“TALA!” Her younger brother sprinted out to greet her on the street, clearly having been watching for her planned arrival that morning.

He’s not so young anymore.

He was almost as tall as she was, placing in the taller range for the age… if she understood correctly.

-Yeah, your guess seems right… and now I have the stats. Yup. Good assumption.-

He wore a simple shirt and pants, not having gone to school that day. They were quite a bit nicer than the clothes that she had grown up wearing, and even nicer than the clothes her siblings had worn last time she’d visited. The family as a whole was coming up in the world.

-They are doing a brisk business with the Constructionists for the iron paint. That has given them the capital to take on some other contracts. It’s really kickstarted their business as a whole.-

How could you possibly know all this?

-Public record. Contracts over a certain size are public record to prevent price gouging, among other things.-

Huh.

It seemed that her siblings were much better off as a whole. Their new house was still across from a park, but given it was a purely residential area, the park was much more geared toward families, and the other houses were teeming with life to her threefold sight.

Osip reached her then, and the not-quite teen slammed into her for a hug. Instinctively, she stepped back with the impact to reduce it somewhat. Even so, he immediately grunted and pulled back with a wince. “Ow! What’re you made of?”

Tala gave a sheepish grin. “Well…” She coughed. “I still had my protections in place.”

-You mean you were wearing your armor as a symbolic defense against seeing your family?-

Hush you. She dismissed her armor and held out her arms to give her brother another hug.

He came in slower this time, but the hug wasn’t painful for him so when he pulled back he was smiling. “Thank you for coming.” He then looked to Terry who was seemingly asleep on her shoulder. “Hi, Terry! Good to see you too.”

Terry let out a chirping trill for a greeting but didn’t otherwise respond. He didn’t even open his eyes.

She smiled in turn, responding to her brother’s thanks, “Of course. You have a big decision ahead of you.”

He shook his head, eyes bright and smile broadening. “Nope! I’ve already made it. I’m going to be a Mage.”

“Oh… well. That’s decisive of you. I feel like I’m hardly necessary then.” She tried to tease, feeling suddenly a bit uncertain.

Osip shook his head vigorously. “Oh, no. I have so many questions,” he turned and looked at Rane before including the man in his injunction, “for both of you.”

Tala raised an eyebrow in curiosity, “Why haven’t you asked Master Leighis?”

Osip shrugged. “I have, but he’s been out of the Academy for a long time. Plus, he’s a healer. I want to be a fighter!”

Tala had a sinking feeling deep in her gut, that Terry somehow manifested perfectly in sonic form with a fluting whistling trill.

“Caln has taken me to a battle-watch restaurant a few times, and the fights there are AWESOME! I even get free food sometimes when your fights come up.”

She hesitated. “Oh?”

“Yeah! I just yell out something like, ‘There she is! There’s my sister!’ and usually some other table will offer to buy me a dessert or drink or something.”

Her eye began to twitch.

-Ah, the shamelessness of children.-

Indeed…

Rane cleared his throat. “You know, it’s not very kind to manipulate people for free food.”

Osip shrugged. “I never ask. Kind people just offer. But as I said, I have questions.” Thus opened the floodgates.

How were the dormitories laid out in the Academy?

Badly.

How did Mages-in-training choose what magic to pursue?

It depended on what called to them, personally, and how they understood it.

Is the food good?

Yes.

Is there enough food?

Yes.

Do they make the students run?

Surprisingly, yes. Students run more than they ever thought possible, and those who ended up with closer-engagement magics will look back on the running and wish there’d been more.

Does it hurt to get inscribed?

Yes, but it becomes like the pain of exercise, relatively mild for a very desirable result.

Where do clothes come from at the Academy?

Students buy them with school credits, earned by doing well in school and through chores.

Can’t people just bully other students for credits?

No. Any attempt to do so is among the more highly punished things at the Academy.

What are punishments?

Loss of credits.

If that doesn’t work?

Detentions and loss of other privileges.

If that doesn’t work?

Depending on the infractions and the student either whippings or expulsion. In extreme cases, execution would likely be considered, but it hadn’t happened—to Tala’s knowledge—in centuries, and that was only because the student in question was tormenting other students by doing things that should have killed them, over and over again.

