Meeting

The rest of the walk to the magical studies building is uneventful. Keith spots one or two other people along the way, but none of them go out of their way to interact with him or Ava, though they do seem to stare for a moment before moving on. Ava doesn’t seem to notice at all, more occupied by occasionally glancing down to look at their hands. There’s a smile on her face whenever she does, but she’s quiet as they reach the unremarkable brick building. There’s a sign out front, but even looking at it makes Keith’s head hurt.

Ava leads him inside, finally speaking. “I saw you flinch when you looked at the sign. Don’t worry, Professor Theria will know what to do. Her office is right down the hall.”

Keith nods, and the two of them walk towards a closed door. He knows better than to try and read the name on the placard, but Ava reaches out to knock. Before she can, however, the door silently swings open. Amelia’s voice comes from within.

“Enter.”

Ava takes a deep breath, and leads Keith inside. The room is not particularly unusual, with bookshelves lining the walls, loaded with books. In the back of the room is a large, wooden desk, intricately carved with strange designs. Seated behind the desk is Amelia, who has her hands folded as she watches them enter. Neat stacks of paper sit on one side of the desk, and there’s some oddly shaped metal objects on the other, along with a laptop computer.

She gestures towards two chairs positioned in front of her desk. Keith and Ava sit, Ava looking nervous. Amelia doesn’t seem to notice, her face impassive.

“A bit later than I expected.”

Keith speaks up immediately. “My fault. It was a crazy day, and I overslept.”

Amelia looks at him, one eyebrow raised slightly. “Indeed. Well, I suppose that is understandable. And are you adapting well?”

Keith glances at Ava, who speaks up hesitantly. “He is having a problem, ma’am. Any time he tries to read, it causes pain.”

Amelia frowns, and reaches for one of the metal objects, a sphere about the size of her fist. “Well, that won’t do. A moment, let me have a look.”

She holds the sphere in her hand and murmurs under her breath. Keith can see that the sphere is covered in tiny markings, several of which begin to glow with a pale green light. Looking back to Amelia, he sees that her eyes have faintly begun to glow the same color, and she stares at him for a while. He feels a tingling, warm sensation run through him. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s strange.

After a moment, the glow fades, and she sets the sphere down. “I see the issue. Some errors were made during the conjuring.”

She turns to Ava, shaking her head. “This is why such magic requires long study. You are fortunate that there’s only minor issues.”

Ava looks down. “Yes, ma’am.”

Amelia folds her hands on the desk. “From my inspection, this should be the only complication, however. It’s remarkable that more didn’t go wrong. The bad news is, I cannot fix what is wrong.”

Keith leans forward. “So I’m stuck like this?”

Amelia shakes her head. “I didn’t say that. Don’t get ahead of me.”

Chastened, Keith leans back. Amelia continues. “My strengths are in conjuration and divination. But what you need is an enchanter.”

Ava straightens. “Professor Jen!”

Amelia nods. “Just so. She can aid you, though I wish she would be more formal. No matter. Miss Ava, would you go speak with her, and inform her of the situation? I would like to speak with Keith privately for a while.”

Ava stands, nodding. “Yes ma’am. I’ll take care of it.”

Amelia nods in response. “Good. Don’t worry, I won’t keep him long. Tell Jen everything, she’ll be interested, just as I was.”

Ava hurries out of the room. As she leaves, Amelia waves a hand, and the door smoothly swings closed, latching with a soft click. She sighs, seeming to relax slightly. The tall ears on top of her head twitch slightly as she looks at Keith.

“Ava is possibly the most talented student I’ve ever had. She will make a great wizard one day. Your presence here only proves that.”

Amelia smiles, the expression softening her features. Keith is surprised by the warmth in her red eyes, and the change in her demeanor. She seems…friendly?