***The Camera Eye* - Chapter 2**

Evan McAllister slumped over his desk, beginning to miss the comforts of his bed back in his dorm room, eighth room on the fourth floor of the building right next door.  Besides, his professor had already talked about this in class last week, and Evan himself had already used other essays by Berrenor before that he already knew what this one would be about.  Berrenor’s work had become awfully boring and repetitive to him, though Berrenor had written many pages about the history of T’sivet and even wrote the book he used for this history class Evan was now attending.  
	  
The Felid’s ears flicked, brushing away a slight breeze that had rested on him.  Evan’s silver and black striped tail flopped about on the floor, even flicking slightly to express his growing disinterest.  He was torn about whether he wanted to have a sandwich or chicken for lunch, and batted that back and forth in his mind for a while before deciding on a chicken sandwich, only to find that only about five minutes had passed and his current lecturer, Kantara Vulpina V, was still talking at the pulpit in the front of the classroom.  
	  
To most people, Kantara Vulpina V had quite the presence in the classroom, from her bright red fur to her long brushy tail with the black and white tip.  She seemed to glow almost constantly and her black ears swiveled around whenever she talked almost as though she was listening for a response.  Though she was short – at just over five feet she was smaller than Evan’s nearly six-foot tall stature – she had a commanding air about her and her bright gold eyes and was nearly always the center of attention wherever she went.  The Vulpine was better known as the Headmistress of the Ai’sharran branch of Kantara’s Academy and leader of the four other schools in Ikasarat, Soron, Bailova, and Catarata, and it was always a treat for her to come in and do a guest lecture.  
	  
Matter of fact, the presence of Kantara Vulpina was the only thing that kept Evan remaining in the classroom.  Others were enjoying the lecture, but not even the presence of the Headmistress herself could stave off Evan’s boredom.  Evan often joked with his classmates that Kantara Vulpina used some kind of magic on them that he had been able to see through just to get them to pay attention, though much to his dismay his fellow students had quickly spread the rumor and it had now become a widespread conspiracy theory.  Evan simply called it a case of bad timing.  
	  
Still, it was an honor to have the Headmistress in the classroom.  It meant that Evan had less work to do, though there was a review assignment for the class he could have been working on instead of presently doodling all over the paper.  It also meant that Kantara had arranged her schedule such that she could give a lecture of her own, a high honor among many of the teachers and many of the students, even those who had fallen for Evan’s own little conspiracy theory.  And if Evan wanted anyone to teach the most boring class he ever had to take to finish his requirements for a license in Earth magic, he needed whatever he could get to help stave off the boredom.  
	  
Kantara herself had just finished reading another article that the class had been given and started talking to the classroom.  “Now, which one of you can tell me the major points of both Berrenor’s and Desmaia Lo’Kanta’s article?” she asked, soft voice somehow booming over the entire classroom.  
	  
Evan lazily raised his hand while nearly twenty others in the class of forty shot upwards, wanting to stave off his boredom while simultaneously hoping he wouldn’t be seen in his position at the back of the classroom.  
	  
“Mister McAllister,” Kantara called.  “Would you care to give your interpretation?”  
	  
“Berrenor’s discusses the usage and problems around technology and human interaction with T’sivetans, while Desmaia Lo’Kanta discusses the advancement and uses of magic, both proper and improper.”  
	  
“Excellent,” Kantara said approvingly.  “Now, why do you suppose that you are studying these two papers?”  
	  
Evan’s hand lazily went up again.  Thirty others did, too.  
	  
“Mister McAllister,” Kantara said again.  
	  
“Technology is constantly moving forwards and magic is moving forwards just as quickly.  We need to figure out its limitations and proper usage before we get too far in our usage of either or we will be in a worse position than we started.”  
	  
“That sounded like that came right out of a textbook, McAllister.”  
	  
“I’m bored.”  
	  
Evan’s teacher, a stoat, promptly became infuriated with this, but didn’t do anything.  Kantara’s black paw was in front of him and blocked his path from doing anything as though trapping him in a force similar to a magical shield of Psychic magic.  Kantara herself seemed slightly amused by Evan’s response.  
	  
