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the Project	By : theLureln Category: +M through R > Magic: The Gathering Views: 11901 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Magic the Gathering characters or settings, anything else is mine. This story is not being written for profit.

Chapter List
- 1-the Project
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-10
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-15
- 16-16
- 17-17
- 18-18
- 19-19
- 20-20
- 21-21
- 22-22
- 23-23
- 24-24
- 25-25
- 26-26
- 27-27
- 28-28
- 29-29
- 30-30
- 31-31
- 32-32
- 33-33
- 34-34
- 35-35
- 36-36
- 37-37
- 38-38
- 39-39
- 40-40
- 41-41
- 42-42
- 43-43
- 44-44
- 45-45
- 46-46
- 25
- 26
- 27
Lorissa was deeply relieved to see Ral Zarek depart. They belonged to the same guild so she wasn’t exactly afraid of him, but he was known for being impetuous, volatile and intense. Like most Izzet mages, things around him tended to end up in pieces. She did not want to be the subject of his scrutiny for any reason. And she certainly didn’t want him paying any attention to what went on in her personal life, which seemed to have gone from nonexistent to an explosive disaster in less than an hour, and all of it taking place at work to boot. Behind her she sensed Venser returning to his seat and she realized she had one thing to thank Ral for. His appearance had interrupted the awkward conversation between the two of them for the time being. She recognized that Venser was exhibiting extreme patience, but he didn’t exactly have a claim on her either.
She glanced back over her shoulder, taking in his tousled dark hair and intelligent hazel blue eyes. He was once again wearing the blue and white colors of the Azorius Senate, his clothing loose and comfortable yet doing nothing to hide his broad shoulders and fit physique. She could do far worse than a man like him, in every way. He was brilliant, funny, sexy and kind. Other women would trample over her to get a piece of him. If she wasn’t such a hot mess inside of her head at the moment, she would have been tempted to take what he offered. But she didn’t have to think twice to understand he deserved better than that.
So did she, for that matter. As great as Venser was, if she got into anything with him it wouldn’t end well. She wasn’t ready; she’d let herself down in her dealings with Jace in more ways than one. First she’d jumped into a sexual encounter with a complete stranger, then she’d expected far too much from a perfectly casual series of interactions when she should have known better. Something about him had made her vulnerable; he’d slipped past defenses she’d had in place for years and he hadn’t been trying to. Or perhaps she’d gotten tired of being alone and had allowed her guard to drop.
Until she was able to understand her failings and restore her belief in herself, she wasn’t a fit partner for anyone. She’d yet to figure out what had driven her to such mad behavior with the man; she’d been sexually attracted to other men and able to retain her sanity. When it came to Jace, she seemed to be stripped of common sense. She couldn’t put her finger on why that would be, either. Their interactions had been predominantly sexual; maybe he just did it for her on an unequaled level.
Contemplating such thoughts while in the presence of Venser made her feel acutely uncomfortable, so with a sigh she shelved her issues with Jace for the moment and went back to her desk. Venser glanced up at her with an easy smile as she approached; she felt something warm flare to life inside her at the casual gesture. She started gathering her notes up, looking at him out of the corner of her eye as he did the same. It was the beginning of their nightly ritual; normally he would follow her around while she put things away.
Tonight she turned to him and said, “You should go see Niv-Mizzet; he’s not known for being favorably inclined towards those who keep him waiting.”
His smile faded to be replaced by a grimace, but he nodded and stood up with a sigh. “You’re right; he’s been kind enough to allow me the use of this place and your time. Will you be alright walking home?”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him with a bright smile of her own. “If I’m really worried, I can just summon Nix here.”
Neither of them mentioned that he hadn’t escorted her home last night.
“No sense putting if off then I suppose,” he grumbled, giving her a rueful grin. “No offense, but your guildmaster is intimidating; on multiple levels.”
She laughed and winked at him. “He’s a dragon; I think it comes with the territory. And I would have chosen terrifying to describe him.”
Venser looked surprised at her admission. “Really? But you two seem to be close.”
Lorissa shrugged as she finished gathering up her work. “That doesn’t change what he is, or what I am. He’s lived for thousands of years; I’m a blink of the eye in his life. Even if he regards me as some sort of pet project, his nature is still that of an apex predator. The moment I cease to be amusing or valuable, I think I know where I stand.”
Venser was stunned by her pragmatism but the rational part of him understood she was probably correct. Particularly given his own experience with dragons. But it was a grim reminder to tread lightly with the Parun of the Izzet League, no matter how helpful he had been thus far. It was very unlikely the dragon was helping him for altruistic reasons.
Still, he recognized her explanation as something else as well. Another wall put into place to guard herself. He wondered if she ever let anyone in.
It wasn’t a discussion to have at the moment, so he told her good night and made his way through Nivix to the aerie of the Dracogenius. He suspected the dragon was going to call in his favor; he couldn’t think of another reason Niv-Mizzet wouldn’t have simply visited him in the library to discuss it. The guildmaster seemed very open around Lorissa most of the time; in Venser’s opinion the Parun regarded her as someone to trust. Whatever it was the dragon wanted to discuss, he obviously wanted kept from her, a thought that made Venser distinctly uneasy. He didn’t care for the idea of keeping more secrets from her than he already was. He wanted to tell her everything about himself, but at the same time he knew handling the truth might be too much for her right now. He had to wait until there was more solid foundation between the two of them.
As he entered the enormous aerie, he strode past tall gleaming walls of blue and red lined with runes. Books and unrolled scrolls littered various areas on the ground; obviously tossed there after being read. Ahead of him, he spotted the enormous crimson form of the dragon, scales glittering in the light thrown off by glowing globes that hovered along the walls. Niv-Mizzet was gigantic, as all of his species tended to become with age, and the aerie had been built to accommodate his natural size so it took Venser quite a while to cross over within talking distance of the great reptile.
Niv-Mizzet looked up as he approached; he respectfully bowed to the guildmaster before saying, “You requested an audience?”
The dragon waved a taloned hand and the tome he was perusing snapped shut and drifted down to the ground. “How goes the research?”
The question seemed innocuous, but Venser had discovered that nothing with dragons ever was. What could the guildmaster be hoping to glean from this? Venser knew the Dracogenius had some knowledge of Planeswalkers; how was the question. Perhaps he thought Venser was researching a means to walk off this plane; which would have been an accurate assumption. Since waking, Venser had been able to call on his power, but it was limited and thus far he hadn’t been successful at walking. How he had any magic left after granting his spark to Karn was a mystery to him. His investigation had been multifaceted; he was trying to figure out where and when he was; how he was alive and how or if he was going to get his full power back.
“I’ve run across one or two methods of memory restoration but so far nothing appears to be working, exactly as I need it to,” he said, careful not to lie.
The Firemind regarded him with shrewd eyes for a moment before replying, “How unfortunate. But Lorissa has been of use to you?”
In spite of his need for caution, Venser found himself smiling at the mention of her, flooded with warmth and appreciation. “Absolutely. She’s made time to help me out between all of her other duties.”
“Yes that one is almost entirely all work no play,” the Dracogenius mused. “Although you seem to find her amusing.”
Venser could hardly deny that, even though discussing it with the looming dragon seemed ludicrous. Why would the guildmaster care? The Parun did seem to have an interest in her that Venser still didn’t understand. “She is relaxing; I enjoy her company,” he finally admitted when he realized Niv-Mizzet was waiting for an answer.
The reptilian visage split into what could only be described as a smirk, causing a feeling of dread to well up in the Sojourner’s stomach. “Excellent. Then I request my favor of you at this time. You are to court the archivist Lorissa deCar.”
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