Scuro dipped her pen in the inkwell one last time, signing her name to the bottom of the extensive document. When her sister rose she would sign hers beside the first signature, finalizing the proposal.

She set the pen in its holder and reached her hands forward, linked her fingers, and stretched her arms up and backward, working out the kinks she had been developing since early morning. She rose, picking up her now-cold tea as she meandered to the window. She sipped the sugarless concoction, gazing over the grey landscape. She felt melancholy.

Loshis and Hamis tended to have that effect on one.

Now and again the rainy cloud cover would break momentarily to allow a sliver of light through. She sighed and wrinkled her nose, dissatisfied at the state of her tea. She tugged a bell pull and went back to the desk, flipping through her proposal as she waited for the butler.

Incantation... Documentation of experiments... Reliability rates... Effects... It was all there, ready for review, and-- hopefully-- approval for publication.

The butler entered and bowed, "How may I help you, madame?"

She slid the tea tray sharply across the desk, "Try again," she said acidly.

He took up the tray and left.

I feel as though I've forgotten something... Oh, yes! She strode around to the twin desk that sat directly opposite hers in the Library. Flipping to the back of the document there, she verified similar information as she had with her own, finally signing her name to the back page beside her sister's.

There, that should do it.

The butler returned in short time with piping hot tea. She ignored him as he placed the tray on her desk and left, pouring herself a cup only when the door clicked shut behind him.

Where is Chiaro? Our appointments are in mere hours!

Chiaro entered the room quietly, her presence announced only by her field, followed by the subtle clicking of the door as she swung it closed behind her. She had her own cup of tea in hand, sweetened to the consistency of hot syrup, with honey and sugar, and a spot of cream to balance it out. A book was poised in the crook of her arm, which she shifted into her free hand upon shutting the door and smiled pleasantly at her only slightly elder twin. "Good morning, sister! Looking forward to our appointment?"

She crossed over to the desk, setting down the book and, upon taking a long sip from her cup, the tea, before busying herself with looking over the documents. She felt so giddy, and on top of that, vaguely nervous. And it was obvious- not only visibly, in her manner, in the very way she held herself, but her field practically buzzed with it.

It wasn't that the spells didn't work- they worked. She and her twin had been spending the better part of the past months practicing them, perfecting them so they flowed so effortlessly from their lips as did the blood through their veins- as if they were completely natural. No, it wasn't the spells she was worried over. It was how they might be received. Or not received. Silly notion, really. Why wouldn't they? Giving the documents one last look-over, she nodded to herself and signed her name on the empty blank left for her.

"Well, I am certainly looking forward to it. I'm so excited," It was an understatement of the overly obvious- she would have to control herself in the more professional environment in which they would be finding themselves in a mere few hours, "Submitting our first spells of many to come!" She grinned, finishing off her tea so that all that was left was a thick, syrupy, sugary sludge in the bottom. This might have had something to do with her giddy, generally sweet disposition. Or, at least have something to do with her ability to fool people into thinking this was her natural disposition.

Scuro flashed a rare grin at her sister. She collected the papers together and slipped them in a folder, tying them off with a scarlet ribbon fished from a desk drawer, "Once they're accepted, we shall be halfway to magister status."

She finished her cup of tea in one swig, "That would have anyone excited, I should think. And the fact that we have other ideas already," she waved at a slip of paper held down with a glass paperweight on her desk, "puts us ahead of the game. I have read some authors who argue that concept generation is the most difficult step in spell writing, due to the extensive nature of existing spells."

She frowned at a stack of books on her desk. Talking about them reminded her that she needed to return them to the public library. She pursed her lips and tugged the bell pull again. "That reminds me, I need to take these back," she stacked the books together and set her proposal packet on top, holding out her hand for her sister's proposal.

Chiaro smirked, a bit of her less-than-friendly nature showing through in a rare, short-lived moment, and handed her sister the proposal. "Oh, but of course. This seems to me to be due to a simple lack of imagination. Why, we've barely scratched the surface of what we could do! All we have to do is think for a few moments over the possibilities and it opens up innumerable doors. Even of the simplest spells we already know could have some very interesting effects if used in conjunction, perhaps with a few simple modifications made. Think how fatal even a young teenager could be, if he was but creative enough to think outside the box."