“As bluntly as you put that last statement,” Kantara said disapprovingly – Evan thought he could see a smile forming on her face – “that is correct.  You see, as we T’sivetans move forward and into the reign of Garou V, it should be noted that both technology and magic are moving forward at a rapid pace.  More and more young T’sivetans are becoming magic users.  There are four times as many students of magic now than there were during the reign of Kantara Vulpina II, founder of this very academy.  And yet we also are becoming more dependent on technology.  Cars and trains run throughout the circuit of roads across T’sivet, and the cars are becoming faster.  Computers are being used to store information and create more information.  Books are becoming easier to print and easier to access.”  
	  
Kantara paused for a moment to let them sink in.  
	  
“So, which is the better one?” Evan asked, genuinely confused.  
	  
“Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?” Kantara responded.  “Which is better: magic or technology?  Anyone have any ideas?”  
	  
A hand that was not Evan’s crept upwards.  
	  
“Mister Desmond?” Kantara asked.  
	  
Evan recognized the voice as belonging to another Felid about his age.  “Is it technology?  I mean, with technology, we’ve been able to do more than we could back during the times of the original human colony at Arctic Point.”  
	  
“And yet technology has allowed us to create guns that kill people in one hit, cars that run people over and allow criminals to escape quicker.  It has created heavier fees adjusted onto you to maintain it and keep your lives running normally.”  
	  
Kantara scanned the room.  “Is anyone in here in favor of magic?”  
	  
A young Canid towards the front raised her hand.  
	  
“Miss Diaz?” Kantara asked.  
	  
“Magic has allowed us to cure disease,” the Canid responded.  “And, since magic is tied in part to religion, it has brought us closer to the Creator and helped us respond to quick changes in climate.”  
	  
“Technology has allowed us to cure diseases we didn’t even know of before we even discovered them.  Technology is what builds our architecture like churches with math and physics.  Technology has allowed us to create clothing and secure buildings such that they will trap the cold when it’s warm and the heat when it’s cold.  And besides, hasn’t magic itself caused a fair amount of deaths almost comparable to that of technology?”  
	  
Evan blinked.  
	  
“Now, don’t you all go back to the beginning and say you want to major in something from the other side of this debate,” Kantara said as she noticed the uneasiness of most of the students in the room.  “My point is that neither side is right or wrong.  Both sides have valid points.  Technology and magic aren’t just able to live independently of the other.  At this point, both sides must come to the understanding that the other is needed for life to continue on as we know it.  I’m not saying that society will collapse, but that our progress would be significantly slowed if not brought to a halt if the other was not around.”  
	  
Kantara turned to look at the clock on a wall.  “Well, this has been an interesting discussion, but I’m afraid it’s time to wrap up unless your teacher has any final announcements or anything to add himself.”  
	  
“Evan McAllister!” the stoat immediately shouted.  “You are to stay half an hour after class for insulting and speaking improperly at the headmistress!”  
	  
Kantara merely laughed.  “No need to listen to that.  I’ll excuse it.  Evan has a point; I have to say after sitting through one of your lectures this class is actually quite boring.  Then again, as boring as it is, it still has its use in one way or another.  Much like the point of our lecture today.”  
	  
Evan and the rest of the students chuckled quietly.  
	  
“Class dismissed.”

\*     \*     \*

After class was over, Evan walked over to the cafeteria and ordered himself a chicken sandwich with lettuce, mustard, and bacon with a side of chips and meandered with his meal over to an empty table in the cafeteria courtyard.  He ate slowly and deliberately as he pulled out his books and some paper and began working on some of his homework.  His history class in which Kantara had delivered a guest lecture was his last class of the day, having had a class in the studies of Earth magic earlier that morning and unable to get any classes for the rest of the day.  He sat in the shade of a large oak tree as he did his homework, for the time being alone and enjoying himself.  
	  
Evan liked being at Kantara’s Academy.  The teachers were good and knew what they were doing.  The food here was good at the cafeterias and a small student store supplied him with almost anything he needed for class.  The dorms were nice and spacious, allowing for Evan and three other roommates to live comfortably.  The grounds were huge but had many little passages that made commuting quicker and were very nicely decorated.  The students shared around the same intellect as Evan and the tabby Felid had found a close circle of friends that frequently studied together and grouped together for other occasions.  The Academy even had a church here run by a member of the local church.  Then there was Kantara herself; benevolent, wise, powerful, and ultimately wanting her students to succeed, in addition to being the head of the church on campus and it’s most frequent preacher of the sermons on Saturday mornings.  
	  
