Closed [Lab 13-J]An Ichored Staff: Part II[Annalisa]

[Clyde Sullins]

46 Summer 514 Looking about the workroom lab, Clyde inspected the various items for the Magecrafting project. First and foremost was the pedestal with the staff upon it, a length of brown wood that had been shaped only slightly. Ensconcing it was a heavy set of warding, layer upon layer, piled high and thick and ready to stop any djed based interloper that would attempt to force its way into the process at hand. It was both thick and elegant, smooth but strong. He'd done it when the process began, and it still stood steadfast without the slightest mar upon it, without the least weakening or chink in its effect. Eventually it would happen, but not for some time with the glyphs strength. Giving the setup up a once over, he checked off each item. The staff, unaltered. Glyphing, optimal. Magecrafting hammers, charged. Materials for the staff step, the djed clamps, mineral powder, and d-wire, accounted for. One by one he checked over the materials, making sure it was all prepared for use. Now as he stood ready before it all, Cha in hand, he had nothing to do but wait for Anna, so they could begin the process. “Oh little bit of wood, strong and long and hardy. What will you be, what will you do, will you be tardy. What will you hold, and who will hold you. What will be made of this crafting so fresh, so bold, and so new.”

[Annalisa Marin]

“Do you trust him I wonder?”

Anna paused slightly in her excursion into the depths of the Sahovan Caverns, both to examine where the glowing arrows led and to consider the question posed to her. The sorceress had learned to get used to the fact that her familiar was a constant companion in her own mind; it had certainly unsettled her at first until she saw the uses outweighed the risks. Vex was ever the one to fill silence between them, unafraid of offering her observations and queries. The dark haired human found it comforting to some small degree, though she herself did not fully trust the familiar at her word.

“That depends on what you mean by trust. I don’t trust him with my life if that’s what you mean, nor with any secret of mine. He’s a fellow Chaon after all, which overshadows him being my cousin. However I trust him enough to know he has a degree of professionalism about him. If he betrayed me he would lose a useful asset to his cause on Sahova, likewise he knows that if I betray him I would lose the same.” Anna offered, shrugging slightly as she set off further into the Caverns without a care in the world.

“I suppose I can see your point. Even still… I feel as though he is using you for something.” The Kirt stated.

“Undoubtedly he is. Just as I am using him to learn more about Magecraft. Just as you used me to gain passage onto this world. Everyone uses each other in this life. I’m certain you can appreciate that fact.” Anna offered.

“You are correct of course. That doesn’t mean I won’t be keeping an eye on him. You are less on your guard around him judging from your last meeting. You may have your reasons to trust him to some degree, however he is a wizard.” The Kirt stated.

Anna halted again, though this time it was in the middle of the Cavern halls as she gave some thought to the familiar’s words. Vex had a point as much as the sorceress hated to admit it, for all she knew Clyde could very well go mad without ever drawing suspicion to himself. It wasn’t completely unreasonable to think in such a way, it was true of many wizards. Madness was endemic to the sub-culture of magic users, something Anna occasionally forgot. The fact that she was an associate to the other Wizard could very well mean that she simply would be more likely to be targeted if he ever did go mad.

“Fair enough point Vex. I’ll exercise a bit more caution in my dealings with him. Just to be a bit more on the safe side.” Anna finally relented.

Silence was the familiar’s answer so Anna simply continued upon her way. She had dressed in her fine robes for this little project with Clyde, the black silk hugging her form easily and was bound with a purple sash that crossed over her shoulder. Black slippers adorned her feet, a golden anklet above the one on her right foot that was actually Vex in her sealed form. A silver ring was wrapped around her right ring finger, its sigil that of a burning scroll. Her hair done up in a high ponytail and she looked relatively better than when she had been in the Heartlands every waking moment.

Finally Anna arrived at the designated lab, Lab 13-J, its Master not someone she had met personally though she had caught her name at Clyde’s judgment. If she had taken on Clyde then she assumed her to be a Magecrafter, not an immediate negative though Anna wondered if she possessed any personal magic at all. It was best to err on the side of caution and suspect that his Master possessed her own defenses, even if she was not a personal wizard. With a deep breath Anna pushed open the door, entering cautiously with her grey eyes darting all around as she prepared to draw res at the first sign of hostility. Stepping into another’s lab was a dangerous affair.

