Accepting the teacup from Miriam, I leaned back into the chair and looked out over the bustling square as I listened to my old friend, her information networks never ceasing to amaze me as I was bombarded by the names and specialties of some of the intriguing apprentices this year.
"The star of the show today is one Tessevani Yor, of the Yor Family. Perfect marks at the Academy, adept with all sorts of Natural Magics, a good head on her shoulders for problem solving and speaking to people as well as being an absolutely gorgeous girl; you'll know her when you see her thanks to her extremely long green hair and sharp orange eyes.
Then there's the scions of the Ungan, Kilaat, and Renavei Families, who are excellent Light, Body and Earth Magicians as well as skilled in both alchemy and enchanting. Less of a perfected mindset and more raw, each of them are just as you remember their parents being, honestly. Strict, serious, pious... Some find that to be a flaw, others quite love it. They have shown the ability to bend though in terms of their thoughts, so..."
Four rapid fire apprentices were listed for me, and I nodded as I mulled each of them over, though Miriam didn't even need to hear me say anything as she said "And I know those aren't entirely your favorite options for apprentices since you prefer someone more your speed and who can be open to all sorts of teaching strategies.
There's a Polymorpher who struggled a little in the written parts of the Academy but excelled in practical applications. Annabella Morivich is a pink haired, cat eared girl who is playful and unserious most of the time but her combat and exploration scores were excellent. Would need a finer touch to teach, but that shouldn't be an issue.
Then there's a more fascinating girl who loves studying the wonders of the world but struggled a bit in applications; she has a sharp mind and can speak to people, and she can brew a mean potion sometimes, but ask her to put together a spell consistently and she struggles. Word is it's only because of her mind being hyper active, so there's definitely ways around it. You'll know her because of her multicolored blue, green and white hair."
I nodded again and asked "Both of them did well in the Academy overall though? Neither was a troublemaker or have some odd feud with someone else?", to which Miriam chuckled and said "No, not at all. I have one more I think would fit you perfectly and another that is a bit of a... cop out pick, I guess. Someone who isn't going to cause troubles and someone who could serve a quiet apprenticeship."
That made me raise my brow as I glanced back at Miriam, and my old friend just shrugged as she added "I thought you might want someone who wasn't that going to take up all of your time, someone who isn't considered by everyone else as a worthwhile apprentice. Still has some talent though, and her time in the Academy wasn't terrible. Decent scores and such.
Anyways, that other perfect fit is a quiet girl who took all the optional classes in archaeology and ruin exploration, and she has some rather good application scores for her Earth Magic. Scholarly looking mouse of a girl, but her ability with her magic is incredible despite her stature. Loves learning and listens well.
That last girl though... She's a bit ditzy. Eccentric barely begins to describe her, and most of her peers stay away from her because she's 'weird'. Talks in odd ways, says things that don't make sense, has tried to get close to certain people in certain ways that seem almost stalker-ish sometimes...
One minute she's incredible with her high level magic and then the next she can't even cast the most basic spell. Can't explain things that everyone knows but ask her about the potential loot locations in a dungeon, ask about a ruins specialties or where certain monsters live and suddenly she can write you an entire thesis on them. It's just... odd. She's also..."
Miriam pursed her lips and drummed her fingers along the edge of the table again as she thought it over, eventually saying "She's a member of the fallen Benoix Family, so people are already treating her with general disdain. But, looking past that, she is a talented girl and with the right mentoring she shouldn't be too bad of a Witch. Blue hair, green eyes, rather short too."
"Alright... but what about their personalities, their records in school? I don't care about family background, about their magic types. Just let me know if they have a good grasp on the basics, can withstand being taught, isn't a prick..."
"All of them are the people you would want to teach, Corvina. I've known you for a long time and I wouldn't recommend apprentices that weren't a fit for you. Some are more playful and boisterous, others more reserved and quiet, all willing to learn and willing to do anything to get to the next step in their journey."
"Good... good. When they come out to be examined again and announced go ahead and point them out to me, alright? It should be any minute now too, right?"
Miriam gave me a nod and refilled my teacup, the two of us falling into a comfortable silence as we overlooked the square; the heads of the Coven were still glancing my way, and some of the others were too as they wondered what I was doing, but just being able to relax was rather nice, even if I was about to take someone under my wing in a few minutes time.
It was a big commitment, and it was one that I didn't necessarily want to do right now but one that I was willing to do to the best of my abilities now that it had come down to it, so as the minutes ticked away I enjoyed this moment of peace since after this, life would be a bit hectic again.