Story of the Year

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Dez sat at the front desk, chin in his hands as he let out a sigh. The library was silent, a few whispered conversations barely audible in the background. Here he was, surrounding by an ocean of knowledge. Stories of adventure. Of romance. Of heroes, legends, villains, both real and fictional. Of forbidden love, succeeding against all odds. And... here he was... sitting... alone... amongst all of it, not doing anything with his own life besides decaying. 

    What did he want with his life? That was the question that always popped up. Dez knew he wanted some sort of romance. Or... some sort of adventure. Something to release him from the stagnation. It didn't have to be a world spanning epic, hell, anything was an adventure if you looked at it in the right light. The boy just wanted... something... anything that would give him a kick in the pants, a point in the right direction. To show him where he should go. Where the boy wanted to go. There was so much pressure from everyone around him to do something, to be something, that it made him scared to do anything at all. How could the poor boy live up to such immense pressure? 

    "You're the strongest out of all of us, Dez." Pff, yeah right. "You can be a hero like no other." Sure, like that's not totally bullshit. Dez sighed, trying to forget about the weight everyone kept dumping on him, at least for a moment. At least the blue-haired boy had his job he could focus on. The young Amari might not have had the most noble and spectacular job out of his lineage, but... I mean... at least the blue-haired boy was good at it? Chatting with his patrons, helping them out, offering books they might have liked. Even if it was small and practically meaningless, some of the smiles he got was genuine.

    And you know... that felt pretty good. 

    At the end of the boy's schedule, as always the young mage left and went towards the same spot. Positioned underneath a tree in a quiet park. Far enough from the main path that the young man wouldn't be bothered by many, but not so isolated that no one could find him. There, he pulled out a small sketchbook and flipped it open. This one was new. Fresh pages, fresh drawing materials. 

    Dez sighed and started scribbling a bit. Sure, the boy's art wasn't impressive, but it was just for himself anyways. A little outlet for all the young man's dreams. As Dez drew, a story started to unravel. He was a bookworm. Always reading some romance or adventure novel, dreaming of doing something like that himself. The boy wondered if he could be a writer too. If he could weave his own stories that others would love. 

    Though he hadn't exactly had much experience with anything. Could he really pull off a compelling story without knowing the essentials himself? The boy'd never had an adventure, the most adversity he'd had was the pressure from his sister and family, and there was no sign of romance in his life to be found. 
    
    Even if he couldn't, though. He wanted to make a story like that. More than that, he wanted to use the drawings he made to add to it. A picture novel of sorts. Hell, maybe even just a comic book at this point. Just some way to tie in visual elements with dialogue and other story pieces. I know exactly what I'd write, too. He thought to himself as he started  scribbling on the page. It would be a grand epic about warriors on a journey to explore their purpose in a world that no longer wanted or needed them. A party of misfits once hailed as heroes. Wondering what it is that they're even needed for, now that the world was saved and their goal was achieved. 

    It'd be the story of the year. With darker themes, maybe touching on how many heroes are always lauded and praised, statues erected for them and what not, but in the end the only things that people really remember of them were the stories of their deeds, not always how they lived their lives afterwards. He'd read many stories like that, real historical documents about warriors who didn't even have names that anyone remembered. All of them lost to time, save for titles that were given to them at the time. What about the families they had made, or the ones they'd saved? A lot of the legendary heroes had comprehensive backstories like that, but none of those types of warriors. Even if they'd saved thousands or won critical battles. It was tragic.    

    Dez let his mind wander as he drew on the pages, picture of knights and warriors slowly changing to those of princesses and fair maidens. It wasn't really as conscious a choice, his mind wandering past its predetermined boundaries. The young man imagined himself with a cute girl. What would he say to her? Would she like him? The young Amari was known for being calm and cool-headed, so maybe he would be a suave, levelheaded man? He could be whisk a girl off her feet, shrouded in an air of mystery. 

    A goofy daydreaming smile plastered itself over Dez's features as he imagines himself in the situation. Cool one liners, jokes that would get the girl laughing. And then he'd sweep her up all romantic-like. Maybe say some sappy quip about this or that, melting the girl's heart. Dez giggled a little bit like a dork, rocking side to side. Romance novels were always so cute and sappy like that, even if it never happened to him in real life, they were so adorable that he couldn't help but get all flustered about them. 

