RP:Keep your Traitorous Ex-Friend/Colleague Closer

From HollowWiki

Part of the Lies Within Us Arc


Part of the A Few Fox Tales Arc


This is a Mage's Guild RP.



Summary: Lanlan, rather unsurprisingly, decided that the Guild's callous dismissal of his boundless talent was in fact, simply too stupid an action to be left continue. So he does what only the second-most conniving drow to have waltzed out of Trist'oth (After Gevurah, don't you know) does best. He walks brazenly back into that dusty Tower once again, because who in their right mind can deny that the Guild is far worse off without Lanlan? New name, new face, same old drow.


Prepare for trouble.


Mage Tower

Lanlan had created a new disguise from the ground up. It wasn't easy! To sell it, he had to think of who he was becoming. Not only what they look like, but where he comes from, what was he doing before, why is he here now? That also helped with the appearance. Introducing Doziros the wood elf. He was a young man who led a simple life, free from most material possessions. His clothes weren't manufactured, they were harvested from animals, treated, cured, and sewn together. Lanlan even asked for directions to the Mage's Guild while in Xalious. Of course the tower was impossible to spot, but he wanted witnesses to confirm he was new here. So he stopped at the tavern first..where Arlyeon happened to be! What a ya know! Such a happy coincidence. "Hello miss," Lanlan says loudly to her "I'm looking for the Mage's guild. Would you mind taking me?" Lanlan winked at her. Arlyeon didn't always seem so very smart, but they'd planned this ahead of time. Hopefully she'd realize.


Arlyeon 's penchant for being tavern bound in this case fell in line with her prior habits- given that she was currently in the process of fleecing some of the residents for their hard earned gold, in a game of cards that was decidely slanted in the foxkins favor. Not that she was -explicitly- cheating, or the luck- but things were simply coming up in her favor. Which might be why she's so grumpy when some hobo looking elf rolled up on her, and started asking for directions. "Wouldja mind? Doin' somethin'. . ." Wait, he winked at her. Was he getting fresh with her? "Y'know, actually. Sure, I got time fer ya. Just, uh, gimme a sec fella's." With a general lack of flourish she simply slams her hand down onto the table, and begins to scoop the money from the center off- to a mixed audience of protests and despairing sighs. That said, whilst it was likely prudent to settle up with the tavern owner, she was already in the process of scooping an arm around the newcomers shoulder, so she can play guide. Unfortunately, that also means she's close enough that she can pick up on Lanlan's scent- and the fact that he's apparently let himself go. He's positively rank. She briefly wrestles with the idea of whether or not a bit of misfortune might be due for him, before she finally shakes her head and begins directing him in the towers direction, "Sure, sure- I suppose we oughta have introductions then, huh?" Her free hand is used to gesture at herself, "I'm Trish, fer instance. And you?" At face value, she's cheerful, but ever so quietely, she feels the need to add, "May as well get our stories straight, Ja runt. Had somethin' good goin' there."


Lanlan remained committed to his character. This was the first time he'd smelled his own body odor in years. It was like sour fruit or something. But also, he thought happily, not so bad! He also quickly suppressed any urge to be impatient with Arlyeon. "Sure," he said demurely. "I can wait. Oh, no rush! No rush at all!" Everyone would see this stranger acting like someone who was definitely not Lanlan. Then she puts her arm around his shoulder and he freezes. "Uh..." He takes several deep breathes waiting for it to end, trying not to do anything he wants to do. "Trish? I'm...I'm going to get a drink first!" The perfect excuse to slither out from Ina's grasp while remaining in character. A glass of wine would help right now. "Beer? Do you have beer? I'd -love- a beer." He sips it and makes a sour face. But he has no choice. 'Doziros' likes beer. He guzzles it and returns to 'Trish'. "Nice. Trish you said your name was? My name's Doziros," he says loudly, "I'm here to learn how to be a mage. Shall we go?" The Mage's guild doors are always open aren't they? Even to strangers? As they walk in the front door, students and teachers mill past. "Wooow..." he says in apparent wonder. "So this is the mage's guild. So nice to finally see it. It's amazing!"


