Do Sand Castles Hide Treasure?

Walking through the desert, arms angled infront of his belly so that his too long sleeves hung down infront and gave him the appearance of some sort of praying mantis, was a young man unfittingly dressed in a long black coat which together with the pointed face mask he wore only ever showed a small line of his face to reveal his narrow, green eyes that seemed to be ever penetrating into anything he looked at. As he made his way back through the desert to the small village he had been staying at when he was not exploring the vast expanses of Sand, he seemed like he didn't feel any exhaustion walking through the heat coming down on him from the sun and back up from the hot sand. If he was actually exhausted, he didn't show it, although that didn't help him from attracting the looks of any passerby to be fixed on him. There surely was a need to protect oneself from the sun and if the bit of pale revealed skin was anything to go by, the masked person was probably at least a little sensitive to too much sun on him, but was it wise to walk around like this? Well nobody could say, but it was still a little strange and intimidating as people who walked around in such an outfit usually had much to hide and no good in mind. Common sense dictated it but the man had only done good for the people of the village so far and he seemed intent of sharing health advise with them above all else. It was really hard for him to be missed when one was looking for him, everyone knew of him who had stayed for only three days so far.

As for Satorius himself, he showed little actual interest in the singular entities of this remote village. He didn't like the desert much, the danger seemed to be way more hidden the when expüloring a forest or a mountain, still that made it more likely for him to be able to find something interesting that nobody had seen before, including himself of course. Despite his constant efforts for the past three days he hadn't found much of anything though and nobody had answered his request for an aide. Maybe he should have specified the pay instead of writing 'payment measured by time afforded and success aswell as part of anything hidden treasures uncovered'. Why didn't specify he an amount of money? He was a bit of a cheap person and overly safe for matters that concerned himself, putting it like this was telling whoever accepted such a request - to be an assitant for a researcher in the desert - wouldn't be able to complain about the outcome. In fact he also left the position and job to be done ambigious so he already knew that from the outset there was little chance of someone accpeting, but he was willing to wait another day on anyone appearing before abandoning the wait for help and making his way back to the only promising place he had found in the desser, though some digging was likely to be required.

In the meantime everything had be prepared, he got himself enough water and even got a villager to lend him a camel for water transport and had packed a bag with food, but despite him expecting some diggin work to be needed and that someone would show up, he had only packed one shovel.

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Seika technically was supposed to be on vacation, but... "No, I can read that look on your face. We are not taking that request," came a stern voice from behind her. Her cheeks nearly the same blushing color as her peachy hair, she turned around and spotted Aphelia, her bond pet, sitting behind her. "But why not?" Seika asked, her tone a bit whiny as she turned back to face the cork board. On it were posted jobs for local mages and day to day workers; this one didn't necessarily seem to require magic, but it was interesting enough on its own. Despite the fact that she had never really done any research before, the concept of it was just so cool! Seika clapped at the thought, while behind her, Aphelia rolled her eyes. "Did you hear me? We are not taking any jobs while on vacation. This week we're mean to be resting. Seika, are you listening to me? Do you know what resting is?"

Stubbornly, the girl ignored her companion and reached out to tear the paper off of the board. She scanned it, trying to memorize the details she would need to find the requester, before stuffing it into her pocket. "Your objections have been noted and ignored, Aphi!" Seika said cheerfully, turning to face the direction they needed to head towards. "Besides, vacations don't mean... like, just laying around and doing nothing! That's for you to do! It's about having fun, and like, doing things you normally wouldn't do. Does this look like an assassination job to-" Aphelia's eyes widened at her words. Leaping off of the ground, she landed on Seika's shoulder with an agility distinctively feline. "Are you an idiot? Don't say that kind of thing out loud here." She pressed the pads of her paws against Seika's lips.

Seika pushed the cat's arms away, but when Aphelia wouldn't budge, she opened her mouth and licked her paws. That had the companion hissing as she jumped away. "Disgusting," Aphelia spat, trying to wipe her paw off in the sand. Seika just laughed and leaned down to pat Aphelia on the head. "You don't have to come if you don't want to! You can just sleep in our room, or something. But I'm going to do this," she beamed. While she didn't say anything, Aphelia padded alongside the mage, though lagging a little behind, when Seika headed off to the waiting place the client had specified. It wasn't particularly far away; the village was a small, perhaps moderately sized one, after all. As the duo moved closer to the location, Seika squinted. She could see a figure with a dark outline, stark against the sandy tans, browns, and other neutrals of the desert. Assuming they were the client, being in the right place and all, Seika would have kept walking until she was less than a foot away from him, but when she was a few meters away, Aphelia snagged the hem of her sweater and hissed at her to stop moving. She did so, her eyes still peering at the person with curiosity. "Hello! Can you hear me? I'm Taneda Akies- but, um, everyone just calls me Seika! I saw your job request? If, that is, you're the right person? The desert researcher aide job, was that yours?" She smiled winningly at the figure, even though she wasn't close enough to fully make out their face.

