Open Chronicles The Daily Worries of a Student Mage

[Alistair Wren]

Spellbook under his arm, Alistair groaned as he left his first lecture for the morning. Elemental had been about as interesting as watching grass grow and the Professor had grilled him hard on his aerokinesis. Leaning against the arched doorway of one of the college's many corridors, he yawned, glad to have it over and done with. He was doing all of his assignments and studying every rune, but when it came to casting the spells, he struggled to focus because he was practicing techniques he just wasn't interested in. He couldn't wait until he got his healing degree so he wouldn't have to study elemental magic anymore. At least he had conjuring next, that was something to look forward to.

"That Professor was such an arse," he thought, "I like Professor Sparhawk better," grumbling to himself, he pulled his feet down the corridor.

Blowing a tuft of hair out of his face, Alistair scratched his backside and sighed. The lecture had been long and he had been sitting down for the whole time. He wanted to go for a walk and maybe get something to eat. He wondered if Selina Altas was around.

Mages chattered in the dining hall around the corner, the chirp of birds echoing from the courtyard outside. Wrapping his arms around his spellbook, Alistair walked down the corridor, scaled a small flight of stairs and turned into the dining hall. He could smell stew and freshly baked bread from the cookhouse. After quickly ducking to his dorm, he put his book away and fed his cockroaches. Clutching his robes, he ran down the stairs, waved to a few of his colleagues and turned into another corridor, where the cookhouse was nestled in an archway.

Alistair grabbed a bowl of stew and some bread with butter, then carried them into the dining hall. He hadn't eaten since he had woken up and was starving.

Tray in hand, he stood in the entrance of the dining hall and looked around. Walls of stone curved into archways crowned his head, their wooden beams exposed. A candle sat on every table, bathing the faces of the young mages in a yellow balm.

It was too early for mead, so Alistair grabbed a cup of barley water. Walking between tables, he found one where nobody was sitting and sat down. Placing down his tray, he stirred his stew around and took a gulp, chewed, swallowed and washed it down with some barley water, welcoming the refreshing taste. His robes brushed the floor, the light of the candle reflecting in their rose gold trimmings. He dipped some bread in his soup, ate it, and set it aside, then held out a hand and tried to remember the spell he was being taught in his conjuring unit.

Maybe he could try it out without reading from a spellbook.

Going over the runes in his mind, Alistair looked up to see somebody approaching.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

Selina had just finished a grueling test that challenged her memorization skills. She passed it with flying colors but now she was ready to sit down, eat something, and maybe pass out. Not necessarily in that order.

Clutching her spellbook close to her chest she made her way to the dinning hall. Several classes had already gotten out so the room was pretty full, even though the school was easily able to sit every student and professor with room to spare for double their number.

She went through the line and got her food. The food they served was good, no complaints especially on the holidays. But she wasn't a fan of going through the line. She couldn't wait to learn more spells for her spellbook, she really wanted to create a spell where she could summon her own food... Maybe even food like her mother made. She got her food and then went searching for a seat. There was a table where her and her friends always sat, but after that test and with the makings of a headache forming, she didn't feel like listening to their useless and vain prattle. So avoiding that table for the other side of the room she looked around for a vacant seat that wasn't totally vacant of company.

She spotted a seat across the table from Alistair Wren. She remembered him from the library and had intended to get to know him better, so she approached his table and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

 

[Alistair Wren]

The person approaching turned out to be Selina, whom Alistair reocognized from the library and a few lectures he had seen her in. Hand held out and ready to try out his spell, he withdrew it and straightened his back, smiling plainly.

"Oh no, do sit down," he invited, waving a hand towards the seat, "Selina, right?" He asked, "I remember you from the library," turning around, Alistair lowered his head and focused on his stew, stirring it around with his spoon. He scooped some up, popped it in his mouth, ate it and washed it down with a gulp of barley water. Setting down his cup, he wiped his face on the sleeve of his robe and turned around to face Selina.

"So what do you study?" He asked, curious to know more about her.

