Closed Researching The Residents [Clyde Sullins]

[Zandelia]

She noticed his hand brush his cheek, a strange gesture at the best of times but there was nothing she could discern that caused this – his cheek was fine as far as she could see and she had hardly slapped him across it. She backtracked and noted the timing – mention of damage. Yet there was no damage, not at the moment. Perhaps he had suffered some in the past or had seem someone whom had – either was likely but she was not able to obtain which of them it might have been, not then. This man would take time to cultivate it seemed, he was cunning and interesting. A dangerous combination to be indeed.

Yes…and he has seen damage. His words confirm it along with his movement. Though he doesn’t state whether he has suffered one, the other of both types he has pointed out. Suggestive of both? The distant look previously…hmmm she analysed and tried to bring the information strands together into a large, more study thread of this man.

“Time often does less healing to the insubstantial, magical or otherwise. The mind is a harrowing thing when turned against you. I would say people could block it out but that isn’t the case – it just hides and waits. It undoes you eventually they say” she phrased her response in the general sense, though her own experiences were of both natures and the words would convey that for the discerning – she needed any link she could use between them and it cost her nothing to admit what he probably already suspected.

She said nothing of the emotion she had heard in his voice, controlled her own as best as she could. The conversation was leading in a more profitable direction and she would curse herself forever if she broke the flow of it now with a foolish and flippant comment. No, this was no thug in a tavern, he required more sophisticated nets for capture. She smiled as his words finally came around to the concept of a deal, a bargain. The air held a tang she was almost tempted to try to savour.

And so we move beyond philosophical considerations and introduce the practical, for any true philosophy is useless without practical application. A nice dovetail perhaps she looked at Clyde then, his words finished and his gaze piercing.

He had almost morphed into a different person now, his nature less blunt trauma and light silk. He sought to envelop her with his logic as she sought to return the favour for her own ends. What those ends were though she was not entirely sure yet but she had learnt a little already, perhaps more would come. She noted the reference to Voiding and tucked it away for future pursuit, another little piece of a jigsaw that was larger than life – the world.

“I cannot help you with Voiding I am afraid, not my avenue of interest” she spoke as if she had heard of it but dismissed it out of hand by borrowing a small portion of arrogance hidden in all mages – herself included, “but the bargain, the bargain I can help with”

“As to whether I offer you to use me, that would depend upon what the use is. It is often good practise to find out the terms before striking an agreement, no? But yes, I am always for hire…as it were. The best way to learn is to be useful to others. Perhaps this is another reason you have come to this place, whether you know it or not?” she posed the question gently, insidiously.

“You speak of loneliness and of a cage, perhaps your mind is seeking to tell you something. But I do not seek to change your perspective, you are entitled to them the same as I am to mine. The crux of what you are saying, though, I think is that of trust. You know much and are not sure if you can ever truly trust another to learn it from you. This I understand” she smiled softly, she had often refused to teach her own skills for such reasons.

“But humour me in the ability to be helpful at least, what would I be able to assist you with were I that was inclined?” she asked simply.

So let’s round down what we know. Male, intelligent and magically skilled. Arrogant but not foolhardy, appears to believe he is wise but perhaps not as wise as he thinks he is. Lonely? Or at least wishing to send some time amongst others. Seeking to learn…no…he needs to learn. It drives him. Will not teach or barter without being on top, or at least thinking he is in that position. Anything else? she wracked her brain over the last few chimes and began filing away the information she had gleaned upon him.

It might be proven useful in the coming days.

[Clyde Sullins]

