RP:A Magically Awkward Meeting

Summary: KhittiDom encounter the mage Odhranos at the library in Xalious (a mage in the mage library?! no way!). Antics ensue during introductions, but soon things get super serious when they begin discussing not only Odhranos' magic, but Dominic's as well, whereas Khitti decides to remain taciturn about her own.

Mage Library

Odhranos tucked the heavy tome under his arm and strode across to the long bookshelf that he had retrieved it from. An intriguing read, it outlined the history of treants in Hollow and a brief summary of their physiology and social structures. Odhranos normally wouldn't have been reading such a book, preferring to study magic theory and recent history, but he had encountered a treant, the species long listed as extinct and had been researching them ever since. He sneezed quietly as he tucked the book back into place; some of the books here were so old you could get asthmatics just looking at them. He was returning to his desk when a cheerful yip caught his ear. Looking up, the mage was astonished to see his little frost-drake hatchling, Kestral, perched on a shelf about 5 meters off the ground. <What are you doing up there? You'll knock the shelf over.> the mage mentally projected to the hatchling, who chuckled in a coughing saurian way. Kestral was full of boundless energy and mischief and the mage had his hands full with her. <The library is boring, we should go outside.> she projected back along the bond they shared. <Later, I promise. I'll go get you some stew in the tavern if you behave>. The drake licked her lips and swiftly clambered down from the shelf, hopping gently onto the mage's shoulder, where she wrapped her tail about his neck and perched, as the mage returned to his table.

Khitti burst through the door of the library, dragging Dominic along behind her, "Vhat do you vant to try reading today? Runes again? Or a fairy tale? Or something else?" She'd keep listing off a few other things, until she heard the 'yip' of the baby frost drake. The vampiress stops mid-step, right in front of Dominic, dark eyes fixating on 'the thing' that made that noise. Oh there was no mistaking what it was. A -dragon-. "I...uh...uh..." Dominic would certainly know that fear, the look on her face was unmistakably like that day in the woods when they dealt with the spiders. She'd turn around to quickly escape from the baby bitey lizard, flailing her arms about a bit as she runs right into her poor beloved human.

Dominic was knocked back a bit, and certainly taken aback by the sudden change in Khitti’s demeanor -- he hadn’t even seen the dragon yet -- but he caught her, setting her aright with firm hands at her sides. “Khitti, what --” And -then- he saw it. He saw the dragon, processed the terror on Khitti’s face, registered the man the dragon accompanied… “Oh. Hello again, Odhranos.” He’d been peering around her head to see what the fuss was about, but now he turned his full attention back to Khitti, trying to assuage her fear with a smile. “It’s fine, Khitti, I’ve met the man. If the dragon’s with him, I’m sure it’s fine, too.” A beat; his smile faltered a touch. “Maybe. Probably. I think.” Awesome job being reassuring, Dominic.

Odhranos heard the kerfuffle behind him and turned, a concerned look on his face, Kestral tilting her head in curiosity. "Oh, Dominic, good to see you!" The mage smiled, then his gaze turned to Khitti, who looked to be upset over something. Concernedly, the mage listened to Dominic's comforting words and his eyes widened. <She doesnt like me.> came a sad little thought from beside him. Odhranos turned his head and saw Kestral drooping sadly, her bright cyan eyes downcast. <No no, she's just nervous, Kess, don't worry.> the mage scratched her chin, nuzzling her empathetically. Addressing Khitti and Dom he spread his hands wide. "I promise, Kestral is very well behaved, she is simply curious around new people. She'd love to meet you if you'll give her the chance to." The mage smiled amiably, it pained him to see his little hatchling so down.

Khitti blinks at Dominic's odd way of reassuring her, though it wasn't very convincing. "But...dragon." Oh. She hadn't told him about Raiez...had she? That was certainly a very large discussion for another day. A dragon-sized discussion. Regardless, she eases up a bit, turning to eye first Odhranos and then the drake itself. "I...uh...hi. I'm sorry. I'm uh..." Awkward Khitti is awkward, clearly. Not even vampires are immune to social anxiety. "Khitti...I'm...Khitti. Yeah." She coughs a bit after her introduction, shifting her gaze elsewhere, "So...you two know each other?" As if that wasn't obvious. Because, you know, Dominic already stated that. "Zhat's very nice. I zhink. Yes. Definitely." Well, this is going totally smoothly. Absolutely.

“Yeah, we’ve met.” Dominic answered the question without a hint of humor at Khitti’s expense, the words possessing a kind of gentleness he hadn’t shown around Odhranos before. He wrapped an arm around Khitti’s waist and squeezed; hopefully he could be more reassuring with actions than he was with words. And sure, maybe he was side-eyeing the dragon a bit, too. People kept dragons as pets? Was that what Kestral was? Regardless, after one more squeeze to Khitti’s side -- and a quick smooch on her cheek -- he stepped forward, carefully reaching a hand toward it. If it was going to eat someone, as Khitti surely feared, he’d rather it be him than her. “Is she okay to touch?”

Odhranos raised an eyebrow at Dominic's tenderness to Khitti but made no comment. He simply smiled, they seemed happy together; Dominic certainly seemed more at ease around her than he had been in Frostmaw. He extended his hand to Khitti to shake. "My name is Odhranos, your boyfriend and I met in Frostmaw when I was looking for the vampire Pilar, he showed me to the tavern and I helped him carry his things." Turning to Dominic, he grinned; "Turns out Pilar was in Xalious at the time, she was visiting friends. Oh and I haven't found any more mention of Catal, though I have tracked some rumours down, none were conclusive." When Dominic stepped forward, hand extended, the mage smiled. <What do you think? Do you want to say hello?> he asked the little drake silently. The drake puffed crossly, as she had bonded very strongly with the mage, she wasn't fond of broadcasting thoughts to others, but Odhranos felt, given the circumstances, it might do no harm if she talked to them directly. Turning her little cyan eyes to Dominic, the drake leaned forwards towards his hand. <Yes, I suppose I am okay to touch, I was fed well earlier.> the drake broadcast, baring her teeth cheekily, then, if the man continued so, she would nuzzle the palm of his hand in a friendly manner, nibbling his index finger playfully. Turning her head to Khitti, the drake's eyes softened and she broadcast a thought on a more narrow focus, so only Khitti would hear. < I am sorry if I scared you. I am young and still learning the ways of this world.>, the drake murmured mentally, meeting the vampire's eyes.

