Stronghold of education and learning, this fortress is in one of the coldest areas of Idalos and home to many knowledge seekers in a variety of disciplines. However, unknown to most, below the city are those who suffer for the sake of science. While all are welcome, not everyone will be treated as they expect.
Fates, was Viden ever anything but cold? Llyr folded his hands, though insulated in thick gloves, and rubbed at the cold that lingered on them from his walk outside. The warmth of the Academy was fast becoming a familiar relief whenever he returned to the interior. The biqaj had thought he understood winter, and what cold was, but Viden quickly clarified that for him. What was considered cold to the south was not the same kind of cold in the north. He was fairly certain there was nowhere farther away from Quacia than the city of Viden.
Despite the frigid environment, Llyr did start to enjoy the city that he kept coming back to time and time again. There was still much mystery to it, but that only served to make him curious. The general populace, whether because he remained in the confines of proper society or not, seemed to accept his visual oddities and biqaj blood far more than the people of Etzos. Or... at the very least, the people of Viden stared at him a lot less.
He made his way through the library, showing the pass that Doran had helped him acquire so that he could travel freely among the Prime Atheneum without escort. The professor had helped him a great deal already with being able to explore the campus, but the man had to return to his teaching position and thus, left Llyr with breaks on his own. Llyr didn't mind. He rather liked walking by his lonesome, following the whims of whichever direction felt right, and seeing if he might find something interesting by doing so.
Unfortunately, the direction he wanted to wander into... was restricted. He'd gotten Doran to show him the third floor where Arcane records were kept, he found himself stopped from entrance this time.
"I have my pass," he told the Atheneum librarian, and held up the slip of firm paper.
"It's not a student's pass," retorted the librarian in a hissed whisper. "Unless you're a student of the Institute of Arcane or have special permissions or escort, I cannot let you through as is. We've had some... wayward visitors in the wing recently, and can't risk anymore."
Llyr crossed his arms, hands tucked under his elbows for the extra warmth. "So then, who must I speak with to get these permissions?"
"Dean Rush," answered the woman. While she had blue-tinted skin, she didn't look entirely full-blooded. The appearance of her reminded him slightly of the half-blood ranger he'd met a season ago in the wilderness near Viden.
"And where might I find this Dean Rush?" inquired Llyr.
"His office would be your best chance," she informed him.
Llyr snapped his fingers, as a fidget and without thought. The sharp sound echoed briefly, and they both winced at it. He could tell that she wanted to hush him, but she restrained herself. He brought out a folded map, worn at the edges from how often he referenced it already, and then walked over to stand beside the tall woman. "Where is his office?"
The librarian pointed at where they were, then traced her fingertip along a trail to a spot not too far away. She glanced over him. "You'll want to take the general stairs. The other way is restricted also. I'm surprised Doctor Thetys hasn't already introduced you to Dean Rush."
"He's been busy," said Llyr absently. He folded the map and replaced it in the pocket of his coat. "Thank you, miss..."
"Trinile," she smiled at him, with a glance at the halo above his head. "Hopefully Dean Rush can help you get the proper permissions sorted."
Llyr found the office with fair ease, getting more and more used to navigating the campus paths. He noticed a few doors, but the one that said Rush on it was left open. He hesitated, then peeked in to see a human man bent over a desk, flipping through pages of a thinly bound manuscript.
Quietly, he knocked against the door frame. The man swiftly looked up, eyes sharp, then he seemed to relax when he saw Llyr - as if he'd expected someone else. To the effect that Llyr even looked over his shoulder, but no... they were alone.
"May I help you?" asked the man.
"Dean Rush?" inquired Llyr.
"Yes? Come in, stop lingering at the door like that, and shut it will you?" Verin Rush closed the manuscript and set it to the side on a stack of similarly bound papers. He gestured at a chair in front of his desk.
Llyr closed the door gently, then took a seat in the offered chair. He folded his hands in his lap, stared with blue eyes, then took a short breath and said, "The librarian told me to visit you... to see about permission for access to the third floor of the Prime Atheneum?"
"Mm, mm," hummed Verin. He leaned back in his seat, fingers in a steeple. "You're the biqaj I've heard of. The one that's been wandering about campus. Not from around here, are you? What's your name?"
"Oh, I..." Llyr hesitated. He glanced at the stack of papers.
"Don't want to share?" asked Verin. He leaned forward and mentioned, "Now, that's highly suspicious."
