chiron_survivor | An appointment with heirtothearcane

Entry tags:

scene,
viatorus

An appointment with heirtothearcane

Adia sits eagerly in the waiting room of Viatorus's office, a small notebook and pen in her hands. Surprised that the dreamwalker had agreed to meet with her so soon after Khan's invasion, she leapt at the chance anyway. The anti-violence was restored, after all, and Isidor surely wouldn't have let her brother return to the Nexus if any danger remained.

In a way, Adia, too, was restored, freed from a filthy settlement and returned to her spaceship. She is once again dressed semi-professionally, her hair clean, the mottled bruise on the left side of her face the only reminder of her close call on New Caprica. More importantly, her heart is filled with hope -- hope for her people's future, and hope for her own.

Absently doodling a tulip in the corner of her notebook, she glances up every so often at the office door in anticipation of it opening. She can't wait to talk to Viatorus about the possibility of a research lab in the Nexus, one that caters to both magic and science. Oh, and maybe she should mention Iphigenia's idea of building a shrine to their gods in the Nexus, too...

And her nightmares. She's supposed to ask about how to stop her nightmares.

Her excitement tempered by the unpleasant reminder, she scratches out the tulip while she waits. By the time Viatorus arrives, it's nothing but an angry blue blot.

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Somehow that's more unfortunate, that his parents wouldn't be good at doing things with him even if they made the time, but the sad look on her face could easily be mistaken for continued grief over losing her parents. "My dad taught me to ride a bike, and both my parents taught me to cook... not much from scratch, though. They both worked full time. Not as much as yours did, I'm sure." The last thing she wants to imply is that her parents were just as busy as his and yet still made plenty of time for her. "My mom was a literature professor, but she didn't have classes in the summer."

Nothing short of a Nexus LOL would cause Adia to speak to anyone, let alone Viatorus, in a condescending way, but she does smile a little at his idea of gathering up the flu virus. "I wish it were that easy, but with viruses like that, prevention is the best bet. We haven't had a bad breakout in a long time."

"Your world has a fae realm?" She forgets about the topic at hand for a moment, surprised and once again eager to share her knowledge. "I just learned what that is from someone in the Nexus. Have you been? Do the fae ever come into the regular world?" The Nexus does sound less dangerous than the Fae Realm, by comparison. Or maybe the difference is in who resides there.

"Oh... um, yeah, they told me." Not through an arranged marriage, that's for sure. Maybe her parents' differences don't make the best anecdote. "They attended the same university... a friend of my dad's dragged him to a house party." She smiles faintly at the secondhand memory. "Dad liked parties about as much as I did, so when they got there, he made a beeline for the snack table. My mom was in charge of keeping the chip bowl filled, so he just stayed there and ate chips and talked to her. Then, right before he left, she asked for his number." Her smile turns wry. Her mother was a lot of things, but coy was not one of them. "They were together ever since."

That is exactly what he'll assume. His parents' absenteeism wasn't an issue, considering it wasn't an option. It was what it was, clearly Adia is upset over what shouldn't have been. "That sounds really nice. Did you go on holidays together?"

He nods his understanding and then tilts his head. "Is there prevention you can use other than general hygiene?"

"We have one, but I haven't been. They do come into the world, but my ancestors clashed with them every now and then. Each would try to outwit the other. Eventually they ended up with a truce, though I can't remember how. Mostly we just avoid each other where we can. You don't have Fae?"

A smile flickers across Viatorus' face. "That's a really nice story. It's really very sweet."

"We did. The only vacations I spent without them were at my Nana's -- my father's mother -- during the summer. Otherwise we'd go all sorts of places together." She smiles wistfully at the memories. Nostalgia is a kind of sadness, in some ways, a longing for the past, but it's easier to bear than pure grief. "My favorite was the Dionysia. Do you still have that on your world? My mom would get tickets to our favorite plays. Even my dad would go, although he wasn't much for theater otherwise."

Some other snooty academic might dismiss Viatorus's question immediately, proclaiming that if there was some other form of prevention, they would have discovered it by now, but Adia mulls over the possibility in thoughtful silence, giving it the consideration she believes it deserves. "Aside from good hygiene and vaccines, you'd have to ease up on domestic animal production. That's where it mutates, you know. In huge flocks of chickens or pens full of pigs. It goes around and around until it jumps into the human population. Viruses like that thrive in close quarters."

