Syle of Kell(concept)

Ch3 Time to Steal Everything

      It was early morning at Syle's cottage. The lamps had been snuffed out in the coming sunrise, and smoke was still rising from them as Kimcha arrived. He landed a ways away, avoiding the dirt path for a softer landing in thick billows of grass. He made his way up the little slope, passing two small, charming dragonette statues half buried by the path. With his tail he brushed the statues foreheads for luck. He lifted a claw and politely knocked on Syle's cottage door. Immediately it swung open and creaked on its hinges.
    
    There Syle was, looking quite disheveled and short on sleep. However, beyond the crooked robe hanging off his neck and the shadows under his eyes, Syle was brimming with energy.
   
   "I've got it..." Syle leaned forward, and held out a piece of toast " There's plenty of reasons for staffs to speak: Loyalty, passion, regret, love-"

   "Mischief." Kimcha teased. Syle made a quick chopping motion with the toast.
    " No! As far as I know, mischief hasn't made a staff speak. But..." Syle pointed his toast at Kimcha's snout and bopped it.
  
" That's only as far as I know." Syle stepped out of the cottage and hastily shut the door behind him. It creaked  open, but Syle had already turned back to Kimcha.

   "So...what?" Kimcha said this with a judgemental glance at Syle's mess of hair.

    "SO," Syle continued, " I don't believe for a second that for centuries staffs have all been awakened by love or passion, or etcetera etcetera." Syle tapped the side of his temple with his toast.
    "The archmage reserves those lessons for wizards who awaken their staffs, BUT," Syle pressed his free hand to his chest confidently,
     "I know where he keeps all of his books. If I read up on that I can put together a convincing story and, hopefully, save both my staff and my future in magic." Syle's chest was puffed triumphantly and his hands were on his hips, but Kimcha wasn't impressed in the slightest.

   "So, let me get this straight," Kimcha sat down and brought his tail around to rest in front of his claws.
   "You want to learn about staffs, in a curriculum you aren't qualified for, so that you can lie about them better?"

   "...I mean, that's the long and short of it..."
Syle rubbed the back if his neck, embarrassed. He began to regret staying awake through the night, unsure of how well his plan sounded to anyone well rested .

   Kimcha scrunched his eyes and pinched the bridge of his snout. He thought, sighed, and then smoothed back his crest.
   " You want to do this tonight?" Kimcha asked with an eyebrow ridge raised. Was his best friend really going to double down on the deceit?

   "It's now or never. It'll be like it never happened." Syle's voice had lost the eagerness in it.
It seems he was doubling down.
Deep down, Syle knew that he'd have to at least try. There was nothing Syle was more passionate about than magic, and he excelled at it most of the time. Even if that passion put him in trouble, living without the pursuit of magic would crush him, and Kimcha could see this better than anyone.

    Kimcha sighed and scratched the back of his head, his scales clinking against his claws.
"Well, then let's go get those books." At this Syle grinned and punched the air.
"Kimcha and Syle, partners in-"
"Don't finish that sentence."
Kimcha stood up and pushed Syle towards the cottage with his head.
"I'll meet you back here tonight. Get ready properly, and make sure your parents aren't going to be here." Syle nudged the door open and looked back at Kimcha.
 
  "They won't be back for a few days, as usual. Oh, and here," Syle leaned behind the door, reaching for something. He pulled out a massive slab of meat and tossed it in the air. Kimcha's teeth slashed into it twice like a beartrap before he gulped it down.
    "You'd better not be bribing me." Kimcha licked his lips, clearly happy about the free meal. Syle chuckled and shook his head.
 
  " No, I do that for fun. Remember, meet me here at sundown, and bring a couple of loose scales!"
  Kimcha's ears flicked and he raised an eyebrow ridge. What could Syle possibly want with loose dragonscale?
    "What dragonscale?" Kimcha asked, but Syle had already retreated back into his cottage.