<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong>Merryweather's Office<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Alundra<br/><br/>Alundra's lack of answer about the book series made Professor Merryweather smile and wave in dismissal.  "About a decade or two ago, there was this truly awful book series, a romance with vampires and werewolves, that everyone here kept cracking jokes about.  I guess it's no longer even remembered, which is for the best.  So much of history is saturated with the unimportant and the unenduring.  History classes are exceptional at giving names, facts, and figures without any thought to the lessons learned, understanding why people reacted as they did, and so on."  It was not an original critique, but she felt that her student would understand.<br/><br/>The question of the fair folk got a nod.  "Summoning the fair folk is best performed in areas of nature as untouched by humanity as possible.  Many of them want to trade insubstantial qualities which are real platonic objects to them, such as the memory of a first kiss, or various emotions, and the truly awful want infants."  Professor Merryweather got serious.  "The story doesn't usually go as it did in Rumpelstiltskin.  So long as you never make a deal you don't intend to keep, though, it should be safe enough.  I may skip to summoning for Friday's class if we have enough interest; Nyx expressed an interest in elementals."<br/><br/>Alundra's mention of the ease got Professor Merryweather's attention.  "The major difficulties involve belief and knowledge.  Too many people believe it's impossible outright, or that it's impossible for them even if they believe others might handle it.  Spend years telling any child they can't do something and you'll end up with an adult who lacks faith, and thus ability.  Information is also far easier to share because of technology."  She waved to emphasize that she didn't feel a need to explain.<br/><br/>Her smile warmed at the verbatim quote of the play.  "William Shakespeare was an absolute genius, but I doubt he had a true understanding of magic.  If he did, he was smart enough not to put it into his plays, which would have drawn far too much unwanted attention.  While reagents such as the tongue of a dog might well be a particular component of alchemy, you'd want it for something with a fearful warning, not just adding in so many contradictory things that you'd create a complete mess of a spell on your hands.  Newts in particular are useful because they've undergone a metamorphosis, from beginning their lives as a tadpole, which makes it far easier to turn someone temporarily into one.  Frogs are the same way."<br/><br/>Yet she nodded as Alundra was done.  "Quite welcome, and you're welcome here anytime.  My advice for the incantation is to make it either a command or a plea, simple and heartfelt like a love poem.  I'll try to have some information ready regarding the fair folk for the next time you come by."