Khitti 's bottom lip twitches a little. Boyfriend? Boyfriend. Boooooyfriend. Right. That's what Dominic was. Of course. For whatever reason, she never made that connection in her mind. It had felt like more than just boyfriend/girlfriend material. Well, now that -that- was in her mind, it wasn't going away anytime soon. It's a good thing she no longer had the ability to blush. This would get even more awkward. "Vait...you know Pilar?" The vampiress blinks. "I swear, it seems like everyone knows everyone else and I'm zhe one left out of zhe group." She prods Dominic lightly in the ribs, even though it wasn't exactly his fault. When the drake spoke, Khitti tilted her head, eyeing it curiously now, "It's not your fault. I've had far too many encounters recently vith a Blue and none of zhem have gone exactly zhe vay I zhought it vould. Zhankfully, at zhe moment, she seems more intent on eating my crab-friend vith a very large side of butter." Much like Dominic, she too reaches a hand out once she got close enough, but not so close as to infringe on the dragon's space. And then, as if on cue with the mention of friend's, Khitti's demeanor shifts again as she looks to Odhranos quizzically, "Vhat's your business vith Pilar?" Interrogation mode switch is now in the on position.

Dominic’s brain broke similarly, freezing up and blinking over at Odhranos, then surreptitiously eyeing Khitti. ...Boyfriend? They’d… never actually had any kind of conversation about putting a label to their love. Were they supposed to, or was it just something that was supposed to be assumed, or…? There was more blinking, followed by a slight bite of his lip, then he lowered his hand from petting Kestrel and shoved both his hands deep into his pockets. His arms were pinned tightly to his sides, as if he was trying to sink away from the sudden surge of awkward and melt into the floor. To Odhranos: “Uhhhhhhh. R-right, yes, Catal. A shame you couldn’t find anything, but it’s really quite all right.” He sent another furtive glance Khitti’s way. They’d get around to looking for something on Catal, together… eventually…

Odhranos turned to Khitti. "Oh, Pilar and I are friends, we recently joined the Mage's Guild together. In fact, we had a duel of sorts to gain admission, she performed extraordinarily well. I was in a bit of a state after the duel and she managed to keep me out of harm's way when the rest of the Silver's warcamp were marching into the fray, I returned to Frostmaw after the conflict in order to thank her." he explained. Kestral nuzzled Khitti's hand as she had with Dom's then blinked sleepily; the hatchling had a tendency to be full of energy one minute then the next, she would fall asleep on the spot. As she did, curled happily about the mage's shoulders, sending little puffs of cool air against his cheek as she breathed. "I'll keep an ear out, most information in this land cycles around eventually, it’s all a matter of being in the right place at the right time. If anything worthwhile comes up I can send you on a message." he addressed Dominic, then turned and addressed the couple. "So, what might the two of you be doing here? Can't say this is the most salubrious or romantic of places to be going, but it is calming and quiet." The mage grinned, teasing. It was good to tease someone else over their love lives, gods know how much ribbing he got from the fellow mages in the tavern over his own. "Then again, perhaps peace and quiet is exactly what you are looking for.." the grey garbed mage chuckled as he returned to the shelf to search for the book he had told Lanlan he would glance through; basic runic theory.

Khitti blinked over at Dominic, mirroring his expression with a sort of 'I guess we have to talk about this now that it's become a thing' look in her eye. Her attention soon drifts back to Kestral, watching as she gets a bit sleepy, throwing in another pat before the drake curls up on Odhranos' shoulders. She -might- even be grinning like she finds it adorable or something. So weird. The mage's words finally register in her head now that the distraction given by Kestral had gone, "Oh. Right. Zhe mage's guild." There was a pang of jealousy written on her features for a split second before she quickly wipes it away, replacing it with a strained smile, "Congratulations. I'm happy to hear zhat she finally got in." Her smile eased a little. "And you too, of course. Pilar's pretty much my little sister. I've known her since she first joined House Dragana in Vailkrin many months ago." Another wall of awkward hits Khitti thanks to Odhranos' teasing, her line of sight shifting up and away from the mage in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, "He...um...he likes it vhen I read to him." She cringes a little at how incredibly mushy that sounded, a side glance is cast towards Dominic briefly before looking away again. Of course, there'd be no way she'd spill his secret if he didn't it want it told.

Nope. Dominic was just entirely melted into the floor now. First ‘boyfriend,’ now this. He… -might- not normally tell people he couldn’t read unless it came up, or they’d acquired some of his trust. It -might- be that he’d somehow managed a much different impression on Odhranos the first time around -- much easier to not be so obviously lovesick when he wasn’t at Khitti’s side. Not that it really mattered who knew; their relationship wasn’t intended to be a secret. It was just a different side to him that not everyone got to see. Maybe some of it was Brand rolling around in the back of his head, not at all wanting to be associated with such ‘sentimental garbage’ (regardless of the fact that Odhranos didn’t even know he existed and, therefore, couldn’t possibly associate him with it just yet). Whatever the reason or combination thereof, Dominic had turned positively scarlet and his gaze had sailed away from either of them, perhaps never to return. In a voice so quiet he almost might have well not said anything at all, he mumbled, “uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhm, yes. What she said.”

Odhranos 's eyebrows raised. "Really? So if you are a member of House Dragana, I would assume you are a...?" the mage left his words hanging, but it was a pretty obvious deduction to make. "In any case, it is always a pleasure to meet a friend of Pilar's, she is a lovely woman." He smiled amiably, then chuckled at both of their reactions to his teasing. Ah gods, he felt like some old geezer, smiling gummily at the "young lads and lassies off in love", he was only 28 for gods sakes! Smiling to himself, his eyes softened. "That's a nice way to spend ones time, its not often this library is graced by such ease and happiness, its usually such a tense atmosphere, as people hunt for some long-lost scrap of information. I'm glad to see it can be a place of relaxation also." He nodded happily, then plonked the heavy tome he had located onto the table before him. "Right, runes.." The mage mumbled to himself, as he pulled a small folded sheet of parchment from his pocket. Unfolding it, a large cyclical design of runes was displayed, which the mage spread out flat on the table, then heaved open the heavy book and began to search for matching runes within.

