Thomas’s WU Seminar: Magic Is Transgressive

September 2, 2025

Date: 2025-09-01 22:02

(Thomas’s WU Seminar: Magic Is Transgressive)

[Mon Sep 1 2025]

A Musty Basement Seminar Room/span>/spanThe Plymouth Seminar Room occupies a windowless corner of the basement, its
low ceiling supported by exposed pipes that occasionally emit soft clicking
sounds as they expand and contract. Fluorescent lights cast an uneven glow
across rows of wooden chairs with attached writing tablets, their surfaces
marked by decades of student use. The walls, painted institutional beige,
display water stains near the corners where moisture has seeped through the
foundation. A heavy wooden table sits at the front of the room, its dark
surface reflecting the overhead lights in distorted patterns. The air carries
a persistent mustiness despite the ventilation grates set into the walls, and
the temperature remains several degrees cooler than the floors above. Cork
boards line one wall, their surfaces dotted with faded announcements and
peculiar symbols drawn in chalk that seem to shift slightly in peripheral
vision. The door, reinforced with a small wire-glass window, closes with a
weight that suggests its age and the settling of the building around it./span>/spanIt is about 60F(15C) degrees. The mist is heaviest At Carnation and Darkwater/span>/spanMatias looks down at his wrist watch and then back to the door, “Now begins the ten minute post start walk-in.”

Thomas glances up at the clock. “We’ll give it a moment,” he says. “To see the last few stragglers. Students,” he tells the class. “The essay was available at the student union, but if you didn’t pick one up, Miss Hawke was kind enough to to print off a few. We’ll be talking about this essay, among others.”

Matias stands up and brushes himself off walking down to the front to get some essays for the row and then hands them out to Jasper, Sophie, and Teagan (get essay).

Seraphina smiles at Teagan, “Oh, please stay.” She taps the end of her pen softly on her notepad. “I’m Sera. Mister Hale’s assistant.”

Kai jogs into the classroom and skids to a stop, he mounts the steps to take his seat and gives a two-fingered salute to Thomas.

Coming in a bit slower and more sedately after Kai even though Eloa is late, Eloa is helping Celestine in and gives Thomas a small nod and wave before moving her way towards Matias. Shuffing into the row first, Eloa wraps her arms around Matias and gives him a hug before settling down, helping Celestine take a seat on her other side.

Teagan just sinks further into her seat in response to something, turning a bright shade of red. She mumbles something to herself. She mumbles thanks to Matias as he gives her an essay. Taking it, she just tries to remain slouched.. and maybe keep the skirt from not riding up too much at the same time.

“If you didn’t pick up a copy of the assigned reading from the bookstore, Miss Hawke was kind enough to print out some extra copies,” Thomas tells the latecomers as they arrive.

Teagan does give a small nod to Seraphina as well, “I… ah, I will. Teagan Lawson.” Does she seem certain she will stay? Not at all, especially as more arrive.

Matias gives Eloa a one-armed hug and then looks at Celestine with a kind of blank expression before looking back to Eloa as the duo find seats. He hands off his copy of the essay to Eloa

Rising from her seat at the front, and smoothing her maxi out along her legs, Seraphina changes seating, heading to the middle row with the others. “I do recommend that you look in the bookstore before each class.” “Ah, Miss Lawson! Professor Matias mentioned you to me.”

Eloa waves at Teagan, Sophie and Jasper, having already given a smile to Kai and she finally greets Seraphina with a wave before handing a essay to Celestine.

Eloa blushes a something Matias whispers to her.

“So — this class is one I started and failed, due to the intervention of — well,” Thomas says, turning to look at Kai. “But I’ve focused it in round two,” he says. “There are a lot of principles about magic. So let’s start there, as a kind of warm-up. You know the principle I plan on talking about today, but what -other- philosophical principles do you think might be important?” he says. “Show off hands.”

Stumbling into the room upon unsteady feet… the percussive THUNK of Celestine’s cane drags her relatively skeletal frame across the floor of the classroom as she wobbles after Eloa. Knuckles whitening around her cane… she carefully lowers herself into a seat at Eloa’s side… something metallic creaking beneath the denims of Celestine’s left pant leg.

