"So you're a wizard?" asked Azrael, matching his stride to walk alongside Yvette Fontaine.
"Like my mother was," she said, nodding.
"So... I apologize in advance if this is rude to even ask, but... could we compare spellbooks?"
Yvette looked puzzled, but not angry. "Aren't you a bladecrafter?"
"Yes." Azrael hesitated, then said: "That's why I have a spellbook. You can't make magic items without knowing magic, and the more magic I know the better the items I can create."
"Truly?" Yvette was studying him now, head cocked to the side in curiosity. "So you can cast spells?"
"Some," Azrael admitted. "It's kind of an effort to shift my focus from building them into items to casting them in the..." He fluttered a hand in her direction. "...more traditional fashion. Mom says I'll be able to learn anything a wizard can, but I'll probably only be able to cast the simpler half of that directly."
"That's... still pretty impressive." Yvette paused, apparently thinking that through. "Well, I mean, we're allies, right? So anything we can do to strengthen each other is all to the good."
Azrael gestured uncertainly. "That's what I would think, but I was also taught that most wizards guard their spells jealously."
Yvette laughed, and Azrael stepped away and gave her a look.
"Most wizards," she told him, "produce scrolls for sale, which any other wizard -- or bladecrafter, I assume -- could add to their spellbook. Most wizards take apprentices, and the ones that are good masters teach their students as much as they can. As a general rule, most wizards only jealously guard spells that are dangerous for inexperienced practitioners to use, or that they've designed themselves and want to be able to surprise people with. Even then, they're likely to pass those on to friends or favored apprentices, as part of their magical legacy."
"Oh," said Azrael, then rallied. "So are you willing to agree with this? I can tell you what I have first, if that would help."
Yvette smiled at him. "Yes, absolutely. Even if it all comes down to me helping you out, I'm willing -- but I bet you've got something I'll want to add to my repertoire."
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