Khitti idly ran her tongue over a fang as Odhranos' words trailed off, a faint frown forming, "No. I'm no longer affiliated vith zhat Dragana voman or her house. I vork for Hildegarde now." Was that a hint of bitterness in her voice? Such a sharp contrast to the lovey-dovey tone her voice had held a bit ago. She doesn't divulge further, as she hadn't even really mentioned the whole situation in Vailkrin to Dominic. Her attention is swayed from that swelling anger in her chest as the mage opens the overly large book, a tilt of her head given as she stands on her tiptoes to try to peer over at the book from her short distance away. "Runes, hm?" A glance is cast towards Dominic, who was clearly trying to ignore the mushy atmosphere that had been created. Her frown returns, but ultimately, she walks over behind him and uses just the tiniest bit of her vampiric strength to push her dear, beloved human a little closer to Odhranos, though stopping so that there was some sort of respectable distance between the two. "Do you know much about runes? Dominic has a rune stone zhat ve can't quite figure out vhat it means. Maybe you could help him? Magic...isn't...uh...exactly my forte."

Dominic had finally gathered himself enough to act something like a functional human being again -- and just in time for his eyes to light up in recognition, as he nosily peered at the work Odhranos was doing. And, well, apparently Khitti had, too -- as her words were spoken and he was shoved forward. At least she’d saved him from being the one to say most of the explanation. He pulled the aforementioned stone out of his pocket now, a many-faced rock with ripples of teal and aquamarine along its surface, a rune or two engraved in every side of the stone. He held it forth for Odhranos’ brief visual observation, though he was perhaps oddly protective of the thing…? Possibly. At any rate, he didn’t offer it up for any kind of tactical follow-up by the mage, instead dropping his hand to his side again. “I, uh. I know what a few of them mean. There are runes that enhance elemental magic on there.” A side-eyed glance to Khitti was given; how much had he actually told her about the thing, or why he wanted so badly to find his answers? “There are runes I don’t know the meaning of, though, and I have reason to suspect there’s far more to this thing than that.”

Odhranos almost rounded on Khitti at mention of a rune stone, the runes he was transcribing had come from a very powerful runic stone that was supposed to be an inside matter of the Guild, but upon Dominic's producing of his rune stone the mage visibly relaxed. Folding his hands behind his back to prevent himself from reaching out to touch the man's magic item, which in magic circles (aha) was impolite to do without explicit permission, the mage examined the rune stone. "At first glance, none of them stand out to me, I am not exceptionally well versed in runic theory, but perha-... Wait, this one, right here." The mage's brow furrowed and he took the man's hand gently, to turn it and get a better look at one specific rune inscribed on one of the lower left faces. "That one.. I was looking for that..." the mage murmured to himself, turning to the book and flipping quickly through it. "Incised helix, riven with a .5 radius arc..." the mage rambled on quietly as he buzzed through the tome, swiftly reaching the back. "Not there... drat, I've been looking for a translation of that exact rune for a few days now, I'd love to know its meaning. Has that rune ever flared inexplicably during your usage of the stone?" the mage inquired, turning his attention back to the man. The grey mage stood straight again, tapping his chin ponderously. If that rune was indeed what he thought it was... perhaps showing Dominic the Rynvalian crystal might not be a bad idea, he might give a fresh view into its secrets, maybe even unearthing something new.

Khitti just kinda stared at Odhranos as he started spewing off his magic babble. She'd be better off trying to decipher a dead language at this point. A step backward is taken as they're both obviously engulfed in their studies of runes, and then another step, and another until she's far enough away to escape for the moment. She sneaks off to the nearby restricted section, the books of which therein were, of course, about dark magic. With as many times as Khitti had been here, the mages that run the place don't really seem to mind. She'd never attempted to take the books from the library itself, so what was the harm in her looking and reading for a bit? That signature frown of Khitti's appears again as she peers up at the different tomes, some titles as plain as day, the others in strange languages. The dark ranger didn't know where to start in her search again, but she certainly wasn't going to ask Odhranos about it. Who knew how he was when it came to necromancy and the like?

Dominic blinked down at the rune in question, brows furrowed. “That one? Uhhhh…” It was hard to remember, when most of the runes were all gibberish to him. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. I don’t really know the rhyme or reason to any of this. It’s been really quite… accidental.” Had it been, though? “If I’m recalling correctly, the first time I saw that one light up, I’d been able to craft some kind of illusion of a person. A sort of… protector, if you will.” Vague. Suspiciously vague? Maybe. He hoped not. He wasn’t quite sure how much he wanted to divulge about himself to this man just yet. So caught up was he in the question, he hadn’t even noticed Khitti’s departure yet…

Odhranos nodded, his index and thumb moving in fluid motion, stroking from his jawline to the point of his chin. "A protector, so in other words, a physical manifestation brought from your powers? Intriguing." The mage nodded, chewing his thumb slightly. "If you have time, I'd like to show you something, might shed some light on that rune in particular." the mage glanced at the man. He seemed trustworthy enough, so long as Odhranos restricted his information to just the rune in question and its effects, it couldn't do much harm to show him the crystal. "Would you like to tell Khitti? She can join us, but judging from the expression on her face a minute ago, she may not have any interest." The mage smiled ruefully, he hadn't meant to exclude the woman from their discussion, but he did tend to ramble on a bit when it came to all forms of magic, they simply fascinated him. "At the very least, we can tell her we are going for a moment, so she doesn't turn around and find her man has scarpered off.." The mage chuckled.

Khitti's ears perked up a bit at the sound of her name. You know, vampiric hearing and all. A brief glance is cast over her shoulder, looking perhaps to see if one or both of them were on their way to find her. When she's satisfied for the moment that they aren't or so she thinks at least, she plucks a book off the shelf, and pries it open. Ever the bookworm, she flips through the pages, losing herself in the text as she so often did, a finger tracing along beneath the words. Dare she try to raise the dead again? She knew what happened last time and it hadn't gone well. While she had promised Larewen that she wouldn't try it in Frostmaw, Larewen no longer held sway over her doings or her future, especially after banning Khitti from her house. A faint 'hmm' passes Khitti's lips, dark eyes roaming across the text. It really shouldn't be that hard. Well, maybe not for most people that actually had proper control over their magic.

Dominic pivoted head over shoulder only to discover Khitti was not where she’d been but a moment ago. ...Oh. Whoops. “Khitti?” And then, to Odhranos, politely: “Yeah, if you’ll wait just a moment… It -is- something I’ve been looking for more information on for a while, but…” but he had to find Khitti. He was, well, maybe a -bit- paranoid of the idea of losing her. The almost unhealthy attachment of a new love, and all. “...Excuse me for one second.” He wheeled off, feeling for the magnetic pull of Khitti’s energy through their link, calling her name through it. He’d be upon her (and perhaps her restricted book) in only another minute or so at most, though with absolutely no subtlety whatsoever. It’s not like he -knew- she was trying to be sneaky, after all.

