PM to join Early Morning Meeting [Aleron]

[Annalisa Marin]

85th of Spring The Worlds End Grotto was always rather quiet in the early Zeltivan mornings, the soft chatter of residents and citizens alike filling the dining floor. It was never very loud in the morning, at least as Annalisa Marin had seen it, which she was rather grateful for. The young professor of Glyphing strode through the large dining room, her expression arrogant and prideful. The young wizard seated herself and waved over a serving girl. "A small breakfast." The tall dark haired woman said, passing the girl 5 copper mizas and giving her a dismissive wave. The staff of the Grotto was somewhat familiar with the narcissistic young wizard, she often came by in the morning to get a quick meal in her belly before heading to the University. They put up with her because she was a frequent patron over the years. Ever since she had started her life as a student she had been coming here in the mornings, as such she was a safe source of revenue. Anna was something of a morning person, she rose early, usually at the sixth or seventh bell. It was good to get into the habit of early rising, to start the day off as productively as possible. Her hair was neat and meticulously bound into a tight ponytail, and her sharp grey eyes were alert and ready to teach and experiment. The serving girl brought back her small meal, just bread, eggs, and a cup of water. It was her usual and the staff knew that she hated to deviate from her norm, it threw off her whole day. She had never ordered something else in all of her years coming here, it was always the same. The young wizard chewed the bread thoughtfully and leaned back in her chair, settling into this small comfort that she allowed herself. The rest of the day would be work and research, but the mornings were her time to enjoy and think of things outside of her work. Things such as new theories on magic and possible exercises for her reimancy. It was a formative process, another norm for her. Hmm... perhaps it might be best to try and find methods to use less res to formulate deadly earth projectiles. The young woman thought. Anna raised the cup to her lips, the cool water sliding over her dry tongue soothingly. The young wizard took the drink in light gulps, spreading it out over the course of her whole meal. It was just another morning for the young wizard.

[Aleron Mangrove]

Upstairs, a man that could, by some, be considered a stark contrast to the professors demeanor, approaches the bathroom sink. Having already had a quick, cold shower, he gets ready to shave, his hand sure and steady, following a brief incatation, a murmured, rather embaressingly plain and simple quasi-English phrase, "Handus, steadius." Closing his eyes as he does so, with a faint flick of his right hand. He holds the shaver as he flicks the hand, but, of course, not yet to his skin. The ridiculous sounding phrase, regardless, does the trick just fine, a familiarity to it now, helping concentrate his mind, ease him into the right state to manipulate his Djed, focusing only on his hand, keeping it calm and still, standard practice for a standard day. This alone probably takes more time than any other single thing he does in the room, rinsing his face after he's shaved, combing his hair, brushing his teeth, sliding into neatly folded, clean clothes, then, at long last, moving to leave the room.

He makes his was down the stairs swiftly, all hussle and bussle. He moves to a chair- the chair opposite hers, to be precise, practically beaming at her, with a light, friendly, "Hello there." Locking eyes with her for a moment, before sitting himself down with a swiftness his size would fail to indicate. The man is even taller than her, standing at a lofty six foot five, probably a fair amount broader, too. Positively peppy, he follows this up with a cheerful, "Surprised to see anyone else awake so early." Barely giving her time to respond to his arrival and greeting. Unless she were quick off the mark, he'd likely be sitting down and tucked in before she has much of a chance to speak, ordering the same meal as hers, giving her a few moments to cram some words in, before he says, "Always good to get an early start, right? So much to be done in the day." As his food arrives, he tucks into the plain meal with the same enthusiasm he's shown everything else so far, not messy with it in the slightest, but swift, efficient, giving her a few moments of peace while he eats his own bread, perhaps catching her up, despite starting somewhat later.

As he sits there, opposite her, he looks on her with his sight, his brief silence while he eats helping disguise the fact. He doesn't pry deeply, just a brief glance, concentrating enough to get a vague impression of her emotions, an inkling as to any magical items or constructs on her person. Unlike his control over Flux, this is a far more highly tuned thing, leaving him able to invoke its aid without any nonsense incantations or hand gestures.