“Time often does less healing to the insubstantial, magical or otherwise. The mind is a harrowing thing when turned against you. I would say people could block it out but that isn’t the case – it just hides and waits. It undoes you eventually they say” “I cannot help you with Voiding I am afraid, not my avenue of interest. But the bargain, the bargain I can help with” Clyde shrugged as he looked at the woman. "I never said you would directly aid me in learning more of voiding, that would be able to teach or instruct me, or give me some knowledge of it I do not already have. But then there is more than one way to train a skill, more than just tutelage under a teacher. I was simply saying it was a magic I had interest in learning more of, in developing my skills in." “As to whether I offer you to use me, that would depend upon what the use is. It is often good practise to find out the terms before striking an agreement, no? But yes, I am always for hire…as it were. The best way to learn is to be useful to others. Perhaps this is another reason you have come to this place, whether you know it or not?” "Considering where you are, and what uses most apprentices find themselves being used for here, would much really surprise you? But no, I doubt anything I would use you for, would be nearly as dangerous or harsh as the things the nuits would use you for. Who knows, you might even learn a thing or two, which is likely more than can be said if you where used in one of their experiments." “You speak of loneliness and of a cage, perhaps your mind is seeking to tell you something. But I do not seek to change your perspective, you are entitled to them the same as I am to mine. The crux of what you are saying, though, I think is that of trust. You know much and are not sure if you can ever truly trust another to learn it from you. This I understand.” Clyde shrugged once more, somewhat non-commit-ally, not disagreeing or agreeing. She had used his words in his metaphor out of context, not in the way he had really been meaning. And if one did not listen the context in which the words where spoken, did they really gain any knowledge by listening to those words? Or perhaps she had simply misunderstood him. Letting out a sigh, Clyde decided to correct at least part of her misunderstanding. "When did I speak of loneliness? I certainly did not make such a negative connotation to anything I said. Don't make assumptions upon what I mean, in ways I do not. I said doing it by ones lonesome, as in alone. As in practicing by yourself, with no other outside input." "Perhaps it is you who is letting your own beliefs, your own assumptions, affect what you hear? Perhaps it is you who finds working and practicing alone as a bad thing, as lonely? I simply find it... a bit tedious after awhile. Working with others to do magic can occasionally help break up the monotony." “But humour me in the ability to be helpful at least, what would I be able to assist you with were I that was inclined?” "As for what you could do... First I would need to know what you have to offer, and what skills, if not voiding, you could use to aid me... Or is Auristics all you know?" "And what is it that you want from me? Perhaps if I know that, I can even relate the task or aid you would give me, to what you would be learning. I believe that is not too far from how the dealings of the nuit works. You aid them in their work, or being used in their work, and in so doing come to understand it better. So what is it you want from me?"

[Zandelia]

She listened intently, with each passing word trying to piece the man together and gain insight upon his psychology and past. It was difficult as he gave her little to go upon – whether he meant to or not. It was strange to talk to someone who seemed to have so little interest in themselves and so much about other things, magic in particular. She found herself wondering if he defined himself entirely by his aptitude with magical craft or whether he simply never talked of himself beyond the third person philosophies that he seemed to enjoy espousing. She smiled at that, it was somewhat similar to her own approach, though hers involved more invention of an alternate persona than anything else.

Interesting though, very interesting she mused.

“Of course not, I did not meant to suggest that you were lonely. Merely that learning by one’s self can be tediously lonesome. Sometimes it is better to be with others I have found, but that extends the point beyond present considerations” she began.

“Perhaps it can be said that my own interpretations sway the way in which I view what you have been saying but then that is how we all perceive things is it not? Only by asking the question is revelation found and thus knowledge obtained. You have given me that and so I will press no further upon it”

Though his kneejerk reaction seems to indicate that what he believes may not necessarily be the truth, whether he see sit that way or not she told herself privately.

“As for what I am offering, you could say that you are correct. I like to help people, contrary to many I believe that it is the only true way to understand them. And even if you cannot understand them you can at least have another that you know can help you, and you them. Connections are everything in my world”

Indeed they are the only thing worth possessing. Everything else is far too transient she told herself privately.

“As for experiments upon myself, I do not intend to become party to theirs. Or indeed any at all without knowledge of what they are and what the effects could be. I am not foolish in that respect. I have seen enough wandering these halls to know the dangers. However, seeing as you have proposed a trade I would theoretically state that knowledge in exchange for knowledge is an admirable trade”

“You obviously know Glyphing well and this intrigues me. I know little of it and would know more if allowed to. As to what I can do, that depends. Magically I am only versed in Auristics. In other respects I can do more, more perhaps than most upon this island. As to whether they would be able to help you, well that depends upon what you need”

“What would you posit as fair trade for fair trade? You are obviously knowledgeable, so please do me the courtesy of enlightening me ” she finished, looking him in the eye.

