Few sorcerers were as knowledgeable as Val on the topic of elemental shape magic. Anyone interested in this field had surely heard his name and read his books; and it had been this way that Adrien had learned of his work, and eventually sought out an apprenticeship with him. At the time, this decision had been somewhat of a gamble. Although Adrien thought Val's work was impressive, he found his books to be a mess of brilliant conclusions delivered in a frustratingly obscure way; and he wasn't particularly excited to learn from someone who could make such interesting material sound so boring - but, as he had already been rejected by the sorcerers that he would have most wanted as his mentors, he was willing to compromise and ask anyway. Yet, with every day he spent as his apprentice, Adrien found himself more and more surprised by how unlike his first impressions Val had turned out to be. He was not the dull writer of the books he'd slogged through, but rather a kind guide who always knew what to say and how; and Adrien loved to listen to him talk about anything, and especially about magic and his thoughts about it - and now, he was looking forward to hearing Val share his personal approach to his favorite branch of magic.