Orientation and Familiarization [Yeti!]

[Whim]

@Yeti

Saoirse's office was a vast solarium overlooking Wyrdwood's courtyard and the mountains beyond. It was big, with a two-story personal library and each previous headmaster immortalized in bust. Book by book she had the Library re-organized to her liking, the previous headmasters' accolades and portraits shuffled off to the attics. Making the office her's, of course, was a small thing; having books and portraits and accolades that would be remembered forever was quite another.

And that was why she invited the Ape.

The Headmistress had Llewellyn's latest manuscript neatly annotated and spread across her desk. There were keys to his quarters, a list of courses he was to teach, past instructor notes, instructions for requisitioning research materials, and numerous other minutia. Llewellyn's joining them was a done deal, of course, and this was mostly a matter of setting tone. Just how much of their animal selves did familiars retain after all? It was no matter. The important thing was that Wyrdwood had a wizard who could bring the study of familiars and Eidolons to new heights, and that absurd little wreck of a college in Arca did not. That was the sort of thing that won you immortality. The real kind. Being remembered. But where was he?

Elwin, Saoirse's portly and bespectacled apprentice, stood neatly at attention outside her door. Waiting nervously and beginning to pale. Had he forgotten send a confirmation confirming they received Llewellyn's confirmation?

[Yeti]

It had been an unorthodox trip, mainly avoiding the main roads and shy of relying on any maps or compass. He'd flipped open his pocket watch, unaware that the old busted heirloom was roughly ten minutes behind, closed it, and crept along a line of branch until he had a good view of the open window. The trees rustled in a cool burst of wind, ruffling his coat, a couple leaves whistling by his snout. Honestly, he had not required any map. The strong pulse of magic that emanated from the ancient castle was so thick, he could have navigated towards it blind-folded.

It's amazing, isn't it? Llewellyn wanted to shake the branch and whoop, but reigned it in. This was a scholarly environment, and it required a professional touch. He just shook the branch gently instead.

After double-checking the pocket watch, Llewellyn took a deep breath and hopped off the tree branch. His hands found the ledge by the window and he quickly pulled himself up and over, spilling into a corridor. Quickly, he fixed his robes and hat and adjusted his travel pack, bearing in mind to stand up straight as a board. If he'd timed it right, he was two minutes early. And he wanted to make a good first impression!

As he straightened his hat, his eyes darted around, searching the hallway for a sign of where he needed to go. "Let's see, if my trajectory was correct I should be just about..." Turning around, it was only then that he'd noticed somebody standing there. Just outside the doors he meant to enter. "Oh! Pardon me, Sir. Is this the Headmaster's office? I believe I have an appointment."

[Whim]

Elwin heart was pounding with anticipation. He'd been waiting and waiting for this. He'd double- and tripple- checked everything and was quite sure the arrangements were all correct, of course being so excited he may have overlooked something important. And here he was. Llewellyn.

The senior apprentice was expecting Llewellyn to be bigger. The taxonomy of exotic fauna was something he recalled from past studies, of course, though you simply assumed ground apes to be big rather than gangly. "Oh! Yes! Master Llewellyn, yes? We, rather, Magistrix Nettlefield has been expecting you. Welcome to Wyrdwood!" Elwin tittered with restrained excitement, extending and then retracting a hand as if unsure of whether or not to shake. There was a silence the portly mage simply stood there, smiling stupidly and blocking the door.

The polite thing to do, as a subordinate, would simply be to show Llewellyn to the Magistrix and be done with it all. Of course Elwin had gone over in his head a thousand times how he would come up with a very clever question for Llewellyn and they'd talk and laugh and make conversation as they entered the Magistrix's office. He had written what he wanted to ask on a card and had the card in his pocket. But you couldn't every well go fishing cards from your pocket to read at people, could you? "Ah- oh! I have read all of your work. Well maybe not all, as I'm sure there things you've just written, but a lot. I had been interested to know what you thought about the bond between master and familiar - wizard and familiar I mean! - and what the potency of the familiar's own power says about the master's? What if there is, for example, a kind of imbalance where the familiar has powerful sorcerery and wizard does not? Is that simple happenstance or-?" his heart was pounding again. "And sorry! I'm Elwin by the way. I'm Headmistress Nettlefield's apprentice."

***

Saoirse heard excited chatter from beyond the door. Of course it was that useless boy. Saoirse had really never cared much for subordinates managing any of her affairs, so his work suited her fine, provided he was not getting in the way and bumbling. She would simply need to suffer it. His was a token position created to please House Stormbane. M did love to titillate her with his schemes in Altas Verde. Of course, she knew well that simply knowing was a risk by itself. Thoughts and memories were vulnerable as ink. Trading in favors was the essence of her work.

