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"Alright, I'll remember that," Aesir confirmed, "I use they/them."
They shifted a bit.
"And yeah, that works for me. It's not like I have any other plans at all- well I did, but they're miles and miles away. They really had to drag me here. I fought back, probably harder than I should have."
Maze smiled softly. "Alright, I'll remember that." he replied. "And yeah. Come on, then." at Aesir's words, they raised their eyebrows very slightly. "Why? It's a prophecy. You're destined to fulfill it practically no matter what you do."
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"You think I believed them when they told me I was the subject of some prophecy?" Aesir asked, tilting their head, "Clearly you've never had to watch your back for traps."
They followed Maze out of the room.
"Did they tell you anything about me aside from the whole prophecy thing?"
Maze shrugged, leading Aesir out of the room and closing the door behind the both of them. "Nah, not really. Why?" he asked, tucking a bit of hair behind his ears as they considered where to take Aesir first.
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"I was just curious, is all," Aesir half-lied, "I'd rather you get to know me yourself rather than learning through some rumors or prophecy or whatever."
They glanced down at their feet. Maybe they could shirk the whole thief reputation.
Maze nodded a bit. "Alright. Well. I'll take you back to the entrance hall first; it's the easiest place to get to no matter where you are, so if you get lost, you head back there." he led Aesir down the hallway.
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"Right," Aesir replied, "That's where we came in. I remember how to get there. But it's a good place to start."
They followed Maze, taking in every doorway, every little turn in the halls. Aesir was always good at directions and navigating even the most intricate of buildings; they always looked for at least three different ways out and liked to make sure they could leave if things ever went bad.
Maze led him back to the entrance hall; they were up in the second floor balcony area, looking down at the entrance door. "So, most of the hallways in the building eventually lead back here; different areas were built at different times, but the entrance hall and the east wing are the oldest areas. Though the, ah, east wing is mostly off-limits. It was burned in a fire about 15 years ago, and there are still portions of it that are unsafe for students to be in."
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"Noted," Aesir said, turning their attention from the entryway and in the direction of the east wing. "Do you think they'll ever rebuild it?"
They kept looking, out across the many halls behind them. Aesir barely remembered which one they came from, and that was rare.
"It has been. Mostly. It's just that…" Maze trailed off, brows pulling together for a moment. "It's just off-limits. There's magical, ah…I don't know what it's called."
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"Barriers or wards or something?" Aesir guessed, "In other words, stuff I'm not interested in messing with or approaching at all. Magic gives me the creeps- just a little. I've studied magic. Rather, I've studied about it. Not something I want to mess with if I can help it."
They shrugged.
"Promise you don't have to worry about me going over there, especially if there's weird magic shit going on."
"Not wards. Well, some of them are. But the fire wasn't entirely natural, and there is some magic…corruption, I suppose is the best word. So yes. Don't go there unless a Sentinel is with you." Maze said, looking over at them.
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Aesir winced a bit. Definitely never going over there.
"…Accidentally?" they asked, "I don't think I want to visit, even with a Sentinel. I'll stick to these few halls, the dormitory, dining hall. You know how it is."
They followed after Maze a little further.
"Accidentally." Maze confirmed, and led Aesir down a hallway, down a flight of stairs, and opened a door. "Here's the library. All the books you'll need for your classes will be availible here for you to use."
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Aesir let out a little gasp. They had spent a lot of time snooping around libraries and reading books. Seeing all of this knowledge in one place made their heart do a little flutter. Even better that all class materials would be right at their fingertips, too.
"Well, I know where I'm going to be spending most of my time," they joked, "This is probably nicer than most of the libraries I've been in. The lighting in here is gorgeous, and there are so many little nooks and crannies to curl up in and read. Is it open 24/7, or do they lock it off after a certain hour?"
"It closes at ten pm, technically, but…well, they don't exactly enforce it. As long as you're careful not to use too much light, you could probably get away with overnighting in here." Maze replied, flashing them a quick smile.
