Lydia appreciates that! Gren knows how to treat a lady, unlike some people.

Scott returns to the front of the office.

"He's here. Just parked outside."

Gren walks over and introduces herself politely. Still in the rather eye-catching uniform, so it should be reasonably obvious who she is anyway.

The doctor welcomes her to his office, of course.

"Scott has told me a little about you."

"You were looking for a more complete explanation of what kind of magic our world has?"

"Yes. The idea was that, since I can copy my world's sort of magic, I might be able to do the same here and put it to some useful end. I can't feel the barrier here, though, so that's unpromising."

"Does your copying magic normally restrict itself to people? The power of mountain ash comes from the tree and its crushed forms, not from its users, though intent is involved in creating a true barrier."

"It's imperfect in either case, but I can usually feel and copy both personal and non-personal magic from my homeland. I can't feel the ash barrier at all."

"I assume you've tried feeling out the kanima's magic, and possibly Scott's, since you were so abruptly dropped into a tense situation."

"The overall impression was 'big, tangled, confused mess'. I could probably pull out one or two features, strength or senses, given a few hours to stare at one."

"There are a lot of things I don't like to advertise to the general public, and one of them is my past with the supernatural. This town has been quiet for nearly a decade, and I didn't want to stir the pot. That's less of a concern every day, and you don't seem like the type to broadcast personal business, so I'll stick to the professional. The type of magic native to our world was used by figures we refer to historically as 'druids'. The actual facts are complicated, but what matters to you is that werewolves, kanimas, and most creatures out there, are their doing. Our doing, though I am not nearly old enough to take credit or blame for that."

"You've never been very specific about why you know so much. What happened that made you stop being a druid?"

"One does not stop being a druid. The responsibility I took on is still waiting. Helping you and your friends is just a perk of the job."

"So druids are the source of all magic here, more or less?"

"Nearly all modern magic is the result of druids, though most current druids didn't contribute at all to the current system. There are a few exceptions, but I've mostly heard rumors. Kitsunes, I believe, are somewhat independent, and there are other creatures that, if they exist, can't be explained as part of this system."

"I'm not really feeling any active magic off of you, either. It's a sort of synesthesia, but now that I'm thinking about it I'm not sure I'm not just making myself think I see it."

"Quite likely. The magic I use comes from plants, stones, and other natural forces, not from anything permanently attached to me. Werewolves and wendigos, meanwhile, have ongoing effects from long-dead druids."

"Hm." She summarizes her abilities, including the most frequently-used copied magics: Elemental manipulation and various violent attacks, 'hard light', various kinds of tracking and telekinesis, whisper spell, teleporting small objects short distances, guiding projectiles, invisibility and a don't-pay-attention-to-me thing, telekinesis, a very crude and awkward empathy, and a similarly crude and awkward healing effect. "Any of that sound handy for anything around here?"

"The best place for you might be convincing neighboring packs to treat with Beacon Hills. I'll have to gather a local pack sooner than I planned, though."

"I am not a diplomat. I'm not trained for it, I'm not temperamentally inclined for it. If it's really the best option, I appreciate bringing it up, but keep that in mind. And if you still think that's the best option, I need someone to arrange some kind of pay or reward, I can't just live on charity forever."

"They won't respond to anything as gentle as diplomacy, but point taken. Beacon Hills, unlike other towns, might look aside if you were interested in using your abilities to rescue people. Evacuating buildings, averting more predictable crises, and possibly helping me figure out how deal with the mess that's been made of supernatural creatures by my predecessors. Pay would be unofficially for your work as a witch; officially you'd have to be employed by me, at the clinic."

Lydia leans against a wall, looking around the room.

"Grendyne the witch, veterinarian's assistant. That's a new one. No long-term contract, right? Even though I can't reasonably attempt to return to my post, I'm not supposed to sign contracts obliging me to anything until my enlistment's up."

"No, no. I'll handle the pay, you handle the helping people. Your magic that hides you from awareness, do you think you could use that to steal books? Hunters tend to collect bestiaries and written lore more easily than druids, since they kill those who own them more often than we do. I can't see why that knowledge should be hoarded."