Felicity peers over the edge of her book, scanning the tavern patrons and sipping a glass of too-warm, sub-par red she braved to order against her better judgment. She grimaces at another sip of the metallic taste of the dark wine. This paltry offering is the best this tavern had available? Felicity steels herself with a deep breath and throws the glass back, wincing through the burn of the last few drops hitting her tongue. At least it was cheap for how strong it was. And though a poor excuse for wine, the buzz has loosened the social cogs and unwound some tension in this overly stimulating environment. A part of her aches to be back at the archive looking over the new shipment of books that had arrived while she was on the road, but something about that man in the violet hat sparked a new, exciting curiosity. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the low light and earth tones of the archive, a refreshing sight among the comfort of the drab and stale bookshelves.
She purposefully tucks her hair to show off a pointed ear. Surely people don’t actually come to these places often, right? It stinks of sweat, it’s too loud, and there isn’t much in the way of food or drink. Of all the places that they could have met, why did that man want to meet in this rundown, backwater tavern of all places? Felicity orders a glass of sweet wine and turns her attention back to the book. Spell theory had always fascinated her, and this was a particularly riveting take about the way some magic users throughout history had been able to completely alter existing spell structures and sigils to modify or even create new outcomes. Felicity finds herself having to reread some lines over, unable to fully concentrate on anything other than why that man seemed to take an interest in her. She was just an archivist. He must know that she is a more-than-capable wizard, though not a practicing one. Or was it just dumb luck that she was in the right place at the right time and she wasn’t actually special in any way?
No, that was the shadow talking. He hadn’t visited in a while, but she was getting better at telling the difference between her own thought and the things he would say to her.
Felicity’s days were down to a routine. Up with the sun to get the most time out of the day, a cup of homemade coffee because nobody else could do it right, gathering up the books that she had borrowed and finished the day before, heading back to the archive to start work, returning books to shelves and cataloguing any new arrivals, and heading home to read the new books she picked up. It was a routine that she had perfected in the past few years, and she loved it. She was still living at home when she was offered the position as a research assistant here at the archive, and it was the culmination of all her hard work in school. She finally got to leave home behind and start fresh at a place that actually saw and cared about her abilities as a resource and not just a hassle. Not to mention that the archive was a treasure trove. And if her research brought her near the more restricted sections, leagues better than the rinky dink library of her hometown, then she was just looking into placing a new book that had just arrived.
As it was every morning, Felicity dropped her books off at the front desk, and headed upstairs to the restricted sections to pick up a few books referenced in another collection of essays on the theory of magic. A section in the collection she read last night mentioned a few scholars that were noteworthy in the realm of evocation magic. Felicity had found in her childhood that she was particularly skilled in evocation, and it may benefit her to practice and pick up as many tips and tricks as she can between major projects here at the archive. She picked up what books were available in the collection here, and made a note to request that the archive track down a few others that were mentioned. Felicity laid out her carefully organized spread on one of the tables down in the main reading area of the archive. It always helped concentration to have some background noise while researching.
Hours passed with Felicity pouring over texts and essays, taking notes in her own personal spellbook. While reading a particularly interesting paper about harnessing electricity through magical means, Felicity focus was shattered by someone tapping her shoulder. Her train of thought screeched to a halt, and she scrambled for a second trying to relocate the idea that was just beginning to form in her mind. But just like that, it was gone. Felicity rolled her eyes and turned sharply to this intruder, “Can I help you?”
“Wow, Felicity. Someone didn’t have their third cup of coffee this morning, huh?” Criselda joked as she placed a fresh cup of coffee. It was in the exact spot Felicity would place it in her carefully organized spread on the table. Felicity appreciated that. Criselda always seemed to pick up on all her little intricacies.
“Yes - sorry, I was just lost in my own thoughts,” Felicity said as she sipped from the warm mug. Black with a hint of cinnamon. It was perfect. “Thanks for this.”
“Don’t mention it,” Criselda said as she took a seat on the other side of the table, “Have you figured anything out? You seemed pretty excited when you left last night.”
“If you count falling down even more rabbit holes as figuring something out, then yes.” This made Criselda smile, which made Felicity smile. It was always a joy when those cute little dimples appeared on Criselda’s cheeks.
“Well, hopefully you can make some progress today. However,” Criselda hesitated, “some guy is trying to get into the restricted section upstairs, and well… we need your sparkling personality to take care of him.”
“Did you try? Did you try at all?”
“I did! I walked up and politely asked him to leave.”
“Yeah, that’s a really good try on your part and I so appreciate that.”
“He seems pretty determined that whatever he is looking for is in that section,” Criselda sighed, and Felicity just now noticed that Criselda could use a cup or two of coffee herself. She made a note to ask about that later.
“So, he’s upstairs? Cool. I’ll take care of it,” she said, standing up. “Watch the spread for me?”
“You got it,” Criselda said with a wink. Felicity pretends her heart didn’t skip a beat as she rushed towards the stairs.
Felicity and Criselda had immediately become friends. They were hired around the same time, were interested in complimentary fields of magic, and as the only two half-elves in the cohort they had similar experiences growing up. The friendship felt so easy, and Felicity was more than happy to have an actual friend for once. Someone that could share in her experience and learnings. It was all she had really wanted, growing up.
Now, climbing the top of the stairs towards the restricted section Felicity was pulled from her thoughts at the sight of this guy Criselda had talked about. His outfit is very loud, with fancier clothes than she was used to, and a violet half-cape with a matching cap. Felicity stopped at the top of the stairs just to watch. He was trying to pull open the door to the restricted section, then pacing back and forth looking through the bars. If he had bothered to look up at any time at the large sign that said this part of the archive was not open to the public, he could have just asked someone for help.
