Blackfeather Woods destiny was close behind her

Oh, gods, she was slow. Maegi suffered through her stuttering speech, halted by fillers, only to perk up at the mention of stars. Herbs, poisons, yeah, yeah--she knew those. But stars? Constellations? That was something she could learn. And what was this about lores? She had Maegi's attention, now.

"I don't know much about the stars," Maegi admitted, with a smile that was almost kind. "Can you teach me, sometime? We can go out to the plains on a clear night." Come to think of it, that sounded quite nice. Maybe she would bring Mou along--he might enjoy it, too.

"I also deal with poisons and herbs," she continued. The girl cocked her head slightly. "Do you test them on yourself or on other creatures?" Maegi asked, remembering how Cicero had advised her, long ago, to try them on foxes and other loathsome animals. Of course, she hadn't taken that advice. . .but perhaps others did.