"So, what are you doing?"
Celine's voice came through the communication crystal with a faint crackle. Ludwig leaned farther back in his chair and looked at the pile of books covering the table. Several lay open beneath others, their pages marked with notes he had understood perfectly when he wrote them and now found considerably less helpful.
"Trying to improve my mastery of magic."
"Kaiser?"
"Obviously. He's been bothering me about it for the entire month."
Celine laughed while Ludwig picked up the nearest book. He looked at its title, remembered which section he had been struggling with, and put it down again. Unfortunately, the alternatives waiting beneath it were no more appealing.
"And how far have you gotten?"
"Almost Sixth Circle."
Her amusement faded into surprise. For several seconds, she watched him through the crystal without speaking, apparently waiting to see whether he would qualify the statement himself. Ludwig could practically see the question forming.