[Clyde Sullins]

“Of course not, I did not meant to suggest that you were lonely. Merely that learning by one’s self can be tediously lonesome. Sometimes it is better to be with others I have found, but that extends the point beyond present considerations.” Clyde shrugged. He felt like the woman was simply playing off his comment, and changing her story very fast. He believed she had taken a assumption, even if she was excusing herself from the action now. She clearly was a good back peddler, and quick on her feet so to speak, in a verbal way. "I find others are more important for outside influences. Sometimes in fact, explaining it to someone else in simple enough terms for them to grasp can aid you in understanding it better, in reflecting in it. However they do have their limits. And I do prefer to do certain things by my lonesome." Often when he was perfecting a new skill, or technique, he preferred to do it alone, away from distractions. “Perhaps it can be said that my own interpretations sway the way in which I view what you have been saying but then that is how we all perceive things is it not? Only by asking the question is revelation found and thus knowledge obtained. You have given me that and so I will press no further upon it.” “As for what I am offering, you could say that you are correct. I like to help people, contrary to many I believe that it is the only true way to understand them. And even if you cannot understand them you can at least have another that you know can help you, and you them. Connections are everything in my world.” Clyde paused once more and examined the woman. Connections. Connections. That seemed a more subtle term than others. Often when one favored connections over money, it was because they were worth more to you than money. This could either be due to having a immense wealth, or being in a business where favors could aid you in ways simple bribes any monetary financing could not... Or at least looking things over that seemed the most logical way her wording could be meant. “As for experiments upon myself, I do not intend to become party to theirs. Or indeed any at all without knowledge of what they are and what the effects could be. I am not foolish in that respect. I have seen enough wandering these halls to know the dangers. However, seeing as you have proposed a trade I would theoretically state that knowledge in exchange for knowledge is an admirable trade.” “You obviously know Glyphing well and this intrigues me. I know little of it and would know more if allowed to. As to what I can do, that depends. Magically I am only versed in Auristics. In other respects I can do more, more perhaps than most upon this island. As to whether they would be able to help you, well that depends upon what you need.” “What would you posit as fair trade for fair trade? You are obviously knowledgeable, so please do me the courtesy of enlightening me." Clyde could only assume that bit at the end was being sarcastic, but he disregarded that. What did he want from her? She wanted to learn of Glyphing... Surely there where a thing or two Clyde could use her to aid him in, knowing she was a Aurist... One or two ideas came to mind, but then his mind went back to making the Glyphing for his mage scroll's chest... He had used barriers, and it had ended up with him blocking the djed of anything from entering the chest... But he had also thought of another idea, that of pathways, perhaps using it to guide the magic around it more easily and less noticeably than a outright blockage. It was the difference between a brick wall in ones face, and a unnoticed detour. But then his thoughts crossed back to that of Anti-magic, something he had heard of, but did not know to well... Perhaps he could try that, using this pathways idea of his? "Fine... You want to learn Glyphing. I can teach it to you, the basics, perhaps a bit of its uses, and such. In turn, you can aid me. Though bear in mind, it is never cheap to be taught by a master of a art. So for starters, I would like you to aid me in a small experiment, one that will not cause any permanent harm to you, and will not require more of you than to lend me your wrist, and to make an attempt at Auristics when I indicate it." "Though as I said, learning from a master, that is not a cheap thing... So beyond aiding me in this one task, one who's value is already diminished in that you will also learn from it, admittedly not as much as me but you will still learn... So in addition to this first aid in this experiment, I think you will owe me some additional favors. Three. And in turn I will instruct you in Glyphing, today, and on another time."

[Zandelia]

She merely listened and nodded at the man’s response, he clearly had his own well developed ideas of how he liked to live and operate. She respected that and it spoke of an organically developed philosophy that she couldn’t truly argue with. She held her own ideals and methods close enough to understand how it felt when they were questioned. He seemed to like the debate but it was coming to a close she sensed and she didn’t desire to push him away and so let the responses that came upon her tongue unsaid. Anything could be argued with but you had to understand when it was pointless to do so and she had been shown that it was evidently the case in this scenario.

Outside influences are all to the good, I understand that well but I cannot agree with the idea that it should always be the case. Often it is more profitable to draw others in, to allow them to see a glimpse of your abilities and plans to instil curiosity and thus malleability. Still…this could be exchanged forever she mused to herself, the fluidity of ideas was well known to her.

