I'll make a human out of you[Job|Solo]

Job Details:

Teacher. It was a role Mikael had once played for Zion so he felt grateful to have that void filled in some small way. Casvallion's trick aside, it was clear the man was chosen by his father for a reason. It was disappointing to hear that there was one last hoop to jump through before any learning could begin. "Another test? Not only do you trick me but your still demand more before you'll teach me!?" The loss in Zion was still raw, his grief had been buried but not resolved. He lashed out kicking at Casvallion's leg in anger. "Just teach me magic already!" Zion shouted raising his fist only for Casvallion to suddenly grab him by the wrist.

"Absolutely not."

Casvallion made a strict and firm stance on the matter putting a complete halt on Zion's wild fit. "It's clear that you don't really understand what people are like in this world. Normally that would be fine for someone just a few weeks old, but you aren't a developing infant. You need to learn to stop acting like one. Mikael probably doted on you too heavily leaving you naive and unprepared...Honestly, what an irresponsible teacher he always was." The man sighed and seemed to be remembering an unpleasant experience.

It was surprising to hear his father talked about in such a way but Zion had a number of memories where he had similar thoughts about Mikael. His anger was doused and he could only laugh awkwardly. "Before I can start teaching you magic, I want you to go out to secretly observe people interacting with each other. I'll cover you with my magic, all you really need to do is walk around and eavesdrop. We'll be walking around like this until you can report back to me with meaningful insight." Casvallion flicked his wand and the air around them shimmered. "The sooner you can manage to act more like a normal adult, the sooner I can start teaching you magic."

WC: 332/500

The task set before Zion hit him like a splash of cold water. Though he didn't want to admit it, Zion could already tell that he had been fooled by everyone he's met so far. Even Mikael had obscured the truth from him to some degree. It made Zion even more confused with what "greatness" was. He only knew that the path there didn't lie in turning away from obstacles like this. Zion took a moment of silence for himself as he closed his eyes and came to a decision. If this task was to better learn people and how to behave, it could only benefit Zion in the long run. Opening his eyes having fully dedicated himself to the idea Zion stood up strait and gave Casvallion an affirming nod, "In that case, let's get started!"

The shimmer of the air around them was revealed to Zion as a complex system of orange rukh spread out to cover the area around them. He wanted to ask about them but instead spoke up to focus on making progress. "Very well, I'll take you into town later, for now...lets have lunch." Casvallion smiled and suddenly canceled his spell causing the rukh to scatter. The masked man turned and led Zion off knowing that they needed to kill time for the current Iktiyar exams to end as many people were gathered around that event. The pair sat down for a meal in the manor where golems created by Casvallion personally handled all the chores, even preparing the food! After a short meal, Casvallion produced his carpet and used it to fly out of the manor where they passed through a green barrier before emerging out into city air space.

The Iktiyar was over and the mass gathering at the academy testing grounds had scattered in all directions as magicians went back about their day to day lives. Some were celebrating with family who had participated and passed, others were returning to their research, some were even using the event as a chance for a romantic date. Casvallion landed in the middle of a marketplace where various goods and materials were being offered for sale. Everything from fresh produce to rare ores could be seen peddled left and right. It wasn't too busy at the moment but Zion was dropped off there so Casvallion could watch him from above. The orange rukh patterns had appeared again and as Zion left Casvallion's sphere a new one formed around him and then further constricted itself around his own body. A suit of magic followed the doll as he was left in the middle of the world to be a fly on the wall.

WC: Complete[500+/500]

The cloak of rukh around Zion was too mysterious for him to understand, but he hoped that he could learn this convenient magic some day as well. Not a single person gave him so much as a glance. Zion held faith in Casvallion's concealment magic and slowly began to walk towards a magician who was arguing with a merchant selling staffs of various different material. Their debate was over the fairness of the price which ended with the customer throwing his hands up in frustration before storming off without making a purchase. Zion wasn't really sure what to make of the scene. He stood off to the side thinking about it carefully when another magician walked up to the merchant's stall and asked about the same staff. Zion edged a bit closer wondering if there would be another fight, but to his surprise the merchant named a lower price. The transaction was handled pleasantly and the customer went on their way.

What was the difference between the two customers? Zion pondered this question and went over everything he could think of that set them apart. The first customer had been a tall thin elderly man with a beard that seemed to hide a permanent scowl. The second had been a young woman of modest beauty who had greeted the merchant with smile. When Zion came to this realization he made a look of enlightenment before quickly jotting down his insights as notes for the report he had to give Casvallion. "Expressions sure can make a difference huh?" Zion thought to himself as he moved on to a busier part of the market. He found that price ranges didn't always differ depending on the circumstances and others that were seemingly always unreasonably high.