Overall, Evan liked the fact that he could go almost anywhere on campus and there would be somewhere where he could be alone.  Sure, he liked the company of his friends, but he could go almost anywhere and the only thing that could bug him was one of the teachers asking him if he wanted any tutoring with his assignment.  He did miss his family back home, both his parents and his little sister, but Evan personally liked the quiet.  He could get lost in an assignment for hours when he was alone to himself to work, and frequently finished work fast when not perturbed.  
	  
Despite enjoying his alone time, Evan didn’t mind when Desmond came over to his table.  He knew the tiger-striped Felid since his arrival and for a while they had been dorm roommates.  Now, they shared a class now and again but were going for the same goal.  Desmond walked over to where Evan was seated with a bowl of steamed white rice and chicken covered in a sweet brown sauce and set it down on the table across from Evan.  “Hey, Evan.”  
	  
“Hey, Desmond,” Evan replied, moving some of his things out of the way so Desmond could set himself up at the table with him.  
	  
“I can’t believe Headmistress Kantara allowed you to go off with a remark like that,” Desmond said in awe.  “No one else in there could have.”  
	  
“I didn’t even realize what I’d said until afterwards.”  
	  
“Yeah, right.  You knew what you were going to say all along.  It came out too casually for it to be otherwise.  It’s like you’d been practicing.”  
	  
Evan shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich.  
	  
“You ready for the tests coming up in a week?” Desmond asked.  
	  
“I kind of like the schedule.”  
	  
“You mean for your magic application test?”  
	  
“Yeah.”  
	  
“Who do you have?”  
	  
“Kantara herself.”  
	  
“Dude, I swear you know more about her than most of the staff at the school.”  
	  
“I can’t help but think maybe you’re right.”  
	  
“Not that that’s a problem, you know.  Getting on a teacher’s good side like that may help you for the license test.  Not to mention if Kantara’s mentoring you, you are on the top of her list and she’s going to make things hard for you when it comes time for the test.”  
	  
“I’m kind of worried about that.”  
	  
“Don’t be.  You’re one of the best Earth mages in your year.”  
	  
“Yeah, but being with Kantara would be something of a challenge.  She always demands more of us than anything else.  Here’s the thing: what am I going to have to do with Earth magic, anyways?”  
	  
“Well, you could go into the army and use Earth to create natural shields.  Or you could go into landscaping and move dirt and stone around.  Or you could fire boulders to create projectiles against enemies…”  
	  
Evan was recently aware that Desmond was not the one talking to him.  He looked up at the Felid, realized that he was staring behind Evan, and turned around himself.  There, standing behind him, was Kantara Vulpina, still rattling off the list that she had started.  “…or you could go and help build more dams.  Or you could help in the quarries.  Or you could help smooth out land for roads.  Do you need me to create more items for you or are you getting the point?”  
	  
“I… think I got it,” Evan said.  “How come you’re here?”  
	  
“I just wanted to say that both of you are due for end of the year progress reports,” Kantara replied, placing a black paw on both Evan’s and Desmond’s shoulders.  “Desmond, you’re due for yours in an hour.  Evan, you’re going to be this afternoon at four.  Understand?”  
	  
“Yes, ma’am,” the two replied.  
	  
“Just checking.  Now, realize this isn’t bad, just a check on how you’re doing facing the finals coming up.  Evan, you’re going to be done this year if all goes well.  Desmond, you have maybe another semester to go.  Now, enjoy your lunch and good luck.”  
	  
“Yes, Miss Kantara,” the two replied and continued eating their lunch.  
	  
Desmond waited until Kantara was out of earshot before he continued.  
	  
“Great, end of the year reports,” the Felid sighed.  “Just as we’re about to have the pressures of studying for finals next week, now we have to worry about how much they’re going to affect our grades.  Thanks a lot, Kantara.”  He angrily stabbed his fork into his bowl, causing bits of rice to go flying onto Evan’s papers.  
	  
“It’s not that bad,” Evan said as he brushed the rice off.  “She just wants us to make sure we know what we’re up against and how good we’re doing.”  
	  