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Turned to his camel to see if everything was properly secured, Satorius didn't take note of the young girl and her pet immediately and stood in place even when he was talked to. His arms covered by far too long sleeves hungs by his side and when he turned around it was hard to tell that he had actually done so, as his hood hung deep enough over his face that it was almost fully hidden behind it and the bird like mask he wore. Only his eyes and two long, silvery strands of hair that hung past his shoulders and down to his hips were visible of his actual body. Most intention grabbing were the icy cold, analyzing green eyes that fixed on the girl and her pet as soon as Satorius had turned around. It seemed like they bore holes into the both of them, but he never averted his eyes or blinked even once until he muttered to himself, "How cluttered, how does she not get a head ache?" He had seen 'inside her', getting a glimpse of her magics nature and got to interpret it himself. The flow of the girls magic power seemed a little chaotic, which he judged to be due to the pet by her side, which seemed quite particular in its own right. For a moment he felt the desire to get atleast a vial of blood each as samples of them for research purposes. Then he finally blinked and moved over to them, arms still hanging down his side until he got close to them. Coming to a halt only two feet away from them he now looked down on them, his already narrow eyes now even smaller. "Hoh? You want to help me? Hmhm, certainly you seem capable in your own right, but I was hoping for someone taller." He said casually while now letting his eyes wander over her a bit to inspect his potential short term employee. While his eyes still had the same cold gaze, his voice showed a mild curiosity. It was true that he had hoped for someone stronger to carry his bags and shovel for him, but this girl had unbeknownst to her alreadyy managed to pick his interest just by coming here. She was obviously not ordinary. He continued before the girl could cut in, "Well size isn't everything. I assume you are part of a guild? Atleast a mage, so much is to be sure." His eyes now stayed fixed on the cat as he gave a slight nod, seemingl having come to a conclusion for himself. "Yes, so if you have read the job description I am sure we're good to go?" He finished talking and turned around to head back to his camel, but instead of checking up on it he extended a sleeve arm towards a backpack that had a water bag tied to one side and a shovel to the other. The bag itself was filled with all sorts of utilities like glass bottles, brushes and books, so it was already quite heavy without the extras added outside. He spoke as it was the only logical thing to do for his assitent, "As your first task, I will need you to carry our precious research equipment. I need to focus on navigating and guiding the camel." Though he said that, he didn't grab the reigns of the animal and only said, "Let's go." to the camel before walking towards the desert, not waiting for confirmation of his new assistant. Surprisingly the camel started to follow him already, Satorius only having given him the sligthest of tugs on his rains trhough his telekinetic ability. Not turning around, the scientist, as if reminded of something, called out to his new helper, "Introductions... I am a historian, doctor and magic scientist, the name is Satorius Ri, but I doubt my name is known all that much." His voice now had lost the tone change that he had when he had shown interest in the girl and her cat earlier and was now emotionless and calm. He hadn't lost interest in her yet, but he needed a bit more time to complete hi judgement.

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Seika stood there awkwardly for a few more breaths, her eyes blinking at his visage curiously, wondering what could lie behind that impenetrably dark shadow that hung over the majority of his face. Now that she had stepped a little bit closer (against the urging of Aphelia) and he had actually turned around, she could see his eyes. They were stunning. "Mister, you have such pretty eyes," she told him as she unconsciously leaned forwards even more to stare at the gleaming, icy orbs that were studying her in return. She heard him mutter something, but didn't manage to pick it up, so she opted to smile at him brightly again. Either because it worked or more likely because he had been meaning to all along, the man (was it a man?) walked closer to the two of them, the height disparity becoming more and more obvious as he neared their position. "Hello!" Seika waved cheerfully, before he finally spoke. She listened as carefully as she could but seemed to miss half of what he said, glancing at Aphelia through her peripheral vision helplessly. The feline snorted inwardly. She would let the mage handle this, herself.