Odhranos made no comment as Dominic headed off to find Khitti. Seating himself on the counter, he gently tickled his sleeping hatchling under the chin, eliciting a contended purr as she slept. <"What do you think of them, Kess?"> the mage inquired silently. A small cyan eye opened, the drake was only half asleep, instinctually remaining aware even when resting. <"They're both hiding things, that much is obvious. Maybe even from each other".> the saurian replied, snuggling against the mage's neck. <"You picked up on that too, huh?> he repiled as he flipped idly through the book. Perhaps he was making a misjudgement in revealing secrets of the Guild to people he didn't trust intrinsically, but then again, the Mage's Guild only knew about the crystals on account of Odhranos' searching before he joined the Guild, so it was more his concern than any of theirs, if he found it worthwhile to get an outside opinion, there wasn't much reason for him not to.

Khitti subconsciously felt him get closer, but for whatever reason paid no mind to it. At least not until she smelled him and by then, it was much too late. As Dominic rounded the corner she had taken to get to the restricted area, she lets out a yelp and jumped, the book flying into the air like some sort of weird bird. It's juggled a bit once it falls back down into Khitti's space, the clumsy vampire unable to get a good grip on it. And then, when she finally does...she shoves it down her shirt. Yes. She did that. The vampiress coughs awkwardly, eyes wide as if she were hopped up on way too much caffeine as she turns to face Dominic, her arms crossed over her chest to hide the book as best as she can. "Hm? Oh. Yes. Uh. Right. You." Smooth Khitti. Reeaaal smooth.

Dominic entirely just… froze and blinked at Khitti’s freakout a bit. “Uhhhh.” His eyes dropped to her chest. Oh, he’d definitely noticed the book she’d hidden. But whatever she’d been up to, he didn’t have much of a reason to think anything of it. It could have been her looking for some cake recipe or something. In fact… yeah. That was probably why she’d freaked out. “Odhranos and I were going to … step outside, for a moment, I think…?” His line of sight kept jumping from her face to her chest and back and forth again, as he debated whether or not he should ask what she’d been up to. “...Just wanted to make sure you knew I hadn’t run off on you or anything.” Like she had, kind of. Not that he’d actually been thinking of it like that. He stepped forward closer and pulled her in for a quick kiss before a hand darted up her shirt and drew the book out from under it. He glanced briefly at the cover -- not quite understanding enough of the letters from that look to be aware of what it was she was reading -- and then pressed the thing into her hands with one more kiss to her cheek. “You’re lucky I can’t read the title yet. Trying to cook up some kind of surprise? Something new?” Little did he know how true that statement was, as he obliviously winked and turned back for Odhranos. “All right, let’s do this,” he’d say to the mage, when he arrived by his side again.

Odhranos stroked Kess' gently rising and falling flank, soothing the little hatchling back to sleep, before glancing across as Khitti's yelp echoed throughout the library, drawing concerned and some knowing glances from the other mages and patrons of the library. When Dominic returned, the mage smiled, raising one eyebrow curiously before turning and getting up from the table. "Right, this way." the mage stated, leading the man through the maze of shelves and tables to a small door near the back of the library. Where a doorknob and lock would normally be, was a simple flat piece of metal plating, no sign of any locking mechanism at all. The mage grinned, the door was a design of his own. If Dominic tried it, he would find the door firmly shut, not a millimeter of budge nor give. "A design of my own, terramantic lock." the mage set his palm flat against the metal plate and concentrated. Within the door, lay the locking mechanism, inaccessible by a key, but the tumblers could be manipulated with terramancy, effectively rendering the door impossible to pick open, it would take brute force to get in. With a silvery click, the three thick pins retracted from the door frame and the door now swung easily inwards to a darkened room, inside which lay a large table, with a velvet draped shape upon it, shadowed in the gloom and obscured by the velvet covering. The mage stood back and offered for the man to step inside first.

Khitti just kinda froze as Dominic pulled the book out from within her shirt, a wary glance taken to make sure no one else saw what was going on. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded as he made guesses to what she was reading. Oh right. He wouldn't be able to read the cover anyway. "Y-yes. It's...um...a surprise!" She watched him head off to rejoin Odhranos, that frown of hers back again. "Ugh...now vhat zhe hell am I gonna do?" With a sigh, she puts the book back on the shelf, her attention lingering on it a bit longer before she finally goes off to trail after Dominic. He'd disappeared it seemed, and she'd be left to wait outside for now. A seat is taken nearby where the scent of the two had left off, her arms crossed over her chest again. "You haven't seen Dierdre have you?" Khitti blinks, looking towards a trio of mages that had just wandered in her range of hearing, the first of the three speaking in hushed tones. "No. I haven't seen her in almost a week. It's so strange. She never misses her cryomancy lessons." the second replies. The third just shakes her head, "She's...what...the fifth person now to go missing? It doesn't make any sense..."

Dominic politely nodded at Odhranos’ explanations of his locking mechanisms. Was that something Brand would be able to crack, then? Hmm, maybe, with some practice. If he even had any desire to. It was a little bit more… precise control of the elements than Brand’s big and bombastic style usually required. Once the door was opened, Dominic scouted out the inside of the room, peering just enough around the edge of the doorframe. He wasn’t unnecessarily paranoid of walking into rooms alone with people he barely knew, nah. Not at -all-. But at length he was apparently satisfied, and he did indeed step into the room, a hand gingerly touching the velvet upon the table before green eyes lifted inquisitively to Odhranos.

