[University - Wright Library] Stonemiller

[Aram]

Aram approached the doors of Wright Library, stepping aside to avoid a steady stream of people entering and exiting. He stepped inside to a variety of smells that he knew well, the smell of books, of ink, and of wood. He walked up to a lady sitting at a desk and cleared his throat, "Excuse me miss," he waited for her to respond. She seemed entranced by a book she held close to her face. She looked up as he spoke, "Yes? What can I do for you?" "I'm looking for a Professor Stonemiller, do you know whereabouts I may find him?" He asked, knowing he couldn't find a single target within a library as vast as this. "Stonemiller...yes.." she said, looking back down at her book as if it's temptations were too hard to resist. "He'll be near the back of the library likely, at one of the sitting areas. Saw him walk past earlier, I did." She said to him, her eyes, framed with glasses, the only thing he could see over the top of her book. "Thank you miss." He walked off after a half bow. She reminds me of me.. he thought, walking towards the back of the library. He found quite a few people sitting in chairs, but all of them looked to be students, except one who was an older man, very scholarly looking. "Excuse me sir, are you Professor Stonemiller?" He already knew the answer, but it was polite to ask anyway. Though this didn't stop him from continuing on. "I'm looking to take classes in the ways of Reimancy and maybe Auristics. I'm fairly competent with both, but I haven't got much money. I'm also looking for work, I have a little skill with alchemy, but not much." He waited patiently for the man to answer, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

[Liminal]

When Aram found him, Professor Stonemiller was seated in a plush chair, deeply engrossed in an old, thick book. He did not stir until the other man spoke. Then the professor looked up, his eyes tired, as if he had been there for a long, long time. He listened as Aram gave his explanation -- and then didn't immediately say anything at all. The silence, made even more pronounced by the library's vast stillness, might have been awkward, although by the look on his face, the Professor did not find it so.

"An interesting set of studies, my friend." He placed a velvet bookmark in the volume he had been reading, and then closed it. Like the others in the university, he seemed perpetually unfazed.

"Before I make any decisions, I must ask you a question, my friend -- I'm afraid I didn't catch your name.. Magic is a powerful, powerful thing, and both reimancy and auristics are powerful manifestations of it. Something, intense indeed must have pushed you to study and practice it. Do you yourself know what it is, sir?"

[Aram]

Aram was slightly caught off guard by the man's way of doing things. He seemed to study everything about Aram, though he was still, even for a library. "My name is Aram sir. I was apprenticed to the mage Marhaz, who taught me some Reimancy and Auristics, though not to mastery. I wish to continue with my studies, and be as great as he once was. Sadly, he was killed, so I've come here seeking an education." He looked at his hands, bony and simple, with a plain silver band on one finger. He let a small portion of his djed flow to the tips of two of his fingers. The candle that had been flickering nearby went out, the flame jumping to the ball of res. Aram balanced the flame on one finger, playing around with it, yet careful not to let it touch his skin. "Would you like a demonstration of my skills, sir?" Aram said tot he professor as he put the flame back on the candle.

[Liminal]

"Ah, Marhaz. I knew him," the Professor said. Then he stood, and motioned with his left hand. "Follow me." He obviously noted the brief demonstration that Aram gave, but did not comment on it.

Silently, he walked further into the building. There was a door in one wall; he pulled it open, revealing a staircase leading down. It was dimly lit by strange blue lights that didn't appear to be burning anything.

He walked down at least two floors before pulling another door open. This one revealed a long corridor, lit by the same blue globes. Into this hallway he went, going perhaps twenty feet before he reached a door on his left, which he also opened.

This one showed only a bare room, empty except for a single chair. The Professor sat down in it, then turned his head toward Aram. "All right then, Aram. Please give me a basic demonstration of your skills thus far."

[Aram]

Aram followed the man into a small room that possessed only a chair. "All right then, Aram. Please give me a basic demonstration of your skills thus far." Aram didn't look at the man, though sweat ran down the side of his face. He was confident with his magic, yet it seemed that every time he used his magic he destroyed something. It didn't bother him much really, but what if the man were to get angry at him and deny his request to learn at the university? "I hope you won't be needing that chair," he said calmly, letting his res rise to the palm he now faced toward the chair. It took less than a few seconds for a sufficient amount to gather in his palm. He ignited the rest, casting it out toward the chair, which burst into flame. He watched the chair crackle and begin to fall apart before he raised his other hand, letting it fill with res as well. This ball of res, however, was being transformed into a ball of sand. When the chair had reduced itself to a smoldering pile on the floor he threw the ball of sand, which was quite a bit larger than the fire he had created first, onto the fire. The fire flared in defiance one last time before it died altogether, leaving only embers of a burning chair. After finishing his show, he placed one hand over the other, palms down, and let yet more res bubble to the surface of his palms like sweat, as if he were on a date with a young maiden of fierce beauty. He walked over to the pile of embers and held his hands above it. He began to sweat as the heat that was now rising from his hands, and the embers, began to multiply. The res began to stir and bubble, turning a brown-red color, the color of lava. He let the lava drop from his hands, spreading as it hit the embers. Aram stepped back as the lava splashed a little, not getting far. The embers flared again and quickly disintegrated into the lava, which was now a single puddle on the ground. "That's pretty much it, with some variations," he said, looking back to the professor, slightly panting with exertion. He wiped his hands on his robe before looking back to his work. The lava was now melting a hole in the floor. He grimaced. "I can work to pay for that, I didn't mean to destroy anything. Well...except for the chair. Sorry about that." He wiped the sweat off of his forehead, wishing he had an affinity for some color other than black. "As far as the auristics goes, well. I'm not exactly sure how to demonstrate that." He stood there, waiting for the professor's response, still sweating from nervousness.

