Summoning Up Some Information

As much as you would like to go on an Artie Hunt, get a better grip on the situation between the faculty, or even just try to figure out what goes through the head of someone like Harmony, your Intermediate Summoning class is coming up. That plus seeing if you have the chance to pick Professor Hobbins' brain afterwards about an issue or two regarding Tara and... another kind of mystical creature are worth focusing on for the moment.

The class itself does not focus on familiars this time but instead shorter term summoning one could use for a variety of purposes. Thus your time is spent learning about spirits you can summon for temporary defense, asking questions about things beyond normal mortal knowledge, boosting the power of certain ceremonies, and other such one time uses. Once the class is over, you remain in your seat as the other students file out and Professor Hobbins looks up at you in mild curiosity as he puts away a deck of cards some students had been using to test their ability to summon a Luck Spirit. "Is there something I can help you with, my boy?" he asks.

"Yes, Professor," you reply, indicating the Dragon Fairy that has been languidly laying on your shoulder the entire class, nuzzling against your cheek, "Something happened to her recently and I'm not sure if I should be worried or not."

Hobbins pauses for half a second to stare at you thoughtfully before resuming mopping up the drool left behind by He Who Tastes All, which a student had summoned to settle a debate on which was the absolute best flavor of chocolate. "If you're worried about her more subdued behavior," he remarks, "don't be. I can see your auras are growing more in sync so it is simply her body adapting to that closeness. Give her another day or so and she should be back to normal... or at least in a state to be able to repeat the activities that caused the further synchronization."

He gives you a knowing wink and a smile, which causes you to squirm a little. While you have certainly gotten way more relaxed about the subject of sex since arriving here, it is still a little awkward talking to an authority figure about it. "Actually, that's not all," you say, "You see... that activity... only happened because Tara had an encounter with something else first."

"Something else?" Hobbins repeats as he polishes an empty knight's helmet that was used to partially summon a Skeletal Guardian, "If you are asking me about it, I take it you believe it to be some kind of summoned creature or perhaps someone else's familiar?"

"Maybe," you reply, "but I need to ask you something about that. When I first summoned Tara you mentioned she wasn't an Imp when another student asked, so I thought that meant imps were fairy-sized too. Can they be bigger? Like, human-sized?"

Professor Hobbins finishes using a lint roller to clean off cat hair from a magic rug before responding. "Of course. It would be a different breed of Imp but still ultimately an Imp. Not unlike how a dalmatian and a dachshund are both dogs."

He suddenly seems to register something about your question and comes to a halt, closing his eyes and focusing intently. While you have only met the man twice, the fact this is the longest amount of time he has remained in one spot feels oddly unnerving. You start to ask a question but he raises a hand in your direction. Once he opens his eyes again he gives you a very serious look and says, "My boy, I need you to be frank and honest with me. Did you SEE a human-sized Imp on campus? And I MEAN directly, with your own physical eyes and not through any magical means."

"No," you admit, "Tara got into my dreams last night and I think she was trying to show me what got her... bothered in the first place."

Hobbins looks at Tara, who lightly nods and turns a little darker at the cheeks as she does so. "I see," he says, "Sharing memories through dreams IS something a closely bonded familiar can do but there is always the chance it can still be influenced by the symbolic nature of dreams and fay memories in general tend to be more... flowery than our own. So it would not be good evidence to base a search of the campus around."

"Are human-sized Imps really that dangerous?" you ask, eyes widening in alarm.

"It is a little more complicated than that," the Professor replies, taking a moment to alternate sucking on his upper and lower lips before looking up at the classroom clock, "We both have a little bit of time before our next classes, so if you'd like I can give you the short version of the issues."

Taking a seat again (and glad that the other subject Professor Hobbins teaches is Ethics In Magical Creature Interaction) you say, "Please."

"The biggest issue with imps is the nature of their reproductive biology," Hobbins explains, "which is potently invasive towards other humanoid species and also capable of putting the member of the opposite sex into a... less resistant and more fertile state should the imp desire to use them for those reproductive purposes. This would make putting them around other species difficult, especially if anything ever aroused them, but their generally feral nature tends to make them shun formal education so that would not normally be an issue."

The Professor pauses for a moment before adding, "And less you think an imp is nothing but some savage aggressor, they are also the most heavily poached and trafficked magical creatures in existence. Some use them for their own pleasures and others to milk them of their bodily fluids as they are ingredients for some of the world's most potent potions. Worst of all, it is said some even expressly use them for breeding Halves to sell into slavery. You see, a Half of an Imp has all the biological potency of a full-blooded one but it is believed the influence of their other parent is likely to make them relatively more docile in nature and thus easier to train and control."

You frown as you mull that over. "So a Half-Imp would have all the issues of an Imp being around others but also not want to be..."

After struggling for the right word, you finally settle on, "... lonely."

Hobbins nods. "That is a far more interesting way to put it than you know, but it is a legitimate view of the problem. Especially for Halves either freed from slavery or raised by the other side of their parentage. There has been a very long history of debate on if they should remain separate from general society for everyone's safety, including their own I should add, or if there might be ways to successfully integrate them using inhibitor spells to dull their... urges."

"And that has its own issues?"

Hobbins nods again. "The inhibitor spells would have side-effects to their mental and physical abilities and there is the general ethical concerns over forcing a sentient being into that kind of restrained state. Also, their... internal potency would remain. Which means if some Half-Imp DID try to suppress themselves by magic to sneak on campus, there would be a good chance they could be blackmailed into obedience for their fluids or other uses if discovered... or simply go into business for themselves selling those same fluids and performing questionable acts to ensure the silence of any who might learn the truth. And that's not to tell what kind of things they might happen accidentally if the spells ever malfunctioned, since in some cases even the smallest whiff of their pheromones might make someone much more suggestible to them without them even being aware they were doing it."

A mixture of emotions roils through you as you try to process the various potential implications both from what the Professor has said and what you remember happening between Artie and Professor Dove in your dream memories. "So they could be victim or aggressor."

"As is true of most of us 'higher' beings in any situation," Hobbins replies before giving you a more thoughtful look, "It's funny. Professor Aspecta came by recently asking me about if we had stores of Imp essences or if any students had summoned one this semester. Something about a potion that had such fluids as an ingredient. Now you're saying you may have spotted an Imp on campus. This wouldn't happen be related to that, would it?"

"I... don't know," is all you can honestly say, "Maybe. Probably."

Hobbins nods once more. "Very well. Since neither of us can really prove anything at this point, I'll let it drop there for now. I'd rather not start an ugly Imp Hunt with no real physical evidence. But if you happen to see it again or find any such evidence to confirm, inform a teacher IMMEDIATELY. As I said, it would be as much for the Imp's safety as well as the other students to make sure it was contained as quietly as possible."

"Thank you for your time, Professor," you say as you stand up and leave.

Your frustration boils over as you round the corner and you punch the wall, the sting of pain against your knuckles and Tara's concerned cuddling as she senses your distress driving back some of the emotional surge. There are still too many questions about this situation and this talk has somehow raised even more. You are still unsure who was in control of that situation between Dove and Artie, and given what Hobbins said about an Imp's potency, even accidentally, is it possible Selena might be under Artie's influence too? She did show you the time she was close-by when he returned to his true nature, after all. Was even that still close enough?

To top it all off, you still have your agreed upon now regular meet-up with Harmony tonight that you should prepare for... unless you decide to blow it off and go on an Artie hunt right now. But what would you even say when you found him? And what might happen if he WAS the one in control of things and made some kind of move against you? Maybe it might be better to give that issue some thought time before taking action... but you would need to take some kind of action for tonight.