The Silent Circle (boyxboy, PAFP)

Muse A, your character, and Lucas have been roommates at Hudson University (a fictional college in New York City) for over a year now, and you're really beginning to suspect that something is majorly off about Lucas. Oh, he's nice enough, sure, and he makes decent eye-candy too, but the things that don't add up about him are mounting almost daily. To list just a few things you've noticed; He's out all hours of the night. He never studies, or even goes to half of his lectures, yet is apparently acing all of his classes. Weird stuff, lucky stuff, seems to happen to him all the time; Problems are solved so fast and easily, it's like they never even existed. He always seems to have plenty of cash on hand, even though he told you point blank that he's attending Hudson University on scholarship because his family is practically penniless. When Lucas is annoyed by something? It has the strangest tendency to just... Go away. He seems to breeze through anything and everything, including those normal life situations that most people would actually have to put effort into. Something's up with him.

...And then there was the honest-to-God bleached human skull you accidently found in Lucas' backpack one day. That might also have something to do with it. Curious despite your own better judgement, you decide to follow Lucas one night when he goes out; And your world will never be the same again.

The Circle is waiting. I hope you believe in magic; It's going to be one hell of a ride.

Going from ordinary college guy to an initiate in a society of hidden magic users, practically overnight, you struggle to adapt to your new reality. As a punishment for being careless enough to let some random follow him to a secret meeting of the Circle, Lucas is assigned to train you in the basics of magic. Slowly but surely, the two of you grow closer, at first platonically, and then romantically. But sorcery isn't always fun and games, as you'll learn soon enough. Good luck. You'll need it.

I'd call this a semi-advanced to advanced thread, so I'd like two paragraphs minimum. Or if you'd like to write me a novel with each post, I'm cool with that too! ^.^

As for character design, all I really ask is that your character be minimum nineteen, maximum twenty-four or twenty-five. My personal preference is no goth/emo/hugely alternative face claims, but beyond that I'm good with whatever you want to go with. A super simple little form (if you can even call it that) like I did for Lucas is just fine!

Lastly; This is ultimately a romantic roleplay, but there'll be plenty of weird, freaky, and downright scary magical shenanigans going on as well. Just as a warning.

OOC: Evan is more than alright with me, I can already tell he's going to be adorable, Especially seeing as Lucas is more energetic and outgoing, generally speaking (chaotic good, for sure). And thanks for the interest! I figure we'll start with Lucas leaving late one night, and Evan, curiosity finally getting the better of him, follows. Normally Circle members would ordinarily use magic to ensure that they aren't followed. Secret society, anyone? But Luke may or may not be slacking off a little in that department. ^.^

Eleven-thirty at night was generally considered to be an odd time to be going out on a Tuesday. Yet, there Lucas was, getting ready to leave the apartment. Again.

This was a common occurrence for the red-head, apparently, because it happened two, three, sometimes even four times a week. College students went out all the time, whether to meet up with friends, or to see family, or to run errands, or any of the other little slices of life one could imagine; What was weird about Lucas (could fill a book, but in regards to this one particular quirk;) was the timing of his little excursions. Always late; Sometimes he went out after midnight, other times he would be in the room when Evan fell asleep, and be gone by early morning. Plus, even when he left during the day, his outing never seemed to quite match up his class schedule. And, most suspicious of all, the guy was universally evasive about where exactly he was going in the middle of the night, laughing off any questions with practiced ease. He was hiding something, that much was clear.

Pulling on his black-and-gold hoodie with a shrug of his shoulders, Lucas gave the dorm room a quick once-over to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. He had the book, the ward stone, and the replacement birch sap. The rest of his materials he kept there; Easier than trying explaining it to his roommate. As far as he could recall, those three items were all he really needed tonight, beyond phone, wallet, and keys. The ordinary stuff. He was all set.

"Right, I'm out," Lucas announced, wondering briefly if this was going to be one of those nights when Evan was going to seriously ask where he was going. Hopefully not; Luke didn't particularly enjoy lying to his roommate, who was a nice guy through and through. He always felt a little guilty afterwards.

"I probably won't be back until late, so I'm guessing I'll be zonked out for ages after you wake up. If you leave me some breakfast for when I get up, I will seriously love you until the day I die," Luke informed Evan with a grin, sticking a hand in his right hoodie pocket to tap the ward stone there. With the odd but familiar sensation of a faint breeze playing over his skull, Lucas felt his wards part, allowing him to leave with the book. Otherwise, it would have refused to leave the apartment, to the point where he could have tried forcibly dragging it through the barrier, only for it to become stuck in mid-air and refuse to move. That would be somewhat awkward, if anyone happened to see it. Especially Evan. The guy was nice, polite, reasonable, attractive, and, best of all, he could cook. Lucas was unlikely to find a better roommate even if he tried.

