Javir's office was, as always, a perfect reflection of the woman herself—organized yet sohow cozy, with shelves of ticulously labeled stuff alongside worn, comfortable furniture. Scrolls and tos were stacked in neat piles, and today the air slled faintly of jasmine and parchnt.
lisa and Jaylin stood side by side in front of Javir's desk, looking for all the world like two students caught setting the alchemy lab on fire.
"Let get this straight," Javir said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You found a secret passage in the restricted section of the library, decided to explore it without telling anyone, and then removed an unidentified magical artifact from its resting place?"
"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds bad," lisa admitted with a nervous smile.
"That's because it is bad," Jaylin hissed.
"It's not like I was trying to steal it," lisa argued. "We brought it straight to you!"
"After she insisted we examine it ourselves first," Jaylin added, throwing lisa under the proverbial carriage without hesitation.
Javir sighed deeply.
"You do realize that unknown magical artifacts can be incredibly dangerous? That there could be a very good reason it was being kept there, like that? They could be cursed, or bound to ancient spells, or connected to entities you really don't want to et."
lisa shuffled her feet.
"But it didn't do anything. I touched it and nothing happened."
"That you know of," Javir countered. "So effects aren't imdiate or obvious."
Despite her stern tone, lisa could see the spark of curiosity in Javir's eyes as they darted to the disc sitting on her desk. Professional responsibility was clearly warring with scholarly interest.
"Well, since you've already disturbed it," Javir said, relenting slightly, "I suppose we might as well examine it properly." She leaned forward, peering at the disc without touching it. "Where exactly did you find this?"
lisa described the hidden chamber and the glowing runes, while Jaylin occasionally interjected with corrections or additional details that lisa had "obviously missed because she wasn't paying proper attention."
"Interesting," Javir murmured, her focus now entirely on the artifact. "These markings are extrely old. Pre-Cataclysmic, certainly, possibly even from the First Age."
"That's what I said!" Jaylin looked vindicated.
"And look at the composition," Javir continued, using a small rod to gently turn the disc over. "It's not gold or bronze as it appears. I'm not sure what tal this is."
lisa leaned closer.
"Can you read any of the symbols?"
"So," Javir admitted. "This one here appears to be related to 'mory' or 'thought.' And this one is often associated with 'transfer' or 'passage.'"
"mory transfer?" lisa's eyes widened. "Like, it can show you mories or sothing?"
"Or take them," Jaylin suggested ominously.
"Eh, it's unclear," Javir said. "Without more context, it's difficult to determine the artifact's purpose." She hesitated, then carefully picked up the disc with her bare hand.
For a mont, nothing happened. Then Javir's eyes widened slightly, her pupils dilating for a brief second before returning to normal.
"Aunt Javir?" Jaylin stepped forward, concerned.
Javir set the disc down gently, a small furrow between her brows.
"How... curious."
"What happened?" lisa asked eagerly. "Did you see sothing? Feel sothing?"
"A brief... impression," Javir said vaguely. "Nothing concrete." She shook her head as if to clear it. "This artifact requires further study, but not by students. I want you to return it exactly where you found it."
"But—" lisa began.
"No argunts," Javir said firmly. "This is beyond your current level of magical understanding. Like I said, if it's remained hidden all these years, there's likely a good reason for that."
lisa deflated.
"Fine. We'll put it back."
"Today," Javir emphasized, fixing lisa with a knowing look. "Before either of you get any ideas about 'borrowing' it for additional research."
[Damn, she knows too well,] lisa thought.
"Of course, Aunt Javir," Jaylin said primly, shooting lisa a sidelong glare. "We'll return it imdiately."
Javir nodded, satisfied.
"Good. And in the future, if you discover any more secret chambers or mysterious artifacts, please inform a faculty mber before touching anything."
"Even if it's super boring and nothing happens?" lisa asked.
"Especially then," Javir replied dryly. "Now, don't you two have a project to work on?"
Properly chastised, lisa and Jaylin left Javir's office with the disc carefully wrapped in a cloth. They walked in silence for a mont, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Well, that was a bust," lisa said finally.
"What did you expect? A dal for reckless magical exploration?" Jaylin snapped.
"I don't know, maybe so excitent? Not everyone follows the rules like they're sacred texts, Jaylin."
Jaylin rolled her eyes.
"Rules exist for a reason. Usually to prevent idiots from getting themselves killed."
They reached the library and made their way back to the restricted section. Fortunately, it was still empty, and no one had noticed the slightly ajar bookshelf that led to the hidden passage.
"Let do it," Jaylin said, holding out her hand for the disc. "I don't trust you not to 'accidentally' pocket it."
"Fine," lisa sighed, handing over the wrapped artifact. "But I'm coming with you. Just to make sure you put it back exactly right."
