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It was a bare-bones day in the office, trades were being made, keyboards clacked, Stagbri was handling finances, and Curbri was just kinda...hanging out, living with Lotlbri as she ran the business. The office space itself resembled an apartment room more than it did a professional work environment, Lotlbri will tell you it's for cost-saving reasons. Behind Lotlbris's desk was an entrance into the room where her one and only employee worked, he's a good accountant and always on time for work. Despite the not-so-stellar look of the office they still made enough to live quite comfortably.
"So, you bored yet Lotty?" Curbri asked. Lotlbri lifted her head from the screen and gave a tired smirk to her feline companion who was currently using the back of the couch as a seat.
"You could have asked that when I woke up and the answer would've been the same, that being very," Lotlbri responded, looking at the clock, only to see she still had 3 more hours left to go before lunch. "At least I get to see you every day, which helps the process, even if just a little," She added, giving her very best effort to put on a warm smile to Curbri right before going back to her work. Curbri sighed, expressing her very similar feelings before saying,
"Well, if you ever want to take a break and do something fun, I'll be right here."
It was just then that a flash of inspiration went by Lotlbri. Looking straight ahead and sitting up, she said to Curbri, "Actually...I do have something in mind, gimme a sec, and get your magic stuff ready," Curbri was immediately surprised by this sudden burst of enthusiasm from Lotlbri, she wasn’t often eager to do something that wasn't sleeping. Now this was a special occasion, so she gathered her stuff as fast as she could and waited for Loltbri to get back from the other room. Meanwhile, Lotlbri rushed over to Stagbri's desk and gave the front of it a light double tap to get his attention. Calmly yet sharply Stagbri looked upwards at Lotlbri and asked,
"O-oh, what do you need, boss?"
"You can take the rest of the day off, I'm feeling generous today," She answered quickly.
"You sure? I've still got a spreadsheet needing attention" Stagbri replied, worried over the current workload.
Lotlbri chuckled, "Let me rephrase that, get out of the office, you're still getting paid," She had left no room for argument so the shy deer just nodded, collected his things, and left. Just Lotlbri and Curbri were in the office now.
Curbri was in full gear when Lotlbri returned to the main room, witch's hat, spell book being held by her tail, a blue pouch full of a powder whose color followed suit, and the signature scepter she always kept on her person.
"So, what did you have in mind?" Curbri asked. Her guess was as good as anyone's.
"I was uh, wanting to...oh how do I put this..." Lotlbri stammered, the words just wouldn't come out the way she wanted them to. Eventually, she gave a deep sigh and said, "I wanna learn magic too!" She closed her eyes, waiting with anticipation for Curbri's response, would it be yes? Would it be no? Do you have to be born with abilities? Does it take years of constant effort to even move an object? All these questions raced through Lotlbri's head.
"Of course Lotty, I didn't take you for the type though," the cat said.
"O-oh, no requirements or anything? Just a yes?" Lotlbri asked, she was expecting some sort of deal or sacrifice to learn, but no, just a flat-out yes.
"I mean, you just gotta have some concentration and preferably a bit of help from an adept magic user, and you've got both of those for sure!" Curbri was elated, she couldn't wait to teach her partner a spell or two, even if at the price of her own time which wasn't exactly filled with other things to do.
"O-ok then! What do I need to do first? I'd need a scepter right?" Lotlbri asked
"Hmmm, not necessarily just a long object really, preferably made of wood, like uhh...oh! That pencil over there could work," Curbri remarked before marching to Lotlbri's desk and picking up a freshly sharpened pencil.
"There's no way no way that will actually work, compared to your scepter it looks like a children's toy," Lotlbri said before grabbing it from Curbris's hand.
"Not necessarily, as long as it could channel the magic energy and be aimed it will work just fine! The only reason my scepter looks so extravagant is for looks and minor improvements. If I ran the numbers actually I'd say it would come to around...20 grand for the mana crystal, engravings, and enchanted wood," Curbri explained. The look on Lotlbris's face, when the total value was revealed, could only be described as fear. Curbri just stood there clutching the overly expensive wand and giving a nervous grin.