Of course, he wasn't doing a terribly good job of appearing normal to the other man, and he knew it. Just the other day, when Lucas had been home and Evan had been in classes, the red-head had been taking out his boredom on one of the man's cats, idly turning its fur different colors just for fun. Totally harmless, of course, Lucas would never hurt one of the animals, but still amusing. Then he'd gone to get a snack from the kitchen, only for Evan to get home early and nearly see his cat with bright teal fur. Luke had barely been able to change the cat back in time. Then there was a week before that, when he'd fucked up that minor teleportation spell and had caused one of Evan's plant pots to appear on his bed while the guy was changing. Fortunately his back had been turned when it teleported, so he hadn't actually seen it just appear out of thin air, but he'd still been... Understandably mystified. Lucas had done his best to laugh it off, claiming it was just a well-executed prank. Whether the guy had bought that excuse, the other man didn't know.

Lucas was also fully aware that he looked like a total slacker to Evan. Mundane classes tended to lose their appeal once one had begun to learn fucking magic, after all. And it was all too easy to fake his way through his ordinary classes by using the Gift, which, while somewhat frowned upon by the Circle, was by no means forbidden. Ordinary college was... Mundane. Boring. It smacked too much of the old world he'd known, of dingy streets and food stamps, of his parents, stress etched in lines on their faces, too busy trying to stay afloat to comfort their son, who saw it all and remembered. Magic was the remedy to all of that. Already he was sending thousands of dollars a month back to his parents in Chicago, and that was coming from a few simple alchemical procedures. Producing gold and gems, that sort of thing. Once he got better... Who could say what he would be able to do.

"Oh, and say goodbye to the kids for me," Lucas added once he'd reached the front door, throwing another smile over his shoulder at his roommate. He always joked that Evan's cats were basically his children more than his pets.

Then, with a two-fingered salute, Lucas was out the door, kicking the door shut behind him as he went, assuming that, like always, Evan would just shrug (metaphorically, but also maybe literally) and do nothing but speculate as to where the other man was going. It never even occurred to Luke that the other man would follow him. Why would he this time, when he hadn't all those other times, right?

The spring night was crisp and clear, with just a hint of lingering cold from winter. New York was never quiet no matter what time of night it was, and tonight was no exception; Car horns went off, shouting, both near and far, echoed off of the buildings, sirens blared in the distance. Lucas found it more comforting than annoying, though. He’d grown up in cities, first in Chicago, then here. He would probably find himself weirded out by the sheer quiet of a more rural setting. Lucas took a moment to just stand there and take in the sounds of the city, marveling, not for the first time, at how lucky he was. To go from his life in Chicago to... This.

He had somewhere he had to be, though. Better to get a move on.

The apartment was only a four or five minute walk from campus, fortunately, though it could take longer depending on where precisely you were going. Hudson had a fairly large campus, with multiple buildings dedicated to various sciences, arts, and disciplines. Luke’s particular destination, however, was the old Whiteridge Hall, one of the first structures to be built on Hudson’s campus, almost a hundred and fifty years ago now. Back then, it was the administration center for the university. Today, it was little more than a museum dedicated to the school’s history.

It was also closed after eight o’clock. Six, on weekends.

As he went, Lucas kept instinctively checking on the vial of birch sap in his pocket, as if to make sure it was still there. The Circle could be... Unforgiving, when it came to failure or screwups, and he’d been specifically tasked with acquiring the sap, which had come from no ordinary tree. A powerful cleansing agent, birch sap was, even when it came from a normal birch, filled with vitamins and antioxidants. It was actually drunk, both fermented and even straight, in certain parts of the world. When it came from a thousand year-old birch that lived and grew by an underground lake tended by extremely territorial dryads, though?

Well. Let’s just say this sap was something special.

Lucas stopped for a moment when he reached Whiteridge Hall, craning his neck a bit to survey the structure for a moment. Though definitely showing its age in the discoloration of its stone walls, the faded quality of the large wooden double-doors that were its main entrance, and the chips and cracks to be seen here and there, it was still a magnificent structure. Most Hudson students these days ignored it, though, and the school hadn’t yet had a reason to justify funding a restoration effort. Of course, the Circle preferred it that way. Hiding in plain sight was even easier when no one even bothered to look.

“You just going to keep standing there like an ugly statue, Lucas?” a male voice suddenly drawled from behind him.

Lucas smiled to himself for a moment, but didn’t even bother to look behind him. There was no one there. “If you’re trying to impress me by throwing your voice around, it’s not working. There are mundanes who can do that all on their lonesome,” he pointed out.

