Almalexia. (arithmeticks) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-09-08 15:28:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !complete, !log, almalexia lliryn, merrion priddy |
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
Who: Lex & Merri.
What: White magic research! Books! Helping people!
Where: Lux & Livre.
When: Recently.
Rating: G~
Status: Complete!
Lux & Livre was a very useful bookshop. Lex found herself frequenting the establishment more and more of late, perhaps as an excuse to go out into the city on something of a regular basis. Her ability to do so consistently was notoriously awful, of course, but there was always room for self-improvement. Or perhaps she was simply restless of late, her mind filled with an abundance of unanswered questions about her own uncertain future. Advancing in her status as a mage should’ve soothed her concerns, she thought, not incited them. But whatever the reasoning was on that particular afternoon, Lex soon found herself in the middle of organizing a stack of books left in a scattered pile on the floor. She’d wandered near the row dedicated to the subject of white magics, and had soon nearly managed to trip over the mess by accident. Did someone carelessly leave them there on purpose? And what of the shop attendants nearby? While the task of reorganizing the books was surely not her own, walking away and leaving them on the floor for another to trip over seemed distasteful at the least. It was in the middle of this task, therefore, when Lex accidentally bumped into another patron. “Pardon me,” she said, trying not to sound startled. The bump made Merri jump and nearly drop his book, having been so enthralled by the collection of white magic books the Lux & Livre had. He had come to get a new copy of Dolumar's Apothecarium by Sabina’s suggestion; his own copy had been damaged when he had dropped it in a puddle on his way to the clinic yesterday. Fortunately, it was not an uncommon title, and he had found the newest edition quickly enough. The distraction had come at the other titles before him -- some he thought might help him improve the two spells he was currently working on, and others that he knew would be useful later on down the line. Though Dolumar’s nearly fell from his grasp, he somehow managed to catch it before it toppled onto his or the other person’s feet. Merri breathed a sigh of relief. How terrible it would have been if he’d broken one of his toes, or worse, her toes! “I’m sorry!” he said automatically. Then, realizing how ridiculous it sounded, he laughed sheepishly. “I mean, are you okay?” He cringed. That wasn’t much better. “Oh,” she said, taking a polite step back. “Of course.” Lex assessed the man before her, relieved that she hadn’t done more than bump the item from his hands. Her gaze slowly turned to the title of the book--something very familiar. Her expression brightened to one of curiosity. Perhaps he was a mage as well, she wondered? “Have you read this before?” Relieved that she did not take offense or think him a special kind of fool for his questions, Merri smiled. The grin grew wider when she asked about the book; though he was far from an expert on white magic, he loved to discuss books and magical theory, and books on magical theory. “I have!” he said, then after a beat, amended, “Well, not since I was a scholar, really. A friend of mine is giving remedial courses on a couple of basic white magic spells so I thought to brush up, but…” Merri made a small, self-conscious shrug. “I sort of ruined mine yesterday, so I’m here to replace it. Have you read it?” He’d never seen her in the tower before, but he knew not all those who could do magic were trained there. Perhaps, even, she just had an interest in it. Merri wouldn’t blame her; it was truly fascinating stuff. Lex was careful enough to hold back a smile, but her interest piqued at his enthusiastic response. As a mage of the Church, white magic had obviously been her foundation of study. Unfortunately, finding anyone outside the Cathedral to easily discuss such topics with was something of a challenge, and not only because of her old habits of keeping herself away locked away in solitary study. But as these habits slowly began to change, so too did her apparent fortune in this regard. She looked him over more carefully. If he was indeed a mage, what was his class? Certainly it wasn’t white magic, if he was only now taking remedial courses. “Yes, I’ve read several of these,” she said, gesturing to the row of tomes beside them. “That book in particular can be quite informative for beginners, of course.” Lex hesitated, wondering if it was appropriate to continue conversing with a stranger she had only accidentally bumped into. It was likely far better for her to politely excuse herself now, however… “Are you learning many spells as yet?” “I am,” said Merri with a nod. “Some of the… things that have happened the past few months have made me more aware of the spells I ought to know that I don’t. I’ve always been better with offensive magicks, but sometimes black magic by itself isn’t enough. More and more I’m learning that white magic is more useful to the people I fight alongside.” His smile fell the more he talked about it, so he shook his head and brightened his grin again. There was little need to dwell on his regrets, especially now that he was working again to make sure that he’d never have them to this degree again. “Are you a mage, too?” he asked, recalling her statement of her having read most of the books here. “I’ve never seen you in the Tower before. If you don’t mind me asking, that is!” “Oh?” Lex hadn’t expected such an earnest explanation. She watched the way his smile began to falter slightly and wondered what the man had involved himself in. Certainly she related to his feelings, however--accompanying the Silver Blades into the caves had been nothing if not revelatory on her current shortcomings of both ability and experience. Compelled to improve herself afterward, she wondered