Azoto's Interview (Azoto)

[Eridanus]

Day 17, Summer of 512 AV
Order of Transcendence Temporary Headquarters - Office
Around Midday
Continued from here

Eridanus sighed as he straightened out the paperwork on his desk. The office was minimally outfitted, with the few chairs and desks about the sparse room. Still, he got what he paid for, and it should only be a temporary measure.

The characteristic sound of the flap of the mailbox outside did not escape the attentive man, and violet eyes swirled up to the door. Feeding djed to his eyes, he briefly gazed through the wooden door, his magical sight allowing him to see past mundane objects unhindered. As he did not place much djed into this process, he only saw a sizeable aura at the mailbox, turning about to leave, though that was enough for him.

A hand was raised to tidy his messy aurora-streaked hair as he neatened the messy sheet of parchment and vellum on the desk, and he raised his voice as he directed it outwards.

"Why don't you come in and have a little chat, eh?"

[Azoto]

Azoto had arrived in Alvadas mainly to expand his knowledge of Magic, sure he had a little understanding of the basics but this guild seemed like a great chance for him to better his magic skills - and perhaps meet some like minded individuals. Hopefully this guild would not take badly to Azoto being Nuit - for he is shunned by most communities. "Wonder if I will get into this guild then..." Azoto mumbled to himself as he turned away after slipping his sealed application letter through the mailbox. He was about to leave when a strange voice projected from behind him. "Why don't you come in and have a little chat, eh?" It said. The voice startled Azoto a little Whatever that might be? he thought before wheeling around on the spot to face the office door. He pulled down his hood from his somewhat frayed robes - didn't want to make a bad impression here - then with a polite knock on the door he crossed the threshold of room... Standing in front of him was a tall, athletic man with strange black hair with tints of blue and green. This man's presence demanded respect - he had the look of authority. However, Azoto was not scared nor intimidated him although he did seem like a man you would not want to cross. "You called?" Azoto asked inquisitively.

[Eridanus]

The door opened, and Eridanus found himself looking at a lanky man around the age of a young adult, though the signs of weariness and the greying hair made him appear much older than he might be. The awkward gait of the man's stumble, combined with the above physical traits, drew suspicion from the observant vantha, though he reserved his comment.

"Have a seat," He gestured towards the seat in front of the desk as he stood up, his chair making a clattering sound on the floor. He winced at the noise, but he could not really fault it - this was what he got for the pittance he paid for this office. "Give me a moment."

With that, he quickly strode outside, retrieving the man's application letter from the mailbox. Heading back towards his seat, he cleared his throat as he read the letter carefully, finally placing it on the table as he swivelled his emerald green gaze on the self-declared nuit.

"Thank you for your honesty, Azoto. Not many are willing to be that frank with strangers, especially not with members of the magic community - wizard psychology and all that. I am Eridanus, the de-facto leader of our fledgeling guild."

Stretching a hand over the desk, he offered a courteous handshake to the applicant as he spoke.

"Tell me, Azoto. Why here? Why Alvadas? Most nuits I know who want to further their mastery of magic head to Zeltiva or Sahova."

[Azoto]

Azoto took a seat in the office, Place looks a little scruffy for Wizards - he expected a little more glamor. He thought to himself as he observed the room around him. This man seemed very polite and Azoto found his etiquette refreshing - after spending most of his life in slums - The man introduced himself and offered a handshake, he took it strongly. Eridanus was noticeably warmer than he was, alas it had been so long since Azoto had truly been warm. "Tell me, Azoto. Why here? Why Alvadas? Most nuits I know who want to further their mastery of magic head to Zeltiva or Sahova." "Good question. I suppose that I it would make sense for me to travel to Sahova and live along side fellow Nuits - but answer me this; would you spend the rest of your life in seclusion from the world just to avoid prosecution from people whom do not understand you? Maybe for some, but not for me. I want to learn magic, but I still want to be out here, in the world, doing things. " Azoto answered as he sank comfortably into his seat. " I understand many believe my kind to be evil and vile undead creatures, well... for the most part I'd say you were right to say this. But rest assured my only reason for joining the undead was to give myself more time to study - that is not to say I'm a slow learner!" Azoto added with a cheeky grin.

[Eridanus]

Nuits were by far solitary creatures, and as much as he disliked to compare, out of most of the mortal races out there their mindset most resembled his own race - the immortal ethaefal. For both races could theoretically live forever - in the absence of bodily harm or grievous injuries - and that longevity bred a different mindset than the rest of the little mortal races, scurrying about their lives. To them, the other races' lives were but a blink of an eye in the great expanse of time.

Still, his way of speaking was curious, for it more resembled a mortal than an immortal, and that was sufficient to raise his curiosity as he gazed at the man intently as he spoke. Pooling more djed to his mortal senses, Eridanus focused now on the man's aura, his physical senses blurring as they got slowly replaced with magical ones.

He was first assaulted by the sweet stench of decay, but he knew that it was the result of Auristics manifesting from his nose, characterizing the man's undead nature as present in his aura in a recognizable form. This he had already expected, and was not thrown off-guard unlike the first time he tried it on another nuit alchemist long ago.