Odhranos stepped in after Dominic, consciously leaving the door open. Normally he would have kept it closed, so as not to tempt curious novices into peeping inside, but given the wariness with which Dominic examined the room, it would probably settle his nerves. Odhranos understood the man's nervousness, the mage himself was a particularly wary individual, always scouting a place out before being at ease there. When he reached the table, he glanced across at Dom, a serious expression on his face. "I hope you understand that what you see in this room is property of the Mage's Guild and you won’t discuss it forthright outside of this room?" It was prudent to ensure that he knew, Odhranos would be hamstrung by his superiors if he was traced back to as a leak; he'd be out on his grey-garbed tushy before he knew what was happening. After a moment for the man to reply, the mage whisked the violet velvet off the object. Sitting in the centre of the table lay a large, perfectly clear crystal, about the size of a football, every one of its faces intricately carved with runes of boggling complexity. "This crystal was retrieved in Rynvale, in the Fog Forest. It is the second of its kind to have been unearthed recently, the first being in Larket's Enchanted Forest. As you can see, there was significant put into the runic inscriptions on this crystal, for a purpose that you might find very interesting." The mage grinned in the dim light. Crossing over to the far side of the room, he bent down to unlock the latch of a large wooden trunk, about large enough to store two regularly sized humans. From within the trunk, he drew out a number of wooden pieces, roughly log shaped, but some ending in crude three fingered hands, and two larger ones making up a barrel-chest and a stubby head, with two small depressions for eyes. "Now, watch the magic happen." the mage giggled at his own joke, before settling his hands on the crystal. If observed closely, a silvery shining light would appear to seep from the contact between the mage's hands and into the heart of the crystal, where it pooled and swirled, causing each of the runes on the outside to flare one by one. Finally, only one rune remained unlit. Gesturing towards it with a nod, the mage brought Dominic's attention to the rune in particular. "Does that look like the rune on your stone?" he asked, his voice slightly strained from the energy he was pouring into the crystal. Upon the man's reply, the mage would smile and simply allow another pulse of power into the crystal. The final rune blazed into incandescent life and from the heart of the crystal, a beam of silver light flashed into existence, linking it to the barrel-chest of the wooden golem lying in pieces on the floor. The pieces of the construct rolled and crawled along the floor before assembling themselves into a humanoid form, standing almost a foot taller than both men. "Now, how does that seem for a "protector"? Do you understand the rune's purpose more now?" The mage inquired, eyes shut, while the golem stood upright and its eyes glimmered and blazed into two small orbs of glowing silver light, turning rather creepily to look at the man.

"Wasn't she from Frostmaw too?" "Yeah. Someone should let Hildegarde know." Khitti's crimson brows knit together as she listens intently, the words 'Frostmaw' and 'Hildegarde' turning that usual frown of hers into a concerned one. There'd been kidnappings? Of course. It'd be the perfect time to do so, during a war as big as it had been. The vampiress eyes the trio carefully, then rises from her seat, moving carefully through the maze of bookcases that led to the strange room Odhranos had taken Dominic to. About halfway there, she feels the surge of magic come from the room and immediately assumes the worst. Quickly, she darts between the shelves until she reaches the open door, peering into it carefully from one side of the doorway. The golem is spied, as well as Dominic and the mage, her attention falling to the crystal. There's a strange glimmer in Khitti's eyes, much like there had been when she had happened upon Pilar when the illusionist had the tome from the mage's guild for her test or when she'd met Linn with his own crystals. The need for some sort of help for her own magic teemed in her brain, eyes narrowing as she studied the crystal carefully.

Dominic nodded where appropriate, and watched in awe (and not without a hint of wariness) as the runes lit up and the golem came to life. He was doing his best to swallow back much of his interest and feign a cool, more academic fascination, but… he probably wasn’t doing a very good job of it, the way he stared. The man hit Odhranos with an absolute barrage of questions, each one practically tumbling over the last as if he couldn’t move his mouth nearly as fast as he was thinking, giving further lie to the poorly crafted facade of dispassion. “How does it work? Is it something you have to actively control, or does it move on command, or on its own will? Can it -have- a will, and if so, what happens to it when it’s not in this creature? Does it continue to drain your magic while it’s active, or is the creation of it the draining part? Could you teach it new things, things it wouldn’t already know, and have it remember next time?” He had to pause for breath, and only then seemed to realize he was being entirely too intrigued, and probably giving away more hints of his own abilities than he wanted in the process. He cleared his throat and pulled the shoddy mask on more thoroughly, hands clasping now behind his back as he eyed his mage acquaintance. Whatever other questions he surely had… they’d have to wait. He’d asked enough already. “Ahem. I’ve just not seen anything else quite like it before.”

Odhranos smiled and lifted his hands from the crystal. The silvery glow within the crystal remained, ebbing and pulsing slightly, like a heartbeat. Turning to face Dominic, he couldn't help the smile appearing on his face. "Its perfectly all right, I had many questions myself upon discovering it. I'll do my best to work through them one by one." He leaned himself against the table critically examining the golem. "It works via a runic net of energy carved into a crystal of which's origin I am still trying to locate. The crystal and it's sister we found in Larket, both share the unique molecular structure that allows them to absorb magic and contain it. The carvings in the crystal act like cracks in a vessel of water, allowing a small controlled amount of stored magic to flow through the runes, empowering the enchantment they depict." The mage stroked his chin, trying to remember the next in the barrage of inquiry. "It requires active control, it is simply an automaton, but the questions you ask seem to wonder if it is possible for it to obtain a will of its own." The mage frowned."To that, I'm not exactly sure, the rune I pointed out simply transfers the control of a consciousness onto the artificial host, I suppose if one were to transfer their consciousness completely, you could sort of consider that "it" now has a will, but it is simply being directly controlled by bodyless "soul" if you will. That would explain your futher questions, if it could be taught and remember, it would do so to the same capacity of the mind controlling it. As to draining, that’s an interesting point." Turning back to the crystal, the mage crouched and peered deep into the depths of the crystal. "It only requires enough energy to kick-start the runes, beyond that magic energy is simply used to keep the enchantment running. When we first located the crystal, it was controlling over a hundred of these golems, but the crystal was saturated in magic, almost like a jar full of water, I didn’t have to add to it, but due to the amount of automatons it was powering, the reserves dried up within two hours. So we brought one golem along for testing purposes, the rest are currently in the hands of the Rynvalian Guard." He reached out a hand to the man, keeping his eyes fixed on the crystal. "if you will allow me, I can show you what controlling the golem feels like, I can transfer sight and feeling through a brief mental link, it will not be permanent and only one-sided, so your secrets will be safe." The mage turned his head and grinned, unawares of the sheer amount of "secrets" that Dominic hid, no doubt making him wary to join in such an act.

Khitti watched the exchange between the two humans, dark verdant eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them before finally settling on the crystal again. Lithe fingers twitched at her sides eagerly, wanting so very much to take the crystal and run. But...then she looked towards Dominic again. He looked so excited to see something like that and the golem, despite how much he tried to hide it. Those dark tendencies that rattled around in her brain, whether it be from Amarrah or her own somewhat tainted mind, would have to wait for another day. Or likely would just never occur. What if this mage could help him? Dominic would finally be able to figure out his magic and get better with it. She'd never get that luxury. Ever. There was no helping her, not even if she took that crystal, regardless of what it actually did. The vampiress stands upright, composes herself, and moves into the doorway, choosing to lean against the side of it lazily. She'd ask no questions or announce her presence, but merely watched for the time being.

