The Golden Egg (closed)

[Hyenadog]

Minding the massive collection in the old library was a never-ending task for Tobias. He was always kept busy doing something, which he never seemed to mind. Not when he had access to such a broad range of books to read. Though, he was forbidden from reading while he worked.

Tobias was never hard to miss, his tall slim form moving between the shelves as he pushed his cart around. He kept his coal-black hair long, so he tied it back while he worked, giving a good view of his angular features and sharp ice-blue eyes. And even with sharp features and even sharper eyes, Tobias had a gentle and friendly personality, someone people easily got along with.

While he was told never to read while he worked, he had stumbled across a strange book. It wasn't documented, and he quickly learned why. It seemed someone had left it behind, but it lacked any identification to return it to its owner, so Tobias decided to flip through it for a moment.

He was met with a book of archaic spells and magic, written by hand but easily read by his experienced eyes. Full of notes from its previous owner. He wouldn't leave this book here. he slipped it into his bag, and once he was done, he took it to the home he shared with a long-time friend.

[BlameItOnTheBump]

Calder sat on a stool, book in one hand, wand in the other, chanting words he didn't know the meanings to and trying to turn an egg into a chick. Why did magic have to be so hard? He understood that, in the words of the mage he worked for, 'magic force does not flow so viscous through all veins,' but couldn't the spirits just let up on him for once?
He concentrated really hard on the words and pointed his wooden stick straight at the egg. He did a double-take when he saw it wobble, though it soon steadied into its usual inert position.
Calder sighed. A wobble would have to do for today.
He ran his hands through his dirty blond hair and looked around the small cottage. His books and magical items were stashed everywhere. His employer had given him books on everything from lycanthropy to food creation. Calder began to pick up the books in a rather quick fashion, not really caring if the pages got out of order. In truth, Calder didn't see the point in working so hard when a quick fix could always be around the corner. Calder wasn't so lazy when it came to interesting things, like magic, but housekeeping is something that he wished he knew the spell for.
He heard his friend Tobias enter into their small shack.
"There you are!" Calder jokingly exclaimed.

[Hyenadog]

Tobias had once tried his hand at learning magic, but after a few pathetic attempts and one rather explosive failure, he decided magic just wasn't for him. He could do some very simple things, like lighting candles and blowing them out. But anything more complex seemed to be impossible for him.

Which is exactly why he was bringing his new book home. He knew Calder could make sense of it. And from what he caught from his quick skimming of the pages, many of the spells were just the kind of thing he wished for. Quick fixes for every day things.

He could hear Calder moving about even before he opened the old creaking door to their small home, a smile quickly crossing his face when he saw the other attempting to clean up....again.
"Yes, here I am. Same time as every day." He chuckled, slipping his shoes off at the door and taking his bag off his shoulder. "I've found something interesting. A book." He said, knowing Calder would just roll his eyes at him bringing home another book. "Its about magic. Someone must've left it. And I think you'll like some of the spells." He continued, a smirk on his lips as he handed the book over to Calder.

[BlameItOnTheBump]

Calder flipped open the book. The pages were slightly brittle, crinkling as he flipped through them. This book was ancient. A lot of the diagrams looked very medieval. Tobias was right; he did recognize bits and pieces of the ancient language scrawled in the book, and Calder could probably decipher it if he tried, but something seemed a bit odd about it. It was probably nothing, he decided while still turning through the spells.

"This is interesting," Calder said, "Where did you find it?"

[Hyenadog]

Tobias went about putting his own things away while Calder flipped through the book. He could just hear the age from the sound the old pages made. The book also had a distinctly old smell to it. But it was very well made, holding up despite its age.

When he finished, he walked over to peek over Calder's shoulder. "At the library, of course. Someone must've left it behind, but there's no way of identifying the owner..." He said, shrugging. "And I found it far too interesting to just stick it in the lost and found." He added.

He reached over and flipped a few pages. "I know I'm not very good at disciphering this, but I know this section is about magic involving gold." He said, motioning to the pages. It seemed pretty obvious that it was ways to make gold. Tobias hadn't noticed it, but there were some notes added by the owner, something about making a bird produce golden eggs...But it mentioned using a very small bird. And the owner hadn't thought to put a warning in his own notes....

[BlameItOnTheBump]

Calder seemed to be thinking in sync with Tobias. The spell was certainly not out of Calder's ability, and they could really use the gold. Of course, there was a problem -- Calder's boss had strictly warned him about practicing this kind of magic outside of the mage's walls. Enchanting an animal could be risky. In the end, he decided to let his friend decide.

"Here," he pointed to the diagram of what appeared to be some kind of goose, "Bird produces gold. You know, we have that old goose out back." He turned to Tobias,

"Should we try it?"

[Hyenadog]

Tobias didn't know much of the risks of practicing magic on living things, nor did he know the rules the mage had told Calder. He hummed softly at the other's question, moving away to look out the window at the old goose.

"You don't think she's too old?" He asked, looking back at Calder. "I don't think she's produced an egg in years." He said, scratching his head. "But I guess its worth a try." He added with a nod.