    If anyone came upon him at this moment, they would find a young blueberry with a pink face and dopey smile, lost in the void as he now scribbled mindlessly, no real shapes or pictures being made, just... random lines as the boy swished his pencil about idly. 

    What a lady killer. 

[swiftyuki]

"Something enjoyable happening?", a voice rang in through Dez's void-mindscape and invading his daydream. When Dez snapped out of his thoughts, he'd see a purple figure with bright silver hair that struck towards the back. He lacked arms, but seemed to make up for it with a pair of ethereal blue ones that phased into view when needed.

Around him was a robing in a similarly purple tone, accented with golden embroidery, a mark of a professor in the Academy and a satchel that was likely filled with books. His eyes were dark, save for cyan rings that outlined his irises and a pair of silver horns that framed around his face. For Dez, this face was familiar, a regular of the library.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Ghk-" Dez snapped back to reality as a voice popped the day-dream bubble. Shit. Of all the people to stumble across him during a moment such as this, it had to be a regular patron. The blue-haired boy's smile was awkward and his movements were forced and mechanical as his neck twitched up towards the man. "A-ahah... Mr. Xyntheos, wh-what a pleasant surprise." Violet tinted eyes gazed up towards the academy professor, the left slightly twitching. 

    Those same eyes darted off to the side in embarrassment whilst the young man coughed into his hand to clear his throat. Impeccable timing, Professor. Impeccable timing. An uncomfortable air punctuated the few moments of silence that passed as the young Amari heir hunted for something to say. "Weeeelll..." He drew the word out and slowly swirled his wrist around in the air. "I recently got out of work and so I decided to spend the rest of this... lovely weather in the park and do a bit of sketching and well..." 

    Oh gods he wanted to fucking die. 

    "... truth be told-" This was most certainly not going to be the truth. "-I got caught up thinking about a really cute ending to a story I recently read." Well, ok, not entirely untruthful, he was indeed thinking about romance novels and how cute they were. But look, don't judge him. Don't judge! They were super cute and you can't prove him wrong. Despite his entirely valid arguments, Dez could abso-fucking-lutely not look at Xyn. You don't just walk up on a guy while he's thinking mushy stuff and expect that to be ok! Manners, Xyn, manners. Come on!

    The boy shut his sketchbook audibly and collected himself as he rose to his feet. Quickly stuffing it away, the young man laced his fingers infront of himself and let them hang. It had been so empty, so peaceful at the park. Who knew that Dez had to constantly be on guard to make sure that no one randomly waltzed up on him all dandy-like just like Xyn just had. Shouldn't he be at the academy or something??? No way classes are already out this early. They were, and it wasn't even early. Shouldn't he have some sort of paperwork to do? He's a teacher after all, don't they stay late after class to fill all that junk out??? 

    "S-so, may I... help you with something?" Why did the demon come up to him in the first place. Now that was a good question. Certainly their interactions had been pleasant, Xyn was a polite man and the young mage did his best to help out where he could whenever he needed to find something. But that was more of a professional relationship rather than "Oh hey, I know you I'm going to talk to you anywhere and everywhere at every opportunity because suddenly we're friends now." Gods, the poor blueberry's heart couldn't take this kind of stress. Calm and cool-headed indeed. 
    
    As far as the young man was concerned, he shouldn't have looked as though he were in danger or sick or... anything like that? Goofy at the absolute worst. Oh gods, oh dear gods did I look like an idiot in public? The blue-haired mage resisted the urge to grasp at his chest and wheeze out his embarrassment. Customer service face, Dez. Customer service face. "The library is indeed still open, and if you need help finding any material, I know for certain Mr. Reyas is more than happy to be of assistance." No need to hunt me down outside of work for book recommendations, Professor. 

    Now, Dez didn't mean to be rude. Not with his thoughts or with the manner in which he addressed Xyntheos. His mind was still, obviously, a cluttered, panicked mess. The boy certainly saved face very well after the awkward explanation, but inside the sirens were blaring, red lights flashing, everything was on fire and bad and crumbling down around him and oh gods his reputation was ruined now wasn't it?

[swiftyuki]

"Cute endings to stories are quite pleasant." Happy endings felt good to have, after all. It seemed that even scholarly types like Xyn enjoyed the genre of romance. Though, Xyn himself was quite a reader so who knows what other novels he's read in a pass time alongside new tomes and textbooks. Movements in his eyes were slight but noticeable as he observed Dez's fidgeting. He must have interrupted something embarrassing for the boy to suddenly get so anxious.

