aether forged

[Talon]

The sheer marvel that was painted upon Lyra’s face was bemusing. This was perhaps one of the baser wards that Negation was capable of creating. Talon did not think much of it. He had created simple barriers for quite some time. The magic of wards and shields was one that he was not particularly adept at but the discipline in and of itself was so commonplace that most wizards hard bat an eyelash at its use. It was a staple in the magical community at large, so to see her react the way she did, it reminded Talon that magic, while common to him, was not common at all. He heard her rattle off several statements that he believed were in reference to arcane theories that she must have been privy to. The names did not ring a bell for him but he recognized that she was listing off knowledge relevant to what was in front of her in some way.

“The anchor points,” Talon touched each of the points of the triangle. “They are where the essence and purpose of the shield is put in place. They are also the points that provide the shape of the structure. At a more advanced stage, the anchors can be moved and the shape of the barrier can be modified after its placement. That skill is beyond me at the moment.”

Talon crossed his arms over his chest and observed the shield for a moment. He knew in general what most wards were capable of. The Sky Guard battlemages utilized Negation so heavily that it was almost assumed the discipline was a prerequisite to join them. At Lyra’s question he gave her a puzzled look.

“I am not a master of the discipline but I would surmise that most anything can be warded given the right time and attention. Negation is a magic that is largely self-limiting. Its limits are the limits of the user. I have seen masters of the magic construct barriers far more impressive and unique than this.” Talon nodded to her next question.

“As one grows more advanced in the use of it, its possibilities are far more broad. For the moment, my own skill in the magic requires that I imprint upon the ward my intent as I am constructing its anchor points. It requires only a thought.” He tapped his head lightly. “Once that barrier is fixed in place however, I cannot change it for the time being. That will change as I grow more adept at its use.”

Talon did not think much of it. He had many ideas for using the powers of Negation and its utility in some of his crafting schematics. Some of his designs however would require that he be far more powerful in the use of the magic than he currently was.

[Lyra]

Lyra listened attentively as Talon spoke, practically drinking in the information that he was providing. The things he was describing seemed utterly impossible, and yet... Her eyes kept going to the still positioned barrier. It was the physical proof of his claims, and the sheer possibilities of it all almost made the old elf quiver in excitement. What if she had access to this when she was still at the temple? When the scripts were still in their infancy, and she herself barely able to claim mastery over the basics? What could have been done with magic such as this?

Then she hesitated, chewing her lip and tapping a finger on the counter. What exactly could she do with this now? If Talon were to be believed, the possibilities of Negation shields were only limited to the skill and imagination of the one casting them. The focal points, the anchors bent and shaped the very laws of reality to suit the intended purpose of the caster, and the sheer magnitude of that was enough to make even one such as Lyra question whether or not her skill could add anything of value.

"To enhance the... construction of the ward." she whispered this under her breath, eyes glazing slightly as she thought. Was it even possible to manipulate these wards with the scripts? Finally, she shrugged, "Well, let us see what can be done I suppose." The words were directed to herself, but as she said them she looked up at Talon, "If you mind not, I wish to borrow another sheet of paper, of higher quality if you have it, and a vial of spellwright ink. The ink can be of average or lesser value." She said this as she rolled up her sleeves, reaching into the pocket of her robes and removing a fine feather quill, long and ivory white with several simple pictographs carved on its surface, "This one shall be an experiment of sorts, so consider the items themselves compensation for the end product."

As these items were collected Lyra carefully sharpened the end of her quill, using a small knife that too had pictographs on its surface. The knife's designs were simplistic in nature, made to help a honed edge from slipping and to let softer materials be removed more easily without a jagged cut. The ones on the quill itself were minuscule and looked something like a series of triangles connected with two lines. Pictographs to aid in the stability of the writing process itself, for fine detailed work.