Desmond gave Evan a nearly irritated look, but Evan could see a hint of a smile on his face.  “Are you sure that whole thing with Kantara mind-controlling the students here is just a joke?” he asked disapprovingly.  
	  
“It was a joke.  Nothing more.”  
	  
Desmond stayed and talked for a little while longer before he left to go and speak with Kantara about his grades.  Evan finished his homework and packed up his things soon afterwards returning to his dorm room to change into some comfortable clothes and make sure his own equipment was in order.

\*     \*     \*

Back in his dorm, Evan grabbed a change of clothes from his personal closet and went back to the bathroom to shower.  Evan let the warm water rinse through his matted silver fur with black stripes and gave himself a quick run through with the soap; a meeting with Kantara nearly always demanded he be clean.  Evan changed his clothes and laid down on his bed for a short nap so that he’d be awake when the time for meeting with Kantara came.  
	  
Kantara’s lecture, however, would not leave him alone and Evan found himself staring at the ceiling and thinking instead of falling asleep and letting his brain shut off for a few hours.  Not that no class ever caused him to do that but Kantara was able to do it a little more effectively than most.  Whether or not that was a by-product of her magic or the rumor that Evan himself had spread, the Felid could not tell, but it was a thought that made him flick his tail irritably.  
	  
Evan was born in Ai’sharra twenty-one years ago; he would be twenty-two a few weeks after his impending graduation from Kantara’s Academy with his Journeyman license.  He’d been to the hospital where he was born quite a few times before and remembered his mother telling him that he was born with help of healing magic to tranquilize her and make the birth easier.  However, the times Evan himself had been there, such as when he once came down with the flu and when he had to get his wisdom teeth pulled, he was mostly administered to by people who knew how to use computers, from the needles they injected into his arm to draw blood to the drill they had used to dislodge a cavity that had recently been filled in.  
	  
But there were even traces of magic within all that technology.  He remembered someone sedating him with magic before getting his tooth pulled.  He remembered that the radios kept in each of the dorms had music and sounds, like the news currently playing on the radio in the main room, that were transported out by magic that helped amplified the waves; Ikasaratan news didn’t usually reach Ai’sharra unless magic was used to amplify the radio waves to reach there, even more so for Bailova and Arctic Point, who had their own radio stations that Evan could easily turn the knob and listen to so long as the waves were maintained.  The food in the cafeteria was planted with manufactured goods, grown with various magic help, and harvested with manufactured goods like tractors.  The staff Evan usually carried around with him for magic usage had been designed and made with items made by technology, and was a common design often replicated for practical use.  
	  
Evan went over to his staff and grabbed a polishing kit from a stand nearby.  The long staff was made of varnished black- and gold-painted oak for high durability and smoothness and topped with three-pronged metal painted with gold paint.  At the top within the three-pronged metal stood a light blue diamond cut in a hexagon at its top and carefully inlaid within the top of the staff.  Sure, it wasn’t the most powerful staff on the market – there were some made of metal and obsidian that supposedly channeled magic even more powerfully – but it suited Evan fine.  And by polishing it, he maintained the strength of the channel by keeping it free of anything that might hinder the flow of magic through it.  
	  
Polishing only entertained Evan for a few minutes before his mind went back to the lecture.  He remembered the police captain for Ai’sharra coming onto the radio, a very militaristic shepherd Canid named Marshall Aldrin, and discussing new technology in the police force.  Security cameras were placed everywhere to increase safety and making it easier to capture criminals.  Various positioning systems made it easier to track criminals wherever they went.  Evan was for the most part unconcerned until he recalled the day that security cameras had gone up around the school over the course of one weekend; the tabby Felid had never seen Kantara get so mad before, to the point where her normally bright red fur had gone nearly a startling black.  
	  
Evan didn’t mind the mixture of magic and technology.  He was one of the few in his school that didn’t.  Most of the students in his classes were undecided as to where to stand, though there were a few that were mostly in favor of magic or mostly in favor of technology.  The ones who favored magic tended to be those who studied in any of the magic arts or went to the church on campus.  The ones who favored technology tended to be those who went for a degree in math or science.  Then again, there was a slight bias towards the un-magical, of which there was more of even at Kantara’s Academy, the most prestigious magical university in the world.  
	  
Desmond came to the dorm a little while later.  
	  