“Clyde, I believe you contacted me about some personal project of yours? So what shall we be doing today?” The sorceress inquired as she located the Apprentice Wizard.

[Clyde Sullins]

Cha in hand, Clyde turned to face Anna as she entered, stating her presence. Clyde grinned back at her, a bit tired from his work on Magecrafting throughout the season, and the inherent late nights it involved, but still glad relatively to see Anna. After all, it meant he could continue on to the next step. “Clyde, I believe you contacted me about some personal project of yours? So what shall we be doing today?” The sorceress inquired as she located the Apprentice Wizard. Clyde waved Anna over, and pointed at the pedestal with the staff on it which was ensconced in heavy warding made by Clyde. “Yes, I know you recall Cha here, in my hand. She has become ever present in my life, a useful ally in my spells. Anyways, I've been tossing about some ideas, and I decided to implement them, in making another Magic Staff. I know you don't have one, perhaps when this ones done, you'd like to test it out for me, perhaps even keep it. Though I'd need you to reimburse me for the costs if you do decide to keep it. But I'd think it would be a useful tool for you in your Reimancy, and magics.” Clyde paused for a moment, allowing Anna to take in the setup, the materials carefully planned and laid out. “A True Magic Staff, its a useful tool for any personal mage. Any effect that can be done by a personal mage can be run through or discharged from one's staff. This one isn't on the same level as Cha, its only a MC 2 staff, with a single step in durability enhancement, but still I'd think it would be a useful thing for you until you manage to get something better.” Clyde paused for a moment, a bit lost in thought. Thinking about the part he'd just finished, the first step along with adding the ichor, making the staff Anti-nuit. It was an interesting addition, and one he was not entirely sure of its ability. He knew it would work on contact, that being struck by the staff would be particularly damaging for a nuit, but he also had a theory... A thought... That perhaps the magics channelled through it might also be inherently Anti-nuit. He wasn't sure, and at this point it was just theory, but it seemed a possibility. If it worked, then the item would be all the more special. If it didn't work, then it would still have the normal Anti-nuit qualities on contact. A win win either way for Anna, as the staff was still very good, and would be of great use to her. Snapping back to attention, Clyde grinned and waved at the staff. “But that can be gotten to later, we can hash out the details and payment plan should you decide to buy it later. Its not an immediate issue. As it is, it's got one step left to be done on it, the staff step. The staff itself was made freshly, from the wood of a gnarled juniper tree, some sort of local tree to Sahova. Apparently good for staffs. But anyways, I suppose we should get to work. First is the mineral powder, as last time. We need to rub it all over the staff, rub it in good, and prep it for the next bit.”

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna walked over to where Clyde was located, noting a rather sturdy looking staff was located upon the magecrafting pedestal. The sorceress idly wondered if they were going to be crafting a magic staff once again, certainly a possibility seeing as all the supplies from before were also present. The item had sounded useful to the tall woman, enough so that she had plans on trying to look into creating one for herself one day when she had the skill and money to do so. If nothing else, it would be a useful status symbol in the magical community to carry around.

As she listened to the man her eyes widened somewhat, surprised that he was offering to lend her this particular staff once completed. Going over his words the thing seemed more a prototype than anything else, however even a prototype magic staff was well worth something. Of course there was the inherent cost that she would have to pay him back for, though that was of little concern to the sorceress. Money had long ago lost meaning to Annalisa, Sahovan methods tended to have money as a backdrop for research. It was certainly kept track of, but normally by apprentices or golems.

“It would indeed be a potent tool… once it’s done I’d like to test it out. If I do decide it suits me I’ll let you know.” Anna said with a nod.

“Yes, I believe you informed me of the properties of a magic staff when we were crafting Cha. Regardless of inferiority a magic staff would serve as a useful amplifier for any personal mage I imagine, with a step in durability that makes it all the more practical. Practical things are something I rather enjoy.” She stated as she examined the staff itself for a moment.