"I double-major in healing and conjuring, but I have to pass my elemental unit to earn my healing degree and it's kicking my arse," he looked down, laughed and ate some more stew.

"I just started studying empathy for my healing course and it's really interesting, comes with a nasty price, though," leaning on the table, he stirred around his stew as he spoke, his voice soft and contemplative. Shuddering, he thought about much of a horrid state he had been in when he first attempted to siphon the negative emotions of a patient. Low mood, irritability and stress, not good.

"I love conjuring though, might make it my major once I earn my healing degree," he said, looking down at his stew.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She set down her food and took a seat across from him. "Yes, I'm Selina Altas, and you're Alistair Wren, correct?"
She dipped her bread in the broth of her stew and took a bite while Alistair asked questions and talked. She answered as opportunity arose.
"I study universal wizardry. Which really sucks sometimes cause I basically have to attend classes for every school of magic. Conjuring, Evocation, Abjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Transmutation, and Illusion. This year I'm only taking Evocation and Transmutation, supplemented by extra-curricular study. But studying for wizardry is definitely a long term commitment."

As she listed off pretty much all the schools of magic her weariness was definitely tangible. She wasn't cut out for the easier paths to knowledge or power, she lacked the aptitude to study magic like the mages and sorcerers at the collage. She might be referred to as a student Lore Master or a Polymage. She couldn't learn spells the same way other magic casters could either, putting a heavy emphasis and necessity on her spellbook in order to cast any spells.

"I just got out of a test on spell memorization, so if it looks like I have a headache it means I do."
She rubbed her temples and shook herself looking back up at Alistair.
"I've always wanted to ask someone this. What is it like for you to cast spells? what is it you have to do in order to summon your magic and shape it into a spell?"

 

[Alistair Wren]

"Selina, it's a pleasure," Alistair smiled, "and yes, that's me," he laughed, his smile widening to reveal his crooked, browning teeth.

As Selina sat down and started eating her lunch, he did the same. Dipping some bread in his stew, he took a bite, ate it and sipped his stew, then washed it down with a gulp of barley water. Cup in hand, he glanced at Selina occasionally, all the while trying to stop himself from smiling awkwardly.

She explained that she was studying universal wizardly, so she was a polymage of sorts. The end of Alistair's mouth turned up as he listened to Selina vent about her studies, and all the pressures of college life that he could relate to, but damn, taking every school of magic sounded intense, and frustrating. He wasn't sure he could manage it, especially since he found it hard to study subjects he wasn't interested in.

"Every school? Wow, that sounds like a lot of work, I don't think I could do it," navy eyes widening, he raised his brow and rested his head on his hand, stirring his stew as he spoke.

"I can't even study schools that don't interest me, so universal wizadry wouldn't suit me," he shrugged.

There was a weary sigh to Selina's tone. She was clearly exhausted, and when she revealed that she just had a test on memorizing spells, Alistair could understand why. He didn't have too much difficulty with spell memorization, not anymore at least. Now that he could remember spells well, he could apply his own innovation when casting and make up his own. Selina rubbed her temples and Alistair withdrew his head from his hand, creasing his brow in concern as he sat up straight.

"You do look pretty tired, take it easy, will you?" He remarked, his voice soft and compassionate, "want to take a walk after lunch? I can show you my pet cockroaches," he offered, his cheeks dented with deep dimples as he smiled.

Selina then asked about the way in which Alistair cast his spells, to which he tapped his chin with his finger in thought, "I cast vocally, which means reciting the runes of a spell aloud in a chant or song, this draws out my power and allows me to extend my will through the spell I'm casting," he nodded.

"It does involve a lot of memorization, so I've become quite good at remembering spells, but if I'm in danger and need to cast right away, I often have to rely on innovation and making up my own spells," he explained, resting his elbow on the table. Splaying out his hands, he spoke softly about his means of casting, then entwined his fingers and cocked his head to the side, his dark blue eyes catching the light of the candle in the middle of the table.