Arlyeon s' ears crop up when her 'charge' retreats for a drink, if only because some small part of her wonders if he's twigged to some of the particulars of her nature. That said, she's not exactly keen to get anywhere proximal of the bar counter, and so quickly retreats from the bar, to wait alongside the door for when he emerges after her. It also serves as a lovely time to make a few small adjustments to her appearance, like the shift of her pallour to one that would be more at home with a wood walking weeni- ..elf. What's likely going to be a bit more noticeable then the tan, is the way that her red hair slowly shifts to a more natural auburn color, with her eyes taking on a bland brown hue. "Arright. So, Dozy it is, then. N' yes, let's go. We got a whole school worth of folks ta' introduce ya to, who must be absolutely thrilled to be makin' ja acquaintance." Ina, for her part, is less than thrilled- which is why those trademark twin tails are nowhere to be seen when she peels away from the wall. Even as they begin the trek towards the tower, she's still fine tuning the adjustments- a few precious inches lost from her height so that she might appear more waifish, the clothes looking more like hand-me-downs in the way they sit on her. That said, it's only when they hustle and bustle their way into the tower itself that she remembers to run her fingers through her hair- a gesture that also serves to press down those vulpine ears of hers, so she can finish the job of vanishing them and getting some more apropos elfen ones. That said, wrapped up in her aesthetic arts, she now realizes something. "...So, I'm pretty sure I'm already lost? Is there like, a help desk? A tour guide? Maybe a registry? This place is already awf- ...awe inspirin'. Ya. Dat. Mmhmm." She takes that moment to glance at her partner in crime, before gesturing off to both sides, "Dozy, I'm just gonna... uh, snag someone to help us, and see who we ought to talk to." Which is to say, she's going to browbeat the first person she meets to guide them where they need to go. This is the best worst plan.


Lanlan has seen this before, so he isn't all that surprised. Ina can change her shape! Although last time it wasn't as drastic. He wants to scold her. She should've had this disguise prepared! She better not blow it. But Lanlan can't scold her, so he walks casually. Of course Lanlan already knows the mage's guild. "Let's explore! Let's go...this way!" They're coming around Odhranos's office when it hits him. He's already made a mistake. He turns to Trish suddenly, "Wow! You can change form! You didn't look like this before! You looked different! Or is this what you always looked like and the other thing was the disguise!?" While Lanlan gawked, he noticed something strange. Trish was now an elf with brown hair and brown eyes. Lanlan was now an elf with brown hair and brown eyes. "Uh." Lanlan doesn't know what to do. "Let's keep going!" They're right outside Odhranos's office now. "Oh no! We're lost! Hello," he says as he bangs on Odhranos's door, "Hello is anyone in there? I think I'm lost..." He looks at Ina again. They can't both be elves with brown hair and brown eyes. It looks suspicious. Maybe. He shook his head and looked away.


Odhranos, bless his feeble soul, was trying to sleep when his door was knocked upon. Emphasis on "trying". Lifting his head from the leatherbound binding of a book that had stood in for a pillow, Odhranos drags himself out of his chair and meanders over to the door. With a slow withdrawing of the latch, the door creaks open and the haggard visage of the terramancer peeps out from the smallest gap between door and frame. "Hmm? What is it?" A tired gold eye scans the visitor slowly, as Odhranos tries to figure out if he knows who these lost elves might be. When he has determined that this is neither one of his erroneous students, nor a guild councilor, Odhranos relaxes. Marginally. The door is opened further, displaying the terramancer in all his glorious weariness. "You don't look like one of my students, can I help you?" The tone of Odhranos' voice belays a slight reluctance to help, but he asks nonetheless. "Who are you here to see?"


