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.

[deathsmajesty]

"At least with Wikipedia, it offers sources for most of their claims, so you have a place to start," Liliana said. "What are some of the things you've learned about thus far?"

[sairis]

"Electricity," Sairis said. "It's apparently both versatile and dangerous. And the history of the place we're in, Maryland. Which is apparently a state of a larger place, and has over six million people in it?" He'd checked that number several places, finding it hard to believe.

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh yes, electricity is one of the mainstays of the Izzet League," Liliana said. "They adore those two traits in conjunction. And yes, this is one of the most populous planes I've ever been on. This country has almost 350 million people within it, and the plane itself, eight billion."

[sairis]

"Eight billion?" Sairis couldn't even conceive of that many people in one place. "How do they live? How do they have enough food and water? Or do they just kill each other constantly?"

Sairis was not exactly an optimist.

[deathsmajesty]

"Not everyone does and there is a great deal of death," Liliana said. "They haven't anything like the Golgari Swarm to feed the poorer residents the way Ravnica does."

Which was Earth was the second most populous plane she'd ever been to. Pre-invasion Dominaria also would have had more, but she doubted even three hundred years of growth since the end of the war would have gotten their numbers to pre-war levels and that wasn't including everything else that had happened in Dominaria in that time.

"But it does put the state into a bit of perspective, does it not?" She waved in the vague direction of the Causeway. "The closest city has over half a million people in it alone."

[sairis]

"I can't even conceive of a city that big," Sairis said. "And with all that death around, how can they still distance themselves from it?"

This plane was so weird!

[deathsmajesty]

"Most planes I've been to manage to do so," Liliana said. "It's all tucked away in out of the way places where most people don't have to look, save the people involved in those places. So many people mean that the vast majority of things are done far away from the average person. Livestock are killed, dismembered, packaged, and sent to places all over the country, meaning that by the time people interact with it, it's clean, bloodless, and tidied. A person dies, they're taken away by professionals and their kin only see them again after they've been made as presentable as possible and then handled ceremonially--and some, not even then. Even their weapons make for distant death. They've cordoned off death from their lives near-entirely."

[sairis]

"I realize I'm biased," Sairis said wryly, "but I can't help but think that sounds wrong. Even if it obviously works for them."

He could admit it seemed functional, and still find it weird, right?

[deathsmajesty]

Of course!

She shrugged. "You're a necromancer, darling," she said with a laugh. "I'd find it odder if you didn't. Death is a part of life, and by attempting to excise it, they've made themselves ill-equipped to deal with its inevitability."

[sairis]

Sairis nodded. "Good. I was wondering if I were missing something."

[deathsmajesty]

"Watch them, they're obsessed with youth and fitness, an absolute frenzy of attempting to stave off the specter of death," Liliana said. "Though, of course, I'm talking about the more industrialized parts of this plane. There are likely great swathes that have a healthier relationship with death, I simply haven't seen them."

[sairis]

"I admit I've been reluctant to go see it," Sairis said. "One class put us in one of the cities, and it was overwhelming."

Also he was a homebody out of habit.

[deathsmajesty]

"As a warning, the school will be sponsoring a trip elsewhere sometime in the next few months," Liliana said. "Which may also involve being in a city. You can stay here if you'd like, but you will be passing up what will likely be a lovely vacation."

[sairis]

"I'll go," Sairis said. "I'm curious about it. But I might need to take cities a little at a time."

[deathsmajesty]

"Well, once we find out where we're going this year, you'll at least get to know in advance whether it is a city or not," she said.

[sairis]

"True." Sairis nodded. "And I can research it on my phone, so it won't take me by surprise."

[deathsmajesty]

"Correct," Liliana said. "Now then, what else have you been up to?"

[sairis]

Sairis made a disgusted noise. "Not much. It seems there aren't any workrooms for students, so I haven't been able to do anything I can't do in my room. Though I did set up wards there. I doubt my roommate would appreciate a summoning circle in the middle of the floor, though."

[deathsmajesty]

"Does it have to be a permanent summoning circle?"

Still so weird he needed some kind of circle, but okay.

[sairis]

Well, he didn't need one, but it was much safer that way.

"It doesn't have to be, but if I make a temporary one, we'll be cleaning up a lot of salt."

[deathsmajesty]

"Would you?" Liliana asked. "Clean up all the salt?"

[sairis]

"Of course," Sairis said. "Otherwise it would just get everywhere." Nobody wanted salt in their bed, Liliana.

[deathsmajesty]

"Then use the store's back room," she said, gesturing to the door where the haunted armor entered and exited with tea supplies. She didn't trust you in one of her workrooms, obviously, but the store? Enh? "Though I come in even once and am inconvenienced or off-put by the state of the room, and we will have quite the problem."

She smiled at him. It was a truly lovely smile that held not an insignificant amount of threat.

[sairis]

That was a kind of smile Sairis was used to!

He bowed. "Thank you, Magus. I promise to treat it well. I could sell potions and charms here as well, if you like, and pay you a percentage of the profits."

[deathsmajesty]

"That works for me," she said. "I think the girl who claimed Wednesdays on the island is still here, even though she hasn't been by recently, so feel free to take any day but Monday or Wednesday for your sales and experiments."

[sairis]

Only one day? This place really was odd.

"Tuesdays, I suppose?" Sairis said. "Are there any types of charms you know people might want?" He still hadn't met that many people here.

[deathsmajesty]

"I truly don't," Liliana said, shaking her head. Then paused. "Privacy charms, perhaps? To keep the squirrels away? Charms to promote health." She looked out the window and grimaced. "Charms to keep warm?"

[sairis]

Sairis snorted. "I'll start with those. I've been using one myself, but it's hard to make much without the right materials. At least I've been able to keep my feet from freezing, but not much more."

He grimaced. "I should have saved parts of the horse before I let it go. Are there sources of bones I can use that won't bring villagers with torches or knights with swords to my door?"