[Amaranthus]

ooc: Taking over for Liminal, am a little rusty... Let's have some fun and feel free to jab a fork in my eye if I screw it up too badly. Actually don't, that sounds painful. :<

Professor Stonemiller watched Aram’s demonstration carefully with a stoic look on his face. It was hard to tell if he was indeed impressed by Aram’s display, or if he simply was observing it in a scholarly manner.

The chair was definitively turned to ash by the fire and the sand, in turn, put it out. The Professor had his hands behind his back the entire time and even as the lava was placed on top of the sand, he remained motionless, studying it and surveying it from one side of the room.

”Sitting is hardly a way to instruct, though it is useful for conversations.” He shrugged, ”Chairs are quite replaceable. Not to worry. As far as your demonstration of auristics, let us start with you telling me what you have been able to perceive, and what you have been taught to perceive in your studies thus far. Obviously, I can’t throw you into the fray of identifying the exact purpose I brought you into this room if you are not familiar enough with the practice that you could barely identify emotions and properties of the people and items around you.”

He paused, and moved to shut the door behind them.

”So, tell me what you know… If there is anything of interest that we should be aware of about this room, if you can ascertain what I might be feeling, and which of the five senses you perceive these auras with.”

With that, Professor Stonemiller went silent and merely watched Aram. A quick observation would note that Stonemiller had the book he had been reading with him, and that the velvet bookmark poking out of it was still in place.

It was up to Aram what he decided to focus on, but Stonemiller was not attempting to hide his emotions in the least. There was a vague feeling of being impressed around him, which was mixed in with a bit of tiredness and curiosity. However, all of those were likely to be less than impressive if left only at that, since anyone with an observant eye could tell how a person was feeling on any given day. How the student would actually interpret such an aura was up to him. Other things of interest happened to be the velvet bookmark that was sticking out of the book Stonemiller had brought with him – there was a peculiar residue of Djed around it, but without focusing, it would be hard to tell what. And then there was the hallway, one of the hardest things to determine, but also likely one of the most impressive. It would take a great deal of focusing for Aram to actually be able to determine when a person walked by, but with the wall definitively in the way, being able to determine as much as he could about a passerby would be quite the show to his professor.

In the end, it was all up to how much the student wanted to push himself, and how much he felt he could achieve. Auristics was a little difficult to show, but even by exaggerating what he knew the only person Aram would be hurting was himself.

[Aram]

Sweat trickled down the side of Aram's face, he was nervous about this little demonstration. He wasn't exactly comfortable with having this ability of his observed. In fact, he usually kept it hidden from most people. He looked at the floor "Maybe I should have demonstrated on something else..." he said quietly. No matter, he would just stand for this, though it was easier when he sat for some reason. He closed his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. Stonemiller had seemed rather disinterested in his lesson from the beginning, showing no outward signs that Aram had made an impression. Yet now that he began to actually focus on the man he could see something more. Though he thought the man to be apathetic, he noted a vague sense of curiousity, probably at the strange display he had chosen to put forth. The most prevalent of the emotions surrounding the professor was a slight sense of impression, though not enough to satisfy Aram. He didn't dare lie to a trained mind though. This all mixed together with a faint drowsiness that made Aram yawn. He focused on the professor again, the man, to him still seemed disinterested, but that was only in comparison to the other people who had seen him perform magic. Afterall, this was a very usual thing for the man, and he had seen as much done before likely, but it was not an unreal aura. "You are lethargic, a repeated routine of students like me who seek admission leaves you only with a slight sense of interest, though you probably wish to be elsewhere at this point. Your responsibility holds you in place here, but you don't really possess any desire for adventure that I can see. You're curious, despite the fact that none of this is anything new to you. I'm not sure, but it's probably because I might have demonstrated my abilities in a less than normal fashion, though they are nothing special themselves, as you can see. I can also tell that your mind is trained, and you could probably tell if I were lying to you. Correct me if I'm wrong." His eyes were still closed. He felt a small aura of djed somewhere in the room. He searched for it, thinking it could be some residue left over from his demonstration, but when he came to the pile of smoldering lava he found that it was indeed another aura. The corners of the room were bare but for dust and broken glass, and the only thing left in the room was the professor and the book he still carried. Aram sighed, what he had just said was nothing too impressive, he was sure anyone could have said as much, despite the professor's stone face. He focused again, thinking making it could be the book that was casting the aura. After all, many books he had seen were imbued with magic to hold secrets or functions. He could tell nothing about the book, yet he did detect something peculiar about the bookmark that stuck out slightly from the page the professor had been reading from. "Your bookmark. It has an aura of djed around it. I can't tell anything about it, just that. Maybe you magicked it for some purpose, I couldn't tell you." He thought that should be a sufficient display, despite that he hadn't cared to go outside of the room. He imagined that's what the professor was wanting, but it made him too tired to do so, and he wasn't sure that it qualified as something within his reasonable grasp of power. He would have liked to know more about the bookmark, but only the professor could tell him more until he was taught more on the subject. "As for alchemy, well. I really need someone there for that. I'm still learning, more of the apprentice skill level. Also I don't really carry the kind of materials I would needa round for that." He uncrossed his arms and opened his eyes to look at the professor, again shifting from one foot to the other in anticipation. He had never done such a demonstration before except to Marhaz, who had made him feel very at ease. This man, however, would determine whether or not he was able to take classes here at the university. He didn't speak as he waited for the professor's interpretation of his skills.