"Why do you ask?" He asked, brow furrowed in curiosity, "I'd be curious to know what methods of casting you employ, too," eyes wide with intrigue, he tilted his head and looked at Selina plainly.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

"Hmmm." She was thoughtful as she took another bite of bread dipped in soup. "So you use Vocal recitation of magical words to cast your spells. Though naturally you have the talent for innovation that a lot of mages have. I ask because I'm still trying to fathom the differences between the way a wizard learns magic and the way you or any other mage learns magic."

She looked up at him as he stumbled through some of his male awkwardness, she smiled and tucked a lock of her dark brunette hair behind her ear.
"I cast spells as the spell requires. Some spells require Verbal recitation, others require Somatic enunciation or 'hand motions' if you prefer, others require a Material component, and others either require a mixture of two of those or all three."

She took a drink of water before going on.
"Actually a majority of the spells we learn have a Material component, which is usually just an item to focus the spell. A wand in my case..."
She drew her wand made from diamond willow sapling from a sheath on her belt.
"Each spell has an intricate and universal form of notation, but each wizard may translate this notation differently from spellbook to spellbook. Basically a wand and a spellbook are the required tools of a wizard. And the spellbook is probably the most important part. Pretty much all wizards scribe spells into spellbooks for reference and preparation and that's what we do. We create and copy down spells into our spellbooks so we can know them and cast them."

She glanced up at him with a slight smirk, "Basically all of our abilities to 'Innovate' are done beforehand. Otherwise we're just stuck with a one trick pony that we've got to make the best of, or hope we have a wide variety of spells in our books."

She shrugged and took another bite of bread and soup, "We can use cantrips besides our spells, those are easy, but they are limited in the strength or power department. For example, I could light and extinguish a candle as much as I want without even trying, or make the flames change color, or make a door open and close. Basically I would make a great poltergeist on All Hallows Eve. But when it comes to real spells it's a laborious process."

 

[Alistair Wren]

"Yes, they are a vocal translation of the runes that represent them," Alistair nodded, eating a spoonful of stew.

Selina seemed curious about his means of casting, which differed to hers, as a wizard who typically cast spells that had already been written as opposed to coming up with new ones. Stirring his soup, he sipped some, ate some bread and had a drink of barley water. At Selina's comment about Alistair's talent for innovation, something most mages naturally developed, he looked at his stew and laughed, his cheeks tinted red.

"Yes, innovation comes naturally to mages after a while, although I would honestly struggle to recall a spell I had learned from a book if I was in danger, I would just make one up," an eyebrow raised, he nodded, straightened his back and dipped his bread in his stew, then took a bite.

When Selina swept a lock of brown hair over shoulder, presenting her theories on the application of magic as she did so, Alistair swallowed a gulp. Mouth full of bread, he blushed.

Chewing, Alistair swallowed and downed the rest of his barley water, welcoming the refreshing taste against his increasingly dry throat. There was something mechanical about Selina. Her tone lacked nuance and she seemed to only want to talk about magic, which Alistair had no complaints about. She explained that she cast spells in a way that depended on the spell itself, be it vocal recitation or and gestures, which made sense since wizards didn't typically apply spells in their own way, but rather, how the spell was intended to be cast.

"God, that sounds awfully dull, if you'll forgive me, making up spells can be lots of fun, especially casting them in your own way," leaning back, he cupped his chin in thought.

"I also can't imagine having to do all that memorization!" He exclaimed with a smile.

"But you do diversify in terms of how you cast, I must say I might very much like to learn how to cast with only hand gestures, without having to recite anything," leaning back in his chair, Alistair stroked his chin as he looked at the ceiling. Casting simply by using a hand gesture, and not relying on vocal recitation sounded useful indeed. He wondered if Selina would be willing to teach him.

At the mention of the material component, an item used to cast, Alistair perked up. He was especially interested in Selina's wand, a trademark of any wizard and smiled when she pulled it out, his navy eyes widening. Leaning forward, he stared at the wand, mesmerized by its beauty.