Taking the paper Lyra took some time to examine it, feeling it between her fingers and pressing it flat against the counter to run her hands, palm down, over its surface. When she was satisfied she nodded, taking the vial of ink and dipping the end of her quill. Her eyes looked at the design of Talon's rune once more, taking in its curves and contours before fixating on the paper itself. Breathing in Lyra began, the first circle swift and in place with a sudden flick and flourish of her wrist. She repeated this process 5 more times. 4 circles formed a square with a circle in the center, and a 6th circle rested outside the rest and was connected by a single line to the center.

She began with the circle outside the rest, with one line connecting to the center of the glyph. Inside the circle she drew simple polygons, connecting to an open space at the very center of this circle. The design then spread outside the circle, twining around the line and fading as it reached the edge of the imaginary square. When she finished with a few more sweeping curves she had created a simplified form of Talon's own rune, the circle acting as his palm with the line his wrist. She moved on to the circle in the center of the pictograph, creating a similar design as to the first, but even simpler, with just a few polygons and curving lines that wrapped around the path that connected to the 4 other circles that surrounded it. The four remaining circles she embellished with the same simple design, though instead of the curling lines winding back toward the center circle Lyra instead had them twine and braid in on themselves, reaching back toward their own center.

As she worked Lyra whispered softly under her breath, words in ancient vallenor as she instinctually fell back to her old tongue. Her tone was soft, her eyes focused but during this act, she felt more relaxed and at peace than she had since coming into the shop. This... this was something she knew, and even if she wasn't certain it would work as intended it sent a thrill through her to try. As she was working on the outer circles Lyra breathed in deeply, letting out one long, slow breath as a tendril of black smoke fell from her lips. The smoke twined around her quill, winding down and flowing over the designs she had finished and following close to the ones she was preparing. Where it lingered the lines began to glow, humming with power as Lyra fed in her aether as well as her will.

"From mind and soul, find guidance and lend strength." it was a low chant, the words not so important as the meaning behind them, "Guide the intent. Give shape to the shapeless, might to the weak, confidence to the uncertain." Her whispered continued as she worked, slowing slightly as she reached the end.

With a final flourish, the glyph was done, and the smoke rose and dispersed as if caught in a sudden wind.

"Place an anchor here." she said as she straightened, pointing to the circle which was outside the rest, "Give it intent and purpose but have it follow the guidance of the glyph for its shape." As she wiped the end of her quill on a cloth she frowned in thought, "I gave it no way to sustain the ward, so when you cease providing the aether it will likely collapse. Though, if possible, hold it for a time so that I may examine it."

[Talon]

Talon watched Lyra work. Her movements were steady and sure as she drew the glyph upon the surface of the paper. As she drew the sigil, Talon could almost follow the ideas being worked into the nature of the glyph. It was something he had begun to notice and understand as a bearer of runes of magic. His understanding of the world, especially as it was enhanced by the powers of Semblance, had expanded to a point where he could infer meaning behind implied actions or in gestures leading to a more thorough understanding of intentions. These things combined with the preternatural senses bestowed by his kinetics and he sometimes got a sixth sense about things. He had begun to notice how his ability to study and impress upon meaning into his own pictography, limited though it was to his craft of runeforging, had become easier over time.

One thing that stuck out to Talon was when the tendril of black smoke flowed from Lyra’s lips. He blinked, not entirely certain that he had seen what he had seen. It was not the oddest or more surprising thing he had witnessed in his life but it was different nevertheless. He listened as she spoke her words of focus, not uncommon among mages. When she directed him to place another anchor, Talon hesitated for but a moment. He was not the most adept practitioner of Negation, versed only in its most fundamental principles. Reaching over to the ward he had already built, Talon touched a finger to one of the anchors and brought the ward down. It crumbled beneath his touch as easily as one would collapse a house of cards. Carefully, Talon reached for his aether. It took some focus. He furrowed his brow. The work was slow. It came like mud being pulled from the earth.