He read the man's aura, seeking the innate magical properties that all nuit have - for they were indeed creatures of magic. Homing on to that source, he studied it carefully, finally estimating the latent size of that magical property, and from there estimating the time he had been a nuit.

It was not long. That would explain why - he had not adopted the usual mindset of long-living immortals. A mortal mindset in an immortal body. This was better than he expected, for he had not quite wanted to tangle with the immortal politics of undead wizards in his own guild. There was Sahova if he wanted that kind of excitement.

"Thank you for the glimpse into your character," Eridanus replied in a measured tone, the centuries of accumulated wisdom evident in his voice as he spoke, which would generally be jarring coming out from the mouth of a young vantha since the nuit had no way of knowing that he was that of the Fallen Children.

"You mentioned 'Doing Things'. What things do you wish to accomplish? How can the guild help you in that aspect? And what can you offer the guild in return?"

[Azoto]

Azoto felt quite uncomfortable in himself as Eridanus surveyed him for a few moments - like he was looking past him not at him. Eridanus was certainly very powerful and wise. Although Azoto was not particularly trained at reading and interpreting people he could see that something in Eridanus's mind had ticked. "First, I think the guild would benefit from having a rather long-lasting member," Azoto replied with a chuckle at his own joke " I'm sure your guild is home to many a people with knowledge that far surpasses mine - I am not afraid to admit this - from whom I hope I could learn from. Also, the resources and gear I would need to practice my experiments I would not be able to acquire by myself. I hope that in time I can repay the guild by adding more knowledge to it once I have become more of a accomplished Wizard than I am now" Azoto finished.

[Eridanus]

This man was quite the joker. It was refreshing to see an undead with such a cheery disposition, though he supposed that it was time that meant the nuits into the sullen, antisocial beings that they were. This one still had not experienced the centuries of solitude and thus probably reflected his pre-nuitification mortal personality.

The vantha listened carefully to Azoto's words, nodding imperceptibly when he was done, though he hid the grin of satisfaction, keeping a calm poker face throughout. Azoto was honest and candid, and if his personality was true to his words - the very kind of people he hoped to bolster the ranks of his guild with.

"I hope that you are sincere in your words, Azoto," Eridanus replied after a brief moment of silence. Eyeing the nuit meaningfully, he continued, "Just know that all members are expected to leave politics and drama out of the door when they enter guild premises and when executing guild operations. We are an organization focused on objectives and results, and we prize cold hard logic above all else. I will not have my guild degenerate into the bitchfest that is Sahova. Am I clear on that?"

Leaning back, he regarded the nuit silently for several more moments, before speaking again, "There are a few administrative issues to settle if you still wish to join the Order. Firstly, a twenty percent income tax will be implemented for all members - yes, including myself. Secondly, all members are expected to be financially independent. Thirdly, due to our current fledgeling status we will be now focused on spreading awareness of our existence, creating a respectable reputation for our guild, and amassing enough funds and resources to further expand and build our base."

Gesturing at the sparse surroundings, he chuckled briefly, "As you can see, this place is hardly befitting. However, take pleasure in knowing that this is merely temporary."

Finally, he turned to point his velvet gaze towards the applicant, creating eye contact as he asked seriously, "Do you still want to join us? Are there any other questions rolling in your mind?"

[Azoto]

Azoto listened carefully as Eridanus ran through the rules of the guild - and he nodded to show he was listening at every pause or after he finished one of the rules. Although Azoto never really had much time nor patience for rules back when he studied with his godfather, he thought it would be better to abide by them here. After all, where else would he go? " I see," Azoto said after Eridanus finished. "Tax, independant, spread awareness, no dammed politics. I gotcha'. I would still very much like to join your guild. I have but one question - what, if any, restrictions are there on experiments involvng magic? That is to say, is anything... forbidden? " Azoto asked, trying his best just to sound curious.

[Eridanus]

The vantha smirked when the nuit raised this question. He had quite expected such a question, for wizards often dove so deep into research that all other things were forgotten. As a mage himself, he had experienced such dark desires before - to go all out into magic forgetting all else - but he kept his moralities in check with his faith. Wysar kept his conviction while Yahal provided a spiritual guideline to follow. If not for his gods, he would have been completely amoral.

"We are a guild that also tries to reduce the public perception, the negative stigma, of magic here in Alvadas. We are dependent on the population's goodwill, as well as that of the Government, in order for us to flourish and progress. I would suggest using common sense and not go anywhere near to affect this," He said gravely and simply.

Clearing his throat, Eridanus read the application form again, raising his eyes back up to meet the nuit's.

"So you claim to have a decent understanding of Shielding? Where did you learn it from?"

The interview was back in full swing.

[Azoto]

Azoto fully expected a answer like this - nevertheless he was not put off in the slightest. He smiled politely at Eridanus and sat up in his chair and rested his frail hands on the desk. "I'm not going to pretend I have had proper tuition - but I have had something as good as, " Azoto said plainly " my godfather Kai, taught me for a good twenty years. That is, before he died a pre-mature death. Ah well I suppose it was inevitable with curiosity and a disregard for safety like his, the silly old codger blew himself up one night when he was experimenting with Reimancy. But he was a skilled shielder, by all accounts. " Azoto finished awkwardly; thinking of Kai still made him quite uncomfortable, they were very close - being the only family Azoto had.