"It's beautiful, I use a charm to cast myself," he beamed, reached into his robe and procured a dark, pewter charm with a sapphire in the center and a chain which attached it to his robe. He also raised a hand and showed Selina his ring, dark pewter metal with a sapphire the colour of his eyes, "I also cast using my ring," he said plainly, turning his hand over beneath the candle, the reflection of the flames dancing in the sapphire.

"Sounds terribly exhausting," Alistair said in regards to the process Selina had explained of constantly copying down spells, chin cupped as he thought, "I too, use a spellbook, but only for reference and researching things like curses and diseases," he commented plainly, scooping out the last smidgen of stew left in his bowl. He carried a spellbook with him while travelling, which he used to reference certain runes and passages that he used when making up his own spells, or to quickly find out the quickest method for counteracting a curse, but Selina relied on her spellbook solely.

At Selina's comment regarding innovating before hand, Alistair tapped his chin in contemplation.

"That's not terribly unlike the mage way of casting, I memorize spells, then rely on my own innovation, but I still use parts and particular runes of spells that have already been written, I just use add my own spin on them," he chortled, look down at his empty bowl and blushed, a lock of pin-straight hair falling in his eyes.

Brushing the hair out of his eyes, Alistair turned around and faced Selina, "would you like to take a walk around the grounds and maybe practice a little?" He offered, cheeks dented with dimples.

"We could demonstrate our different methods of casting," he beamed with joy.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

He made some good points. Mages had the ability to innovate on the spot, but was that because of the way they cast spells? how do they manipulate the flow of magic? do they touch it? manipulate it? grab it? twist it? command it? what was the interaction?
Fo her casting spells was an academic understanding. If she knew how the spell worked then she could wield it. She manipulated magic in nearly all of its forms. It was harmonics, Somatic positioning, ingredients, focusing.

If she spoke the words of a spell she used the tone of her words, high notes and low notes, different words and accents which responded to the very fabric of magic differently, but without specific knowledge of such things it was impossible for one to accidentally cast a spell in casual conversation.

If she used her hands to cast a spell she used complex signs and motions that again reacted with the fabric of magic. They were specific and, once more, impossible to perform on accident.

Material components were a bit different as they were usually never without either a verbal or somatic component. But some spells required fuel to consume in order to be cast. Especially fire spells would require some form of fuel, but that could be ignored if one had an arcane focus like a wand.

A mage on the other hand could manipulate magic as if they were able to take hold of the fabric of magic itself and bend it to their wills without having to understand everything about it. It was water in a hose that they could direct either verbally or somatically, with the cost or material component simply being a bit of energy that they expend.

He invited her to practice some magic, an invitation she jumped on without hardly thinking about it. She was always down for a little more practice. She mopped up the rest of her soup with her bread and gulped her water down.
"Yes, I think I would like that. Let's go!"
She certainly had a one track mind, especially when it came to magic. She got up and dropped off her empty dishes at the kitchen before continuing on to the college grounds.

 

[Alistair Wren]

At Selina's answer, Alistair smiled widely, his cheeks dented with distinctive dimples. Mopping up the remainder of his soup, he carried his dishes to the cookhouse and left them on the serving area. Clutching his robes, he followed Selina out of the dining hall and into the college grounds. He smiled awkwardly as he walked beside her. He never usually got to spend time with girls, especially not ones who were as interested in magic as she was.

The ends of his robes in hand, he lead Selina across the grounds to a secluded area which overlooked the harbor. The sun bore down on the grass, bringing sweat to the back of Alistair's neck. A patch of grass, surrounded by a stone barrier looked over the city, the sea bordering it beyond.

Releasing an elated sigh, Alistair sat on the ground and crossed his legs, his black robes spread across the grass. The orange, pleated undergarment revealed, he smoothed them out and looked up at Selina, inviting her to sit down as well. He pulled up his hood to stop himself from getting sunburnt and held out his hands, muttering a quiet incantation to himself as he channeled his energy.