She poured herself some more tea, scooping more sugar and honey into it, splashing in a bit of cream as well, then sipped it carefully. It was still hot. Smiling sweetly, she set the tea back on the desk, "We all know every spell has its opposite. Both Congeal and Lashes are simple, level one spells. Even in the same discipline. A person specializing in Living magic could easily weave Blood Thinning and Lashes, and their opponent would bleed out in moments. The lower races would certainly be no threat, even to those less versed in the noble arts." Of course, that was just it- the noble uses. The mona could be difficult, at times, and might very well frown upon such things. Still, there were endless possibilities. Exceptions. It was all about knowing them, and not being afraid to take the risks necessary to learn. "I'm sure you have countless ideas of your own."

"Of course," Scuro said in snipped tones, stacking the proposals neatly on top of the books, "That's why I keep lists."

There was a knock and a maid now entered. Before she could say anything, Scuro pointed at the books and packets, "Have these put in the carriage and bring it around front. We're nearly ready to leave."

The small woman bowed and took up the armload, buckling momentarily under the weight, and left.

"Have you considered, for instance, what you could do if there were a simple incantation combining Skin Crawl and Horrors? You could reduce a threat to a cowering, gibbering idiot in an instant."

She dug through a drawer in her desk, fishing out a hand mirror and checking herself one last time before heading out. She patted her hair down neatly. It was getting longer. She would have to cut it soon.

She placed the hand mirror back in the drawer, "Are you ready to go?"

(( Thanks to Chiaro for the actual concept given here. ))

"I am ready when you are," Chiaro said upon smoothing the folds of her dress, tugging lightly at the sleeves to make sure everything was in place. She smiled, opening the door for her sister and walking down the long, extravagantly decorated hallway toward the front door.

(( SFSR ))

When they reached the door the butler was waiting with their coats and gloves. Scuro took hers, putting on the gloves first then slipping her coat on over them. She pulled up her hood then began buttoning the row of silver buttons.

"I'm really not sure what to expect," she admitted, "And that makes me nervous."

She didn't face her twin, but Chiaro would know how she felt anyway.

(( SFSR, too. They can ride to town in silence if they can't figure out what to say ))

"You're not the only one," Chiaro said reassuringly as she pulled her coat on, "I am a bit nervous, myself." She busied herself with meshing her fingers together, making sure they set correctly into the fingers of the gloves. "Of course, it is nothing to worry over, I should think." She didn't know what to expect, either. But it felt nice, in a way, that she was not the only one who was nervous.

Scuro only nodded mutely. She waited for the butler to open the door, and was blasted by the cold, damp air when he did. The carriage had already been brought around (the servants long since learned that speed was of the essence when the darker Viverti commanded you). She led the way down the sweeping manor steps, bowing her head only to the elements.

The climbed in, noting that the books and proposals had been placed neatly in a basket on the floor.

Chiaro climbed into the carriage after Scuro, situating herself on the over-stuffed seats, and crossed her legs at the ankles. She had little to say, her mind busied with what she would be saying at their appointment, and so she said nothing, and they rode to town in silence.

When the carriage finally jolted to a stop, Scuro jerked back to awareness. She had retreated into her thoughts along the way. Picking up her packet and tucking it under her coat to protect it from the rain, she nodded at her sister and stepped out of the carriage.

She looked up at the driver, some poor human, and spoke through the drizzle, "I don't know how long we'll be, but when we're ready to leave, you'd best be ready."

She set off up the steps of the offices of the Ethics and Standards committee, bursting in its doors and avoiding slipping as her wet shoes met dry marble.

She held the door open for her sister as she gazed at the space around her.

