Three Wizards in a Room (Eadfrid, Kuvarakh)

[Eridanus]

Day 24, Summer of 512 AV
Early Afternoon
Order of Transcendence Temporary Headquarters - Office
Continued from here.

The day was more silent this day, or at least in the area around the office, for it was just after lunch time and people were slowly trudging back to their work places. The illusions of Alvadas had moved the building to the industrial hub of the city, but as most people were in the market places, the buzz of crowds was surprisingly low this time. Not that Eridanus liked crowds anyway, they tended to be too noisy for their own good.

He had received an application form from a reimancer the day earlier, and he wanted to provide Kuvarakh, the person who would be taking over his duties when he was away from Alvadas, on the job training in interviewing and in assessing new candidates on their suitability for membership.

The nuit should be coming in anytime now, and so should the reimancer, for he had put word out on the streets early in the morning for the two of them to have their respective lunches before meeting him here.

The office looked much less messy, for he had neatly packed away many of the files and papers earlier in the morning. That made the room look even more empty, but it gave the illusion of space despite its small size.

[Kuvarakh]

Not needing to eat, Kuvarakh made his way, as best he could, to where The Order's headquarters ought to be. He could only wonder if the iceberg was the actual building, or if the building was somewhere else entirely.

He walked to the spot where the stairway to the front entrance would be, only to find glacial debris. 'So much for being early.' he thought with a sigh, eyes rolling.

He found his house in a tree and gathered up his quill, ink and a few pieces of paper, intending to take notes. He also saw from the window that the building he sought was visiting the industrial quarter for today. It looked to be a fifteen to twenty chime walk through the fog bank rolling in off a lake, upon which half the merchants' district was floating.

When he got to the fog bank, he found it wasn't so much fog, as the misty spray from a field of erupting geysers. He could see far enough ahead, through the mist, to avoid stepping in the mudpits, so he made good time the rest of the way. 'Another day in Paradise.' he smirked to himself.

He went in the building and found his way to Eridanus' office, roomier now for lack of clutter. "Five chimes to spare." he said, a hint of pride seeping into his voice. "Let's see how well our prospective reimancer can do. If he can burn away that fog bank, so we don't all choke on the fumes, he'll have my vote." He slid a chair over to where Eridanus was sitting and set his note-keeping things on the table beside him.

[Eadfrid]

So, his day had come. Time for Eadfrid Graves to join the Order of Transcendence. Or at least, he hoped that was the case. He had never had to present himself for an interview before, in simpler times. Then again, these weren't "simpler times" anymore. Eadfrid had made the decision to join, so he was bound to their rules and any interviewing they may do. It was honestly slightly irritating. He had actually gotten used to having very little rules while on the road. He hadn't had that many rules in his life at all. It was a little disheartening to know that he would soon be bound by the rules of his new society. Still, it was a worthy price to pay for the opportunity to be among fellow wizards. But all this fog was little bit thick. He couldn't see four feet in front of him without craning his neck and squinting. The two people to whom those four feet belonged looked at him as if he were some strange specimen in an alchemist's laboratory. And he didn't think they could see anything else too. Perhaps Eadfrid could clear it out with some Reimancy, give the interviewers something to admire before he got in. He was currently unable to use water in his Reimancy, but air was not a problem. A couple of short wind blasts and some of the fog dissipated. He could finally see his way ahead. Towards the headquarters. At the door, he stopped and knocked four times on the door with the end of his staff, then stood back and waited for an answer.

[Eridanus]

"Greetings Kuvarakh," Eridanus called out, when the nuit let himself into the room. The wizard was smart enough to open the door as little as possible, for even with that tiny opening some smoke wafted into the room. The vantha could see, from the closed window, the outside being fumigated by some sort of dark mist, obscuring everyone's vision.

"That would be useful," He mused after the nuit's remark.

Not long after, they heard four knocks on the door, and Eridanus called out, "Come in!"

Suddenly, the door disappeared completely instead of being opened, causing the vantha to swear. He had almost forgotten that the building was an extension of the city, and that illusions could occur within the confines of their headquarters as well. This was a reminder to that fact.

Eridanus had the chance to barely see the figure of a man in mid-knock outside before the fumes and dark clouds from the outside wafted in completely, filling the entire building with the same sight-obscuring mist from the outside. Interestingly, the mist smelled like strawberries and sweet candy, making the experience quite pleasant on a whole. Unfortunately, this was no way of conducting a professional interview when the visibility was only limited to half-a-meter in front of him. He could barely see his own hands outstretched.

"Greetings... new candidate. Welcome to the Order of Transcendence's office," Eridanus began, attempting to maintain some semblance of order despite the potentially hilarious situation.

"Suggest that thing you said earlier, Kuvarakh. This may be a very good initial test," Eridanus muttered to the nuit. He could have said it of course, but he wanted the interim leader-in-training to be as involved as possible in the process, and it would be good for the interviewee to hear both their voices early on.

[Kuvarakh]

"Please, step inside and try to find yourself a seat..." Kuvarakh called, waving his hand in front of the application to see the name. "...Eadfrid...Am I pronouncing that right?" he had broken the "E" and "A" into separate syllables, accenting the "A".

