“Oh good,” she replied brightly, to Bennar’s assurance in regards the Registry. “For a moment there I thought I would have to be…firm.” Her lips quirked into a smile, but burning golden eyes were deadly serious, a flash of Alses’ ruthlessly pragmatic and not especially merciful side coming to the surface for a moment before fading away to her more usual serene mien.
“Just remember to keep the Registry up-to-date on your skills, and you shouldn’t have any problems,” she added, leaning back in her chair and relaxing, sunlight dancing in her crown-of-horns and sending reflected light shimmering across the table with every movement.
Alses listened intently to Bennar’s unreeling list of disciplines, her quick mind leaping to conclusions as he spoke. When he finished, she took a tick or two to compose her thoughts before replying. “It sounds as though you have at least a passing acquaintance with most of the magics that our fair city holds,” she remarked. “All you’d really need is auristics, to round off the Tower set.” A grin.
“And on the subject of the Towers, you probably have met Tower wizards and perhaps not realised it. They don’t necessarily advertise themselves all that much; about the only constant is they tend to have the insignia of whichever Tower House they belong to somewhere on their person.” She shrugged. “We don’t carry ours any more, of course, but I used to have one from House Dusk.”
“Speaking of me – because everyone likes to talk about themselves, don’t they? - mostly we’re Lhavit’s lady magesmith. If you want a miracle made, you come to me. In pursuit of my craft and my passion, we’re quite good as a glypher, and I’ve some skill as an aurist, as we already said. Oh, and a smattering of animation, too, although since Maeki no longer teaches, our progress in that field has slowed somewhat.” Alses frowned, blackly. The damage done to Maeki’s animation studio had been extensive, but fairly easily repaired. The damage to the woman herself, though, especially in the realms of the mind…that hadn’t gone so well.
She still refused, point-blank, to teach as she once had. It made Alses’ hands clench, involuntarily, into fists at the thought of what Incognito had done. ‘Still,’ she thought grudgingly. ‘He knows that if he ever sets foot in Lhavit again, we’ll wring his neck. Personally, and very slowly. Unless we think up something more imaginative to finish him off in the meantime.’
It didn’t help with Maeki’s predicament, but it did at least make Alses feel a little better.
Yes, next time she’d be far more prepared.
With an effort of will, Alses brought herself back to the conversation in hand, to the here-and-now. “My position? Ha!” it was a wry little chuckle. “Do you actually know what we do, or are you trying for flattery? To be truthful, we rather wish I had some of your skills. Morphing, for instance. It’s a discipline we’ve long wanted to learn, but as things stand I cannot afford to be seen to be partisan, and right now inveigling Lord Twilight or one of the other members of his House for instruction...” Alses tailed off, her mind continuing the thought: ‘Would give my opponents exactly the wrong sort of leverage’. She was enough of a politician to know not to blurt all the little details and secrets and rivalries out, especially not to someone she’d just met.
“Would perhaps be a little unwise,” she settled on, only the very mildest of frowns creasing her forehead. Keeping rein on her expressions, on all the little tells and signs that people could pick up on, that was a skill she was diligently trying to improve, and with only mixed success. ‘Especially since I can hardly ask Lady Dawn for tuition in Shielding or Reimancy at the same time, which might otherwise balance affairs out. Damn her and her poison tongue.’
“As would asking at the Dawn Tower.” Alses smiled, then, clearing out the frown and the vitriol of her thoughts. “That might give you some idea of what I think of your skills. We’ve spent our life in the glow of magic. So long as you’re civilised with it, so long as you know your limits and when to stop, you should celebrate your power and skill and glory in it.”
She looked down at the dark and fragrant tea in front of her for a few moments, breathing in the spiral whorls of steam uncurling from its surface and delighting in the warmth that struck through the china to warm her skin. “We remember being as you are now,” Alses said quietly. “Trying to make ends meet is never fun, and leaves precious little time free for arcane pursuits. I’m sure you’ll find something more fitting soon enough.” A pause. “The cake is, as ever, exquisite, as is the tea,” she added, and gently pushed the untouched slice, with its whorls of dark chocolate and rich sauce, across the table. “Try some, if you like.”