(( Now, if we could get a mod in on this we'd appreciate it. Need to know what this place looks like and to get on with this review stuff. PM me for details. ))

The Ethics and Standards Office was not as large as it seemed from the outside. The entrance was only a few metres long, ending at a receptionist's desk. The ceiling was only two metres or so above their heads, completely unlike the grand entrance halls they had experienced at Brunnhold. What saved it from ignominy was the furnishings.

There was gold shining on every surface. Gold leaf on the walls, gold accents on the furniture and gold thread in the curtains. The marble floors were spotless, in spite of the amount of muck visitors must have been treading in. The receptionist's desk seemed to made of a rare and incredibly expensive wood that came from Hox.

Clearly the entire room had been designed to intimidate. You did not aquire such a taste for decorating, in a government department no less, if you weren't worth a lot of money. The entry room alone had been enough to turn young hopefuls away before.

In spite of all this luxury, the receptionist actually seemed quite approachable, which sort of ruined the effect. She looked to be fresh out of Brunnhold, with rosy red cheeks and an affable smile. Her shoulders were rounded and soft and her eyes were a warm, friendly brown. She seemed like the sort of person that enjoyed giggling.

Chiaro entered, close behind Scuro, looked around at the space, a silent appraisal of the well-decorated space in her deep green eyes. A sharp nod. She approached the desk, shoes clacking on hard marble floors and she cleared her throat, offering the woman behind the desk a kind smile. "Excuse us, ma'am. Me and my sister, here, have an appointment at twelve o'clock?" She tried not to let it show that she was a bit nervous, but she felt that her field had given that away already.

The receptionist blinked vapidly, her eyes shiny and blank. Her smile didn't change a bit. She looked like a marionette, moving only by parts.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I can't see anything on my ledgers, what are your names?" She asked. "I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding."

The reason why she had been hired made itself known. Chiaro and Scuro were likely used to this strategy, having grown up within the upper class. If you could afford to make people wait then you were important. If you could afford to make people wait at your leisure then you were something very special indeed.

"I'll go ask the head Magister, shall I?" She said, smiling genially and flouncing away.

There did not seem to be anyone else about but there was a moment left for Chiaro and Scuro to discuss any final plans before the woman returned. It was possible that she was going to make them wait simply because she could.

It was an evil receptionist thing.

Scuro's eyebrows came dangerously low and close as the receptionist spoke of a "misunderstanding." But it seemed before she could say a word the woman was rushing off, and she was left standing with one hand raised in objection.

She snapped her arm down and turned to Chiaro, seething in indignation, "Well, I never! To be left waiting when we are perfectly on time. Does she not know how important this is?"

She stamped over to one of the gilded benches at the edges of the room and sat down, dejected, "I mean really."

Chiaro followed close behind her twin, sitting down quietly and letting her own irritation bubble somewhere below the surface, calming herself before speaking. "No worries, Scuro. I am sure this is just a part of their little game. They want us to be put off." She sniffed. Well, it was working, but she would smile and bear with it- honestly, it was hard to be diplomatic about things if you got flustered over such tiny things like evil receptionists, "I'm sure you know that. Still, this gives us an opportunity to go over a few things." Even though they'd gone over things plenty of times the past few days and she was ready to just get on with this...

"Well, I wish I could say that I won't give them the satisfaction," Scuro snapped. She crossed her legs and curled in on herself, pouting with her fist in her cheek, regardless of how childish she was behaving.



"Go over-- We know this, Chiaro! We've been working on them for months! I think if we're not ready by now, we never will be! And we only have to demonstrate one of them! That one they have to test and review on their own," she tapped Chiaro's proposal packet sharply, indicating their spell Connection. Since its effects wouldn't be apparent to the panel, they would have to deal with it separately.

She went back into her pout.

Scuro and Chiaro were left waiting for an entire hour. No one else entered during that time and the receptionist did not return. A small, bowing servant left them a pot of tea and some small cakes but the servant was human and did not speak to them. The only sound was the clock on the wall, ticking.

They heard muffled conversation over the sound of rain.

"Well, I'm not sure I entirely agree with you but we shall see, yes?" A man appeared from the back chambers of the office. "Madames Chiaro and Scuro Viverti?"