Arlyeon waits for the door to be opened, before she puffs her cheeks out at Doziros and sticks out her tongue. Almost immediately after, she seems to remember herself, arms folding up against her chest primly. Or as prim as one can look when their clothes are several sizes too large. "See, Dozy- I told you if we kept asking people, we'd find someone who knew where to go." It's hard to get the tone right, but she manages to nail down equal parts pestering and affectionate pretty well. And just as quickly, her expression grows tentative as she peers up at Odhranos, "That is- Do you know where to go? To um, apply to be mages." Almost immediately after she gets an embarassed look, glancing first to one side, then the other, "Mage, singular. I'm not the- that's Dozy. ..iros. Oh, andI'm Daesira- or Daisy. But," Ina's commitment to this prank is maybe a bit much, given that she can feel her own throat going dry as she continues, "Um, could you please help my brother? This place is big." It's only after she's gotten this out of her system that she deigns to glance over towards Doziros. Checking in on him, as it were, like a good little sister, of course.


Lanlan instantly perked up. Everything was going according to plan! But of course it was! Long ago Lanlan realized that the only plan that never goes wrong is one where nothing is accounted for. But then 'Daesira' takes over and starts talking. Lanlan's heart sinks. He'd never seen Trish perform when there was actual pressure to succeed before! Scamming the public was one thing. Selling counterfeit witch bombs is basically a victimless crime. If this goes wrong there could be consequences! For Lanlan! But he was in too deep, he had to follow through. "Um. Yeah. Like she said! And you have students? That means you're a teacher! Perfect! Wait." He curbed his excitement cautiously. "Are you a teacher of...magic?" Lanlan noticed Odhranos seemed to be a little less than himself. He expected the provost would happily invite them to be his apprentices. But he seemed...less enthused to meet him. Lanlan maintained a hopeful smile.


Odhranos does his best to compose his expressions into a "gentle attentiveness", but the overpowering tiredness that exudes from the mage's aura is simply too much and he comes across as if he is barely paying attention. "I'm… a researcher of magic. I used to run lectures for apprentices, but as of two weeks ago, I became a full-time researcher. The apprentices still come to me for reference, but I'm not a teacher anymore." Odhranos scrubs his cheek with the palm of his hand, stifling a yawn as he does so. "If you're looking to apply for an apprenticeship, you'll have to have an interview and a practical examination. For that… hold on." Odhranos steps out of the office and closes the door behind him. "Right, follow me." Leading the way along the gently curving corridor, Odhranos stops outside Steward Quintessa's office, a few doors down. After knocking politely and awaiting a response, Odhranos pops his head into Quintessa's office. "I have two elves here, one of them is looking for an application interview. Would you be able to take them through the process?"


Quintessa sits behind her desk, the smoke from her clove cigarettes hanging in the air like a toxic fog as it glows a faint green, absorbing the light from a fluorite crystal the necromancer is experimenting on. When there is a knock on her door the changeling sighs as she brings the cigarette hanging from her mouth down to suffocate in the graveyard of butts that already over-filled her ashtray and her hand waves over the crystal to rob it of its magical glow. "Odhranos?" Quintessa lifts the goggles from her mismatched eyes and peers up at them. "Pre-application?" Quintessa furrows her brow, "Are they applying for the Spellblade Corp? Unless they are looking for an entrance spar I'm afraid I can't really help. After last time the Administrator has been on my ass about 'sticking to the curriculum'." The hex blade mocks Brenwyn with her best imitation of his droning voice. "I'm 'not qualified' and I'd only 'be a bad influence'. Just tell me how you really feel you bloated old..." Quintessa trails off, remembering her present company. "Ahem- As I was saying, I can really only do entrance examines for spellblades at the moment. Is that why they've here?"