Dominic blinked innocently at the mage. -Too- innocently. “Secrets? Uhh…” Rather than opting for a lie -- he didn’t have any secrets! Of course he didn’t have any secrets! Why would anyone think he had secrets? How ridiculous, et cetera! -- he merely shrugged and nodded, his focus darting awkwardly off to the side. Khitti was spied in that moment, and a brief, inquisitive cant of the head given her way -- how long had she been watching? -- but it wasn’t long before he turned his attention back to Odhranos. “Alright. It couldn’t hurt, I suppose.”

Odhranos followed Dominic's line of sight and spied Khitti. A momentary flash of worry crossed his face; another person to whom a tightly held guild secret was being revealed to, but he couldn't help it now. Gesturing with his free hand for her to come in, he then extended the same hand out to Dom. "This may be a little disorientating at first, but it settles after a moment.." The mage explained, his open palm held upwards for the man. If Dominic touched the hand, he would instantly feel a small tingle of magic energy seeping into his fingers, pooling in his palm then tickling up his forearm and up to his shoulder. Upon reaching his collar, he would begin to see flickers of a new vision over his own, two in fact. One of himself from a side-on angle, bordered by a strange mist of silver; this was the vision of the golem, standing silently beside both men, while the other was quite different indeed. The whole world from this point of view, was dim, shadowy even, yet highlighted by twisting and curling skeins of light and colour. This was how Odhranos could see the world, he could see the raw energy that made up magic as light. From this point of view, Dominic would see himself, his dim outline suffused with swirling aquamarine light, curling benevolently and placidly in every part of his body. Most curiously, although the mage made no comment on this, near the man's heart and mind, another more golden colour curled, although it seemed dormant at that time. Odh puzzled over this, but eventually left its mystery to the man; he would explain if he felt it necessary. Turning to look to the doorway, the two men would see Khitti's form, incandescent in vivid violet, yet tinged with shadows. At that point, Odh decided to close his eyes, he had intended to demonstrate the golem's power, not his own. Dominic would find the more vivid of the two overlaid sights to disappear, leaving the more benign of the two. "This is how it works, it is like a proxy of one's form. Every movement I make, rather than being acted out via my body, is instead carried out by the golem. To demonstrate, the golem raised both hands and placed them palm-to-palm and bowed, like a monk would.

An eyebrow is raised towards Odhranos as Khitti notices that bit of worry, to which she gives no indication of whether or not she'd spill his secrets. He'd just have to trust her, for now. Regardless, she moved into the room as beckoned, but stayed near to the door. The interaction between the two is watched, and when Odhranos turns towards her again, her own worry and unease was triggered. Crimson brows furrow, the vampiress suddenly feeling a bit like an animal in a zoo, the bright purple light around her flaring slightly, almost threateningly. She'd avert her gaze from the two, attempting to find something else to entertain her mind with, the crystal soon making that its purpose as she stared at it in silence.

Dominic stood in place as the demonstration began, though he initially teetered a bit while he adjusted to the new vision. Khitti’s burst of violet earned her a concerned quirk of a brow, but it wasn’t long before his attention was elsewhere again, drawn away by the movement of the golem. “So… you can’t move as long as you’re controlling it? Doesn’t that make you vulnerable?” There -- he’d asked the obvious question, but the other had to be contemplated a moment further. Biting at his lip slightly, Dominic’s gaze went from the golem to the mage to Khitti, and then back to Odhranos once more. “And what was the meaning of those lights? Why are they different between Khitti and I? Do you see everyone like that?” Sure, he had a theory or two, but best to hear the answers straight from the source, of course.

Odhranos slowly shook his head. "It's not impossible to move, it just slows you down a little. Imagine it's like you are one mind controlling two bodies, unless you focus hard, you're just going to control one at a time, because it's easier for you. Also, at the moment, I am only controlling one golem; when we first found this crystal, it was linked to a few hundred of those things, so when the crystal linked to me, it almost knocked me unconscious with the sheer amount of information my mind had to handle at once. In that instance, yes, I was vulnerable, but with practice, who's to say it wouldn't have become easier?" The mage shrugged, then smiled broadly at the man's further question. "Not always, it is something I can shut off, as it replaces my normal vision, but yes, I can see everyone and everything like that. It is magic, the raw form of magic, as energy that permeates every living thing. The colours you saw are the unique colouration of each individual; think of it like a fingerprint. The colours can vary depending on one's mood, but mood tends to effect the manner in which the energy... sits? I suppose? For example, in a sick or angry person, the magic tends to curl up tight, flaring and angry as it retracts from the outside stimuli. An extremely happy person will radiate light as their inner energy wishes to spread into the world. Then again... most of this is guesswork. I learned the skill from an Oileánian shaman, as far as I know, it is a unique skill; no records to assist my usage of it. But it comes in handy; I can see through most illusions, it assists in situations where sight would fail me." The mage tilted his head, retracting his hand from the man's grip, returning it to the crystal.

Khitti didn't find much at all to keep her attention and so with a sigh, she leans herself against the wall, crosses her arms, and fixates on both mages, especially when she's mentioned. Amarrah didn't seem very pleased from her spot in the back of the vampiress' mind, and that made Khitti even more uncomfortable. So finally, she managed to speak up, her voice oddly timid despite the flare of irritation she had just shown moments ago, "V-vhat did you see? Vhen you looked at me...zhat is."

Dominic had begun to pace a bit without realizing it, his countenance tense with concentration. “I suppose there are some commonalities. That’s… illuminating.” He wouldn’t say how umprompted, though -- whatever thoughts he had about his own magic, he was still being fairly closed off about them. This was rather one-sided, the way he was receiving so much information and giving very little in return. And... oh, Khitti. Dominic bridged the gap back to Khitti’s side, pulling her in at the waist. “I saw that your magic is as beautiful as you are,” he said to her with a smile and a small nuzzle into her neck. Cheesy? Definitely. He followed it up with a mental image of her magic sent along their link, though, just in case his sappy reassurance didn’t satisfy her curiosity enough. To Odhranos, yet another question: “What was that golden light when you looked at me?” Not that he didn’t have a theory -- he just wondered if Odhranos did, too.