“Hey, man,” Evan said when he entered.  “How did it go?”  
	  
“Oh, good,” Desmond said, breathing a sigh of relief.  
	  
“Not failing your water magic studies class?”  
	  
“Better.  I’m getting an Above Average in it!  You still have to go to your session, don’t know?”  
	  
“Not until four.  I’m not worried, though,” Evan remarked with a shrug.  “I’m not in danger of anything.  I’ve kind of been able to tally up my grade easily enough, so I’m ready for the finals and for graduation.”  
	  
Desmond sniffed.  “Did you actually take a shower?”  
	  
“I’m meeting with the Headmistress,” Evan said.  “Besides, I haven’t showed in a few days.”  
	  
“I swear you act as though you’re trying to impress her.”  
	  
“And if I am?”  
	  
“Then you’re farther along than the rest of us.”  
	  
Evan shrugged and went over to the bookshelf and grabbed a random book.  He went over to the couch while Desmond went to his own closet, pulled out a plain white button-up shirt and black slacks, and went to the bathroom.  “No other classes today?” he called.  
	  
“Unless I want to go to tutoring, no I don’t.”  
	  
“You’ve got one heck of a streak of luck, you know that?”  
	  
“Why do you say that?”  
	  
“I have to go to a business class.  It’s required for water control and purification.”  
	  
“So is that what you’re majoring in?”  
	  
“Well, I’d still say you’re lucky,” Desmond said.  “You don’t have another class.”  
	  
“But I have to deal with Kantara, so who is in the better position?”  
	  
“Depends on when you’ll be back,” Desmond said as he walked out of the bathroom, now dressed sloppily in the shirt and slacks and sporting a black tie and a mischievous grin on his face.  “…and how you’ll get back.”  
	  
Evan examined his friend.  “I’ll still be earlier and better looking than you.  The white shirt goes terrible with your orange fur.  Besides, you have grey fur showing up on your shirt.”  
	  
Evan chuckled as Desmond disappeared back into the bathroom, swearing his head off as he attempted to get the fur off his shirt.  Meanwhile, Evan returned to his book and read for a while as he waited for the time to come when he would have to go to Kantara’s for his own guidance and report session with her.  
	  
Likely nothing was to go wrong even if Evan started to worry about his session now looming over him.  Evan himself had a clean record.  He hadn’t stolen.  He hadn’t cheated anyone.  He didn’t have any overdue fines.  He almost always showed up to class on time.  He even had good grades in all his classes and never slacked off.  In many ways, he was a model student with little to be worried about.  Even Kantara knew that, but Kantara knew pretty much everything as far as her students were concerned.

\*     \*     \*

Evan arrived at Kantara’s office carrying his staff a few minutes before four that afternoon, knowing that the vixen expected those who visited her to be punctual.  She always remarked it would be similar for a job review, words which Evan took to heart, and almost always showed up on time.  Besides, he had something of a fondness for the vixen, as did most of the other students; when not teaching a lecture, Kantara was something of the motherly figure of the Academy and did well to preserve her family’s continued image of charity and good-will; it was part of the reason why, at the midpoint and the end of every semester, she always called in every single student to give them a progress report.  
	  
None of the sessions lasted more than ten or fifteen minutes, but every single student dreaded them.  When teaching a lecture, Kantara was wise.  When checking around on the students at the Academy and peeking into classrooms, Kantara was like a mother watching over for her children to get the best possible attention they needed and deserved.  But during the sessions, if one wasn’t doing well enough, Kantara could easily worm her way into your brain and deliver a mental torture more acute and hard-hitting than anything a police officer could use without ever saying a single word.  Evan himself once got that look before after slacking off in class towards his early days at the Academy and didn’t quite remember what happened after that as the look had been so burned into his mind for nearly a week afterwards that within that week he had completely turned his grades around.  
	  
Afterwards, however, Evan didn’t mind going to Kantara’s sessions.  There was always that look she got on her face if you did well that just made you want to keep doing as well as possible.  Some attributed it to her charisma, others to a certain amount of charm that the Vulpina family lineage nearly always had.  Evan, along with many other students, always felt a certain amount of pride to go in and see the look on Kantara’s face and hear her approval.  Anyone who previously hated Kantara before going into one of those sessions only to come back with good reports couldn’t help but feel like she had actually managed to connect with them on some level.  
	  