The next few chimes were spent in silence and she could all but see the inner-workings of his mind, considering and judging to determine whether her offer was worth his effort. She didn’t press him and instead observed him as well as she could. His face was blank but she thought she sensed a certain curiosity within his eyes. Whether it was towards herself of his own ends was not apparent, nor strictly necessary to know. The important point was that he was considering and that meant a door somewhere was being opened – even if ever so slightly. It was a positive observation and she couldn’t help but smile slightly at its appearance.

Then came the offer, followed by the demands of negotiation and she tilted her head in her own form of consideration. It sounded a simple enough exchange but she knew better – there were always machinations in such dealings and with magic that was intensified. She couldn’t fault his logic, however, he was offering her something precious and so wanted something of equal value in return. She understood that well.

“My wrist?” she asked softly, wondering why she would need her wrist used, “very well I can accept that freely so long as it stays attached and just as useful after whatever you have in mind. Not to insult you of course but prudence is worthwhile when talking about body parts I have found” she responded with, it was a simple enough offer and her terms were clear and thus easily known whether the offer would be workable.

“Favours, favours. Three?” she asked and awaited the nod of affirmation just to make sure that the number had been agreed.

She took a moment to consider that, it was a nebulous offer and could mean anything. The words seemed carefully tailored to be such that he could ask her for anything and she would be forced to accept. Her curiosity and desire to learn something previously secret to her was strong but self-preservation as a motivation was stronger. The silence of consideration continued for a few more chimes of thinking, she was no fool and she hoped he would notice that.

“Very well, but I would ask that these favours be with a few conditions,” she responded finally, hands upon her hips, “you cannot ask me to kill myself. You cannot endanger me with said favours without explanation. You cannot use them to damage me without purpose. I will not be made into a mages plaything for any form of knowledge. I won’t be able to refuse said favours but the methods with which I accomplish them, if outside of your talents, will be my own to decide”

“If you can accept those conditions then I can accept yours. Favours three and help in an experiment in exchange for some lessons” she stretched out her hand in the traditional gesture of such a sealing.

It was a simple offer and she waited for the decision. She would discover soon enough if he had designs upon her that were darker than they appeared to be.

[Clyde Sullins]

The idea of having her owe her favors seemed oddly fitting. She wanted connections to people, and these owed favors would test their connection to each other. Either she would hold up her end of the deal, or she would betray his trust and not. On the other hand his end of the bargain was a fast thing, a offering of a lesson then, and one more to help progress a bit more past the extreme basics. She would be aiding him in this practical exercise, along with three more times. Three more favors. Likely though he would hold one in reserve, in case it ever became useful later. Perhaps it would, perhaps it would not, but such long term investments where a curiosity to him, and useful if they paid off. “My wrist? Very well I can accept that freely so long as it stays attached and just as useful after whatever you have in mind. Not to insult you of course but prudence is worthwhile when talking about body parts I have found.” “Favours, favours. Three?” “Very well, but I would ask that these favours be with a few conditions, you cannot ask me to kill myself. You cannot endanger me with said favours without explanation. You cannot use them to damage me without purpose. I will not be made into a mages plaything for any form of knowledge. I won’t be able to refuse said favours but the methods with which I accomplish them, if outside of your talents, will be my own to decide” “If you can accept those conditions then I can accept yours. Favours three and help in an experiment in exchange for some lessons” Clyde paused for a moment, as he listened to the woman's counter-offer. Clyde shrugged after a moment, after having pondered it over. "I'm not one of those bone cutter mages, what use would a person's limb be to me? I think it would be far more useful to me in your later favors to have it still attached and operational." Clyde of course referred to malediction when he mentioned the group of mages that were bone cutters. It was still a magic he looked less than favorably on after learning of it. Particularly since he was a Magecrafter which was a much more refined form of magical crafting. "As for the other things, well that seems fine. Particularly since doing any of those things as a favor would result in me being less likely to get the later favors from you. It is in my own best interest to not do things such as those. So I suppose all of those demands are fine with me." Since they both agreed to the offer, Clyde stretched out his own hand to shake hers, meeting her in the embrace, and signifying that they both agreed to the terms as fair. After a tick though Clyde willed res to come forth from his hand, and liquid bright silver res began to emit out of his palm and wrap up and around the woman's hand and wrist. "So first, as I said I need to borrow your wrist. Hold still now, wouldn't want to mess up."