Arlyeon sidles up next to Doziros the moment he's finished collaborating her story, if only to give him a gentle elbow in the side, "Would it kill you to say please? Set an example~ " She pauses for a moment, as though to mull over what she just said. Partly, because she really is, "Though I guess I know better." And then she's trying to catch up after the Terramancer, given that he's helping them along, "What kind of lectures didja .. Did you give?" Whatever other questions she held, and there seemed to be so many just waiting at the tip of her tongue, she holds off when the second bout of introductions are being made. It's -really- hard to suppress the giddy grin that creeps up across her features when she spots Quintessa, however. "Oh. My. Gods. " Reaaaally hard. Maybe just...change tact a little bit, "Is that a uniform? I'd love a uniform like that." Perfect. Everythings fine. You're definitely gawking because the uniform, and not because you recognize them. "I wish I could apply now. I, but, um. Dozy. I guess you should introduce yourself." And quietly added. "Remember. Please."


Lanlan :: Doziros' eager and hopeful smile cracks. His large brown eyes sink to the floor and a lock of brown hair falls over his freckles. "Oh...so you're not a teacher anymore." Lanlan smiles politely and follows, his eyes on the floor. Dramatic? Yes. He also needed empty visual space to consider other moves if he was going to get his plan to work. He answers Daisy in the same loud whisper. "Did I forget to say please? No! No wonder he's trying to pass me off he must think I'm an uncivilized hobo!" When Odhranos stops, Lanlan realizes he's at Quintessa's door. Why?! He wasn't ready for this. There she was. Lanlan's other nemesis. "Hi I'm Doziros!" He happily says to his nemesis. There were so many. He watched the back and forth between Quintessa and Odhranos, maintaining a hopeful smile. "It's okay!" Doziros said, trying to sound brave in the face of these two back to back rejections. "If you're busy I'll just...I'll just teach myself! I don't think I want someone who isn't qualified teaching me anyway." Was it wise to shade Quintessa? Maybe not, but it was hard to resist. "So... Mister Odhranos? Maybe since you're so busy I could just learn the old fashioned way. By reading! I can read...in case you were wondering. There's a library isn't there? Me and Daisy haha I mean...Daisy and I. Can stay in the library. Or maybe...I could be your assistant. I'll learn by watching and doing."


Odhranos droops slightly. "Ahh. That's unfortunate. Brenwyn's been in a bit of a funk every since Lanlan… well, since the court case." Though his back is facing towards Dozy and Daisy, anyone even vaguely tuned into body language would sense a regretful tone in the terramancer's voice when he mentions the trial. Turning to face the pair, Odhranos raises an eyebrow quizzically. "Is it the Spellblade Corp you're looking for, or General Magic Education?" When Doziros proposes he self-teach himself magic, Odhranos' weary facade softens a little. After a few moments hesitation, the terramancer pipes up in a worn tone. "I… listen, I can't promise anything at the moment. Everything is up in the air due to recent developments, and I'm not sure I'm in the headspace for teaching at the moment. But… I guess if you're dead set on applying today, I can interview you. At least that way the application will be processed sooner rather than later. Odhranos turns and waves at Quintessa as he closes her door over. "Sorry to bother you, Quin. Give me a shout when you're planning on calling it an evening." With that, Odhranos leads the way back to his own office, opening the door and offering the entrance to his guests. "After you."


Quintessa narrows her blue and hazel eyes at the elf-disguised Ina, and for a moment it looks like she recognizes her but she simply shrugs and looks down at the clothing she's wearing. "Hmm, yes, the standard issue uniforms here are quite stylish..." There is an icy presence to them when they flicker back up, falling upon the now-disguised Lanlan as he petulantly talks about her qualifications. "...Yes, you certainly wouldn't want that." There is a venom in her voice that one would expect coming from a master of poisons. "See, Provost Kerrigan? He seems perfectly capable of teaching himself. He even knows how to read! Why don't you take him on as your assistant? Section B article 16 of the Mage's Guild charter says you are entitled an apprentice. Just take him on and you can skip all the paperwork." Quintessa stifles a yawn as she reaches for her cigarettes. "That's what I'd do." She waves after them lazily as she brings a cigarette to her lips. "Calling it an evening?" she scoffs, finding humor in the concept of rest, "I wouldn't wait up. I'll see you later, Odhranos." With her door closed and her privacy restored, she goes back to her experiments, the pale green light and the faint scent of cloves emanating from the cracks around the threshold.