The tall woman closed her eyes for a moment and muttered a few gibberish words under her breath as she focused her Djed up into her senses. Her brow crinkled in concentration as she plucked the tapestry of her being in a way that would bring about the desired result. Auristics was certainly not her strongest of magics, in fact she was a painful novice in the art. However she wanted to familiarize herself with what she was going to be working on before actually working on it. Perhaps Clyde would have some tips regarding the proper use of auristics.

A rush of energy flew from her, prompting her to open her eyes and focus upon the Aura of the staff itself. To her limited sight there was not much she could uncover about the object, though she could see the fact that it was an inanimate object most certainly. Its aura seemed muted to her and oddly enough look… incomplete, that was the word. Everything was there that needed to be, but looking at it was like looking at a pot that had not fully solidified from soft clay. Perhaps that was because it was indeed not yet finished.

Anna closed her eyes and cut off the flow of her Djed from the magical sight, her examination finished. With that done she opted to grab a bit of mineral powder from the bag nearby and begin rubbing down the staff with it. This process was familiar to her, the powder was supposed to be absorbed into the staff once two personal mages used their magic on either side of the staff. Last time she had done this, she had used reimancy. Now she found herself wanting to use the art of Voiding a little bit for this.

“So… I recently learned a bit of Auristics, since I recalled you saying it was very useful for a magecrafter to have. I don’t suppose you have any tips in regards its use in magecrafting?” The sorceress inquired.

“Also, I think I’ll be using Voiding as my personal magic this time if it’s all the same to you, Clyde.” She added.

[Clyde Sullins]

“It would indeed be a potent tool… once it’s done I’d like to test it out. If I do decide it suits me I’ll let you know.” Clyde frowned for a moment, shaking his head. “Its not that type of deal, not something you can just pick up and try out. It takes time to bond to and understand a Magic Staff, and to be able to properly use it. I've yet to fully understand the uses of Cha here. Of course she is a higher level staff, so is inherently harder to tame. But if you decide to take it, it is for the long term. And you'll be unable to use it for awhile, till you've made that initial bond. So bear that in mind. Until that is done, it will serve you no more than a somewhat structurally reinforced staff.” “If you decide to use it, It'll be for awhile, not something you can give back in a few days. And if you don't want it I need to know, so I can decide what to do with it, whether to keep it or sell it.” But with that the topic was onward, speaking more on the staff itself. “Yes, I believe you informed me of the properties of a magic staff when we were crafting Cha. Regardless of inferiority a magic staff would serve as a useful amplifier for any personal mage I imagine, with a step in durability that makes it all the more practical. Practical things are something I rather enjoy.” Clyde nodded at her words, agreeing well enough. “Its a good enough staff, certainly finer than a base staff without any structural enhancement, as some might use. I'd not even bother with such a base staff.” Clyde waited then, as the woman clearly began to work some kind of magic. The light prickle on the back of his neck, the sense of djed emissions rubbing against the periphery of his own aura, brought the sensation into him. Plus the nonsense words made it clear she was doing an incantation to aid her work. After staying at it for a time, she then clearly stopped, and began to deal once more in the physical realm. Considering he had not seen any physical effect, and she'd been so focused on the staff, it seemed likely she'd been using Auristical sight to examine it. He'd done it himself enough to recognize the indicators, though he couldn't know for sure. Also he'd not been aware she'd even known Auristics, so perhaps his assumption was off... As she began to use the mineral powder, Clyde joined her, taking out a pinch and rubbing it into the wood. He was careful to keep the staff in place within the pedestal, while he rubbed it into the woods skin. It would remain as a coating upon the staff, until they began their work. Though before that they'd need to wrap it in the d-wire as was required. The powder was the means, the d-wire was the way. Her next words as she worked however proved his earlier assumption right. “So… I recently learned a bit of Auristics, since I recalled you saying it was very useful for a magecrafter to have. I don’t suppose you have any tips in regards its use in magecrafting?” Clyde shrugged, continuing to rub in the mineral powder, focusing on the staff. “Focus on balance of djed within, not on the physical appearance of it. With enough practice you'll be able to see how the djed enters and adds to the item, and perhaps even where it needs to be input so as to provide said balance. Of course that requires one to keep ones aura sight open during said crafting, or at least to examine it in between moments of active Magecrafting.” Heading off, Clyde grabbed the length of d-wire, and examine the staff one last time for spots that had not been rubbed with the power. “Also, I think I’ll be using Voiding as my personal magic this time if it’s all the same to you, Clyde.” Clyde shrugged again, focusing his eyes on the staff, examining it. “That's fine. I guess I'll use Auristics then. Just remember, you are flowing your magic out and through the staff. Normally you are the exit for it, instead will the magic through the conduit that is the staff, to exit from its skin. Now help me get this wire wrapped about, and we can begin the first run.” With that Clyde handed Anna the other end of the wire, and then applying a clamp to each end, began to wrap it about. “And just keep using the magic through the staff until I tell you, which will be once all of the powder has been imbibed.”