“Me! He means me. I messed up the last class, but not tonight!” Kai assures the group and then hmms as he listens to Thomas and raises his hand, “None of them, philosophy and magic aren’t necessary for each other!” he tells the man and drops his hand to slouch back in his seat.

“Speaking of that, you two are still destined for the ring.” Seraphina remarks, tickled pink by this.

Seraphina wiggles her fingers to Eloa

Eloa gives a subdued nod of her head towards Matias as if agreeing to what he’s saying and then she takes out her phone to use to scribe notes. Thomas’s question gives her pause, but the confused kindof pause as if she isn’t quite sure what Thomas is asking so looks around to see if someone else would guide her answers by answering first.

As Thomas begins the lesson Matias stops whispering to Eloa despite his expression being dour and turns his attention to the Professor and then expectantly to the seated student body of the small gathering, perhaps Kai particularly

“Mr. Ashford is both wrong and foolish,” Thomas says dismissively of Kai. “Does anyone else have a philosophical principle other than transgression they think is fundamental to the nature of magic itself?”

Kai mutters, “Fair,” in response to Thomas, shrugging his shoulders a bit as he slouches a bit more and listens, eyes bright with curiosity.

Teagan looks between the essay and her notebook, pen poised over a blank page on the latter with a blank expression: clearly no idea what to start writing. And a slightly pained expression. She does glance to Seraphina and, sotto-voice, asks quietly: “He, ah, did? I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have any idea why.”

Nemi rushes in, seemingly not in the best of moods as her face doesn’t look…. like she is’nt sad as she finds somewhere to sit with her notebook out.

“Look!” Thomas says to Nemi. “A latecomer, which means of course that you get called on. Miss Ivorstead,” he says to the young woman. “Tell the class a principle of magic — not transgression — that you think is common to all magical expressions,” he says to her, putting her on the spot.

A lack of chiming in from the peanut gallery Matias finally lifts his baritone of a voice, “Several philosophies come to mind… Equalivent exchange. Threefold law. What you cannot visualize you cannot achieve. Intent and Sacrifice are connected but you can tip the scale in favor of one or the other.”

Sophie refocuses and pays attention, a little smile on her face as she pulls out her notebook and catches up on the conversation.

Understand and realization comes to Eloa’s face as Matias chimes up with an example answer but as he lists of the other answers Eloa could think of, Eloa quickly returns to look at her phone and trying not to get any attention.

Nemi nods softly. “Intent. Intent is one of the biggest factors and I believe to be a major principle of magic. Without intent there is no direction. NO direction, very varying outcome. Words, runes, sigils, rituals, curses. All done with an intent in mind physically and magically. A clear headspace can help with magic as at that time you better express your intent.” She states. “Or that’s what I’ve been told and taught. Yet it is far from the only factor. Apologies for being late. Family matters.” She states simply as she opens up a notebook.

Nemi nods softly. “Magical Expressions still need clear intent. No clear intent? Varying outcome. Now if you mean something different than what I’m thinking you mean by magical expressions- please enlighten me.”

“That’s good,” Thomas tells Nemi. “I would call intent ‘will’,” he says. “A principle of magic is that it is the effect of will upon the world,” he says to the class. “Though — it’s not always your will, is it? Many of you here are the product of someone else’s will being worked on your ancestors, a long time ago.” He pauses. “Magic is the application of -will- to the world, and I mean this most broadly: rituals, certainly, but that is just as true for unnatural feats of strength or speed, for the power of the mind to hypnotize — all of it,” he says broadly. “But it’s interesting that we say ‘unnatural’ when we, for instance, discuss Miss Hawke’s prodigious strength,” he says with a nod to Seraphina. “Anyone else here able to lift a motorcycle over their head?” he wonders.

Nemi shakes her head softly. “Maybe with Kai’s help but no- not on my own….”

Kai shakes his head in response to the question from Thomas, “Nope.”

“Not that I ever have…” Seraphina says.

“Hot wheels count?” Sophie asks with a grin.

