Lin nodded, and said "Give her time.  She did have a funeral to attend, as I did.  And she's out grocery shopping."

Oswald chuckled and said, "By herself? Poor girl. I saw how Oswald was eating at the wedding reception. And with a house full of other teenagers... I imagine you could literally feed an army if need be."

Fiona nodded softly. "Yes, of course. And... by the way, thank you for your help. And sorry for springing this onto you right after the funeral. I wouldn't have asked you for help if it hadn't been kind of an emergency."

  Lin told Fiona "You ask when it comes up, Fiona.  Don't fret about it.  And yes, Oswald, by herself.  You know my daughter refuses to follow human limits about things.  She already pushes her body in ways that only she can survive, and does it casually enough it makes ME shudder in sympathy pain.  Her tolerance for pain is truly frightening.  I don't think it helps that she heals the way she does.  I may have taught her too well to be responsible.  Childrearing is a difficult task."

"Um... what sorts of things does she do?" Fiona asked curiously. "She told me about flinging herself through space with her gravity control... does she do things like that a lot?"

Oswald chuckled and replied, "Believe me, I know. I've got two grown ones, and of course you know about Iris and Chuck. I just hope I do a good job with the two of them. One of my boys is a layabout, and the other one is paraphobic. Not exactly a good track record."

  Lin patted Oswald's shoulder, and said "Not all men are destined for greatness, Oswald.  Your grandson, on the other hand, seems destined to do great things and go far places.  Enjoy having two sons who are likely to live to a ripe, if mortal, span of years.  They will never know some of the pain that you and I have lived with for centuries."  She turned to Fiona, and explained "Modest as my daughter is, she probably hasn't told you she can give anything a magnetic field, she can then MANIPULATE those fields, and she can manipulate, generate and control localized gravity.  In addition to a healing factor that mus be seen to be believed."

"Actually, she has told me about all that. I'm not sure I want to see that healing factor in action, though... I guess it wouldn't be a pretty sight." She chuckled a little and looked down at her hand. "I wonder if my shapeshifting also comes with a kind of healing factor, like letting me grow wounds shut instantly... but that's not something I really want to try out."

  Lin nodded, and said "Megaira is also taking some basic mage lessons, but she does have a knack for innate sorcery."

"Oh!" Fiona seemed to perk up quickly at that. "Speaking of which... does the offer to give me some magic lessons still stand?"

  Lin nodded, and asked Oswald "Mind if I raid your library for books?  All of mine are in Chinese.  OLD Chinese."

Oswald chuckled and said, "Of course not. Feel free to take what you need, Lin. And if you need anything ordered for Fiona, let me know."

Fiona smiled softly. "I'd like to see your books too sometime, Mrs. Lin. I speak a bit of Chinese, myself," she said in accented Chinese.

  Lin chuckled, and said "Some of the oldest ones are on bamboo scrolls.  I'm fluent in most of the dialects that have existed in China in the last four thousand years plus.  I also tend to keep notes in ancient Chinese, which is also serviceable as a good code.  Oswald, you're a darling.  Would you mind ordering double sets of all the basic magical primers?  Megaira's got the energy levels from hells.  She already has her OTHER abilities, which she MUST use regularly, this will only make her worse too.  Good thing parahumans are openly around now!"

Oswald nodded, "Of course. Two sets of books. Anything else you need, while Im at it?"

"Um... how long do these things take to arrive?" Fiona asked. She fiddled with her tail a little and looked slightly embarassed to be asking that question; she didn't want to appear impatient. She had to admit that she kind of was, though - she was eager to learn how real magic was done.

Oswald smiled and said, "I can have it today, if you like. Teleportation magic somewhat expedites the shipping process."

"Oh!" Fiona was taken aback by that, and let go of her tail in surprise - she had expected it to take a few days at least, from whatever exotic location they were getting their supplies. "That would be wonderful, if you could do that."

  Lin chuckled, and said "Make it complete kits.  And the supplies for a proper workshop, if you please?  I haven't needed to order anything in so many centuries . . . ."

Oswald nodded, "Of course, of course. That can all be arranged. Heh, The old dog at the magic shop's going to think I'm taking on apprentices again. Chuck's a handful enough, though."

  Lin chuckled, and said "Tell him it's worse.  I have a daughter, AND a new apprentice."

Fiona blushed deeply at that. "I've, uh, always been a good student. I'll try to keep it that way for magic, too."

  Lin smiled, and said "Good.  I have the feeling you WILL be challenged."

Oswald smiled and said, "Magic has a steep learning curve, but so long as you apply yourself, you'll be all right. And if you have trouble, ask my grandson for a little help. I wish Chuck would try a little harder sometimes. He's so... afraid of it, almost, like he's certain he'll fail. And, well, with that attitude, he will."

Fiona nodded. "Don't worry... I'll give it my best." She smiled, her tail confidently raised high, but then paused. "Um, who's Chuck?"