Infinite Consortium, Monday

[deathsmajesty]

It was always the luck of the draw when Lilian was unpacking crates. She might find anything from a priceless historical treasure to a hideous, indestructible doll with razor legs. Sometimes, she even found things relevant to her own history; usually items of Dominarian make that she recognized but every so often, things she specifically recognized. After all, kick around for a couple hundred years and visit dozens of planes and eventually the odds just fell in favor.

Very few earned such an immediate response as today's item, however. A mask. Not just any mask, but a mask meant to look like Griselbrand, one of the four demons with whom she'd made a deal with for the return of her youth, her immortality, and some measure of her old power in exchange for her battered and tarnished soul.

One of the two that she had already killed in order to get said battered and tarnished soul back.

Unearthing it from the packing material, Liliana wasn't sure whether to laugh or to gloat. Griselbrand was dead and she was gloriously alive, after all.

But receiving such an idem was quite the unexpected happenstance...even moreso when one considered that the dragon that had sent her here was the very same dragon that had brokered the demonic deal she was still benefitting from.

A coincidence? A gift? A threat?

Liliana couldn't tell.

Comments

[sairis]

Was it necessary for Sairis to visit his mentor every week to check in? He had no idea. But look, he was used to living with his mentor, so this was already a lot more hands-off than he was used to.

"Good afternoon, Magus Liliana."

[deathsmajesty]

"Hmm?" Liliana had been lost in her own thoughts and so it wasn't until Sairis had nearly finished his greeting that she was really aware that he was there. "Ah. Good afternoon, Sairis," she said, setting down the mask. She couldn't help but wipe her palms on her gown afterwards, too. The mask itself was fine, just everything surrounding it felt...well, never mind. Unimportant, especially with her advisee present.

"And how are you doing today, darling? Starting to find your way?"

[sairis]

"A little, yes," Sairis said. "One of the other students showed me how to use my phone effectively, and I've been looking up information about electricity. I tried some modern history, too," largely because his roommate had been talking about it, "but it made no sense."

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana gestured to him to come sit, wordlessly conveying an invitation for tea. "Made no sense in what way?" she asked. "In that people are generally nonsensical? Or that you didn't understand what you were reading?"

[sairis]

Sairis huffed in amusement. "I meant that I know nothing about this world, and everything I read meant I had to look up something else, then something else from that, and it took me hours to get through a paragraph. But also a bit of that first one, I think."

[deathsmajesty]

"There is a website, Wikipedia, that operates on those principles," Liliana offered, "if you haven't heard of it yet. Though it might be too much of a good thing. But as you read, it gives links to new names and concepts, meaning that you can immediately look up something if you require further context. It does not make getting through the paragraph much easier, however." She chuckled at that, and, still smiling, added, "I'll let you get a better handle on the material itself before I begin interrogating you on sources and subjectivity."

He would be forgiven for assuming that the smile meant she was joking.

[sairis]

Oh, he was absolutely taking it seriously; it seemed safer.

"I've found Wikipedia," he said with a nod. "It does make finding the basic information easier, but Arden also warned me the internet is often wrong, so I've been looking up everything I don't understand on at least three other sources whenever possible. Of course, that doesn't take into account things I think I understand that later turn out to be wrong. And I'm sure there are some of those I haven't found yet, too."

He liked learning new things, at least. And since he still didn't have a workroom, this kept him occupied. But it was a bit overwhelming.