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna took Clyde’s advice regarding Auristics to heart easily enough, internalizing the information for after they had imbued the object with their magic. Part of the sorceress was giddy, the chance to increase her power even further than it already was. It was not wholly hers quite yet perhaps, but she was confident that she could negotiate with Clyde on the specifics of the arrangement favorably. They were colleagues after all and blood relatives besides that, so that aspect of the arrangement did not bother her overmuch. Rather it was the unknowns about how the staff would actually function that worried her.

“Be very careful, Anna. The power of all things is often directly proportional to their inherent danger. As he is a follower of a god of traitors and lies it would be best to regard your relationships with him as a fragile thing.” Vex’s voice whispered in her mind, casting small doubts upon Clyde.

She was correct of course. At the end of the day they were both followers of the god of chaos and lies. Beyond that they were both mages and the incident when they had first met where he had used her as a test subject was not lost upon her mind. As much as she hated seeing Vex’s logic she had to agree with it. The Kirt was very good at reminding her to keep one hand extended in friendship and the other holding a fireball. The question, of course, was what the familiar’s own motivations were to that effect.

The sorceress took hold of her end of the staff, remembering how the process of enchantment had functioned last time. She would need to focus on discharging her Djed through the staff and along the D-wire itself. Her own skill in Voiding was much stronger than Clyde’s was; in fact her possession of an Anchor was something few Voider’s could claim. Establishing the link between This Side and The Other Side was not something she had done through D-wire though so it would be interesting.

“Right. Fair warning, my portals can be… a tad large. Don’t be shocked or afraid however, I’m fairly certain few things are bumping around the section of the Void I’ve staked out.” Anna said aloud, not mentioning her earlier disaster in unleashing an undead monster.

The tall woman took a deep breath in through her nose and then slowly exhaled it out through her pale lips. She grasped as the strands of her Djed and plucked them, a harmonious tune echoing through her being. She funneled her own energy along towards the D-wire, focusing upon an empty patch of air above the staff. She focused as well upon her own Anchor in the Void, synchronizing her energy with the Djed she had charged in the Void. As with all Voiding nothing happened immediately, however the response time of her Portal conjuration was impeccable to say the least. Within five ticks the echoes of power were evoked upon the world.

A tiny black dot of midnight formed in the air above the staff, Anna channeling her Djed to it through the D-wire and the staff. She increased the influx of energy upon the Portal, expanding the link between This Side and The Other Side with frightening speed. The edges of the black vortex were tinged purple and swirled beautifully. It quickly reached the size where it could absorb the average human, which was when Anna started to see the flickering of motion beyond the Portal. The consequences of her past overgiving had induced slight hallucinations upon her person, however the rational part of her mind soothed her and told her that there was nothing there.

The Portal continued to grow until the size was easily enough to consume a small carriage, a massive thing in all regards and reflective of her powers. She held this Portal until Clyde was ready to call for a finish, allowing the powerful magical energies to imprint upon the staff itself. Technically she was showing her hand to Clyde in terms of her power in Voiding; however she found she cared very little. Not only that but the act was a sort of, well not trust, but confidence in a fellow colleague to appreciate the scope of the power.

“Tell me when to collapse the Portal, Clyde.” Anna said, focusing her attention on maintaining the influx of Djed needed to keep the large Portal open.