After a few more moments, during which he starts to cut up his egg into neat parts, he gives her another smile, saying after a moment, "How rude of me, I'm sorry, Ma'am. I'm Aleron, Aleron Mangrove, pleasure to meet you."

[Annalisa Marin]

Annalisa enjoyed a routine, it was perhaps the only routine thing about her life and that was her breakfast. It was something of a sacred time for her, the only time when she would ever look relatively at ease and relaxed. When something disrupted that routine it could be more than a little jarring, such was the case when the tall, cheery man abruptly sat down across from her. At first, the professor simply sat there, dumbfounded by the intrusion of the refined speaking man. Her grey eyes were wide and it was clear that she was off her guard, allowing him to fill in the emptiness with his own words. However her expression slowly shifted into a sharp glare, one she normally reserved for particularly stupid students. The young wizard did not notice the man's brazen attempt at magic, though she did feel slightly unease as if something about him was out of place. She said nothing as the man introduced himself, her glare only darkened as the chimes went by. Finally she decided to speak as the man started cutting up his eggs, her tone cold and even. "Excuse me? Do you simply make a habit of sitting at another's table uninvited, Mr. Mangrove, or did I somehow indicate that I wished for your company? I assure you, I did not." The woman said, her grey eyes boring into him. Anna was seething on the inside, how dare this man interrupt her breakfast with his unasked for company? The sheer audacity made her nearly wish to breath res down his throat and transmute it to flame. However she was not so stupid as to do that in so public a place, Zeltiva tended to frown upon public murder by magic. So the young wizard went with the next best thing, leaning forward she readied her sharp tongue for use once more. "I suggest you take your meal and depart from my table, preferably to sit somewhere down wind. I am a very busy professor, and cannot be bothered by rude individuals who have no concept of personal space." She said, clearly hostile as possible. If the man was sane he would depart and leave this clearly angry and hostile woman alone. Often, Anna was more than happy to be as unpleasant as humanly possible to those around her, it kept them from bothering her. There were the rare ones who could take her unpleasant and selfish nature, mostly her students or those colleagues of hers interested in some magical knowledge.

[Aleron Mangrove]

He doesn't appear to take much offence from her glare, and in fact hardly seems to notice it - while of course there's plenty of things she could do to him, anything liable to do him any real injury, she'd surely get in trouble for - that, at least, is what he seems to be betting on for the moment, as he cuts up his eggs. However, as he hears the follow up and that she's a professor, well, he feels even less nervous about the matter - if she were a professor, she wouldn't want to sully her reputation on punishing the likes of him. Or so he hopes.

As she begins her brief tirade, he nods along amiably, giving a faint, attentive, understanding, smile, a few nods of agreement thrown in for good measure, followed by a faint chuckle, only somewhat apologetic sounding as she stops, although it swiftly becomes a frown of attempted seriousness - although it likely only seems like mock seriousness, he's a very poor actor - as her eyes bore into him afterwards, listening to the rest of what she has to say, idly beginning to slip bits of his now cut up egg into his own mouth, chewing at them slowly while he listens, something he does without taking eyes off her, giving her what seems to be his full attention.

Once she's finished talking, and he's finished chewing, he swallows the egg he'd been eating, and speaks, "Ah? Sorry, professor, Ma'am, just like to get to know the people I see about, particularly at this time in the morning. Only so many early birds, good to see another soul up and about already, shame I don't see more. Good for you, being an early riser." He does nothing to suggest a lack of gravity in the situation, but nor would he have lent back from her as she lent forward, and, just when it seems he's ignored practically all she's said to him, he opens his mouth to speak. "Didn't intend to invade your personal space." He adds after, giving a faint, slightly apologetic smile and a nod, getting to his feet with his plate, knife and fork. He seems to have picked the more sane of the options available to him here, and be leaving her be...

