Throwing out the cards (Bardic College, 27th Chyril, MT)

[Reinhard]

When he first came to this city, Reinhard had expected to get away for a few months. Keep low, wait until the Roque troubles ended, and perhaps make a few coins. At best, he thought he could end up staying, perhaps enrolling in a few classes to study this magic craft.

What he did not expect was to find a book on mindcrafting and to discover his own talents. That was okay - he could deal with that - but then to come across a bizarre set of circumstances that would result in the death, undeath, then re-death of a young girl - he couldn't deal with that.

Which was why, on this bright morning, the young thief was about to lay all his cards on the table. Master Medinus knew all about mindcrafting, and he was determined to extract the information from him - even if he had to risk his own life in the process.

With the promised skin of wine in his hand, Reinhard entered the Bardic College, giving a nod to Morgan. Only a few days had passed since he had been a new student at the College, seeking lessons in literacy in his eagerness to read the mindcrafting book. He had thought magic would be a simple thing to learn; challenging, slow, but simple.

But everything had changed when the girl had died. What was her name? Reinhard no longer wanted to remember. Caution was thrown to the wind; he had to act quickly, before someone else got hurt. That someone being him.

With the strongest skin of wine he could find, Reinhard headed straight for Medinus' room.

[Danomel]

The door to Medinus room was standing open. Medinus himself was seated in a chair against one wall with a large open book in his lap. However, his eyes were closed, and his index fingers pressing on either side of his nose bridge, as he muttered to himself. After a flicker, his eyes opened, and he flipped to a bookmarked page and examined it with a slight sigh. “Memory always seems the second thing to go.”

Turning his attention to Reinhard, then to the skin in his hand, a slight smile touches his lips. “Maybe the day will not be a total lose.” Closing the book and tossing it on the desk, he rummages around for a couple of glasses. “So what brings you around this fine day? Surely you seek a favor, and who knows. I may be in the mood to grant it.”

[Reinhard]

Reinhard grinned.

"Morning there, Master Medinus. Recovered well from the drinking? I have to say, it's been a while since I've blacked out."

He held out the skin of wine.

"As promised, here's your prize for the contest." He wasn't much of an alcohol conniseur, but the young thief had spent some time and coins in buying the wine.

Reinhard had also thought over his stories carefully, and decided to go with the interested scholar angle. He was just a young scholar with a keen interest in the more fringe academic studies, particularly in magic and mindcrafting. If the wine didn't loosen Medinus' tongue, then he would have to weave a much more elaborate story...

"I do admit to having ulterior motives for this visit. An academic interest, really. But some of the subject matter is a tad...controversial. It would be best if we discuss in private."

"Would your office be a suitable place?"

[Danomel]

“I don’t see why, just close the door. No one will bother us.” Medinus replied.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Medinus muttered something indecipherable under his breath. Glancing at Reinhard, he said with a slightly mischievous smile; “and I have other protections in this room against snooping. I need my privacy after all.”

Pouring some of the wine, Medinus sits down in the chair again, book set aside and temporarily forgotten. “So tell me about your ulterior motives, and I do hope it is something interesting.”

[Reinhard]

Reinhard closed the door behind him, taking a seat.

Oh, it will be very interesting, Medinus. So interesting I might find myself before the gallows.

"I think it's best that I demonstrate," Reinhard said quietly. He looked around the room for a light object - a sheath of papers, a quill, a bottle - before closing his eyes.

He followed the same process as before, when he had made that knife move. Picturing the object in his mind, examining its features, then allowing his mind to relax, letting go of his senses. A difficult task; he was a thief, and his senses were all he had. But nonetheless, he tried anyway, standing up against a wall to give him a sense of security, to allow himself to relax and not worry.

As before, he waited until his mind was clear, before releasing a sudden surge of emotion - fear, panic, memories of his childhood - and focusing all that energy into the object, the desire to smash it, destroy it before it destroyed him!

[Danomel]

There was a discarded sheet of paper on the floor that caught Reinhards attention.

As he focused, the paper began to move slightly off the floor as it also began to crumple. Reinhard felt something like a surge pass through his body as the paper suddenly collapsed into a tight ball and then seemed to silently explode into confetti.

Something about this time seemed different. And Reinhard felt slightly drained after the exertion.

Medinus stared at the confetti floating in the air for several flickers. He muttered “Almost a total lack of control.”

Turning his attention to Reinhard, he commented, “You had best learn some control before you hurt yourself or someone else!”