"Umm, yes, I'm from a guild! We are Elysium! Going to protect the world and make everyone happy!" Seika was about to launch into a speech when she realized that he was probably a busy man, and her enthusiasm subsided just a little before returning in full force at his words. "Aye, we're totally good to go!" She followed him as he walked away, back towards where a camel was situated. Thinking a little bit, she guessed it belonged to him....? The animal seemed to have some stuff around next to it, a bag and a few more things, such as a water bottle for instance. Seika realized at that moment that she was feeling a little bit hungry and thirsty, and she pulled a bag of chips out of her pocket. Prying them open, she popped a few in her mouth as she listened to what the man was saying. With a mouth half full of food, she piped up, "Oh! I can totally do that, yep! I am super strong, don't worry!" She put the bag of chips on Aphelia's head, much to the cat's annoyance (she immediately let it slide off onto the ground before magically vanishing it). Seika hefted the bag up, blinking as it was surprisingly solid feeling for what looked kind of like a flimsy old backpack, but it definitely wasn't too heavy. She was tempted to toss it around playfully, but decided against it. After all, it wouldn't do to be fired right away.

With the handle of the shovel in her right hand, Seika bounced closer over to where the man had walked just a little ways away, saluting at him to show that she was ready. He seemed to guide the camel without even bothering to touch it, to which Seika blinked in confusion before shrugging in acceptance. That was really cool though! Now she understood why he needed to navigate, if the animal would only listen to him. Sometimes she wished Aphelia would listen like that instead of running off all of the time and trying to escape from her... Out of the corner of her eye, Seika looked at Aphelia before looking at the camel again and then switching back to Aphelia. The feline seemed to comprehend the girl's train of thoughts, because her expression suddenly turned stern, and Seika gulped before focusing back ahead. The man had begun talking again, much to Seika's interest. Ooh, he had a name! "Nice to meet you, Satorius! Um, did I already tell you my name? It's Seika, please! If you don't mind! And you're a magic scientist? That's so cool, and I like history too," she told him, trying to get to know him. "I also like bubbles, and I like wind. It's pretty windy here, right?" Aphelia cast her an unamused look, as if to say, the wind is blowing your hair around your face and you're asking if it's windy?

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Leaving the desert behind, Satorius got to get a clearer image of his new assistant quite early on he thought. He ignored the comment about his eyes, he knew he wasn't bad looking, but had never gotten a compliment about his eyes, usually people avoided them even without knowing their capabilities. They weren't threatening, but felt intrusive, which ordinary people didn't feel comfortable around. The girl calling herself Seika was in the meanwhile busy being a little to energetical, Satorius didn't mind these types of people, they were usually easier to get along with and read then most other people. With her telling him about herself, she would atleast for now manage to remain more interesting then annoying, after all even if Satorius didn't show it, he tended to always listen to his surroundings as he longed to learn and improve himself. When she said she belonged to a guild called Elysium his head shifted under his hood a little and he shifted his eyes sidewards to look into his hood, where hidden out of his view Seika was walking close to him. After a moment he shifted his eyes back forward and got to thinking for a bit. He didn't really know anything about Elysium, only rumours and murmur, so he could only make assumptions, but be they good or be they bad, they did sound a little like a sect.

He didn't bring the topic up until they had walked for a bit and Seika started blabbing nonsense. He didn't care much that she seemed interested in his persuasion, he came to the conlcusion that after she said she liked wind and bubbles, that he should take everything in with a little caution, or he would start talking nonsense aswell. "Yes it is true that I am a historian and scientist, in fact I have a very similiar goal to your guild, I want to improve the world a little by curing disease and making usefull magic tools for everybody to use." He finally spoke up but talk as if what he did was natural and casually brushed it of, instead counter questioning her . "But say, I haven't heard of any great deeds of your guild, is it a young institution? I find the ambition fascinating, so if you'd tell me more about it, maybe there is the chance of cooperation in the future?" His tone remained casual with a tinge of interest sprinkled in, but he wouldn't press the matter if she didn't want to talk about it, on the other hand such information could come in quite handy in the future for whatever purpose they were to be used and so having them would definitely be a profit for him.