They slipped through the passage, retracing their steps to the small chamber. Jaylin placed the disc carefully back on its pedestal, making sure it was positioned exactly as they'd found it.
"There," she said with satisfaction. "Mission accomplished. Now we can focus on our actual assignnt."
"About that," lisa said, backing toward the exit. "I just rembered I promised Isabella I'd help her with a thing this afternoon. Very important. Can't be rescheduled."
"Are you serious?" Jaylin's voice rose an octave. "We're supposed to be working on our project!"
"And we will," lisa assured her, still retreating. "Tomorrow. Promise. You can even make a study schedule or whatever makes you happy. But right now, I really gotta go."
Before Jaylin could protest further, lisa ducked out of the chamber and hurried back through the passage. She heard Jaylin cursing behind her but didn't slow down.
[She'll get over it,] lisa thought. [And honestly, after that lecture from Javir, I need so fun to cleanse my palate.]
---
{Jaylin}
Jaylin stomped up the path to what could basically be called the Folden-Blackfla residence, still seething from lisa's abrupt departure. The sun was setting, painting the sky in deep oranges and purples that did nothing to improve her mood.
[That irresponsible, insufferable, purple... ugh!]
She'd wasted her entire afternoon for nothing. First traipsing to Javir's office with that stupid disc, then getting lectured as if she'd been the one to discover the secret passage in the first place, and finally being abandoned by her so-called project partner before they'd even started their actual work.
[If lisa thinks I'm doing all the research myself, she's got another thing coming!]
Jaylin pushed open the front door, the familiar scent of Margaret's cooking hitting her imdiately. Despite her perpetual annoyance with the nim woman's overly familiar attitude, Jaylin couldn't deny that she was an excellent cook.
"I'm back," she called out, more out of habit than any desire to announce her presence.
"In the kitchen!" Margaret's cheerful voice replied. "Dinner's almost ready!"
Jaylin hung up her bag and coat, then made her way to the kitchen. Margaret was bustling around, her silver hair twisted up in a ssy bun, wearing one of her usual loose dresses that did little to contain her ample chest.
"There you are," Margaret said, beaming. "I was starting to worry. Hazel's already eaten and listair won't be ho until later."
"Sorry," Jaylin said automatically. "I was at the library."
"With lisa? She ntioned you two were working on a project together."
Jaylin's scowl returned.
"We were supposed to be. She ditched ."
Margaret chuckled, stirring sothing that slled divine.
"That sounds like her. Don't worry, she'll co through in the end. She always does."
"If you say so," Jaylin replied dubiously.
"Here, make yourself useful," Margaret said, gesturing to a stack of plates. "Set the table, would you? It'll just be the two of us tonight."
Jaylin complied, laying out plates and cutlery while Margaret finished preparing the al. It was a strange dostic routine they'd fallen into, one that Jaylin was reluctant to admit had beco sowhat comforting in its familiarity.
"How was your day otherwise?" Margaret asked, bringing a steaming dish to the table. "Anything exciting happen?"
[If only you knew,] Jaylin thought.
"Not really," she lied. "Just classes and library research."
Margaret humd noncommittally, returning to the counter for a second dish. As she set it down, she passed Jaylin the serving spoon. Their fingers brushed briefly, a casual contact that should have been unremarkable.
Instead, Jaylin's vision suddenly blurred, then sharpened on a scene that was decidedly not the kitchen.
She was looking at the bedroom upstairs. Or rather, at Margaret, on her hands and knees on the bed, completely naked. Behind her stood listair, his hands gripping her hips, his purple cock sliding in and out of her at a steady pace.
"Fuck, harder," Margaret moaned, her enormous breasts swinging with each thrust. "We need to be quick before the girls get ho."
"I know, I know," listair grunted, picking up his pace. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room. "Gods, you feel so good."
Margaret rocked back against him, her face contorted in pleasure.
"Right there, right there, don't stop—"
As abruptly as it had begun, the vision ended.
Jaylin found herself back in the kitchen, the serving spoon clutched in her frozen hand, her face burning hotter than she thought humanly possible.
Margaret was staring at her, concerned.
"Jaylin? Are you all right? You look flushed."
Jaylin couldn't speak. Couldn't move. The image of Margaret and listair was burned into her retinas, a mory that wasn't hers, couldn't be hers, but had sohow ended up in her head anyway.
[Oh god oh god oh god]
She paused.
The disc. It had to be the disc.
"I need to go," Jaylin choked out, dropping the spoon with a clatter. "I just rembered... sothing. Important. Elsewhere."
She backed away from the table, bumping into a chair and nearly toppling it.
"Jaylin, wait—" Margaret began, but Jaylin was already fleeing, desperate to be anywhere but here.
As she burst out the front door and into the cooling evening air, one thought circled in her mind, growing louder with each repetition:
[I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, BLACKFLA!]
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