dark scrying

[make_opportunity]

Maurabel ignores her classmates, by and large. She most especially ignores them when she is on the path that leads to the elemental barracks, because on those occasions they are more likely than usual to laugh at her.

She has considered their arguments, insofar as they have any, and they're nonsense, so now she ignores them. As best she can, anyway.

The amulet-minder knows her, too, and doesn't stop her on her way in to ask what element she wants the way he would anyone else. She'll take an amulet on the way out, probably. (Usually.)

She lets herself in and starts scanning the population. She saw two Shadows out flying on her way in, which means unless nobody else has one checked out, the selection's going to be pretty thin. She can use another element if she needs to, though. She doesn't need to do dark scrying specifically for this project - in fact, she could work entirely out of her personal affinities, if they wouldn't give her the time of day - dark scrying just interests her and she doesn't have enough of her own Shadow affinity to pull it off alone.

She counts Shadows, assessing how much time it's going to cost her to get the willing help of whichever feels like working "cheapest" today - and she sees an unfamiliar face.

A nearby Water leans in the new Shadow's direction. Maurabel stands back politely, hands clasped behind her, and lets her talk to him.

"That's the weird one I told you about," Water whispers to Shadow. "The one who makes it all - transactional, has all these fussy rules for herself."

When Water appears to be done talking to Shadow, Maurabel takes a couple of steps forward.

"Hello, Shadow," she says gently. "I'm Maurabel. Looks like you're new. I'll leave you alone if you want me to but I would like to talk to you. Do you prefer to just be called Shadow and told apart from the others with your university checkout number, or do you have a name you like?"

Comments

[just_a_shadow]

"Okay," he says quietly.

[make_opportunity]

"Okay. I'm sorry," she says helplessly, and she shuts the door and heads for the library.

She is pretty sure that guy was not using Shadow for any - "on label" purpose. The university is actually pretty good about cracking down on people who try to use the shared elementals in fighting rings or to do any chore details they've accumulated for disciplinary problems, but as long as it's not finals week and there isn't a desperate shortage of elementals to go around, there's negligible oversight otherwise. Just don't return them physically damaged or take five of them at once and you're golden.

A few hundred mage students, perfectly controllable basically humanoid creatures at their fingertips. Some of them, Maurabel doesn't know how many, add two and two and get as long as it's not finals week I can totally use 'em as sex toys.

She flops into an armchair at the library and writes until she can unclench her jaw.

[just_a_shadow]

When she returns, she will find that to all appearances, Shadow has not moved from his corner.

[make_opportunity]

"Brought you a jelly bun from the cafeteria if you want it. If you don't I can give it to somebody else when we go back," she says softly.

[just_a_shadow]

...He peers at the alleged jelly bun.

[make_opportunity]

She holds it out in his direction.

[just_a_shadow]

Tentatively, he accepts it.

[make_opportunity]

"Don't have to go just yet if you'd rather," she murmurs. "Cutoff for getting back in the dorm isn't till midnight, it's just the library that closes early."

[just_a_shadow]

Nod.

Nibble nibble.


He ventures to ask, "Do you know what happened?"

[make_opportunity]

"I only have guesses. I don't know that guy or rumors about him or anything."

[just_a_shadow]

"It's... something that used to happen a lot, where I came from," he says. "I thought not everybody would be like that. I guess not everybody is, but - still some."

[make_opportunity]

"I don't have numbers for you on how many it is. If he bothers you specifically a lot, seems focused on you, and has anything resembling a predictable schedule for it, I can try to get you first at the relevant times and keep you out of his way - there's not much I can do if it's irregular or spread out."

[just_a_shadow]

He nods. He nibbles his jelly bun.

[make_opportunity]

Maurabel starts fussing with miscellaneous objects on her desk more or less aimlessly.

"I'm sorry."

[just_a_shadow]

"I didn't know that was a thing that happened," he murmurs. "People being sorry for us, I mean."

[make_opportunity]

"There's a decent population who'd lump you in with - puppies or something, and object to blatantly mistreating you for similar reasons. I haven't found any more of me."

[just_a_shadow]

"Maybe there just aren't any."

[make_opportunity]

"Well, there's me. I don't think I'm a literal freak of nature."

[just_a_shadow]

He doesn't have anything to say to that.

[make_opportunity]

Maurabel flops her head onto her arms on her desk, having fiddled-with-items to the point where there is a space clear for this behavior.

[just_a_shadow]

"We could go back now," he says.

[make_opportunity]

She gets up. "Okay."

Out into the hall, down the stairs, out of the building, into the network of campus paths.

[just_a_shadow]

Shadow follows, quietly. He is good at quiet.

[make_opportunity]

He is so heartbreakingly good at quiet.

She makes sure the amulet is clear and hands it over to the minder.

[just_a_shadow]

And Shadow returns to the elemental barracks. Quietly.