The cool dimness of the room made it hard to see just how big it was, but the small sounds of drinking and relaxing going on hinted at some size. Lilith was stretched back in a reclining position, taking a deep sigh of contentment as she relaxed and felt the calm ambience of the life threads. Too many times just walking outside was a trial as the furs haggled, fought, stole, bought, or even simply ran around on some private errand that meant the world to them. They had only sight and sound to worry about- they didn't have to see and feel every connection between them and the world they lived in. The few conversations in this room, though, were so quiet as to be nonexistent. In this company, a raised eyebrow or a slight kinking of the cords meant more than volumes spoken outside.

As she sipped at her drink, Lilith's gaze casually travelled over the room. She mentally tallied six other members of the guild within the room, confirming what she'd already sensed from the air. Niko, the large black master of the guild's local chapter here seemed to be hovering close to sleep but she didn't believe that for a second. The only one who looked to be truly asleep was Roka, a rather small gray-furred adept who had been one for only about three years. Lilith nearly tsk'ed to herself. Falling asleep in here, even as calm as it appeared to be, was foolishness in the extreme. "Normal" furs were scared silly sometimes at simply being in the presence of a guild member, and with reason. Having the gift yourself was no excuse for thinking yourself invulnerable to others, particularly other dark-siders. Deadly threats might not be too likely, but there were other tricks that could leave an unwary fur's psyche more shredded than death.

A brief sound of voices and water came into the room, along with a flash of yellow light and steam. Someone had come in from the steam room. Lilith personally considered the steam room to be medicine, not relaxation. It definitely relaxed muscles- there was no denying that, but no fur in his right mind (so far as she was concerned) would deliberately get themselves so wet for the fun of it.

The cords kinked and twisted and it took her only a split second to locate the source. A small weasel fur had come in. He looked like your typical teenage cub. He wasn't gifted, which was noteworthy in this room- true, ordinaries worked here but not many, and very few of those would disturb guild members in their lair. That didn't explain what she was sensing, though. A small bending of the ears, and she soon had it figured out. Her jaw nearly dropped open as she saw what the young weasel was up to- he was going to steal something. Steal something! In a roomful of the best magicians in town?? She saw right away that it was a some sort of youthful dare or prank, but even so she almost laughed out loud.

He looked around, trying to act casual, but he didn't realize that although no one was looking at him, probably about half of the furs in the room were watching his every move. This was almost too good to be true. With a glance which was meant to seem casual- and which only looked furtive to the perceptions of his watchers- he reached down and took Roka's purse. Ooohhh my, Lilith thought gleefully, Roka will never live this one down!

As the young thief was leaving, she looked at Niko with a slight question, and a lot of amusement. He returned a similar look, and his indulgent expression and slight wink gave her the answer she was looking for. You handle it, his expression said, I'll watch. With a small movement of her right hand, she caught the cords of the weasel and suddenly he found himself casually walking toward his would-be victim instead of away. The cords knotted in Lilith's paw as he suddenly realized the trap he was in and fought to leave, but it wasn't any use. He laid the purse back down in an almost exact parody of his earlier movement- the slight exaggerations causing amusement among the other magicians present. By now, this was the only thing going on in the room, and everyone watched openly as the would-be robber began bowing repeatedly and backing toward the door.

At the door, he bowed low and stayed in a bowed position while he did a half circle to face it. By now his eyes bulged with fear, and he would have been screaming if he could have, but Lilith had cut off that possibility as well. Next, a slight release of energy and... the door thumped open, and they could hear the screaming beyond along with the quick scurry of feet. Several appreciative snickers applauded what they had just seen. Lilith was definitely pleased with her ending. Drop-kicking him out the door with invisible feet put a period to the incident that no one involved- least of all the victim- would soon forget.

She decided this incident definitely fell under the category of recreation rather than relaxation, and was settling back again when Niko got up and came over. Taking another reclining chair next to where she was sitting, he chuckled openly as she grinned at him.

"Well, Miss Lilith, and what do you plan for your dessert after such an, ah..." he waved toward the door, "..appetizing main course?"

"Watching Roka's expression when he finds out he owes his purse to a vixen comes to mind, " she replied with mock primness.

Niko shook with silent laughter, "has anyone ever told you, my dear, that you have a refined streak of cruelty?"

"I believe it's mentioned second only to my slyness," she replied dryly.

Niko simply smiled at this, then with a wave of his right hand-- the ring and little fingers flashing dully metallic in the dim lighting- he cast a cord-damp field around them. Lilith looked at it in some surprise. No one could now tell what they were discussing or even feeling with any degree of accuracy now, and to do this in a crowded room- while understandable- seemed totally out of place. As she looked back at the narrow features of her guildmaster, the half flesh half metallic (on the right side) face no longer seemed quite as open as it had.

