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A knock comes to the Expositors door, followed by a voice Beau has never heard before.
“Expositor Lionette? I have a young mage asking about the Solstice, are you free?”
Beau sighs looking at the piles of paperwork in front of her, fuck it she needs a distraction.
“Yeah, why not, not like I don't have anything else going on.”
She looks up to see an archivist that she never learned the name of, and a gothic elven woman gripping a book and a raven on her shoulder. The woman reminds her of the people she saw while in the shadow realm a few months ago when taking down one of the keys.
“Hi, I'm Prism Grimpoppy, I am from the Emon archive and wanted to do more research about the ley lines and how they were affected by the Apoge…”
“Yeah yeah yeah, come in, sit down.” As Beau signaled her to sit down across from her. She was already tired today and wished she could be home with her wife, but there is always more work to do.
“I was dispatched by the soul when everything happened, but I wanted to get more information on the Ley Lines and what they did. They brought me to you once I looked through all the recounts in Emon and Vasselheim…..” The girl kept talking and was starting to give Beau a headache from the peppy attitude.
Suddenly she remembered that Essek was currently in the building, as they had tea this morning, and she had overheard way too many conversations about the ley lines between him and Caleb.
Cutting Prism off from her ramblings, “I know an archivist here that has talked my ear off about the ley lines, come with me.” She quickly gets up and gets to the door faster than Prism can comprehend. Once she catches up to what is going on she takes Prism to an alcove that Essek unofficially claimed.
Deep in his books, a disguised Essek doesn't even notice Beau round the corner. She takes the opportunity given to her.
“HEY HOT BOI”
A yelp comes from him as he jumps out of his seat.
“BEAUREGARD”
“HA, I love making you jump, listen there's a mage with me from the Emon archive that wants to talk about ley lines, can you take her from here.” She doesn't let his scowl stop her from pushing Prism into his alcove. “Prism this is Es..Seth Domade, he can answer all your questions and probably more, anyway thanks dude I owe you one, goodbye!”
Leaving Prism to stand in front of a human man, mouth agape but clearly used to the attitude from the Expositor.
She holds a hand out to him to shake his hand.
“Prism Grimpoppy, high mage of the Emon Archive.”
He looks up to her and shakes her hand in kind.
“Pleasure. Come sit, what did you want to know about the ley lines?”
They sit and talk for hours. The way he talks is so knowledgeable and resourceful that even Dynios doesn't make any quips. He talks like he has been studying for longer than a human could be alive, but she didn't want to come off as rude.
Yet something wasn't adding up.
“I didn't get to experience the entirety of the last Apogee Solstice as I was still a child but nevertheless I did read about it.”
The math wasn't adding up to her, but she kept asking questions.
“I have been trying to create a spell that is like Sending, but more advanced to give the user more words to play with.” At that his eyebrows went up, yet his eyes looked distant like he was remembering something.
“I was wondering with your expertise, if you would help me with it as you have so much knowledge on the ley lines.”
She grabbed Dynios, earning an umph from him, and opened up to a page full of notes about advancing sending. They dive into the creation of the spell and she learns more from him than any other mage she had met.
He grabs a scrap of paper and starts writing down rune sequences that she has never seen before and explaining magic that she never heard of. She didn't want to stop him because it might be an Exandrian thing that she just hasn't learned yet, but it was starting to get confusing as time went on. She finally was so confused, that she had to bring it up.
“What is that rune there? I don't think I have seen that school of magic before.”
He looks up to where she is pointing and his face immediately drains of color.
“Um, well, uh…”
Before he could explain, a familiar green and gold stone hand reaches for the books and snaps them shut to get their attention.
“Sup hot boi, I was told you were…” Prism turns to see Ashton, a face she hasn't seen since the Solstice. “Prism? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Marquet?” They grab her shoulder tightly with the magma hand.
“I was brought here to learn about the ley lines, and was brought to Archivist Domade to help me with a spell that would allow more than 25 words at a time.”
Ashton laughed uproariously.
