So he took his lunch break, making small talk with anyone who sat beside him. Warm food was a blessing in that chilly weather; no one else seemed bothered by it, but he wasn't used to lower temperatures. In the afternoon, he got fished out of the hallways to finally be officially welcomed by the royal family. The formality of diplomacy sucked whatever fun Laurel was having out of his body, though he knew keeping the appearances was one of the reasons he was there. They made promises of setting up a dinner party, which meant more networking; at least there'd be wine. When he'd finally gotten through the ordeal, it was already evening. Stepping out to the frosty breeze made him shudder and envelop himself in his dark red cloak, which made him easily recognizable, House Greyland colors and all. Actually, that was probably the only thing that made him recognizable. He made it to the library as fast as he could, slowing down once he'd crossed the entrance to be silent. There were a pair of scholars slouched on a nearby table, eyes glued to books — better not disturb them. The student at the front desk wasn't the same one as before; they must be interns taking shifts. Having gotten to the top of the stairs, he noticed Siren's office doors were a tad open.

Approaching with light steps, Laurel pushed them a little further to scan the room. Though it didn't seem that late, Siren was laying on the couch with a blanket, eyes closed and glasses hanging by their chord; it might be better to return the following morning. When he stepped back, though, her voice rose: "I'm awake." One of her eyes opened halfway. "Oh," he mumbled, entering the office and closing the doors behind him, "I can come back tomorrow." Siren sat up, casting the blanket aside and putting her glasses on. "No, it's fine. I was just taking a break." Laurel's eyebrows rose and he let curiosity win: "So you're not done for the day?" She got off the couch and stretched her arms. "My work hours aren't set," she said, looking around for a moment before seemingly remembering what they were supposed to do. Before that though, she rekindled one of the fairy lights that were giving out with a sigh, its glow bathing her skin. "I thought the interns did that," Laurel commented. "Students in general tend to do it for me as a favor," she answered as she organized her desk with nimble hands, "I won't ask them to. I'm perfectly able to do it myself, but I'd rather save the mana." He smiled, immediately getting the sentiment, "Well, if I learn it, I can do it for you as long as I am here." That made her hands pause for a second and a hint of a smile passed through her face. "That would be helpful. I guess it's in my best interest to assist you, then," she replied.

"Why fairy lights anyway?," he asked, a hand on his waist. "Fire is expressly prohibited in here," she said, done with the organizing, "And I'd rather the books stay away from sunlight… hence all the stained glass." Laurel looked around, newfound appreciation for the magical lanterns, "Well, it looks good." Siren sighed and crossed her arms. "I feel like you're procrastinating once again. Come on," she said, setting her eyes on his like daggers, "Do you actually know the basic principles behind mana?" He shifted in place, crossing his arms as well. "Um, it's a being's life energy," he muttered. She clicked her tongue and lost her gaze somewhere. "Mana and vitality are not the same, though exhausting all of a being's mana can suck its vitality through compensation," she started, focusing on him again, "Think of it as something more spiritual, or even related to will… Which is one of the reasons I told you intent is important." Since Laurel's face was blank, she kept talking: "I can rephrase that if you'd like."

He tried to take on a more serious posture. "No, I think I got it," he said. "And if you concentrate, can you feel your own mana?" Considering her question, Laurel made an attempt, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He wasn't quite sure. "Well, what do you feel when you do it?," he asked, opening his eyes again to look at her. Siren's face turned pensive and she took her hand to her chin. "Like a second layer of me inside of me, ready to act. The denser it is, the more I can do at the moment," she said after a while, ending the sentence with a sigh. "I'm sorry, it's difficult to put into words. But you should also be able to feel another being's mana, which might be easier than what we just tried if your natural reserves are too low or you've never been in touch with mana at all…" her voice trailed off as her eyes drilled into the distance again. Then, she lifted her hand to him. "Here, take my hand," she said, raising her tone again with a serious look. Of course, he obeyed, holding it as if he was going to shake it. "Like this?," he asked. She exhaled; "Might be easier with both." Again he obeyed, encasing her hand between both of his. Her fingers were long and quite bone-y, not to mention the sheer quantity of calluses. Still, having something warm to hold was nice. "Now?," he asked. "Now I'll focus some in my hand. That might make it easier for you to detect it," she said, soon adding nonchalantly: "Done. Try it."

Yet again, he closed his eyes. Before a new attempt, he thought of all she'd said; her words had been different from prior explanations he'd heard. If intent really had such a big part in it, then she should be channeling a motive as well. Opening himself to outside influence, maybe… Laurel took that moment and, instead of trying with all his might, just let go; almost as if he sat by the river and just heard the stream. Sure enough, he felt the crackling of condensed energy in front of him. "I did it!," he shouted, which made Siren take a step back and let out a surprised chuckle; "I'm glad for you, but-" she touched her index finger to her lips, shushing him silently, "-we're in a library." He covered his mouth in reflex. Her smile faded and she asked: "So, how did you do it?" Laurel felt his head tilt to the side as he found the words. "Um, I thought of what you said about will and figured that you must have really focused intent at that moment, so… if I opened myself to you or rather, your influence, I might feel it," he stringed the thoughts together, a little disturbed by how much Siren's eyes widened as he spoke. She seemed stunned for a moment, but ultimately let out another chuckle and turned to her desk. "You should be more attuned to your own will than mine, you know… So I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Oh," he tried to sneak a look at what she was doing with her back to him, "are you going back to work?" She didn't turn to face him as she answered affirmatively. "Well… You helped a lot. Kind of changed my perspective," he said wholeheartedly; "Maybe you should get into teaching or something." Though he'd thought such a compliment might make her happy, she shrugged. "I read a lot," she said, revealing nothing in her tone. Laurel wished he could see what kind of face she'd made. Still, all he could do was bid her good night and walk away.