I am planning (and had all typed up before I lost it and rage quit this evening) to have him perform an extra season of service in the following year to pay for the lab text!
I am planning just that! And Nithyn's new concept is from there.
Perhaps we could work in something where all three of them met there?
The plan currently is that Amina has gone to the Covenant of Thermakopolis, which is also where the new concept (Belisarius I am told) is from.
I'm currently toying with idea of staying through the fall myself, so that puts us there together for a few years all three of us! Interesting.
I always saw it as a minor background lab activity, but I'm open to learning I'm wrong? It certainly seems like something that shouldn't take all of your attention to me.