Open Chronicles Saffron tea and Stressful evenings

[Nilamani]

There were a few students in the cafe even at this hour It was nearly time for the curfew. It was one of the few places students could scrounge a refreshment between the designated meal times of the dinning hall. One such unlucky student having slept through dinner was sipping a tea and groggily nibbling at a scone. Alone at the table they had a tome regarding curses and compulsion in front of them but hadn't so much as cracked the cover while slowly sipping the aromatic brew.

Nilamani had begun to feel that they were spending more of their time outside of class asleep than awake. They had only intended to take a short nap following their last lecture of the day......only waki8ng to find it was already sunset. If it had only been the once they would have laughed it off and perhaps asked a classmate to swing by before the next morning lecture to avoid oversleeping....
But they had already been doing quite a bit of excusing, and the sleepwalking was stating to get worse. If they didn't come up with a solution their grades wouldn't be the only thing to suffer. They were aware that without a large financial baking or a big family name.....and given they weren't human, that even small missteps could become a grounds for quiet expulsion. Even if that didn't happen.....given how far they had managed to walk the last time they half wondered if they might actually fully make it off the grounds one of these nights. Then they would really be in trouble.

They made an unusually dour expression at the bright comforting color of the saffron tea. Their hair was not as carefully arranged and their clothes were still a bit disheveled from their nap.

 

[Pomrick Bloomsfield]

Pomrick's feet were dragging after him as he trudged into the dining area. He now carried another token from his master's experiments - a blue nose. And not even slightly blue or faintly discoloured, but a deep navy blue, spreading with ghastly veins below his skin towards his cheeks.

Still, this magical mishap was not the main reason for his doused spirits. No, it was the fact that he had missed dinner. It had taken considerable time to return to his regular form, and the transformation had left its mark, unlikely to wear off until morning. His tongue still felt forked against his teeth.

Now, with a grumbling stomach and even more grumbling attitude, he hung around the eatery, hoping to find a chef that would take some pity upon him - all whilst keeping his nose dug deep into a borrowed, chequered scarf.

Instead, he found Nilamani.

He hung there for a good few moments, floundering indecisively, neither retreating nor advancing. They hadn't seen him yet. Should he say his greetings? He was more in the mood for eating than talking, to be honest. But Nilamani had been nothing but gracious to him so far - one of the few to be so, in fact. So, really, he was obliged to return the courtesy, no?

Pomrick stepped up behind Nilamani, announcing himself with a lingering stride and gentle clearing of his throat. The left side of his hair stood asymmetrically up, as if held there by some gel or shocked by lightning. His scarf enwrapped his head like a mummy's bandages up to his nose, muffling his piping voice:

"Good evening, Nilamani. What . . . how are you?"

Nilamani

 

[Nilamani]

The voice wasn't recognized at first. Indeed as Nilamani's head slowly raised to meet the source they at first didn't recognize the person either. Blinking in surprise Nilamani eyed the talking bundle of scarf with sleepy confusion.
With a hint of amusement and concern realization dawned in their expression. It was an awfully warm time of year for such an accessory. Especially to be worn in such a fashion. Their eyes roved over the scarf and the gravity defying hair. Nilamani imagined that between the two of them they most look like they had been fighting fierce gales to arrive at the dinning hall, despite the of course very calm weather this evening.
".....is that....Pomrick under all that? trying out some new type of ward?.....or is this some Elbion trend I'm not aware of?" Nilamani asked with a wry smile and the hint of a laugh. Odd things did seem more frequent around Pomrick. Perhaps he had an unfortunate during some practical lecture exercise.
Nilamani gestured to the seat beside them offering for Pomrick to sit.
"I'm afraid you're too late for supper.....scone?"
Pomrick Bloomsfield

 

[Pomrick Bloomsfield]

Pomrick looked at the scone and felt his stomach rumble, urging him to accept Nilamani's invitation.

"Heh, eh, well, no, not exactly." At least, he didn't think it was a new trend at the college. Was it? He opted for the safer excuse. "I'm simply a little, uh, sick."

His legs soon followed suit, plopping him down in the seat next to Nilamani, shifting backwards at first to grant some space, then a little closer again, deeming the distance to be too far and awkward. This shuffling about on the bench caused his scarf to fall down, briefly revealing his blue nose, to which he quickly re-adjusted it over his nose, wrapping it further around his neck.

All this shaking, topped by his red, upstanding hair, brought to mind an autumn bush quivering its leaves in a heavy gale. The only indoor wind here, however, was his own self-consciousness. Hands fell on the table, before deciding it more casual to lean an elbow against it, turning sideways towards Nilamani. Then again, elbow on the table was bad manners to some, he had realised, and so he removed the elbow again, folding his hands in his lap instead. With a quick adjustment to his scarf. Then back to the lap. Finally, he could sit still.

"Yes, it seems I . . . missed it. Well, if you don't mind, I wouldn't mind . . . a scone, that is."

Nilamani

 

[Nilamani]

"Sick?......" Nilamani repeated peering a little closer. Their eyes catching the flash of concerning nose coloring.
They hoped it was only some temporary oddity and not that Pomrick had some worrying addiction to playing around with mercury. Some of the alchemical inclined students operated with a very touch first call for a healer latter approach. Now that they thought about it they had no idea what Pomrick's specialty was.

Their eyes regained some amusement watching him make a production of the simple act of sitting down.
With a tired smile they pushed the small plate of scones toward him.
"Please go ahead. I wasn't so hungry.....but it feels odd not to have a bite before bed. " They replied their tone absent of the usual teasing or cryptic smiles. There was a weariness to their demeanor as they forewent any pretense of decorum. They leaned their elbow on the table to rest head against palm and still watch Pomrick.
"I'm not much of a healer....or I would offer to have a look at ....what ever it is you're sick with..."