"Would you like to show me how you cast with your wand?" He invited, looking up at Selina from beneath his hood.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She took a seat in the grass beside him, smoothing her own robes underneath her. She's never spent time alone with a boy herself, but she was too much of a social butterfly to let it get wierd for her.
At his request she drew her wand. She had a lot of spells memorised at the moment, especially after the test. But even as it was she had an abnormal brain and an ability for photographic memory. She learned spells at a prodigy level of intellect which is why she was frustrated that she wasn't allowed to learn more and varied spells.

She cast an easy spell. Shield. It had verbal and somatic components, the latter of which she could focus into her wand instead.
She recited the incantation and pointed her wand first at herself, then at Alistair. A blue bubble of magical energy appeared individually around them.

"I know a lot of spells, but I'm limited to a daily quota of seven spells a day, and now I'm down to five for today."

 

[Alistair Wren]

Legs crossed, Alistair played with the grass as Selina drew her wand. She prepared to cast and he raised his head, watching her intently. Navy eyes flashing with fascination, he observed the elegant movements of her wrist as she moved the wand in accordance the necessary functions of her spell.

From the tip of Selina's wand, a bubble of blue energy expanded, surrounding both Alistair and herself.

Eyes wide, Alistair gasped as the bubble formed around them. Hands held out, he motioned to touch it, but dared not, lest he break Selina's spell.

Instead, he watched, enamored by the beauty of what she had cast. The ends of his mouth turned up, his cheeks dented with huge dimples as he smiled, "that was lovely, what does the shield do?" He turned around and asked, the sleeves of his robes brushing the grass as he held out his hands.

When Selina mentioned that she was limited to casting seven spells a day, Alistair raised an eyebrow in curiosity. It seemed awfully specific, being limited to casting a certain number of spells a day. Typically, mages were just limited to their experience with magic and how much they could cast before they overspent their energy. He wondered if having a quota of spells was exclusive to wizards. Shifting his eyes with intrigue, he cocked his head to the side and tapped his chin.

"That's oddly exact, I'm only limited to how much I can cast before I overspend my energy," he wondered, scratching the back of his head, "is having a quota of spells a wizard thing?" He asked.

A pause followed and the end of Alistair's kinked upward.

He raised his head and smiled, "would you like to see me conjure a dryad from the grass?" He chimed, eyes bright and enthusiastic.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She grinned at his wonder. She had more than a little pride when it came to her magic.
"The shield protects the target from damage for as long as the spell holds up. It basically absorbs physical and magical damage in place of the caster."

He commented on her limited threshold of daily casting. She shrugged, "I'll be able to cast more as I get stronger. But for now I've calculated that I can cast seven true spells a day before I've exhausted my magical reservoir. But like I said, I will always have access to cantrips."

He offered to demonstrate some of his magic, which of course she nodded her head eagerly. Dryads were powerful forest spirits, if he could actually summon one here that would be beyond impressive!

 

[Alistair Wren]

As Selina explained the function of the shield, Alistair cupped his chin and nodded, eyes glancing over the blue energy. It was both impressive, and useful, and a spell he might consider learning in the future. Head tilted upward, he spread out his arms and looked all around at the ripples of energy dancing across the shield, the end of his mouth kinking upwards as he chuckled.

"It's a nice spell, might come in handy when I'm finally ready to conjure in combat," he nodded, his voice plain and withdrawn.

Tapping his chin, Alistair thought about what other spells might come in handy when he learned how to use magic in combat. A shield that protected him from external spells for as long as he was casting seemed useful. Humming to himself, he looked down and listened to Selina as she explained that she would be able t add more spells to her quota once she grew more powerful in her abilities.

Alistair appreciated her accuracy in regards to calculating exactly how many spells she could cast before getting worn out. He used mathematical terms to describe the relations between the properties of a spell when they were expressed in runes.