Evan still felt it was a case of bad timing.  
	  
Evan went over and sat on a bench outside the office.  The office itself was in a fair-sized cottage on an area of the Academy grounds near to the dorms and the church in a little extra room that Kantara had likely converted just for that purpose.  Evan himself had never seen the rest of the house, but had heard there was enough space for Kantara to accompany numerous guests such as Academy benefactors and royalty or their ambassadors comfortably.  
	  
It was also the only building in the entirety of the school that didn’t run on technology; everything inside was run by magic.  A security spell was placed around the boundaries at some points so that not even the students whose window looked out at it could even see it.  The lights inside the office were caused by light magic, and the heater used during the winter was powered by fire magic.  The wood benches with metal supports outside where students waited to get called in – through the black glass door surrounded with wood frames and listing “Office of Kantara Vulpina V” in bright white letters – was the only thing even vaguely technological on the campus.  
	  
A little while later, a young Canid who likely was in his second semester came out of the room shivering and shaking.  Evan managed to grab his attention before the Canid could walk too far away.  “Bad report from Kantara?” he said sympathetically.  
	  
The Canid nodded.  He seemed to be on the verge of crying.  “If I don’t pass the final, I’ll fail my magic studies class!” he whined.  “I’m training to be a wind mage, but if I can’t pass the magic studies class, I won’t be able to practice wind magic!”  
	  
Evan put a hand on the Canid’s shoulder.  “Don’t worry about it.  I almost failed one of my classes, too.  But you’ll get another chance.  Come by again sometime this week and she might be able to help you with whatever you’re having trouble with.”  
	  
The Canid sniffed.  “Okay,” he said.  
	  
“There’s also a study group that meets in room 102 in the Magical Sciences building.  Its tutors are all those who have taken the class and passed or are teachers of it themselves.  Even if Kantara isn’t available, you can always go there.”  
	  
The Canid managed to smile at Evan.  “Thanks a lot, man.  I’ll be sure to check it out.”  
	  
“Good luck on your magical studies final!” Evan called after him and went back to reclining on the bench to wait until Kantara came out and called him in.  
	  
Kantara took a little longer than usual to call him in, but Evan didn’t mind.  He enjoyed sitting on the bench in the warm afternoon sun, listening to the birds while a slight breeze went through the air.  His shoes sank into the earth and the grass and he closed his eyes for just a moment.  He half wondered if this was why he chose Earth magic in the first place.  For a while, he had thought about changing his specialization to Wind or Water, but as he sat there waiting to be called in, he didn’t hesitate to turn back.  Of course, that was partially because he’d have to spend another year or two more at the Academy than the half a year he was required as part of his Journeyman’s license.  
	  
Eventually, the vixen came out to collect Evan, a warm smile on her face.  “Evan McAllister,” she said genially.  “Come on in.”  
	  
Evan lazily opened his eyes and got up from his seat on the bench to follow Kantara into her office.  The interior walls were made of a stone base with wood panels, while the carpet was soft and colored a light blue.  Kantara herself had begun rummaging through about fifteen different stacks of file cabinets no less than seven drawers high searching for Evan’s progress report folder.  Evan was motioned to sit down at a large leather chair next to a mahogany desk with another, taller leather chair behind it.  Evan sank into the chair as he waited for Kantara to approach the desk and sit down across from him as he heard the vixen still sorting through the cabinets.  
	  
A short while later, Kantara finally closed one of the cabinets and came over to where Evan was seated showing a very thin little manila filing folder.  Kantara set the folder down on the desk and sat herself in the large leather chair and pulled out a pen and a small set of half-moon glasses with brown rims that she sent upon her snout and proceeded to look at the folder.  
	  
“I’ll start off giving you the long version,” Kantara said.  “You have a clean record.  You haven’t stolen.  You haven’t cheated anyone.  You don’t have any overdue fines.  You almost always show up to class on time.  You even have above average grades in all your classes and have never slacked off.  In short, pass the finals and you’re ready for graduation and a Journeyman license test.”  
	  
“License test?”  
	  
“It’s a test given by the Order of Mages to confirm your skill in your specialization.  Now, your specialization is only in Earth magic and you don’t have a secondary specialization besides your dagger that you’re carrying with you at all times, correct?”  
	  
