Noctisardor Bypass You don't want a couple of cashews hugging in your skull

@Corvus if you want it! Else I'll make another later.

All things considered, Arbiter's bad mood probably wasn't too fair to @Terance. Throwing a wrench in her plan, even if it seemed relatively minor -- it wasn't like he was running off into the sunset -- was a good way to make her pretty grumpy. Yes, he'd still be advising, but she was the sole one now who would hold a title. Still, her mood had subsided, but she still felt like there was this additional layer of complexity she now had to deal with to make sure things came together the way she imagined. She still needed some space, even if the end of the day brought her back. It was probably a good thing the pups were all young adults at this point -- they could avoid her if they didn't want to deal with it.

She'd gone to the lake this time to think. It was pretty well iced over and had been for at least a month. The first ten feet from the shore were frozen so thick that she wouldn't be surprised if it was solid. That was where she stood now, slowly scraping the snow from the ice so she could try to see what was beneath. How long would it be before they could try to fish in it? Going any farther didn't seem safe, so after she uncovered the ice and saw only darkness, she turned and headed back to shore. There had to be something else to keep her occupied. She could only think up these minor questions with answers she solved too quickly and then she ended up back at her initial puzzle. She frowned and swept the horizon.