While they were walking his interest also shifted to something different that invoked a little curiosity inside him and he asked her, "I also noticed you have a very particular pet with you, if it isn't a bother, would you like to tell me about it? Any knowledge can be valuable after all, even going so far as to save a life by shifting the concentration of their magic power just a little." He had to restrain himself there, he didn't want to reveal too much about himself by telling her about his own abilities and also felt it wasn't right to act like he had the truth figured out, the more he dove into magic, the more complicated it became.

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Seika clapped in enthusiasm as Satorius described a little better what he did as a historian and scientist. Apparently, it was quite similar to Elysium's aims! She listened as carefully as she could, nodding in excitement when he mentioned magic tools for everybody to use. Speaking up as soon as he seemed to take a pause, she said, "Yes! Exactly! Um, things like disease will all be gone in the final utopia." Flashing him a bright smile, she gazed at him with concentration, trying to understand what he was saying. Asking... about the guild more? But, hadn't he already known about it. With a shrug, she tried to explain what she knew and how she felt about it.

"It's somewhat new? I don't know, actually! But, um, if you want to know more about the ambition... we are like a family there! The guild master is so nice, and sweet, and there's a giant puppy and I get to ride her and fly around and everything! Our goals, we just want to create a perfect world for everybody. Freedom for all!" She cheered, her eyes sparkling as she spoke ardently. "I don't know what guild you're from, if any at all! But it's pretty friendly there! They saved me from monsters and stuff, so, I'm sure if you need help, there's definitely people that could help you out!" Seika couldn't exactly understand what he meant about cooperation, but if it was related to recollecting magical artifacts and such, like he needed assistance with a mission, Elysium would probably be excited to work with him.

Seika continued to skip along, lugging the backpack and shovel without much effort. Behind her, Aphelia yawned, having tuned out of the conversation as soon as the girl began to babble about Elysium. To be completely frank, the cat simply didn't understand her bond mage's attachment to the organization. In her mind, it was just a group they had joined out of temporary necessity. However, when Satorius turned his questions to Aphelia, the spirit became much more alert. "A particular pet?" Seika put a finger to her chin, thinking hard. "I don't have any pets," she finally said, confusedly. Aphelia's expression didn't change, but at the girl's words, internally she was stifling laughter and amusement, lest it transfer through their mental link.

Deciding to direct the conversation towards more practical matters, Aphelia spoke up. "Speaking of valuable, potentially life saving information, please tell us a bit more about this excursion, if you would," she said. While there had been a short description of being an assistant in the job posting, their specific duties had not been clearly explained. Though the feline was confident that nothing could go wrong enough to be concerned about, she was nonetheless wanted to be prepared, lest there be potentially unknown dangers that were actually known by Satorius. "I'm sure Seika would love to hear about your research," she went on. Almost right on cue, Seika clapped her hands and chimed in, "Yeah, totally! Is this part of your research to make magical tools? I love searching for things like enchanted relics," she gushed. While they had been assumedly hired just as kind of a grunt to carry the equipment, Seika would adore being able to learn more about the actual science behind the work.

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It wasn't to be seen in the outside world since his eyes didn't change as he listened to the ramblings of the younger girl he was with, but under his mask his nose flared up for just a moment and his lips trembled. The ever so slight change in his expression was gone in a flash, but as he raised his voice to respond to her, a cold, cutting tone could be heard in the way he spoke. He even made sure to speak especially clear, "I know you are still a child and will learn the truth of the world eventually, but there is no such thing as a perfect world. Disease will always exist, humans are faulty, egotistical and unable to prasp perfection itself due to their individuality. Don't get me wrong, I think there is such a possibility called 'perfection' hidden in magic, but if it is there, a human won't be able to grasp it let alone invoke it. So remember this, humans will never reach perfection and should your guild actually manage to gain the ability of changing the whole world, someone will suffer for it. No such thing as freedom or an utopia for eveyone exists." He kept walking, his feet trespassing on the sandy ground as easily as if he was walking on a flat stone surface. His voice now changed to a kinder tone that would perhaps seem more worrying then his previous behaviour to some. "But I am sorry for pushing my view onto you, the more I dive into history and magic, the more I am convinced of these facts, your guild isn't the first organization to have these goals. Stay vigilant and strive for the truth." He didn't mention anything about cooperation as he was sure it didn't really matter what he said about that topic right now, if there was a need for it, they would surely cross their way, although he wasn't especially keen on meeting them based on what he heard from Seika. It seemed true to him though that the guild was new as he hadn't heard of a magicians guild with such ambitions existing in the current time.

