It's just a day like any other in the Bazaar. People are bustling around going about their business. Other people are trying to keep their business' going, such as the Kitsune Francisco (who would seem to have survived being blown up the other day) He's standing, as usual now, behind his 'Guy Fox Doll' stall, which is like most others in the marketplace, apart from this one has several of the dolls on display, plus the sign over the stall is a stylized rendition of a five-tailed fox, with a shirt that thankfully is not quite as loud as the real thing.

A little Khatta kitten bounds up to the booth, mewing, "You can't be REAL!" She's dressed in a patched-up dress, with faded ribbons tied in her head-hair, behind her ears, and clutches at a worn-out doll whose species is no longer identifiable.

Francisco looks over the front of the stall, down at the kitten. "And why can't I?" he asks, smiling a little.

"Because the REAL Guy Fox went BOOM! I saw!" the white kitten says, sticking her chin up defiantly.

"Oh?" the Kitsune asks, an ear perked. "How do you know he didn't survive?"

The kitten laughs. "Because he got blown to bits!"

Francisco leans over the counter and looks the kitten straight in the eye. "Bits? Did you see any bits of him? Or maybe the rather tasteful shirt he was wearing?"

The kitten hmms. "Nope!" she exclaims. "But that's because it all got blown up!"

The fox sighs… (Tough customer) he muses. "Ah, but how about this? Didn't he get blown up once before, but yet came back and got blown up again? Perhaps he has an uncanny ability to survive explosions?"

"Uhm … maybe. I guess you're right. But … why are you saying 'he'? If he's Guy Fox, then who are you?" the kitten says, giving Francisco a confused look.

Francisco says, "Er, it's a figure of speech. I do mean 'me'."

The kitsune looks around for the parent of the kitten, in the slim chance he'll get a sale out of all this.

There are a few Khattas here and there, but if the parent or parents are about, they must give this kitten a fairly loose leash. Either that, or she's snuck away without permission. "So … how do you do it?" the kitten inquires.

"Is it … " She looks both ways, then leans forward, whispering, "MAGIC?"

Looking around to see if anyone else is close, Francisco leans down to reply to the kitten; "Yes. But don't tell anyone, okay?"

The kitten mews, "Really? But you don't look old enough to be a real wizard!" She smiles, excitedly. "Do you think you could teach me? I want to go to the Collegia Esoterica, but … " She frowns. "They say I don't have any 'potential'."

Francisco blinks a little at the kitten. "Collegia Esoterica? What do they do there then?"

"They learn magic, silly!" the kitten giggles. "That's where you study to become a wizard! So you can make things go BOOM!"

"Ah, of course. It's in the city somewhere, I would imagine?" he asks. "If you tell me, I could show you a little bit of magic that might help you," Francisco adds with a wink.

The kitten bounces up and down. "REALLY? Ohyesohyesohyes! I can show you, yes I can!"

A foppish-looking Fox snores loudly, from where he has been dozing in the booth, next to Francisco. He hasn't sold any dolls for a while.

"Okay," the kitsune says, and nudges his 'assistant'. "Hey. Wake up."

The foppish Fox snorts, and groggily looks up. "Wah? Wha? OH! Yes! And if you buy TWO for the regular price, you can get a third for half off!"

Francisco narrows his eyes at the fox. "No… That was last week's offer." He nudges him again. "I need you to look after the stall for a bit. You think you can stay awake that long?"

The foppish Fox shakes his head. "Look after the stall? CERTAINLY! You can count on me!" He smiles winningly.

The kitsune hrms – unconvinced. But then, this talk of somewhere where you can learn magic does intrigue him. "Can you show me now then?" Francisco asks the kitten.

The kitten bounces again on her toes. "Certainly! Follow meeeeeeee!" And with that, she bounds off, weaving her way amidst the Bazaar-goers, prompting a few to cry out in alarm at the little white-furred streak zipping amidst their number.

The kitsune follows, flashing a look back to the fox he left tending the stall, at least making sure that he doesn't fall asleep again in the next few seconds.