[Zandelia]

She nodded slowly at the response, committing the words to memory so that if he ever decided that it had gone differently then she could quote him the exact words, the inflections and the way he stood and moved. She had a mind that was poor for the written word but when it came to existence she had a consummately accurate memory. She had trained it that way, always learning and observing for her lessons. Hearing and mentally noting. It was not so much that she distrusted him and thought him an oath breaker. As far as she could assess he was less crooked than many she had so far met upon her journeys. It was merely an old habit, the forging of a deal and the required caution to make sure it didn’t turn around and snap its jaws around her throat without warning.

“Then it is agreed,” she merely accepted the affirmation with a raised eyebrow at the reference to bone cutters, it was unfamiliar, “bone cutters? That sounded harsh indeed. Do you so despise some arts? Or are they merely not that appreciative? What do you mean?” she asked, he was her teacher for a time after all and she would grasp that opportunity for all it was worth.

Then came the brief shaking of hands, she had to force herself to refrain from the Sunberthian style of such mannerisms. Spitting into her palm would likely have broken any deal she had brokered in an instant. She had to appear far more refined than she was, interesting and useful to the man she had managed to tease a bargain from. It would be foolish and though she was often a fool she wasn’t an idiot. She knew the difference after all and in all fairness she would possibly gain more than him in their deal. She planned on leaving eventually and three favors could take a long time to be asked of her. Oh he could follow her and she would fulfill her bargain but no words had been stated that she had to be in the same place to do so.

A small window to slither through, for a time. I always pay my debts but the times are usually easy to fiddle with when done correctly. Still…a note for him would be polite. Sent the Bell I leave so he can’t stop me she smiled at that, a warm curl that she allowed to be relished for a moment.

That was until the feeling on restriction and the quick words slipped out, the warning that she should rather not move. Having seen what could be done with magic the words were less than required - they were pointless. As soon as it began she froze, wrist still in the air between them and frozen. Face twitched and muscles strained as she tried to keep even her breathing as shallow as possible, fear of the possibilities of disobeying such an instruction all too evident. Composure wasn’t an issue anymore, it was gone in a flash and replaced with the look of startled surprise. She had expected a warning at least but clearly he operated differently, it was to be expected mages had individual preferences in that regard.

“I will do my best, just don’t snap my bones,” she managed a faint retort, “I like using them”

The questions flooded her mind. What did he seek to gain? Were his simple words true or had she bartered a pact with a trickster? There were no answers, only the stillness of body and the attempts at calming her mind to prevent any foolish reactions.

“So what now?” she licked her lips as the scene unfolded.

[Clyde Sullins]

