A Magician Never Reveals Her Secrets (Quaggan!)

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Plutonius nodded, a confident smirk on his face. Mounting his broomstick, the boy outstretched both of his arms. Arthur and Ria would find themselves pulled towards him, as if his hands were magnetic. "Alright guys! I'm kicking off!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arriving at the sixth floor's balcony, Arthur was released from Plutonius's grasp. Almost immediately the pillowheaded boy doubled over, desperately trying to not vomit. Plutonius had insisted on taking detours to show of his tricks, and being dragged along for that many loops and corkscrews had taken it's toll on Arthur's stomach. "Th-hrk-thanks Pluto..." he said quietly, choking back vomit. "I appreciate it..."

Plutonius beamed. "No problem guys! You need anything else before I leave for my next class?"

[quaggan]

 "Woo-hoo!"

Ria spent the entire aerial journey cheering loudly until all breath in his lungs was spent. His behaviour probably only ended up encouraging Plutonius to show off even more. That lengthened their journey, but probably the only one concerned was Arthur - after all, they had plenty of time!

As they reached the balcony, Ria waved at Plutonius to release him and landed gracefully on the ground. "Thanks, Pluto! You're the best!" he grinned. He sneaked one hand into a well-concealed pocket of his robe to pull out a small comb and immediately began fixing his hair. Perhaps he should get a protective enchantment for it as well.

He peeked over the balcony. There were already some people gathered underneath, cheering on Plutonius' display and waving at him. Some girls were shouting lines like 'Take me along too!' and while Ria didn't mind some well-deserved attention, too much noise could make Professor Zinc even crankier than he already was. "I don't mind, but it looks like some of your fans want to see more."

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Looking over the balcony, Plutonius's eyes widened. The young man hopped onto his broom, standing on it as one would a surfboard. "Alright!" he said, grinning wildly. "My fans need me!"

With one final wave goodbye, Plutonius sped off to the adoring cheers of the crowd. Arthur slowly stood up, looking even more pald than he usually did. "Okay... I think I'm..." The boy covered his mouth and gagged, a pained expression on his face. "I think I'll be fine..."

The pillowheaded boy slowly began to make his way to the hall, beckoning for Ria to follow. "C'mon, we can't watch Pluto's tricks all day!"

[quaggan]

 Plutonius really looked good on his broom - the adoring fans were in for a treat. Once again, Ria wondered what was his friend doing with his hair - it was a miracle that it never got knotted or ruined. He should totally ask him about it one day.

Arthur's voice brought him back from the reverie. Right - he could admire Pluto's skills later - it wasn't like he would suddenly lose his virtuoso gift with the broom. He broke in a jog to reach the pillowheaded boy - he doubted that he was about to be left behind, but they were still inside Wyrdwood - they could be about to be separated by a crowd of just released students! And what would he do then?

When he reached the boy, he noticed that Arthur was still looking a bit green. "Why won't you enchant your stomach to be... stronger?" he asked. "Isn't this within the limits of your people-enchanting magic?"

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

"Um..." Arthur's walking slowed. "N...no. That's not what it does."

Arthur's magic was a touchy subject for him- as he saw it, the ability he was born with was the cause of all his woes. Had he simply been normal, he would had never had to go to this stupid school, his father and brother wouldn't be breathing down his neck at every waking moment, and the boy would be free to do anything he wanted.

The soulshaper clenched his fists, anger rising in his chest. Why was this boy even asking about it? It wasn't fair, he did nothing to deserve this! The boy looked at Ria, yellow eyes piercing. "I can't talk about my magic." he said sharply, likely coming off as meaner than he'd intended. "I just can't okay?"

[quaggan]

 Well, that sucked. He accepted it, but then Arthur looked offended, and Ria had no idea what went wrong. But he knew better than to act defensive - whatever happened, he knew it was related to Arthur's abilities, so he knew what subject to avoid in the future.

