ᴀʟᴛᴜs, ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇʀ, ᴍᴀɢɪsᴛᴇʀ (tevene) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-04-06 15:45:00 |
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Rasalas was a lot of things, but patient was usually only one of them when she had an excuse to be. She’d let time pass. Remus had shown her a bookstore where she could obtain a few books on children and how to care for them and some basic knowledge on what to expect as they aged. She’d started to make copies of the books before she reminded herself that she had money not tied to Sirius so that she could buy things. So she took pictures of the book names with her phone after she reasoned they’d be worth spending money on. She’d gone and bought the books later in a store she found. She’d carefully chosen an emerald green witches robe she found of her mother’s. She’d had it updated, had the hem brought up and new silver clasps sewn on. Her hair was plaited and hung over her shoulder. She wanted to seem put together and as if she belonged. She was aware that Sirius could have brought her, but she was bound and determined to do this on her own. Half the secret to getting things you wanted and to get into places you weren’t certain was confidence and the outward appearance that you absolutely did belong there. It was how they’d gotten past the security at St. Mungo’s. Only she wasn’t here to steal potions. She was just here to look for books ON potions that might be different from her world and not require a wand. Walking through the door, she made her way around as confidently as she could, but she hadn’t found the library yet, so she would have to ask someone. Sighing, she set her shoulders with the task and turned quickly to face the person that walked past her. “Excuse me. I do not mean to bother you, but I was looking for the library here. I seem to have gotten lost.” When it came to architecture, the University of Unseen Arts was quite interesting - and could be a bit confusing too, Dorian supposed. The structure was built according to the principles of sacred geometry, as he’d learned; each room was in a pentagram shape, and locked perfectly in place with any neighboring rooms as well. It also used to be a boarding school but wasn’t so much anymore - just a regular educational facility, a high-level academic environment. And Dorian always welcomed the opportunities for new students to grace the halls, and new teachers to fill the classrooms. He had just finished one of his Necromancy classes and was carrying a stack of books in his arms - they were from his own personal collection at Skyhold, and he’d acquired them from a merchant in Val Royeaux, the capital city of Orlais, during the Inquisition. The Waking Sea, quite a busy waterway, cut through the city and led to the turbulent Amaranthine ocean - no one dared venture that far out lest they were turbulent themselves, and he hadn’t exactly been fond of Orlais anyway. But acquiring knowledge was important. Apparently to them both - himself and the University’s new guest. “Oh, yes - I can show you. I’m headed that way,” he offered. “Dorian Pavus, current Headmaster and Professor of Necromancy and Elemental Magics. Are you a new student?” There was a flash of recognition, followed by confusion before Ras remembered herself and reconstructed the mask she wore regularly. He looked like Sirius, but he wasn’t. It was evident by the lack of recognition and the fact that he didn’t immediately tease her for being so stiff or serious. Dorian Pavus. It wasn’t a name that she knew even from Tumbleweed. She was curious what his home was like because everyone’s was so different and yet somehow similar, but she didn’t ask anything immediately. Necromancy wasn’t something she was strictly familiar with, but she knew of Inferi and she had heard of zombies. “Currently not enrolled,” she admitted. “I have only just arrived and my schooling has been done for some time. At least back home.” But she didn’t further her studies in anything but Potions in Tumbleweed and only in so much as she stole necessary books and practiced. “I have been looking for alternative forms of Potions from home and Sirius suggested that there were libraries that might have further information on that. Ours back home require wands and I am unfamiliar with the magic users here, so I cannot say which use wands and which do not.” She was quiet for a moment. “My name is Rasalas Black.” Another pause. “Ah. And...thank you for your assistance.” “Rasalas,” he repeated. “A pleasure. Well, we have plenty of students who take advantage of the opportunity to learn new magics while in a new world - if you wish to enroll in one or more of our offered classes, we can make that happen.” But alright, the library - Dorian did a bit of an about face, canting his chin in the other direction down the hallway. “This way.” The library wasn’t far off - he shifted the books he was carrying to cradle them in one arm, opening the door. Inside there were tall walls of ancient tomes, some newer as well - paperbacks and hardcover, a whole selection. He was certain they had something on potions, even if currently no classes were taught on the subject - generally the University offered things like Demonology, Invocation, Herbology, and so forth. But Herbology was commonly linked to creating potions, and he was certain Sabrina had her own greenhouse to also concoct some things. She had to have learned somewhere. There were so many books though, as if the shelves had been planted as seeds and grew by virtue of curiosity and thirst for knowledge - the magic of these books spelled out in blank ink. “Let’s see - “ He set down the books he was carrying on a table and headed for the Herbology section; Dorian thought that might be a good place to start. “Ah, yes, here we go - there are a few books here that cover the herbs and plants needed for potions. That’s what you were looking for, yes? No wand required?” At least he was pretty sure that was the case with the potions discussed here. “I will consider it,” she replied. If there were any classes for Potions, she would consider it. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure what else she could learn. She’d been through her NEWTs the same as everyone else. “Perhaps if you have a list of the courses, I will be able to see what might be interesting to learn.” She was better, she thought, at teaching individuals things as opposed to teaching people in a large setting. She looked around curiously at the library as she walked inside. It was rather large and extensive. It was not the library at Hogwarts, but she wasn’t sure if anything was the same as her home. “Ah yes.” She looked at the books casually. She was curious if she could make copies of these or she would just have to come often enough to study on her own. “It is easier to teach others without wands to make similar Potions to what we have at home here. Though, I will be doing my best to make some from my own home while I’m here.” She pulled a few books, wondering if they used anything from magical creatures here. There was at least plenty to make things like burn pastes and various other things. “Is that what you’re wanting to do? Teach others to make potions?” Dorian inquired, and he thought that would be a helpful thing - as far as he knew, there currently wasn’t anyone around who could do that. As a result of attending Outlander coven meetings, he’d learned many new tricks (including shapeshifting, from Atreus, and also a few different healing spells than the ones he already knew) - but not everyone was interested in joining the coven. Which was understandable, he supposed. He enjoyed the camaraderie and the wine-drinking, the chatting and the monthly meetings, but not everyone did. Anyway. “Potions are quite common in my world, which is Thedas - we have a variety that mages can concoct. Healing potions, but also grenades and tonics for battle. I’m quite sure you could learn those too.” Most anyone could, provided they had the wherewithal to study and learn. “Well, some have expressed interest and I have done so in smaller groups. Nothing like...this.” She’d had Slughorn and she was skilled at least. Absolutely obsessed with making a group of important people, but skilled. “Mostly I have been interested in healing Potions and various things I can make for those here. People are, in my observations, ridiculously prone to reckless behavior.” She couldn’t really count herself out. She had stolen from St. Mungo’s and put her life in danger and she’d given Sirius a very real scare. But she had also had walked into a cave knowing she would not come back out of it alive and didn’t tell anyone what she was doing. It was better they didn’t understand. “Thedas,” she said softly. “I do not know that one. Perhaps it didn’t come up in Tumbleweed.” Or she just hadn’t interacted with them. She wasn’t sure which it was. “We have quite a few. I was teaching myself quite a lot of new ones back home. We did not have a Potions Master to train under once Severus left, so I have made do. I believe blood replenishing potions might be useful. Skelegro may be useful, but I suppose it all depends.” She sighed. “I am waiting for the books I need to arrive so I might be able to return to my studies as a whole.” And to work on the Wolfsbane potion. It would be months of work, she imagined, but she would work towards it until she could get it right. And they had money to get what they needed. “Are the books on those potions in this library?” Blood replenishing potions. Well, now that would be incredibly useful - though the mention that people around here tended to be reckless gave Headmaster Dorian a bit of a chuckle. “Very reckless,” he agreed. Certainly he was out there himself when the time come - he’d felt as if it was his responsibility to handle the Deepstalkers (not entirely, of course, but they were a nuisance injected from his world), plus whenever something else popped up in the forest usually Atreus also popped up to help. Which meant that Dorian popped up too, following his lover into battle - he seemed to have a penchant for doing that, given the fact that he’d also done the same thing when he was with Max during the Inquisition as well. “This world - I wouldn’t exactly call it safe all the time,” he hedged. “So healing potions people can take with them, blood replenishing, salves for burns - all of that would help out on the battlefield. Something to stabilize people before they’re brought to a medical facility.” Some of the potions he was aware of could heal injured denizens completely, but he certainly didn’t know how to make those - it wasn’t his sect of magic, even if he had been taught the basics of crafting potions. He tried not to be too overeager but, well, something new was very exciting. “The books regarding crafting Thedosian potions are at the Skyhold library,” he indicated. “Skyhold - it’s a castle, located in the forest. We can schedule a time and I can bring you out there to peruse the books, if you’d like. These,” He motioned toward the stack he’d been carrying, “...are also from there. You may borrow books from both libraries.” Dorian wasn’t stingy about reading and education. Books, knowledge, should be free - if anything happened to those books or they were stolen then, yes, he’d rain down H-E-L-L (whatever that encompassed) and darkness but otherwise it was perfectly fine. “I’m curious to see if my brother is throwing himself at danger quite as often as I recall. It’s hard to catch up after so long with every detail, so I suppose I will have to see once the next thing happens.” Because, in her experience, there was always a ‘next thing’. But Sirius had assured her there were no cruises, for which she was thankful. Even if they did come with useful knowledge at times. Ras smiled then, but it was more of a smile of acknowledgement. “In my experience, few places are safe all the time. Not even home.” But she had come from a time of war and she would die alone in a cave. It was what it was. “Perhaps if there are those that are in danger all the time, I can