That is at least, until the man tucks the chair he'd just got out of back into the table, carefully, and moves all of three steps, to the next table, before he sits down again, turning the chair about to face her, as he chews another slice of egg, now on a separate table, as if this alone would be enough to placate her. Upon swallowing, he asks, in a querying tone, "Might I ask what you teach, professor Ma'am?"

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna was half way through a relieved sigh before she noticed the man sitting down at a nearby table and continuing to speak as though nothing had happened. This was more than annoying, it was infuriating that her morning routine was being so interrupted. Her glare was intensified as the man asked his question, even as it was politely worded it was. The young wizard knew she could have just gotten up and moved further away, but her pride refused to simply yield. It would be a sign that she had been defeated by this annoyance, and she loathed defeat more than anything. As such she merely glared at the man for a moment, drawing herself up. Her position in the magic department was enough to cause people who knew her to be wary, behind every mage was a potential mad man. That was the general consensus, so perhaps that would be enough to get this man to leave. Putting up with an unpleasant woman was one thing, putting up with a wizard was another thing entirely. Anna took a sip of her water and place it back down on the table with an audible clunk. Her sharp gaze never left Aleron, her attempt at sheer intimidation factor, poor as it was. "I am Annalisa Marin, Professor of Glyphing and Magical Studies at the University. If you are going to insist on wasting my invaluable time then drop the pretty words, they make you sound like a petching fool who spend his time wooing young wenches with air in their heads." The woman said, her tone still icy. If he wasn't cowed before then he would hopefully be by that, magic was something most folk viewed with suspicion at best and hostility at worst. Zeltiva was a fair bit more tolerant than most people, but the suspicion was still there. Anna herself was weary around other wizard, they were certainly not a group she viewed as friends even with their similarities to her. The black haired man was taller than her and possessed much more girth, so physically he was more imposing than she was. However Anna dealt in the meta physical world, just breathing out gaseous res would be enough to incapacitate him. As such the young wizard was not fearful of this petching annoyance, if anything he should be the one frightened by her.

[Aleron Mangrove]

He, too, is very stubborn, as evidenced by his actions so far, and the face that he now holds her gaze, chewing another few slices of egg while she speaks, patiently waiting, sitting there, apparently unphased as he smiles lightly at her, although he raises his eyebrows a little as she places it down with a clunk, presumably more heavy handed than necessary, a slightly disapproving look, as thought this is something childish or unseemly.

His eyebrows raise a little further, as she gives her title, smiling a little more broadly, before after a moment, realisation hits him, and he chokes slightly on the slice of egg he was chewing on, trying to dislodge it, before it'd become apparent that his choking was laughter induced, rather than fear or anything like that. "Glyphing and Magical Studies, hrm? Oh dear, well..." He says as he takes a sip of water, keeping another chuckle at bay, before setting the glass down with barely a noise after, "Well, a pleasure to meet you, Anna." He says lightly. "I've got a grounding in Auristics and Flux, for medical purposes, I look forward to learning from you next season. How broad is the term 'magical studies', would you be able to teach me more on what I already know the basics for?" He asks it almost like a challenge, a dare for her to say no, admit defeat, even a minor one, his eyes scarcely moving from hers.

His sight begins to look a little deeper, trying to see her aura a little more clearly, enough to make her emotions relatively clear to him, unless she stops him somehow, to him, appearing primarily as colours and smells, probably somewhat muted, if she tries to reign them in. He's pushing his luck some, but he doesn't really change much in his previous manner, as he waits for some sort of reaction to his words, his casual intrusion likely fairly difficult to pick up on, but still within the realm of possibility - it's not like he's uncovering something, he's just opening his sight a little more to see her aura better, although it's possible she might be able to somehow pick up on his use of his Djed. His not trying anything too complex, just to pick up on her basic emotions, so it wouldn't take an excessive amount of his concentration, hopefully not enough to tip her off.