“Just remember to keep the Registry up-to-date on your skills, and you shouldn’t have any problems,” she added, leaning back in her chair and relaxing, sunlight dancing in her crown-of-horns and sending reflected light shimmering across the table with every movement.
Alses listened intently to Bennar’s unreeling list of disciplines, her quick mind leaping to conclusions as he spoke. When he finished, she took a tick or two to compose her thoughts before replying. “It sounds as though you have at least a passing acquaintance with most of the magics that our fair city holds,” she remarked. “All you’d really need is auristics, to round off the Tower set.” A grin.
“And on the subject of the Towers, you probably have met Tower wizards and perhaps not realised it. They don’t necessarily advertise themselves all that much; about the only constant is they tend to have the insignia of whichever Tower House they belong to somewhere on their person.” She shrugged. “We don’t carry ours any more, of course, but I used to have one from House Dusk.”
“Speaking of me – because everyone likes to talk about themselves, don’t they? - mostly we’re Lhavit’s lady magesmith. If you want a miracle made, you come to me. In pursuit of my craft and my passion, we’re quite good as a glypher, and I’ve some skill as an aurist, as we already said. Oh, and a smattering of animation, too, although since Maeki no longer teaches, our progress in that field has slowed somewhat.” Alses frowned, blackly. The damage done to Maeki’s animation studio had been extensive, but fairly easily repaired. The damage to the woman herself, though, especially in the realms of the mind…that hadn’t gone so well.
She still refused, point-blank, to teach as she once had. It made Alses’ hands clench, involuntarily, into fists at the thought of what Incognito had done. ‘Still,’ she thought grudgingly. ‘He knows that if he ever sets foot in Lhavit again, we’ll wring his neck. Personally, and very slowly. Unless we think up something more imaginative to finish him off in the meantime.’
It didn’t help with Maeki’s predicament, but it did at least make Alses feel a little better.
Yes, next time she’d be far more prepared.
With an effort of will, Alses brought herself back to the conversation in hand, to the here-and-now. “My position? Ha!” it was a wry little chuckle. “Do you actually know what we do, or are you trying for flattery? To be truthful, we rather wish I had some of your skills. Morphing, for instance. It’s a discipline we’ve long wanted to learn, but as things stand I cannot afford to be seen to be partisan, and right now inveigling Lord Twilight or one of the other members of his House for instruction...” Alses tailed off, her mind continuing the thought: ‘Would give my opponents exactly the wrong sort of leverage’. She was enough of a politician to know not to blurt all the little details and secrets and rivalries out, especially not to someone she’d just met.
“Would perhaps be a little unwise,” she settled on, only the very mildest of frowns creasing her forehead. Keeping rein on her expressions, on all the little tells and signs that people could pick up on, that was a skill she was diligently trying to improve, and with only mixed success. ‘Especially since I can hardly ask Lady Dawn for tuition in Shielding or Reimancy at the same time, which might otherwise balance affairs out. Damn her and her poison tongue.’
“As would asking at the Dawn Tower.” Alses smiled, then, clearing out the frown and the vitriol of her thoughts. “That might give you some idea of what I think of your skills. We’ve spent our life in the glow of magic. So long as you’re civilised with it, so long as you know your limits and when to stop, you should celebrate your power and skill and glory in it.”
She looked down at the dark and fragrant tea in front of her for a few moments, breathing in the spiral whorls of steam uncurling from its surface and delighting in the warmth that struck through the china to warm her skin. “We remember being as you are now,” Alses said quietly. “Trying to make ends meet is never fun, and leaves precious little time free for arcane pursuits. I’m sure you’ll find something more fitting soon enough.” A pause. “The cake is, as ever, exquisite, as is the tea,” she added, and gently pushed the untouched slice, with its whorls of dark chocolate and rich sauce, across the table. “Try some, if you like.”