But, how could they execute someone at the Academy?

They teleported him back to a city, where he was executed.

What is the best type of magic?

There is no best type, categorically. It is all in a Mage’s understanding and how they are able to use the power that they have.

The questions…

Just…

Kept…

Coming…

Rane was helping answer the questions, actually taking more and more of them, though he obviously couldn’t answer the questions about the Academy. In the end, Tala had to take those.

She did her best to appreciate the ability to help her brother, rather than begrudge the interrogation.

They were still nearly a half-block from the family’s new house. They had been standing there—at the side of the road—for almost half an hour, and yet no one else had come out.

Finally, Tala interjected. “Where is everyone else?”

Osip glanced back, then shrugged. “Working, school, waiting for you to come to them? I imagine most of the others will be by for lunch. That’s probably the best time to catch them.”

“Shouldn’t you be in school, too?”

“With my big sister coming into town? I skipped today.”

Tala sighed. She felt like she should reprimand him, but in the end, it was his choice. And with him going to the Academy, they’ll fill in any gaps in his education before he graduates. That decided, she turned the conversation back to the lunch meet-up with her other siblings, “Will Nea be there, do you think?”

“I doubt it. Nea is at her master’s house, and she doesn’t come home for meals. She can see us whenever she wants, but as I’m sure you know, apprentices are rather encouraged to spend as much time with their masters as possible.”

That caught Tala by surprise. “Master?” Then she frowned. “Right, didn’t she take an apprenticeship? That was in one of the messages.”

“Yeah. She’s becoming a glassmaker.” He smiled her way. “Come on; I’ll take you there while I ask more questions.”

With that, they turned and moved with Osip back down the street.

Rane cleared his throat and actually prompted the boy to continue, but his words were the real betrayal, “Hey, how about we focus on the Academy questions for right now?”

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Tala gave Rane a horrified look, barely peeking over her brother’s head up at the much taller man.

Osip didn’t notice the look, simply agreeing heartily, “Okay!”

What followed was ten minutes of nearly constant questions that only Tala could answer. By the time they arrived at the large glassworks, Tala was about ready to murder Rane.

He better have a really good reason for this little stunt. Even that modicum of allowance felt like too much of a concession, but it was also all that kept her from sending him a very strongly worded message in the moment, so… she didn’t try to get rid of that granted forbearance within her own mind.

When they arrived at the glassworks front entrance, Rane interjected, “Do you have anything else you want to ask about the Academy right now?”

Tala’s eye twitched. Okay. He’s going to be in so much pain later.

Osip seemed to consider, then he shrugged. “No, I think that’s it.”

Rane smiled. “Then how about you and I go to breakfast, and I can answer your other questions while Tala says hi to your other sister?”

…Oh. She felt her mind hitch, not fully understanding what was happening.

Osip only considered for a moment before asking the singular, critical question, “You’ll be paying?”

Rane chuckled. “Of course.”

“Then, let’s go! I’m starving.” Osip snatched Rane’s hand and led him away. He waved his other hand over his shoulder. “Nea is in there. We’ll meet you at the house later!”

-Rane just messaged that he’ll let you know when they’re heading that way, so you don’t have to go alone if you don’t wish to.-

Tala just stared as the boy led the man off toward what was likely to be a very expensive breakfast. Did he just…?

-Arrange to get you out of answering a host of questions without making you look bad? Yes, I do believe that he did.-

Who is that? Rane doesn’t have that social acumen.

Alat laughed within Tala’s head. -He puts his foot in his mouth, though not as much as he used to. He isn’t that socially adept. That’s true, but he was raised around—and he’s continued to be around—political people for his whole life. Even when he was in the wilderness, he was with Master Grediv, and that man seems to think of things a hundred steps in advance, at least when he’s not hung up on something.-

Tala grunted. Still, she couldn’t help but watch as they vanished around a corner. Even so, he’s grown.

-So it would seem.- Alat seemed to have something else that she wanted to add, but she held back.