[Clyde Sullins]

Apparently brushing aside the in depth talks of money for now, Anna instead pressed on to the matter at hand, that of the Magecrafting. Clyde had already done most of it, which was the first step in increasing the structural durability of the staff. Now they worked on the second step, that of making the staff a true Magic Staff. If nothing else, Clyde would need to be reimbursed for his costs, perhaps along with a bit of a pay for his additional work. He had already spent two days working on the staff, increasing its durability and imbuing it with the essence of the nuit, so as to make it anti-nuit. Though it was a small experiment in actuality, all of the outcomes of said experiment would be positive, whether or not the staff was capable of doing the second bit, of making all of the magic effects channelled through it stronger against the nuit. Voiding was to be her magic, the one that she would use to open the pores of the staff, and to allow it to accept in the powder spread across it. It was a magic he knew he was less skilled at than Anna, but then he made up for it in other areas. “Right. Fair warning, my portals can be… a tad large. Don’t be shocked or afraid however, I’m fairly certain few things are bumping around the section of the Void I’ve staked out.” For obvious reasons, Clyde did not find her words to comforting. He did not see why she needed to make a big portal, simply using the magic was enough. In fact, it seemed foolish of her to test her limits when they were already in the midst of an experiment. Foolish bordering on suicidal. Clyde knew that the size of a portal was not dependant upon the mage, it was tied in actuality to the djed used in opening it. A wider portal simply meant more djed had been used on making the opening. Of course, skill did play a part on the fact of limits, in that only higher skilled mages of voiding could open said larger portals. But there was no direct need in this instance. Though he was distracted by her mention of "staking out" a bit of the void. In his experience, an opening was random, popping open at a random bit of the void. Her words however implied she expected to open upon a certain spot, a spot she had explored and visited. As Anna began her work in voiding, Clyde began his use of Auristics. Pressing the top of Cha against the exposed wood of the staff before him, Clyde began to work his djed, willing it to rise and to flow up through his arm out into and out of Cha. It was a bit odd, flowing his magic through one staff, and out into another, through which he would then have it flow through and exit. It was his first time using Cha in his casting during the staff step of making a Magic Staff, but he doubted it would have any affect on the process. As Clyde expanded out his aura sight, willed the effect into action, he slowly chanted to himself under his breath, though likely loud enough for Anna to hear. A simple incantation, perhaps not entirely necessary, but aiding his focus for the spell. “A dip, a down, a diving under a frown. My partner and I dive through the djeds, hoping to not drown. A drip, a drop, a ding, and a dang. Lets finish this enchantment with a knock and a bang. I read you like a page on a book. Now with my djed I open and look.” As Clyde finished speaking, he felt his djed bloom and rotate, smoothly flowing along the chain of apparatus. His djed began in himself, flowed down Cha like himself, and then flowed into the new staff. Slowly the djed built up and began to flow, knocking loose the bits and opening the metaphorical djed gates, letting the flow through to allow in the seeping of the mineral powder, which soaked in deeper each time a wave of djed fed by Clyde was let loose. Slowly a new perspective popped open, and he felt his djed vision reaching out from the staff itself. For a moment he brushed against his own aura, familiar due to many readings. He quickly pressed on, pushing his own aura aside, instead turning to Anna before him. He could see the vision of the portal, or more to the point the lack thereof. It was like the air about it was a colored sheet of paper, and the portal itself was a whole torn in the page. Clyde could not recall if he had before looked at the Aura of a voiding portal, but it was certainly interesting to look at. All that he could sense from it was emptiness, the lack of a substance, and cold. Nothing else seemed to report back from the open portal. After a chime or two of learning nothing new, Clyde passed on again, pushing aside the aura of the portal, and instead focusing on another greater aura, that of a human, Anna. “Tell me when to collapse the Portal, Clyde.” Clyde nodded absentmindedly, only somewhat hearing her words, more focused instead on Cha gripped in his hand like a lifeline, and on the aura expanding before him. With his mundane eyes he flicked down for a moment, to look at the new staff, checking the powder across it. Nearly all had been imbibed, meaning another chime or so would likely see it done. Focusing back on Anna through the odd chain of mechanism, he felt his sight brush gently against the outer layer of Anna's essence, the faintest external wisp of aura. With another pulse he got a good image, seeing the djed bounce about and framing the outer essence of aura. With another pulse he drew within, aiming deeper at Anna, and at her visage. Overlaying his mundane sight, Clyde used a basic Aura sight to examine her djed. It was interesting, as he could visibly see the alterations caused by her actively using a spell. An interesting thing, since Clyde was also fairly certain this was the first time he had actively inspected someones aura while they were doing a spell, especially one this strong. Looking at djed densities, Clyde could see a slow outward ripple, repeated over and over at a steady rate, like a slow spurting trickle, which he assumed was his registering of her spell, and the djed she expended in it. More interesting was the exit, as the djed slowly radiated off of Anna, collecting into the spell and feeding the portal. Clyde was just about to pull back, when he saw a larger density. After a few moments he realized why that was off, as it was perched upon her leg, around the ankle. It was a aura, a living sentient sized aura, growing outward from something that in his mundane vision appeared as a piece of jewelry. Jerking back, and disconnecting the link and flow of djed, Clyde took a step away, breaking his contact with Cha and the new staff. “Petch!” Clyde forgot about the enchantment for a moment, instead focusing on what he had just seen. Slowly his aura sight faded out of existence, but a small after image of a living... Thing... Perched upon her ankle, still laid in his eyes, or at least his memories. He took a step back from Anna, and away from the pedestal, holding up Cha defensively by instinct, clutching her as a child would his mother. There seemed nothing else to do but to ask, and to try and figure out what was going on. But somehow he doubted that whatever the thing was, that it had occurred there by accident, or without Anna's knowledge. Logically, whatever it was, Anna knew of it. Which meant it wasn't an accident, or some random living leech creature resting upon her. “Anna... What? What the petch is that thing living on your leg! What the petch is going on? Explain! Now!” Clearly in a foul mood, Clyde stood before Anna, waiting on a response, waiting on her to explain why she had something alive perched on her, which was pretending to be a piece of jewelry, and which she had decided not to tell him about.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna had always been one to experiment and her work with Clyde now was no exception, she wondered if perhaps the use of a large Void Portal might increase the amount of magical energy it could channel. There was no real danger in it to her mind, perhaps the fringe risk of overloading the staff but if it really was a problem then Clyde likely would tell her. He was using Auristics after all, so naturally he’d be able to detect changes and fluctuation within the staff itself. His lack of admonishment encouraged her to keep the massive Portal stable.