"Alright, alright" he promised, raising his hands up. "I won't ask about your magic any more." That sounded rough - was it some sort of a secretive power, the kind that grew weaker the more people knew about it? He's heard of it, but it would probably be best if he didn't ask. He didn't want to get his new friend in trouble, after all.

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Arthur blinked, taken aback by Ria's reaction. Usually telling people that he couldn't talk about his ability would only encourage more questions, but this was totally new to the boy. His ears went red. "Sorry..." he mumbled, clearly feeling embarressed. "That was kinda mean, huh?

[quaggan]

 "Hey, there is nothing mean about being honest and directly asserting boundaries!" Ria assured him. "I'd be just as angry if someone asked me what's my 'real' hair colour was! 'Real'! As if such a thing existed! I'm not a philosopher - and thank Kia for that! - but I know that their definition of real is vastly overrated! My hair is purple now, and that's what makes it real!"

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Arthur stared at Ria, a single eyebrow raised. So it was dyed- he knew the shade was a bit too vivid to be natural. Still, he supposed it didn't matter. "Yeah." he said, offerring the boy a smile. "Thanks for understanding." Nodding to one of the rooms ahead, Arthur sighed. "There it is. Come on, let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Susie sat alone at her desk, silence only broken by Professor Zinc's snoring and the sound of her quill scribbling on the parchment. She was the only student in class this period- most students didn't even bother taking the subject. Susie had heard that Zinc would let you use his class as a study hall if you asked politely however, and opted to take the elective for that reason alone. Heavens only knew how much she needed the quiet time.

The girl looked at her paper a somber look on her face. Magistrix Fen-Breath was nice, but the hag seemed intent on pushing Susie's writing skills furthur and further with each assignment. This paticular paper on parasitic jinxes had to be at least three grades abover her reading level! With a sigh, the girl would dip her quill into her ink vial and begin to write...

[quaggan]

 Now that this awkward moment was behind them, they could continue to the classroom! Ria followed Arthur until they stood in front of the door. He could hear Professor Zinc's droning voice from inside and winced in sympathy. He owed that to this Susie girl he's never even met before to rescue her from that.

He turned to the pillowheaded boy. "What do we do? Can we sneak inside? Or do we need a distraction?" While he never minded being the centre of attention, some remaining vestiges of common sense whispered to him that making a scene and getting Susie in trouble might be a dick move.

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Arthur snorted. "Nah, we don't need anything like that." he said, resting his hand on the door handle. "It's Zinc, remember?"

The boy pushed the door open, walking inside. The dimly lit classroom was empty save for two people- Susie; who was working on some kind of assignment, and Professor Zinc himself; who had his head on his desk and was snoring loudly. The pillowheaded boy smiled- he and the professor were kindred spirits.

"Susie?" Arthur said quietly as he approached the girl. "You wanna hang out with me and Ria?"

The girl flinched, he head jolting in Arthur's direction. She gripped her quill tightly, her body almost seeming to go stiff. "M-me?" she stammered. "You want to h-hang out with me?"

[quaggan]

 Fair enough.

Ria followed after the boy. His gaze was drawn immediately to the professor, snoring away. Apparently he didn't even prepare for the class. He wouldn't look good with a pillow hat like Arthur's anyway, but the least he could do was to keep a pillow in his desk for later use.

He looked around the class. There was no other students - they probably left, unwilling to endure his snoring. Why was this Susie girl still around? Ria could come up with so many ways time was better spent. Maybe he should suggest some.

He looked over the girl, committing her appearance to memory. So that was Susan Rainfeather? Oh, this was one awful hair colour. She didn't just need a hackysack, she needed a dye job as well! Perhaps Ria should offer to share his stash with her.

He frowned at her question. Why was it even something that needed to be asked? Arthur was clear enough in declaring their intention. "Well, yes" he confirmed. "Unless you happen to be a shapeshifting or illusions student that is masquerading as Susie Rainfeather. Is that you, Doctor Ayleward? I hope not."

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Susie blinked, lips trembling. What was going on? Ria was noble-born, and Arthur was the High Justicier's son! Susie was the child of a poor mining family, why did they want to hang out with her?