Initially Zion thought that he was making progress but he quickly learned that there are many different kinds of people who all react uniquely and live their own lives. Cataloging every nuance and difference for the report simply wasn't an option. Whether one smiles or not wasn't the underlying answer on how to behave in all situations. There are times when it has its place and times when whether you smile or not don't matter. Unable to come to a conclusion on his own, Zion wandered out of the market to seek out a different venue.

Over the course of several hours Zion had accumulated a page full of notes which covered the entire page. He had witnessed friends meet near a fountain in a park, magicians using magic to construct a new building, and even a gardener talking to her plants. Now as the sun was setting Zion found himself watching a young boy out with his mother. The scene made Zion clutch his chest to bare the pain of realizing that he would never know the joy on that boys face as he eagerly ran ahead in excitement calling out for his mother to hurry only to trip and scrape his elbow. The child couldn't have been more than six or seven and the pain caused him to cry out. The mother hurried over and tended to the crying child and began to reprimand him. Even as his mother lovingly wrapped his injury, the boy began to protest in a fit insisting that it was his mothers fault for walking so slow. Then he accused her of lying about being excited for the ice magic show they were off to see. The spoiled brat was out of control and even pushed off his mothers helping hands causing her to fall over onto her bottom.

Zion watched all this unfold just a few feet away from where the child had fallen. Invisible to the naked eye, he swallowed down a knot in his throat as Zion came to the realization that this was the first time he had seen anybody respond similarly to how he was acting earlier. Casvallion's words about acting childish made a lingering sting across Zion's mind. Then a sudden shout cracked through the air causing the tantrum to stop immediately. "Enough!" An elderly man resting generously on his cane hurried over desperately trying to catch up with his family. "Grandpa!" The boy stopped crying but now he looked terrified. The mother helped herself up and smiled taking while she took a step backwards abandoning her son to the angry grandparent. She knew that the old man was capable of giving someone an earful far better than she was, he was her father after all! The boy could only stare in terror as his elder approached and proceeded to berate him to no end. Pushing his mother over was only the first and most urgent scolding, but the old man proceeded to harshly critique the boy's posture, form, etiquette, and even the inefficiencies of the push.

"Father..."

Mikael had once criticized Zion on a few similar notes albeit using different wording. Even so, it made Zion feel as though he were watching himself get scolded. There was a strange feeling swelling up in Zion's chest that moved into his head. Unable to resist himself, he burst out laughing wholeheartedly. The spell around him only prevented people from seeing him however and so naturally the small family noticed. "Who's there!?" The old man became fearful for his family and tapped his staff on the ground while muttering a spell. A ring of light formed by orange rukh expanded outwards in all directions. When the ring passed over Zion it ripped away the magic that had been covering him causing his invisibility to be peeled away. The white haired figure stood there shocked not knowing what to do. Seeing the eavesdropper so dumbfounded yet harmless looking. "Tch! Damn brat, what a waste of magoi!" The old man was about to go into another rant but suddenly Casvallion descended landing between Zion and the family obscuring the respective parties from view of each other before anyone could get a good look at the mystery magician.

"My apologies, someone applied to join my personal force so I gave them a mock bodyguard assignment as a test, but he has just failed his qualifications. Don't worry sir, he won't ever be allowed to join the Eastern Defense Squad."

As Casvallion smoothed things older convincing the old man that her matter would be handled, he subtly flicked his wand quickly reapplying the invisibility spell onto Zion. With the family dealt with Zion stepped onto Casvallion's carpet at his beckoning only for them to silently take off together. Zion looked down in shame ready to get scolded again. Instead, Casvallion smiled and turned to Zion as the flew back towards the stone manor. "I thought it would take you a few days, but you've figured out what to report, right?" The words weren't spoken in a praising manner, but they made Zion brighten up immediately. He looked down at the paper full of notes and then closed his eyes before letting the wind take it to destinations unknown.

"Normal people...are all thinking about their own interests a lot and how they treat others differs depending on the situation. But even if they argue to disagree, there is no need for violence. Normal people have...restraint." Zion had to pause to find his final word but he ended it with a confident nod. Casvallion made a weird look and then shook his head sighing. "You were supposed to learn that yes, but you were supposed to learn a lot of other things too...But you can tell me more about it at dinner. You pass." The were words Zion almost didn't dare hope to hear but now that they were spoken he felt the same excitement towards learning magic as before! But the young magician reigned himself in and though his body was tense he managed a fairly calm smile in a conscious effort to restrain himself. "There is one other important lesson you needed to learn today. It's that there are plenty of people who will stoop to low means for their own profit."

Zion nodded understanding what Casvallion was getting at. This was probably the reason Casvallion had chosen the marketplace for the start of Zion's investigation. "Get ready, your life in the academy starts tomorrow. I've arranged for a discrete room for you so try not to stand out. I'll come to give you lessons preparing you for the Iktiyar exam." Casvallion seemed sincere as he looked at Zion with an approving smile. "Right!" The boy shouted in response, looking forward to what the future had in store for him.