Elwin was simply a bigger favor than anticipated.

[Yeti]

Giddiness, Llewellyn assumed, was probably contagious. What else would explain the boy's sudden burst of excitement at his approach? He could only watch in vague amusement at the sudden onslaught of queries, attempting only twice to interject but swiftly cut down by more and more questions.

"Ah you see-"

"Oh it's quite simp- hm."

Well, sometimes patience was a virtue. The boy - Elwin, as the boy finally introduced himself - seemed like a very interesting fellow. If he wasn't about to be late for the biggest meeting in his entire academic career, he would have been happy to answer everything right then and there, one question at a time. He carefully reached to take Elwin's hand in an attempt at giving a firm but gentle handshake.

"You seem like quite the curious type. I respect that inquisitive spirit! Inquiry is the essence of ingenuity after all. And I am flattered to hear my work so well-regarded by someone! It is quite the honor to meet you Elwin." He bowed his head in greeting, "Of course I would love to poke your brain at a later date, perhaps once I've settled in here at the Academy. Unfortunately I am pressed for time at the moment..." As he rose up from his bow, his eyes drifted to the door.

It appeared Elwin wasn't the only one who's heart was hammering.

[Whim]

Of course I would love to poke your brain at a later date.

Just splendid! This was really happening; and it was all going so perfectly! Of course you had to set a time for this sort of thing. You just couldn't say, "oh, whenver" or everyone would forget. The Bespectacled youth reached into his pocket for a little black book, dog-eared and ink stained, and began ruffling the pages. "Oh! What time is good? I'm sure your schedule is more booked than mine. I could likely move some things around, of course. The onyl thing really set in stone is the thirteenth when I have to do a spot of tutoring.

"My- my first class I'm teaching! Oh, I have quite a bit of i-information on my own Eidolon! Ah, if only he were here." The youth beamed with pride.

And with that the door clicked open. Saorise was a tall and statuesque woman despite her age, in a formal and starchy robe that was adorned with various stoles, mantles, and other accolades from a lifetimes work. Most senior faculty would opt for something more comfortable. The wizardess offered a polite smile, and a bow of her head. "Professor Llewellyn. It is such a pleasure to meet you face to face after all this time," she gently extended a hand for him to shake.

"And I am so sorry to have kept you waiting. The time simply escaped me." Though she did not lose her smile, a pair of cold violet eyes lingered on Elwin to make a point.

[Yeti]

The door clicked open and he gazed up and up at the tall woman who strode out. Llewellyn's heart fluttered. It was like an entire dwarven mine was working on his nerves. For here was the one who ran the entire establishment; A real life Magister!

"Ah, Headmistress Nettlefield." Llewellyn's fur bristled. Not due to agitation, but the excitement welling up in his chest. He gathered himself (he had a feeling he'd be gathering himself a lot today), reaching out and shaking her hand. "The pleasure is all mine. I have heard so much about the Academy. It is an honor to be able to stand within its halls today."

Catching her gaze, his eyes drifted back towards Elwin. Had he been impolite? Llewellyn tried again. "Ah, right. I do believe I'll be available during any open lab hours or around class schedule. Perhaps once I am aware of that schedule of course." He chuckled, looking towards the headmistress again.

"He is an exuberant person. Enthusiasm is something I don't find too often unfortunately."

[Whim]

Elwin stood beside Llewellyn and Saoirse, listening with a placid smile, and it took some moments to register he wasn't really a part of the conversation. "I'll be, ah, going. It was nice, um..." he trailed off, scurrying out of the room and to his desk outside. Thank Myyla that Skugg wasn't here to chide him!

***

She cast a smirk at the baboon as her apprentice departed. "Enthusiasm can be hard to manage without discipline to reign it in.

"But the pleasure is ours. It is always a rare thing to find wizards willing to share their knowledge, instead of bottling it up. More the pity it is Serendipity's one strength." She drifted to her desk, motioning the baboon to a chair. The thought of a baboon sitting on it made her cringe internally, though she hid it well. Wizards who spent too much time as animals usually lost their manners and grooming; surely apes were no different. But what could one do?

"I suppose the matter of scheduling is a fair enough place to begin." She slid a care calendar, written in five different inks, across her desk. Several courses were marked off: everything from the simplest tutorials on dishwashing cantrips, to courses on the secretory properties of Adelan dragon glands. "Conjuration of Transdimensional Fauna is a staple for the younger grades. You could take some sessions of that if you think it is suitable. Or prepare an elective for more advanced students.

