The morning sunlight filtered through the academy's stained glass windows as lisa hurried toward Javir's office. Students parted before her, so whispering the usual as she passed. Infamous nim mage, defended the queen, yada yada.
More so than any other ti, though, lisa was incredibly aware of her proximity to these whispers.
[Don't touch , don't touch , don't touch ,] lisa thought, quickening her pace and keeping her hands firmly tucked in her sleeves. After her accidental glimpse into Queen Aria's mind yesterday, she was taking no chances with casual contact.
Continuously, her mind kept racing with the implications of what she and Raven had discussed. If the disc's purpose was to reveal secrets, was there a specific number they needed to collect? A specific type of secret? Or was there sothing else entirely they were missing?
lisa reached Javir's office door and knocked, maybe a bit more forcefully than necessary.
"Co in!" Javir's voice called from within.
lisa pushed the door open to find Javir seated behind her desk, surrounded by stacks of ancient tos and scrolls. The professor looked as though she hadn't slept, her usually immaculate orange hair slightly disheveled, dark circles beneath her eyes.
The mysterious disc sat in the center of the desk, now contained within a small glass case that lisa assud was ant to prevent accidental contact.
"Hey... You look terrible," lisa said by way of greeting, closing the door behind her.
"Thank you for that assessnt," Javir replied dryly, setting down the scroll she had been reading. "I take it you haven't found a miraculous cure since we last spoke?"
"Not exactly," lisa admitted, taking the seat across from Javir. "But Raven and I ca up with a theory."
"Oh. Well, let hear it."
lisa inhaled slowly.
"The mories we've been seeing when we touch people. They're all secrets, right? Private monts, intimate thoughts. Things people wouldn't normally share."
Javir's eyes widened slightly.
"Yes, that tracks with what I've experienced as well," she said thoughtfully. "But to what end?"
"That's the question," lisa leaned forward eagerly. "What if the disc was designed to collect or reveal secrets for so purpose? Maybe there's a specific number we need to gather, or a particular type of secret, and then the effect will deactivate."
"Hmm." Javir tapped her finger against her chin. "That's... not entirely inconsistent with what I've learned."
She reached for one of the books on her desk, flipping it open to a marked page.
"According to this text, artifacts of the First Age were often created for specific ritual purposes. Many were designed to fulfill their function and then enter a dormant state until needed again."
"So I could be right?"
"Possibly," Javir admitted. "The symbols on the disc do suggest sothing related to revelation or unveiling of hidden knowledge. However..." She trailed off, frowning.
"What?"
"I've found references to similar artifacts, but none that perfectly match our disc's design or effects. The closest ntion I could find was of sothing called 'The Mirror of Secrets,' which supposedly allowed ancient magistrates to determine if soone was lying by revealing their hidden thoughts."
"That sounds promising!" lisa said.
"Yes, except the text specifically ntions that the Mirror required both parties to touch it simultaneously while asking specific questions. That's not how our disc functions."
lisa's enthusiasm dimd slightly.
"So... what does that an?"
Javir sighed, leaning back in her chair.
"It ans that without more specific information about this particular artifact, we're largely operating on educated guesswork. I've sent a ssage to a colleague who specializes in First Age history, but I doubt we'll hear back for at least a week."
"A week?!" lisa exclaid. "I can't avoid touching people for a week! That's... that's..." She gestured wildly, unable to articulate just how impossible that would be.
"I understand your frustration," Javir said calmly. "But there may be another solution."
"I'm all ears."
"Based on what I've read about similar artifacts, there's a strong possibility that the effect is temporary regardless of whether we discover its purpose or not."
"Temporary how?"
"Well, many ancient enchantnts operate on lunar cycles," Javir explained. "They activate during certain phases of the twin moons and deactivate during others. Given that we've been experiencing these effects for approximately two days now, it's possible they'll naturally dissipate when the moons enter their next phase."
lisa stared at her.
"You're saying we might just have to... wait it out?"
"Essentially, yes."
"That's your big solution? Just wait and hope it goes away on its own?" lisa couldn't keep the disappointnt from her voice.
"I... wouldn't characterize it quite like that," Javir said, a hint of defensiveness creeping into her tone. "I'm suggesting that based on historical precedent, this effect is likely to be temporary rather than permanent. There's a significant difference."
lisa slumped in her chair.
"How long?"
"If I'm right about the lunar cycle theory? Three to five days at most."
"And if you're wrong?"
Javir sighed.
"Then we continue researching until we find a solution," she said finally. "But in the anti, yes, we need to be cautious about physical contact."
lisa groaned, dragging her hands down her face.
"Five days of avoiding touch. In a school full of people. While living with my extrely touchy-feely family and friends. Fantastic."
"Look on the bright side," Javir suggested. "At least you're not probably not seeing anything exciting every ti you touch Raven."
"You're actually right about that, but... that's been weird actually," lisa tilted her head thoughtfully. "Everyone else, I get these intense private monts, but with Raven, it's just... normal, everyday stuff. No secrets, no hidden thoughts. Just her doing regular things."
"Oh. Well, that's Interesting," Javir murmured, making a note on a piece of parchnt. "That could support the 'secrets' theory. Perhaps Raven simply doesn't have many secrets?"
"Or," lisa said slowly, a new thought occurring to her, "maybe her secrets aren't what we think they are."
"aning?"
"I don't know exactly," lisa admitted. "Just a feeling."
Javir studied her for a mont, then nodded.
"While we wait for more information, I want you to keep track of any patterns you notice. Which mories you see, under what circumstances, whether certain types of contact trigger different types of mories. The more data we have, the better chance we have of understanding this phenonon."
"Will do," lisa promised, standing up. "Guess I'll go practice my no-touching skills now. Maybe I should start wearing a sign: 'Warning, will accidentally read your most embarrassing mories.'"
Javir's lips quirked in a small smile.
"Perhaps not quite so explicit. But so caution would be wise."
lisa headed for the door, then paused, a thought striking her.
"Hey, Javir?"
"Yes?"
"You said the effect transfers when we touch soone, right? But what if... what if we could control which mories we see?"
Javir frowned.
"What do you an?"
"Well, I've been thinking about the last few people I touched. With Isabella, I saw her... using a wand creatively. With Jaylin, sothing about my mom. With Aria, I saw her debating politics. What if we can sohow influence which type of mory we access?"
"Interesting theory," Javir said slowly. "What made you think of this?"
lisa shrugged.
"Just wondering if we could make this less awkward and more useful. Like, instead of accidentally seeing everyone's bedroom adventures, maybe we could focus on other types of secrets. Helpful ones."
"Like political information from the queen?" Javir asked shrewdly.
lisa had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.
"I an, it would be for a good cause..."
"lisa," Javir's voice held a warning note. "Whatever your intentions, using magical ans to extract private information from unwitting subjects is ethically questionable at best."
"Even if it could help the nim?"
"Even then." Javir's expression softened slightly. "I understand your desire to help your people. But this isn't the way."
lisa sighed.
"Fine, fine. No exploiting the weird mory disc for political gain. I get it."
"Good. Now, try to stay out of trouble until we learn more. And rember—"
"Minimize contact, track patterns, don't be evil. Got it."
With that, lisa slipped out of the office, carefully closing the door behind her.
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