The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

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>Adler: Oh, a distraction! Push these distressing thoughts aside and focus on training your acolyte. Vernier would never purposely betray your trust, she had you put a geas on her to prevent it! And surely your attachment to her could never be used against you by your enemies. Vernier is just being paranoid. Your logic/wishful-thinking is sound.

"Pardon me," I said to Vernier. "Let me go see what she wants."

As I walked over to Rebecca, I couldn't help musing on the situation. My fears were probably groundless. Vernier would never intentionally betray me. Why, she had even insisted that I place a geas on her to prevent it! She was too sensible and intelligent to make the kind of deadly blunder that had doomed Rederbrand. The only possibility for trouble would be ... maybe ... my attachment to her might be exploited by my enemies. How could I prevent that?

>Rebecca: Adler has been standing in front of you with a thoughtful look on his face for a few minutes now. Is he trying to teach you how to meditate?

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"Uh, My Lord?" Rebecca asked me after a few minutes. "Are you all right? Is this a lesson in meditation?"

"Huh?" I replied. "Never mind. I was just pondering deep, elfly matters. What have you found in the Foxspell now?"

>Rebecca: Before you start on the next lesson, you have to ask. Your witchyness wasn't as annoying and cringy as Burnside's antics, right? You'd die of embarrassment if that's how you were acting around people.
>Adler: Not entirely. Assure Rebecca that her surface witchyness is more endearing than annoying. The only thing that got on your nerves was how she kept misinterpreting your words.
>Rebecca: Digest that for a moment then explain where you need help in the book.

"Before we talk about that," she said reluctantly, "I have to know ... my witchiness wasn't as cringy and pathetic as what the Raccoon Monster was doing a few minutes ago, was it? I think I would die of embarrassment if I knew I was that annoying."

"Not at all," I chuckled. "Your shtick was sort of endearing. The only part that bugged me was how you kept misinterpreting everything to be Unseelie."

"Oh," she said, and paused for a moment. "By the way, what exactly did you do to the Raccoon Monster? Did I hear Miss Vernier call it an Orgasmic Touch? That noise the Monster made -"

"Stay on track, disciple," I scolded. "That surely isn't the reason you called me over here. What have you read in the book?"

"Well, I just finished the part where -"

>Burnside: As you lay on the ground unconscious, that bird tries nesting in your hair again.
>Ixies: That was a very powerful jolt that Adler gave Burnside. Place bets on how long it takes her to wake up.

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"Excuse me," I interrupted, then turned to yell "KEEP IT DOWN OVER THERE!!" at the Ixies who were getting increasingly louder as they wagered on how long Burnside would stay unconscious.