Just then, the loud clatter of some sort of collision in the misty hallway drowned out Eadfrid's answer. 'Oh well, we'll get back to that.' Kuvarakh thought as he scanned more of the application.

"I see you list 'air' before 'fire' under your elemental pursuits. Perhaps you could give us a demonstration by clearing out this ill-timed mist so we can see each other."

Kuvarakh was aware that most of Eridanus' books and papers were locked away or packed for travel, but he had seen enough loose pages lying about when he first entered to give ample indication of how much finesse this candidate could apply to his effort.

He wanted not only to see how much control the man had, but also how much presence of mind he possessed to even consider the necessity of it. Would he know without being told that he must show care, or would he just conjure up a blast and let the books fall where they may?

[Eadfrid]

"Actually, it is really pronounced with just the A. The E is..." Eadfrid's response was unfortunately drowned out by the tumultuous clamour outside. When it ended, Eadfrid's full respons was lost to the noise. "Yes, I put air before fire. It is the element I think I use best." he said. He had a strange feeling that these people would want him to back up his claim with a bit of a demonstration. A demonstration which he was all too happy to provide. Expelling some Res from the palm of his hand, he created a small gust of wind that cleared a very small area of the room. He could see a bit more of what was in front of him, and he could see some loose sheets of paper. Eadfrid's brain went into "deep thought mode". If there were loose paper sheets around, then maybe he was being tested there and then. Or maybe whoever owned this office was just messy. Either way, best to play it safe. he thought to himself. Concentrating, he made the gusts of wind softer, but longer lasting, so they would burn away the fog over a period of time. When all the mist in the room had finally dissipated, Eadfrid could see the entire office, and his interviewers.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus felt his fringe being blown messily against his face when a sudden gust of wind whipped up in the room, though the gust slowly reduced in strength into a moderate one that was sufficient to dispel the mist.

"Noted for control," He muttered to Kuvarakh, since the nuit seemed to have brought parchment and stationary.

When the air was clear, he found himself looking at a strange-looking human. Definitely mixed blood as he claimed on his application form, but human nontheless. Reading from the form he held in his hands, Eridanus began, "Eadfrid Graves, Competent Reimancer. Air and Fire. Before we continue, let us proceed to see more displays of your mastery."

"Feel free to suggest any tests," Eridanus told Kuvarakh in a low voice, such that he may suggest his own tests after the vantha was done announcing his.

"I wish to see a demonstration of finesse and mobility in res manipulation. After that, a separate demonstration of precision in the transmutation of each of your element, and finally for you to display the stability of a fire/air mixed-element transmutation. Kuvarakh may more things to say, and you may continue after he has said his piece."

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh nodded in Eridanus' direction as he scribbled some notes on one of his pages. He looked up when he was done to see a man of average height and build with a tan suggesting heritage as opposed to a lifestyle in the sun. Additionally, his hair was a mess. 'Well, if I spent all my creative energy manipulating the wind, I suppose my hair would be unruly as well.'

"I'm pleased to see you exercise caution without having to be told. Because, even though our intent is to expand the limits of knowledge, we are not without concern for safety and control. We operate with the indulgence of the City of Alvadas and we need to maintain their good graces. If we were to earn their disfavor, the impact of disruptive illusory interference would be profound. We are currently in pursuit of a site outside the city proper, I believe. So, at least, the daily whims of Lord Ionu will be less of a concern.

"Now I do, actually, have an exercise I'd like to see you take a stab at when you are done with Eridanus' requests. More of an exercise in focus separation than actual power or precision. I will explain when you're finished."

[Eadfrid]

Eadfrid nodded, and expelled more Res from his hands. With a bit of a dramatic sweep of his arm, he sent a small wave of fire shooting through the air. After that, he began to narrate his test. "How I manipulate Res depends on what kind of situation I am in." he said, expelling more Res. "If I'm in a non-combat situation, like needing to create a fire..." at this, he simply aimed the Res at a corner of the room, setting it alight as it travelled, and banished it before it hit the corner. "...I do something simple like that. However, if I find myself in a combat situation..." at this, he spun around and let off several bursts of air, that did no particular harm. "...I need to be quick about it." For the second test, air to fire transmutation, he put forth more Res, and formed a loose ball of air, which was contained by Eadfrid's concentration and constant control of the element. Concentrating even harder, Eadfrid caused the air ball to catch fire, turning completely into flame, which he dispelled before it made his clothes catch fire. It wouldn't be the first time that had happened.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus watched the display with interest. The vantha himself was reasonably versed in magic, but he only dabbled in Reimancy. He knew the logic of djed, and by derivation the logic behind Reimancy, but that did not equate to proficiency in the art. Knowing the techniques to martial arts did not make one a master martial artist. Knowing the blueprints of smithing did not make one a legendary blacksmith.

"An eloquent casting," Eridanus nodded in approval. He noted the quick expelling of Res as well as the fast transmutation with a noticeable lack of incantations of preparations. That only meant that this spell was a well-practised one that the mage was superbly comfortable with.

"However, I would like to see something that you have not tried before. Something that would test your spontaneous creativity and stability under pressure. Kuvarakh, I would like you to integrate my request into your test, and we will see our candidate truly perform in an environment that we'd prefer."