A Letter For Milo

When Milo wakes up at the campsite, a letter is waiting for him on the nightstand. It's written in Lucrezia's handwriting and must have been hand delivered by her sometime during the night.

Milo,
You're right. Something's different. I don't know what or how this happened but I feel different. It's like every thought in my head is just taking over. I feel like it's going to drive me insane! It has to be some kind of magic, I just know it. I don't think it's possession, it feels different from that. The only time I feel like myself, like my true self, is when I'm alone in a quiet place. If you want to talk, I'll be at the Mage's Guild in Rawl'kha. I'm sorry for the things I've said to you lately. I don't want to hurt you.
Lucrezia

Milo woke alone. It was incredibly difficult to work up the effort needed to open his eyes and accept that. He sighed and stretched, then sat up on the small bed and tried not to think about moving all his stuff... somewhere. He hadn't even arranged a new place to store his things yet, though he knew he could get a bunk at the Clan Mother's.

He glanced at the nightstand and saw the letter waiting for him. Feeling a brief glimmer of hope, he reached over and picked it up, rubbed his eyes clear of sleep and read it silently. The news in its contents didn't make him smile, but he was suddenly feeling more motivated. He rose up and got dressed in his red and black, skipping breakfast to saddle up Skyrose and make his way to Rawl'kha that very morning.

At the Mage's Guild Milo went briskly inside the main doors and down the stairs to the main chamber, eyes alert for her familiar face.

Milo would find Lucrezia in one of the acloves at the back of the building, in a corner. She would be surrounded by large books and papers, frantically searching through them and writing things down. Her hair would be a mess and she would still be wearing the clothes she had on the day before. She would look tired, like she had been up all night.

Milo opened the curtain part-way and spotted her sitting there with her hair a mess. He slipped within and let the curtain close again to give them privacy. "I got your letter," he said in an even tone. hoping he didn't startle her too badly. By the look of the mess of books and papers, she'd been hard at work on her problem for hours.

She jumped only a little, not realizing it was morning yet and Milo would have gotten her letter by now. She looked up at him as he slipped past the curtain. Instantly she felt a overwhelming mix of emotions: attraction, love, anger, jealousy, and guilt. She took a few deep breaths, trying to sort them out and the looked away from him. She thought it would be easier to just concentrate on the books and papers.

"Thanks for coming, I wasn't sure if you would after our talk last night." She said to him, still feeling extreme guilt. "I keep looking through these books but I don't understand them. I need someone smart like you to help me figure this out, if you're up for it."

Milo stayed standing with his back to the curtain. He wanted to reach out to her but he was afraid to. Afraid of her unpredictable reactions and of being turned away again. It was clear she was struggling too, and not just from being tired. So he would try to keep contact with her as minimal as possible so as not to overwhelm her.

"I will try. What do you have so far?"

"Just ideas, really. I know it's not tied to an object. I wondered if maybe I was wearing something that was causing it but I've changed clothes a lot since this started. And it's even happened to me while I was wearing nothing at all, so that can't be it. So I think it's a spell...or something. It has to do with my emotions. Everything I'm feeling just takes over and goes nuts." she rambles, trying not to say too much and confuse him.

"I can't figure out my real feelings toward anything. People, places, objects. It's like when I look at you, I'm overwhelmed with so much. I don't know how I really feel about you right at this very moment. It's so confusing and frustrating." she looks up at him again and frowns. She wants to say so much but she's too afraid to, worried she'll say something that she doesn't truly mean.

"I'm sorry. I know this must be so hard for you." she finally decides to say, know that is true. "Do you have any ideas?"

It was hard to imagine how difficult the confusing emotions must be for her until he remembered being under Lorys' spell. While under her control he didn't know what he felt unless she told him or gave some subtle indication. He had been her puppet completely, with no will to resist because he couldn't tell love from hate.

"I'll be okay, I know it's frustrating for you, too. I had been thinking we should ask Calomel for help. Restoration magic includes Wards, which are protective magics. Maybe she knows a spell that will protect your mind? Or there could be something in these books like that."

"Oh yes, I almost forgot about Calomel!" she nearly shouted. She had suddenly felt a burst of excitement and happiness just then, knowing that Milo had came up with an idea that she hadn't thought of. She jumped out of her chair and hugged him tightly, sharing her gratitude and excitement with him.

Then she snapped out of it. She realized she had overreacted, due to the stupid spell, and possibly made him feel very uncomfortable. She slowly stepped away from Milo and removed her hands from around his neck. Giving the two of them some space between them. "Sorry. I sometimes can't stop it before I do something stupid." she mumbled and looked away for a moment. "So you think maybe Calomel can figure out a spell to protect my mind? At least until we can figure out how to stop this?"

She pointed to one of the books on the table. "I think I read about restoration magic in that one some time last night."