Touching his finger to the circle that she indicated, Talon gathered just enough aether to be able to place an anchor upon it. He impressed upon it the singular purpose to do nothing more than block physical force. It was a baser function of such shields and one that was easy enough to produce it did not cause him undue strain. When the anchor had been set in place, Talon let his aether fall back into place with a slow exhale. He gave Lyra a tired smile.

“Forgive me, that will have to suffice for the moment. I have been working at the forge all morning. I am due for some rest after using some of my other skills.” He did not make mention of the attack on his life not but a few days prior. It was something he was trying not to dwell on. He had come to the forge in order to focus on something that gave him peace of mind. The crafting of wondrous objects always did. The structure that piecing together an artifact provided was of great solace to him in such troubled times.

“The anchors are self-sustaining. For a time. They will remain in place until the aether they are comprised of deteriorates. At my level of skill, I would say this one will last perhaps ten minutes. Maybe a little longer.” He was also tired. That time was most likely being generous. Still, it would be enough time for the scribe to at least observe something for a short while.

[Lyra]

Goldeyes studied Talon as he brought the first ward down, noting as he began to construct the next that the process seemed somewhat more strained, indicated by the slight tightness around the eyes and the furrow of the man's brow. Was constructing these barriers so taxing? It seemed odd to Lyra, given how the power had been adapted to a Rune. That should have taken on the majority of the strain associated with the internal calculations, the rune itself acting as a filter of the mages intent and translating that into purpose and tasking.

As the anchor was put in place the glyph began to glow, a slow-spreading shimmer that started from the anchor and spread inch by inch to the rest of the glyph. Lyra glanced down at the process, frowning slightly at the delay, wondering if it was due to her design or perhaps to Talon's own fatigue. If the negation rune did, in fact, translate intent, then perhaps using the glyph in such a way required additional internal calculations to be made by the adaptive anchor.

"Think of it not." Lyra said with an absent wave of her hand, focusing fully on the glyph as the magic began to work its way to the inner circle. Leaning closer Lyra tilted her head, almost holding her breath in anticipation. When the inner circle shimmered it was like the spark that began the blazing flame, for the entire glyph lit up suddenly and with radiant blue light. The anchor Talon had placed wavered, and suddenly a 2nd appeared at the center circle.

"Accept and multiply," Lyra whispered softly, smiling as she watched. The glyph pulsed, and with each pulse one of the 4 surrounding circles suddenly sparked to life, a copy of the center anchor appearing there. When all four were in place they slowly rose a little more than two hands off the surface of the workbench before stilling. The edges of the glyph then finally shimmered, and faint lines of power connected the four floating anchors to the center, forming an upside-down pyramid structure that glowed with a soft blue light.

Despite herself, Lyra grinned, straightening and setting her hands on her hips, expelling a breath she had not realized she was holding, "Script-based anchor multiplication and structural reformation." The words were spoken simply as if they held all the meaning in the world as Lyra looked at Talon, "This magic, it is impossible, and yet..." she leaned forwarded and flicked the pyramid. Its surface rippled for a second before stilling.

Shaking her head Lyra walked around the floating ward, examining it from all angles. Through the aura glass, Lyra could see it, the faint pulses of aether that moved in rhythm between the anchors.

"You said there would be self-sustaining, 10 minutes." Her words were thoughtful, her eyes calculating as she began to move her fingers as if counting, "A singular anchor, tasked and empowered would withstand 10 minutes, with a significant margin for error. Given the standard loss due to aetheric inefficiency in an unoptimized glyph such as this, paired with the glyph dividing the sum of power between each point, then that means..." She did not need to continue, for thin cracks began to form along the surface of the pyramid. These quickly spread, covering the entire structure before the entire barrier shattered like glass and fell in shimmering pieces that dissolved before touching the counter.

