A Smidge of Magic

Chapter 18

This office is surprisingly Earth-like. If you don't count the guy floating around on the stone disc over there like it's a motorized wheelchair. Ian thought as examined the lobby.

The short, wizened old man, who may or may not have been a gnome in oversized robes, hovered slowly across the reception area and through the interior glass doors. They had no handles but they slid open at the floating man's approach. Lawyours & Clients Only written in a bold, azure-hued spellskrit occupied the upper third of the door.

A human receptionist sat behind a sprawling Oakalla desk. She answered a pscry that would not stop lighting up. Her ebony hair was tightly bound into a bun that wiggled ever so slightly every time picked up the pscry. A well-tailored outfit complimented her pale skin. And a perfect smattering of makeup unnecessarily covered her young face. A plaque on the desk identified her as Sharlot Evergreen, Senior Hailer. Vale went to the Hailer's desk.

Ian went to a sofa in the waiting area. Still observing the lobby for anything strange as Vale had requested. He inspected the Justiciar Law logo displayed behind the hailer's back. A round shield emblazoned with shackles being shattered by a morning star. Ian was familiar with power displays like this, after all, D.C. was a city full of the rich and powerful. What he found unnerving were the similarities in those displays.

Vale sank into the couch beside him and slapped some paperwork on his thigh. "Let's get these filled out quickly, okay Gent Targel?"

Ian didn't respond at first and Vale knocked her knee against his, hard.

"Wha- Oh right yes." Ian stammered, turning his attention to the papers.

They had an unobstructed view of the comings and goings into the office space from their new vantage point. Through the glass doors, Ian watched as men and women dressed in an assortment of armor paraded through the corridors. Some carried scrolls and files, others had thick books that must have weighed more than Vale, and some had only an armful of weapons.

"Those are lawyours then?" Ian asked.

Vale's gaze shifted from the parchment that she was filling out to the employees beyond the glass door. "Yes, some of them are. The ones without all the armor are most likely their apprentices." When the pair finished filling out the forms Vale got up and handed the documents back to Sharlot.

The hailer verified a few spots before unceremoniously chucking them into a drawer. The parchment burst into orange flames and vanished without a trace. Vale jerked Ian away before he had a chance to ask about the fire. They were halfway across the lobby when Sharlot received a call on her pscry.

"Lady Eveningfall," Sharlot called, "Someone will see you now."

Vale gracefully turned on her feet and headed back to the desk and Ian followed suit, far less gracefully.

Sharlot gave them directions to take the floortal and to the conference room where they were to meet their lawyour. As they walked through the double doors Ian caught sight of a library to the left. He inconspicuously pointed it out to Vale as they stepped into the floortal. She didn't look directly only nodding to let him know she'd seen it.

The floortal rose and soon the doors opened into a hallway with several office doors lining both sides. At the head of the hallway lay an open space with several desks, lawyours seated at each desk. Some spoke on pscrys, while others leafed through parchments in deep thought. The rooms on either side were labeled conference rooms 1, 2, 3, and so on. They were heading to the far wall, conference room 6.

Instead of the usual diplomas and awards decorating the walls, Ian saw that they had all manner of weapons hanging from mounted racks. Polished swords and shields gleamed with a mirror-like finish. The handholds of staves were lovingly wrapped in the finest leathers and decorated with precise carvings. And in place of computers, there were helmets and gauntlets set aside while quills scratched on parchment. If it hadn't been for the arms and armor, this easily could have been mistaken for a police bullpen. Right down to the inescapable Municipal White paint on the walls. Clearly marking this as a functional space unlike the lobby below.