Megan stood at the bottom of the wide steps leading to the academy, closing her eyes to take a steadying breath. She shivered in the chilly breeze, pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders before shifting her bag from one hand to the other. She shivered as the breeze caught the hem of her long loose dress, the cold wind blowing up her bare legs.
"Well enough of this, girl," she said to herself forcefully, "Get on up there and do your thing."
Rolling her shoulders and patting the dress back down when it threatened to billow in the stronger gusts, her shoes making a muted clicking sound as she hurried up the stone steps. At the top of the stairs she passed two wide pillars supporting a stone archway, traces of snow blowing free from the edges of the cut stone. The imposing wooden doors, banded in wide metal strips faced her like a wall, challenging her presence. She had the impression the silent doors were judging her already, determining her worth before she dared ring the bell.
A month ago Megan had, out of desperation, applied for a research assistant job with one of the professors at the Mystical Academy in the edge of the city. World renown for its research and academic strengths, it had been a long shot when Megan submitted her application but it was worth the risk. Her last job had fallen through when the wife of the mage she was working caught them working on a special temporary growth formula for the man. While she had not expected that particular perk in the job, Megan was certainly not one to pass on a good time and before having to move on suddenly she had been having far too much of just that!
She shook her head, pushing the memories of the last job aside, concentrating on winning this one. She was not exactly sure what Professor Lohar did, she had heard the professor did a fair bit of research in her field of bestiary familiars, always shared with a wink, but knew with her background and appearance there was always a chance.
Pushing her glasses up her nose, Megan patted her hair, making sure it was still in the tight bun, tilting her hat slightly forward for a more professional flair. The low-cut blouse gave more than a hint of her cleavage, always an asset with these jobs, and she took a little hop to make sure they wiggled just enough to be noticeable.
"Ok girl, stop it," she whispered angrily, realizing she was delaying. Stepping forward, she pulled back on the knocker, wincing slightly as the metallic thud.
The door opened with a low grinding creek to reveal an older man looking at her impatiently.
"About time, I didn't think you were going to actually knock!"
The thin man was dressed in a wool suit, a dull brown vest over a white shirt. Balding the hair along the back and sides of his head moved with the newest gust, making Megan snap a hand down again to stop her dress from lifting. Not the impression she wanted to give on the first day, although if it helped, she though with an impish smile, she'd let it ride.
"Sorry, sir," Megan said with just the right submissive tone, "I wanted to make sure I was ready to meet you."
"Not me you are here to meet," the man said stepping aside and waving Megan in impatiently, "I'm Bram, Professor Lohar's secretary. Come on, don't stand in the door all day! It is winter out you know!"
Megan scurried past Bram, feeling the change in temperature once getting out of the wind. The door opened to a small hall with corridors branching off to each side. Stepping in Megan turned to face Bram, bringing her arms in just enough to push her chest forward, giving a polite smile.
"Thank you, Mr Bram," she said politely.
"Yes, yes, come on," Bram turned and began walking along the corridor briskly. Megan felt the man giving off a hurried energy and wondered if it was because of the professor or just something about the man himself. Either way it would not do to let him out pace her.
"Professor Lohar is just finishing an experiment but knows you are coming. I reminded him before I put my work down to come get you!"
