Nona took the stamper and the tin of wax from Pashtiik, gave him a quick thanks, and left the room. Outside, he took a spot at an empty table and waited. He never would’ve noticed the little shadows high above his head had he not know about the Homers. It was mesmerizing; watching them duck and weave in the air, some with messages in their beaks, and when they got close to Center Spire, they tucked in their wings and dove into impossibly small holes. Nona could hardly believe that they were mechanical and not real birds. There was a lot Nona could hardly believe about this place. Here he was, sitting at a table by himself, waiting for a brass bird to deliver a message he didn’t write, and over there across the plaza, a giant, sentient, bipedal toad was zooming around, cross-legged on a hovering pillow, and nobody cared! They probably saw much more amazing spellcasting every day!
Then, Nona’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a gnomish fellow who stood at about three and a half feet tall, though his comical green felt hat gave him another foot in height. The hat was pushed down almost all the way to his bulbous ruddy nose, and Nona could barely make out his low, squinty eyes set just beneath the rim of the hat. He wore a simple white wool tunic with a wide belt, and brown pants. He tugged on Nona’s sleeve and told him that the message had been received, and that he should probably wait a few more minutes for Veralia to arrive. Nona thanked the gnome, and he waddled off back to the mailroom.
Nona wiped his hands on the knees of his pants. For some reason, he couldn’t deny the growing pit of butterflies in his stomach. There was no reason to be nervous. All he was doing was meeting this new mentor; it wasn’t like she would expect anything out of him today. He didn’t know that though. What if she quizzed him on some sort of arcane ideology, and he knew nothing about it? But that wouldn’t happen. Well, it might, but it wouldn’t be a big deal. Or would it? Should he have studied something before he moved into the Guildhouse? Ahsante didn’t mention anything like that, but he also didn’t mention that there would be an oral section on the entrance exam either. He’d be spending some time every day with Veralia, so if he embarrassed himself again, like with Teorakest, and she took a disliking to him, then it would be a rough few weeks. Or months. Or however long he was supposed to be studying here.
Nona sighed. As exciting as being an apprentice in the Mage’s Guild was, everything here felt so foreign. There was still so much he didn’t know, from basic spellcasting principles to how long he was supposed to be training to the layout of the Guildhouse to the mage that would eventually take him under their wing. Then again, no matter where he was, he’d probably be just as lost. Even if he was in the mythical “home” that he daydreamed about, he wouldn’t know it. He didn’t have his memories; he didn’t have any friends or family. Except for Reke, Nona considered Reke a friend, and he hoped that he considered Nona the same. So far, Reke had stuck with him, and he’d stick around longer until he found Lusahn, which would give plenty of time for Nona to find some new friends in the Guild. All he needed was one good friend.
Suddenly, movement caught Nona’s eye. Standing in the doorway to the mailroom was the gnome and a young elvish woman wearing a sleeveless, light gray tabard over a plain white shirt, with white leggings tucked neatly into calfskin boots. Her gray scarf hung loosely from her shoulders, with a golden pin of the same sassy owl that was on the letter’s seal. Her loose, blonde curls were tucked tightly out of the way behind her long, pointy ears, and they hung down until they rested lightly on her shoulders. The gnome pointed at him, and she strode purposefully toward him. Nona, unsure of whether to watch her approach or look away, pretended to be distracted by a pebble on his table until she stood right in front of him.
“Are you Nona?” she asked, tilting her head slightly to the right.
“Yeah, that’s me,” he replied.
She outstretched one her slender hands and introduced herself, “I’m Veralia. I’ll be tutoring you on basic Arcane Theory for the time being. It’s nice to meet you,”
“I’m Nona,” he introduced himself, shaking her hand.
“I know,” she said plainly.
“Right. And your name is Veralia,” Nona said slowly, flushing red with embarrassment.
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
“Right.”
Nona nodded and Veralia blinked as they shared an awkward silence between themselves. Veralia sighed. She was looking forward to having her lunchtimes to make a dent in her stack of books that needed reading, but it looked like she was stuck babysitting. Again.
“There’s something I’d like to show you before we get started on lessons tomorrow. Do you mind taking a short walk?” she said.
Nona bounded to his feet, and outstretched an arm, gesturing for her to lead the way. She turned on a heel and walked back into the maze of buildings, Nona right on her heels.
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English
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“Alright everyone, we need to pool all of our magical knowledge together and find an efficient way to communicate with eachother!” “Perhaps we could try to project an image of ourselves through a sort of magical portal, that appears in front of the recipient!” “Or we could perhaps record our words onto a spectre, who could teleport to their destination!” “Is telepathy an option? I like telepathy.” “Hold on guys, I’ve got a better idea! Robot birds!” The room goes silent. “GENIUS! Robert, you get a raise!”