He was tall, for a galdor, with wide shoulders and a large gut rising from beneath his robes. He had the air of a busy, intelligent man. One who wanted you to know just how busy and intelligent. His build was not usual to their race but it certainly made a statement, as did his hair which was red and formed a frizzy halo around his head. He commanded attention. Behind him was a considerably shorter, smaller woman. She had horn-rimmed glasses and a much paler complexion than her partner. She pushed her glasses up her nose and attempted to peer down at the two women. Her hair was tied back in a sensible bun and her robes were finely tailored and clearly very expensive.

Scuro and Chiaro could feel their fields from all the way across the room. The feeling was altogether intimidating, like having an arm slung across your shoulder by a stranger at a party. Their fields were thrumming, quietly, as if testing the sisters.

Scuro jumped when she heard her name called, having simmered down into a quiet, sullen state. When they approached, she was on the verge of giving them a piece of her mind... until she felt their fields. There was a quiet power that she could appreciate. These people had the kind of power she was looking for.

She stood and drew herself up, containing her anger at being left to wait for so long and drawing in, controlling her field.

"Yes," she bowed, "I am Scuro, and this is my sister Chiaro. Very pleased to make your acquaintance." And in rare form, she meant it. The Magisters commanded respect, and she could appreciate that.

Chiaro stood along with her sister, bowing deeply when Scuro introduced her, her manner bursting with respect, field buzzing with excitement, a bit of fear and perhaps come curiosity. These people were powerful. She straightened, smiling, "Yes, we are both very pleased to meet you." Gods, if they were this powerful, she could almost forgive them for making her wait in that uncomfortable silence and anticipation.

They both bowed, not terribly deeply but far enough to avoid offense. The man shuffled through his papers, peering at them over his nose.

"We are Magister Griffiths," the short woman said, pointing at herself, "and Magister Bennet. Please follow us."

She turned, Bennet now following behind her, still leafing through some sheets of paper scroll. They looked old and yellowed. He seemed more interested in them than the women he was meeting. The Magisters led Chiaro and Scuro through the door they had appeared through in the first place. The corridor was less ornate now that they were in the building proper. The walls were white and the floors were marble.

It was still terribly expensive. Just quieter about it.

Chiaro and Scuro soon found themselves in a larger atrium, with walls that continued up to the very top of the building, ending in a glass ceiling. The room was circular, with monite painted carefully on the walls. There seemed to be a hum within.

"We would like to ask which spells you wish to present to us today and which you choose to demonstrate." Magister Griffiths said, moving to the side of the room and standing next to the wall.

Magister Bennet ceased his reading and turned his attention once more to the sisters.

Scuro snapped her head back to matters at hand; she had been looking at the fine marble flooring.

"We would like to present for review Connection , a spell featuring aspects of Read and Suggestion which connects the minds of two casters, and Dome, which creates a protective dome over the casters or a target that shields from both physical and magical attack," she tapped at her proposal, "and we will be demonstrating Dome today."

It wasn't particularly polite or graceful, but then, that was Scuro for you.

"Excellent." Griffiths said, "You may begin by demonstrating dome."

Griffiths and Bennet stood back a little. There was a faint whisper through the room. It felt like someone had cast a spell, though no one had spoken. The room felt safer somehow and the two magisters seemed further away.

Scuro almost shuddered as the spell took effect. Not a word... they know their true names... It was so impressive that for a moment she forgot where she was. She shook herself internally and turned to her sister, giving her a nod. They had agreed to cast the spell and invite the committee to attack it.

Setting down her proposal packet, she readied herself to cast, waiting for her sister's signal.

They knew their true names! Or at least one of them did, but Chiaro was fairly certain both did. Gods, this was exciting. But it also made Chiaro feel a little more self-conscious. More nervous. More afraid of making a mistake and ruining their spell in front of these two very powerful, important people. But she shook herself firmly, clearing her mind so she could concentrate on the task at hand. She turned to Scuro, giving her twin the signal, and began speaking the monite for dome in a clear, precise voice.