"Oh, ah, no, I was just passing by from the library to see if there were any new books I could read.", he said, patting the satchel that rested to his side. It looks like he already got what he was looking for. How many could Xyn go through in one sitting and how fast? It was almost record timing, and the excuse of chaotic magic could be used since they were all wildcards with that kind of essence. Or maybe he just really liked books and his read speed was really up there. Who knew without seeing it in action?

After an awkward silence, Xyn crouched down, not fully settling like Dez was. "Something appears to be on your mind. Would you like to talk about it?", he asked, addressing Dez's sudden stressing and anxiety. "Or did I interrupt something? If I did, I apologise.", and he was ready to leave if Dez told him to.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    It put Dez a bit more at ease when the older gentleman agreed with his not-lie. But, even still, he felt tense. It was uncomfortable being caught in a compromising situation by an authority figure. Even if Xyn wasn't his authority figure. Part of it certainly came down to the fact that the mage knew them. And, yes, while him blushing like a dumbass was not the highest point, it also wasn't the most compromising thing he could have been caught doing. Keep it PG-13, folks. 

    Clearing his throat for a second time, Dez did his best to collect himself. He was really on the backfoot here, with no prep time and the professor getting the drop on him. Fucking ambushes, man. "Oh, uh, no, no. Nothing on my mind, but you haven't interrupted anything either. Just caught me in a... embarrassing moment, I suppose?" Please for the love of the pantheon, you deal with individuals my age, show some tact when it comes to professional privacy. Dez's smile was still curt and polite, even as his mind continued to judge the situation. Oh... oh no... 

    I'm going to have to hold a conversation now, aren't I? Dez felt his soul shrivel up and die inside of him. Awkwardness aside, the boy had the conversational skills of a loaf of soggy bread. Not even good bread, either. Like. Bread with sand in it. And mold. You know, the kind of bread that not even ducks wanted to touch. The ellipses could practically be seen over his head as he tried to think of something to discuss. Wait! He mentioned new books! 

    Common ground: Acquired. 

    "You mentioned new novels? May I ask which ones you decided to check out?" It wasn't much, but it was something, and by the gods was Dez actually making an effort. There were very, very, very few people he talked to outside of work. See: none. Mr. Reyas was a polite man, but not someone Dez would consider a friend. His sister was a bane, and is parents were never around. Ryze came around occasionally, but that was rare. Anxiety made it a bitch to make friends. Not that he was looking to be friends with a man likely decades older than he was. That just seemed odd. 

    The boy's thumb slowly began to caress the back of his other hand. A nervous habit. What do people talk about with those that were older than them? Politics? School? He didn't go to any of the academies, despite fully being able to pass the exams without issue. Oh gods, please don't have Xyntheos start trying to pressure him into going to Vyridel or make something of himself or whatever the hell adults and his sister liked to yell at him about. Today was a good day, the poor blueberry didn't need that piled onto his indecisive head. 

    Books. Books, focus on the books. No need to concern himself with if's and maybe's. The professor hadn't even opened his mouth yet, no need to start panicking over what hadn't even happened yet. 

[swiftyuki]

At the inquiry, Xyn opened his satchel and dug around. "It appears Hymn has published a new novel as a part of his series.", Xyn said as he gathered the book with the title of 'Nightshade' on it. It was obsidian on the cover, pages were black with gold lettering for the contents of the books, laced with silver outlining, something that was a running theme with Hymn's books and made it easier to catch as part of a series. A number on the spine indicated what part of the series it was along with the title for that arc.

"There are also a few children's tales that were republished, so for the sake of my curiosity, I wanted to see how they differ from original scripture." But those weren't as important, probably. Of course, if given the chance, Xyn would read just about anything and could probably give a review about it from children's books to adult novella.

Thankfully for Dez, he would at least seem to learn a few things about Xyntheos from this encounter that he probably never caught onto in prior brief meetings at the library. Xyntheos seemed to just be a regular person outside of the Academy, and even then appeared not to really enforce a recruitment on people that showed promise. He knew that settings like that were not for everyone, though he would love to see what Dez had to offer when the time arose.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    And there was the click. Dez's eyes regained some of their luster as he heard of what Xyntheos was reading. "Oh! Hymn is a lovely author! I've dug into their stories myself many times. He's practically a master at setting up the scenes and fleshing out the worlds he creates. He's especially skilled at writing characters and their shared relationships with one another. I could honestly devour his works all day." The boy was no longer rubbing the back of his hand, a sign that the nerves had... somewhat eased. Talking about literature helped take his mind off the stressful stuff. 