Arlyeon s reaction to Quintessa narrowing her eyes is simply to beam at her even more intensely. Partly because it also means she can quell the urge to spout off even more rubbish. That said, she can read the room- something that has the grin gradually recede, as she exchanges glances between 'Dozi' and Quin. "...This is what happens when you don't say please. Why are you like this, Dozy?" She sounds so deflated in that moment. As her 'brother' continues to try and ply Odhranos with his eagerness to learn, 'Daisy' takes a moment to offer up a small apologetic bow to the spellblade, "Sorry about that. I think he just really wants to make the family proud. And, uh, thanks. . .?" That's something you said at this kind of moment, right? In any case, it sounds like things have been sorted out behind her, so she makes an about face, and begins to skip after Doziros, a sing-song like, "Cya later~" called out behind herself. Still, she's a bit surprised at -just- how smoothly things are going, given the lovely bit of courtesy offered by Odhranos with the door, "Thank you." And more conspiratorially, "And so sorry for imposing on your hospimitality." Goddamnit, Ina.


Lanlan felt his nostrils flare widely as he tried to restrain himself from retorting at Quintessa. This was serious, if she could make fun of an innocent, naive, kindhearted apprentice (meaning Lanlan of course), she had no conscience. He sighs, his workload was probably even fuller than Odhranos's. Already he had plans to punish Odhranos for his betrayal in the courtroom, but now it seems he'd have to find a way to incorporate Quintessa into this as well. So be it! "Bye Quintessa, nice knowing you," he forced himself to call after her. Saying that was easier than he thought it would be. And of course, Daisy had to chime in again. Lanlan dreaded every moment she spoke. Too many wildcards! Except...this time was different. "Daisy!" He mock-scolded after the last taunt, while trying not to laugh. "You have to...you have to respect these people! Gosh!" Okay, okay. This took a little more effort than he expected, but Odhranos was caving. Good! Of course he would, Lanlan knew intuitively what an earnestly or even pathologically decent person Odhranos was. "I understand if you're tired, sir," said Lanlan, still preying on this decency. "We're tired too. We've come all the way from Rynvale just to apply here! Well I did. Daisy came with me because we'd be safer on the streets of a strange town if we were together." Still, Doziros does go into Odhranos's office and sits down. "Truly sir, I don't want to impose. Say the word and we'll go back to the wilderness! We'll survive. We're good at it."


Odhranos pauses as if to respond to Quintessa's brusqueness, but after a moment's hesitation, he merely sighs sadly as he leaves the steward to her work. The terramancer has precious few allies left, so concessions have to be made. Quintessa may be... dubiously dependable, but beggars, unfortunately, can't be choosers. When he leads the pair of elves into his office, he reacts only with a slight smile at Daisy's humour. He flops into his desk chair with a dejected huff, pushing the loose piles of sheets to the sides of his desk, so he can clear a space in the middle. Cupping his chin with his hands, he listens to Doziros' speech with a tired passivity. When Doziros mentions how far they had travelled to petition the Guild for entrance, the mage feels his compassion tugging at him to relent and just admit this obviously invested elf. But gods dammit, Odhranos, if every yokel with a sob story just waltzes in, the Guild wouldn't be able to sustain itself for a week, nevermind long-term. As his inner turmoil struggles on, Odhranos tunes back into Dozy's story, just as he mentions that at a word from the terramancer, they would return to the wilderness again. And Odhranos buys the story, hook, line and sinker. Having spent months living in the wilderness himself, Odhranos knew firsthand what that life was like, and was painfully aware of how the Guild had saved him from that life. The empathetic mage falls to Lanlan's manipulation flawlessly, just as the drow had planned. With a long and dragging sigh, Odhranos relents, reaching into his desk and pulling out a blank clipboard and a quill. "Alright, alright. I'll conduct the interview. If you have the ability to back up your application, I'll ensure that you are admitted. But!" - Odhranos points his quill at Doziros - "You need to demonstrate at the very least a potential for magic ability. This is a Guild, not a charity. I wouldn't get away with admitting someone without magic ability, no matter my rank."