Tala decided not to press the alternate interface. She shook her head—recentering her thoughts—before turning to regard the massive factory-like building behind her. “Well, this should be interesting if nothing else.”

She entered the obvious, customer-facing entrance, ignoring the large doors that seemed to be for deliveries either coming or going. As she pushed open the human-sized door, a little bell dinged as she entered.

Terry let out a little chirp that was nearly—but not quite—the same note as the little bell.

A receptionist sat behind the counter, and she looked up with a professional smile as Tala entered. “Greetings, Mistress. How can we assist you, today?

“Good morning. I am here to see my sister, if she is available.”

The young woman seemed to hitch slightly, stiffening and then seeming to shift in order to meet Tala’s gaze more fully. She then swallowed visibly. “Your sister, Mistress?”

“That’s right.” Terry trilled out in emphasis, his eyes now open as he regarded the receptionist critically. Tala ignored the avian and continued. “Nea? I believe that she’s a new apprentice here.”

The receptionist’s eyes had initially lit with recognition at the name, but then that light faded slightly. “New? Well… we do have an apprentice Nea here, but she’s been here for well more than a year.”

Tala blinked a few times. There’s no way it’s been that long…

-Yeah, Tala, it has. Nea turned thirteen two months ago. It’s been just about fourteen months since you’ve seen her.-

Huh… Tala only really hesitated for a moment before smiling in response to the receptionist. “Oh! Right, that should be her, then. Can you let her know that Tala is here to see her?”

The young woman looked slightly hesitant.

What’s the issue?

-Well… an apprentice is meant to be under the protection and auspices of their master. A Mage like you coming in and asking for her to be brought to you, could be seen as an attempt to take her away. There is that inherent danger, at least. Especially since it seems they weren’t aware of you. They likely paid some for her apprenticeship contract, but they’d still have to defer to you, if you demanded it.-

Oh… huh.

Finally, understanding what might be the issue, Tala added, “I would be grateful to meet her master as well, if he is available?”

That got yet another odd look, but the poor receptionist seemed to have decided that this whole situation was too important for her to make the final call. “One moment, Mistress. I will see what I can do.”

As she stood to leave, she hesitated once more.

“Can I get you anything while you wait?”

Tala almost asked for coffee, but with a flick of her awareness, she saw that Mistress Petra had quite a bit of the glorious drink already ready for her, waiting in her sanctum. “No, thank you.”

As she was left alone, Tala pulled a mug of coffee from a portal which had opened into her sanctum that altered its size to perfectly roll over the vessel as she pulled it forth. Thus, it would likely have looked like she simply pulled the drink from thin air… if anyone had been watching.

Well, Terry had been watching, and he let out an incredulous sound, looking her way with one avian eyebrow raised.

“What?”

He looked back and forth between her and the coffee, then squawked.

“Oh, you want something?”

He squawked with a sound that seemed to say that such was obvious.

Tala just chuckled and pulled a big hunk of mundane pork-belly from her sanctum and tossed it for him.

He flickered briefly and the entire thing—which had been nearly twice the size of her hand—vanished without even a whisper of sound.

Terry simply snuggled down on her shoulder, closing his eyes and falling back into quiet contentment.

Tala downed her coffee far, far too quickly, but then she just opened a portal just inside the mouth of the vessel, the other end opening at the bottom of the coffee carafe within her sanctum.

A moment later, her mug was filled, and she closed the portal, promising herself that she would drink slower this time.

She did not follow that promise.

Even so, the door opened once more before she could refill her mug again. So, she stuck the drinking vessel back into her sanctum as three women entered, leaving her hands empty.

One of the women was the receptionist, and she immediately returned to her desk, to work on her Archive slate.

Huh, I didn’t notice that before. They must be doing very well to be able to have one for their receptionist.

The second was obviously Nea, even if she looked quite a bit different than she had a year earlier. She stood straighter in addition to actually being a bit taller. Additionally, the girl had a bit of muscle, and Tala's threefold sight noticed heat-calluses and small scars from countless knicks on her hands and forearms.

The final woman looked to be in her mid-forties. She had similar calluses and scars, but hers seemed older—more set—than Nea’s.