    "If you haven't yet, I recommend The Man of the Ivory Tower, by R.J. Ellheim. It's a more somber story about a once great king who chooses to exile himself into a grand tower made of ivory, living out most of his days in isolation." Dez was excited now, as he sucked in a breath and began his spiel. "The story follows him as many different characters come to visit him in his tower, from a blind knight, to a disgraced merchant, as well as a woman in a white dress who later becomes a prominent character. I adore how the author shapes his characters, as well as how he handles the idea of grief and personal responsibility. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you haven't read it, definitely give it a read. It's one of my personal favorites." 

    Oh how the boy wished he had proper friends to talk about these things with. Though, he didn't mind settling for random strangers. Anyone who was willing to listen was good enough for him. Gods only knew how much the blue-haired boy talked about his favorite books whenever a patron was looking for new stories within that genre. The young mage had practically chewed apart the entire fantasy section at this point. 

    That wasn't even touching romance. 

    I'll have to grab a copy for myself from a book store later. The young heir thought, nodding as he looked at the obsidian colored book. Hymn might not have been his top favorite author, but they were certainly high up there. It definitely helped that the romance they baked into their tales was mushy and adorable. Each book felt wholly satisfying to read. If he were to pass down some of his favorite stories to his future children (should he actually be so lucky), Dez could certainly see himself introducing them to Hymn's works.

    "So, Professor, how go the classes at the academy? I heard a new batch of freshmen recently enrolled, so you must have your hands full getting to know them?" The young man shifted his hands behind himself, holding his own forearms. It was a slightly more relaxed stance. A good shift from the extremely tense, borderline panicking pose the boy had been trapped into for a good few minutes. While the smile was still professional and "customer service-y," his mind had quieted down a little. 

[swiftyuki]

Xyn took notice of Dez’s nervous habit easing off. That was good. “Ah yes, I have heard of their works as well. I’ll definitely have to take a look after I’m finished with this novel!”, he said, sharing the boy’s excitement. It was always good to share new authors with exciting tales. Xyn would absolutely be absorbed in a series that went into deep twists and turns, filled with romance and adventure. “Thank you for the recommendation.”

If anything, that was one of the things they bonded over, recommending books to one another. They seemed to have a like interest, even though Xyn was the kind to read an entire library a thousand times over. The professor put the book away in his satchel, an arm dispersing and the sleeve of his robes dropping. That seemed to be a normal habit of his that it became unconscious now, arms appearing and disappearing if they were needed or dismissed.

A question about the academy appeared. Ah yes, freshmen. If anyone could handle that kind of chaos and confusion, it was Xyn. “It’s about as usual. Some shy, some full of mischief. Though I will say, I can’t get tired of the new students at the academy. Freshmen tend to keep things… Well, for lack of a better word, fresh.” It was always amusing to him to see certain pranksters every year attempt to get the old man, though he’s seen and done every prank in the books to the point where he can catch them about as quickly as they get conjured and spin that into a lessen or even introduction if they were to try so early. The moment they learned of his element alignment, some would stop and others would try to test how far it went without thinking of this Academy's record for high class mages graduating or teaching here.

He gave a soft laugh as his memory reflected briefly over the many kinds of faces he got to meet. Some were troublesome, but most grew into very fine people. “I don’t think I could get tired of the newest students. The more tenured students are typically more mature, but I enjoy the liveliness the greener students bring.”

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Listening intently and nodding along, the young man took in everything Xyn was saying to him. Xyn was a genuinely good teacher. Most of them at the academy were certainly skilled, but not every professor actually gave a big enough shit about their students. Which honestly kind of made sense? Having to put up with different types of students, all with the potential to blow themselves up, probably was tiring. It was honestly just a show of character that Xyn was able to still care as much as he did. 

    Dez actually saw a lot of the students from the academy swing by the library. Mostly to study, but sometimes for just personal use. It was always interesting to see the many new faces. The young man smiled up at Xyn once he finished talking about the freshmen keeping things lively.