“Oh, trust me, Adjutor; If I ever try to impress you for real, you’ll know it. Do you have it?” the voice asked, sounding bored.

“I have it,” Lucas confirmed, pulling the vial out of his pocket and displaying it in the general direction of the building in front of him.

“Good. Get your ass in here. We’re almost ready to begin,” the disembodied speaker ordered, with the tone of someone who is used to getting what he wants.

Lucas nodded to, still, seemingly no one in particular, visibly squared his shoulders, and psyched himself up for a second. “Show time,” he said out loud, and then marched up the stairs leading to the front door of the Hall. As he went, he transferred the glass vial from his hoodie pocket to his jeans, and he pulled off his hoodie, and then, far more weirdly, his t-shirt as well, leaving him bare-chested when he got the door. He would have to put on one of those stupid robes immediately once he was inside anyway, and the cold had never bothered him.

He knocked; Once, twice, three times, and the moment his knuckles struck the wood for the third time, the doors opened, and Luke stepped inside, the doors swinging shut again behind him with the shuddering groans of old wood and unoiled hinges.

OOC: I always meant to ask other role players when I saw it, but I always forgot to; How do you do that thing where you have Evan’s name half-on, half-off the bottom of the gif? I’ve always liked formatting like that, but I’ve always been too lazy to figure it out myself. xD

The door opened instantly on Evan’s third knock, just like it had with Lucas. There was a sense of air rushing out, as if the door had been sealed shut for years, rather than opened mere moments ago. The wards probed Evan, invisible and undetectable, searching for malicious magic, hostile intent, deception, greed. Finding none of these things, the wards therefore had no reason to keep him out. It was, as Evan would later learn, quite impossible to ward against ordinary humans. That’s what you needed living, breathing guards for.

Said guard appeared at the door a few moments later, likely when Evan didn’t immediately just stride in. It was a girl with long, dark hair and gray eyes, wearing some kind of ceremonial robe of blue and gold, a sash of some kind of golden material, perhaps silk, around her waist. Her name was Emily Evans, and she was technically on duty to make sure no one got in that didn’t belong there. However, as luck would have it, Emily was rising through the ranks; She was going to be promoted to Adjutor tonight. The excitement of her upcoming rise in fortunes was coloring everything she had done that night, and her guard was quite down.

Emily tested the nervous-looking man standing before her, of course, before she even spoke, sending out her senses toward him in search of... Ah, yes, there. Magic. The man had evidence of it all over him, a sort of scent that any practitioner would be able to detect, given a little effort. Of course, she couldn’t have known that the magic on Evan had come from his roommate (who performed more magic in their apartment than perhaps he should have), and, given the distraction of her upcoming elevation, she didn’t bother to check further. She didn’t know every member of the Circle on sight, not by a long shot, and new initiates joined up every few months anyway. Plus, it had been decades since the Circle had been attacked, by anyone or anything. And, if the man had any malicious intent, the wards wouldn’t have even let him knock on the door. Was there really a reason to be cautious?

“Hi, welcome! You’re one of our new initiates, huh?” she guessed, noting his anxiety and likely confusion. “No worries, just come on inside and we’ll get you set up with a robe. Silly, I know, but it’s tradition!” Emily chirped at him, smiling widely as she gestured imperiously back toward the room behind her, her tone and manner, though friendly, booking no room for argument or delay. This was going to be a big night for her.

The room beyond was filled with college students chatting easily with each other, most in the same blue-and-gold attire as Emily, a few in more mundane clothes. About a dozen small structures, stalls of some kind made of wood, had been set up, all lined up along the right wall as one entered. Their purpose became evidently clear when a young man in jeans and a sweater entered one, and a moment later, a young woman exited one in the blue-and-gold robes. Indeed, Lucas himself exited one of the stalls not long after, likely as Evan was watching, wearing the same outfit. The red-head didn’t glance toward the door at all, too busy fighting back nerves, and thus didn’t notice his roommate’s presence.

“Lacy over there, she’s the girl with the green hair, can set you up with a robe. Don’t worry about sizes, it’ll reshape to fit you once you put it on. Oh, and don’t forget to-“ Emily began to explain to Evan, but she stopped herself when she spotted something in the crowd.

“Oh, seriously? Sorry, I need to go. Go talk to Lacy, she’ll sort you out!” Emily sighed, waving a hand in the vague direction of the aforementioned green-haired girl, who was standing next to a clothing rack covered in those blue-and-gold robes looking bored, before striding across the room toward a group of guys already in robes, standing around and laughing at something that Evan couldn’t see from where he was standing.

“I fucking hate these robes, man. I mean, seriously, what’s the point? Do they expect us to wear pointy hats too?” some guy near to Evan grumbled to his friend as they were passing him by.

