Outside the Mirage

#4: Saul's Shop

"This is great," Vanessa said, looking at her office. She had managed to get a few decorations for it, including her newly scarred desk, a very cheap and uncomfortable office chair from Goodwill, and a framed world map that she found at Meijer in the clearance section.

Merlyn stood in the room with her, looking over her few items and smiled. "I love it."

Vanessa could not help but to smile too. "Thanks, Sheffield. So, what's on the schedule for today?"

"Well, we're going to take a field trip," Merlyn said. "As my apprentice, it's important that you're given the proper tools to help me in my duties. Originally, it struck me that you'd need things like a phone and a computer, to take care of the secretarying aspect of the job."

"So that is a word?" Vanessa asked. "I've been trying to find out, I feel like it's not a word."

"But," Merlyn continued, ignoring her, "I had not exactly considered how dangerous being in the field would be for you. It's unusual for a non-mage to be the apprentice of a mage, after all, so the procedure for this is more or less unwritten."

"So what does that mean?" Vanessa asked.

"It means we're going to get you geared up," Merlyn promised. He walked to her office door, placed his palm on the door and cast his spell. Opening the door for her, he greeted, "After you, Ms. Moreland."

She walked through the door and found herself in a small workshop. There were several workbenches, lots of mannequins and even a giant anvil in the center of the room. Vanessa looked around, attempting to figure out why they were there.

"Jane!" Merlyn shouted as he walked through the door.

A head peaked from around a pile of leather. "Merlyn?"

"Yes," he replied. "I emailed you last night about getting some stuff ready for my apprentice."

With a sudden woosh, the girl Jane was standing in front of Merlyn and Vanessa, biting her lip. Vanessa looked the girl over; she was incredibly skinny and tall, with short maple-colored hair and longer incisors than most. Jane wore a loose-fitting t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, while her bare feet sat atop the cement unflinchingly.

"Jane, this is my new apprentice, Agent Trainee Vanessa Moreland," Merlyn introduced. "Vanessa, this is one of the best agents from the Department of Magical Artifacts, Jane Przybylski."

Jane held out a bony hand. Vanessa shook it awkwardly.

"So, what's the deal?" Jane asked. "What do you need me to make, Merlyn?"

"Well, Vanessa here is a non-mage," Merlyn explained. "And as my apprentice--"

"Field work, protection, got it," Jane finished. She looked Vanessa up and down before grabbing her left hand and looking it over. "Get shocked recently?" she asked, tracing over the lightning scar.

"Which is precisely why she needs some gear," Merlyn continued. "Do you have any of the Persian silk?"

"Silk?" Vanessa asked. "What's silk going to do?"

"Persian silk?" Jane asked out loud, ignoring Vanessa. She began to tap one of her spidery fingers to her chin, walking around the shop. She would look at a pile of stuff, move some things around before shaking her head and moving onto the next pile.

After about five minutes, Vanessa looked at Merlyn. "This is the girl in charge of giving me protection?"

"She might be a bit absent-minded," Merlyn confessed. "But she's got the best mechanical skills I've ever seen. She's put together shields and swords that could kill gods and she's made armor that can protect against nuclear bombs. There hasn't been a magical blacksmith at her level in centuries."