    "Oh I'm sure. I've seen some of the honor's students come by from time to time and they're no joke. Bit of a dour bunch it seems." There was a pause, and the blue-haired boy let out a nervous chuckle before continuing. "And then there's that one eyed teacher. You know, the one with the cloth bound arm? He's a... special kind of intimidating. Very... unique sense of humor. He must keep things interesting?"

    How in the hell could there ever be a quiet moment with that guy around?

    The one-eyed man in question was very difficult to get a read on, but most of the time Dez dreaded having to talk to him. There was nothing that made him outwardly unpleasant, but the way he liked to talk on and on, not to mention the fact that it felt like he was always picking you apart inside and out. Probing around like some sort of live autopsy. Dissection and Surgery were too tame when it came to him. 

    Autopsy seemed more fitting. 

    "I've never caught his name but he's seemed to take a great deal of interest in me at times. He was relentless in trying to get me to attend the academy when I first met him, but I think he's given up. Thank the gods. I can't imagine dealing with him on a daily basis." Dez's lips parted with a soft sigh. The young man's fingers fiddled with one another idly, as his amethyst eyes wandered the sky. "Hmph. I rather dislike it when people like that swoop in on me. I have enough difficulty as it is trying to figure myself out without people pushing more pressure onto me."

    Whether it was his parents, his bull-headed older sister, or the sardonic one-eyed teacher, it only made the young mage feel like he was on the edge of panic. Was it because he was an heir to the Amari lineage? Or was it just because "Oh he had so much potential." and "he was wasting it just sitting around." Why can't I just take a moment to figure myself out and what I want to do with my life?

    Dez blinked, realizing he'd been stuck in his own head for the past... gods only knew how long. "Apologies, I must have gotten myself lost in thought." Pale fingers gently brushed away strands of soft blue hair. More to find something to fidget with than any real bother. Kid needed a fidget toy or something. "How has your day ben so far, Mr. Xyntheos? The weather is lovely, so you must have been enjoying more than just new books." 

[swiftyuki]

“A lot of the honours students have pressures on them that make them the way they are. Some admittedly are a bit overconfident in their skills and may treat others poorly.” Xyn shrugged. It just seemed to be how people were. “Ah yes. That would be Professor Rorsche. He has quite a history that no one really seems to know, but he’s legendary for having an eye for talent.” Whether or not that was reassuring wasn’t the point. “He’s a character, and his personality definitely can rub some people wrong.” An arm appeared and a glowing blue hand rubbed at the daemon’s chin.

The more uppity and serious students disliked how much the man took to a sense of humour and jokes as much as he did for a place so prestigious. “He’s not a bad person though. I find him to be quite entertaining whenever we have a bit of a chat when passing by.” Like the freshmen, Rorsche seemed to keep things from feeling plain. Xyn himself seemed outwardly oblivious to Rorsche’s mental probing, though it may be that he had nothing to really hide so Rorsche got whatever information he needed right away and the rest of their talk is simple banter.

Xyn watched the boy as his mind wandered. Time passed by slower for him as he got caught up in his own thoughts, but it only had been a couple minutes of silence. Though the subtle furrow of the boy’s brow showed he seemed a bit troubled. That might be why Rorsche had such interest alongside other things. Poor boy. Xyn’s fixated gaze shifted as Dez came back to reality. “It’s quite alright. The weather is absolutely beautiful today, perfect for reading a book under tree shade.” That alone was probably enough of a hint for how many books Xyn returned to the library today. The answer was, enough to fill a good chunk of a shelf space. There was likely a very quiet apology whenever he checked in and out so many books at a time.

His gaze followed large clouds that slid across the sky, eclipsing sections of runic rings that lined the sun. A soft breeze rustled leaves in trees and grass, bringing forth a cool air that combed through their hair. “Oh!” His expression shifted as he appeared to remember something. “I almost forgot, I need to hurry back to the academy to run a couple errands.” Another arm appeared from the other sleeve as the two glowing hands secured a strap and the satchel itself. “Apologies for having to leave so abruptly Mr. Amari, but if you would like to talk, you are always welcome to visit my office.” A third arm appeared only to ruffle the boy’s hair before turning away to head back and waving a goodbye. After he was off, the arm dissipated into glittering cyan light and a portal of swirling purples opened as a method of fast travel for him to get to where he needed to go.

[Xyn exits]