The sorceress tried not to stare too deeply into her own Portals; the remnants of overgiving haunted her mind and could possibly cause another episode. She was confident that would not happen, her hallucinations were minor things but there was always that niggling doubt in the back of her mind. Perhaps Reimancy might have been a better idea to test her theory, too late now for that however. Anna simply focused on pouring more of her Djed into the inky black vortex, steadying her breathing. She did not bother with incantations at this point, this was leisurely and the environment around her was not distracting. Vex had fallen silent as she worked the strands of her Djed, knowing better than to interfere.

Everything was going fine until Clyde cursed loudly and stumbled back from the staff. Anna’s concentration fluctuated violently, the Portal reflecting that by shifting and seeming to writhe in agitation. With only one energy source being fed into the staff Anna was very concerned with possibly overloading it. Thus she willed the core of the Portal to fill with a bit of matter, causing an immediate collapse. The air it had once occupied rippled slightly before returning to normal, the link between dimensions severed in an instant.

Anna’s eyes widened by a fraction as Clyde started losing his composure over Vex’s presence on her ankle. Honestly she was struck silent for a moment, her expression turning somewhat stony. She hadn’t considered the fact that Vex still possessed an Aura as well and shared her own Djed, of course Clyde would notice. He was a much more experienced aurist than she was so little details like that wouldn’t escape his notice. The question was now what she was going to tell him regarding her familiar, a very tricky question to be sure.

“He has no need to know about me Anna, simply tell him I am some form of golem or enchanted item.” Vex projected, her tone somewhat… territorial.

“Do you really think that would work? He is an Aurist and he likely knows the difference between what he saw and a golem. Besides what makes you think he knows nothing about familiars?” Anna questioned.