Usually, he's quieter about his Auristics, as it tends to make people somewhat uncomfortable around him, the ability to pick up on more than the average person, while useful for helping detect wounds and issues with patients, leaves him, usually, at a distance from others, no matter what he does. The simple fact of the matter being, people don't like strangers being able to poke around inside their heads at leisure - despite this being a gross exaggeration of what he can do, it still, to some extent, is true. He's accepting of it, and, at this moment, wouldn't mind unsettling his conversational partner - hoping to pick up on just such a thing. Even if neither of them said anything about it, she'd know, and he'd know, and there'd be nothing she could really do about it, unless she's completely flippant about the idea of such a power being used on her. No 'adjustment' or similar of her aura is attempted, he's just an observer.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna raised an eyebrow when he mentioned his particular disciplines, she had heard and read of them but never in depth. Reimancy and Glyphing took up the bulk of her time, other studies tended to fall through the cracks. It was not that she didn't have an interest in learning other forms of magic, however it was wise to focus on one or two arts at a time before moving on to others. If she could master reimancy and glyphing, then nothing would be beyond her grasp. She chewed thoughtfully on her bread, processing that she would have new student under her tutilage. Odd, hers was something of an introductory course in the ways of magic, usually assuming that her students already possessed some skill in the arcane arts. If this man was as proficent as he was selling himself as then he should have learned glyphing a long time ago. Any wizard worth their salt had some knowledge of it, for augmentation reasons if nothing else. The woman finished her bread and started on her eggs, delibrately making this man wait for his answer in silence. Finally as she was cutting them up she cast his a sharp glance. "You will not call me Anna, especially if you are to be a student of mine. I am to be addressed as Dr. or Professor Marin, doing otherwise would be highly unwise." There was the undertone of a threat there, and her tone was far more haughty now. "As for the course name, it was not my idea. I teach Glyphing primarily and will often privide lessons on the ways and manipulation of Djed if necessary. Most of those lessons are theoretical and instructional rather than practical." Anna informed him, stabbing at her eegs and chewing onhem thoughtfully, a slight scowl settling on her features. The eggs were not nearly as warm as she liked, so she blamed this Aleron for their non optimum temperature. "If you are indeed an accomplished wizard, you shouldn't need assistance beyond the basics, now should you? Or do you need help to manage your own power?" The young wizard shot at him. It was a quip, a barb at his own abilities, a play on words to shift is challenge into a light that called question upon his own capabilities. Insults and sarcasm she had aplenty and could easily continue until the sun set and the moon rose. If that was what the man wanted then it was exactly what he would recieve. Anna quickly finished up her eggs and took one last draught from her cup, placing it down off to the side with her empty plate. Her sharp gaze fell upon the man again, oblivious to any magic he might be working. She was not overly concerned if he was using his power or not, it was unlikely he would see anything beyond prideful arrogence.

[Aleron Mangrove]

He does what he can to conceal a little antsiness at being made to wait - wasting time, one of his few pet peeves being wasting time unnecessarily. He tries to console himself in sipping at his water, done with his meal at this point. "Very well, Professor Marin." He says with a smile and a nod, finding her scowling more amusing than particularly insulting or rude.

"Naturally not." He says when he reaches that point, giving a faint chuckle. "But as for any subject matter, I'm sure there are tricks and tips, ways to manage things to a higher degree. Of course, elements of the subject in question will be different from person to person, perhaps hugely so, but there must be some that are common throughout? You can't expect me to truly believe that if one were studying under a master of their given subject, who knows the ins and outs of it exquisitely, they would learn at the same pace as someone practicing by themselves? I have not met such an individual for either of my practiced magics, so I couldn't say for sure. The majority of my studying has been book work and practice, by myself." He's perfectly happy to ask questions, of course, after all, how else would he find things out? Despite the hostility of the woman, he's more than happy to ask questions that will help him grow as a person and a wizard.