Regardless of his opinion on the matter of her guild or that he thought she was possibly more foolish than he had initially anticipated, he had to ask her about what she thought of him. "It is true that I don't belong to an organization, but what makes you think I am a magus?" It wasn't usually like him to ask such a question, but Seika made him play along with her playfulness. Additionally he reasoned that he should find out what other thought about him other then he was mysterious a little unsettling to some.

Most of all things mentioned, Satorius interested in their extended conversation was grabbed by the nature and origin of the cat, which seemed like it would be denied from him for the time being, other then the girl, the pet seemed more attentive to details if he had to guess. Instead of answering immediately, Satorius rose his right arm that was covered by his far too long sleeve that hung down infront of where his hand would be but it was clear he was pointing to the sand a few feet in front of them. "There under the sand, please dig a hole of about 30 cms (~12 inches) deep and you will officially find your first treasure." He said and lowered his arm. Of course he knew that it wasn't what one would originally hope a treasure to be, he could see it with his seventh eye after all. Hidden under the sand was a shard from an old pot where plants would be kept inside. It had a little leftover magic on it, of what Satorius judged to be old fertility magic to guarantee plant growth. Ofcourse all the regular eye could see was an old, broken and useless shard the size of a large hand. Satorius and the camel waited in silence for the girl to act, curious for her reaction.

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Seika peered at his back curiously as he replied in a very clear voice, his tone cutting through even the bristling wind that swooped past her ears. It seemed like he had personal experiences with the world being imperfect; while Seika couldn't say that she understood his view, she understood how he felt, in the very least. Or she wanted to think she did. "The world is not perfect yet! And, I don't know, but how can you say there is no such thing? It's possible! There could already be a perfect place, but not anywhere we can reach," even though she wasn't facing towards his face, the upbeat, a little bit fiercely so, expression was evident through her voice. "But, Mister! I will remember what you're saying! About, um, humans never reaching perfection. I think even we are flawed, though, the world could be perfect... there's more than humans in this world," she chewed on her lip in concentration.

When he claimed someone would have to suffer for it should the world actually be in their power to change, Seika tipped her head back and looked up at the bright, burning sun. "Someone always has to suffer for nothing! How different is it to suffer for something...?" She trailed off until her tone was barely even audible, but she listened as his voice seemed to shift into something a bit more easy- less harsh, less accusatory, less... Either way, he seemed to be sorry. Of course Seika knew that many people wanted a utopia! But that didn't mean it wasn't possible to try to reach it; the possibility of achieving something was different than the actual ability to try. All Elysium wanted was to try, and then, maybe a difference would happen.

"Well, if you're a maker of magical tools, you're involved with magic! But I guess you don't have to actually be a mage....? Still, I think anyone who knows how to use magic or has the capacity to use magic is magical...!" She decided out loud, blinking at him as she tried to explain it. Honestly, Seika couldn't even remember saying anything about him being a... a magus? Whatever he had said. But it didn't matter, not really. Her attention was diverted as they slowed to a stop, then paused completely. Behind them, Aphelia's eyes darted around before settling down, waiting to see what might happen next. Satorius spoke, and Seika struggled to understand. "You want me to dig here? Okay!" She bit her lip before putting her arms through the straps of the backpack, which she had previously just been carrying like a shoulder bag with her left hand resting on it too.

Now that she had both hands free, she could properly use the shovel and did so, spearing the ground with the tip to create a dent. The sand flowed back into the divot type miniature valley, but as she scooped it out and widened the gap, soon enough it was almost thirty centimetres deep. Being more careful now that she had nearly reached the target distance, Seika brushed the sand away with her sweater's sleeve to reveal a rather large shard. "Ah... is this what you mean?" Seika glanced up at Satorius to gauge whether or not that was what he was looking for and if she could or should pick it up, but she was met with dead silence. With an inward shrug, Seika scooped up the shard and let it lay in the palm of her hand, like a platter on a small round end table. "Hm? What is this?" She peered at it curiously. While it was tempting to put it in her mouth, Seika resisted the strange urge. Despite how strong the odd feelings that she had sometimes could be, the mage was determined to get better at not acting on them. Nearby, Aphelia was relieved that Seika wouldn't do anything rash. While she was confident that the mage would be okay regardless of what happened next (at least, probably okay) Aphelia was wary.