“Become Supremus and change the rules. Until then; Stop bitching about it,” his friend sighed.

“Lucas!” a voice, the same voice from a minute ago who had been talking to Lucas outside, shouted, and soon enough, a tall, well-built black man, his robes black and gold, was hurrying up to Evan’s roommate where he was standing across the entrance hall.

“They’re expecting you inside. Hand off the vial, and get ready for the main event. Don’t screw it up, kid,” the man told Lucas, his tone nothing short of intimidating.

Lucas didn’t seem fazed by it, though, favoring the man with a wide grin. “Right away, master Primus, sir! Any errands you want me to run while I’m at it? Grocery shopping? Laundry? Coffee run? Chew your food for you before you eat it?” he inquired brightly.

“Can it, Adjutor, and get moving. That’s an order,” the taller man rumbled, though there was a definite note of rough amusement in his delivery. Lucas winked at the man and nodded, hurrying to, and through, another door, vanishing from view a moment later.

“The rest of you, finish up here and make your way to the Scriptorium. The ceremony begins in just a few minutes,” the man went on to advise, sweeping the entire room in a stern glare before returning the way he’d come.

OOC: Awesome, thank you! As usual, the solution is incredibly simple, but none of the fancy tutorials actually give you the answer. I swear, they all want you to reinvent the wheel or something.

For a long moment, the girl just looked Evan up and down, her eyebrows, just as green as her hair, rising. The boy looked more scared than eager. New, obviously. Probably never even been to a gathering like this before. Some initiates were incredibly excited to be here from day one, eager and ready to begin learning about a whole new world, a whole new way of doing things. Others started out afraid, clinging to what they knew for as long as possible. Either this new kid was one of the latter... Or something else was going on.

“Welcome. I’d ask your name, but that would suggest that I’d remember it. Which I wouldn’t. So let’s skip that, and get straight to the important parts,” she hummed, turning a bit to grab a random robe from the rack. “I hate these things. You can tell anyone I said that. But, rules are rules, so put it on before you head through to the Scriptorium. All those people are heading there now,” she directed, gesturing toward the large number of students now heading towards the same door that Lucas had vanished through.

“A few ground rules; Whiteridge Hall is intended as a safe gathering place for any member of the Circle, and it is also our primary ritual site. Do not perform any of your own workings without direct permission from a Primus or above. If you do, and you screw up a major ritual, your ass will be grass. If you have a familiar, you are permitted to bring it here with you most days, but major gatherings like this are an exception. The Scriptorium is likewise fully open to you most times, unless, again, a major gathering is taking place. If you have any problems, you can talk to me or to Julian Theroux. You’ll recognize him by his stupid spiked Mohawk and ten thousand piercings, but he’s actually quite a nice guy.”

“For reference, my name is Kassandra, I have the dubious honor of being a Tertius. You, on the other hand, are an initiate, which holds no honor whatsoever, dubious or otherwise. Try not to fret about it though; Even the Supremus started out where you are now. Now, clearly the wards let you in this first time without trouble, but you’ll need a ward stone to get in next time, especially if you’ve received your Liber Speculum by then, so...” Kassandra’s entire speech was delivered with a robotic quality that suggested that she gave it often, which was supported by the way she spoke both quickly and clearly. Once she reached the end, however, she did something odd given the context; She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

Without further warning, streams of something resembling many, many moats of dust appeared, seemingly from nowhere, streaming in gentle arcs through the air right above her hand, coalescing, quite quickly, to form a single whole; A stone of some kind, the motes merging with it to make it larger, larger, until finally it was just large enough to fit in one’s palm, perfectly oval, with smooth edges and a smoother surface. Kassandra snatched the stone out of the air the moment it was completed and began to fall, and, with her other hand, pointed her index finger at the surface and began to trace... Something. And, as she traced, lines, glowing like molten gold, appeared where her finger pointed. It took only another short moment before whatever she was drawing was complete, some kind of runic symbol. The molten quality of the gold lines faded, leaving them merely colorful, not glowing.

Kassandra lowered her left hand and prooffered the stone to Evan with her right, her dark eyes scanning him carefully, watching for his reaction. She was not as distracted as Emily had been, and Kass tended to be more on the distrustful side anyway. Something about this new guy’s demeanor was off; He wasn’t just scared, he was utterly confused. That, more than the fear, was suspicious. Many initiates tended to be afraid, their first time. This was a whole new world they were entering into, after all. But outright confusion about what was going on? Whichever Primus had recruited this kid should have told him what to expect, tonight. But the wards had let him in... So, even if he wasn’t meant to be here, he wasn’t planning anything harmful. It was confusing, and Kassandra didn’t like confusion.

