The sea blue dragon looked up at the royal palace. Glittering with beautiful stained glass depictions of various paladins, it served as an inspiration to the rest of the peoples of [u]Toria[/u]. They were also covered in rune magic, being religious objects. A type of magic that he did not fully understand.

        He didn't like things that he couldn't fully understand.

        Tomorrow, he would be inside the palace, making his case for why he should join the city's mage council. It was a good starting point. From there, he could climb the ranks, proving his worth, and eventually, he would join the palace's council. And once there, he would leverage his knowledge and make his way to the king's side.
        It wasn't the king he was after. As the king of [u]Verdania[/u], he was also the closest person to the head of [u]Belbatoria's[/u] church. And once the dragon made it to her...
        He wasn't sure yet. That was a task some decades ahead of him. He would have time to figure it out. For now, he headed back to his house in the third ring of the city.


        His lonely, empty house.

        The bookshelves were cluttered, the desk was stained in numerous places by ink, and the bedsheets were almost halfway on the floor. The stove had not seen practical use in some time, evidenced by the thick layer of dust on it.
        In a word, it was chaotic. It was as if someone had tossed his room looking for valuables. It was on purpose: if everything was scattered everywhere, then it was impossible for anyone but him to find anything--
        [i]--The clothes in front of the door are rumpled differently. Someone's been here.[/i]
        He sniffed, a strong smell of musk entering his nostrils. [i]A fox. It's quite potent. They're still here, waiting for me. ...I won't let them get the jump on me.[/i]
        He slipped his hand into his special glove, then listened carefully to ascertain the position of the intruder.
        Then the dragon burst into the room, grabbing the fox by the throat. Something clattered to the ground. "Who sent you?"
        If he was lucky, he wouldn't even need to--
        "You can let me go. Now that you've got the powder on me and all..."
        [i]She knows about [u]Malevolent Damnation[/u]?
        ...She must be with the Church.[/i]
        "I don't have it. If that's all you came for, you can get lost."
        The fox shrugged, a coy smile on her snout. "Usually, people start things by introducing themselves. I'm Linara. You knew my father, Emeric."
        [i]Emeric...
        Ah, Emeric Moreau, the deer.
        She...certainly has the same annoying air as him...
        Linara... She's one of the royal mages, if I recall.[/i]
        "Why are you here?"
        She waggled a finger. "Your name, first. My father only ever referred to you as the 'blue blowhard.'"
        [i]And you found me off of just that?
        ...No, that's not it. I've finally come out of hiding. And a dragon like me is easily noticeable.[/i]
        "Surely you didn't come here just to meet an old family friend?"
        "Well, that depends on how this conversation turns out, aye? If you keep being obstinate like this, I'll have to report you for not only possession but casting of a forbidden [u]spell[/u]."
         [i]A baseless threat. She doesn't even know my name.[/i] A knife slipped into his hand. He held it up, contemplating Linara's clouded reflection in it. "Then I'll have to intercept that message before it's delivered."
        She quirked her brow. "My last name isn't Moreau. It's Scourgebane. If you kill me, there'll be hell to pay, y'savvy?"
        [i]Everything she's saying, everything about the way she's carrying herself... She's acting like she's untouchable.

        She's acting like me.[/i]