Adia listens with a small frown on her face. "Why were they clashing with your ancestors in the first place?" Were humans doomed to not get along with anybody else? She dwells on that thought a moment before Viatorus asks about her world. "No. We don't even have the concept of Fae... the closest thing I can think of are the old myths, but those are spirits living in our world, not a separate one. What are they like?"

It is sweet, and now Adia regrets her earlier advice, more than ever. She should have told him that falling in love is the most wonderful thing. It wouldn't have helped him at all, but at least she would have been honest. "I always hoped I'd meet someone that way. That we'd lock eyes at a party and know that we were meant to be together." She twists absently at the ends of her scarf. "But it doesn't always work out that way."

"My family in Greece holds one every year," he tells her with an equally wistful smile. "I'm sure it's not the same as it was in ancient times, but... the intention is there. I haven't been very often. Did you have a favourite play? Or actor? O-Or year?"

"It... mutates in pigs?" This is news to him, and not the easiest thing to wrap his head around. He thinks under his bewildered frown before asking, "Do the animals get sick too?"

"Fae like power and magic. So did my ancestors. My bloodline and the Fae sought both from each other, but... not in the most noble ways." His lips twist and his brow furrows. "I hear that Fae are... difficult to deal with. They speak in riddles, and hold you by your words, not by what you intended to say. Some are good, most are not, so I've heard. They're like... like forces of nature. Like the wind, they blow one way and then another." He's quiet for a minute. "One of my ancestors was a Planeswalker who went to many different worlds, he did portal magic, but he always tried to stay away from the Fae Realms. When he settled into a new home with his family he found that there was a Fairy hill in his grounds, and one of their paths walked right through his land. He was so terrified they would take his children that he did everything he could to close that door. His wife had to stop him from using dynamite and blowing it up entirely."

Adia's confession gets a gentle smile. "No, it doesn't. I'd... sort of always hoped I'd have met my future wife in a garden at night, with flowers blooming. Maybe near a pond." He shrugs and ducks his head to hide his embarrassed smile. "I've watched too many movies, I suppose. It's not often real life is so... romantic."

Her entire face lights up at his reply. It's the first she's heard of it still being celebrated on Earth... in Greece, naturally, but she's learned to expect that country's name to pop up when discussing her religion or culture. "That's wonderful. My favorite play was... oh." She blushes a bit before admitting, "Orpheus and Eurydice." Hello, incredibly obvious subconscious. "I know it's a tragedy, but it's so beautifully told... one year they had a modern adaptation and had a famous pop star play the lead. It was really something else... how about you? Do you have a favorite play?"

It's news to a lot of laypeople, and Adia doesn't mind explaining. "Have you ever heard of swine flu or bird flu? These are variants of the influenza virus. They do make the animals sick, and then anybody who comes in contact with the animals. It's a big problem." Or was, anyway. No large populations of domestic animals in the Colonial fleet. "Did you know that you can pass the flu onto a cat? Swine flu, anyway. But not dogs."

Adia listens closely, fascinated but also a little afraid of his description. "I don't think I've met one, then. Or at least not the way you're describing them. What did your ancestor eventually do? I think I would have moved, if I were that close to such dangerous neighbors."

"That's beautiful," she says sincerely. "That'd be a lovely place to meet someone special." She bites her lip, wishing she had something optimistic to say about real life and romance. "You know, um... it wasn't love at first sight for me and Caspar, either. We were friends... good friends, but I didn't even know that he had a crush on me until my birthday."

The play of choice gets a gentle smile from Viatorus. Somehow it makes her nightmares a sweeter, kinder thing that they tried to draw on something she so loves. "Oh, um... I'm not sure... The Birds, maybe? It's a silly play, I know, but I do like the idea of kingdom in the clouds."

Viatorus shakes his head when she asks him about swine or bird flu. Apparently he's missed a fair few things while locked up in his study. "Cats?" He straightens in his seat, concern on his brow. "I have a cat. I should make sure she gets her shots."

"He insisted they stay at another house while he tried to get rid of the Fae. He, um, vanished though. While he was working. So I suppose the Fae are still there and no mages live in the house."

"Did he tell you?" He asks before he realises and ducks his head sheepishly. "Sorry. You don't have to say. I mean. I was just curious."

Although she was glad to talk about her nightmare with him earlier, she's relieved that the conversation does not return to it. "The Birds?" she repeats, before inwardly frowning at her confusion. She forgot for a moment that his world is not her own, despite the similarities. "I don't know that one. What's it about?"