Pomrick Bloomsfield

 

[Pomrick Bloomsfield]

"Thank you."

Pomrick gratefully took a scone, munching on it with a quick glance around them.

"I'm not much of a healer....or I would offer to have a look at ....what ever it is you're sick with..."

"Oh, no, it's fine, really," he warbled in between chewing his scone, mouth almost full. A swallow and he could speak more clearly. "Simply a cold, I'm sure."

He peered at his fellow student, noting their tired demeanour, seeming a little unlike the regular Nilamani he had gotten used to.

"Are you, um, feeling well yourself?"

Nilamani

 

[Nilamani]

Nilamani waved a hand dismissively in regards to the thanks.
They found the notion of a nose that blue being simply due to a cold to be very hard to believe. Rather than a cold it looked more akin to frostbite. At least the glimpse Nilamani had caught of it looked that way. It really had looked pretty concerning but if Pomrick was certain it would pass then Nilamani chose not to pry.

With a weary smile they likewise couldn't help understating and brushing off their own predicament.
"Oh.....Just having a bit of trouble sleeping lately.....a lot of trouble sleeping...even."
It came to mind that they hadn't yet explained their nature to Pomrick. They often allowed students they met in passing to continue with the belief that Nilamani was another of the schools few Eleven members.
Yet here they were certain that this was indirectly the cause. Ever since their favored spot in the garden had been discovered they had been increasingly reluctant to slip out to sunbathe. Now that they had developed a habit of sleepwalking, even in the comfort of their own dorm room, they had begun wearing the amulet while sleeping. It was one thing to wander the halls as a two legged student it would be another to slither about in the night.

 

[Pomrick Bloomsfield]

"That so? Well, maybe you should try sleeping with your feet on a pillow. Ma always said that helped her." He chewed a little more on the scone, unused to the overpowering taste of sugar and flour. Truth be told, he rarely found it difficult to fall asleep himself. Staying awake usually seemed the greater problem. After some munching consideration, he continued, gesticulating with a bit of scone in his hand for emphasis: "If you leave a rabbit's tooth below that pillow, it drives evil spirits away too - or, some such, according to, uh, a few peasants' tales," he hastily added, reminded that the folktales of his home rarely found purchase here.


Nilamani

 

[Nilamani]

Through sleepy blinks Nilamani quietly took in Pomrick's earnest advice. They were certainly remedies that wouldn't have occurred to Nilamani. While not a very magical solution at the words were spoken sincerely.
After a moment they laughed "I suppose I could give the first one a try....not too sure where I could procure a rabbit tooth...perhaps one of the alchemy students might have such a thing."
They had a nostalgic smiled as they remembered some of the customs of their own hometown.
"My Aunt is more the type to warm up a bit of soup when she can't sleep.....now that you mention it, in the village I'm from everyone makes these terribly ugly wind chimes out of fish bones for that type of thing.... warding off evil spirits I mean."
Nilamani suspected that perhaps it was born of some tradition to ward off Nerevyn, but whatever would have made it actually effective had clearly been lost. It had certainly never bothered Nilamani, they had even helped their Aunt make and hang a few of them.
"It's a funny isn't it? What gets treated as 'real' magic and what gets treated as superstition. I hear even the Maesters argue about what types of magic are more powerful or more special."
Some of them made their opinions loud and clear. Maybe there was a level of ego needed to be considered an expert in such unusual fields of study.

 

[Pomrick Bloomsfield]

"It's a funny isn't it? What gets treated as 'real' magic and what gets treated as superstition. I hear even the Maesters argue about what types of magic are more powerful or more special."

Pomrick squirmed uncomfortably. He didn't like comparing his family's traditions with the cryptic magic taught at the College. His childhood memories seemed almost sacred, a precious and fragile looking glass that could be shattered any moment.

He brushed off crumbs from his scarf.

"Yes, they argue a lot," he mumbled. Then quickly glanced over his shoulder, fearing one such maester might overhear them. "You should hear the things Maester Krellos argu--discusses..."

 

[Nilamani]

Nilamani noticed Pomrick squirming anxiously. They had begun to notice he seemed to move a lot when doing just about anything, even just sitting. It reminded Nilamani a bit of a mouse. It was difficult for them to figure out if they had said something wrong or if this was Pomrick's natural state.

They watched Pomrick's eyes flit back as if expecting a ghost. The maester must be an imposing figure....or perhaps Pomrick just didn't want to be caught gossiping by their teacher.
"Maester Krellos? I haven't yet had a class from that one....what do they teach?"
It was a the second such conversation they had of being unfamiliar with one of the Maesters. It did make sense that in a college of wizards some of them might be rather reclusive. Then again there was also only so much Nilamani had seen at the college. It was a deceptively large school with an impossibly deep list of paths to study.

 

[Pomrick Bloomsfield]

A shudder went through Pomrick, before his back straightened like it had heard the crack of an invisible whip.

"Arcane negation, abjuration and magic transmutation techniques, with a speciality in ethereal transfusion of evoked elements."

The words snapped out of him like he was possessed, mechanical and precise. For a moment, Pomrick seemed transformed into a wind-up toy, droning a pre-determined message.

But after this he slouched and he rubbed his neck lamely.

"It's, uh, a bit of a mouthful . . ."

He could only remember this sequence of words because Krellos had drilled them into him, one of those paragraphs he'd forced him to repeat. Might as well have been engraved into his bones at this point.