Lanlan, as Doziros, beamed. "Yes! Of course! Of course I wouldn't have come all this way to waste your time!" His smile's broad, his eyes perky and bright, but he manages to contain himself. Or he has no choice. He adopts a stance, stepping one foot back to brace himself, while leaning over his two cupped hands. "Okay, prepare yourself." He could see Daisy was already giving him a wide berth. Tiny trickles of magic began to funnel between his hands as he stared unblinking into this space. His chest heaved in and out until he shouted, "Vilya!" The elven word for air, and the tiny coagulation of magic became a tiny gust strong enough to blow around any papers not held down. "Nar!" Doziros attempted to light a candle on Odhranos's desk (supposedly) but instead a piece of paper caught fire. "Oh no...umm don't worry! I can fix it!" He took another deep breath and resumed his focus on the swirling energy between his hands. "Nen!" A tiny raincloud appeared above Odhranos's desk and rained profusely for a few seconds, dowsing the fire and also the tired terramancer. "Uh...Mar!" A tiny pebble manifested from between his hands that moves lazily toward Odhranos's forehead. "Quick! Move I can't control it!" If Odhranos isn't quick enough to dodge, it could annoy him slightly! His demonstration is finished. "Sorry...maybe we should've done this outside, huh. I hope none of that was important?"


Odhranos was about to begin taking down formal notes for Doziros’ application, when the elf decides to skip straight from Step 1 to Step 23. As he leans down to the drawer where his quills are kept, Odhranos is startled out of his skin by the elf’s shout and the accompanying gust of wind. “Xalious above! Control yourself, boy!” Odhranos jerks upwards, as the flurry of papers whips up from his desk. When Odhranos reaches up to try catch the escaping flock of pages, he is further startled by the sudden crackle of flames amidst the spiralling sheets. “No, no no!!!” The terramancer cries out, and as he reaches for the burning page, sand explodes from the end of his sleeves, caking his hands in thick mitts to protect him as he reaches to pat out the flames. Unnecessarily as it turns out, as the cloud of sheets is then struck from the air by the sudden downpour, plastering the paper, along with the mage’s hair, to his face.Blinded and soggy, Odhranos grits his teeth behind the sodden page, then as he senses a pebble moving through the air towards him, his patience truly snaps. “Enough!” Odhranos barks, swiping a hand at the pebble, which shatters with a bang, showering Doziros and Daisy in a starburst of sand. Odhranos whips the soggy sheet from his face and glowers at Doziros with an uncharacteristically angry expression. “First lesson of your education, Doziros! No matter how weak or strong your magic may be, the first thing you must possess is common sense!” Odhranos slams his hand down on his desk with what was supposed to be a bang, but ended up a loud wet slap. “An leathceann is láidre is leathceann fós! Agus tá seans niós maith agat tú féin a mharú má tá tú chomh flaithulach sin le do chuid draíochta!” In his fury, Odhranos accidentally slips into old Oileanian, barking angry gaelic consonants at the elves, no doubt drawing looks of confusion. “Gah! Nevermind! My point is, if you don’t have good sense, your magic is pointless, if not downright dangerous.” Odhranos glares at the siblings in the following silence, before sighing exasperatedly. He snatches a somewhat dry sheet from his desk, snaps it to a clipboard then scribbles a handful of words, before signing it at the end. He spins the clipboard across the table carelessly. “There. My signature. If you haven’t wet your pants yet, then you can start tomorrow. As my apprentice.” Odhranos sits down into his chair with an unfortunate squelch and stares across at the elves. “But mark my words, I will not go easy on you. You have ability, fine. That’s enough to convince me not to turn you away out of principle. But you have a lot to prove if I’m to keep you on as my apprentice.” Odhranos waves towards the door, which opens promptly. “I’ll see you at 9 in the lobby, or I won’t see you again. Am I understood?”