“Miss Hawke, can you stand up for the class and turn around?” Thomas asks Seraphina.

“I am able to lift two motorcycles. One over each hand.” Celestine states proudly, resting her hands on her hips with a wide and wicked grin.

As she is bidden, Seraphina stands from whe she sits, and walks down the few steps to the front of the class to turn and face the others there.

Teagan is texting, not answering. She has noodle arms, clearly.

“I can lift a bike, but not over my head,” Jasper answers, looking up at Thomas.

Nemi hums softly. “Actually I’ve never tried a bike…. I mean I can lift my tower shield easily- but…. I’ve never tried a bike…”

Seraphina wiggles her fingers at the group of students as she is put on display by Thomas. “Why am i up here? she asks.

Nemi scratches her chin and hums softly

Shaking her head at Thomas’s question, Eloa looks over at Matias for a moment as if wondering if the man an lift up motorcycles before turning back to Seraphina. There is a small giggle at Celestine’s words and Eloa pokes the woman’s noodly arms before turning back to the front.

“Miss Hawke is certainly trim,” Thomas tells the class, showing off Seraphina. “But she’s not Arnold Schwarzenegger in a dress,” he says. “Nor is Mr. Meadows looking like Mr. T.” He shakes his head to Jasper. “The feats you both can accomplish are unnatural,” he says. “There are physical laws — the strength of sinew, the mass of muscles, the power of leverage and potential energy.” A beat. “Magic breaks those laws — which turns us back to the principle at hand,” he says, stalking to the blackboard to tap it. “Transgression.” He looks at Seraphina. “Thank you, Miss Hawke.”

Thomas continues: “Miss Ivorstead was right. Magic is the application of will to the world — intent — but that intend, fundamentally, is to break the rules.” He smiles. “Have you all had a chance to skim tonight’s essay?”

As Thomas speaks and begins to show off Seraphina’s physique, she spins for the audience, a marrionette in her own right. Then she is dismissed. She nods and returns to her seat in the middle section of the seating. “You’re welcome.” It ends with a little nod at Sophie.

“I have, oui.” Celestine immediately chirps, showing off the notebook in her hand with which she has already taken rows of notes on the paper before her.

Nemi nods softly, starting to take a few quick notes on the essay as she hums softly, nodding a bit more.

Unlike so many who have taken their essays and promptly put them away, Teagan has it out over her notebook and is leaning over it to read as she listens. Has she had a chance to skim it? Yes, she nods absently to that query. Understand it? No. So there’s no hand raise. No meeting Thomas’s eye.

Sophie gives Seraphina a little wink and smile as she picks up the essay, settling back into her seat to skim it.

“Does anyone have initial reactions?” Thomas asks. “Miss Callum?” he asks, looking at Sophie.

Putting the essay between herself and Matias since he gave her her copy, Eloa’s hazel eyes skim back over the pages but she remains relatively silent, just giving Seraphina a smile when the woman comes back after being demonstrated as ‘supernatural’.

Jasper nods back towards Thomas before he looks at the essay he has.

“I did think that he was going to ask me to pick something up, at least.” Seraphina says, making a flex with an arm, which does not reflect a mass of muscle, despite the professor’s claim of her strength.

Thomas quips to Seraphina, “Next time we can rehearse a lift. Or a flyer?” he says. “Is anyone a cheerleader?”

Sophie shifts in her seat, her eyes darting around the room before landing on Thomas, “Honestly, it made me think of how sometimes people only grow after breaking out of the boxes others put them in. Kestrel frames that as the heart of magic, that you can’t get to the real energy without trespassing a little.” A smile creases her lips, “I like that.”

“Yes, Professor, I’m a cheerleader,” Kai calls to Thomas, lying breezily as he looks to the man and glances sidelong to Teagan, waggling his brows.

Nemi nods softly. Chuckling a bit. “Maybe back in early highschool but I don’t cheer and havent for years- probably would break my back if I fall- Not that I don’t trust Sera.” She states with a warm smile. “I enjoy piano more anyways.”