At least for now, the foppish Fox seems to be quite awake. Time will tell…

The Kitsune's keen hearing comes in handy, as every once in a while, the kitten's distinctive voice can be heard, teasing Francisco and urging him to hurry up. Every once in a while, a flash of white fur of the little Khatta's tail can be seen.

Francisco keeps up best that he can, occasionally having to jog a little to keep up.

This goes on for a while, and eventually the crowds thin out, the Clock Tower becoming hidden amidst the forest of buildings. The residences and stores begin to look nicer. The kitten is leading Francisco out of the Bazaar, and is now much easier to keep up with. Her advantage in navigating in crowds due to her size is pretty much negated on open ground … but she evidently knows the way. Perhaps she has pestered the people at this "Collegia Esoterica" fairly often…

The kitsune continues to follow, at least managing to keep up fairly well now.

Eventually, the streets widen out a bit, and more greenery can be seen. At last, the kitten, panting audibly, pads up to the gates of what looks like a university campus sprawl with finely manicured lawns … and the most eclectic choices in architecture to be seen. The style varies from what hints at "classic Greek" to medieval to Gothic to something vaguely Middle-Eastern to Oriental to some buildings (or perhaps gigantic pieces of modern art) that just look downright alien. Robed persons of various species mill about, the smaller and presumably younger ones carrying far heavier loads of books than their elders.

Francisco catches up with the kitten at the gate, and catches his breath a little. "This is it, then?" he asks.

The kitten pauses to catch her breath, but nods her head up and down. She then breaks into a big grin.

"Uh, is it okay to just walk in there?" Francisco asks, thinking that it probably is since this kitten seems to know the place quite well.

The kitten, still not having recovered her breath, nods the affirmative … but doesn't volunteer to go in on her own.

Francisco says, "Well, perhaps you could show me where, I dunno, the reception is? Or tell me how I get there."

The kitten at last catches her breath, and mews, "Well … uh … I guess ask someone where the Dean is! … *pant* … There are twelve, you know … one for each Sphere of magic… " She pauses a bit, then looks up at the sky, and recites in a sing-song, "Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light, Shadow, Chaos, Mind, Dream, Life, Spirit and Illusion!" She smiles happily, as if she's just accomplished something worthwhile.

Francisco crouches down to look the kitten in the eye again. "Tell me, which one are you interested in?"

The kitten giggles, bouncing. "ALL of them!" She pauses thoughtfully, then adds, "But any of them would do. I think Dream sounds especially fun."

"Why so?" the Kitsune asks.

The kitten smiles. "Because I want all my dreams to come true! The nice ones, anyway. Or, at least, I want really fun dreams. And when my big brother treats me really badly … " She grins mischievously. "I could give him nightmares!"

Francisco chuckles. "I know what you mean about older brothers – and sisters. Had a share of them myself."

"I think that I would probably look to speak to someone to do with the Illusion side, myself," the Kitsune notes.

"Really? Sisters?" the white kitten looks interested. "What are their names? Do they live here, too?"

The kitten ponders. "Illusion would be fun." She breaks into another mischievous smile.

One of the many figures passing along the paths of the Collegia stops suddenly, and stares at the Kitsune. An expression of relief is barely hinted at, before her face become a scowl of rage. "You!" The Jupani-esque poodle says vehemently, stabbing with her finger and marching towards Francisco, "You… FOX!" She can't think of a worse insult.

"Oh, no – they don't live here. They live far far away now," says Francisco, and pricks up his ears at a voice he recalls. He turns his head and smiles at the approaching Kelsey. "I've been accused of it several times before, and guilty as charged," he quips back.

"Don't look so Dagh smug! Do you know how much trouble you caused me? I thought you were dead, I thought you were blown into tiny fox pieces. Do you know how embarrassed I was, thinking I messed up a spell?" Kelsey demands, as she glares at the kitsune. "I'm not even going to go into what happened after."