One thing was certain; She was going to have words for a certain red-headed student when she found out the truth.

The green-haired girl watched Evan go, her eyes lingering on him even after he’d left the stall and had joined the last few people heading through to the Scriptorium. Interesting. Moments later, when a black-robed Primus appeared from a side door and started toward the Scriptorium with the others, Kassandra flagged him down.

Once he reached her, she gave him a hard, thin smile. “We may have a problem.”

The Scriptorium proved to be a circular library of some sort, large enough to fit about two-hundred people, which was roughly the number currently standing within. The tall, rounded walls on all sides were covered in bookshelves that reached up to the ceiling, far too high for anyone to reach without a ladder, yet no such ladders were present. In the center of the circular room was a slightly raised dais, seven figures standing, in six cases, and sitting, in the last, upon it. These figures were dressed in black robes, like the man Evan had seen earlier talking to Lucas, but in their case the trimming was silver, not gold. Their hoods were all drawn up, obscuring their features.

Lucas was fairly easy to find in the crowd due to his red hair, height, and the fact that he was standing right next to the raised dais, and thus out of the main throng. He had his usual easy-going smile on, and was talking to a woman in a black-and-gold robe standing next to him.

Evan was one of the last people in, evidently, as soon after he entered, the doors shut behind him. Once that happened, everyone else in the room, though they had been chatting a moment before, immediately stopped their conversations and turned expectantly toward the central dais, clearly expecting something.

The centermost of the seven figures on said dais stepped forward and raised his arms. “Welcome, Circle members!” the voice was clearly male, but beyond that, there was no way of knowing who he was or what he looked like under that hood. “Now, as you’re all aware, I take exception to long speeches. With that in mind, let us get straight to the point; Tonight is about a few among us who have displayed a mastery of the Art in excess of their station; Therefore, they shall rise through our ranks! Magic is, and always must be, a gift that is given in stages. For our protection as much as for the rest of the world’s! But, though we may hold the keys to a reality they will never know, cannot know, we must always remember; the Gift can take just as easily as it can give.”

A group of six blue-and-gold robed students, the blonde girl who had first greeted Evan among them, stepped forward, once he had finished, having been waiting for that cue.

“Lucas,” the hooded man stated simply.

“Yes, Consiliarius,” Lucas replied, raising his hand to reveal the same vial from earlier. He uncapped it, and the six standing in front of him each extended their hands. With each person, Lucas tilted the vial over each of their hands in turn, allowing a little of some kind of clear, slightly viscous liquid to dribble down before righting it again and moving on the next. As each student received the dollop of liquid, they immediately started rubbing their hands together, as if washing or cleansing them.

“Are you all prepared for what lies ahead?” Lucas asked once he’d finished, a definite rehearsed quality to his question, tucking the now-empty vial back into his robe.

“We are, Adjutor,” the six replied in unison.

“Pray to whatever Gods you worship that you are right. For, if you are deceiving us, or if there is malice in your hearts, the flames will reveal it to us!”

Then, without warning, Lucas clapped his hands together, and then spread them apart quickly; But when he did, the air between his hands was no longer empty. A ball of swirling flame bloomed into life, its dance almost stately as it spun, flickered, and spat. The red-head’s eyes remained resolutely on the flame as he moved his hands again; His right circling up to directly above the flame, and his left down to directly below. Rotating his hands in a slowly widening circle, the flame grew with every motion, smaller, more delicate arcs of fire, like solar flares, growing more and more numerous. Lucas gritted his teeth, the effort of keeping the magical fire in check more difficult than it would normally have been, but he held it, and, once the ball of flame had reached a certain size, he flicked both of his hands forward.

The fire split instantly into six smaller orbs, and shot toward the six figures. They were rapidly enveloped by the fire, but none of them screamed in pain or tried to put themselves out; Each simply squared their shoulders and focused on holding on.

“Does that hurt? It looks like it hurts,” a voice whispered almost directly to Evan’s left, talking to someone else.

“No, it’s mostly for show, hardly anyone’s stupid enough to try to fake the test. Although, I did see it cook a Tertius one time, but that was because he was planning on taking what he knew to the news. Moron,” another voice whispered back.

The fires spun around the six students for another several seconds, until, very suddenly, they simply died away, tiny tongues of flame licked at their robes for a few moments afterward, until even those had vanished.

“All six have passed the test of flame, and their hearts are proved to be loyal. Thus I say to you all; You are Tertius no longer, but Adjutor. Greater secrets, and greater responsibilities, will not be given to you. We look forward to seeing great things from each of you in the future,” the hooded man, the Consiliarius, according to Liam, announced, spreading his hands wide in a crowd-pleasing gesture.