“I was.” Seraphina says. Of course she was…

Eloa shakes her head, no pom poms here. “If magic is to be transgressed so much how come we don’t have the magic from ages old that created gods and true fae anymore? Why can’t we use that anymore?”

“We’s a complicated question, isn’t it?” Thomas asks Eloa. “You can’t use that magic — I can’t use that magic,” he says. “But there are eidolons that haunt this city and elsewhere, gathering power to ascend. They are seeking to break the barrier that handcuffs you,” he tells her. He turns back to Sophie. “Astute, Miss Callum. All of our power is a trespass. Everything about this city, about our supernatural existence, makes physicists cry.”

Sophie dips her head at the compliment from Thomas and comments, “Making physicists cry, how delightful.”

Nemi turns to Eloa, nodding softly as she chuckles a bit as she lowers her head. “Indeed…. poor physicists.”

“Also those time line people… There are so many people who think they’ve lived here all their life and is like.. But the city just came to being not so long ago.. Have they actually lived their entire life here? Or just imagined it like a dream?” Eloa shrugs a little.

“Set aside physical laws, though,” Thomas says to Sophie, and then he broadens his question to the whole class. “A student, please — what do you think about magic and moral laws?” He pauses. “Or maybe we should start more a priori: raise your hand if you think there -are- moral laws?”

Teagan gives Kai a look in return and self-consciously tugs her skirt down a bit. She does grab her pen up again and starts writing something in her notebook. Stops. Scratches it out. Scribbles over that even. Then just sort of stares at the dark lines marring the page now like they’ve personally offended her. She props an elbow up on the narrow writing surface, forehead falling into waiting fingers as she rubs at her forehead like she has a headache. Which she does. “I have been here my whole life,” she mumbles faintly.

“Mine mists serve as the sacrament of crossing forbidden thresholds. Not to rebel, but to reach the sacred and remake both self and world.” Celestine offers up to the class, though not seemingly addressing any one person in particular. She stares at the wall with glassy eyes… a dreamy smile swimming across her lips. “The laws of the land are not to be utilized as a warning, but as a guiding post. You cannot understand the boundaries of arcanum until you have chosen to surpass the natural world. You will be ostracized in doing so, but the pursuit of higher being never ends.”

Celestine, notably, raises her hand. She does not explain herself as to why.

Sophie keeps her hand down.

Those wide, owlish eyes of hers turn to regard Matias, and Celestine lowers her hand.

(repost) Those wide, owlish eyes of hers turn to regard Matias, and Celestine lowers her hand.

Kai pointedly keeps his hands down and texts briefly, hmming when Teagan’s phone beeps, he glances her way and then over to Sophie.

Nemi hums, seemingly considering possibly raising her hands as she rubs her chin lightly but keeps her hand down.

Celestine was emoting that whole time, blegh.

Eloa looks guilty at Matias’s wordss and dips her head, looking down at her phone.

Seraphina does not raise her hand, nor respond without. Instead, she is scribbling down notes as she listens to someone, despite that she was called out as not-a-student. Perhaps there were good things said! Much like the last attempt at this class.

Seraphina does not raise her hand, nor respond without. Instead, she is scribbling down notes as she listens to Celestine, despite that she was called out as not-a-student. Perhaps there were good things said! Much like the last attempt at this class.

“Is there -anyone- who believes there is moral law?” Thomas asks. “Miss Ivorstead,” he says to Nemi. “You’re one of the Order, aren’t you? If none of it matters — if there is no right and wrong — than what’s the point?”

Jasper slowly lifts his hand up.

Nemi hums softly. “The question at hand is a bit- off. Moral laws are that of opinion. Now, blanket wise if they exist? Yes. But not to everyone. As said they are morals and not everyone shares the same kind… Should you cross the line of natural and unnatural? Some may find that heretical. Some may not mind and think its fine. The term ‘moral laws’ implies they are view point based and vary from person to person.”

Nemi nods softly. “Do that exist? Yes- Do they exist to everyone? Maybe. Maybe not.”