"Roughly 50 seconds." With a sigh Lyra took the glasses off, closing them carefully before making them disappear into a pocket in her robes. She then picked up the paper on which the glyph was built, examining the lines carefully, "The power in the initial anchor was well within my estimations, and divided evenly across 6 points means the wear on the glyph itself is minimal. Without repair, this schema could sustain twice the aether input for..." she paused, counting on her fingers once more with a frown, "Five minutes?" She seemed a bit surprised by the number, but shrugged and set the paper down, "I would say that is more a testament to the quality of ink than my own skill."

Smiling ruefully she turned to Talon once more, leaning back slightly against the counter and folding her hands in the sleeves of her robes, "I believe I have a base understanding of this 'negation' magic. Tell me what you wish to do with it, and I shall design a schema for your use today."

[Talon]

Talon watched, somewhat mystified by what was transpiring in front of him. With rapt attention he studied not just the shape of glyph but what it was doing to the anchor that he had placed. He blinked, surprised to see that the pyramidal shape was brought into being through the simple division of his magic, augmented by the influence of the pictograph symbols. This chain reaction only cemented in Talon’s mind the utter necessity of learning Scrivening. Even fatigued as he was, he could see the value in it in ways that he had not considered before. His first impression of Scrivening was that it would only be minimally useful in helping him focus and perhaps redirect the energies of the materials he worked with. Having witnessed what occurred in front of him just then, the rapid construction of a three-dimensional shield built from a singular anchor point, a feat he was barely capable of producing himself, opened up doorways of possibilities. It made him reconsider the value of just what Lyra had to offer quite heavily.

“The glasses, Lady Lyra…” Talon studied the glyph even as the shield crumbled. “...take them. What you have shown me here was nothing short of remarkable. In exchange, I ask instead for a teacher, you to be exact, in the ways of the Scribe. I know pictography but only in how it can be applied to my runeforging. That is limited, even at the best of times.”

He bowed his head humbly at the compliment to his skills as a spellwright ink maker. It was one of the items that was more commonly requested of him. The mages of the Circle of Spells, the Covens of House Briathos and their vassals and certainly the battlemages of the Sky Guard paid him visits often enough. Spellwright’s Ink was always in demand in Kalzasi. The amount of magical activity that went into monitoring the Warrens and combating its denizens warranted the kind of large-scale spellwork that required large amounts of quality grade magical components.

“Let me show you.” Talon went behind his counter and retrieved a large journal. It was the record of his thoughts when it came to designing more personal projects. He opened the well-thumbed pages of the journal to a section detailing the creation of a suit of armor. The diagrams were most sketched. The notes were written in Synskrit. Beside the armor was a gauntlet from which there seemed to be projected a barrier. On the next page there was a sword but it seemed largely incomplete, as though Talon were still contemplating its creation.

“I am going to be embarking on the forging of something that is likely the highest grade of quality I will have ever created. It is a project that is going to require a great deal of power, power that I want to ensure my workshop is adequately equipped to contain. I am leaving nothing to chance with the forging of this project. It will, in some ways, be a test of my skill and a testament all in one.” Talon brushed his fingers over the pages. Already he was thinking through the resources he would need to forge even half of this particular project. It would be an undertaking that would require every shred of skill and power he possessed, and then some.

“There will be a colossal concentration of aether at play in the forging of these things. So the glyphs absorbing, dispersing and redirecting residual aether must be without fault. My hope is to be able to design a cage, as you put it, to contain it and then put it back into the forging process so that the artifacts are continually bathed in aether throughout their creation.” It was an ambitious project and Talon by no means believed that it would be achieved any time soon. But he was nothing, if not determined. Events in his life as of late had driven him to settle on this course of action. He was one of the finest runesmiths that he knew of in the territory of Kalzasi and he intended to master the craft and put it to use.