"You're insane," Lotlbri spat out.
"Yes, yes, we all know this. Now then, time to teach you the very basics of any worthwhile spell, Sigil summoning," Curbri said.
"Every person has a Sigil pattern attached to their soul, these Sigils reveal a person's natural talent and biggest personality feature," Curbri said. Lotlbri pulled her up to her desk chair, sat down, and listened very attentively. "Allow me to display mine," Curbri declared before casually pointing her scepter at the floor. In a small burst of light, a Sigil had appeared right where Curbri pointed at. It was a diamond shape accompanied by four convex curves, all surrounded by a perfect circle. A small hum emanated from the Sigil along with a crackle reminiscent of a small bonfire.
"Yes, yes, I've seen those before. I live with you, remember?" Lotlbri sighed.
"Fair enough. Anyway! I think it's time you try. Stand up, then focus all your concentration on where you point with your...wand. Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds," Curbri explained. Lotlbri walked into position with some nervous remarks until she was ready. She exhaled slowly before pointing her pencil to the right of where Curbri had her Sigil. She stared daggers at the ground, thinking of nothing but a Sigil forming.
A much brighter flash of light enveloped the room from where Lotlbri had her pencil pointed. Curbri and Lotlbri both averted their eyes in sync until the brightness died down. A familiar crackle joined in with the pre-existing one, along with a very welcome sight to both Lotlbri and Curbri. It was a Sigil, this time the circle was adorned with a cross, and a smaller circle surrounding the point where the two lines crossed.
"I...I did it?! Little witch, I did it!" Lotlbri exclaimed with much jubilation.
Curbri gave Loltbri time to celebrate her newfound achievement before saying, "For your first time you did really well, Lotty, in no small part thanks to your wonderful teacher," Lotlbri sighed with exasperation after listening to her feline friend's self-compliment.
"If you weren't right about that I'd slap you. Anyways, I'm on a dopamine high, whats next?" Lotlbri asked.
"Well first I think you should learn what your Sigil means, it’s kind of an important thing," Curbri explained. Her tail pulled away from her backside to in front of her chest, using her free hand to flip pages until she landed on one. "Aha! Kelbri's Cross, it represents the ability of focus and concentration."
"Certainly fits the bill," Lotlbri chuckled. Curbri continued to flip through the pages of her tome, Lotlbri patiently awaiting to learn what the inner circle meant. It was a couple of seconds of page flipping and the air conditioner whirring until Curbri called out confusedly.
"I...don't think that smaller circle is in here, and this is the latest edition of the official Mages Guild Spell Tome."
"Is that...bad or something?"
"No actually, this stuff happens all the time, I'll just send a formal request to the Mages Guild along with an illustration, thankfully whoever summoned the Sigil with the new pattern gets to have their name attached. Lotlbri's Circle! Pretty snazzy, eh?" Curbri asked.
"I mean, I suppose, but what I really want to do is learn my first spell, if I'm ready for that of course," Lotlbri asked. Curbris's face went to one of annoyance, shortly afterward she mustered a smile and looked at Lotlbri and said,
"Well, I suppose I could teach you one, just a basic teleportation spell."
"That sounds actually useful, I'm down,"
"Good, well first you need an obj-" Lotlbri cut Curbri off before she could continue her thought.
"Can't I just...look in your book on how to do it? That seems way simpler."
"I'm afraid if you did you would go blind and insane before you could read a full sentence."
"W-wait...really?!"
"No I'm fucking with you, I just don't want you to look in my tome," Curbri said with an obnoxious smile. "As I was saying...you need an object, and two Sigils, so I'll dispel mine to make room for yours," Curbri waved her hand at her own Sigil and it slowly faded away, leaving only Lotlbri's. "Now, if you will," requested Curbri.