Evan felt around his waist to find that he had left his dagger in the dorm room.  Evan hoped Kantara couldn’t see him blushing in embarrassment through his silver and black fur.  “I brought my staff,” Evan said, trying to make up for his silly blunder.  
	  
Kantara didn’t seem to mind.  “At least you’re carrying something with you.”  She looked at the folder a little while longer before continuing.  “Now, there are many things that could compliment your magic choice.  There’s always getting into the specialization of a sword, or a lance and dual-wielding with your staff which is perfectly legal.  Or you could possibly specialize in gun-wielding and I could give you a simple Colt twenty-two millimeter pistol to start off with.”  
	  
Evan had no idea what a “Colt twenty-two millimeter pistol” was.  “I think I’ll pass,” he responded politely.  
	  
“Very well.  But keep in mind that option is always available and actually requires just slightly less time in training than even most magic.  But of course, one must always be more careful with technology as it could backfire.”  
	  
“Now,” Kantara continued, “unless you have any questions, you may leave.”  
	  
“I do have one, pertaining to the lecture you taught today in my history class.”  
	  
“Fire away.”  
	  
Evan almost laughed.  Fire was one of Kantara’s specializations, though she was known for being a Light mage primarily.  He quickly regained his composure, however.  “Have you ever openly complained about technology yourself?” he asked.  
	  
Kantara shook her head, but retained her smile.  “Don’t you remember what the lecture in class was about today?”  
	  
“That neither side is better and that it all depends on what the usage is for and who is using it,” Evan said.  
	  
“Exactly.  I personally favor magic, but I am perfectly fine with the introduction of new technology so long as people are willing to use it correctly.  That’s partially why I offered you the option of a gun specialization.  You are a follower of the law and are quite upright in comparison with most your age.  Twenty-one is a time of temptation to gamble, to drink, and to do stupid things where as you haven’t done any of them.  You could go into law.  Or become a bounty hunter.  Or go into the Templar Knights if you have the skill.  I have no doubt that all of those things are within your reach.”  
	  
“But that doesn’t answer my question.”  
	  
“I suppose it hasn’t.  While I have my complaints, they are never focused at the technology itself but at people’s inability to use them correctly.  I will never openly state my complaints, but I still have them.”  Kantara reclined in her chair and crossed her paws over her chest.  “Does that answer your question.”  
	  
“I suppose,” Evan replied.  
	  
“The primary thing you should do, Evan, is to not get involved in the debate.  Do what you feel, not what you are pressured to do or not do.  Now, that doesn’t mean go out and do stupid things, but I would not complain if you held a gun in your hand or not if it was your choice and not a byproduct of this pointless debate.”  
	  
Evan nodded.  
	  
“Anything else?” Kantara asked.  
	  
Evan shook his head.  
	  
“Right then,” Kantara said.  “Off you go, and remember to study for finals.”  
	  
Evan nodded and got up and began to leave.  
	  
“Wait.”  
	  
Evan stopped a few steps away from the door.  He turned around to see Kantara with his folder going back to the filing cabinets to put it away.  
	  
“Yes?”  
	  
“Is there something wrong?”  
	  
Evan detected concern in the vixen’s voice and shook his head.  “I’m fine.”  
	  
“Are you sure?  You look… unsure of yourself.”  
	  
Evan shrugged and shook his head.  “I wasn’t aware of it.”  
	  
“Oh.”  Kantara put the folder away, closed the cabinet, and walked over to Evan and put a black paw on his shoulder.  Evan looked up and into her bright golden eyes.  “If you need anything, come right on over here and we can talk about it.  I’m here for you, Evan, as are most of the other staff if you really need someone to talk to.”  
	  
Evan flicked his ear irritably.  
	  
“I suppose I should let you go,” Kantara said.  “Take care.”  
	  
Evan walked out the door and all the way back to his dorm room without a word.  
	  
Desmond was already at the dorm when Evan arrived.  
	  
“So, how’d it go?” he asked.  “Good as usual?”  
	  
“Fine,” Evan said.  “I just need to take a nap and start studying for finals.”  
	  
“Oh.  Okay then.  See you when you wake up.”  
	  
Evan grumbled a little as he went over to his bed and hardly even took his clothes off before settling himself in and falling asleep.