        Slowly, he let go of her and stepped back.
        Linara picked up her wooden staff. It had a crescent on top, like the crossguard of a sword. There was a branch of sorts almost midway down the staff, and it had a wide base.
        [i]Not her staff. Her crutch.[/i]
        She threw her arm over the crook and held the handle, standing a little straighter. "So, does this mean you're finally willing to have a banter, Ozin Seacrest?"
        He didn't let his surprise show. [i]So she wasn't just bluffing. She knew exactly who I was the whole time.[/i] He sighed as he placed his [u]spell-laced[/u] glove back into its protective pocket.
        Linara laughed loudly, showing off her pointy teeth. "And, can I just say, what a perfect name? I mean, you're literally the color of the ocean! One might even suppose...that you picked it out yourself..."
        It was true. It was, perhaps, a little on the nose.
        No, completely sitting on it, more like.
        But he had picked it for that reason exactly. It was meant to take people off-guard. To distract them while he did things they didn't expect of him.
        ...She was getting on his nerves. He needed to put her in her place.
        However, something nagged at the back of his mind.
        [i]Her teeth are too sharp.[/i]
        Then begged.
        [i]...Her legs bend the wrong way.
        She has paw pads on her hands...[/i]
        Then demanded his full attention.
        [i]Why does she need a crutch?
        She stood straighter once she had it...
        She claimed that both Emeric and Keltanian were her father.
        That's certainly possible, if she was adopted...
        ...I smell a deodorant [u]spell[/u].
        But she smells like a normal fox. Either the [u]spell[/u] is very bad, or...
        She's female, but she's still shorter than I would expect a typical fox to be.
        Not much shorter, but...
        Her face, the shape, it's...
        ...It couldn't be.[/i]
        A wild, insane theory was beginning to take shape.
        [i]Emeric's field of study, it was...
        What was it again?
        ...I'll have to ask her. I'll lead into it...[/i]
        "Tell me, how is Emeric doing these days? I know he didn't stay in [u]Toria[/u]..."
        "Hm, well..." She smirked at him. "Actually, I admit, I lied to you. Just a teensy bit. See...Emeric isn't actually my father. She's my mother." With a wink, she added, "She goes by Pelar now."
        [i]She's just trying to throw me off here with more lies--
        Wait. His field of study. Officially, it was healing, but he told me he wanted to figure out how to alter bodies, to make people look more beautiful and whatnot...[/i]
        "Are you...one of his experiments?"
        Her brow creased. "...What are you talking about? First of all, it's not his, it's [i]her[/i]--"
        "You're an animal that she turned into an [u]alk[/u], aren't you?"
        The briefest expression of panic flashed through her eyes.
        "No," she denied. "...You certainly have a colorful imagination. I'm not an animal. I'm just a [u]zoomorph[/u]." She lowered her voice, attempting to sound threatening. "You savvy, people here in [u]Verdania[/u] usually smother infants like me in their sleep. I'd thank you to never speak of this again."
        Ossin closed the door to his small house, granting them a measure of privacy.
        But he could do better.
        He pulled a parchment from his desk. A spiraling sigil was inscribed on it. This was a [u]spell[/u] he was quite familiar with. While the circle of silence didn't move once cast, it was good for secret conversations that thieves' cant couldn't properly communicate. Or, when the other person didn't know thieves' cant.
        "Gods..." She sighed. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?"
        He slapped the parchment, activating the [u]spell[/u].
        "Look, I admit, Mother made some alterations to make it easier to stand upright and such--"
        "Not enough, it would seem. Even if you're [u]zoomorphic[/u], it doesn't explain your teeth. Or the shape of your head. Or your musk. It shouldn't be this strong under a deodorant [u]spell[/u]."
        She shook her head with a wry smile. "Ozin, you can't just bring up a lass's musk like that! My goodness..."
        "You're deflecting, hoping that I'll drop it even though you said earlier that I wouldn't. [b]How did she do it?[/b]"
        The smile fell from her face.
        She looked directly into his eyes.
        [i]This is it.[/i]
        "If my mother is to be believed, you were quite a smart mage. You coasted through your classes effortlessly. Tell me, what is the quintessential thing that separates [u]alks[/u] from animals?"
        "Their souls. Animal souls don't hold anywhere near the same amount of [u]ether[/u]."
        "Correct. Now...what do you fancy would happen if you somehow managed to increase the intelligence of an animal? Would their soul begin to hold more [u]ether[/u]? Would it become similar to an [u]alk[/u]'s soul?"