“Then it is agreed.” Clyde nodded, glad to hear the negotiations were over. Perhaps she would keep up her end of the bargain... Perhaps she would not and she would attempt to betray him. But of course such an act would only prove to strengthen and fuel Rhysol, so he was okay with such a possible betrayal if it did occur. Though he would still prefer to have the negotiations go well, and for her to keep up her end of the bargain. “Bone cutters? That sounded harsh indeed. Do you so despise some arts? Or are they merely not that appreciative? What do you mean?” Clyde shrugged his shoulders at his next questions, not caring if some of what he said did not make sense. If she did not know of Malediction, he would not be the one to tell her. For one thing, he was no expert on it. For two, his telling her about other magics was not part of their deal, and if she planned to bargain and deal as she did, then he would do likewise in kind and divulge nothing for nothing. “I'd be happy to tell you, I would, but surely someone in your line of work can respect me not divulging it so easily. However if you perhaps would be willing to give an additional favor, perhaps of a different variety than the others... Perhaps then I would be willing to tell you of these bone cutters as I called them...” Clyde smirked at the woman for a instant, and then the expression faded as he returned his focus to his task. He did not elucidate upon what he meant by a favor of a "different variety" and instead left that up for her to interpret. Her reaction however to his Reimancy was not unexpected. She froze up, clearly scared of what he could do. Perhaps this meant she had met a Reimancer before, or perhaps it was simply due to the clear magical nature of the experience. Either way, it gave him an opportunity to talk to her for a moment while he was in the dominant position. Her fear and being uncomfortable put him in a better position to speak and to ask questions, as it clearly made clear what he could so easily do. “I will do my best, just don’t snap my bones, I like using them” “So what now?” Clyde paused for a moment, and then watched as the res floated about a bit, and taking his own hand back and clear of the res. He had exuded enough for the effect he wanted. However he did not do anything immediately, instead slowly molding and shaping the res as he continued to speak. “Ah, well while I have you here, I just wanted to make a few more things clear. First, bear in mind anything said here is privy to the two of us. I don't want you going off repeating what I've said, nor telling others about what I do or can do or like to do. If they want to know that, they can learn it on their own. If I find out you've been going about gabbing to others about me, I will expect recompense. Perhaps in the form of additional favors, perhaps in the form of... Other things..." "In return, I will hold your trust, and keep what you reveal between us... Not that you've actually revealed anything beyond a name which might or might not be yours... Either way, I expect you to not betray me. And trust me, I have quite a few little nasty things I could do to keep you honest. I'd prefer not to have to go to such length, but should I learn that you can't be trusted, I may be forced to. I'm not a nice person to make an enemy of.” Waving about his hand for a few ticks, Clyde signaled that he was done, and watched as the res settled. Clyde spent another few ticks making sure all was right, that the shape was well formed, well rounded, and equal in all dimensions, and then willed the res to transmute into stone, hard hard stone of a strong gray nature. In an instant the res was replaced by a stone bracelet of vaguely the same proportions as the res. It was looped about the woman's wrist, was about half an inch thick, and had about a quarter of a inch clearance around said wrist so that if she wished she could jangle and move it about somewhat. Of course, since this was a solid stone piece of jewelry on her wrist, perhaps that would not be the best thing to do. “Done. Now just give me a moment to do some engravings on it, some Glyphs, and then I will indicate for you to try some Auristics.” Clyde held his hand up, and a small poof of res came out of it and floated over to the stone bracelet. Unlike last time the res was much smaller in quantity and simply settled across the outer layer of the stone, and slightly soaked into it, leaving a glistening bright silver material all along the outer side of the stone bracelet.

[Zandelia]

The shift in him was noticeable no that he had her within his power where all she could do was try to obey his whims as best as she could and his tone and manner of talking was certainly different. If he had sounded sure of himself previously he was most definitely sure now and altogether she thought he felt himself entirely in control of the scenario – of her. Rather than abandon their bargaining he chose to set the terms without any input from herself, not for the first time she was reminded of the arrogance and power fuelled egos of mages in general. She was far from immune n such things, a minor mage herself, however he was clearly a master and it sounded almost as if he were discussing a matter with a foolish pupil.

Which I am, I suppose. Yes…foolish indeed. At least he seems likeable enough that I doubt he will actually harm me. Physically at least, mentally I am not so sure. Still…learning is learning and if this is what it takes I’m already in too deep to get out she told herself as she kept her limbs absolutely still as the work continued.

“A favour for your perspective? Or for knowledge about such things directly?” she asked simply, his words were tricky to pin down, “because a further favour just for an opinion seems a bit of a stretch. And as to the type of favour…well I have been known to do such things for the right reason” she continued carefully, watching his face whilst at the same time trying to pay attention to what he was doing with her wrists.

A difficult task to be sure when she considered the wording of his offer, the half-suggestion that she should sell herself for further knowledge stated matter-of-factly and itself slanted towards the idea that it was common practise. Of course she was cautious about seeing it as such, he didn’t seem overly concerned with anything beyond theoretical magic and philosophy as far as she knew so far. It was premature to conclude upon what he desired, perhaps it would just be a favour more dangerous of less related to her abilities and more to do with his. It mattered not, she was not about to agree to a fourth favour without any clarification upon what precisely she would learn in exchange. Still, she weighed up the possibilities within her mind and found little to argue with. If what he meant was more of the physical – considering the few dropped comments – it would not be overly difficult. He was not unattractive even if he were the wrong gender.