A hearty cheer went up around Evan, and the six turned to grin around at the room, looking perhaps a little pale, but totally unharmed.

Even as the others celebrated, a black-robed Primus suddenly appeared from behind Evan, standing very close on his right, a chilly little smile on his face. “Do not attempt to run. We won’t hurt you, but I’m afraid you’re not supposed to here. But, then, I suspect that you knew that,” the man murmured to Evan, another black-robed figure, a woman, taking a place on Evan’s left, her eyes just as stern.

OOC: Woof, that was an especially long one. xD I figure Evan can either name-drop Lucas, or he can wait to be brought up to the Council (those seven people on the dais), in which case Lucas will actually just see him. Your choice.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. The Council will decide what is to be done. Cooperate, and you won’t be harmed, I give you my word,” the man told him, grasping Evan’s right arm firmly and steering him forwards toward the dais, the various blue-robed students around them parting to make way, eyeing the development curiously. It wasn’t often that two Primus-level members had to escort someone up to the Council, especially given that an elevation ceremony had only just concluded. Who’s as he? An initiate who had screwed up somehow? A spy? The possibilities were endless! It’s doubtful, however, that any of them guessed at the truth; That a mundane was in their midst.

“You did very well, Lucas. We’ll discuss further opportunities for you to prove yourself in the weeks to-“ the hooded man who had officiated the ceremony was saying to Evan’s roommate as the young man was practically dragged up to them. He stopped himself when he spotted the three, however.

“What is the meaning of this?” the Consiliarius asked, his tone faintly surprised. Lucas turned to see what he was talking about... And spotted Evan.

Most of the color drained out of Lucas’ face, his eyes widening in utter surprise. An inward chant of “shit, shit, shit” began to play in his head, even as he swallowed past the sudden dryness in his throat. Evan had followed him here. It was the only reason he would be here, right? But, if that was true, why was he in a Circle robe? Had the guard at the door been that careless?

“He’s a mundane, Consiliarius,” the man holding onto Evan’s arm informed the hooded figure. Despite his obscured features, something about the way the latter’s shoulders tensed indicated surprise. “We’re not yet fully certain of how he got in, but young Emily was on door duty tonight before the ceremony. She may have been distracted.”

“You’re telling me a mundane just decided, for no real reason, to walk into this Hall, tonight of all nights, and we just... Let him in?” the Consiliarius asked, his tone deceptively mild.

“He had a reason, sir,” Lucas managed to say, color returning to his face just in time for his cheeks to flush about as red as his hair. “He was following me.”

“You know this mundane, Lucas?”

“He’s my roommate, sir. I knew he was curious about where I go at night, but I never thought-“ Lucas started to explain.

“Clearly,” the hooded figure interjected icily. Lucas flinched and nodded, subsiding. With an audible sigh, the hooded man turned to fully face Evan.

“Terrence, you’ll have to wipe his mind, of course. A standard memory hex should do it, you need only erase the last hour or so. Once that’s been-“ he began, but, strangely, he just suddenly fell silent. Even more weirdly, he, and the five other standing hooded figures behind him, all turned their heads to the last hooded individual, the only one who was sitting. A long, uncomfortable moment passed. Then another. Another. Finally, the hooded man spoke again.

“Are you certain, Supremus? Perhaps we should consider this before we... Yes. Yes, I understand. Forgive me... Lucas? Of course. A most ingenious punishment, as always, my dear,” he said, his odd pauses evoking the sense that Evan was hearing only one half of a conversation. Then, he finally turned back to the young man.

“Consiliarius?” the black-robed man on Evan’s right asked uncertainly.

“Let him go, Terrence. Lucas will walk him home.”

Everyone besides the hooded figures just blinked at him for several seconds.

“Should I... Should I wipe his memory first, sir?” Terrence asked, sounding quite confused.

“No. Lucas, you will explain everything to young Evan,” the hooded man replied, directing the latter order to Evan’s roommate. How he suddenly knew Evan’s name was not immediately clear. “Once you are satisfied that he is fully informed, you will offer him the ring. This is a direct order from your Supremus. We expect to see it followed.”

“Of course, Consiliarius. Right away,” Lucas agreed quickly, astonished, but unwilling to question an order from the most powerful practitioner in the room. Perhaps in the entire country.

The man on Evan’s right let go of his arm, giving him an unreadable look before stepping back. Lucas hurried forward to Evan, avoiding his eyes.

“Oh, and, Lucas?”

The red-head turned back to the hooded figures questioningly.

“We’ll discuss your carelessness another time. Two steps forward, one step back.”

“Yes, Consiliarius,” Lucas sighed, turning back to Evan, giving his roommate a look that screamed “Let’s go before they change their minds.”