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It was questionable if Seika was able to see it, but under his hood, Satorius was giving a small shake of the head, aknowledging that the girl was not someone he could entrust too much knowledge to on this exploration. She was a nice girl, but he firmly believed that she could too easily cause unwanted harm and not to him, but to herself and her surroundings, especially since she seemed to sport a unique type of magic. There was no time to underestimate her just because of her age, or cause she seemed naive to him. In a way he had the urge to help her, but was convinced that he would get nowhere, she seemed to like her guild members and was probably not gonna be mistreated. It wasn't logical to spend too much effort on convincing her, in the end it only mattered to him that she was assisting him so he could conserve energy. No, but what was she saying? There's more then humans in the world? Under his sleeves both hands formed fists, he wasn't sure how to respond to that, of course there were other species then humans, but surely she was only talking about spirits? Or pets like her cat? He wasn't sure how far these beings would be able to help, but was currently afraid to ask about what she meant. Were ELysium trying to summon a demon who promised them something? He eventually caught himself and carefully replied to her, "No... i think suffering doesn't come from nothing, while there are accidents and disasters, the vast misfortune that happens to people is because of the ego of others. On gets hurt while the other profits. But lets leave it at that, shall we? It's time to focus on the topics more at hand."

He tried to guide the conversation in a more topic focused direction by revealing a little bit about himself, "Yes, but it's currently not quite correct to say I make magic tools, I am far too busy with developing a new magic. Application is difficult, but I am convinced that I will have great utility. So it is right that I am a mage, although admitedly currently weak. Don't worry though I can still provide great knowledge and medical assistance if needed..." He usually didn't reveal that much about himself, but aslong as he didn't particularly tell them what his magic did he was sure to be fine. Additionally Seika and her cat didn't seem to be the type to betray him later on. What he could show them was what the shard was about. He pulled his right sleeve up to reveal a hand, covered in a black glove, to grab the shard in Seikas Hand after having given her a bit of time to examine it. He raised it infront of her and injected his magical power into it to to amplify the residue magic inside the shard, which would start to glow in a light cyan and see-through tone. No matter to recognize the type of magic, the power around the shard was perfectly calm and shimmering, showing the control Satorius had over his magic power. "What you are seeing here is my magic power strengthening the left over magic in the shard. Hundreds or maybe thousands of years ago this was a put with a plant in it and the spell on the pot was to make sure that the plant inside would grow quicker and healthier then a regular plant. A neat spell." He said and stopped the flow of his magic power in the shard to return it to being a plain old brown shard. He handed it back to Seika. "It isn't much worth or usefull anymore, but if you want to you can keep it. And if you want more, then tell me, I'm sure we will find more, we've passed some already... But don't overexert yourself, we will get to the real job soon enough. Exploring an old building I've found hidden under a huge dune. Details I will explain when we arive, but your life shouldn't be in danger aslong as you listen to me." Ofcourse he had grasped that the girl wasn't ordinary, if she was she wouldn't have dug a hole with the backpack on or carry such a pet with her, but the cat was right to pay attention.

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Seika did her best to pay attention was Satorius was describing more about himself. It was a bit difficult, though, since she couldn't really focus on what he was saying, too busy considering the possibilities of the shard. However, she did understand that apparently, he was a mage, which was nice to know, probably. Furthermore, he seemed to consider himself weak...? Seika frowned at that. "I doubt you're weak! I think you're really cool, and you have so much, um, thoughts and stuff! Like, what do you call it? Brainpower? Plus, you said medical assistance, right? That's cool too," she told him, a little bit taken aback that he looked to be downgrading himself in such a way. Suddenly, the man seemed to come to a conclusion, as he lifted up his right arm and tugged back the sleeve. Unconsciously, Seika leaned forward a little bit, wondering what he was trying to show her. Was there possibly a rune etched into his skin? Ooh, that would be awesome. She knew someone who had magical phrases tattooed all across their body, and runic circles that glowed when she cast abilities. But it seemed that Satorius had just wanted to free up his hand, since he picked up the shard that was in her own palm with the hand he had just revealed- which was plainly gloved with black cloth of some sort, so nothing interesting to see there.