[Lyra]

Lyra simply stared at Talon for a moment, her mouth opening slightly before closing as her brow furrowed. She thought that a display such as this might sway him to lean more in her favor, but she had expected such a reaction to such a simply display of the scripts. A suspicion slipped through the weaves of her mind, and she tapped into the power of her rune, opening herself to the melody's of the man as he continued. She listened for jealousy, she searched for deception, pride, anger or even greed. She strained, seeking for the tale-tale signs that showed in all creatures. The depravity, the selfishness. What she found, then, only served to confuse her. Warmth, an earnest feeling of like one who simply loved the knowledge for the sake of knowledge. That asked but did not demand, accepted without expectation, offered to give in return. It was...

Blinking Lyra stared at Talon's back as he grabbed the book, still struggling to process what the man was saying. Her eyes narrowed slightly as he opened the book, explaining his desire, his goals so freely and openly.

Be still. she said to herself, closing her eyes for a moment before shaking her head, rubbing the back of her neck before moving closer to Talon to look at his diagrams. Something deep inside of her, that old part, stirred slightly.

Her eyes scanned the drawing of the gauntlet, a small flicker of interest coming to life as she examined the notes she could not read. As Talon talked she continued to listen, but slowly she was beginning to think that, perhaps, it was not a deception. Was it possible that this one, this child did truly wish to learn for the sake of learning? Wasn't he supposed to twist her words, wrapping her closer to him and binding her to some task or goal that would in the end serve only his benefit? If so, then why offer to subjugate himself to her? Why acknowledge a lack of understanding, when Lyra herself had no way of proving otherwise?

From time to time Lyra's eyes would flick upward, examining Talon's face, but even there she could not see it. She didn't see sly look of a businessman, nor the careful calculations of one who was building a web for Lyra to stumble into. The more she observed, the more confused she felt. With a final mental sigh Lyra withdrew from the power, letting the symphony's fade and simply listened. Maybe, just maybe, he was just as he appeared.

The project that Talon was proposing was indeed grand both in scale and power. Her mind drifted to the forge below, the schema, the techniques Talon spoke of. She then thought of the Quei'mora, of their process, of the schema's they used. Her eyes unfocused and she looked around at the weapons, leaning back slightly as Talon continued. Then, suddenly, it clicked.

"A Relic." The word bubbled to the surface of her consciousness, as if being summoned and she spoke it without thinking. Lyra's gaze focused again and she glanced up at the glyphs of the shop, tracing their pattern once again before looking down at the journal. With slow movements she reached up and undid the tie in her hair, giving herself time to think before continuing, "What you describe, it is a thing of the Quei'mora. The aether that you will require is more than can be produced by your current forge."

She looked at the drawings again, the thinner air here making her feel a bit sluggish. One fact, though, rang true as she spoke it, "You will need a much larger space than this. The primary glyphs alone will require several layers aether syphons." Here she paused, eyes widening slightly but the expression was quickly masked as she looked at Talon, "Can you build an aether concentrator?"

[Talon]

Talon considered Lyra’s words. He looked to the schematics for the artifacts that he was slowly planning to build. They would indeed require a great deal of power and skill. He was not quite at the level of mastery both as a runesmith or as an artisan in order to create them. Still, he could see the makings of what she was speaking about. He placed his knuckles on the counter, leaning over it as he studied his initial designs. At this stage in his planning and design, he had no way of knowing if what she said was completely true but he could see the possibility. At her question, he glanced over at her.

“An aether concentrator?” He thought for a moment on what she might have meant. “The runeforge itself is a means by which aether is concentrated. However, what I think you mean is a beacon. Beacons are used in the mining of dragonshards in these lands. They come in various strengths but most are meant for largely common excavations. I have, on occasion, built more powerful ones when given the task.”

Talon shook his head. He closed the book, running a hand through his hair before letting out a breath.

“But, those are things to contemplate another day. I realize that I have much to learn in the ways of Scrivening. You have shown me that it is capable of things I had not even considered.” Picking up the book, Talon returned it to its proper resting place. He turned, extending a hand to Lyra.

