The post-Prefectural speech silence is occasionally interrupted by the soft whirring and clicking noises emanating from a small, brassy owl statue that perches on a bookshelf.  It appears to be volunteering itself as some sort of decoration...keeping an eye on its builder, who sits crossways in a chair, head on one arm, feet dangling over the other, thumbing through her notebook.<br/><br/>"What to build, what to build...so many options, so little time!  Do you think the Old Man would truly be upset if I tried one of the thaumaturgical engines and crossed the feed through a class two crystal for the increased field effects?"<br/><br/>The owl clicks its beak, flaps its wings with a metallic sound, and hoots softly.<br/><br/>"Oh, you're right.  That would probably result in a catastrophic integrity failure.  Maybe next year, when I can borrow Marcus's notes from the U?  Oh, and I'll have to ask if we get another crystal, maybe we could re-route the feedback loop again for further amplification..."<br/>