“A fair point. However he is unlikely to know because if he did he would not have asked what I was. Think of something else then. Him knowing about me could be… problematic.” The Kirt returned.

It was then that Anna remembered that she had been silent for a good spell as Clyde waited expectantly. “Ah, you mean this?” The woman said, lifting the hem of her robe slightly to display the anklet.

The sorceress did not want to risk compromising her relationship with Clyde; he seemed rather shaken by the sight of Vex after all. “First off, she is not a thing. She is my familiar. Vex would you stop being a recluse and come out?”

“Be this on your head, Annalisa Marin.” The Kirt shot at her mentally; her tone colder than Anna had recalled hearing it. Vex never used her full name so likely she was rather annoyed by this.

The Kirt did however abide the request and with a brief glimmer of light the Darkfacer transformed herself from an anklet to a small figurine of a dancer that would fit easily in the palm of one’s hand. She moved from under Anna’s robes and gave a grandiloquent bow, any of her bad mood dissipating before Clyde. Quite the mood swing in Anna’s opinion but she opted to not dwell upon it, likely they would address this situation later when they were alone.

“I bid you greetings, Clyde Sullins. Anna has spoken at great length to your great power and intellect. Truly the stories do you great justice.” The Kirt greeted, her voice deceptively deep and gravelly though possessed a feminine edge to it.

“I apologize for not making myself known earlier, however Anna insisted I remain in my sealed state for this meeting. I am rather fortunate to possess so protective and mindful a wizard.” She continued, Anna allowing the tiny creature onto her hand.

The sorceress caught that little lie easily enough and wondered what game the Kirt was playing at here. Regardless she seemed aptly attempting to smooth over this little issue by targeting and soothing Clyde’s pride. Anna was not certain if she should be comforted by her ease of deception and manipulation. Admiration likely would not go amiss considering the god she followed; Vex would make an excellent disciple of the Defiler.

“Indeed, I prefer to keep Vex close. I figured she would go unnoticed in her sealed state, fear not though as she is perfectly harmless.” Anna said, catching a mental chuckle sent her way by Vex but choosing to ignore it.

[Clyde Sullins]

Anna's first response to Clyde's sudden outburst was to seal the portal she had torn open. Assuming it didn't suck anything in, Clyde did not believe it being present would affect the enchantment, even if Anna was using the staff being enchanted as the conduit. It was simply a process to be performed, not one that could be overdone. Of course should something pop out, it could also similarly be negative, so perhaps it was not the best thing to use during an enchantment. Anna's reaction afterward though seemed a mix of surprise and wonder, resulting in silence. Clyde could only conclude that she was surprised at Clyde making the discovery of the thing hiding upon her. Considering he'd only done so via magic, it made sense that she'd not expect him to figure it out. But with such a small object having such a sized aura, it was quite clear. That tied with the fact that Clyde had experience in more or less all types of magical enchantments laid upon items, Animation, Magecrafting, and even a bit of Malediction. Her stony faced response made it clear she wasn't certain initially what to say. A clear sign that what was about to be said would either not be the truth, or be less than the truth. “Ah, you mean this?” “First off, she is not a thing. She is my familiar. Vex would you stop being a recluse and come out?” As Clyde watched, the small fake anklet changed, taking the form of a small doll type thing. For a moment Clyde was reminded of a pycon, a tiny clay race he had met long ago, but this was clearly not one. A familiar apparently. Named Vex. And female. The tiny figure bowed, before speaking. “I bid you greetings, Clyde Sullins. Anna has spoken at great length to your great power and intellect. Truly the stories do you great justice.” Clyde had experience with pandering, having heard such puffery from those wishing to earn his favor before. Clearly this little person was playing some kind of game, or simply trying to gain Clyde's favor by being overly nice to him. “I apologize for not making myself known earlier, however Anna insisted I remain in my sealed state for this meeting. I am rather fortunate to possess so protective and mindful a wizard.” Clyde further noted that Vex was quick to place blame upon Anna, and not herself, for hiding from Clyde. And yet at the same time as she was being overly nice to Clyde and attempting to gain his favor, she was also doing the same while speaking of Anna. Perhaps then she was also playing the same game with Anna as she was with Clyde. “Indeed, I prefer to keep Vex close. I figured she would go unnoticed in her sealed state, fear not though as she is perfectly harmless.” Harmless... After all that had happened today, with the voids, and the secrets hidden, Clyde did not fully trust what Anna said. Considering she was a Chaon like Clyde, or perhaps not like him but still similarly marked, he doubted fully trusting her was a good idea. He himself was used to putting on a charade, and so when Vex and Anna concluded her put on his best smile, shook his head, and let out a sigh. Clyde took a look over at the pedestal with the staff upon it, before responding. “Greetings and salutations Mrs.Mini Vex, it is interesting to meet you. I am sure that all of Anna's tales of me would be interesting... Would I take you by the hand, if said gesture would not mush you to a pulpy... What are you made of? Clyde paused for a moment, clearly pondering such a thing, and losing himself in his train of thought, making a show of his thought process before continuing on. “Anyways... Greetings Mrs. Vex. So where do you hail from, and what is your kind called? And how did you and Anna meet? And what is it that you do for Anna? I can see you seem to have some form of shapeshifting ability, though what besides that do you do? I am sure Anna was simply trying to placate me in calling you harmless, I am sure she did not mean to intentionally be so rude in stating your capabilities.” Clyde, being a practical wizard, honestly enough did find harmless to be a rude term. If such a term was used to describe him, he did not doubt he would be offended. With that reasoning, he assumed that Vex would be similarly off put by being called such a thing. A harmless person was a useless person, and he did not doubt any ally of Anna's would be such a useless entity.