“Oh don't tell Jester about that, she would have a field day. I'm surprised she hasn't asked her god to give her more words.”
Seth laughs with his head in his hands.
“If we thought that Da’leth was unstoppable, Jester with more words per Sending would be apocalyptic.”
Prism laughs, not knowing who Jester is, but trying to be cool around Ashton and Seth. She wants to ask about the rune again, and why Seth acted that way.
“Widogast sent me to make sure you have eaten, which seeing all the paper here you clearly haven't so…” Ashton grabs all of the paper and books and shoves it into Seth's haversack. “Let’s go get grub, you're welcome to come with Prism, whenever I come over Widogast makes enough for ten.”
Ashton basically grabs both of the wizards and pulls them out of the stacks, into the city of Rexxentrum. Seth looks exasperated, but has a fond smile as he is pulled along through the streets. Prism had never been to Rexxentrum, but knows all about the Assembly and knows a little bit about its background.
She and Ashton catch up on what has been happening to them, and what they have seen as they walk, leaving Seth to his thoughts for a while.
They soon arrive at a cozy cottage with a vibrant garden of plants, clearly not native to the city. Seth opens the door with a mage hand and enters with Ashton and Prism in tow.
“Caleb, we have guests!” Seth yells, as he enters the doorway, greeting two cats as he enters.
“Hallo Leibling, I sent Ashton to get you, but…” A man in his early 40s with red hair rounds the walkway to see the three of them. “Ach, hallo? Who might this be?” He stares questioning at Prism, eyes sliding to Seth while twisting a silver ring on his finger.
Ashton, seeing the tension, decides to break it, not wanting a wizard battle, closing the front door.
“This is Prism, we met when we all got shunted from the key in Marquet, she works for the Soul and was asking Es…Seth about the leylines and something about making Sending more powerful.” Breaking the tension between the lovebirds and their mental conversation Ashton knew they were having.
“Ah well, let me grab another plate, we were just about to have dinner. Herr Greymore, if you could show our new friend to the living area, that would be excellent.”
Ashton grabs Prism, pulling her to the living area where the cats are now resting in front of the fireplace. Prism sits on a comfy couch and notices the distinct feeling of powerful magical wards on the cottage, causing an uneasy feeling in her gut, making her think back to how Seth reacted to her pointing out that rune.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, furious whispers go on as a table is set.
“Leibling are you ok? You look as if there was a close call.”
After a few seconds of pacing around the kitchen, Essek looks to his partner.
“I fucked up, I was so entranced in making a new spell, I added a dunamantic rune, now shes asking questions, I don't know what to do…”
Caleb scoops the still disguised Essek into a hug, giving him a kiss on the forehead. He starts to laugh at the situation, and Essek gives him a scowl.
“Caleb this is serious.”
“You really do share magic with anyone don't you.”
Essek huffs.
“I think it will be fine, if Ashton knows her, and she is known in the Soul she can keep a secret, besides, you have been wanting an assistant at the soul for your research, this could be a good thing. Plus, I might actually learn Sending if you do figure out a way…”
Caleb was cut off by a gasp from his partner.
“You would finally learn Sending!? After all these years?” Essek takes himself out of Caleb's arms and finds the extra plate for Prism to put on the table, grabbing another wine glass and utensils.
“Out of everything Becke and I fight about, the only thing we agree on is making you learn sending, and you have tried so hard to dismiss it, AND THIS is what will make you learn it! Unbelievable!”
Essek walks down to the basement, laughing in disbelief as he gets a wine bottle. Caleb hears short, muffled incantations and words that he assumes are going to his old friend about him finally learning sending. Caleb shakes his head in disbelief as he goes to formally greet their new guest.
“Sorry about that, we were terribly rude. My name is Caleb Widogast and this is my home.” He says to Prism as she stands from sitting.
“Prism Grimpoppy, high mage of the Cobalt Soul.”
Ashton laughs, knowing she rehearsed this several times.