Francisco tries to refrain from smiling. "I imagine it looked pretty convincing then, especially for the crowd. After all, they did see you 'blow me up'. Who are they do know that I was meant to re-appear. I would think they would be impressed at what you did."

The kitten shrinks down at the sight of the furious fire mage, making a quiet and scared "mew."

Kelsey is less impressive dress than she was on that fateful day, but her fiery temper shines through her normal clothes. "I'm not going to talk about that, I don't even want to think about that. Why are you here? Haven't you messed up my life enough?"

"Well… ," Francisco says, looking down at his hands and idly playing with his claws, "I'm kinda interested in this 'school of magic' here, and whether I may be able to 'get back into the business', so to speak."

The little white kitten looks meekly up at the fire mage, and then weakly suggests, "Uhm … sorryIgottagonowBYE!" And then, in a snowy-white flash, she darts off, down the street, away from the campus, as fast as her little paws will take her.

The kitsune blinks, and turns his head to see the departing Khatta.

Kelsey's expression goes cold as quickly as a coals do when doused with water. She blinks, coughs, then laughs. "You?" A grin spreads across her muzzle, "You want to learn magic? You can't even follow a direction arrow, and you're going to learn magic! Oh that's good."

Francisco hmphs, and counters, "I'll have you know that I was doing magical stuff long before you were even born."

"Magical stuff! Well, I'm impressed! I suppose you just snap your fingers? Wiggle your nose? Oh… oh… wait. I know! Its something you just will and it happens right? Poof! There it is, right?" The poodle can hardly contain her giggles.

"Well, as a matter of fact, that's pretty close to how I used to be able to do stuff," the fox replies. "Although, since coming here, it doesn't quite seem to work that way anymore."

Kelsey laughter is so strong she has to lean against a nearby pedestal, "… and… and you could do anything? Right? Just like that! Why, I bet you did thousands of magical things. Hundreds of thousands."

Francisco leaves out the background as to why it doesn't work for him anymore.

"In over three hundred years, it's likely, yes," Francisco says with a deadpan expression.

"Okay, okay okay… this is too much." All trace of the poodle's anger is gone, though her expression, combined with her hair, makes her look like one hungry wolf. "Okay, tell me one. What did you do? Details."

Francisco says, "Oh, there's too many to really remember details. Most of them, I would guess, you would classify as illusions though."

"Oh, I don't want many… just… one. Tell me the details of just one. Your best illusion." Kelsey's eyes glow in anticipation.

"Surely in three hundred years you did something worth remembering?" She asks with a wide grin.

The kitsune grins, almost evilly. "Well- there was one thing that now, come to think of it, was rather amusing."

Kelsey smiles, "Do tell, I'm so very interested."

Nodding, Francisco says, "Okay… well, back where I come from, we have creatures similar to many of the races I've seen here, such as poodles for example. Of course, they're not intelligent or anything like that, and they walk on all four legs."

The kitsune pauses for a moment, stifling a smile as he thinks, (Come to think of it, the poodles here aren't very intelligent either.)

"I won't go into very much detail," the fox continues, "but I do remember one time, I was minding my business and walking down a street, when one seemingly mistook me for a fire hydrant."

"I don't think I like where this is going." Kelsey says, "I know your attraction to sewers, and I don't appreciate that sort of humour. I also don't want to hear about you abusing an animal for fun."

Francisco chuckles, but finishes. "Boy, was he sorry afterwards. Especially when I made him appear like a very attractive fire hydrant to the local mutt population."

The Fire Mage remains silent after this, the frown fixed on her face. With her arms folded she maintains her gaze at the Kitsune.

"It wasn't really abusing him. Just giving him a taste of his own medicine. Nothing that wouldn't wash off," the Kitsune counters.

"It just happened to be some sort animal that bears a striking resemblance to Poodles. A dumb one too. Really, are you trying to be insulting on purpose, or are you just being a fox?" Kelsey finally says, after a long bout of silence.