Felicity rolled her eyes as she approached, “Sir? Sir, I’m sorry. It’s clearly written that you can’t be up here and this is very much - This is not…” She took a deep breath, “I understand that we have a lot of interesting material here in the archive and honestly if it were me I would be all over it, too. So, again, I’m sorry but you can’t be up here. I need you to come back downstairs.”
The man turned around, clearly just now noticing Felicity, and asked, “How do I get in?”
“I -” Felicity fumbled for words, exasperated that he just completely ignored everything she just said. “I just… okay, no, this is good. I’ll take it from the top - “
“It’s locked. How do I get in?”
“Right, absolutely. So, it is locked for a reason, as most doors are that I’m sure you’ve encountered in your adult life.” Felicity physically felt her patience wearing thin, but this guy has got to go. “It is a locked door, and I do have a key. It’s a very valuable room, so we like to keep it locked so random strangers, such as yourself, don’t get in. I don’t know who you are, so why do you…” she trailed off, exasperated.
The man just stared at her, confused and a little stunned at being unexpectedly berated. Felicity backtracked slightly, “I shouldn’t even dare to bother, but I suppose I will. What are you looking for? Can I help you find something?”
“Is there somebody in there right now?”
Gods. This guy can’t even answer a simple question. “See, that’s not an answer to the question I’m asking. So, again, what are you looking for?”
“Well, I’m looking for a person.”
Felicity rolled her eyes. So, he doesn’t know.
“Well, you found one,” Felicity said flatly, before catching herself. Criselda always said to be as nice as possible, “Look, I’m not in the business of finding people. I can help you find books all day long. If you could describe the person, I suppose I could help. But there’s nobody in there. I locked it when I left the restricted section a few hours ago, and as far as I know there hasn’t been anyone in there since.”
The man’s posture deflates. He started to say something Felicity didn’t catch before changing course, “Listen, it’s hard to describe. It’s not really a physical thing.”
“Books are physical, and so are people. You are looking for something physical. I’m going to need some more information here.” Felicity was so glad at this moment that she had been working on self-control. “I’m sorry, if there’s something I can help you find, I would love to. There’s nothing in that room that’s of interest to you, I can tell you that much.”
The man looked back at the door, thinking for a moment before being startled by a short buzzing sound coming from the man’s pack.
“I’m sorry, what are you…” Felicity trailed off as she watched the man pull an object out of his pack. Instinctively, her hands twitch into the start of a quick cantrip.
The object was a dodecahedron roughly the size of the man’s palm. It was translucent, save for the very edges of the object that made the whole thing look somewhat like a cage. As he held the object, the pulsing buzz happened again, with the edges of the object closest to Felicity lighting up in time with the pulses.
The man looked up at Felicity, sizing her up. She did not appreciate that in the slightest. Had they not been wasting time for several minutes already? He meet her gaze, “Oh, okay. Well you actually might be who I’m looking for.” He dropped the object back into his pack, and pulled out a clear orb that turned a pale blue in the light. This other thing was covered in bands of platinum etched with divination runes. What was this thing? Who is this guy?
The man holds the orb out to Felicity. “Would you mind holding this for a second?”
“Do you understand what kind of situation this looks like?” Felicity said breathlessly. “I meet a stranger trying to break into my room at the archive, and now you’re handing me a wierd orb. What am I supposed to do with that?”
“I get it, but just take it. I can -”
“Oh, ‘just take it!’ So, if I take the orb -”
“I’ll leave.”
Without hesitation, Felicity closed the distance between her and this man and grabbed the orb. Anything to get this annoying man out of here. The orb almost instantly turned a deep blue, as if it suddenly transmuted into a sapphire. Whatever this was, it was absolutely fascinating. “What even is this?” she asked. “Tell me more about this.”
The man was fishing around in his pack again, but Felicity had to know know what was going on. Was this a sign? She grabbed his arm, insistently, “No no, what is this? I need to know more about this. What does this mean?”
The man yanked his arm away, stepping back to put some distance between the two, “Look, this isn’t the right place to talk about this. I can tell you more, but not here. I promise it’s for your own safety.” He pulled an envelope from his pack and held his hand out for the orb. An exchange. “Take this. Meet me there, and I can explain.”
Felicity reluctantly trades the orb back. She held the envelope in her hand like it was the most precious thing she had held in her life. What if she was being discovered? Was this finally the moment where she was recognized for her talents? She side eyed the man readjusting the strap on his pack, “Get out of my library.”
The man forced out a breathless laugh and gave Felicity a tilt of his hat before heading down the stairs. Felicity was transfixed on the envelope. What the fuck just happened? This guy just showed up out of the blue, looking for a person here in the archive? Not just any person, but her. He was looking for her. Even if he didn’t know it yet. And that blue orb… what was that?
A million questions buzzed through her mind as Felicity carefully opened the envelope with the letter opener she kept in her pocket. Inside was a similarly purple note, and in flowing gold script:
‘The 13th. Noon. Bars & Scales. Raykin.
But only if you’re looking for - ‘
Raykin. Where was Raykin? And the 13th was in just a few days. How was she supposed to get there?
In a daze, Felicity walked back downstairs to her table. She stared blankly at all the pages of notes and texts lying in an organized clutter on the table before her. The spark of curiosity had been snuffed out, replaced by a new violet spark of whatever was to come with this human who had found her. She picked up the book she was reading before Criselda came to fetch her to deal with that frustrating man upstairs.
Criselda. Where was Criselda? Felicity closed the book, and rested her elbows on the table with her face in her hands. She knew it was no use trying to get back into this study session, so she gathered everything to return to the shelves. After placing the final collection of essays back on the shelf, Felicity poured herself another cup of coffee. She would need it while she looked around the cartography section of the archive. She had to find Raykin.