“Dinner is ready when you would like to join us in the dining room, Seth is getting some wine from the cellar.”
He turns to the dining room as Essek comes up, giggling from his sending.
“Becke says it's about time, she's tired of using her spell slots on you.”
“Shes tired of using a lot of things on me.”
Caleb grabs the wine out of Seth's hands and uses a bit of flame to pop the cork, giving him back the wine.
Prism stares at the two wizards, entranced by the use of magic for small things, but coming back to herself hearing the name of a member of the Assembly.
“Are you talking about the Archmage of Civil Influence?”
Caleb and Seth freeze at the title, as Ashton comes into the dining room with a pot of stew balancing in their magma hand and a plate with a loaf of bread in the other.
“Oh that lady from the smut shop? I have been meaning to ask you about that.”
Caleb seems to snort at the imagery in his head, rubbing his hand across his face.
“Ja, the same one. Why do you ask Prism?”
They all sit down at the table as Ashton puts down the food and Seth pours the wine.
“I have collectors cards of all the Assembly members!”
She goes to grab them out of her bag when she hears a roaring laugh come from Caleb and Seth. She looks up to find Caleb laughing with his head back and Seth putting down the wine bottle so it doesn't drop. Ashton is giggling to themself, as they doll out soup for everyone.
“That's funny, I will tell her about that when I see her next. She will be thrilled to hear that she has a trading card.”
Caleb says, clutching his chest.
“Show me after our meal, I would also love to see what you and my partner were working on earlier.”
At the mention of the spell, she quickly thinks about the rune, but is cut off by Ashton again.
“No spellwork at the dinner table, that's the whole point of why I stay here.”
They stare at the two wizards across from them like a parent scolding a child.
“And here I thought you stayed here for us to learn what we did to your head.”
Caleb says, still laughing to himself about the trading cards.
“Forgive us, we get so enamored by magic we forget ourselves. Ashton has taken it upon themselves to make sure we don't die of starvation when they come to visit us.” He nods to Ashton. “Where are you from if I may ask?”
And from there they fall into a conversation about the shadow plane and their visits. Seth sat quietly, as they talked about pasts and home, until Caleb nudged him, telling him in his mind that his disguise had only ten minutes left.
“Ah, Prism, I apologize for the confusion earlier, but I am not who I say I am and I feel that I have misguided you.”
Caleb and Ashton freeze as they watch Prism's reaction for anything. She puts down her glass of wine, trying to think of what to say next, utterly failing at trying to act smooth.
“I had a feeling you weren't human.”
Everyone looks at her in confusion at what she said.
“Shit, that wasn't what I meant, uh, I meant that the way you talked about the last solstice made it seem that you have lived longer than a normal human would. You spoke like you were there, not recounting what other people have said.”
Essek thinks back to that conversation, remembering him saying he was alive during that time. He lets his head fall in his hands. He was the Shadowhand, a spy master, and he got so excited about leylines that he forgot he was disguised as a human.
Giggling beside him was Caleb, knowing that he would never let go of the fact he messed up two times in one night. Essek pulls his head out of his hands and flicks his wrist to dispel the disguise of Seth Domade.
“Ach, there he is.” Caleb whispers from his side, causing Essek to give him a smirk and a side eye.
“Prism, my name is Essek, glad to finally meet you.” He puts out his hand to formally introduce himself.
Prism shakes his hand, not looking surprised at him being drow.
“Nice to finally meet you too! This makes a lot of sense now.”
All four of them laugh.
Ashton rises from the table grabbing the plates and pots as they go to get dessert they brought from the Coast that was currently in the icebox. They come back to the wizards talking about the spell, papers already on the table, they decide quickly that this needs more wine and sets off to the cellar. When they come back, they are talking about dunamatic theory and teaching Prism the basics of dunamis. They eventually drag them in to show Prism his head and how magic interacts with it.
Caleb eventually sits back watching the three of them discuss and talk about magic while poking at Ashton's head, and he smiles, knowing that Essek has found others that weren't the Nein, and he smiles.