"With pleasure." Lotlbri said. She pointed her pencil at the ground again, this time where Curbris Sigil used to be. It took a couple of seconds, but eventually, another Sigil appeared on the ground accompanied by, thankfully, a much less severe burst of light.
"Now then, do you have an object you wouldn't mind being lost to the ether? Sometimes teleportation can go… pretty wrong." Curbri stated, chuckling nervously.
"I mean… I've got this styrofoam cup I used for water today, will that do?"
"Perfect!" Curbri eagerly snatched the cup from Lotlbri's hand and placed it on one of Lotlbri's Sigils. "OK, this next part is very simple, just make eye contact with your Sigils and think about the cup teleporting to the other."
"That doesn't seem like it would-" is all Loltbri could get out before Curbri interrupted.
"Just do it!"
Loltlbri nodded her head obediently and gave the cup and Sigils a sort of death glare with her pencil pointed straight, concentration was at a maximum. The room was quiet, quiet enough to hear Curbri’s breathing over the hum the runes on the floor naturally gave off. It wasn’t quiet for long, however, as sparks and popping came from Lotlbris's pencil tip just before both runes shifted hues from a default white to a dark red, akin to a mahogany table. The hum and crackle from the Sigils got louder, loud enough to make the ticking of the wall clock inaudible.
"Oh woah, is that...is that bad?" Lotlbri asked.
"Not in the slightest, all according to plan actually. The Sigil can sense what you want to do and has already adjusted itself to match the requirements," Curbri went on another of her long magic rants. "The color of the Sigil represents how difficult and how much mana it will take the cast that spell, the hue of Sigil and brightness representing those properties respectively." She stopped herself after seeing Lotlbri's eyes droop from boredom, she just wanted to do the cool teleporting part now. Curbri gave an exhausted sigh before cracking a smile at the fledgling mage.
"Sigh...fine, if you want to sooooo badly," Curbri exaggerated, rolling her eyes. She could understand how Lotlbri felt, the rush of learning magic for the first time, she was antsy as well in her training.
Lotlbris's eyes began to glimmer in excitement, "Yes! Ok, what's the last step?"
"Ha, don't worry, this is much easier, just imagine pouring your… essence? Yeah, essence, into what you have imagined. Ignore what you’re seeing, just think about what you want to happen," Curbri put a hand on Lotlbris's shoulder and gave her a reassuring look. "You got this."
Lotlbri nodded, grasped her pencil with both hands, faced the cup, and closed her eyes. Once again, both fell silent, the Sigils popping and whirring being all that could be heard. Curbri glanced back and forth between the cup and Lotlbri with sweat bleeding down her face; she knew this was easily the hardest part, she just didn't want to scare Lotlbri from trying. Deep down, however, she knew she could do this.
Lotlbris's breathing hastened as she concentrated harder and harder, picturing the cup teleporting in her head as vividly as she could. Her eyes strained and her hands shook, the hum of the Sigils grew louder. Curbri looked on with widened eyes, she knew what was soon to come. Lotlbris's hands carried themselves up, pointing at the Sigils as the pencil tip began to glow. She had seemingly blocked out the sound of the Sigils since she didn't even notice how loud they had grown.
Curbri put her hands together in anticipation, just...waiting, waiting for the inevitable. Lotlbris's eyes darted open, her pupils had contracted and they were bloodshot, the cup hovered in the air and shook before disappearing in an instant, taken into the ether. Lotlbri cursed disappointedly under her breath whilst panting like she had just finished a marathon, loosening her grip and hanging her head down. Curbri didn't lose hope, however, still looking intently at the 2nd Sigil unblinking.
In an instant, it was back.
Lotlbri looked up at the Sigil and saw the cup again, right where she wanted it. Her eyes lit up and she hopped up and down in excitement. The exhaustion seemed to go away for a bit, replaced instead with vitality.