"All joking aside," he continued calmly, ignoring her trepidation, "I do have something serious and rather delicate to discuss with you. You've served the station well the past few years and it would be criminal of me to neglect using such demonstrated talent when the need is so great."

This didn't sound too good. Talk from a superior about how good you were usually meant they wanted something out of you that you wouldn't like. "I see," she said in a tone that she hoped sounded calm. "So exactly which talents have you noticed, besides the undoubted ability to act as bouncer?"

Her small attempt at humor was ignored as he replied, "actually, it is an ability that I believe you have yet to demonstrate. You have been an adept for eight years, and in that eight years have spent more time in the wilds than most adepts ever want to spend in their entire lives. That has not gone unappreciated."

This seemed to be going nowhere. Lilith shrugged. "I admit, I find the wilds a more pleasant place than some of the sewers they call cities, but I don't see what it means to anything I have or haven't done."

"The point is that you are out of contact with almost everyone for a lot of the time. It means that you are in a unique position to teach someone on a one to one basis."

This one earned a look of astonishment. "Teach?? Excuse me, but I'm an adept. Adepts don't take on apprentices."

"Yes, they do, as you well know. Even if they don't as a matter of course, it has been done in special situations. And this situation is special."

"But what am I supposed to teach? How to tell which cactus is edible? That's hardly a good education likely to be useful elsewhere."

"Lilith, " Niko said, and by now his voice was as serious as it could be. His eyes seemed to bore into her. "Do you remember when you first decided to become a dark side apprentice?"

Lilith winced. How could she forget? Having your whole world and all of the values you held be turned into childish fairy tales was not the sort of thing you casually tossed off. "You know I do, " she replied tightly. "Just how is this supposed to apply to teaching someone else? You don't teach that sort of thing, Niko, it's something you pay for in coin worth more than blood."

"You know that price was repaid in your current skills, Lilith, " was the gentle reply. "It tore you down, true, but it revealed the inner will to live and dominate that you've used ever since. But think, what would you have done if you had continued in that idealistic state of childhood for your whole life?" Before she could reply, he continued, "I don't think you ever would have had a chance to be anything more than an apprentice, albeit a nice one. You simply would not have had the ability to stand up for yourself when it was you against the world."

Lilith's head drooped. Her against the world. That was as accurate a description as you could get in describing how she'd felt back then. And she had to admit that at times things hadn't seemed to change much since then.

"My- our- current problem is that we have something of the same sort of thing happening again, " Niko continued. He suddenly had her full attention. "You see, there is a vixen who has found herself in a situation in which it is her against the world, but she has not been able to find that core of strength which you have so masterfully used. Right now, she's simply an apprentice who is struggling to find out what she wants, and who has very little support. It seems that her family has decided that magical abilities are something to be spurned rather than praised."

Lilith's breath hissed in pain. She had been abandoned by her mother at the age of three, and although she enjoyed and cherished the memory of her healing adept grandmother- from whom she had inherited many of her rings-- the pain of that first memory of abandonment still cut deep.

"It is my hope that in the wilderness, you and she would find very little distraction in the form of other people- other influences who might further confuse and frighten her at this very critical time in her life. She is fourteen, Lilith, and has only been an apprentice for a year, but in that time has known four different masters."

That was another surprise. Apprentices were rarely switched normally. It was regarded as detrimental to their education, and being switched four times in one year was almost unheard of. Lilith shivered as she mentally heard the handslaps and muttered statements of "sold". That was the way you bought merchandise in the market, but for someone who had a gift that was to be valued, such an attitude of indifference was worse than even hatred. She rallied enough to ask, "so what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Lilith, there is a merchant family caravan leaving two days from now. I have agreed to arrange for an Adept to guard them on their trip. It will take about two q's for them to complete their trip, and in that length of time I think you can not only give them the service they require, but also have a chance to dig into this little vixen's heart and show her how to stand up and pursue what she most needs- an identity and respect, respect for herself regardless of what others might think. I know you can teach her self-defense and sentinel skills like few others can do. So, what do you say?"

There wasn't much to say. Lilith's metallic left hand waved rather helplessly as she replied, "What else? Of course, I'll do what I can."

"Thank you, " Niko replied gently. "I know this isn't an easy thing to do. Her name is Xenith, by the way, and I'll have her here tomorrow for you to meet."

Taking Lilith's nod for an agreement to be there, he smiled softly and released the cord damper. As she watched him leave the room, Lilith sighed sadly to herself. The evening had begun so well, too. She was beginning to feel sympathy for that little weasel. After all, he had been ruthlessly manipulated too.