“I keep my words once I have given it, you can count upon that if nothing else. I may learn things but I seldom give them up to anyone without something of equal value. Barring any previous agreements made of course. You want me to keep your knowledge to myself then we have an agreement. It’s just good business” she responded with a harder tone this time, she didn’t like the veiled threats lowered at her and the supposition that her word was worth little.

“And neither am I, neither am I. I may seem powerless but I have been known to arrange the vengeance of others upon those they deem deserving. A talent. Works both ways, things often do. Whatever you learn of me I’d hope was kept to yourself as you ask me to” she did not shrug because to do so would be foolish but there was a feigned apathy there – words without menace of tone but stated as if they were fact.

She took the opportunity to summon her Djed, to flow it through the familiar river-like paths within to slip into her eye and weave the strange cone-like pattern into the depths of her head. She still didn’t know why it was beginning to take that shape, or felt like that shape. Yet she blinked as the world became too run and shift, to come alive as she focused upon the working of her wrists. Golden thread it seemed like, throbbing and pulsating as it was manipulated. A regular pulse like that of heartbeat perhaps. Shimmering with beauty and with an aura far larger than she expected it would possess. She turned her attention to the man then, the smell of charcoal engulfing her nose for some reason and trying to make her sneeze. His colours were stable for the most part, perhaps a product of his concentration. She let the magic fade away and the world returned to its bland state.

“Very well, I have used it already as a reference point to before and to make sure that I can still use it. Tell me when and I will try once more” she stated.

[Clyde Sullins]