Teagan takes out her phone, looks at it, and just goes white. She shoves it back in her bag. The notebook and pen, too. She pulls the bag up onto her lap and sort of casts a glance down the row and after a small, shaking sort of breath just wraps her arms around the bag and stares resolutely down at the essay.

“Okay,” Thomas says to Nemi, nodding. “I see that. Mr. Ashford, how about you?” he asks Kai. “Do you think there is such a thing as morality?”

“Some have a better moral compass than others,” Seraphina agress with Nemi, taking a moment to wiggle her fingers at Lorelei, following it up with a wink.

“I’m not sure what you mean when you say that word,” Kai admits to Thomas and reaches up to rub at one os his eyes, “Could you give your definition?”

Nemi nods softly to Seraphina.

Thomas replies back to Kai, “I’m interested in yours. After all –” A low smile. “You didn’t raise your hand. So tell us what you believe, Mr. Ashford?”

Matias leans forward to add slate-grey eyes and an expectant expression to the looks all directed Kai’s way at Thomas’s re-direction of the question back on the student.

Kai peers up at the ceiling in thought and tilts his head, “Uhhh… I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it. I mean, I guess like, there’s some things I find gross. So I don’t do them and I’d encourage people not to. And then some things that are a waste, like killing people, when you could like, torture them for a long time and suck up all that pain,” he hmms, “I think… uhh. I have people I care about and would protect and… that I usually follow the rules that would cause me a lot of pain or money or freedom or my life, stuff like that… so like… I dunno?” he trails off and looks back to Thomas, “I haven’t really thought about it I guess. I just kinda follow my own code or whatever but it’s also kind of a flexible code?

Lorelei slips into the dim seminar room, her silhouette folding against the wall like she was always meant to be there. Coppery curls spill over her shoulder as she tips her chin down, blue-green eyes gleaming behind narrow cat-eye glasses. She props one stiletto heel against the wall, vinyl skirt catching the cold light, and lets her bubblegum-pink nails click idly against the marble pearls at her throat while she surveys the class with a quiet smile.

“Anyone have a reaction to what either Mr. Ashford or Miss Ivorstead said?” Thomas asks. He glances at the clock. “We’re at our hour,” he says. “But we’re having good discussion, so I’m thinking we may push this to a 90 minute lecture, if that sounds fine.”

Sophie shifts in her seat, raising her hand. “I think what Mr. Ashford said actually lines up with Kestrel’s point,” she offers. “He admitted he follows his own flexible code, which means morality isn’t fixed, it’s a set of limits that feel binding until you decide they dont. Thats exactly the space Kestrel calls transgression. When you cross a line you once thought was solid, you find out whether it still holds power over you, or whether the power is actually in the act of crossing.”

Sophie adds on, “I think Miss Ivorstead is right that some people have a stronger sense of morality than others,” she says, glancing toward Nemi, “but I’d argue that what looks like a compass is really just a clearer line. Some draw it at different places, some hold it more firmly, but it’s still a line someone put down.”

Nemi nods softly in agreement with Sophie.

“Just so,” Thomas tells Sophie. “Magic is always about breaking rules,” he says. “It goes back to what Miss Ivorstead says in the beginning — the principle of magic is Intent. It is Will,” he says. “When one’s Will runs up against a barrier — well, when Will wins, magic happens.” He nods to Nemi. Then he turns to Teagan. “Miss Lawson,” he says. “You’ve been quiet. What do you think? I want to spend our last fifteen minutes or so talking about why transgressive acts make magic more powerful — why do you think that might be?”

Teagan just freezes in place when the question is directed her way. She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. She swallows, tries again. There’s a slight shake to her hands and her phone drops. Anyone recognize the signs of a panic attack? That’s this. “I… ah, well… ah, in terms of, uhm… feeding harm into harm you can look at examples of ah, computer viruses wherein they self propagate by replicating out through not only files and drives but onto local networks and beyond which is a method of a transgressive action that leads into a more powerful action that takes on a power all its own. At a certain point it becomes difficult to stop even if the original source is cut off because each new node becomes a new source of power feeding into the next and so on, many of which — depending on the skill of the programmer and the intent of the virus — adapt and evolve into their own versions, compounding into even greater forms that both feed off of and transform from the original.”