"Y-yeah, I'm the real S-Susie..." she stammered, beginning to hyperventilate. "W-what do you want? Is.. this isn't one of Aahva's tricks, is it?"

Arthur turned to Ria, a look of concern on his face. "Um..."

[quaggan]

 Ria pouted with displeasure. "I am not a trick!" he declared, his voice almost loud enough to wake Professor Zinc from his more or less deserved nap. "And I am most certainly not here because of that wet burlap! As if I'd ever cooperate with a trick of someone so unfashionable! And does he ever have his robes ironed? They look like Magistrix Fen-Breath's face! I do understand that the great equilibrium of the world requires people like him to balance out icons like me and Pluto, but the least Kia could do is plop him in the middle of Hyoite or some other nowhere!"

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Susie began to quake, tears welling up in her eyes. Why was he yelling? What did she do wrong? "B-b-Burlap?" she squeaked, shaking her head in dismay. "W-what are you t-talking about?"

Arthur put a hand on his hat. "Susie, it's okay! Don't cry!" he said, panic in his eyes. "We just thought-"

"Wait... Do I have students this period?"

Both Arthur and Susie looked to the front of the class in shock as Professor Zinc groggily rubbed his eyes. The man blinked a few times, yawning. "What's all this about? I didn't forget to grade your homework again, did I? You all pass."

[quaggan]

 Ria could sympathize - sometimes, the very existence of both burlap and Aahva was enough to bring him to tears as well. He was pleased to meet someone with a keen sense of fashion, even though he wouldn't have expected it, considering her robes.

Professor Zinc woke up before anyone managed to come up with an answer. Usually, Ria wouldn't be pleased to have boring staff interfere, but extra credit was always welcome. "Great!" he grinned. "Well then, Professor, we'll be leaving you to your nap!" He would have to sign up for Zinc's class for the points to count, but he could handle it later.

He turned back to the Verdans. "Is there anything I should know?" he asked. He didn't want to be repeat of the apple incident. "Is any specific textile considered unlucky in your province? Should I avoid it?"

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

"Oh... very good then." the professor said sleepily, seemingly satisfied with Ria's response. His eyes closed slowly, and soon his head was resting on his desk once more.

Once the man's snoring had resumed, Arthur looked back at Susie. "We heard about what Aahva did to your hackysack. Ria knows sewing, we thought maybe we could make you a new one?"

Susie's face, while still red and a bit teary, perked up somewhat. "R-really? You mean it?" she asked, slowly standing up from her desk. "I-I don't care about the fabric, but c-can you make it red with black speckles, like my old one?"

[quaggan]

 He nodded, his mind already distracted by the variety of fabrics he could choose for the hackysack. "Like a ladybug? Do you want polka dots or something more complicated? And what size should it be?"

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Susie nodded. "Yeah, like a ladybug! And there was a salamander embroidered on one side, like on the Verdan flag!" The girl's mood seemed to be brightening by the second, and a rare smile was beginning to appear on her face. "My parents bought it for me at the solstice festival a few years back!"

"Um, we should probably leave the room for this..." Arthur said quietly, glancing at the sleeping professor. "Ria, where's the sewing equipment? Is it in a classroom, or did you bring it from home?"

[quaggan]

 Ria was no embroiderer, but he couldn't say he never wanted to pick up the craft. It seemed to be one of the logical extensions of the craft, just like hatmaking or cobblery - but something that stank less and involved no toxic substances. A much safer, and essential job - sewing something was just the first step in the grand process into turning it into a fashion masterpiece.

He would have to ask around about the Verdan flag - he couldn't picture it off the top of his head. He was never a geography buff or someone particularly interested in province drama, and those crazy patriotic people usually stayed in Verde to begin with, so he never had to witness something as monstrous as some disaster wearing a flag on their head!

"Oh, I'm not using the local sewing machines. The pace of my fashion revolution will not be dictated by trifles such as availability and schedules!" he declared. "I had three luggages' worth of equipment brought over. They're in my dorm."