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Maurabel ignores her classmates, by and large. She most especially ignores them when she is on the path that leads to the elemental barracks, because on those occasions they are more likely than usual to laugh at her.
She has considered their arguments, insofar as they have any, and they're nonsense, so now she ignores them. As best she can, anyway.
The amulet-minder knows her, too, and doesn't stop her on her way in to ask what element she wants the way he would anyone else. She'll take an amulet on the way out, probably. (Usually.)
She lets herself in and starts scanning the population. She saw two Shadows out flying on her way in, which means unless nobody else has one checked out, the selection's going to be pretty thin. She can use another element if she needs to, though. She doesn't need to do dark scrying specifically for this project - in fact, she could work entirely out of her personal affinities, if they wouldn't give her the time of day - dark scrying just interests her and she doesn't have enough of her own Shadow affinity to pull it off alone.
She counts Shadows, assessing how much time it's going to cost her to get the willing help of whichever feels like working "cheapest" today - and she sees an unfamiliar face.
A nearby Water leans in the new Shadow's direction. Maurabel stands back politely, hands clasped behind her, and lets her talk to him.
"That's the weird one I told you about," Water whispers to Shadow. "The one who makes it all - transactional, has all these fussy rules for herself."
When Water appears to be done talking to Shadow, Maurabel takes a couple of steps forward.
"Hello, Shadow," she says gently. "I'm Maurabel. Looks like you're new. I'll leave you alone if you want me to but I would like to talk to you. Do you prefer to just be called Shadow and told apart from the others with your university checkout number, or do you have a name you like?"
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"Just based on how it usually seems to go. Maybe you're even more introverted than I am." She shrugs, and heads down the stairs.
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It is again his prerogative to set the conversation/not-conversation option for the duration of the six minute walk.
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Maurabel again clears the amulet (though this is unnecessary, she does it as a reflex) and hands it back to the minder behind the desk. She looks at the clock again, writes down the time, and says, "Forty-two minutes, but I round up to the nearest fifteen, so forty-five. Thank you, Shadow."
"You're weird," the amulet-minder tells Maurabel, putting Shadow's amulet back on the rack.
"I have been informed." Maurabel waves at Shadow and turns to go.
"You're weird," the amulet-minder tells Maurabel, putting Shadow's amulet back on the rack.
"I have been informed." Maurabel waves at Shadow and turns to go.
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"Goodbye," Shadow says softly.
He goes back into the room with all the other elementals.
He goes back into the room with all the other elementals.
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The next time Maurabel visits the elemental barracks is four days later. She is looking for Earths, but among the Earths she has a favorite; she'll pretty much just check in with him and collect his amulet without being more than loosely available for the others to make requests of, if he's there.
She waves at Shadow on the way in.
She waves at Shadow on the way in.
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That's fine.
Maurabel aggressively destroys social expectations of elementals that appear in her brain. It's so far beyond appropriate to judge anything they do on that scale, considering. She might have different assessments of a wild one.
She looks for her favorite Earth. Is that him in the back?
Maurabel aggressively destroys social expectations of elementals that appear in her brain. It's so far beyond appropriate to judge anything they do on that scale, considering. She might have different assessments of a wild one.
She looks for her favorite Earth. Is that him in the back?
It is! He's wearing his halo how he usually does, as a symmetrical pattern of broad-leafed vines wrapped snugly around him, and talking to the Lightning who is inexplicably his best friend. When she looks their way, Earth glances at her and offers his usual friendly smile, and Lightning's halo sparks aggressively.
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Maurabel approaches closer once she has the smile; otherwise she might have waited. "Morning," she says, glancing at Lightning to acknowledge him but primarily addressing Earth.
"Good morning," Earth says pleasantly. Lightning sighs. Earth pats him on the shoulder; sparks dance harmlessly over his fingers.
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"I was hoping to make a dent in this semester's volunteer hours and still don't have a more interesting idea than going to the hospital. You up for it?"
"Of course," says Earth, smiling. He gives Lightning a hug, effectively forestalling an incipient pout.
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"Five hours, tops," Maurabel tells the both of them. "Unless there's a quake or something, then they might want to keep us longer and I'd have a good excuse for the wards teacher, but it's not likely."
"All right," Earth says agreeably. Lightning turns to hug him back, and for a moment they both disappear in the eye-smarting white-violet glow of Lightning's wings; then Earth gets up to follow Maurabel out.
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Maurabel squints when Lightning wraps up his friend in his wings like that, then heads out. She waves at the ones she knows especially well who happen to be around (a Shine, an Ice) and again to Shadow on the way to the amulets, where she reminds the minder of which Earth this is (fifty-four) and receives his amulet. On to the hospital.
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"Yes. He helped me with my scrying project, I owe him forty-five minutes but he hasn't thought of anything yet. Why?"
"Hmm... I think he's had some bad experiences," says Earth. "More than the rest of us, I mean. He gives that impression. I thought that might be the kind of thing you'd want to know."
"I'm not sure either, specifically. But the sense I get is that he's... afraid to say the wrong thing, maybe. Something of that nature."
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"Yeah. I'm not - I'm never sure how to deal with anything like that. I can talk about what I'm trying to do till the stars turn all the way around, and nobody has to believe me. These things only prohibit lying in the one direction." She gestures at his own amulet where it rests at her throat.
Earth smiles slightly. "I know. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful. You're doing a good thing; I wish more people recognized that."
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Maurabel makes a face. "I feel like identifying what I'm doing as a good thing is sort of like calling somebody tall if they've never been in a room with a high enough ceiling to actually stand up. And have refrained from sledgehammering said ceiling for fear of disturbing the upstairs neighbors. Insert sound of metaphor cracking under strain."