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

[make_opportunity]

"Okay. So that's - straightforward on my end, anyway."

[just_a_shadow]

"Yes."

Light returns, what little there is of it in the room. He lets go.

[make_opportunity]

"I think I'd better keep you checked out overnight. If I return you to the night attendant he's more likely to think it's weird since I'm usually not there at night."

[just_a_shadow]

"Okay."

[make_opportunity]

"And then you and Fire can have your reunion right away as long as it's quiet - and I'd like to get some sleep before class even if it's only a few hours."

[just_a_shadow]

He nods. "We can be quiet," he murmurs.

[make_opportunity]

"Okay. You can get me right next to where the amulet is? It'll be obvious?"

[just_a_shadow]

"I can scry it first to show you if that'll help. But I think it's pretty obvious."

[make_opportunity]

"Scrying it can't hurt."

[just_a_shadow]

"Okay."

[make_opportunity]

Maurabel sits down and shuts her eyes and taps him. "You're gonna have to steer this one."

[just_a_shadow]

"I know."

He does.

It's extremely disorienting when he moves the viewpoint through the shadow spaces - a place of perfect darkness, with whirling uncolours and warped dimensionality. But it doesn't take long; he knows where he's going.

And then they're looking at a room, dimly lit by a lamp on the wall; the shadows are deep enough for them to clearly see the placement of all the furniture, including a table with a small pile of books next to a closed box that's easily big enough to hold ten or twelve elemental amulets. Shadow focuses their dark scry on it, but even if he hadn't, it's obvious from its prominent placement and the lack of any other boxes nearby that it's the one.

[make_opportunity]

It doesn't look locked.

"You expect Fire will be in the basement himself when we land?"

[just_a_shadow]

"Yeah. In the next room," he says, aiming their viewpoint at the relevant door. "That's where we're - where he's kept."

[make_opportunity]

She opens her eyes, having gotten her wacky-colored bearings in the target location.

"I am trusting you very far on knowing about how he's going to react to this. How long did you know each other? How certain are you I'm not going to wind up having to decide between letting him tell the police something and shutting him up by force?"

[just_a_shadow]

"I've known him all my life," says Shadow. "We were caught together. I know how much he'd want someone to steal him and what he'd do to stay stolen."

[make_opportunity]

Maurabel writes some more.

Eventually she says, "Okay, I'm out of questions. Any preferences how we pass the time between now and then?"

[just_a_shadow]

He shrugs. "No."

[make_opportunity]

"Okay."

Apparently that means homework. She scrawls out an essay on nice looseleaf in nice ink with nice handwriting.

[just_a_shadow]

Shadow sits in a corner on the floor and doesn't do anything.

[make_opportunity]

"You can read any of my books. Or eat the snacks in the drawer. If you want," she reminds him.

[just_a_shadow]

He nods.

He continues not to do anything.

[make_opportunity]

Yeah, she kind of expected that.

She stays up late.

Eventually the clock says it's time. She closes her book. She stands up.

[just_a_shadow]

Shadow stands up too.

[make_opportunity]

"In, out, explanations wait till we're here," she says. "Okay?"