After studying at Starlight for a few years, Rei had encountered a wide variety of powers which she could not reconcile with each other. Though she thought herself quite well-read, what she had seen ran the gamut of powers she had ever read or heard about in fiction. There was the magic of classic literature, like illusions and evocations and what seemed at times like localized miracles. Then there were the various fantastical species, which seemed to validate the long-held and long-scoffed-at notion that the works of human fantasy really did have some grain of truth to them. In this case, the grain just happened to be accompanied by the whole damn bowl of rice.
By itself, that would've been fine. Rei's own ability allowed her to create spells based on nothing but her own imagination, even if they were limited in power, so she could accept having magic around as a reality-breaking force. But she'd met a lot of new people since then, and heard of many more. Demons, for example, those were magical, but they were also theological in nature. Were the miracles of religious myth actually rooted in magic, then? It was easy enough to work with; divine and debased beings could simply be magical beings, interpreted through the lens of human morality. Androids, though, that was broaching into an entirely different genre altogether! Was it still magic, binding a soul to the originally soulless? Or had the development of A.I. actually reached an extent which was never publicized? In either event, Manta Carlos would certainly be the place to hide it.
All the different worlds that people had come from were a matter of consideration too. Did they all have their own realities, with different rules? Or was there some sort of "universal theory of magic" which bound the multiverses? For her college career, Rei had been prioritizing her studies in literature and composition; by studying literature, she would have more inspiration to draw on, and therefore more flexibility of power, and by studying composition, she could word her spells in an exact and understandable manner. However, now that she was in her senior year, the soon-to-be-graduate had finally started to consider the broader considerations. Of course, she was still a bit of a sloth at heart, and though she fancied herself a researcher in method, she disliked the field of Research with a capital 'R'. Therefore, she decided to go with the more direct method available to curious students; asking a professor.
Which brings us back to the present moment: Rei stood outside the lecture hall of Professor Octain, waiting for his class to be over. After doing some asking around, she had determined that he was the most suited for inquiries relating to magical theory. Rei herself had never gotten around to taking such a class, though she regretted it now. In any case, though, she would make up for lost time, assuming that the professor had any to spare her. Though eager, she wasn't in any rush to have her queries answered today; there were always office hours. It was simply best in her judgement to meet at least once beforehand, face-to...face?
As she waited around outside the classroom, her thoughts drifted naturally towards those of social anxiety. Would he be annoyed at an unexpected bother? Was she dressed properly enough? Certainly, the slovenly student had not shown up in her usual outfit of slightly stained sweatwear and instead wore a clean, violet dress and very comfortable warning shoes, in case she managed somehow to elicit ire in the professor and had to escape lightning bolts or something. In the meantime, she contented herself with blending into the background and people-watching, as the occasional student or teacher passed through the hall.
By itself, that would've been fine. Rei's own ability allowed her to create spells based on nothing but her own imagination, even if they were limited in power, so she could accept having magic around as a reality-breaking force. But she'd met a lot of new people since then, and heard of many more. Demons, for example, those were magical, but they were also theological in nature. Were the miracles of religious myth actually rooted in magic, then? It was easy enough to work with; divine and debased beings could simply be magical beings, interpreted through the lens of human morality. Androids, though, that was broaching into an entirely different genre altogether! Was it still magic, binding a soul to the originally soulless? Or had the development of A.I. actually reached an extent which was never publicized? In either event, Manta Carlos would certainly be the place to hide it.
All the different worlds that people had come from were a matter of consideration too. Did they all have their own realities, with different rules? Or was there some sort of "universal theory of magic" which bound the multiverses? For her college career, Rei had been prioritizing her studies in literature and composition; by studying literature, she would have more inspiration to draw on, and therefore more flexibility of power, and by studying composition, she could word her spells in an exact and understandable manner. However, now that she was in her senior year, the soon-to-be-graduate had finally started to consider the broader considerations. Of course, she was still a bit of a sloth at heart, and though she fancied herself a researcher in method, she disliked the field of Research with a capital 'R'. Therefore, she decided to go with the more direct method available to curious students; asking a professor.
Which brings us back to the present moment: Rei stood outside the lecture hall of Professor Octain, waiting for his class to be over. After doing some asking around, she had determined that he was the most suited for inquiries relating to magical theory. Rei herself had never gotten around to taking such a class, though she regretted it now. In any case, though, she would make up for lost time, assuming that the professor had any to spare her. Though eager, she wasn't in any rush to have her queries answered today; there were always office hours. It was simply best in her judgement to meet at least once beforehand, face-to...face?
As she waited around outside the classroom, her thoughts drifted naturally towards those of social anxiety. Would he be annoyed at an unexpected bother? Was she dressed properly enough? Certainly, the slovenly student had not shown up in her usual outfit of slightly stained sweatwear and instead wore a clean, violet dress and very comfortable warning shoes, in case she managed somehow to elicit ire in the professor and had to escape lightning bolts or something. In the meantime, she contented herself with blending into the background and people-watching, as the occasional student or teacher passed through the hall.