Is she meant to be making sense? Probably not. Maybe not even to herself at this point. There may be a reason she was quiet.

“A computer virus isn’t the worst analogy,” Thomas tells Teagan. “I’m not sure if it is one I like, since I am a practitioner… but that doesn’t mean it is wrong.” He nods to her, and then he turns to the class. “Many people say magic is a virus,” he says. “A cancer: it rewrites reality, just like a virus rewrites DNA. That means that when we do things that break laws — moral laws, physical laws, all of them — we are increasing the power of that virus,” he says. “Transgressive acts create the environment in which magic thrives.” A beat. “Now: we associate viruses with bad things, but I will remind those of you that skipped biology that we likely owe our existence to viruses. The DNA that gives each of us an identity, most likely, arose from a virus long-ago infecting our cells. If magic is a disease — well. So is mankind.”

Nemi nods softly in agreement with Thomas as she smiles softly, taking a few notes.

Seraphina snorts softly, but not too softly, at something, eyes on Lorelei as this sound escapes her. Then comes the narrowed eyes. At Lorelei. And the scrunch of her nose.

Thomas looks around the class. “Even at 90 minutes, we are close to the end of our time,” he shares with everyone. “Any last questions? Any last comments?” he asks Lorelei, Eloa, Celestine, Seraphina, Matias, Nemi, Kai, Sophie, Teagan, and Jasper.

Sophie smiles at Thomas, “Thank you for the class, I’m very glad we got to it.”

Lorelei straightens up from the wall a little, and smoothing her vinyl skirt, brushing a hand against her face as attention is drawn to her. She pipes up in subtly German accented sing-song dictation, “Many of the deeper sources of magic are rooted in other planes of existence, particularly those that have a different structures to their reality. With the Fae, and bargaining, and Hell, and it’s tendency to want to corrupt. It’s fairly meaningful that the only real source of power most mortal beings have is their very life essence, or that of others. If you want a big boost you have to go to something that has already cultivated the energy in vast amounts. And that other is almost always something with very bad motives.” She trails off a little and gives her head a shake.

“I have no questions,” Jasper says with a shake of his head. “Thanks for the lesson.”

Kai raises his hand and asks, “What was even the point of this class? What?” he looks around the rest of the room, “Is your argument the stronger your morality, the stronger your magic, or the opposite or… what? What?” he repeats, clearly confused by the whole topic.

Nemi shakes her head softly. “Indeed- What Sophie said sir.” She states with a soft, but weak smile.

The quite graceful handling of her absolute word vomit of an answer does keep Teagan from having a *complete* meltdown in the wake of things. Instead she just sort of slumps forward and buries her face in her backpack. Mostly. She can still be heard to reply to Kai going: “It’s a seminar not a class, Kai.”

Thomas replies to Kai “The argument is that the more you push the boundaries, Mr. Ashford — moral, physical, magical — the stronger you will be.” A beat. “It seems self-evident when you say it, doesn’t it? But then, the Order, the Temple, and the Vigil all exist. So reasonable minds can differ.”

“Oh my god,” Kai says, overdramatically after Teagan clues him in, he flops backward on his chair, “I gave up Elden Ring for this?” he tilts his head back and gazes up at the ceiling, “It’s a good thing that I push the boundaries all the time then?” he asks, lifting his head to look at Thomas.

Matias lifts his baritone for the room, “Professor Hale. If you had to assign an expanded thought exercise to the class. What might you recommend to students who are practitioners or are interest in studying magic in some fashion?”

“And here I wasn’t going to assign homework,” Thomas says to Matias. He looks around the class. “Extra credit, I suppose: ritualist or not, I want you to cross a personal line in the pursuit of power,” he says. “I promise: you can say your Hail Marys after. I’m not asking you to murder someone. But wherever your comfort level is? I want you to reach across it and -take- something you otherwise wouldn’t.” A beat. “Then write me a short essay, and I’ll give you not only extra credit but a favor, to be redeemed at a time of your choice.”

Celestine seems to perk up at this, pulling out her notepad to scratch something frantically within.