What Clyde needed was a leak. A siphon of sorts that would make the woman's djed leak outward, and stop her from using any magics. Any attempt to cast a spell or to raise up her djed and use it would cause said djed to leak up and out through the anti-magic device... Or perhaps it worked more like a slow leak, where it constantly leaked out a small amount of djed, so as to stop a wizard from raising their djed to usable levels... Or perhaps it was even some combination thereof. Clyde was not completely sure, as it was his first attempt at making a device to stop a person from using personal magic. His words before finalizing his transmutation were not threats, not meant as a means of intimidation even if perhaps it had that effect. For Clyde it was simply a stating of facts, a clearing up of the air, a apt time to make the situation and how he felt about things clear to the wizard. The fact that he had a somewhat captive audience also added to the timing being apt. “A favour for your perspective? Or for knowledge about such things directly? Because a further favour just for an opinion seems a bit of a stretch. And as to the type of favour…well I have been known to do such things for the right reason” Clyde shook his head. In this case he felt leaving things a bit vague was in his best interest. He'd rather not give a exact definition of what he counted as breaking their agreement, as it would make it easier for her to attempt to circumvent or find a loophole in it. As for the latter part, he seemed to skip over that, or perhaps to simply not notice it. But then, he was partially distracted by thinking of magic at the time. “I think you will know when the situation presents itself, whether or not you have broken my trust. But for certain directly revealing the knowledge or information would count as breaking my trust.” “I keep my words once I have given it, you can count upon that if nothing else. I may learn things but I seldom give them up to anyone without something of equal value. Barring any previous agreements made of course. You want me to keep your knowledge to myself then we have an agreement. It’s just good business.” Clyde could not help grinning at the woman. He had oddly mixed feelings, straddling the idea of smacking the woman upside the head, or laughing at her for twisting her words so. Once more she spoke without truly making a promise, or saying much of anything beyond what he had already supposed. “Obviously I can see you would not freely give away the information without gain, that would be obviously to anyone who has spoken to you even in passing. Your words have done little to assuage me however. Just to be clear, such a business transaction of information being traded or sold to another would still count as you divulging the information. I did not doubt for a moment that the information would be exchanged in any other fashion.” As they neared the end of Clyde's small speech before doing the transmutation, the woman made a attempt at returning his own words at him. At this point Clyde was barely even looking at the woman, focusing more instead on the new stone bracelet around her wrist. When he did respond it was in a much more flippant manner, as if her words carried little weight, or perhaps as if they had been spoken by a child or by someone else jokingly. “And neither am I, neither am I. I may seem powerless but I have been known to arrange the vengeance of others upon those they deem deserving. A talent. Works both ways, things often do. Whatever you learn of me I’d hope was kept to yourself as you ask me to” “Right, right, sure, sure. I'm sure you've cast down death upon hundreds, silenced men in their sleep, watched as the life dulled from a man's eyes, seen a man choke on his own blood and glare back at you in his death throes. I left such crude methods behind long ago... Actually, this magic here, Glyphing, has opened many creative doors for me... Why just a few seasons ago, there was this poisoner who made a death threat on me... Bah, but that is not of importance, nor is how I dealt with that situation.” Clyde tapered off in his short meandering before he said to much, cutting himself off before he got to the full story, one which would have included Glyphing and Reimancy of a high order, complex triggers, a standoff in a poisoners shop, and several scrolls that were still primed and which would go off in Ravok if Clyde were to die, taking at least a structure with him in a blaze of destruction and chaos. As Clyde was inspecting the bracelet, about ready to begin his engravings, he felt a small prickle against his skin. Along with the sensation, he also heard a high pitched note reverberating in the air between them. A note he did not hear with his ears. After a bit the note and the prickling dimmed, until finally both were gone. A few ticks later the woman spoke once more. “Very well, I have used it already as a reference point to before and to make sure that I can still use it. Tell me when and I will try once more.” Clyde let out a sigh. That settled it, that high pitched sound definitely meant he was sensing magic via the passive senses of Auristics. Being in such close proximity it was little wonder he could sense the active magics at work. “Yes I know, I could sense it when you did, I mean petch your like a foot away! And I said to wait a moment, not to do it right away. Don't you listen? I doubt I will get this quite right the first time, so I intended for you to wait till after my first attempt. Don't go blazing off half ready without my instruction, or else I won't include you in any further instruction or experiments.” “For all you knew that could have just set some reaction off! An assistant in an endeavor that does not listen often gets someone killed. And in the magics I deal in, that is more often than not a truth and not a overstatement. So next time wait until I indicate, or else you might get us both killed.” Of course, in this specific instance Clyde did not think a bad reaction was all to likely, but he did magic on the principle of being prepared as if it was the worst case each time. He knew if he were to slack now, he might do so in a more dangerous scenario, and the outcome could be very bad. Caution was a good trait in a wizard. With that done, Clyde began to cut his Glyphs into the bracelet, a fine spray of stone puffing out as dust as he trailed his fingers of his right hand, slowly making the engravings and holding the bracelet still with his left hand. He started with a focus, which would be the point of exit for the djed, the leak in question. This he formed directly on top of the bracelet as it was currently positioned, in the middle of it. He cut a small circle, and outside of it a waving curling line going up and down like a wave of water breaking and rising. This outer curve was in direct contact with the circle. Together they formed a simple focus symbol Clyde often used. After this first Glyph was done, he made a pathway going out from one side of the focus, curving all the way around the outside of the bracelet until it connect back on the opposite side of the focus. This pathway was a pair of lines curved with a slight wave to them, setting up a slight theme to his Glyphs. He was getting better at engraving and the slowly sloped line was getting a bit easier each time he did it. When he had first started he'd had trouble with anything but a straight line. Clyde had to trace and retrace the symbols of the Glyphs over and over, several times before they were deep enough to be of meaning and to last. After a time he finished these outer Glyphs, and moved on to inner ones. He leaked out another trickle of res onto the bracelet, and moved the layer of res covering the outer side to the inner. There on the inner side he created an identical pathway, looping all the way around the inside, however without the focus. The focus was the tap, the area for the leak, and so he did not need one on the inside. However he did not stop there. Next he needed branches, pathways going upward and connecting the upper and lower pathways on the inner and outer side of the bracelet. If his theory was correct, it would pull djed upward out of her skin and the contact, around the device, and up and out the focus, or the leak as it was functioning. For this he made 8 pathway pairings linking the upper and lower rings, one on either side, making a total of 16. He started with the first two on either side of the focus, so that their would be four pathways coming out of it, making a + with the focus as the central spar of said + sign. He made the next directly opposite the bracelet, which was the point farthest away. Next he made two more pairing in between the first two pairings, so that each of the four pairing were roughly evenly spaced. Then he added four more pairings of pathways, each between a set of the earlier four pathways. In this fashion he made the Glyphs, spacing them out more or less equally from each other around the perimeter of the bracelet. Letting out a sigh, Clyde turned back to the woman. “Alright, give it a try, see if it works, and try some magic.”