"So you've calculated seven exactly before you hit your limit, does that number vary depending on the spells you use? Or do they all spend the same amount of energy?" He asked, wondering aloud.

"I know for me, the amount of spells I can cast greatly varies depending on the spells themselves," he shrugged.

When Selina expressed her enthusiasm to watch Alistair conjure a dryad, the young mage's features brightened. Nodding eagerly, he smiled, rubbed his hands together and coughed to clear his throat, "alright, but bare in mind this is just a manifestation of the grass that takes on the form of a nymph, rather than a true dryad," he nodded bashfully, then held out his hands and breathed in, preparing to cast. Bringing the essence of the grass to his hands, Alistair coiled it, drawing it from it's bed with his voice.

"Blanket of the earth and the seed by which it feeds, bring forth thy essence," Alistair sung, his voice light and sweet. Golden sparks erupted from the grass, taking the form of a shape in the cup of his hands. Rotating them, Alistair breathed life into the essence the grass had produced, deriving a sentience all on its' own. Breathing in, he shaped the energy, his eyes fixed on the shape it took, "shape thee into a nymph, may she bare the fruit of the bed by which she lays," Alistair sung, his soft chant soaring beyond the college grounds.

Hands cupped, he impacted the essence born by the grass, deriving an output which took the form of a tiny, transparent woman. She hovered above his palm and braided the stems of grass which made up her hair. The pores of her skin were made of dew and her cheeks blushed with soil.

The end of Alistair's mouth kinked upward and he laughed with joy. Looking up, he smiled at Selina and showed her the tiny grass spirit in his hands.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She shrugged, "Well, I have to admit that I don't yet understand how exactly using magic drains me. As a wizard I manipulate magic as an alchemist manipulates his ingredients, from the outside, scientifically. I don't have any magical bloodline in me so none of my magic is a manifestation from within myself, and casting any spell without a wand is obscenely difficult because I'm using my own hands as the focus."

She shrugged again, "I suppose that's the best way to explain it. For me magic is science that I have learned to manipulate like a tool. When I cast spells the rules of magic still require a tax, so that cost is my stamina. And I've calculated that for now I can only achieve seven spells a day on average without falling unconscious."

She watched and payed close attention to the summoning of the grass nymph. So not really a dryad, but a minor forest spirit, still impressive! She hasn't taken conjuration classes in earnest yet, but it was still present as an extracurricular activity. She payed close attention to his method of summoning, which was a fine bit of lyrical melody which he certainly had a talent for.

Finally he held the miniature petite spirit in his hands and beamed at her. She giggled, picturing for a moment that he were a dog that had successfully chased down a stick and brought it back, now awaiting praise.
She straightened her face and examined the little spirit, barely stifling her descent into full laughter as the picture refused to leave her mind, "That's... (Mph!)… very impressive Alistair. Have you studied the spirits at all?"

 

[Alistair Wren]

Selina explained how she didn't fully understand how using magic drained her, to which Alistair nodded. Chin cupped, he thought about the differences between how a mage overspent his magical energy and a wizard like Selina. Like her, Alistair also did not have a magical bloodline, but merely practiced out of his own interest. Although he cast magic as an extension of his inner being, whereas Selina's was drawn from an external source. Elbow resting on his knee, he looked up at the sky and thought, listening to Selina intently.

"I don't have a magical bloodline either," he smiled, "but what I cast is an extension of my inner being, which I express through my voice, unless I'm conjuring, in which case I draw from my surroundings," he shrugged, scratching the back of his head.

When Selina mentioned that she manipulated magic as though it were a science, Alistair nodded. He appreciated the scientific approach, as it was one he used himself. Chin cupped, he nodded as he listened, wondering what her approach to writing spells was, a topic they had discussed in the library.

As Alistair finished conjuring the grass nymph, he held her in his hands and beamed, the tiny woman strolling around his palm. Selina laughed with joy and complimented him for his display of magic, to which he lowered his head and blushed, struggling to accept her praise. Lowering his hand, Alistair placed the grass nymph on the ground and let her wander around. She wasn't sentient, as he had not yet learned how to conjure sentient beings, and would fade and disappear when the effects of the spell wore off.

