“Look, I’m not here for a date,” the charcoal skinned woman assured him. “You’re a great Magi? Is that correct?”

Proud that his reputation had proceeded him Cornelius chuckled, “ha! My dear! I am the most skilled wielder of magic in all of Althanas! Snappy, demonstration time!” The imp ran directly in front of his master, the small gnome’s head level with the masked magician’s waist. Snappy grabbed something out of his pocket and flung it down with great force. It caused a flash of cloud, dash of smoke, and a cracking sound. Now the gnome was waving his hands back and forth and creating a drum roll effect by rolling his tongue and forming his mouth into an “O” shape.

“I am Cornelius the Magi Magnifique! I am the bane of evil. The nightmare of misdoers and ne’er-do-wells! This city sleeps in peace because I destroy the rooster of crime before it crows,” by this point Cornelius was staring directly up into the sky with hands balled into fists along his hips. Snappy was starting to run low on oxygen from his drum roll.

As his introduction was concluded the masked hero looked back at his dark elf admirer, “what do you seek from a sorcerer of my talents?”

Lilly wasn’t sure where to start. There was her new friend Yvonne and her hypothesis of how her magic may work. The magics surrounding the meteorite they had just returned from. She also had a theory relating to whether calming spells were psychological or physiological. Possibly both? Finally there was that... dark gem and her brush with death. She probably would not discuss that with anyone for a very long time.

Lilly decided to start with the halfling, “well I have a friend who is beginning to ‘unlock’ latent magical abilities. It appears to mostly come around when they interact with a magical focus and the nature of her magic tends to match the same um... ‘style’ of magic of the focus. Have you ever encountered something like this? Is there a way to ease her into these talents more... consistently?” The round faced elf noticed the crusader had begun to nod off.

Once she was finished speaking the Magi snickered, “aha, you sure do speak a lot and deeply for a lass!” Lilly’s annoyance was laid bare across her face. Ignorant of his sexism the hero pressed on, “I took to magic as a duck to water, a swan to beauty, or an ostrich to flight,”

Snappy raised a slim finger and added, “um boss, uh, ostriches can’t,” but he was cut off as Cornelius continued, “so no my lovely, I do not know that I can help you on this inquiry!” Twirling a finger on his mustache and sliding his mask up slightly to adjust the sweat forming on his face he offered, “but I cannot send such a huge admirer of my work home empty handed. You are clearly keenly interested in magic. How about a demonstration of my talents at the Magnifique Dojo? It’s a state of the art facility where Althanas’ foremost crime fighting duo train. Isn’t that right Snappy?”

The gnome nodded his head while his shoulders shrugged. The mixed message was lost on the naive Lilly.

Maybe this magician was the real deal. She should probably go back and grab Yvonne very quickly, she didn’t want to make her worry. Lilly requested of the pair, “do you mind if I go tell my friend? I don’t want to keep her waiti-“

Before she could finish Cornelius interrupted, “truth waits for no one m’dear. We must leave now.”

Defeated the dark elf shrugged and accompanied the crime fighters. Hopefully this would not take very long. She was already trying to figure out how to explain her disappearance to Yvonne. Poor Yvonne will be so worried. Or more likely so very pissed off...