On the one hand, she hadn't meant to cause him undue concern with her bit of influenza trivia. But it's good to keep one's pet vaccinated. "Your vet will know which ones she needs... is she an indoor cat?" She smiles hopefully. "Do you ever bring her to your office?"

Well, that's not ominous or anything. Are condolences needed if it's an ancestor instead of a close relation? "I'm sorry to hear that," she says anyway, to play it safe. "And after how worried he had been... do the Fae ever visit the dream world? Or is that separate from their own realm?"

"It's okay," she says quietly. "I'm the one who brought it up." Why, she has no idea. She's in no position to offer advice on relationships. "He had a bouquet of tulips delivered to my room. Which is, um, kind of a big deal, to have flowers delivered to a spaceship. Anyway, when I saw him later, he didn't have to say anything. I knew." She smiles at the memory, more sweet than bitter. For whatever reason, it hurts less now to share it. "I guess... sometimes it is like the movies, a little bit."

((I am visiting family for the holidays and didn't bring my laptop so I'll likely be slower than usual with tags until later this week.))

Watching old Greek plays was a past time of his childhood and despite his good memory he finds his recollection hazier than he'd expected. "It's about two men who want to find a better place to live than Athens. They go to a king who turned into the Hoopoe bird for a better life. Then they convince all the birds to make a kingdom in the clouds that will inspire awe from men and block the gods from reaching the earth. It's all a little bit silly."

He nods and gestures to the door. "I keep her in my room when I'm consulting. In case anyone's allergic to her. It's all right though. She likes sleeping as much as I do."

"Thank you," he says with a small smile. Honouring ancestors is never a bad thing, whether or not it's expected. "They can. There are plenty of stories of Fae walking through dreams, and I think their world is quite like the dreamlands. I haven't met any, though."

Viatorus smiles and sinks into his seat, relaxing with the smallest sigh. "That sounds beautiful. Very romantic. Very symbolic. How lovely to need no words, just a bouquet of tulips."

((No problem!))

The description makes Adia smile, as unfamiliar as it is. "A kingdom in the clouds sounds a little like being in space... well, an ideal version of being in space, anyway. There was a luxury liner in our fleet... you would have liked it, I think. Even people who weren't into outer space enjoyed traveling on that kind of ship."

"Oh..." She looks over at the door longingly. It's been a long time since she's seen a cat, and she loves meeting people's pets. "Um... well, just so you know, I'm not allergic, so if you ever wanted to let her out and about, that'd be fine with me." She smiles at his little joke before asking curiously, "Do you think cats can dreamwalk? I feel like if any animal would be good at it, it'd be a cat."

And it sounds like the Fae are good at it, too. Which unnerves her, after the way Viatorus described them. Nightmares are bad enough without the thought of a dangerous being lurking among them. "I'm kind of glad that there isn't any evidence of them in my world," she admits. "They sound intimidating. I'm good at riddles, but not when I'm put on the spot."

Viatorus's reaction reassures her that it was a memory worth sharing. "We were friends for so long, and..." She laughs self-consciously. "I guess I was really that clueless. The tulips said more than words ever could." She shifts in her seat, releasing some of the tension in her posture. "I questioned nearly everything about Caspar, after I learned that he was a Cylon. But not that."

"I've never been to space. Only specially trained astronauts can go to space in my world. And maybe dragons or gods or spirits… I'm not sure about that though." His eyes lose focus and his voice softens as his imagination grabs him. "I guess a big space ship would be like a castle in the clouds… It might even have a better view."

The hopefulness is hard to miss and it gets a smile from the scholar. "Would you like to see her? Then we could ask her."

"I think they're hard to find anyway, unless you're looking for them, and they want to be found." It's about as much reassurance as he can offer, but it is reassurance. Who knows what people they might meet in the Nexus, after all. As a child he was warned with tales of the Fae and as an adult he was able to read the journals that served as warnings of their own.

Viatorus is happy to stay quiet as Adia recalls her lost love, propping up his head with his palm under his chin, a dreamy smile on his face. "That's terribly romantic," he says afterwards. "Like waking up from a dream into an even nicer one."

It's a common refrain from many of the Earths she hears about. Limited space travel. Why her own world has such advanced space travel but similar levels of technology in other areas is such a mystery to her. She watches his dreamy expression with a small smile. "I wish I could invite you on board the Chiron but it would raise too many questions... maybe someday, after we find Earth?"

"Okay!" Adia chirps enthusiastically before clearing her throat. "I mean, sure, if that's all right with you." She wonders if he's being serious about asking his cat if she can dreamwalk, but doesn't say anything at the risk of sounding foolish. It doesn't matter anyway, she's excited to see a cat again, no matter how ordinary.