if this was not the same sentiment. “I’ve studied magic at the University,” she explained. “Closer to the guidance of Faram, or so I’m often told.” Realizing that she hadn’t yet introduced herself, Lex stood up straighter and offered a handshake. “I’m Lex. It is always good to meet someone with interest in white magic.” “Merri,” he said, returning the handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, too!” He had heard of mages who studied at the University of St. Iocus, though aside from Father Luscini, he never met any others for himself. They often studied white and holy magicks rather than the plethora of other options the Tower offered, and Merri wondered how much else was different besides. “I’ve always wondered what studies at the University were like,” he said in awe. “Did you like learning there?” “It is a very informative environment,” she said with a nod. On the subject of learning, however… Lex turned her attention once again to the books remaining on the floor, and she knelt carefully over the unsorted pile. These were all materials on white magic as well--though many of them were perhaps too advanced for a beginner, she realized. Her expression became engaged and almost determined. “Do you have any other current books to study, Merri?” He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to find supplements to help refresh myself. I’ve been learning a couple of spells but it’s been difficult. Protect and Shell? I’m also trying to improve my Esuna, which is why I’ve picked up this one--” He raised Dolumar’s up sheepishly. “--because I sort of made the mistake in learning it before becoming better acquainted with the theory. My Esuna isn’t very… consistent.” Which was the best he could say for it, if he had to be brutally honest with himself. “Do you have any suggestions?” Lex took several of the books in hand and stood back up. “Perhaps.” Moving over to the shelf with purpose, she quickly busied herself with rearranging the collection in a very thorough and specific manner. Her fingers brushed along several different titles, considering what would be most appropriate for her to recommend. The study habits of the Tower mages must be very different, she considered, and Lex couldn’t help but wonder just how much the learning structure deviated from her own. Removing a slim tome from the shelf in front of her, she gestured to two books far above her head--high enough for Merri to reach, but certainly too high for someone of Lex’s stature. “If you would?” “Of course,” chirped Merri, standing on his tiptoes to get to the indicated books. An extra slipped out as he pulled the two away from the shelf, tumbling to the floor, but luckily it was on the other side of him from Lex. With a blush, he picked it up and replaced it, relieved that nothing else came down on either of them as he did so. “These ones?” he asked to confirm. “Yes, precisely,” Lex said with a nod, relieved that the book hadn’t managed to fall her way. Still, she had managed to maintain her composure through the brief mishap. Handing over the book in her hands to Merri, she began to explain. “The two are part of a wider series, but I believe they shall further aid in your advancement with Protect and Shell. Perhaps by winter, depending upon your progress, you shall be ready for Wall as well.” Gesturing to the third and smallest book, she continued. “The other is for Esuna in particular. However…” She cleared her throat, one hand raised politely over her mouth. Her apparent knowledge of white magic in comparison to Merri’s made her feel very confident, she realized, and it was encouraging her to be perhaps a bit more bold than what was typical. She had yet to duck her head and go on her way, after all. “If you feel as though you could use more assistance,” she said, “I would not be opposed to going over the research with you.” Merri examined the books as Lex explained their uses, committing them to memory for when he returned to the Tower. As well, the thought that he might be able to learn Wall thrilled him; he never thought that such a spell could ever be added to his repertoire. The thought had never crossed his mind to attempt it, mostly because Vivi hadn’t the scroll for it, and it’d been a difficult time. He was sure he’d have the same troubles with Wall as he would for Esuna if he had jumped right into it, however. Then at her suggestion of assistance, he beamed. “Really? You’d help me out?” asked Merri. “That would be great, thank you! White magic has never really been a strength of mine so I’ll happily accept any help you’re willing to give me!” “Of course,” she said with a nod. “It would be no trouble.” Feeling at once as though she had just accomplished something important--and with possibly much more to be done in the future, it seemed. Lex had discovered an unexpected but welcome amount of reassurance to her efforts that day. A simple task such as sorting a pile of discarded books had turned into something quite more than what she expected. “But I should allow you to continue the rest of your day,” she said, looking around at once. Lex had likely spent more a great deal more time in Lux & Livre than she initially intended. “Yes, of course,” said Merri, his mind stealing away to the stack of paperwork he still had on his desk. It wasn’t so much that this trip to the bookstore would be detrimental to his progress for the day, but after the social calls of last week, he’d still fallen behind and had to spend a good portion of the weekend catching up. He shifted the books in his arms to reach into his pocket to pull out a calling card. “Here’s my contact information, if you want. It was so great to meet you, Lex!” She took the card from his hand. Placing it in her pocket for safekeeping, Lex said her thank you and goodbye and watched as Merri left. After finally going on her own way back to the Cathedral, there were no more books seen scattered on the floor of the shop, and the shelves in the white magic section were found to be strangely well-organized. |