Shrugging, Francisco replies. "Well, you did ask for something memorable."

The Jupani-esque poodle sighs heavily, her hands moving to her hips and putting her in an aggressive stance. Her words lack her earlier anger, and later mirth. In all seriousness the Fire Mage says, "Francisco, if you somehow had access to magic where you could do anything you wanted in the blink of an eye, with three hundred years to use it, and that's the best you managed… What do you think you're going to accomplish with Sinai Magic, where it takes effort, skill and time?"

Francisco says, "Ah, but you didn't say 'best'. You asked for memorable, and also just one. As for what I could accomplish, well, several hundred years of experience I would think count for something. I'm not beyond applying it to more serious stuff, you know. Plus I would rather do something a little bit more useful than I am at the moment."

"I mean, confusing an animal… really. All that power, and that's what you do with it?" The poodle rolls her eyes, shaking her head at the sheer waste. "If your years of experience are all of that quality, I'll tell you what they count for: Absolutely nothing."

"As I said before, that was one little example. And they are not 'all of that quality'," replies Francisco, standing with his hands on his hips, looking the mage in the eye.

"Its work Francisco, it's hard. It's not something you sit around and wish happens." Kelsey breathes another sigh, looking around at the campus as if she expects to see some students laughing at her for taking the Kitsune seriously. "Tell me a better one then, show me something that says you've got what it takes."

"Ah well. That's the whole point for me being here, isn't it? It would appear that magic here doesn't seem to work quite the same way as where I come from," Francisco says. "It would be hard to show you something when I don't know how magic works here, wouldn't it?"

"You could tell me what you did when you had powers, Dagh!" The poodle snaps, her eyes boring into the Kitsune. "If I could do anything I wanted, I'd… I'd make a mansion, of flame. I'd have it float 1 meter off the ground, just to show I could make it float. Inside the walls, doors, everything, would be cascading columns of lava that were as cool to the touch as a mountain stream. My castle would burn, but never be consumed, and I'd have little firebirds erupting out of the walls and being re-absorbed. That's what I see, that's what I want!"

Kelsey's eyes gleam with the vision in her mind, a dreamy smile across on her muzzle. It all vanishes into flat, blank stare of contempt… or pity, for Francisco. "You, you only want animals relieving themselves on each other."

"Oh? Mansions out of flame?" the Kitsune says. "Well, I guess that's okay for some. I never went that grand. Probably the thing I could most compare that with would have been making a derelict and condemned building with rising damp appear to anyone who visited appear positively palatial."

"Well, that's a little better. A mage of the Illusion or Mind spheres could accomplish that. My point is, that you have to be creative. Really creative, and you have to want the magic. Because you can waste your time doing rituals to duplicate something that could be done easier with mundane methods." The poodle waves her hand around, palm facing upwards.

Francisco grins to himself, an idea coming to him. "Besides, perhaps someone who was good with illusions could be perhaps useful to you in the future?"

"I could use a good spirit mage, but that's another story," the poodle grumbles.

The kitsune perks an ear. "Mmmm?"

"I do not want to talk about that either." Some of Kelsey's anger returns, along with a blush of pink in her ears. "Back to the point. I used real explosives to blow you up, because that was easier. The magic I used to set them off, and control the blast. Something that couldn't be done with mundane means. That is the best way to use magic here."

"Kind of like a catalyst?" Francisco asks.

"A little, it's more simply to save effort. Spells take a long time, you don't want to use them for something you could do another way. This is why Mind mages learn psychology, and why Air mages learn meteorology, and why Life Mages learn medicine, because they need to know what those sciences can't do. If you're going to be a mage of the Illusion sphere, you're going to have to come up with some tricks." Kelsey says, tapping a fist against her palm.

The fox nods, and rummages around in his pocket for a shekel. Finding one, he pulls it out and shows it to the mage. "I think I have one to show you now," he says. "I was going to show this to the kitten who brought me here, but she appears to have got scared off by something."

The Jupani-esque poodle nods, "Okay. I'm watching."