Both Nea and the third woman wore heavy clothing, covered by leather aprons. The clothing seemed to be well designed for easy movement, and of cloth that could bear up to heat with reasonable ease. They both also had their hair tied up under headcloths. Their faces were slightly red, likely from hard work and heat exposure, and both had a thin layer of sweat and grime across their exposed skin.

It was the older woman who spoke first, bowing, “Mistress Tala. It is a pleasure to meet the sister of my apprentice.” Her eyes flicked toward the girl for a moment before she continued. “She never said her sister was such a… person of influence.”

Tala hesitated briefly before giving a smile in return. “It is good to meet you as well, craftsman…?”

The woman startled briefly before responding, “Oh, my apologies. I am Deani Toirlain.”

“It is good to meet you, madam Toirlain.” She then looked to Nea. “How are you doing, Nea?”

“I am well.” She looked a bit hesitant. Even so, her eyes flicked to Terry, and she smiled. “Good morning, Terry.”

Terry trilled softly without opening his eyes.

Nea then returned her gaze to Tala, “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

Tala shrugged. “I’m in town for Osip’s birthday, and thought it would be nice to check in on you.”

Nea frowned. “You aren’t here to force me to join him? To force me to go to the Academy?”

It was Tala’s turn to frown. “No? Why—by the stars—would I do such a thing?”

The young girl shrugged. “You’re a Mage, you clearly care what we choose.” She huffed a laugh. “It’s the only time we see you, when one of us is making the decision.”

Deani cleared her throat. “Would you like to take your sister for the morning? We can cover her duties, Mistress.”

Nea shook her head. “No, please.”

Her response clearly surprised her master, but the older woman didn’t press the issue.

Nea met Tala’s gaze. “I would love to talk—if that is what you would like—but this is my job, and I don’t want to leave it at the start of the workday. I like my job. I love what I’m learning, and I would appreciate being able to get back to it.”

Deani’s cheek twitched ever so slightly, but she didn’t seem to be interested in getting between the two of them at the moment.

Tala pulled back slightly. She’d been about to gratefully accept the master glassmaker’s offer, but clearly Nea didn’t want that. “Oh… alright. When do you want to chat?”

Nea looked to her master. “We will finish around sunset today?”

“That’s right.” The older woman smiled toward Nea. “We’ll be working into the dark from now on, but today, quitting time and sunset align well enough.”

Nea nodded, turning back to Tala. “Sunset? We can grab dinner?”

“Sure.” Tala smiled, feeling like she was back on safer ground.

Her sister’s mouth quirked up on one side. “I’ll be hungry.”

Tala felt herself smile broadly in return. “Me too. Pick where you want to go, and we’ll do that.”

“I’ll see you then, Tala.” Without another glance, Nea turned and went back into the workshop.

Deani bowed again. “Is there anything else that I can do for you, Mistress?”

“No, thank you for your time. I apologize if I disrupted things.”

“Not at all. Good day.”

“Good day.”

Without any more words needed, they each turned and exited the little reception room through opposite doors. Deani went back into the heat of the glassworks, and Tala stepped out into the growing warmth of the early autumn morning.

Well, that could have gone better…

-Could it have gone worse?-

I don’t actually know how. Well, she could have screamed at me, but that seems rather out of character for her.

-Indeed.-

Do I really come across as only caring about them with regard to their choice of whether or not to go to the Academy?

-We correspond with them about other things, but you do only show up for that…-

She grunted. She wasn’t exactly willing to add yet another thing to do to her list. She was just going to be so busy until the end of the waning. Until then, there were just too many important things to be about for her to come to Marliweather more often.

Maybe she could drop through more after that?

Yeah. That would be good. She mentally began planning to do just that. But… Alefast would finish waning in… nineteen years.

Oh…

-Yeah. That would do it. We’ll prioritize them, once they’re all in their late twenties and thirties. I can see them liking that idea quite well.-

Tala sighed. The sarcasm isn’t very helpful, Alat. She rubbed at her temples. Well, Rane got us the morning to ourselves. Let’s make the most of it. We can figure this out as we go.

Alat sent her assent, followed by an idea, -There’s a sweets shop just down the road.-

Lead on!