Of all the nights Evan could have chosen to follow Lucas, he had to choose this one? The red-head didn’t blame his roommate for being curious; He was quite confident he would have been too, if their positions had been reversed. Hell, he didn’t even really blame him for following him to the Circle meeting; It had been Lucas’ own carelessness in neglecting any sort of hidden movement enchantment that had let the other man follow so easily. No, the problem was the timing; it had taken a lot of convincing to get the Council to give him the opportunity to administer the test tonight. He’d done it well, thank God, but then Evan had shown up and cancelled out much of the progress he’d made.

Lucas chose not to say anything until they were out of Whiteridge Hall, other than to suggest a quick detour into the changing booths again to put their normal clothes back on, leaving the blue-and-gold robes there. But once that was done, and he and Evan had walked out the front door, Lucas knew he couldn’t delay any longer.

“Okay... Look, Evan, I’m getting the impression that you’re pissed at me,” Lucas said, not having missed the glare his roommate had been giving him a minute ago. Now the other male was refusing to even look at him. “Which I totally get, believe me, but the thing is; I haven’t told anyone. Not you, not my family, not any of my friends outside of the Circle. It’s not something you talk about, with someone who doesn’t already know. In fact, it’s kind of like fight club; The first rule is that you don’t talk about it.”

It must have been at least half past midnight by then, and the way back to the apartment was largely empty, though a few figures could be seen walking up and down the sidewalk. Explain everything... Jesus. How exactly was he actually going to broach the subject of fucking magic? Had Evan even believed what he’d seen in there?

“There are some people who can... Do things. Things most others can’t. I’m one of them, and everyone in that Hall tonight was too. We keep our talents hidden for a lot of reasons; To protect ourselves, mostly. If the world found out about what we can do, they would either persecute us, try to use us, or both. It’s just better to stay under the radar,” he went on, sticking his hands in his pockets nervously as they walked, Lucas watching Evan out of the corner of his eye, as if half-expecting him to bolt.

“This thing we can do, it’s often called the Gift. It’s how I pay my half of the rent, for one. And how I’m passing all of my classes,” Evan sighed. Figuring a small demonstration might be in order, he kept his eyes on the sidewalk for a few moments, until he spotted something he could use; An empty Coke can. Leaning down to scoop it up as he and Evan walked by, Lucas then started to turn it over in his hands, willing the aluminum to change as he did so. Magic flowed into the metal, twisting and reshaping as it went, the can actually seeming to mold itself into a different shape, the aluminum rippling like water. A few seconds later, Lucas extended his hand to give Evan a better view of the finished product; The former can was now in the shape of a delicate red-and-silver aluminum elephant, trunk and all.

“You with me so far?” Lucas asked carefully, still extremely nervous. The Supremus, for whatever inscrutable reason, had ordered that Evan’s memory not be wiped, so, if his roommate decided he wanted Lucas gone, there was very little the red-head could do about it.

Well, shit. This was not going well, that was clear; Evan had never been this angry in Lucas’ experience, ever, let alone at his roommate. To a degree, at least, he could understand why; The lies, the sudden revelation of a whole new world, and, apparently, the channeling skull Lucas had picked up from that Primus a few months back. He’d had no idea until just now that Evan had even seen it. That was obviously not a great visual to have in Evan’s head just now, but he was going to have to deal with it.

So, yeah, he understood; But that didn’t mean that Evan’s total dismissal of what Lucas had been devoting his life to for the last four years didn’t make him angry.

“Later, I’m going to explain to you exactly how much time, effort, and preparation goes into the simplest fucking incantation, and just how hard I’ve worked to get to where I am,” Lucas grunted, perhaps a little irritably... But that wasn’t what Evan needed to hear right then, so he moved on immediately.

“I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but I did want to help you, Evan, I swear to God. Just like I want to help my parents get out of the rent-controlled shithole they’re still living in back in Chicago. Just like I wanted to help my friend Justin when he was diagnosed with multiple schlerosis a few years ago. Hell, if I could help the entire fucking world, I would, but I can’t, because there are rules. I didn’t make them, but I have to follow them. I can barely send a thousand dollars or so to my parents a month, which is just about enough for them to make rent, and Justin died a few months ago. I can’t solve everyone else’s problems with a snap of my fingers, even when I want to, and I’m sorry for that!” Lucas tried to explain, hurrying to keep up with Evan as his roommate wrapped his arms around himself and picked up the pace. His voice was much more desperate than before, his usually calm, confident air fading as he realized just how dire this was, his hand running through his hair every few seconds, a clear indication that he was getting agitated.