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"I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there- and if I can borrow books, I can always go back to our room to read. Regardless, That's a lot at our fingertips," Aesir replied, "You seem the avid reader yourself. Lots of books on that shelf back in your quarters."
Aesir was listening to Maze, but their eyes were still fixed on the whole of the library, shifting around the high shelves, the stained glass, and the seating arrangements scattered about.
Maze smiled a little bit. "Half of those are school books, but yes. I enjoy reading in my own time." he glanced around the library for a moment, and their smile turned secretive. "There's a section of the library that most people don't know about. It has texts that are…well, that have been lost to time otherwise. You can't check out the books from it, or remove them from the room, but I go there and…well, I copy them."
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"What kinds of things are they about?" Aesir asked, perking up, "I love some forbidden knowledge."
They scanned the library and couldn't find the section at a glance. But they guessed that was maybe the content of the various notebooks on Maze's shelf.
"You'll have to show me one of these days."
"Prophecies, history…just a lot of things that have been forgotten. I think they're fascinating." he glanced over at Aesir. "Here, follow me." they started moving through the stacks of shelving, expecting Aesir to follow.
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Aesir was almost surprised that Maze was prepared to show them right away. They really hadn't told them about the whole thief thing, huh?
"Absolutely. I'm especially interested in history and culture. And language. It'll be great to learn things I may never have been able to otherwise."
After a pause, Aesir asked, "So, who are you exactly? Where do you come from?"
"I already told you my name, I believe. I'm the seventh son of a seventh son, which tends to be pretty common in prophecies, and, uhm…I'm from a small city called Davenport, it's about 30 miles from Dartmouth." he explained as he wove through ths shelving, deeper and deeper into the library.
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"I guess I meant about you, your upbringing. Names alone don't tell me a whole lot," Aesir clarified, "I'm from Rivengard, a smaller trade hub on the Danio River. I was raised for the first few years of life by a single mother. And she was gone by the time I was ten. So I learned to survive. And that's why I might seem a little… rough around the edges to put it lightly."
"Oh. I'm sorry." he said softly. "I had six older siblings, and a few younger ones, so our house was always very busy. Lots of kids running around all the time, you know." they took a breath, still leading Aesir through the library. "We had enough money, but never lots."
(heading to bed, sorry. Goodnight!)
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"No need to apologize. All of that just is, and I made it this far," Aesir replied. They looked over Maze and let out a light laugh. "That's a lot of siblings. Sounds chaotic, but I'm sure it was never boring there. My mother told me that I have at least a few half siblings through my father, but I've never had the opportunity to meet any of them."
"It was never boring, that's correct." he laughed just a little bit. Their path was long and winding as they led Aesir through the old, large library. It was larger than it had originally seemed; though perhaps it was magical? It wasn't clear whether or not it was just a virtue of the room itself, or if it was indeed some magical thing. "And perhaps some day you will get the chance to meet them."
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Aesir nodded. "Good to know. Do they ever visit you here?" They asked, "Or do any of your siblings stay here?"
They tried to mask how overwhelmed they felt as the room seemed to grow bigger. The ambiguity of whether it was magical or not made them especially nervous.
He shook his head slightly. "No. We don't usually get visitors here. It's just us and the Sentinels." he replied. "None of my siblings are here, either. I'm the only one who is the subject of a prophecy." he led Aesir around a corner to a small, hidden nook of the library. "The room is…here." they reached up to press the center of an engraving on the bookshelf, and the whole bookshelf swung inward on its own.
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"I see," Aesir replied, "I don't really have much family to speak of, aside from my probably numerous half-siblings. Not much to miss back home, save a few friends. Maybe I'll like it here. How's it all been treating you?"
"Alright." Maze took a deep breath, looking around the small room that the bookcase had opened into. "I enjoy it here, for the most part. I think you may, too." they looked over at Aesir, then around the room. There was a selection of old, aging books, and even some scrolls, all showing clear signs of age.
