Horace was extremely tense as he approached the door to Professor Mars' office. He wanted to advance his Static magic ever since he learned Hydromosis. He had been one of the best students of Static that he could think of but he still wanted to be better. Horace had originally wanted to go to Professor Lux for help but he figured it would be easy for him to contract a professor he already knew.

A bead of sweat slid down Horace's forehead, which was odd since it was a cool day. Horace was paralyzed at the door. He wondered if he should just turn around and go back to his dorm and practice the magic by himself.

No, I can't. I need to start asking other people for help in my work. Professor Mars is my best bet.

Horace knocked lightly on the door.

"Yelllllooowww?" Called out Professor Mars, busy at her desk, scrawling out a series of unintelligible notes. "Come in."

Her door was unlocked but closed. It was clear she wasn't planning on getting up from her seat unless she had to. Had Horace opened the door, he would have seen an ordered mess. Papers in piles, bookshelves crammed to bursting with grims and in the centre, Professor Mars. She was quite in keeping with her office. Her attire was fairly ecclectic, a strange mix of dark and bright colours, topped with frizzy red hair.

"Can I help you?" She asked pre-emptively, still writing.

"Um, Professor Mars." Horace said, slowly opening up the door and peaking his head through the crack. "It's me, Horace Aquila. I was wondering if we could talk for a minute. I have a matter I need to discuss with an experienced Static practitioner." A bead of sweat rolled off Horace's chin and landed straight to the floor. Horace though the whole corridor could hear the splash.

"Do you mind if I come in and sit down? I would feel much more comfortable speaking with you in a more relaxed position." Horace walked into the room. If he wanted to he could probably touch the ceiling with ease, he felt like a giant in front of the petite professor.

Professor Mars looked at Horace over her glasses, giving him a slightly odd look.

"Nothing to be worried about in here, I assure you... Wait... I think I can assure you." Professor Mars quickly checked under her desk. "If you feel the need to sit, do. What did you need to ask me about? I think I recognise you from my lectures, you have a good head for Static, from memory."

Her memory seemed simultaneously limited and infinite, as though she could see a million miles away but not one foot in front of her nose. The glasses helped support this hypothesis. They were like an owl sitting on her face, ornate and horn-rimmed.

"It's such an elegant discipline..." Mars sighed, "it's a pity that less students are following it these days."

"Thank you, professor. I thank you for the compliment. I love static as much as I love my violin and I truly love her." Horace sat down. Horace was still taller then then teacher, even while seated. He eyed her intently. He hoped she would be able to give him some extra treatment. He did want to take her job someday.

"It is an elegant discipline, isn't it? That is the reason why I am here. I want to be a Static Magic professor if my music career falls through." Horace doubted that it would though but it is never a bad idea to have a back up. "I want to know if you could tutor me a little, in private. My acquaitence, Nauleth Siordanti, has asked Professor Lux to tutor him in Static. I thought it was a good idea but I would rather go to an actual Static professor. That is why I am here, Professor." Horace stared straight into her owl like eyes.

"Can you tutor me, Professor Mars?"

Professor Mars seemed momentarily surprised. It was as though no one had ever asked for her help, external to class before. This was possibly the case.

"Tutoring? Well, I suppose it's not against the rules but whatever for?" Mars ran a hand through her frizzy mane, somewhat self-consciously. "Is there something you're aiming towards? Static is a much broader area than it looks. If you've ever seen any of the other Static lecturers cast, I'm sure you'll have noticed a difference in style."

Mars' voice took on a slightly jealous cant. She'd seen Lux cast once before and her approach was unlike anything Mars had ever seen before. Mars was known for her abilities with the slightly more temperamental portions of Static. She'd done some very interesting things with lightning. She was never going to have Lux's skill with stone though, no matter how hard she worked.

Horace was surprised she said yes. He had always like her more then the other static professors. She seemed to actually connect with her students. He always wondered why she seemed so out of it though. She was oblivious to a lot of happenings around the school, it seemed.

"Not many people know this but I want to teach static someday. Not to sound smug but I am an amazing musician but I seem to have a connection with static. It brings me joy. You seem to be the most talented Static Professor I know, so it seemed fitting to come to you." Horace knew flattery would get him everywhere.

"I know and I think our styles are uncannily similar. We are both very loose in our casting. We use very similar methods. Our specialties are rather close too. You specialize in Lightning and I specialize in water. you are the perfect tutor for me." A wild grin was sprawled across Horace's face. He knew he was making progress.

Mars shrugged her shoulders. Some would probably criticise her inability to be firm with her casting but it worked for her.

"It is an excellent profession, should you wish to consider it. I recommend it highly." She said, pulling out a leatherbound book, her diary. "You still haven't told me what you hope to achieve."

She flicked through the dates, trying to find one that suited her.

"I am free next week, on the second ninth." She said, somewhat absent-mindedly. "I have a staff meeting in the morning but nothing more.

"Well, I want to better my casting. I seem to cast fine for a student my age but that's not good enough for me, sadly. I want to bend the water to my very will. I want to be on par with some of the final formers." Horace excellent at Static magic but he wasn't the best. "Specifically there is somebody I want to duel and he likes to duel. I have only have had one duel. What I really want is to gain power." Horace had the eyes of a madman but his heart was in the right place.

"The second ninth is fine for me. Where should I meet you and what time? I probably wont wake up till eleven o'clock though, anytime after that is good for me." Horace gave her a broad grin.

Mars nodded, her hair wafting about like a shaken cloud. She could understand that desire. Nuance was all well and good but sometimes you needed a bit more power. Sometimes being able to chip away just wasn't good enough.

"I should consider becoming an early riser, where I you Mr Aquila. It's an excellent time to perform water-related spells, in my opinion." It was easier when the temperature was cooler and the particles within the water were less agitated. "I should like to meet you in the later afternoon, during the cool of the day. 23 o'clock would be suitable."

Mars closed her appointments book with a loud snap.

"I shall construct a few exercises for you to try but I would recommend you do some background reading." She scribbled the names of a few books onto a piece of paper. "Here, you can find these in the library. They're all highly educational, they even have a few exercises you might try on your own. Good day, Mr Aquila."

Mars' dismissal was not unfond, merely businesslike. She bowed her head at Horace slightly, clearly wishing him well.