When he raised it in the air, Seika's eyes instinctively followed. Nothing seemed to be happening at first. She was about to open her mouth and ask if she was blind or what when the shard began to glow, the faint light emitted being a pale blue color that was almost neon in a sense. It seemed to catch the light, and Seika's breath equally caught in her throat, touched by the beauty of Satorius' magic displayed in combination with what would appear to be the shard's own power. He explained that it was indeed his magic, bolstering the left over power of the shard. While the history behind the small relic was interesting, Seika wondered what the use of it was. Perhaps one would use it for botany or experiments that required data over the lifespan of a plant? She was puzzled at the idea but didn't think on it much, instead opting to glance at Aphelia. Despite the feline's pointedly disinterested expression, Seika could feel the cat's emotions clearly through the bond. She tried to decipher which was the strongest, as Satorius placed the shard back in Seika's still outstretched palm, much to her surprise. "Oh! I thought you would want to keep it...?" She trailed off, but he was already explaining. It made sense that it wasn't worth very much, but in her opinion, it was still extremely cool. Wait... had she heard that correctly?

"Huh? Did you say that right? I can keep it?" Seika blinked in surprise, her eyes widening as she became completely flabbergasted. "That's so cool! Um, of course I'd love to see more! But, if we need to save time so there's enough to do the job that you need, then, let's just keep going!" Curiosity burned inside of her as she followed behind him, his words and promise of explaining further when they arrived taunting the part of her that wanted to know right this instant. "I trust you, so, I'll listen to you!" Seika agreed, but she was still extraordinarily fascinated in being told anything and everything, even though much of it might be beyond her comprehension.

Meanwhile, behind her, Aphelia was struggling not to sigh with exasperation. While she was approving of how the stranger had seemingly dropped the subject of Elysium and their bond, she was far from being anywhere near trusting of Satorius. Especially as she thought about how he had stared at them back there and encouraged Seika to pick up random magic infused fragments. Even though the spell on that shard had not seemed to be harmful, there was no way of telling if he had explained the situation with honesty. It could be a cursed shard or something of a similar, dangerous nature. Furthermore, it was possible that he may not know as much as he gave the impression of understanding. Regardless, she was confident that things would be alright, and moreover she was too lazy to say anything or do anything. Seika could take care of herself, and if it turned out she couldn't, well, Aphelia might save her. But that time she was gone could be well used in taking a nap, first, since the feline found she rarely got a chance to herself nowadays, what with running after the young mage and trying not to let her get both of them killed.

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Even someone as serious and and expressionless couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Seika's words. She was just the perfect bundle of energy and curiosity, wasn't she? From the way she acted it was hard to beleive she could have joined a potentially dangerous guild, but even then, he could be wrong in multiple points in his reasoning but such was life. For now he enjoyed the company more then he would've hoped for when he put the request up. After his little chuckle, he quickly regained his usual demeanor and replied, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you, usually I don't get told that I am 'cool'. And moreover, do you not feel taken aback by my choice of clothes?" He was curious, but it was obvious that since he had to ask, that his style probably wasn't intimidating to the girl. "... but you know, I think you are really cool aswell, coming here alone with just your little pet. The desert can be dangerous for such a young girl." And he got back on point again. He had hoped to come around to here eventually. The pet of the girl and her own magic power were to interesting to just drop already, maybe she would act on her niceness and tell him about her powers? It would make analyzing her much easier. With these words out, he turned forward once more and left the matter of their little discovery to the girl.

"No no, you can keep it as a memory if you want, as I said it will not sell for much, but I have already found enough to rebuild a whole pot which will be of help. Maybe I can restore the inherent magic in the pot and analyze, break it down and copy it in a way or maybe improve it. If applied correctly, maybe tools can be created that help farming and plantgrowth for people that don't have the inherent magic capabilities. If spun further, maybe there is a way to improve fertility and childgrowth in humans to help weak children grow up healthy..." He stopped there before starting a whole lesson about the 'basics of magical power' as he called it, so as to not bore Seika or make her think he was crazy, which, granted, might've already happaned. His feet tirelessly moving over the hot sand, he was reminded again that he didn't specify what the reward for his assistent would be and noted to himself that unless Seika messed up big time, he would actually not sell her short of any rewards she might earn which he might have originally intended to do.