[Hatter]

"Something like that." Stonemiller said, his baritone both bored and unimpressed. The man was monotone. "You qualify for some of our more advanced studies; beyond introductions anyway." With a pause he opened his book and ripped one of the pages out of the back. A quill came next from seemingly nowhere then he scribbled a few notes in a near-illegible handwriting before he handed the parchment over to Aram. Most of the wording was in some form of short hand, but the general gist of the message was a permissions in the boy's favor. The book closed with a loud 'slap' and Stonemiller, still stoic, turned about, moving down the hall without much to-do. He did not even motion for Aram to follow, but he spoke anyway as if he expected him to do so. "Take that to the Registration Office. It's," He paused for a moment. "Somewhere. Near the front of the campus. Sign up for study. As for a job," Stonemiller paused again as he was apt to do. "You can talk to professor Rack-It. Pleasant fellow. You can find him near the western edge of the campus, the Alchemical Laboratories. Just tell him I sent you and then say what you said to me. Whatever that was." The professor waved off his own statement and continued down the fall. He came to stop at a T-intersection and pointed down the left path with his book. "You go that way." He said before walking down the opposite direction. What a lovely chap.

DirectionsGo ahead and post Aram heading wherever you want in the university and I'll interact with you as you go!

[Aram]

Aram looked on in dismay as the professor walked away and out the door, seemingly uninterested now. He had thought he'd been making progress in impressing this man, but it appears that he was wrong. He followed the professor down the hallway, listening intently to his instructions. When they came to the T in the hall Aram did as he was directed and went off to the left as the professor went to the right. He would then make his way toward the registration office again. It was a good thing he already knew where it was, becuase the professor's meager instructions had been a bit less than sufficient for one who wouldn't have otherwise known where to go. "Well wasn't he just the most welcoming man..." Aram mumbled to himself, unsatisfied with how unimpressed the professor had seemed. "I'm sure I'll be just like him someday." He chuckled softly as he walked down the hall, out the door, and across the campus to the Registration office. He still held the paper with the scribbled writing on it as he opened the door and walked in.

[Hatter]

The Registrar's office was an impossible mass of polished granite. Twin stone lions flanked the massive doors that served as an entrance, their dead eyes seeming alight with some unnatural hues; some believed they watched the students as they passed, but those were only rumors. Maybe. Beyond the entrance was a large corridor filled with aides and small desks all cramped together, lit by circular blue lamps attached the walls and ceiling. While the secretarial workforce were busy with their own machinations the most prominent feature remained the long, intimidating line of students and civilians that extended from a back office, that of which spanned the length all the way back to the doors. Chatter buzzed around the building between the various bored individuals awaiting their turn and the officials that passed their work flow on to the next. It was controlled chaos. Thirty chimes passed before Aram arrived at his destination. Any inquiries left the boy to wait in the line and although it moved fast, the wait was dreadful. Before insanity could sink in though, Aram found himself poised before an elderly individual his room - an office of sorts - whom sat behind one of the largest desks ever created in the history of Zeltiva. Papers and documents covered the surface in giant piles along with trinkets and devices that served no real purpose. There was a moment of silence before the white headed human turned his nose up, both dark, brownish eyes locking onto Aram with a quizzical expression. Despite his lack of glasses the man appeared to somehow be peering over lenses. What a strange feeling. "Eh?!" He 'said', staring at Aram as if the boy had spoken. "New student? What can I do for you today, lad?"