That does make her feel better, the uneasy look in her eyes disappearing. She's not as worried about meeting notorious characters in the Nexus, as the AV field does offer some protection (when it's working, anyway), and she still thinks of the Nexus as neutral ground. At any rate, she's content to let the subject drop. She has enough to worry about without adding scary fairies into the mix.

"It sounds nice, doesn't it?" She looks away briefly, feeling oddly guilty for having experienced the thing that Viatorus so obviously craves. She wishes that she could tell him that he can still have his romance, that love can blossom as easily from a friendship as an enchanted evening in a moonlit garden, but she doesn't want to give him false hope. Runa sounds like a lovely young woman, but an arranged marriage starts things off on such a weird note... at least in Adia's opinion. She returns her gaze to him and smiles sadly. "Early on, that's what I dreamed about... the flowers, and our week of being together. It was almost worse waking up from those dreams. But I miss having them."

The apologetic slant to her words gets a gentle smile. "That would be nice, but it's all right if you can't. Usually I'm the one wishing I could take people places. Into dreams, usually. I'm happy to hear about it. And dream about it."

"Of course. I'll only be a minute." He smiles as he gets up, the door opening at a lift of his hand. It doesn't take him long to return with a small ginger and white tabby in his arms that stretches out, digging her claws into his tie. "She's very playful so she nips sometimes, but hopefully she'll behave for you..." He rubs her head as he tries to untangle her from his tie. "Her name is Lyra. Would you like to hold her?"

There's a bittersweetness to hearing the precious memories Adia has of Caspar, but they are her memories. He can only live vicariously through them, but he suspects that's all he'll ever get so it will have to do. Besides, he is happy for her, that she had those moments. Especially when she has had to go through so much. "That's understandable. The sweetest dreams are the hardest to leave behind. You'll have them again, though, I'm sure of it. Or maybe even better ones."

She's touched by his gracious reply. All too often, she wishes she could repay the generosity of her friends. "I'm back on my spaceship, at least, so that's a step in the right direction. It's no luxury liner, but we have an observation deck."

Adia eagerly turns in her seat so she can see the cat as soon as Viatorus retrieves her. "That's a lovely name," she says, giggling when Lyra attaches herself to his tie. "Oh, she's very cute. Yes, I'd love to hold her -- one second." She quickly unwraps her scarf and tucks it into her pants' pocket. No need to tempt the cat with the delicate material. She holds out her hands. "Okay, I'm ready."

If she knew the full extent of his thoughts, she'd recommend that he find someone else to live through vicariously, someone with a successful romance that has spanned many years. Not that she is in any position to judge, she's the Orpheus and Eurydice fangirl, after all. A tragedy can make the romantic moments all the more sweet. "Thanks," she says softly. "As cliche as it sounds, I'm going to spend time on myself for a while before I even think of entering another relationship. I could have saved myself some trouble if I had done that the first time around."

"Is it still nice to look out at the stars? I think that would be pretty special. I've made dreams like that, but I don't think they were very realistic."

Lyra trills quietly as Viatorus hands her over, but she's perfectly happy to go from one set of arms to another. At first she sniffs Adia, getting familiar with the new scent, then she headbutts the young woman's chin. Viatorus laughs, brushing off a few stray cat hairs. "It looks like she likes you."

"That's a good idea." He nods and takes his seat again. "I... don't really know what it's like to... go through what you went through, but you deserve to have a break and find some happiness."

"It's very nice," Adia confirms. "You can see a lot more of them. They don't twinkle, though, because there's no atmosphere in the way. What were your dreams of them like?"

Carefully, she takes Lyra into her arms and cradles her gently, marveling at her soft fur. She positively melts when she's headbutted, rewarding the cat's friendliness with a gentle stroke along her back. "Who's a good kitty," she murmurs happily, untroubled by the stray hairs. After a moment or two, she returns her attention to Viatorus, although it's hard to not be at least a little distracted by a friendly cat.

"Thanks... that's kind of you to say." She's well aware that he doesn't know what it's like, but she doesn't hold that against him. "I hope you find happiness, too. With Runa," she adds quickly. If he's really going through with an arranged marriage, she's absolutely not going to advocate for some sort of loophole. "I, um... I mean, I don't know anything and I'm the last person to give advice, but she sounds nice and... that's a good start. Sometimes." She looks down, suddenly finding something very fascinating about the pattern of Lyra's fur.