"I don't mean to be," defended Llyr, a bit quick to react. He leaned forward as well and lowered his voice, "It's only... I'd rather not a lot of people know I'm here."
"And why would that be?"
"It... I.... it just makes things easier. I'm sorry. Do you need a name for the permission?"
"I do, indeed. Otherwise, what would I write down for the paperwork? Are you a student here?"
"No, sir." Llyr fidgeted with his gloves. "I... I think I'd... Maybe I'd like to be, if the academy would have me."
Verin's eyes seemed to brighten at that. He reached over, opened a drawer, then took out some papers. "What institute were you considering?"
"arcana..." whispered Llyr.
"What was that?"
"Arcana. Institute of Arcana. Your institute," clarified Llyr. He felt heat gather in his face.
Verin hummed, then he nodded and placed the papers over at the edge of the desk near the biqaj. "These are the entrance forms. Do you see this? It requires a name. If you want to study here, you'll have to give one to me and to the administrators. There's no way around it... unless..."
"Unless?" Llyr looked over at the human.
"We made a name for you, but there would have to be sufficient reason for such trouble," suggested Verin. He shrugged, then said, "Have you had any university schooling elsewhere?"
"No, sir," answered Llyr honestly. "This would be my first time."
Verin chuckled at that. He nodded, then said, "And... I'm assuming you are looking for some practical studies. I'll warn you, much of the institute keeps to theoretical study due to the inherent dangers of magic. I'll need to make sure th-"
"Oh!" Llyr interrupted suddenly. He bounced in his seat, moving to the edge of the chair, and reached to his satchel. He brought out the letter that Doran had written for him. "I have a recommendation! From uh... from Doctor Thetys in the Institute of Sciences?"
"Alchemy, right?" asked Verin as he took the letter and unfolded it to read. His eyes squinted in a frown, then his eyebrows progressively rose higher and higher. "Oh. Oh... I see, I see... Interesting, very interesting. What name did you wish to go by? One that we might use on your paperwork?"
Llyr hesitated, then he offered, "West? West... uh... Wellin?"
"Good as name as any." Verin handed the letter back, then stood. He walked over with a gesture for Llyr to stand as well. "I'd appreciate knowing your actual name, if you don't mind. Consider it an exercise in trust necessary for entrance into my institute. It's not often I allow true mages into the program, let alone ones with multiple sparks."
The blond biqaj hurriedly followed Verin over to a vacant space in the office where they stood across from each other. He nodded slowly, then said, "Okay... Llywelyn. That's my actual name."
"Llywelyn, Wellin... that's not a great deal of obscurity if you required secrecy."
"It's enough," mentioned Llyr. He frowned when Verin pinned a sheet of thin vellum onto a board and then took out a graphite writing instrument. The dean handed it over to him. Llyr asked, "What is this for?"
"I'm going to ask you some questions. Please, if you would answer them as thoroughly as you can and write down any explanation required. But first, before we begin, tell me what your sparks are."
Llyr frowned, wondering if the letter had said that or not. He answered, "Transmutation... attunement... becoming."
"What was that last one?"
"Becoming," muttered Llyr with a glance away.
"How... interesting."
"Yes, one could say that." Llyr adjusted his posture. His wings fluttered, then folded along his backside again.
"And your halo, are you touched by Ymiden?" inquired Verin.
Llyr looked over at him. He paused, uncertain about the question. Did Ymiden have similar effects? He'd have to research this later... he shook his head no and then clarified, "It's from my spark."
"Interesting, interesting."
"Weren't you going to ask me questions?"
Verin nodded, then he went over and grabbed a leather-bound journal from the desk. He flipped through it, readied a pen, then cleared his throat and said, "Question one..."
There had been fifty questions in all, but time had fled past so quickly that Llyr hardly minded. By the end of them, the thin sheet of vellum had gotten covered in writing and drawings. Llyr had required two more sheets of the large vellum to be pinned up as well, and both had similarly been filled to the very brim with no wasted space left on them - even despite his small scrawls of cursive handwriting.
Dean Verin Rush stood in front of the three vellum boards, journal held loosely in one hand, and mouth slightly agape by the end of it. The human's eyes were reddened by how much he kept rubbing them. He'd been like that for a good bit or so now, and Llyr assumed that meant they were finished with whatever it was they were doing? There'd been a heavy focus on questions about magical theory, but also some questions about the basics of this and that academia-wise - some of which he'd studied the trial before in a book he'd grabbed.
