Second-Class Magic

[Pseudosym]

It was shortly after the new year, and Seattle was finally getting some snow.

Figures in parkas slipped and slid their way across the white-dusted sidewalks. Some were on their way to work, determined to keep active, despite the weather. Some were students at the university, hurrying to their first classes of the semester.

And some were students... at the other university.

Two men moved through the crowds: Luke Lacroix, a slim man in his late twenties, and his advisor, Dan Briar. Both were bundled against the cold. Both, though you couldn't particularly tell to look at them, were wizards.

They were on their way to have coffee with Dr. Tristen Sterling. Luke knew the name from academic papers he'd read for his own thesis. The thought of meeting the man in person was giving him goosebumps. Briar, an old friend of Sterling's, continued to assure his student that the two of them would get along fine.

"And you have no idea what he's working on?" Luke was saying to his advisor.

Briar shook his head. "I know as much as you do. He's been very secretive about his work, lately." He grinned at his student. "Maybe you can find out what he's up to. Rumors are running rampant among the faculty."

That struck Luke as odd. "If it's such a secret, why did he ask for an apprentice? What if I let something slip?"

"Oh, he didn't ask for an apprentice, per se," said Briar. He turned a corner and quickened his pace. "Whew, chilly today!"

"Wait, what do you mean, he didn't ask for an apprentice?" said Luke, hurrying to keep up. "What am I doing here, then?"

"I may have... suggested he take someone on," said Briar. "He's the only faculty member without an apprentice. People get suspicious, the rumors fly. And your thesis was the best match for his area of study."

Luke stared in surprise. "So, does he even know who I am?" he said. "Has he read my thesis? Does he know I'm coming?"

"Aha!" said Briar, stopping suddenly at a narrow alcove and ignoring the question completely. "We're here."

He stepped into the alcove, opened the red-painted door to a coffee shop, and ushered a stammering Luke inside.

[UnseelieRaven]

Tristen watched the snow falling from the café window as he carefully took a slip of the steaming cup of tea the barista had brought him. It was probably still a touch too hot to drink, but he needed the warmth after the chilly trek he’d undergone. Sighing, he unwound his scarf, tossing it on an empty chair, followed by his hat and gloves. Shaking out his auburn hair, letting it hang around his face tangling itself in a poor attempt to curl, his brown eyes scanned the crowd.

Dan had insisted that he meet him here, pulling him away from his study because he had someone he just had to meet. This had better not be an attempt to get him to date again. Dan’s taste and his did not line up at all.

When the mage saw Dan enter, ushering a startled young man ahead of him, he realized that no, it wasn’t about dating again. He had known that Dan wanted him to take on an apprentice, something he’d argued that he didn’t have time for, but he hadn’t thought the other mage would be pushy enough to drag so poor student to him.

“Daniel, have you even told that poor boy why you decided to drag him out in this weather?” He asked, arching an eyebrow at the pair.

[Pseudosym]

As they entered, Briar cast quickly around the café before homing in on his quarry. He pulled Luke toward a solitary man near the window. Luke tried to steady his breathing.

Dr. Sterling didn't look surprised to see them, which was an enormous relief. But he was clearly not overly enthused, either. Luke stifled a groan. What had his advisor gotten him into?

Briar, for his part, looked oblivious to any tension. "Yes, of course," he told his friend. "He's here about the apprenticeship." He smiled innocently. "Tristen, I'd like you to meet Lucas Lacroix."

"Luke," Luke said firmly. He could at least try to make the best of the situation. An apprenticeship was an apprenticeship... and Dr. Sterling was someone whose work he admired. He tried to summon professionalism and confidence. He put out a hand, clad in a fingerless wool glove. "It's an honor to meet you, sir."

"I think the two of you will make a great pair," said Briar. He turned to Luke. "How do you take your coffee?" he asked, quickly adding, "It's on me," and all but pushing Luke into a vacant seat as the young man started to follow him. "Least I can do. Be just a minute."

As Briar headed for the counter, Luke didn't miss the look he gave Dr. Sterling. It was a pointed, this is for your own good look.

When he'd gone, Luke grimaced helplessly at the professor. "I take it Miss Manners didn't tell you I was coming," he said. "Sorry about that. I am looking for an apprenticeship. I've read some of your papers."

All of them, actually, he thought, but the man didn't need to know that.

"I think our interests would align," he said instead. "My thesis was on the biology of magic, and really, when you dig deep into that, that's what really fascinates me. Like, what is it about natural-born mages that make them so different from anyone else? And if you could harness that, could you—" He stopped, suddenly feeling his voice was too loud, and remembering they were not necessarily surrounded by other wizards.

"Anyway," he continued, trying again to channel some semblance of professionalism, "I think we share some interests."

[UnseelieRaven]

Tristen shook Luke’s hand, rolling his eyes at Dan’s behavior. The man was far too pushy for his own good. “It’s nice to meet you as well. And no, he did not. You might as well take off your winter ware, Daniel isn’t likely to let you leave until he thinks we’ve spoken long enough.”

He wasn’t surprised to hear that Luke had read some of his papers, Dan would hardly bring him a student that didn’t know who he was. He did rise an eyebrow when the man started going on about his own thesis, it was clear that the topic excited him but the lack of subtly was something Luke would need to work on.

Something Tristen would need to correct if he did take him on as an apprentice.

The mage didn’t really want an apprentice. His work was barely this side of legal and he had no interest in taking on a potential spy for the council. Still, Dan did have a point about it being suspicious that he didn’t have one.

“You should email your thesis; I would be interested in reading it.”

[Pseudosym]

Luke glanced at the counter, where Briar was waiting for their drinks. He caught the advisor looking quickly away from their table and fixating on a spot by the window. Luke rolled his eyes.

"You're probably right," he sighed. He shrugged out of his coat, letting it drape over the back of his chair, and pulled off his hat and gloves. He adjusted the short, dark ponytail at the nape of his neck.

At the mention of emailing his thesis, he brightened. "Oh, sure!" He wished he'd thought to bring it along. Briar had made it sound like this was a sure thing—Luke hadn't realized there would be an interview. I'm going to kill that man, he thought. "When I get back to my computer, I'll send it," he promised.

He hesitated a moment before plugging ahead. "So, what are you working on?"

[UnseelieRaven]

“I assume you don’t need my email?” Tristen asked, imagining that Luke could easily find it on the university’s website. He’d have to have Dan send him the young man’s grades if he was seriously about setting this apprenticeship up. He did have a point about his lack of a student being unusual. While it was true that he was known for being a loner, it was also rare for any mage at his level not to have at least one apprentice.

“I’m working on a number of projects at the moment.” Tristen hedged, “I’m sure you know that the university has me listed as a history professor so I need to keep up the appearances of that. I’ve been researching ancient branches of magic; mainly focusing on Egypt and Babylon at the moment.”

After Luke’s babbling about magical biology, he imagined the other wanted to pursue the hard sciences; Tristen’s focus in history might persuade Luke to look elsewhere for a mentor.

“What is your focus on study?” Tristen had mainly studied spell crafting and ritual magic.