        "No. I've met plenty of dumbasses, and their [u]ether[/u] looks the exact same through an [u]etherial scope[/u] as any other [u]alk[/u]."
        [i]Why is she quizzing me?
        ...No. It couldn't be.
        But if that's where she's leading me, I'll venture a guess at it...[/i]
        Ozin crossed his arms, running a claw along his scales. "You're not saying that Pelar...transported an [u]alk's[/u] soul into an animal's body, are you?"
        "No." Her expression was deadly serious. "...Now, on to business. You have recently applied to the [u]Toria[/u] Council of Mages. However, Ozin Seacrest has no credible prior certifications."
        [i]And that's all she's going to say on the subject.
        But the way she said no...
        ...I'm lucky to get as much as I did, if that's the truth of it.[/i]
        Ozin rubbed at his snout.
        [i]I didn't realize that Pelar thought so highly of me...
        ...I didn't realize that she was my friend.
        The fact that Linara's telling me about this means that she still wants to help me, even despite me pushing so hard for an explanation.
        Gods, why am I like this? She's right, I'm stubborn, I get set in my ways, and then I don't even think about other people...[/i]
        "You're offering to sponsor me, even after...?"
        "Course. There's no reason a mage of your skill should be stuck in the barracks. Even if you [i]are[/i] a big blue bullish blowhard."
        [i]She's not just offering me admittance into the city council. She's willing to skip a step and bring me into the palace.[/i]
        "Well... I'd be a fool to refuse that offer. But I'd be an even bigger fool if I didn't ask: what's the catch?"
        She nodded stoically. "Indeed you would. And since you're not a fool, I'll let you figure it out. Here's a clue: you're not my first choice."
        [i]There's someone else she'd rather sponsor, but she can't. So the question is, why not?
        You can't sponsor somebody that you've already tried to sponsor before...
        But somehow, I don't think that's her angle.
        ...You also can't sponsor anyone that you're directly related to, even if it's just by marriage. That rule was put in place to help combat nepotism. ...But to the nobles, rules mean nothing. There's always a way around it: some kind of loophole they can exploit, someone they can bribe...
        She's sneaky, no doubt about that. But she's not a noble. She doesn't have those resources. And so...[/i]
        "You want me to return the favor by sponsoring your spouse."
        Linara considered his answer, leaning on her crutch. "Mmm...close enough. Not my spouse, and not sponsoring. The word on the wind says that my sister-in-law has magical talent."
        [i]She wants me to take her sister on as an apprentice.
        ...She doesn't know who she's talking to.
        I'll accept her offer, and then I'll show her exactly what kind of mistake she's made.
        I'm no teacher.[/i]
        "However, from what my husband's told me of her, I suspect she has more than simple talent."
        She took a breath. "I think she's a [u]diviner[/u]."
        [i]A...
        Oh gods.
        She's a [u]diviner[/u].
        That makes this so, so much worse.[/i]
        He held back his frustration. "What's her name?"
        "Maerva. Maerva Leporini."
        "A rabbit, then? What color is her fur? Does she have any easily identifiable features?"
        "Yeah." She smirked at him. "Her hooves."
        [i]I refuse to let her get to me.[/i] "Ok. So what type of [u]alk[/u] is she actually?"
        "Cattle. She has long shaggy reddish-brown fur, usually covers her eyes. Her right horn has a vertical nick on it, almost like a split. Ears are a bit longer than usual for a cow. But you'll probably spot her before that: she's got a rabbit's temperament."
        [i]She has a rabbit's-- You do realize I'm a dragon, right? How do you see this turning out? I don't know how to train a [u]diviner[/u], much less one that'll startle at every movement I make![/i]
        "I see." Ozin worked his jaw from side to side. "Well...I'll have to get established first..."
        "I didn't expect you to jump into teaching right away. She's only 12 summers."
        He couldn't hide his shock in time. [i]You've messed up, just lean into it now...[/i] "12 summers...?"
        "Yes, I know. I...like to make plans. Initially, I wasn't going to even tell you I'd sponsored you. But I wanted you to be ready for this, even though it's early. So...do you think you can do it? Would you be willing to help Maerva, when the time comes for her to learn magic?"
        [i]No no no absolutely not I know my limitations and I know that I'm awful with children![/i]
        Ozin stuck his hand out.
        [i]...But then again, I'd be a fool to say no.[/i]
        "It's a deal."
        She grasped his hand tightly and shook.
        "Excellent."