"It really depends on what you hope to achieve this year." She leaned across the desk, tenting her fingers, trying to get the actual measure of their newest faculty. He seemed overly cheery and polite, but so was everyone. Did he have ambition? Plans to fill students' heads with strange ideas?

[Yeti]

Listening intently, Llewellyn hopped up on to the chair. Although he couldn't exactly keep posture like a human, instead he sat on his haunches atop the chair and neatly folded his hands on the desk, tail half-curled around his feet. Hopefully his cloak made it difficult to see.

Not that it was wrong of him to be physically unable to follow all courtesies of human mannerisms. Most furniture was simply designed for humans and fully bipedal folk. He'd simply have to adjust accordingly. It was the pressure to be perfect for his first day. He needed to be as honorable as any other mage in his position. There were high standards here at stake!

He looked over the list, nodding. "Ah, Transdimensional Fauna... I would not mind taking on a session or two. It is imperative that younger students learn to conjure safely and successfully." He pointed at the neatly written table to further display his point, "I think an elective would suit my endeavors as well. My goal, Headmistress, with all due respect, is to teach the next generation of wizards the appreciation of a magical world, willing to work with them - not for them."

There was a peculiar glint in his eye now as he added on, "I think perhaps a class on Familiarization, for those who are in agreement with or beset by a magically-enhanced companion. It would be a direct way to train mages to better work with their companions I believe. I would also be interested in a class on Anomalous Phenomena or Magical Beasts, depending on what would work in the school's best interests of course."

"I may be getting ahead of myself though. I do not wish to impose as it is my first time being here... What do you think?"

[Whim]

Saoirse listened intently, stopping only to sip a cup of tea which had long gone cold. Warming it would be rude. And the tea was ruined. But Llewellyn was certainly animated. She had to deal with far too many fossils convinced their one minuscule area of magic was the apotheosis of humanity. "I'll begin setting the wheels in motion for the electives. The bond of wizard and familiar is - as you say - understudied and underappreciated. But most of all its very good to have a new Magister who is as interested in shaping young minds as some esoteric area of discovery. The latter is rather pointless if you cannot disseminate it to shape a larger world, hm?"

"A magical world that works with but not for us." She paused at his phrasing, carefully considering a question of her own. "I can appreciate your thoughts on the matter. Unseamly to go tearing spirits from their home in the reals beyond.

"But some of our older families will be concerned if certain, ah, aggressive values are not being instilled in younger students. How would you assuage their concerns?" She took another sip of tea. It was terrible.

[Yeti]

"Well," Llewellyn paused briefly, thinking carefully on his response. Older families were a mixed bag when it came to persuading them to think outside of tradition. He could understand the Headmaster's concern. To him, some of the older families were bastions of leading the magical world through example. Yet many others were more within the realm of pushy, plastic packaged pish-posh. In other words, completely inept when it came to thinking forward!

"Ah, I suppose the results would have to speak for themselves. But I can say I would not step on their toes too much. Surely not when I have only just set my foot in the door! My intentions are not harmful, surely not aggressive, and I will do my utmost to ensure that the students will still enjoy a traditional education befitting Wyrdwood."

Adjusting his hat, he attempted to give a human grin to Nettlefield. It was a habit that when he wanted to ease someone's concerns, he'd try to use that fairly positive human facial cue. Smiles were contagious after all.

His nose wrinkled a bit, catching a whiff of the tea. There was no steam coming from the cup. "Would you like me to warm that for you, Headmistress? I know a heating cantrip that might help."

[Whim]

"Traditional education. Good." She offered a wry smile, "Shows you have sense. As a Magister you can say and do as you please of course. I'm glad you're not the sort to let it go their head. It can still draw unnecessary scrutiny."

"Appreciated but quite alright. It's never the same when it's reheated." She pursed her lips. That boy should have offered tea, or she would have if not for the distraction. Shameful. But is that why Llewellyn was grinning? How vexing. "But please. You must forgive me for not offering. Would you like a cup?"

"Barring that I think a tour is in order. We've a floor of the East Tower open, and a room in the Vaults, whichever suits your needs." Isolated enough for Conjuration, but she did not say. "And we'll have you sent information on Transdimensional Fauna, and begin setting up your elective."

[Yeti]

"Ah, I'm quite alright but thank you for the offer." Settling back, Llewellyn perked at the chance to begin a tour of the grounds. They'd be exploring Wyrdwood? Well he should have guessed. Of course they would be. It was still strange to him that he was beginning employment here. Like being offered a dream job. He needed to get used to the new title and everything.