Odhranos' face twisted into a frown. He was unsure whether or not to tell the man, for if he did, there would be no hope of retaining the man's secrets. Nonetheless, having been addressed with a question, the mage was obliged to reply. He removed his hands from the crystal and faced Dominic, his slate-grey eyes studying him curiously. "The different colours, as I said, act like the magical fingerprint of an individual. I can tell a person apart from 20 metres through two tents, it is that accurate. So in answer to your question... that golden light is someone else's magical signature. Living within your body." He stroked his chin with one hand, while the other remained folded behind his back. "Magic tends to rub off on objects, for example, your magic stone is swimming in the same colour aura as you are, but it is a weaker glow, as it is simply a ghost of a signature. I would have thought as much about this golden light within you, except for the fact that it is alive, it is not some ghost of another's magic; it is it's own signature, of a being, or a separate consciousness alive within your mind. Secondly, judging from your earlier questions, you seem to know a bit about the theory of transferring consciousness, a subject many are sceptical to accept. Makes one think you have some experience with the practice already. And finally, that rune on your stone, the rune of mental control." He met Dominic's eyes, smiling sadly. "I have a good idea what your secret is, Mr Dominic, but I have no wish to reveal it, so I leave the choice to you." With that, Odhranos bowed deeply to Dominic, then to Khitti, before standing in silence.

Khitti raises a brow at Dominic's odd behavior as he was just so inclined outside of this particularly weird room to not really acknowledge any sort of romantic or cheesy thing that she had said before now. Dark eyes shift from the illusionist to the mage, a wry frown adorning her lips, her slender form moving out of Dominic's grasp. It didn't take a rocket scientist, or rather the Hollow equivalent of one, to figure out what they were referring to: Brand. The frown shifts into a smirk, but she merely shakes her head. The two were more or less speaking in riddles with their half truths and almost facts as neither of them wanted to say much more than the other on the matter and it was starting to grate on Khitti's nerves, "It's quite clear zhat zhe two of you know exactly vhat it is and don't vish to say it." A side glance towards Dominic. "You are literally in probably zhe only place zhat could possibly help you. Zhat likely isn't going to judge any sort of magic but my own. Get on vith it, vould you? He brought you in here to help, zhough he likely shouldn't have, so quit acting like secretive children and just tell him what you -do- know." A nudge is given to his ribs and a shake of her head follows.

Well… that changed things. Khitti earned a begrudging nod and a sigh. Dominic pivoted to the door and shut out any prying eyes; by the time he’d turned back to Odhranos there was laughter on his lips. The man was shaking his head again, incredulously, and chuckling to himself. “So you knew the whole time, and I was worried for nothing.” From the first time they’d met, even? Oh, he hoped he hadn’t said anything foolish. The man paced back to the golem now, pulling his runestone back out of his pocket, twisting it in one palm and then the other before peering back at Khitti. Dammit, she was right, but explaining all this made him nervous even if Odhranos basically already knew what he was going to say. He chose to look at her, or at the golem, or at the floor as he spoke rather than meeting the mage’s gaze. “So… yes, it’s likely as you think it is. Though it’s interesting you see him as a different aura entirely. I’ve wondered again and again how much of Brand is truly me or not.” Not that this confirmed anything, truly... but he’d take what reassurances he could find. “We share this body, or…” he demonstrated rather than explaining, creating that typical illusion of Brand to stand in the space between mages, in all of his surly glory. Shadow-Brand scrutinized the golem with arms folded across his chest and a positively unimpressed expression. He appeared to be quite bored, really. Odhranos would be able to see that golden aura spread through Dominic’s body somewhat, entwining with but never overtaking the aquamarine hues. And his mind grew bright and hot and pulsing, though Dominic didn’t give any outward indication of fatigue or strain. And the stone itself flared as it was used, an equal mix of both colors. “...or, more recently, -this- is an option. He can fight like this, at least with fists or illusion-weapons, but … I feel like he should be able to do more. Or I should. Or however it is this works. I don’t even know, I just know that it does. As far as I’m aware, he can’t talk or use his own magic in this form. But if he takes over mine,” the illusion dissipated now, “...well, that’s another story.”

Odhranos turned his head curiously at Khitti for a moment. -" Zhat likely isn't going to judge any sort of magic but my own."- got his attention, both regarding Dominic's and, perhaps unintentionally Khitti's powers. When Shadow Brand winked into existence, the mage couldn't help but phase his eyes to get a better look. "Intriguing, the illusion has it's own independent magic signature. That's an issue I've been finding with illusion magic for months, other than Pilar, no one has managed to rectify it." he murmured to himself, then his eyes returned to normal as they gazed at Dominic. "A major source of what differentiates aurae is a sense of individuality, magic responds to our emotions and impulses, so naturally it will respond differently to a different mind, taking on a different.."form" as it will. If Brand is a different consciousness, separate from your own even slightly, he will have his own aura." the mage explained. He returned his attention to where Brand stood and bowed respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you Brand. I would make attempts to assure you that I shall keep my arcane nonsense to a minimum, but judging from such an expression, I would assume you have little care for the subject. Perhaps myself included." He straightened again, a slight smile on his face, he knew the expression well amongst the unfortunate few who managed to get caught in one of the mage's arcane rants. Turning to Dominic, he raised an eyebrow. "You say he should be able to do more, do you mean he should have a more corporeal form or that he should have more power given the form he has access to already?" Suddenly a thought occurred to the mage. "Dominic... perhaps... Brand might be able to utilise the crystal... to control the golem? If it uses the same runic power as yours, there are bound to be similarities... with some more study and perfecting... we could potentially... make a permanent host.." the mage trailed off, his eyes shining with curiosity and potential as he turned to the crystal. "Perhaps..."

Khitti lit up a bit as Dominic did as she bade, a grin appearing as Brand made his presence known. "Don't let his grumpy exterior fool you. Brand is a big teddy bear. He's got layers. You know, like an onion. A big, surly onion zhat likes to punch zhings and set zhem on fire." is said to Odhranos, while "Isn't zhat right, -peach-?" is added soon after to Brand. She makes a face at the shadowy male, her hand moving up to her right eye to pull down her bottom eyelid while her tongue pokes out at him in quite the animated fashion. Hopefully he knew she was only teasing him, though of course, if they had to duke it out later to appease him, she'd probably acquiesce. Letting the brief act of comedic relief wane, she tilts her head, giving the mage a side glance, "So, vhat you're saying is...is zhat zhey'd be completely separate? Forever?" The vampiress lets this sink in, a faint frown forming where that mischievous grin had once sat. What would happen if they -did- separate? Was it safe? Would Brand leave once he had his freedom? Not that she'd ever admit it aloud, but she might've maybe possibly kinda considered him a friend.