Damnit. This was going to take time; Evan wasn’t going to forgive him overnight, and this was hurting more than Lucas had expected it to. He and Evan hadn’t exactly been best friends before now, but he’d certainly been a large part of Luke’s life for the last year plus change. If Evan did decide to kick him out, or decided to leave himself... Lucas didn’t even really want to think about that possibility.

“I promise I’ll tell you everything, if you let me. No holds barred, no caveats. The whole truth. And it doesn’t have to be tonight, if you need time, one of my friends has her dorm room all to herself right now, I could stay with her for awhile if you want me out of the apartment. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it!“ he pleaded, just as they reached the steps leading up to the front door of their apartment building.

There was no way around it; He would just have to throw himself onto Evan’s mercy and hope that, if not tonight, then at some point, he would be willing to hear Lucas out. Though personally hating the idea of relying on someone else’s wards for even just one night of sleep, he didn’t have any choice. And, if it came down to it and Evan wanted to be the one to leave, Lucas would just have to convince him to stay while Luke went. Knowledge of the existence of magic was, in and of itself, dangerous. Lucas would feel much more comfortable with Evan behind the red-head’s own wards, rather than out staying with some random mundane who knew nothing about nothing.

Lucas didn’t immediately follow when Evan went inside, giving himself a moment to breathe, leaning against the stone railing just outside the door. He hadn’t sounded as angry, somehow, and Evan saying good night had to have been a good sign. Right? Plus, he hadn’t indicated that he wanted the ginger gone, tonight. Or... Or had he? Is that what he’d meant when he said he needed time to process? Shit. He’d always been bad at reading people, and Evan’s last, vague words hadn’t made it clear whether he should stay or go.

Glancing down at the aluminum elephant in his hands a little forlornly as he tried to make a decision, Lucas let out a deep sigh and raised it up to his face, his lips just barely touching the metal creature.

“Vita perpetua,” he muttered, the energies inside of him coalescing, passing into the elephant via his lips. The aluminum rippled again, sparks running along its surface, and then stilled just as quickly as it had begun. Except, this time, the elephant shuddered again a moment later, and turned its little head to stare at Lucas. It’s second action was to raise its trunk and trumpet at him excitedly, though the sound resembled a tiny little flute far more than it did a trumpet. Lucas allowed a small smile down at the newly animated construct, and then crouched down to put it on the ground.

“Don’t go far. I’ll need you to keep an eye on him for me from now on,” Luke told the elephant, which trumpeted again, as if in agreement. Then it turned and trotted away, snuffling around at the ground in open curiosity.

Ultimately, Lucas decided that, if Evan had wanted him to stay away from the apartment all together, he would have said so. Time to process could have meant a lot of things, one of which was just to give him space, which Luke could do while also sleeping in his own bed. So he went inside as well, taking the stairs up two at a time, like he always did, and making his way to the apartment. Opening the door as quietly as he could and going inside, Lucas went into the kitchen first, leaning against the counter and closing his eyes for a moment.

Everything was going to change, now. Even if his roommate at first didn’t want anything to do with the Circle, Evan’s curiosity would get the better of him; It had tonight, and it would again. And Lucas couldn’t exactly just keep hiding what he was doing; So Evan was definitely going to be seeing some spellwork being done. Lucas had his own tests coming up in his mundane classes, after all. Evan probably wasn’t going to be super pleased when he saw how easy it was for Luke to fake his way past those classes, but he’d have to live with it. Most Circle members tended to split their focus between ordinary college and their studies of the Art, but Lucas’ focus was laser-like; And he’d advanced faster through the Circle than basically anyone else, as a direct result.

When Lucas opened his eyes again and went over to the pantry cupboard to get a snack, he noted Felix watching him warily from the other room. He looked quite unamused.

“Oh, get over it. You looked good in neon green anyway,” Lucas muttered, giving the cat an annoyed glance as he retrieved a bag of chips. Felix didn’t particularly like that idea either, apparently, because the cat flicked his tail, turned around, and padded away without a second glance.

Lucas returned to his own room, another small smile appearing on his face when he saw Holly sleeping there. He would have been happier if he could close the door, give Evan as much privacy and space as he could without leaving, but Holly would likely want to leave at some point while Lucas was sleeping, so he kept the door cracked just enough for her to escape when she chose to. The red-head stripped down to his boxers quickly and climbed into his bed, settling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.

The Supremus had specifically ordered that Evan not be mind-wiped, and, furthermore, that Lucas try to actually recruit him. SHe never got involved in trivial affairs like this; And Lucas had the sinking feeling that there was a very specific reason, even if he didn’t know what it was yet. What he did know, however, was that Evan was about to embark on a journey into a world very much unlike his own; Whether he wanted to or not.

And the other man had no idea just how dangerous all of this could be.

OOC: Your move, friend. ^.^