Holding up his wrist, Alistair shied away and hid behind the sleeve of his robe. Blushing, he laughed to hide his embarrassment and hesitantly lowered his wrist, avoiding Selina's gaze as she looked at him.

"Thank you," he said, his voice small.

Alistair waggled his hand, "only some of them, they aren't sentient beings, as conjuring a sentient being is something only powerful mages can do," he shrugged, smiling bashfully.

The grass nymph skipped around the grass and waved to Alistair and Selina, before disappearing into a small burst of golden sparkles. Hands resting on his knees, Alistair laughed, then raised a hand and swept back his hair underneath his hood.

"See, she disappeared once the spell wore off," he shrugged.

A pause followed. Playing awkwardly with the grass, Alistair shrunk into his capelet and took a breath, gathering his thoughts. He really liked Selina. She was intelligent and pretty, not interested in boring things like balls and dresses like other girls. He had no idea if the feeling was mutual, however. Swallowing a gulp, he looked up.

"So what do you have on next period?" He asked, cheeks dented with dimples as he smiled.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She nodded as he explained his connection with magic. As she suspected, she would identify him as a mage from his ability to manipulate magic with his own willpower. For her that was like using her own body as a wand, willing magic to physically work itself through her. Far too exhausting for her at this point anyways.

Alistair was an interesting character, in spite of his teeth he had a certain charm about him that she couldn't help but liken it to a golden retriever begging to be pet, a picture which again nearly threw her into another fit of giggles. But as far as boys went, she was uncertain. She was more comfortable hanging out with guys than with girls, their petty conversations boring her to no end as they consistently talked about nothing else but beauty tips and hints and the latest gossip on college grounds.
She enjoyed Alistair's company to say the least.

She smiled at the antics of the little spirit, that Alistair explained was a non-sentient conjuration. She wondered about the implications of that, was it simply a construct of pure magic? or was it built out of spiritual material? Was there even a difference? did he direct its actions with his mind? or did it have some basic ambulatory function? she was fascinated as she watched it amble around and then wave goodbye and disappear.
He asked what she was doing next period and she was thoughtful for a moment, "I think I have a course on Transmutation that I need to attend, that's up next for me. I've been using some of the principles from that class to help me understand the functions of Conjuration as well."

But something he said about only powerful mages being able to summon sentient beings. That didn't match up with what she was learning, "So you said that only powerful conjurers can summon sentient beings. While I agree to a certain point, haven't you tried summoning a Familiar? That's what I'm learning about right now in Conjuration."

 

[Alistair Wren]

When Selina said that she had a class on transmutation next up, Alistair lowered his head and blushed. Wrists resting on his thighs, he played with the grass and smiled as he listened to her talk about what she would be learning in the class. So she was using the principles of transmutation to better understand the physical make-up of beings mages cast when conjuring. It sounded very interesting, and it made sense, given that transmutation was the practice of altering matter.

Eyelids lowering, Alistair looked at the ground at nodded. He would have very much liked to take Selina to the class, but wasn't sure how she would respond to such an offer. Shrinking into the capelet of his robes, he withdrew a breath and swallowed.

"Shall we go together?" He asked.

"I'd also be interested in learning about how to apply the principles of transmutation to conjuring, it sounds very interesting," chin cupped, he nodded, "are you learning about the physical make-up of the beings mages cast in conjuring?" He asked, an eyebrow raised, "that's something I've been studying as well, I'm looking into whether they have a composition of matter or if they're simply pure energy," he beamed.

The college bell tolled, splitting the shy with it's gong and alerting students to the beginning of their next class. Pulling himself to his feet, Alistair brushed grass off his backside and straightened his robes, then extended a hand, and offered for Selina to take it if she wished.