As they closed in on where Satorius knew 'something of value' would be hidden Satorius brought the trust topic up himself. Seika said she was going to trust him and that would usually be his minimum requirement but today he wasn't only going in with a singular assistant. As they arrived in a small valley bewteen two dunes, one could already see two stone pillars rise out of the sand. Travellers would usually ignore these, they threw only a small shadow and weren't comfortable to climb or sit on, but Satorius had seen more then these pillars in this particular piece of the desert. He stopped and took a look around, in fact it looked like he was watching the sand to all sides around him. Maybe something would pop out? No, he was looking for traces of magic power hidden in the sand that would be worth of digging up. As he seemingly turned in random directions, he finally spoke up. "Alright here is good. Before we can start though, I need to both to swear that you won't touch anything until I give you permission to do so. No taking things with you unless I allow you to and know that if you follow me, that you will probably become grave robbers." As he said his last words his eyes fixed on the duo again and narrowed a little. Under his mask he had a grin and was once again using the opportunity to gaze at their magic power. His eyes seemed to bury deeper then before, making them give the feeling that just from staring into them, they could cut open ones flesh and make them spill the secrets hiden within.

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When Satorius made a quiet noise like a little half laugh, low in volume but definitely audible, Seika perked up at the sound. "Oh my gosh, did you just giggle? That's not the right word, but, um, your laugh is so adorable! You're so pretty and all, with your eyes and everything, and super tall, and you get to have a nice laugh? That's just too much," she sighed dramatically before letting out a short laugh of herself as she bounced slightly on her feet and continued walking after him. After a few moments he apologized for laughing, and she grinned at him, saying, "Oh, now you're laughing at me? But no, it's totally fine! You're really cool so I'm surprised you don't hear it very often," Seika glanced him up and down again before nodding her head in affirmation. "Yep! Totally awesome," she declared. "Your clothes, they just look like something out of a lacrima film!" Being a mage, Seika did get to spend some time around certain eccentric individuals, and she had met a few who also sported interesting outfits. "And you look awesome in them! So, there!~" She clapped enthusiastically.

The man had gone on to give her what seemed like a compliment but also a warning, or maybe like some sort of observation? Seika tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully as she considered his words. "Ah, you think I'm cool? That's really sweet of you! I want to be cool too. Maybe let's have ice cream some time together! I heard there's some in an oasis in the middle of this desert, a magical ice cream machine that never turns off!" It was just a rumor, but it had been part of the reason Seika had chosen this place to try and vacation to. "Um, but don't worry, I don't think there's any danger in this desert! At least, I haven't seen any..." She turned to Aphelia, a question in the back of her throat, but before she could even say anything, the cat glared back and simply said, "No." With a big smile and a thumbs up, Seika looked back at Satorius. "Yup, there's no danger here!" She announced loudly.

As she held the shard and continued to follow after Satorius, she listened to his explanation of the original pot. "A whole pot? Woah, that sounds nice..." She murmured, snapping a picture of the shard as he continued to talk about the possibilities surrounding the object's magic and what it could mean in the long run or big picture. Seika was amazed at how he was thinking about it. In her initial opinion, the pot could be used to grow a potted plant faster- since it was a pot that could hold a plant, and that was what it was made to do, wasn't it? But it made more sense why people might dig up shards like this, if it was for something important and not just to explore or have fun. Still, she would want grow some succulents or little house plants if she could, using this shard. It seemed like a nice thing to do. Maybe she could give one to Satorius the next time she saw him? If they met again, of course.

The small group continued to move on, and eventually they arrived at what looked like a dip in the desert. Two bigger hills of sand rose up on either side of the path, and there were some pillars up ahead that seemed as if they might be made of rock. Seika blinked at the sight and peered around, her curiosity burning. She nearly bumped into the camel when she failed to realize for a moment that Satorius had stopped moving. He was glancing around, probably observing something magical that people like him who were cool could see. Seika stood patiently waiting, her body vibrating a little bit as she shifted her weight around, excitement visible on every inch of her body even though she didn't really move too much as a whole. The girl cast a glance at Aphelia, who still seemed skeptical.

On a whim, she leaned down and scooped up the cat, who let out a huff but otherwise did not protest. It seemed like Satorius had come to some conclusion, since he turned to her and she looked obediently at his face and those bright green eyes, waiting for him to speak. Oh... he was asking them to promise that they would touch everything until he gave them permission to stop. Er, that wasn't right. Touch anything after he gives them permission to do so? Seika shrugged mentally but on the outside, she held up one arm and hand in a 'I swear' position. "Yeah! Let's go!" She said happily, and the cat curled up against her chest flicked her tail before responding in turn with a curt, "Fine." Even if the man didn't believe them, judging by the way his eyes seemed to be lingering on them as they made their promises, Aphelia wouldn't allow Seika to do something stupid and get them killed.

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