Pierro Gallo trailed behind his mistress, peering glumly about the fortress as he did.  This was<i>not</i>what he'd imagined when he'd been chosen as the apprentice of Calculator Magus Avelia Udinesi.  Yes, he<i>had</i>known that the Touten was a knightly order.  But he'd assumed that a "Calculator Magus" was a... an accountant, perhaps.  Or, more likely,  an Oracle who studied probabilities to determine the likelihood of a prophecy.  But no.  Calculator Magi were...<br/><br/>"How many paces since we entered the hall, Pierro?" Mistress Avelia asked cheerily.<br/><br/>"Four hundred and... twelve?" he answered, half-guessing.<br/><br/>She sighed at that.  "Four hundred nine," she responded patiently.  "And the significance of that is..?"<br/><br/>"The eighty-first prime number," he responded automatically.  "And 81 is the fourth power of the second prime."<br/><br/>Her grin of delight was unfeigned at that final remark.  "Excellent!  But remain aware of the numbers, Pierro.  Our universe is built upon mathematics, after all.  Existence and nonexistence, something and nothing, combined in pairs and triplets and quaternaries and octals which describe the nature of reality to those with eyes to see.  And a Calculator Magus can read and interpret - and<i>change</i>- that description!"<br/><br/>He nodded, although he knew he was a long way from understanding.  His training to date had been in alchemy, and in learning how to walk<i>correctly</i>in a perfect 37-inch stride, and in observation.  And in math, of course.  Far beyond simple addition and subtraction into multiplication and division, and then into geometry and the calculus.  And theology, for the Calculator Magus must also understand the nature of the kami and the heavens.<br/><br/>"Sir Weigraf!" his Mistress called, interrupting his thoughts.  "Sir Tengille!"  As he watched, she darted forward precisely 57 steps and embraced one before shaking the other's hand.  She should have looked out of place, her simple clothing contrasting with the elegant uniforms of the other two knights, but Mistress Avelia wore her iconoclasm as a badge of honor.  "It's good to see you two again!  And these are your apprentices?  Wonderful!  Come, let me introduce you to my own!"