Francisco nods, and holds out the shekel with his thumb and forefinger of his left hand. With his right hand, he makes a grabbing motion at his left hand, and pulls it away, clenching both fists as he does so.

"Now, which one is the coin in?" he asks.

"Mmmm… " Kelsey considers the two fists, while biting her upper lip. She points at the left, "That one."

Francisco opens up his left hand – no coin.

"Aww, I'm sorry. It's not that one," he says with mock disappointment for the mage.

"Okay, well the other one then." Kelsey says with a sigh.

"The other one? Well, let's see… " Francisco opens up his other paw, and shows it to Kelsey. "Oops. It's not there either."

The poodle blinks. It's not so much that hasn't seen this sort of thing before, more that she never considered a fox capable of anything requiring competence. Her ears perk up, "Okay… where is it?"

Francisco grins and says something to the mage, just low enough so that she can't quite hear it.

Kelsey leans closer, "what?"

"Problems hearing?" the kitsune asks, and looks just past the mage, holds up his left hand in view, and with his right hand, makes a swift plucking motion by her ear. "I think I see the problem. Ah! So that's where the coin went," he says, and holds it up for her to see.

"Don't touch me!" The poodle jolts backward. Her ears flick, and despite her best efforts, her tail wags a little. "Okay, that wasn't bad. At least you're getting the idea."

The fox smiles. "Well, that's something that most of my kind earn before they even think about getting a second tail. Sounds like pretty basic stuff, if that's all it is."

Francisco adds, "Though, somehow I would suspect it's not?"

"Well, it's something you can do without magic, hmm… " She thinks, her tail slowly wagging while she chews on a nail. "If you were going to add to the illusion… you'd… oh, put my face on the shekel after you took it out of my ear. That would be a simple cantrip, but it would be a waste of time to make the coin an illusion from the start."

The kitsune nods in acknowledgment. "Well, yeah. I can see that."

Kelsey nods, "Exactly. Hmm… I guess you're here to try and get an interview or test, right?"

Francisco shifts from foot to foot. "You can get them just by walking up? Hmm. All I was just doing at the moment was looking around, but I could certainly be around for an interview if needed since I have my stall covered for the afternoon."

The fox is then reminded of his 'assistant' back there, and hopes that everything there is covered.

"The test costs money. The tuition costs even more, it'll make your exile debt look small. That's why you don't see many poor people on Campus." The poodle waves around, "It probably won't be today. It's not like there's a line, but the professors are busy. You have to schedule it."

"Perhaps I will later then," Francisco says. He turns around to go, but after a pause, turns back to look at the mage. "Oh. One more thing."

"Yes?" Kelsey asks.

"I don't suppose there's any kind of a work-study program, that helps pay for tuition? I know that back home, most civilized colleges there have something like that," asks Francisco.

"Well, not exactly." Kelsey adjusts her shirt, "Your present skills wouldn't make any money for the college. If you show some magical potential, they're willing to train you, and then you work for them as an indentured journeyman Mage till you've paid back the tuition."

The poodle adds, "and there's still going to be the testing and registration fee, up front."

The kitsune nods. "Not quite how they did it back home, but close. And how much are we talking, anyway?"

Francisco says, "Up front, that is."

"It's one copper for the test, and another four to register." Kelsey says, then adds, "that's 100 and 400 shekels, if you haven't learned the exchange yet."

"Ah, right. Five hundred. That's just over Eight exploding dolls," says Francisco. "Hmm. I'm getting used to that exchange rate."

The poodle starts walking in the same direction as the kitsune, "Well, they don't accept exploding dolls, or cookies. You'd be surprised what some exiles have tried to pay with. I might as well follow you, I have to check the jobs at Aaron's."

"No exploding dolls? Oh, well. It's no use having what you use as money going up in smoke," the Kitsune chuckles, walking back the way he came towards the Bazaar. (And talking of money going up in smoke, I really should check to see that the stall is still okay) he thinks to himself on the way.