The illusion of Brand looked … taken aback? … by Odhranos’ politeness, though the expression didn’t last long before he’d fix his scowl on the vampiress and vanish. Dominic, for his part, scowled at spot left vacant by his shadowy companion before turning to Khitti. “I’m not even going to repeat what he just said. I’m sure you can hazard a guess, anyway.” To Odhranos, the man canted his head, regarding his illusion and the golem sidelong before that gaze flitted back to the mage. “This… takes some explaining, but I’ll try to be brief. If he wanted to, he could sort of… take charge of my body, and my mind -- or my section of it? I don’t know -- would fade into the background where his usually is. Now, when it’s me, pretty much all I can do magically is what you’ve just seen.” Well, not -just- that, but no need to complicate things further... “But when it’s him, he can fight in close quarters or wield elemental spells. Uh, fire mostly, like Khitti said.” A sigh. “What I don’t understand is… why can’t he also seem to do those things in illusion form? Or speak, for that matter. I’ve seen him be more corporeal-looking than he was just now so that’s not the main issue. But it’s like… I don’t know. I think I’m doing something wrong. I probably am. Because I don’t even know what I’m doing to make it happen, really. It was accidental, like a reflex, the first several times. I’m still working on it.” Now Khitti was regarded with a side-eye; she’d witnessed one of those times firsthand. “I’ve never had formal magical training as far as I’m aware, so I just… think I’m probably missing something.” A shrug. “As for giving him his own body -- I’ve never even begun to think about it before. That’s something he and I would have to discuss, I suppose…”

Odhranos smiled as Khitti stepped up to the shadow and teased it, clearly the two of them had an.. interesting relationship, given Brand was a part of Dominic and Khitti being Dominic's significant other... Odh didn't even want to ask how that panned out. Odhranos turned to Dominic and pursed his lips. "Well, I can answer one of your questions, I believe. As to why Brand can't use his elemental magic in shadow-form, most forms of magic require a "conduit", something through which the magic is focused. For example.." The mage turned and crossed the room. Resting in the corner between the two walls, stood a large crystalline staff, carved from flourite, giving it a turquoise and lilac hue, interspersed with white crystal veins, the surface of the staff etched with countless runes, from the pointed base, to the large hook the curved from the top. "When I have this staff, I am able to use my basic pyromancy." the mage demonstrated, igniting a simple ball of coruscating grey flame. "However, watch when I let go of the staff." The ball of flame hovered before the mage, but once his fingertips lost connection with the smooth planed surface of the staff, the fireball winked out of existence. "The magic requires the staff as a focusing conduit. For my terramancy, I have learned to use my body as the focusing conduit, as I imagine Brand has done the same. However, in shadow form, he has no physical body so to speak, and such cannot use his magic. He requires your shared body to do so." The mage set the staff back in its place, shrugging as he returned to his previous spot.

Khitti grinned at Dominic in regards to her antics with Brand, making a mental note to butter up the surly, slightly older male later. Her attention soon shifts to Odhranos and the staff, a head tilt given as the flame ignites itself in front of the mage. For as much as she hated cats, her actions as he put the staff back were something akin to a feline once it caught a shiny in its sights. Even Amarrah seemed to perk up in the back of Khitti's mind. There was a brief moment of consideration, just as there had been for the crystal not long before, on whether she should at some point acquire it. But, yet again, Khitti couldn't do it. With a curl of her upper lip and a faint growl, the vampiress seems to scowl at something not at all there, as it wasn't directed at either Dominic or Odhranos. Such a weird girl. Regardless of this, she moves to inspect the staff carefully, the index finger of her right hand tapping her chin, though her ears remained opened to the current conversation. "Vhat about instead of making Brand his own being, you focus on vhat you have for zhe time being and try to expand on zhat? Pilar is able to summon up likenesses of vhat I zhink are her family, purely by memory, and zhey are able to make music and such. Vhat if Shadow Brand could triple or double himself? I'm assuming it vould require more concentration on your part, Dominic, but maybe vith zhe runestone and one of zhese...'implements' as Odhranos calls it. But...zhen again...I know so little of magic, it probably vouldn't vork." The typical self-deprecation that Khitti and Dominic were so accustomed to with themselves spews out again, though for once it's not excessive.

Dominic’s response to Khitti was a simple, “I -- I don’ t know. Maybe.” It clearly wasn’t something he was ready to consider yet. To Odhranos, he bowed, stiffly but with an expression of genuine gratitude. “I don’t quite know where knowing all this will lead me, but… thank you for sharing. ‘Tis appreciated. If there’s anything more I can do… please, don’t hesitate to let me know. Or if you think of anything later, I’m sure you could leave word for me at the inn in Frostmaw and it would reach me...”

Odhranos returned Dominic's bow. "Not a bother at all, it is a pleasure to have insight on any magic related topic, I'm just glad I could help at all." He smiled as he straightened. "As to anything you can do, I'm sure something will arise to cause me to find and annoy you with random arcane facts again." He teased, turning and bowing to Khitti in turn. "If either of you ever need questions answered regarding magic of -any- kind (a pointed concerned glance sent Khitti's way), don't hesitate to drop by. Maybe bring some food, I tend to forget." He laughed as he opened the door with his powers from across the room. "It was a pleasure having you both."

As Dominic made it clear with his words and that bow that he intends to leave, Khitti starts to take the necessary steps towards the door. She stops though, just a foot or so away, as Odhranos makes it a point to direct his words towards her, a wary sideglance sent in his direction. There's a pause as she gathers her thoughts and her courage, the vampiress still side-eyeing the mage, "I've been studying here and various other libraries throughout Lithrydel save for one since before I met Dominic and I've found nothing about my particular type of magic, I suppose ve'll call it, for now. Zhis last library is my only hope. So, forgive me for being blunt, but I don't zhink zhere is anything you can help me vith, Odhranos." The faintest of smiles graces her lips for a moment. "But, zhank you for helping Dominic. For all of our similarities, magic or otherwise, zhis is not one of zhem. He can, in fact, be aided vhether he vants to admit it and take zhe help or not." Another pause. She really wasn't sure if he could help her or not, but even if the mage could, she was just as stubborn as Dominic and it would take some time to chisel down those walls she'd put up. "Goodbye, Odhranos. I'm sure ve'll meet again." The vampiress gives a dip of her head in farewell, then heads off out the now opened door, moving a short distance into the maze of bookcases to wait for Dominic and idly peruse the tomes on a shelf next to her.