[Reinhard]

Well, he hasn't reacted in a bad way yet. Perhaps there may still be hope...

Reinhard declined to mention that he might have already hurt - well, killed someone. Instead, he simply murmured, "Control over what? That's the problem. I still do not understand what is going on. It's only started a few weeks ago, and it's becoming more and more visible. I'm not even sure what I'm doing, or how, or why."

He took a breath, cutting himself off.

"But I've heard rumours in the taverns at night, when folks have had too much to drink. I've heard you know what's going on."

He already knew what was going on - the stolen mindcrafting book was quite detailed. But he wanted Medinus to say it, to confirm it. He wanted to know it was real, and not a figment of his imagination.

[Danomel]

Medinus started hard at Reinhard for several flickers. He had gone serious, all traces of humor fading from his face.

“So, just assuming for the moment that the rumors have some vague hypothetical basis in some obscure fact… Let us cut to the chase. Hypothetically, what might you be proposing, and how might I benefit from it?”

There was now a cold edge to Medinus’s voice. The hairs on the back of Reinhard’s neck were standing.

Reinhard felt suddenly that how he answered would be very important to his immediate future.

[Reinhard]

Reinhard paused, considering his response. He'd always expected it - the "What's in it for me?" attitude was one he was used to, and lived his life by - but even then, he found it difficult to come up with an answer.

More interestingly, he found Medinus' sudden cold edge an odd contrast with his usual jovialness. He wondered what was going on; if he had gone too deep.

"To be honest...I really don't know. I just wanted to find out what was going on, have someone confirm."

He paused again.

"I don't have a lot of money to offer, but perhaps we could work together...somehow. Mindcrafting isn't something that's common. Perhaps you could propose something. I just want to find out what's going on, to learn."

[Danomel]

Medinus leaned back and took a sip from his drink. He seemed to be lost in thought for several flickers. When he again spoke, the cold edge was gone from his voice, though he was still very serious.

“Changes are in the wind, so to speak. The bones have rolled and their meaning is somewhat muddy. A new Avatar will be rising soon. And it will not be a pleasant time for any of us. The powers that be at the Basilica are fracturing as we speak. And there are other signs and portents. Strangers are moving among us.”

At this point Medinus holds up his glass and stares through the wine in it at Reinhard. “But then you have already been approached have you not? Be warned, their coin carries their taint.”

“You ask what I want?” Medinus stared hard at Reinhard. “I want allies I can trust through the turbulent times ahead. Do you know anything of loyalty?”

[Reinhard]

OOC: Sorry I've taken so long. Had to go interstate and couldn't get reliable access to a computer.

IC:
Reinhard nodded slowly. "Yes. I will promise to support you in every way, for as long as I work and study with you."

The thief turned away, looking at the bookcase.

"I'm not much for reliability, though. If things become too dangerous, I am prone to packing my bags and fleeing. I've already done so from one place."

"But for what it is worth, I can promise never to betray your trust. Every lesson you impart to me, I will put to use in aiding you. What I will not do, I will tell you frankly, so that you will not be surprised in an unpleasant way."

[Danomel]

Medinus studies Reinhard for a flicker. “Well there is something to be said for honesty. Very well then, do you know Writglos Corollary? That every problem has more than one solution?”

Medinus slumps a bit. “Tell me what you think you know about what you can do. Then I will be in a better position to advise you.”

[Reinhard]

"I don't know the man, but I know of the concept," Reinhard replied.

"As for myself, I'm not too sure what I can do. I've managed to move objects - but they always seem to move a bit too much, y'know? I tried brushing a fork a little across the table, and it flies across the room and embeds itself into the wall. And there's the paper - you've seen that. And I can sense light emotions."

He declined to mention the girl's death.

"I know enough to understand it's mindcrafting. But I'm hoping to get some control over what I can do. Over how I can do it. So far, it's been unpredictable, and I can't control the result."

[Danomel]

“Very well then.” Medinus states. “The place we need to start is control. This involves two aspects, calling up the power on demand and controlling it. Neither of these will come quickly. Too many people get discouraged at the slow progress so I am telling you up front, it takes time!”

I am going to instruct you in two mental exercises or techniques if you will. The first involves focus, and the second control. These you must master before we even consider technique.” Medinus considers Reinhard for a moment. “It will only take a few burn to teach you the techniques, but you will need to spend several marks a day practicing them. Are you ready to begin?”