"Atmosphere is what does that? I'd never have guessed that." He settles back into his seat, expression becoming thoughtful once more. "They twinkle, in my dreams, and distance doesn't matter there. You can fly through galaxies that are like the most beautiful stardust, or see nebula and stars and suns and planets in all kinds of amazing combinations. Everything feels so close, even though it's so vast."

All the attention has her purring away softly and pressing against her good new human friend. If Adia is ever distracted by her conversation Lyra is more than happy to seek out her stroking hand and remind her of what's important here - Namely more petting.

"Thank you." He tries not to let his smile waver, but it's difficult. Adia is not alone in feeling like his situation is an awkward way to start a relationship. "She's gotten along well with my friends so far. I'm grateful for that." He ducks his head guiltily and rubs a knuckle between his fingers. "I think it's just... It feels strange. To be meet this stranger and be told she's going to be my wife. It's, um... practical. It didn't strike me how odd a practical marriage would feel."

"I wouldn't have, either, but an astronomy major explained it to me, once. You don't really notice, otherwise." She smiles, enchanted by his description. "That doesn't sound much like the view from my ship, but that's okay. Dreams are supposed to be more like a fantasy, right? Those were always my favorite ones."

Adia never had a pet cat, but she's well-versed in doling out affection to one. She keeps up with the petting, even as she tries to think of something to say in response to her friend's concerns. An arranged marriage is strange, to her, but to say so wouldn't be comforting at all (and culturally insensitive to boot). "It's, um... it's rarely done where I'm from." She looks away again, sheepish. "When I first met you, I thought that you were maybe from an earlier time period. But... anyway. That's good that she gets along with your friends. What do they think of her?"

"That's why I like talking to different people. There's always something to learn about the things we take for granted," he muses aloud. "They can be as fantastical as the human imagination. Which means they can be quite nonsensical, but sometimes that makes them all the more wonderful."

Viatorus responds with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "My family does like its traditions. We're old fashioned, even in my world." It's hard not to think of Adia as being from a far flung future with all its talk of technology and space travel. Honestly he's just glad she seems so normal considering all of that. "They like her, I think. Maybe in time it will feel more normal... I'm not sure how, really. Dating isn't normal for me, this isn't normal for me. Everything is new. Different... Did it feel strange for you the first time you dated someone?"

It's a refreshing, open-minded way to approach the world, especially for someone as sheltered as Viatorus. "Me, too... well, when I'm not feeling too nervous." She grins and gives Lyra a gentle scratch behind the ears. "I've always found, at least for me, that my dreams make sense while I'm having them, and only get all weird after I've woken up. Do they work like that for the dreams you create? What's the strangest dream you've made?"

"It is because of the magic?" she asks curiously. "Or, um, your family's history with magic?" His sister doesn't seem nearly as old-fashioned, but she's the one who has to interact with the rest of the world. She briefly wonders if Isidor knows about things like swine flu, but that thought is cut short when Viatorus asks about her first date. She blinks, hand pausing halfway down Lyra's back, before laughing self-consciously. "Well, sure. It was strange, and awkward, and nerve-wracking, too. I never liked dating." She blushes a little at her admission, but there's a smile, too, an amusement at her own foibles. "I always did better if I was friends with someone first. Then the dating didn't feel so strange."

His laugh is light, breathless as he smiles knowingly and nods in agreement with a familiar sentiment. With her questions he smiles and nods some more. "In dreams nothing seems strange. There's a simple logic to everything that usually doesn't make sense in the waking world." Then he hums thoughtfully. "The strangest dream I've made? Hm... I'm not sure..." After a reasonable bit of thinking he suggests, "Maybe the one where the people were all brightly coloured marshmallow shapes, and everyone had to do things backwards. Like put the apples back on the trees or talk backwards."

"I suppose it is," he says thoughtfully. It hadn't occurred to him before, and it shows in the sliver of surprise in his tone. "Our blood was considered precious, worth protecting, preserving. I guess it just never lost its value."

There's a small, relieved sigh from Viatorus and Lyra turns this way and that to see why Adia paused in her stroking. "That's good to hear." Then he jumps in to add, "N-Not th-that it was awkward. B-But, I mean, that it's not... not entirely strange to be nervous. Everyone seems to like the idea of dating so much. I thought I want meant to too."