Llyr started to feel increasingly nervous and insecure though, as silence gathered and the Dean simply stared as if he'd come across a murder scene of intense gore. The biqaj pulled his gloves back on, having taken them off for quicker and more fine-tuned writing, and he said, "Is that all, Dean Rush?"
"Is that all..." murmured the man. He looked at Llyr, then shook his head in disbelief.
"Can I have that pass to freely visit the third floor of the library, now?"
"No," answered Rush. He walked over to the desk, picked up a thin cloth satchel and started to put bound papers in it.
"No?!" Llyr leaned over the desk, eyes widened. "But I answered all your questions!"
"That wasn't for the pass, Llywelyn."
"What? Then... what was it... oh..." He realized exactly what it must have been when Verin handed the satchel of papers over to him. He saw what Verin had started to write onto a form, that started with a stamp of red-inked approval at the top.
"Yes, fill those papers out, with the name you want. Take them, these, and a recommendation I'm about to write for you, to the registrar's office as soon as you can," explained Verin while he scrawled his signature on the form. "You'll need to pay for entrance fees and tuition, but if you need help, I will find assistance so you are provided a loan."
Llyr felt a little dizzy. He looked at the satchel, then over to the pinned vellum. He thought over the discussion while Verin finished writing out everything. After a moment, he said, "I have to choose a subject, if I'm to be a student, yes? Just like alchemy is not an institute but a subject in the greater institute?"
"Yes, I would suggest Transmutation... or perhaps Attunement, given your personal connection to those," offered Verin.
"Can it be... emea?" asked Llyr.
"Emea? No, no... I don't thi-"
"What about ether then?"
"Ether? You want to focus on the subject of ether? Why not just a domain?" Verin stared at him.
"Because ether is far more of a foundation yet it would include both transmutation and attunement within its study. I would not be limited then, but could study all that might pertain to magic."
"It's a foundation, like you say, you would get bored," insisted Verin as he returned to writing his recommendation. He sat down at the desk. "You need something that will keep you engaged during your time here."
"I would not get bored by ether!" insisted Llyr, rather passionately. "I would get bored by limiting myself to a single discipline, though, when I know that there is something that ties them all together and yet, is so rarely understood by mages and spark-less alike."
Verin tapped his pen against the paper, then he nodded. "Very well. You're lucky that we're such a new institute. The other deans wouldn't be so lenient about such things as I am able to be." He dried the ink, then handed over the recommendation to add to the rest of the paperwork.
"Thank you, Dean Rush," said Llyr with a slight bow of formality. "I will... consider it. For now, can I have a pass for the library?"
The two men stared at each other for a drawn-out moment, then Verin shook his head. He said, "No. I won't let you into the arcane section unless you prove to me that you're serious about whatever you seek to study. Prove it by registering for the academy and enrolling in classes. I hope to see you in my lecture series. Which I need to actually get to now, if you will..."
Verin stood, guided Llyr to the door, and they went out to the hallway. Llyr blinked, then sighed with slight disappointment. He had to admit that Verin seemed determined in this and any further negotiation seemed unlikely to create a difference.
"You know where to find me, if you need anything more," mentioned Verin in farewell. He set a hand on Llyr's shoulder, nodded, and offered, "Would you like to sit in on my lecture?"
Llyr hesitated, then he shook his head no but he offered a small smile and said, "I have some paperwork to fill out."
OOC
Was given prior permission by Tempest to Self-Mod Verin Rush
Loot: +1 Recommendation Letter by Verin Rush; +2 Successful Entrance Exams (Letter & Certificate; institute of arcana (ether)) Wealth: - Injuries: - Renown: 10, for getting noticed, passing your entrance exams and getting a letter of recommendation from Dean Rush. Magic XP: - Skill Review: Appropriate to level. Points: 10
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Comments:I noticed that you mentioned a certain professor!
Anyway, this was quite an enjoyable solo. I didn’t mind all the dialogue; in fact, I liked it.
I also liked that you decreased the font size when Llyr was whispering or reluctant to talk about something. That’s quite a nice effect in my opinion.
Dean Rush was rather more accommodating than I thought he would be. Maybe he regularly gets students that want to keep their identity a secret?
Llyr’s choice of subject is quite interesting. I agree that it’s better to not limit yourself.
I look forward to reading more about Llyr’s studies of the arcane!
