I’ve been really struggling to focus this week which has been frustrating me, but here is a little scene I’ve been working on today. I don’t want any feedback, just to share.
Snippet Day Scene
I spend a lot of my time trying to convince the grand arcanist to teach me some magic. Tzesar talks all the time about his lessons with the grand arcanist, and every time he tells me a new story, I'm struck by how much I want to learn magic to. Samira said she would teach me magic, but I would have to wait until I could read. Since I've started reading, that should mean I can learn magic now, but the grand arcanist won't teach me.
I work up the courage to knock on the door of Grand Arcnaist Gulin's office again. I knock exactly three time then wait for the door to swing open. The grand arcanist stands before me immaculately dressed in a dark grey suit jacket, with a pair of specials resting on the tip of his nose.
"What can I help you with Lady $!{name}?" He asks, snapping closed the book I hadn't noticed he was holding.
"Can you teach me magic?" I beg.
"I already told you, no."
"But I'm getting better at reading, I can read some basic words now. Isn't that all you need to learn magic?"
*if (race = "leodra") or (race = "half-leodra")
He pinches his nose. "Besides you have fae blood, if you're so obsessed with magic just use your natural magic."
"But I don't know how to do that," I protest.
"Leodra magic is sorcery, it inherent, and is powered by channeling your emotions. All you have to do if be emotional and focus those feelings on what you want to happen. It's perfect for women."
"But how do I use my emotions to make something happen?"
*if (race != "leodra") and (race != "half-leodra")
He takes off his spectacles to rub a hand down his face. "Officially, that's all you need, but I've been doing this job a long time. Trust me when I say the study of the magical arts is too sophisticated for the female mind to comprehend."
"But my friend Samira does magic, and she's a girl."
"Every so often an extraordinary pupil arises, but it is best not to waste the effort."
"Look," he sighs. "If I teach you a couple of basic spells will you leave me alone?"
"Yes," I agree.
*fake_choice
#He's helping me, Ill respect his wishes.
Even if I had to beg, Grand Arcanist Gulin is doing me a favor. If all he wants in return for a magic lesson is to leave him alone, I have no problem giving him what he wants.
#Once I know the basics I can teach myself.
If I can just have him help me with the basic spells, then I can teach myself the more complicated ones after I learn how to read.
#I can bother Tzesar for help instead.
*set tzesar_relationship +2
I just want the grand arcanist to help me learn the basics. After I do that, I can ask Tzesar to help me learn anything else I want to know. He obviously loves magic.
#For now, at least.
I'm mostly agreeing with what I have to for Grand Arcanist Gulin to help me, but there is nothing stopping me from seeking out his help again later if I change my mind,
He slumps away from the door, and tilts his head inside his office. "Come on."
I egarly follow him, quickly realizing this space is far more than an office. It's more like a tower. The room is large and circular with the entire middle taken up by a weird symbol drawn inside another circle. Around the walls of the room are several bookcases, and a staircase leading both up and down. There is also a large desk covered in various pieces of jewlery.
"Don't step on that," the grand arcanist commands, pointing at the weird symbol on the floor. "It's a ward, but its only half done, any disturbance can cause it to catch fire."
That sounds bad, so I move closer to back and make sure I step only where he goes as he leads me up the stairs. The upper floor has a small table with a tea tray and an open book as well as a desk similar to the one on the lower floor, but covered in glass vials full of rainbow assortment of liquids.
Grand Arcanist Gulin drapes a ribbon over the book on the desk before closing it. He puts it on a nearby shelf along with the tea tray. Kicking one of the chairs out from the table, he gestures for me to sit down.
"Why don't we start with a basic light spell?" I nod, excitedly, letting him continue. "Watch me do it first, them I'll help you."
He holds his hand out in front of him, and mumbles a word I can't hear. He holds his palms together and begins to separate them. In the space between his two palms, I can see a small ball of light. Then he takes it and sets it on the table. Once he sets it down it transforms into an elaborate candelabra made of pale blue light.
"Why is it blue?" I ask.
"Because it appears in whatever color I imagine it, and I picked blue."
*page_break
"Now it is your turn," he decides. "All spells are a combination of a spell word, spoken in Arcanin, and a hand gesture. When a mage becomes skilled enough, one of those component may be omitted, but very few are ever able to reach that point."
"Have you?" I ask.
He snorts. "I wouldn't be the greatest magic user alive today if I couldn't. You, however, don't have a chance."
"I can learn both a word and a motion," I assure him.
"Very well, the word for light is lydis."
"lidis?" I try.
"It's pronounced closer to eye, pronunciation is very important with spell words."
"Lydis," I try again.
"Very good," he says. "Now let's add a word, abac, it means create."
"So I put them together?" I ask.
"Yes. It will be abac lydis." I repeat the phrase until it has reached his satisfaction. The he smiles at me. "Let's try the motion component now."
*page_break
"All you have to do is place your palms together, and draw them apart. When you are learning it is often better to do it slow, and get faster as you practice."
I make the motion he describes and try speaking the words, but nothing happens. I wrinkle my nose in frustration and look at Grand Arcanist Gulin. He presses his palms together, waiting for me to copy him.
"Make sure to annunciate each syllable. You don't want the words running together."
I nod, and start separating my palms. "Abac lydis."
Nothing happens again, and the Grand Arcanist shakes his head. "You have to speak before you separate your hands." I sigh, but try again. "You really need to visualize the light you are trying to create, $!{name}."
I try again a few more times until I start getting upset. This time, I make sure I'm speaking clearly with annunciated syllables. I speak before I separate my hands, and I move slowly. I focus the last of my attention of imagine the light appearing between my palms a nice shade of
*fake_choice
#White.
As I separate my hands a small ball of white light hovers between them.
#Blue
As I separate my hands a small ball of blue light hovers between them.
#Green.
As I separate my hands a small ball of green light hovers between them.
#Orange.
As I separate my hands a small ball of orange light hovers between them.
#Purple.
As I separate my hands a small ball of purple light hovers between them.
#Red.
As I separate my hands a small ball of red light hovers between them.
#Yellow.
As I separate my hands a small ball of yellow light hovers between them.
I squeal when I see the spell worked. In my excitement, I stop concentrating and the ball of light disappears. I look up at the grand arcanist and see his shocked expression.
"Did you see the light?" I ask.
"I did. I am surprised you were able to accomplish the spell so quickly. It makes most students at least a day or two before they can cast anything. I've only seem a few students be able to get it that quickly."
"How long did it take you?" I ask.
"I was a natural. It got it on the third try I think, but half a day is nonetheless impressive, especially for a girl."
His words have dimmed my excited, but I'm still proud of doing my first spell. I smile at the grand arcanist. "Thank you for teaching me."
"Well, now that I have taught you a spell, our agreement is complete, so you can leave now." He makes a shooing motion with his hands and turns his attention to putting his book and tray back on the table he cleared for me.
Deciding against pushing my luck, I leave the grand arcanist's tower, and rush to tell Ilarion about my new spell.
I typed like I was held at gunpoint for five hours straight. I think this was a once-in-a-millenial type of occurrence. I won’t be able to focus like this ever again.