apply spells to keep the containers from breaking and make them bags that are bigger inside. To be able to carry what is necessary without feeling weighed down or the concern of breaking what they have in such settings.” It could certainly be done. It was how she managed to steal so many potions at one time from St. Mungo’s. “Either way, I am sure I could at least figure something out.” “A castle. I haven’t been inside one since Hogwarts. Though, I admit, that was not terribly long ago.” A year and some months. The year being a side effect of arriving in Texas. She nodded at his words. “I should like to find time to look into your potions and see what is different and what is not.” She nearly asked if they had potions in his world for lycanthropy, but she remained uncertain how open Lupin was with his...condition. It was part of why she hadn’t approached him regarding the Wolfsbane Potion. “Is it preferable to stay and take notes or might I bring them to my home. I would be certain to keep them to my room if they are not directly with me.” Well, she was just full of good ideas, wasn’t she? “Our time of being less disorganized in battle has come,” Dorian laughed a little, a fond huff of air, though he was quite thrilled for these preparations. “It’s always - “ How should he put this? Delicately, perhaps, without insulting the masses. Oh, well, whatever. “...I believe the modern word is clusterfuck?” he decided upon. “Whenever something goes wrong. We have defense teams that handle the unsavory threats in the forest - but they get injured, everyone gets injured, and there’s a large influx of patients at the clinic. Seems rather foolhardy to me, in most instances. But what you’re suggesting would be an incredible help.” Bags that could hold a variety of healing potions? Unbreakable bottles? Maker, where had Rasalas been all their lives? “And you may check books out,” he added, heading for the library’s desk so that he could grab the binder that held all the coming-and-going info along with a pen. He supposed they ought to upgrade to something more digital at the university - but Skyhold, despite the newness of the electricity and the flushing toilets, was not ever going to be that way. Most likely. “Let me just make note of what you’re bringing home with you. These Herbology and plant books, yes?” Ras studied in for a moment, trying to decide if it was the sort of teasing Sirius was fond of or something different. She decided to believe it was more like Sirius. “One tries to be at least somewhat organized. Unless you are some of the people I know.” Her eldest cousin in particular. Everything was chaos with him. “That seems accurate,” she said after a moment. They had a similar set up in Tumbleweed. People that did patrols and dealt with problems as they arose, but then there were things that could not fully be controlled. “Then I will try to start as soon as possible. To prepare before it gets terribly bad.” Which was where she would require more people. At least until she got things set up. She nodded at the comment about being able to check books up. She was pleased because then she could go home sometimes. At least Draco had a Potions set up from before. She could just use it and go from there. “Yes. These books. I will come back later to see if there are others, but for now, I will just stick to these ones. Thank you.” Dorian made note of the books being checked out, scribing their titles and today’s date in his elegant penmanship - he also had a blank check-box for when the books were returned at a later date, so he could mark them down as being back where they belonged. “Come back in a couple of weeks and check out more?” he suggested. “For now, these ought to do.” He was pleased that Rasalas found the resources to be useful, however - he’d grown quite fond of the university and was always working to recruit new teachers and new students. Filling this place with inquisitive minds was a goal of his, something he took seriously. Perhaps because in Thedas they lacked proper institutions - only recently had the Circles been turned into something resembling educational facilities rather than mage prisons, and he fully supported that type of environment. “And let me know whenever you’re ready to visit Skyhold. We can arrange a time - I’m on the network if you need me, simply send me a message.” He’d prepare tea, or uncork a bottle of wine (Rasalas looked a little young but he was assuming she was ‘of drinking age’ here in Vallo), whichever was appropriate since he aimed to be accommodating whenever possible. She would take as many notes as she could. She was used to not having parchment paper these days, but she missed it. Still, the notebook and pen approach was well enough for now. She’d charmed one to write as she spoke the same as the quills. “I will definitely take my time with them, but should anyone require them, let me know and I will bring them back in.” But she wasn’t sure they seemed overused as it was. There was a quick nod at his mention of letting him know. “I will be certain to reach out. I’m sure it won’t be too long. Once I’ve transcribed most of these into the computer.” Because she was going to have to find some way to do it. Or she’d simply take pictures of her notes and upload them into some collective place. She was still figuring them out. She couldn’t type very fast. Perhaps with time she would be able to. “Perfect. It was nice meeting you, Rasalas,” Dorian said grandly - he gathered his own books again, since he planned to bring them to his office to conduct a little research. Nothing groundbreaking, but it was all about forming perfect lesson plans and he wished to be prepared for his next class. “I’ll leave you to your studies.” He was glad he ran into her - anything to help out with the battlegrounds here would be beneficial, though there was no rush. She could take her time to learn and practice and everyone else would survive in the meantime just fine. Most likely. With a few more monster-induced bruises but that really wasn’t anything new, was it? |