<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/>Professor Merryweather nodded at the mention of the book, and the sparkle mention just got a smile.  "I wouldn't mention Twilight around vampires for the same reason you don't want to bring up Big Bang Theory around actual geeks: what comes off as ludicrous to people outside a particular group usually seems offensive to those inside of it."<br/><br/>The mention of a hundred got a smile.  "The age rune is easy enough to have applied once one desires.  Back when, people didn't plan ahead, which is why so many practitioners got the reputation for being extremely old.  Others didn't even know the method until being well into their fifties or older.  It's far easier to slow the course of entropy and time than to reverse it."<br/><br/>Regarding A Midsummer Night's Dream, Professor Merryweather could only shrug.  "The story itself is reasonably plausible.  The fair folk don't appreciate being studied and categorized as we do insects, and I'll admit I'm not an expert on them.  Sometimes mass belief and desire affects reality even among normies, and the opposite is true when something is feared.<br/><br/>She nodded when thanked, and at the question of Fallingwater, the professor started working her laptop to look into things herself.  It was evident on her face that she wasn't certain.  However, a soft smile on her features showed that she was impressed that Alundra would have the curiosity to think so far ahead.  "I mentioned that metamagic won't be on any tests for the introductory course," she said, "but if you desire to move past the basics, it's important to understand.  If I didn't explain before, metamagic is when you mix and match different aspects of the five basic practices to achieve a desired result.  For example, taking a photograph of a particular object in order to achieve its effects is a form of Thaumaturgy, although a photograph won't have as strong a sympathetic connection as would taking a piece of that object or individual."<br/><br/>After reading for several moments, Professor Merryweather quoted from the website, "'Determined to build over the stream that punctuated the property, Wright remarked that rather than simply look out at it, he wanted the Kaufmanns “to live with the waterfall…as an integral part of their lives.”'"  She looked back to Alundra.  "If done purely as stated, using photographs of Fallingwater but keeping the same incantation, then the various differences of the reagents would come into play."<br/><br/>This was a little more complicated, but she was patient.  "Let's say that one wanted to make a potion of beauty and elegance.  Peacocks are known for these features, but they're also known for arrogance.  Magical reagent shops, including at the bookstore, understand how to refine reagents to remove the unwanted properties, but if you just grabbed some peacock features from a wild animal, your potion would probably have the unwanted side effects.  I can't be certain without testing, but my guess is that the Fallingwater photographs might have effects like perpetual moisture upon the walls that sprinkles down to create the effect, or would completely flood the room beneath when used."<br/><br/>She gave a mirthless smile.  "I've heard of vampires who use a variant that's similar to the fire suppression systems of museums, where halon gas cuts off the oxygen in the entire room.  This has obvious problems for anyone who needs to breathe and is hardly a good substitute, but if they fear fire and don't want the room they're in soaked in water, one can understand the desire for the unusual method."<br/><br/>Watching Alundra collect the raindrops, she added, "I'd save the sink for last, to ensure any extra you acquire won't overflow.  If you'd like to attempt to write out your own incantation, I can read it over."  The last came with a pleased smile.  "If you'd rather I just show you the Flash Flood in a Flask, I can, but if you'd rather see the original Tempest in a Teapot, I have that right here."  It was obviously a test, not one that Professor Merryweather would grade Alundra on, but so that the professor knew whether to push Alundra further to expand beyond the basics of the class and help guide her towards taking Spells and Hexes as a major.<br/><br/>She opened another book to the specifics of the old spell Tempest in a Teapot, which went over the details of a similar spell but specified a teapot, along with listing the incantation:<br/><br/><em><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;">Clouds of thunder, shafts of light.<br/>Come and sup with me tonight.<br/>Waters three have I for tea.<br/>Brew a tempest now for me!</span></em><br/>