In a multiverse of extroverts, it's nice to know that she isn't the only one who has to struggle sometimes to talk to others. But on the topic of dreams, she seems quite comfortable. It doesn't hurt that she has a friendly cat sitting in her lap, either. She laughs brightly at the description of his dream. "Oh, wow. That sounds like something I'd dream after eating too much candy. Why did you create it? Were you testing your limits?"

Sometimes an outside perspective is necessary to realize such things. "It does sound precious, if it's tied to your magic." She smiles encouragingly. "All the same, I'm glad that you're open to other points of view."

"It's okay, I know what you meant." She lifts her hand reassuringly, then giggles when Lyra headbutts it. "Sorry," she tells the cat before resuming her petting. She responds to her friend's explanation with an uncharacteristic eye roll, but it's not directed at him. "People are only into dating as a means to an end, a relationship or someone to fool around with. I can't imagine anyone dating for the sake of dating." She pauses and adds thoughtfully, "Maybe if they're very social and outgoing. Maybe then it's fun."

It's nice to see Adia enjoy his descriptions, odd as they may be. Seeing people pleased by his anecdotes is still a relatively novel thing for him. "It was a young boy's dream. His dreams were unsettled, trying to understand something in his life. I don't know what. All I know is that he didn't understand the things around him and that the reverse marshmallow world made him happy. It made him feel safe. Secure."

She gets a smile in return. "Me too. I would hate to miss hearing about the wonders of science."

"It sounds very difficult," Viatorus agrees. "I think I'd rather stay at home with Lyra and read a book..." A small smile appears again and he jokes softly, "Maybe it's just as well my marriage was arranged."

The dream makes more sense now, that it's meant for a small child. "Marshmallows are safe," Adia muses aloud. "And things going in reverse..." Her expression turns distant for a moment or two. Who wouldn't like to turn back time, to undo awful things that have happened? But Adia worries that she is projecting too much of her own neuroses onto a boy's dream, so she keeps that thought to herself, returning her focus to Viatorus and smiling kindly. "How wonderful, that you could help him feel safe. You have a real gift."

"Can I ask you something?" Adia scratches behind Lyra's ears in lieu of having a scarf to fidget with. "Were you not taught much science as a kid? Or, um... sorry, I don't want to assume anything about your education. But it'd be nice to know what your baseline knowledge is." She pauses before adding helpfully, "My magic knowledge is zero, by the way. Aside from what you've told me."

She knows that he means his words humorously, but something about the way he says them makes her frown a little in concern. "It's stressful," she agrees. "But I'm sure that if you wanted to, you would have found someone on your own. You're very kind and a good listener, and... and you shouldn't have to be an extravert to find someone to love. I mean, I managed to do it. You would have been able to, too."

Viatorus ducks his head, bashful this time but happy for the compliment. "Thank you. It's my favourite thing to do, help people feel safe in their dreams. Especially children. I always try to show them they have more strength and control than they think, and they always make such wonderful dreams. Honest ones. Pure."

When she asks about asking a question, he nods, only to then hum as he considers his response. "I was taught some... It's difficult to judge, because I don't know how much of science there is to learn in the first place... But if it's anything like magic, then not much. I understand the basics, and then anything that relates to magical practice. I know a little geography, because it's related to nature magic... And I know about the brain and the body, about how both react to sleep and dreams. That's the most science I've studied, because it's connected to my research."

"Oh..." He smiles and half laughs, dipping his head to hide his reddening cheeks. "Thank you, that's kind of you to say, b-but it's different." His lips flicker, widening his smile briefly. "You're intelligent and pretty. And I don't think your parents would scare people off like mine would."

"Children sometimes need that help the most, to feel safe." She knows that she shouldn't feel selfish about asking for Viatorus's help, but she hopes that she isn't taking time away from him that he could use to be helping children. She smiles wistfully. "I wish we had someone with your powers in our fleet. For the kids, more than anyone."

She relaxes a little, glad that he didn't take her question the wrong way. "You're farther along than some people I know," she says, once he's done answering. Even people who don't have his excuse of a sheltered upbringing. "You probably know more about the brain than I do, I only took an introduction to psychology course. Was there anything you found especially interesting?"

"But you're pretty, too," she replies in honest confusion before adding hastily, "Handsome, sorry." She blushes as well, but it's her own fault for trying to deflect a compliment with an awkward one of her own. Clearing her throat, she tries again. "What I mean is, you aren't any less nice-looking than I am. But, um... you may have a point about your parents. My dad was a lot like me and my mom was always so happy I was seeing someone that she usually welcomed them with open arms. What about your parents would have scared people off? Their magic?"

An appointment with heirtothearcane

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