“The glasses, in exchange you teach me the fundamentals of Scrivening. Do we have a deal?” This was not something that Talon typically did. However, what Lyra had to offer in terms of knowledge far outweighed the cost of forging them in the long run. Already, Talon’s mind was racing with the possibilities after that simple demonstration.

[Lyra]

"Beacon..." The word was unfamiliar to her. In truth, she did not know how to describe what she had in mind and wasn't even sure it was possible in this current age. What Talon described might be correct, though she would have to consider. It wasn't necessarily pertinent to his own project in any case. She was far more interested in the devices uses for her own needs.

Lyra leaned back as the book was closed, folding her hands behind her back as she simply watched Talon for a time. At his words she raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly, "The matter of the glasses is a separate thing. I am paying for them, in part, for updating the schema of your forge, as well as a schema for your negation shields." She waved a hand at the paper that still sat on the table, "This was merely an experiment, and I would not presume to have it tallied toward our arrangement."

Here Lyra paused, touching a finger to her cheek as if in thought. Over the course of their conversations, Talon had given Lyra much to think about. There was an organization known as the Circle of Spells within the city which had its hand on the pulse of magic within Kalzasi. Shops that bought and would magic were not only possible, they were prevalent. If a talent such as Talon's existed, it was possible there were others that Lyra had yet to come across as well. Talon himself had shown he had a number of useful skills, including the ability to create spell right ink and refine dragon shards of all things. The thought of that still made Lyra's eye twitch. Golden eyes roamed over the shop, taking in everything once more as the beginnings of an idea began to form.

"I am not a teacher, Be'melar, and it was never my intention to become one." Her words were soft, power flowing as glanced at Talon once more, "It takes time, practice, and dedication on the part of the student to make even the beginnings of education worthwhile. In the past, I have found the process to be... tedious at best." Something flickered in the back of Lyra's mind, like a memory that gave her a feeling of unease deep in her stomach. The feeling passed, and Lyra continued, "What I mean to say is that what you ask is not a simple exchange like we have discussed before. It will require a significant portion of my time to do the work properly."

Something in Lyra's mind clicked, and tensions she had not realized she carried eased away. Aether flowed from her soul as she faced Talon directly, her expression softening somewhat, "Let us consider the glasses paid for through the two schemas I will develop for you, and in exchange for a lesson in the forging of spellwrights ink I will also provide you a lesson free as well. That will put us even. As for a contract of instruction..."

Three fingers were raised. Power thrummed as the intent was spun in the air, calming and open, a desire to listen filled the melodies like a soft hum before the final chorus. As she spoke Lyra tilted her head, forming her words slowly, articulating everything to ensure she was both heard and understood, "There are three things that I desire more than monetary compensation. The first is simple, I would like the promise of a contract of business between us on the day that I open my own shop." One of the fingers was dropped, "Second, a provision in our agreement which allows the negotiation of a discount on special request items, in exchange for product or service I offer that you deem is of equal value to the discount." The magical notes ceased, silenced with a mental clap of Lyra's hands as she held up only a single finger. She looked at this finger a moment before shrugging ruefully, "And finally... I would like to request the assistance and backing of you, Talon, in starting my own shop."

As she said this last part she grinned, setting her hands on her hips, "With all of that, we shall establish a working relationship with one another for equal future profit, and I will not charge for lessons from this point until you master the art of the scripts." Then, almost as an afterthought, she waved at the sheet of paper with the glyph on it, "Consider this a gift as well. You may still find some use for it, and I will prepare you something of higher quality later per our original agreement."

[Talon]

Talon listened to Lyra’s counter-proposal. It was a mostly sound agreement and it pointed out a few flaws in his own proposal that were fair in their assessment. He had to admit to himself that he got somewhat excited at the idea of seeing just how much could be achieved with the proper application of Scrivening pictographs. He considered the aspects of the deal that Lyra was proposing. He could see its merits but he could also see its pitfalls in terms of his trade as a businessman.