"I did it I did it I did it! Holy shit I did it!" Lotlbri exclaimed. She ran up and gave Curbri a tight hug, nearly squeezing the air out of her lungs. Lotlbri sighed and stepped back, hands on Curbris's shoulders,
"Thanks to you of course! Here, you earned this," Lotlbri leaned in and gave Curbri a peck on the cheek, then pulled back and appreciating her cup-centered handiwork. Curbri rubbed her face where she got kissed, blushing.
"Aha, no problem, it's not like I didn't enjoy watching you learn anyway," Curbri remarked, smiling. After gushing over her work for a few more seconds, Lotlbri took a breath and aimed her wand again, this time with confidence. "Lotty? What are you doing?"
"Ah, I'm just doing the spell again, it should be easier this time," replied the uncharacteristically excited axolotl. Curbri simply nodded. Lotlbri’s reasoning was sound, so there were no objections. Loltbri once again took the time to steady her breathing and concentrate deeply on the spell. The crackling started anew, this time marginally quieter. The suspense wasn't nearly as potent this time, Curbri looked on like she was expecting the spell to work instead of hoping like earlier. Unsurprisingly, there was yet another flash, followed by the cup yet again changing place.
Lotlbri placed her hand on her head in amazement, she always thought magic was just a Curbri thing, but here she is, doing it perfectly fine. She started to feel a pain in her head but it was negligible, probably a mid-day headache like she usually gets.
"Alright, that should be enough, maybe pick this back up some other time if you wish?" Lotlbri tuned out what Curbri was saying, she had to do it again, just one more time. Raising her wand again, the crackles started faster than before. "Hey, Lotty? It would be best if you didn't do that..." Curbri started reaching out a hand. Lotlbri yet again tuned her out, her arms shook, more than her first time doing the spell. "Lotlbri, stop!" Curbri shouted, grabbing Lotlbri's hands. Before she could stop the spell from going off, another flash happened, the cup vanished but didn't return.
Lotlbri fell to the ground, limp. Curbri threw her scepter and tome to the side, using both her hands to support Lotlbri,
"No no no no no!" Curbris's voice rose in volume and intensity. She checked for a pulse, but it was getting weaker. "Fuck, no no!" She scrambled at her side pouch and ripped it open, grabbing a handful of a blueish powder and dropping it on Lotlbri's chest. With hands shaking, she traced a shape on Lotlbri, a circle surrounding a smaller circle, with a cross running through the whole shape. Curbris's eyes were bloodshot, and her hands were trembling.
"Come on, come ON!" Curbri was trying to hold back from shouting violently. She held her hand above Lotlbris's chest, forming a bright violet Sigil of her own within it. Curbri closed her eyes and steadied herself as much as she could, whispering curses and pleads. Curbri's own magic energy sapped from her hand and into the Sigil made from powder. Time slowed to a crawl until the Sigil faded in her hand. She once again checked Lotlbris's pulse. It was rising, returning again to a steady beat. Curbri smiled, tears starting to stream down her cheeks.
Lotlbri cracked open her eyes, the light stinging her retinas, after some adjustment she focused in the the image of Curbri holding her, tears streaming down her face.
"What… happ-" Lotlbri tried to ask, but got interrupted by Curbri pulling her in for an embrace as she gasped for breaths between sobs.
"You're okay, oh thank fuck you're okay..."
"I feel so..." Lotlbri hung on the last word she had to say, unable to place exactly what she was feeling.
"Shhhh, it's fine, you need to rest, come on, let's get you on the couch," Curbri pulled Lotlbri up and supporting her on her shoulder. She was placed gently on the couch, where not even a couple of seconds later she passed out, asleep. Curbri checked her pulse again, it was perfectly steady. Curbri sat next to the unconscious Lotlbri, as close as she could possibly be. She was gonna need to stay awake to look after Lotlbri, mana deprivation is hard to overcome. Maybe next lesson she should teach Lotlbri to be aware of her mana.
That is if she even wanted to have another lesson.