press her when she lets the conversation fall away.
"Next week, then," Gregorius agrees.
[Happy to either roleplay this, or just handwave it/summarise it, as you'd prefer. I think we're pretty much finished with this thread?]
[Yes, I think Stephen is well and truly introduced. I'm happy to hand wave the tour and get into the nitty gritty of a new thread.]
Well, then, what new thread do you want to start? 
Scott
I'd like to get mixed up in some of the things going on at the covenant, though I'm still getting a feel for those. Unpacking and settling into his lab is kind of dull reading, as would simply exploring the ruins, I suspect. Is there a list of tasks that need doing? I'd like to start off my stay by being a good guest.
If people are going to investigate the regio again this season, I'd love to be tapped to help with that.
BTW, what season is it that Stephen arrives? He's only advanced through the end of the last year. (I think I may have incorrectly noted that as 1228, when it was really 1227. You confused me by starting your years with Winter and ending with Autumn. I should rename all the seasons on my advancement. But that would be ludicrous.)
So, as it stands, is advanced through Autumn of 1227. What season is it now?
List of tasks that I can think of that need doing (without regard for their suitability or how interesting they are):
- Get at least one of the covenant's income sources up and running. This may or may not be as simple as getting the mason to focus on exporting stone rather than use it to build buildings - there's also at least one and possibly two other income sources which are not tightly defined, although the faerie market in the barrows might be one of them.
- Get more buildings built.
- Set-up more labs.
- Track down who attacked the covenant last time (this is also something Gregorius is very interested in). A linked task may be finally making contact with the local hedge wizards.
- Track down the body of the king who was meant to rest in the empty bier in the barrows. Try to get something decent from the ghosts waiting for him in exchange.
- Investigate the strange, seemingly pre-hermetic, runes in said barrow.
- Once we've realised she's gone missing, track down what happened to Tasia (may be fairly fruitless).
- Discover what we're missing about the ghosts who live in the covenant (I don't think the magi realise there is anything, but MTKnife has pretty much stated there is).
- Investigate the regio, but I'm not sure to what extent this is just going to be a seasonal activity rather than an adventure from this point on (plus 3 magi is frankly probably overkill).
You have arrived at some point in Spring 1228, which is also the season in which Gregorius and Fray are investigating the regio. Viola is still stuck in Winter 1228 waiting for the grogs to get back from Searching for a Singer. (And yes, starting with Winter confuses me too. There was a reason for it, but I can't remember what it was now).
Two things: it makes all the seasons in the same year have the same calendar year, and it coincides with aging rolls.
Scott