“To the first part of your proposal, you ask for a contract of business. I am open to such an exchange but you must put to words your expectations and the type of business you wish to exchange. I cannot agree to terms that are unspecified.” He folded his arms over his chest as he thought on the second portion of her proposal. It was not an unfair request and in exchange for both her lessons in the ways of Scrivening on top of their normal business he could see it as being something completely fair. Lyra would be offering up, as she said, a significant portion of her time and energy to teach him the extent of either what she knew or to open his eyes to concepts in a way that he could formulate conclusions himself.

“A discount is certainly in order. One that is proportionate to the services exchanged between us. That is something I can agree to.” When she brought up the subject of backing the opening of her own shop, Talon blinked at her. It was not outside the realm of his authority in the city to act as patron to a place of business. House Novalys, as one of the Great Houses of Kalzasi, patroned many establishments across the city and its territories. He studied Lyra for a moment as he leaned against the counter beside them.

“My backing would come as a member of House Novalys. I am prepared to provide it but the documents must be drawn up by our staff and then made official in the courts. That will take a few days to prepare but I imagine that is not objectionable. Unless you are hoping to open your shop tomorrow? As the official paperwork is being drawn up, you can also forward your expectations to the first part of your proposal so that they can be reviewed.” He smiled at her. At her gesture to the paper on the counter and the gift of her insight into the scripts, Talon bowed his head.

“Thank you, Lyra. If there is nothing else? I need to go speak with my family’s estate in order to get things prepared for our arrangement.”

[Lyra]

Lyra suppressed the grin that threatened to split her features as Talon agreed, in part to her request. She had not intended to give him a blanket agreement, though she was pleased that he had seen that and adjusted their arrangement accordingly. The matter of lessons... In truth, it was a rival thing. She had done it once before, and she was certain it would not take as much time as she had eluded to. It was a small deception, but one that Lyra felt was justified given her current situation.

I am without knowledge of this age. She thought, running her fingers along the lines on the back of one hand, I have limited currency, no connections. My resources are minimal at best. Even if he provided me with nothing more than his backing as a shop owner, this arrangement would be more than ideal.

The fact that Talon agreed, but with his own additions, told Lyra much about the man. Even without the melodies, she knew him to be earnest, straightforward, and hardworking. He was the type of man that would see a man beaten in the street and not simply stop to aid him but would carry the man himself and buy him room and food as well as attend his medical needs. He was the sort that Lyra enjoyed the most... When they broke, they shattered completely.

At that moment something tickled the back of Lyra's mind, like the memory of a sickness that threatened to make her ill just in its recall. It made Lyra grimace slightly, which she covered by feigning another moment of fragility. She pressed a hand to her head, closing her eyes briefly before looking back to Talon and continuing to smile. Yes, Talon was certainly that time of man. He reminded her of... someone. Someone that turned her stomach.

Lyra's eyes widened slightly, unable to hide the surprise as she heard him mention his house name.

"Novalys?" She asked, her expression showing she did not recognize the name. Despite this, however, Lyra realized something.

He is nobility. She pressed it down, an incredulous laugh that threatened to emerge as she realized her fortune. She had intended to ask for the backing of an established shopkeeper and crafter, yet this man was nobility? What fortune was this? If she were the religious sort, Lyra would have offered thanks to the gods for this fortuitous event.

"All of that will be just fine." She agreed quickly, shaking her head a bit disbelieving, "I will prepare a list for you to present to those of your House. As for when..." Lyra thought for a moment, looking around the shop, "Though I would like to have the business prepared quickly, there are some preparations I need to make."

Sensing a dismissal Lyra hesitated, and with a half-smile she took the hem of her robes, dipping into a low curtsey with the practiced ease of a dancer.

"It has been a pleasure, Thal Novalys." When she looked up she smiled sarcastically. Then she straightened, giving him a wave as she turned, "Let us discuss the details at your first lesson."