1.16 Appreciation Society: The Great Mage

There he was, in the flesh. The first thing you noticed about him was the shockingly red hair. It reached up to his shoulders, its curly and wavy form giving him a boyish charm, despite making him look like a hero out of legend. The next thing to grab your attention was the angelic face. Kyros was not pretty, nor was he handsome. He was beautiful. Not beautiful like a woman, no, no. He was beautiful like a newborn star or a frozen lake on a misty winter morning, or perhaps beautiful like the end and death of worlds. His beauty was ethereal, almost cosmic. Despite this almost divine beauty, what made him seem approachable was that easy smile he carried. It was a smile that said, "Hey, do you wanna count how many turtles are in this lake? Come on, let's jump in and see how many there are. Don't worry about your clothes. I won't steal them, promise." It made it seem as if he knew a joke that no one else was privy to, but if you just asked him, he would tell you about it, and maybe later you could both get some ice cream together. You would be paying, of course. He was tall, taller than both Liriel and the Queen, and he was well built but not muscular. He wore a standard dark blue mage robe that was popular among the Academy faculty and grad students, but the material was of a much better quality than what was usually seen. His robe also had intricate designs that were not usually present in the standard issue ones, clearly the influence of Mrs. Magnus. His clothes were neat, but there was a small griffon feather sticking to his shoulder, which he had apparently not yet noticed. His hands were empty, as, unlike most mages, Kyros had never needed a staff to focus his magic; he was already too powerful. If you noticed them carefully, you would see that, in contrast to his angelic face and bearing, his hands were quite rough, a consequence of his childhood as an orphan in the streets of Meridian, and for some reason, he had kept them as they were, despite having the ability to remove the roughness with his magic.

Tilly said nothing. She just stared at him with her mouth open.

"Ms. Butterfield, I hear you are a fan of mine. It's lovely to meet you, madam." His voice was soft and playful and was devoid of any gruffness. He sounded like a young man who might be your friend, but his voice still carried a surprising amount of authority within it. When you heard him, you wanted to listen to him and maybe stare at that beautiful face while he continued talking. It didn't matter what he was talking about; whether it was the birth of the world or baby goats, you could be entertained by that voice for hours.

Tilly did not answer the Great Mage but still stared at him like a stunned rabbit.

"Ms. Butterfield, are you alright?" Kyros asked.

Tilly shook her head like she was startled. She looked directly into his deep blue eyes and then started crying.

Liriel was a bit startled by this unexpected turn of events, but Kyros, who had to handle quite a few of his fans over the years, looked completely unfazed. He looked at his wife, like he was asking her permission for something.

Liriel nodded.

Kyros then gently pulled Tilly into an embrace.

Tilly started crying even more loudly while burying her face in his chest.

"You are alright. You are alright. I am here," Kyros said while patting her on the back.

When the crying finally subsided after a while, with the top of Kyros' robes now thoroughly drenched in tears, he let her go. "Are you all right, Tilly?" he asked softly.

Tilly nodded while sniffling.

Liriel offered her another handkerchief, which she gratefully accepted and used to wipe her tears.

"See, Liri," Kyros said, "I told you that teleporting in front of her was a bad idea. But you insisted. See how much you scared Ms. Tilly."

"Kyros my love, this was literally your idea."

"What?! That's a lie! Tilly, please don't believe my Liri. She is just jealous that she is not as popular as me."

The back and forth made Tilly chuckle, but her panic quickly returned when she realized what she had just done. She quickly moved away from him and did her thirty-degree bow, one to Kyros and another to Liriel. "My lady, my lord, please forgive me. I behaved extremely inappropriately just now. My deepest apologies for touching you and ruining your robe."

"Tilly, don't worry about it," Liriel said with a smile. "It was an emotional and sweet moment. We understand."

"But... but..."

"Ms. Tilly, come on, am I that bad of a hugger that you have to apologize?"

"My lord, no!"

"Liri, help me out here. You know that I give the best hugs, right?"

"Yes, my darling, you are the best," Liriel said dryly.

This made Tilly laugh again, but she was not done apologizing. "But I ruined your robe!"

"That's easily compensated," Kyros said. "How about you have lunch with me and my wife today?"

"My lord..."

"Come on, it will be fun. Aunty Mabel is a fantastic cook. You tasted her snacks, right?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Aren't they the best?"

"Yes! They... they are very good."

"See, there is no reason to refuse. Come on, Liri, you tell her."

"Tilly, please join us," Liriel said. "It was supposed to be part of the invite, but I didn't write it so that it would be a surprise. It will be a celebration of our new partnership and of Kyros returning home."

"I... I will join you, my lady, my lord."

"Excellent! Now, Ms. Tilly, tell me about this play of yours. And I have heard whispers that my wife is in love with my best friend. Let's discuss this fascinating subject in detail."