"Sounds wonderful. I would love a tour." He was already hopping off the chair, landing on all fours briefly before attempting once again to stand on his hind legs. For the fifteenth time this afternoon, he smoothed out his wizardly robes and readied himself.

[Whim]

Nettlefield rose, ordering the scrolls on her desk into a neat pile before walking them to the door. "Most of this wing is just records, a rather dull affair. I suspect something will need to be done, eventually, but one thousand years of graduates need to be filed away someplace. The real purpose of this place is to shape the next minds of Serendipity into something worthwhile. Detailed records of our alumni's accomplishments, lineages, and ultimate fates are important to that. Or at the very least an endorsement of our worth." 

"The rest of the Magisters should be about for a dinner, by the way and-" the door clicked open.

Elwin was standing at attention near the door, arms clasped. "Hello Headmistress, Professor Llewellyn! You're, um, going on the tour I suppose? I could take you! I know a few, um, shortcuts..." Nettlefield's apprentice beamed. The headmistress fixed a withering stare on him, not responding.

A gray squirrel sat atop Elwin's desk, round black eyes flickering from Elwin to Saoirse to Llewellyn. It chittered, in a secret language known only to animals and his wizard. "Oh yes. Show him all the secret passages in the castle. Mind you he'll end up huffing and puffing and late if he goes your way. Perhaps, and this is truly a novel Idea I know, you should consider doing your work?" Elwin glanced to the squirrel, face pale with alarm.

[Yeti]

"Oh, hello again." Llewellyn's head popped up from bottom left behind Nettlefield at the door. His eyes shot from Elwin to the squirrel perched atop the desk.

So that explained where the boy's enthusiasm in his work stemmed from.

He chuckled, "Is this your familiar? Nice to meet you." A quick bow to the grey squirrel, then snapped back up and turned to the both of them, stepping past the headmistress and into the hallway. Ever eager to begin the tour, he was already in the midst of picking a starting direction.

"I don't suppose I'd mind the company between the three of you, if that is alright, Headmistress?" It was best to play a neutral party when it came to social things. At least he'd surmised this when he'd last been stuck between two opposing factions.

And he was already starting to walk.

[Whim]

"Oh! Yes! I'd love to come-"

"I think it will just be the two of us. It would be an unfortunate thing if my office were left unattended., and unexpected guests, messages, or letters could not be received - don't you think?" Saoirse gave Elwin a withering stare, ignoring that it was Llewellyn who offered the invitation.

It took a moment for that to sink in before the journeyman mage paced to his desk. He shuffled an assortment of mostly upside-down pages to try and look busy. Skugg's big black eyes were meanwhile fixed on Llewellyn, showing a mixture of intense curiosity and indignant shock. How? Why not me? How?!

***

Llewellyn was given a cursory tour as they departed Saoirse's office. The central keep was used for administration and functions, of course, with offices and quarters for the Magisters in the floors above. The East Tower was to be Llewellyn's. The headmistress did, ever so briefly, mumble that the Magister of Glamour had previously occupied the space and made some unfortunate modifications still in the process of being sorted. She was a bit quiet beyond that.

"We can go to Vault III, now, if you want to inspect your laboratory." They had descended the big staircase into the entry-hall of the keep. Its great bronze doors were propped open on account of the heat to reveal the central courtyard. It was mostly sparse, with some students returned for the summer and and very junior mages lounging about. The grass was green, the gardens along the cobbled paths in full bloom. "I suppose you'll want to see the actual Wyrdwood? Now that you're named Magister you can see it for what it is.

"That is if you've heard of it. Its less of a curiosity than it used to be." At the very center of the courtyard was an enormous apple tree. It was like something out of a painting or storybook, with long, spindly branches and crisp green apples hanging from each. Upon closer inspection something was, quite surely, off about it. None of its fruit had ever dropped to the ground. And it seemed almost too symmetrical...

[Yeti]

Although Llewellyn would be a little confused as to why the boy and his familiar would not accompany them, he was grateful for the tour none the less. The campus was a tangle of a map to follow, and he was trying his best to memorize every path they took stepping from the Headmistress's office.

It was also a beautiful place in Llewellyn's eyes. An abundance of magical auras surrounded him, concentrated from all the magical students and faculty in attendance here. He could get used to this. It was quite nice, quite safe.

His gaze soon fell on the tree in the distance, pausing there, contemplative of it. Now there was a strange magical signature. Even from afar his fur began to bristle. He simply had to check it out.

"I would love to." He mused, "I've heard of it. My old master..." He stopped himself, as if distracted for a moment, before continuing. "...Well, I've heard of it. Along with many of the legends surrounding Serendipity. I'd love to take a look."