Going from the Sleeping Spires to Leland’s office was a uniquely impossible task. The crowd was moving at a pace that would make a snail seem brisk. And yet they made it back, Ingrid first stumbling through with back straightened stiff, eyes looking straight at the Ohridian brandy that lay unopened on the shelf behind Leland’s desk, and Leland himself quietly closing the door, forehead pressed against the seam. He then took a deep draw of air, the smell of leather, paper, and velvet permeating through his nostrils, and plastered on an incredibly artificial smile.
“Well, someone must have forgotten to change the lightstones, am I right?” A loud squeak and pop of a cork was followed by a glare from Ingrid.
“Shut…Shut the fuck up, Leland.” Ingrid said, taking a swig of the liquor. As the first drink went down, her posture collapsed, making Ingrid slide down the front of the desk. The change was subtle for most but to even the least practiced mage, it was like the foundation of the world had shifted and the ground was now at an angle. The energy it took to keep balanced was too much and the moment she relaxed, she fell to the ground, now shrouded in the darkness of the unlit library. Ingrid pressed the heels of her palms hard into her eyelids. Leland dropped the fake expression as the dread hidden beneath his guise turned to concern. He knelt down and put his hand on Ingrid’s shoulder.
“Hey, hey, hey. We don’t know what we just felt”
“...” Ingrid just stared past him at a spot on the ground, the dark circles around her eyes from sleepless nights of research exacerbated by the look of grief on her face.
“It could have been anything. I heard Konrad mention he was working on a contained amplifying field, maybe it was that. Or maybe it's just a one time thing, and we’ll never have to deal with that ever again.” Leland’s consoling was left unheeded as Ingrid seemed to sink further. “Okay well can I at least have some brandy, it was a gift.” Leland said as he reached for the bottle. Ingrid shifted it just out of reach, much to the dismay of Leland. He sighed again, before snatching the liquor and taking a deep swig. A deep shiver spread through his wiry frame. “You know what… I don’t think I can drink like a pirate.” he shuddered, reaching for a glass in the cupboard.
Ingrid whispered, muffled by her own hands, “Why did this have to happen right as I was making progress on my thesis?” She picked up her face as she stared at Leland pouring a hefty glass. “Maybe I should have just become a baker. My dad would definitely have preferred that” she groaned, taking another drink. Leland scoffed quietly.
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“You always say that and yet you’ve never even made a single loaf of bread.”
“Neither have you stick-man”
“Touche. Regardless, what is ‘this?’” Leland said, gesturing at the lightstones affixed to the ceiling, now just hunks of crystal. “We have no idea if it will even last.” He stood up, swirling his glass slightly before taking a measured sip, side-eyeing Ingrid’s chokehold on the bottle. “Are you even enjoying that? You’re not even tasting it, you’re just shooting like it's some cheap swill.” Ingrid sneered at Leland again, before taking an especially large gulp. She grimaced, suppressing a cough before asking,
“Is this really the time to be acting like an ass over my drinking habits?”
“Fine, fine.” Leland groaned as he stood up. He tramped over towards a large leather chair with glass in hand before closing his eyes. Ingrid craned her neck at the lazy sight. Furious, she jumped up to her feet and yelled at Leland, bewildered.
“Are you seriously going to take a nap right now?” Leland opened his eyes and shrugged.
“What do you want me to do? Panic? How’s that going to help?”
“You’re the prodigy, can’t you do anything?” Ingrid said, exasperated. Leland just sighed again and sat up to face Ingrid.
“We don’t know any of the current factors at play. If I tried anything, this room could end up in a blaze and we’d both be the victims of a short sighted attempt to solve nothing. Clearly some of our more foolish peers tried that. I’m a prodigy because I understand the most common universal factors and take measured approaches, but right now, no one knows anything so the most measured approach is to wait until we know more.” Ingrid just rubbed her eyes again. Even the small sparks from rubbing them seemed dull. Ingrid set down the bottle and groaned slightly as she stood up. She grabbed the cork and refitted it to the bottle, the dark amber liquid sloshing like a syrup more than a drink. Nearly half the bottle was gone and she had drunk most of it herself.
“Alright,” Ingrid sighed, “I need some air, and you are frankly being a pain in my ass.” She stumbled toward her coat on the coat rack that had been there since the morning and put it on, the feeling of pins and needles prickling her legs as they awoke from their brief slumber. She turned back towards Leland to chastise him again on his behavior only to find that he was leaned back in the chair, now having fallen into a shallow slumber, mumbling slightly while resting his chin on his arm. ‘Lightweight’ Ingrid thought to herself. She grabbed the glass of brandy from his free hand and placed it on the table beside the chair. Upon taking the glass, Leland seemed to sink deeper into the puffy chair, arms now cradled together next to his face. Ingrid just sighed again and relaxed her expression.