Nemi nods softly, noting the extra credit part down as she hums, seemingly already brainstorming.

Thomas smiles. “Thank you all for coming,” he says. “Class dismissed.”

Matias stands up from his seat and brushes off his blazer before pulling his phone out to check it and then offering his hand to Eloa, “Shall we?”

Teagan grabs her things, what wasn’t fully packed, putting her backpack over her shoulder. She’s still calming down, but her phone helps. Never take the phone. She does give Hale a long look at the extra credit. Maybe parts like ‘not asking you to murder someone.’ Or the promise of a favor. Her usual professors never say things like that.

Offering an apologetic smile to Matias, Celestine turns her smile to Eloa. lifting a hand to her arm. “…Might I get a ride home, before you go? I would rather not be walking home through the mists.”

Eloa afk 5

Matias puts his phone back away into his blazer and says to someone, “I would not want you to be hobbling about. I will meetup with Eloa later this evening. You know if you wanted to enroll as a post-grad student or perhaps get special permission from Hale to attend his lectures it would smooth over some of the issue at hand.”

Matias puts his phone back away into his blazer and says to Celestine, “I would not want you to be hobbling about. I will meetup with Eloa later this evening. You know if you wanted to enroll as a post-grad student or perhaps get special permission from Hale to attend his lectures it would smooth over some of the issue at hand.”

Kai hops up and heads for the door, he gives a general wave to the group on his way out.

“I would be appreciating of this, if this is something we can be arranging of.” Celestine reasons to Matias, a nervous smile quirking at the edge of her lip. She does not move to stand… placing both hands over the clutch of her cane as she patiently awaits Eloa’s departure. “…I did consider applying mine expertise as a teacher. However I do not think I am being skilled at communicating of mine thoughts to people. Words are an art of which the paintbrush of mine tongue has not yet learned to create.”

“Professor Hale is a man of considerations. I am sure something can be arranged between you. Unfortunately I am Catholic and so I make rare exceptions. I try to keep my classes closed when I am speaking.” Matias offers both helpfully and not so helpfully for Celestine

Sophie stands up and gives a little wave.

“Um let Eloa drop Celestine home and then come home find you? Or Thomas and Seraphina’s if you want do your weekly thing?” Eloa asks Matias although she both looks and sounds still a bit put out by the whole lecture thing. “Here come with Eloa.” Eloa mentions to Celestine, guiding the other woman.

Nemi softly coughs after finishing some notes. Giving a faint nod to herself as she reads over them. “Right…. I think thats it for me today.”

Nemi says “Other then later…“

Nemi nods softly.

Seraphina packs up once more, rubbing softly at her eyes. “I’m sure Mister Hale would be open to having you and Matias over. If you do not mind me in my pjs..”

“I am up for a night cap, I can argue harmonic magic versus transgressive magic again.” Matias quips wryly.

Knuckles whitening around the clutch of her cane, Celestine pushes herself to her feet with trembling hands… leg and shaft alike both creaking beneath her insubstantial notes. She bows her head to Matias respectfully… hunched though she might be. “I will be making an effort, then. To be avoiding of your classes in the future.”

“Think your place is closer too so you guys can take Matias home? And Eloa can come after dropping Celestine off? Can you text me the address?” Eloa asks Seraphina with a glance at Thomas who needs to give the final confirmation after all.

“Send me a message,” Thomas tells Celestine. “We can discuss.” He looks at Seraphina, Eloa and Matias. “Are we having a nightcap?” he wonders.

Turning to Eloa, Celestine continues: “…Thank you for coming by to spend time with me tonight. I am always loving to be seeing you.”

Nemi gives a soft wave as she stands up and heads out.

Matias says “I think we are, shall we?“

Giving Celestine a smile, Eloa offers her arm to the other woman once the other woman as made it past the entrance of the row, “Eloa like seeing you too. Should catch up more often.” She murmurs to the woman next to her then raises her voice, “Please send address to Eloa!” She reminds Matias and Seraphina as she heads on out.

“Well then!” Thomas says. “Follow me, and we’ll head home.”