After a few seconds thought, he adds, "I know plenty about using Auristics, enough to give others some insight into it even, perhaps, but little about the subjects outside of the ones already mentioned, beyond what they are. I am practiced, and learned in what I know, but that is not a very broad pool of magics." He gives a faint shrug, accepting of his lack of knowledge outside his chosen subjects - if he can't accept such a lack of knowledge, how can he ever hope to overcome it? Or at least, that's how he views the matter. The almost single minded pride and arrogance coming off the woman brings another smile to his lips, or at least it would, if he hadn't already been wearing one, friendly and - trying to be, at least - patient. He wonders how she hopes to learn more, and if she will, with such emotions fueling her, but dismisses the point for now - nothing he can say or do at this stage really holds any chance of changing her views on the matter.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna chuckled slightly, more amused than anything else by his response. His words bespoke of one who was not changed or taken by magic, an immature wizard of sorts still in the process of learn its price. The young wizard would have pitied him if she was the pitying sort, he would come to know the change soon enough. It was not a question if magic would change him, it was a question of when. As long as one used magic, no matter how careful they thought they were, their mind would slowly but surely warp and change. She knew the price of power, the sacrifices that had to be made in order to achieve it. The toll was heavy but if one could persevere though the hardship they would come out the other side better and stronger. Her opinion of Aleron was low at the moment, though seeing that he was intending on learning glyphing he was at least trying to better himself. It would remain to be seen how long that would last. Anna stared at him for a minute, her eyes still glaring sharply at him. "There are ways to learn and expand your power to a greater degree. It is known as Glyphing." She answered simply. "With Glyphing the powers you already possess can be pushed beyond your current limits. It can augment existing magic in ways that you dare not dream, it is also the sign of an experienced wizard." Anna continued, her eyes never leaving him for a minute. "If you truly wish to continue down this path, if you think you have the strength to overcome the walls magic will present in its learning, then pay attention when I am teaching you glyphing. It will help you in whatever art you choose." With that Anna, leaned back in her chair, haughty expression still firmly in place. She already strongly disliked this man and did not particularly want him as her student, however there was a slight possibility he could prove useful to her at some point. Aleron was rude and extremely presumptuous in her mind, he had also ruined her carefully adhered to routine which in itself was frustrating. But if he came to the University she would teach him, she was bound to do so.

[Aleron Mangrove]

He's pleased to hear her laugh, and, despite himself, laughs along regardless, despite doubting she's laughing for a reason that's likely to be good for him. He sits there, on the chair, facing her, just a table across.

Waiting, he folds his hands in his lap for the moment, keeping them together for a few moments, before rolling his eyes a little, with a faint smile, as she simply stares for a little while, moving a hand towards his cup, taking another drink of the water, draining the remainder of the cup. He sets it down as lightly as before, once he's finished it, although, by the time he's done with it, it's entirely possible that she still wouldn't have spoken, and he turns back to her regardless.

Her simple statement earns a nod from him, and a faint smile - at least she was saying something now, speaking, albeit saying very little, for the moment. He waits for her to continue, assuming she will say more than that, at the very least. As she does indeed continue, he given another nod, as if to encourage her, then another when she seems to finish.

Ready to speak himself, he prepares his words to do so, before realising she's not done, still, and keeps his mouth shut, not wanting to interrupt what she has to say, the first words she's given him so far that weren't plain rudeness or delivered in a tone marking them as such.

"That sounds excellent." He says once he's sure she's done, letting silence stretch for a moment, to ensure she doesn't have more to add. He almost expects her to chime in with something else as he opens his mouth to speak, but she doesn't appear to, and he continues. "Of course, I am looking to learn, I will pay attention to any lessons I attend, Professor Marin." He says the words without any insult concealed behind them, no hint of nastiness in his tone. "It sounds like they will be of great benefit to me, I look forward to them."

With a slight air of finality, feeling there's really very little more to add, he, too, leans back in his chair as he looks at her. Likewise, he finds the woman rude, haughty, too proud and arrogant in herself, not the kind of person he would choose to spend any time around, if he had the choice. But if she could help him with the learning process, improve himself, achieve more than he already had, he'd bare it, especially if what she says is true, although he doubts he'll see such effectiveness as she's described any time too soon.