[Annalisa Marin]

Vex sat in Anna’s palm, clearly making herself comfortable which irritated Anna somewhat but she made no comment. The sorceress herself started feeling a bit… well not defensive but put off by the barrage of questions being put to her familiar. HER familiar. That bit of petty possessiveness was discarded quickly enough; she doubted the questions were meant to sound overly prying. She did however wonder how much Vex was going to give away and how true it would be. She trusted the Kirt was not dumb enough to blab about the Heartlands and their adventures there together though she was a bit put off by her revealing her…

“I assure you I am not so fragile, Mr. Sullins. My body is composed of various ores that are too many to properly hope to list all of them.” The Kirt supplied the truth easily enough.

“I hail from a rather lovely corner of misery known as Fyrden and am known as a Kirt. I met Anna here through a mutual intermediary and we opted to form a bond based on mutual compatibility.” The creature stated.

Anna was relieved that Vex left all talk of the Heartlands and the Warden out of her explanation, best to gloss over those details. The familiar was perfectly comfortable with conversing with the wizard across from her, adapting to the situation quite masterfully. The sorceress was noting a number of things in this exchange, first being their first real disagreement over something. It was inevitable since they were both different individuals, but Anna was confident in taking leadership as she was the strongest of the pair.

“As for what I do for Anna… I provide her with advice and an extra perspective. There is wisdom in listening to words that are not one’s own. My shapeshifting abilities are also rather useful from time to time.” Vex stated aloud.

“Rude? Are all you wizards so worried over appearing threatening? Honestly, subtlety seems to be absent the vocabulary of every single one I’ve met.” Vex projected towards Anna, causing the latter to prickle at the insult.

“As much as this line of questioning is fascinating, I find it pointless to our overall objective here Clyde. Vex is not going to be a distraction if that concerns you, what concerns me is whether on not the enchantment has been ruined by your… episode.” Anna stated, none to subtly trying to return attention to the matter at hand.

“Oh come now Anna, no need to be such a grouse. I am more than happy to answer Clyde’s questions. After all, he is your only family left is he not?” The Kirt said, her innocent tone belaying the bite of her words. Words that were designed to cut deeply into old wounds.

The sorceress glared at the familiar for her using her lack of family so easily, what irritated her most was how much it hurt to hear the truth spoken aloud. Her immediate family was dead, and her extended family was relatively unknown to her. As far as she knew Clyde was the only family she had left and to hear it said aloud made her feel utterly alone. One of those rare reflective moments came over her, causing her to wince slightly at her jab at Clyde’s possibly justified freak out earlier.

“I- of course. I apologize, Clyde, that was rude of me.” Anna said, the apology tasting bitter upon her tongue.