When Selina corrected his statement about only powerful conjurers only being able to cast sentient beings, he nodded, following a bout of laughter, "you're right enough, I had not considered familiars, although I was mostly referring to sentient beings such as angels and dryads," he nodded. A finger raised, he tapped his chin and thought on the matter, "conjuring a familiar is something I would very much like to try, I wonder if they'll teach us that in my unit," he mused aloud.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She smirked to herself. He was so awkward it was adorable!
"Of course we can go together!"
She laughed and accepted his hand as he helped her up. The bell rang and so they began walking while Alistair asked his questions.

"The Transmutation class isn't specifically about the relationship between Transmutation and Conjuration. I've just been using the principles of Transmutation to fuel my own theories on Conjuration.
As you demonstrated with your nymph, there are physical components involved for most conjurations, grass for example.
But is the physical component consumed by the spell, or is it used by the spell to help create the desired outcome? If it's 'consumed' to fuel the spell then we can reason that the creature is primarily made of magic. But if it's 'used' then we know that at least part of the construction is material."

They walked inside and began making their way to the Hall of Transmutation.
"But no, Transmutation and Conjuration are separate schools respectively. Transmutation being the practice of using spells to change the properties of some creature, person, or thing. While Summoning is the practice of bringing manifestations of objects, creatures, or some form of energy to you... At least the way I understand it... And there are other practices or subschools that add to the Conjuration class, like teleportation, calling, or creation."

She went on as the walked together down the halls, "Summoning a familiar is a form of 'calling', because a familiar is a spirit from another plane that chooses to help the summoner... At least the familiars that I've been taught."

 

[Alistair Wren]

When Selina said that Alistair could go with her to her class, he lowered his head and laughed. Heat rushed to his cheeks and he blushed, feeling foolish for having thought that she would have said anything else. Shrinking into his capelet, he laughed to hide his embarrassment, then pulled himself to his feet and linked his arm, offering for Selina to take it if she wished.

He didn't know. He certainly liked her as a friend, but as anything more? He wasn't sure. She was pretty and smart, and interesting to talk to, exactly the kind of girl he liked to spend time with. Beaming, Alistair allowed Selina to lead him across the courtyard and through the halls of the college, to the lecture room where the class on transmutation was being held.

As they walked, Selina explained that the class wasn't actually about the relationship between transmutation and conjuration, which made more sense, since they were entirely different schools of magic. It had sounded very curious when she had mentioned it, but now he understood.

"That makes more sense," Alistair nodded.

They walked around a winding staircase, passing other students on their way to class. As Selina posed the question of how his grass nymph was produced, Alistair perked up. A finger raised in the air, he raised both eyebrows and said, "that's a good question, I used the components of the grass to produce the nymph, so yes, the physical components of the source remained, but only it's essence." Navy eyes wide, Alistair spoke enthusiastically, always excited to explore the deeper questions of how a specific spell worked. Just seeing that it worked and accepting it wasn't good enough for him.

"The grass nymph itself was a manifestation of the source, in this case, grass, so it was essentially a distillation of the grass, which remained part of the product of the spell, but only in essence," he explained with a nod, his cheeks dented as he smiled, baring his charming, slightly crooked teeth.

They neared the hall of transmutation and Alistair took a step back. He stood in the middle of the room and turned around to face Selina, his cheeks tinted red.

"So yes, studying the principles of transmutation to better understand the physical aspects of conjuration is a good approach, and should lead to interesting results," he looked at the ceiling as he spoke, tapping his chin in thought. He was particularly interested in learning about how to apply the principles of transmutation to hydromancy, with a view to altering the material components of water. Perhaps that was something he might learn in the class.

Selina mentioned familiars, and Alistair nodded, "my professor mentioned familiars, but I've never succeeded in conjuring one."

Standing in front of the door to the lecture room, he raised both eyebrows contemplatively, "I've nearly completed my conjuration unit, when I pass, I'm hoping my marks can get me into hydromancy." A nod, and he turned around to walk towards the door.

"I'm hoping this class can teach me a thing or two about altering the state of water," he reached for the door and said.