56 - Deception

Theo woke up the next day feeling…good enough. He might have felt good, or it might just be waking up without a hangover. Either way, getting out of bed wasn’t a problem.

He stayed in bed for a little bit longer, infusing Tome of Memories. Second tier internal magic wasn’t conceptually more complex than first tier internal magic, just more to juggle at once. Still, it took concentration for him to use it – it would be a while before he’d be able to use it practically (or at least, without sitting down and shutting his eyes).

As he opened his eyes, things felt clearer, once more.

Theo idly wondered if there was a limit to its effectiveness, or if it was something like Bat’s Ears where he would need to stop before he caused damage to himself. He shrugged as he grabbed his satchel and headed out of his shack, off to another day of class.

Something to ask Sparrow about.

---

Class was an interesting experience with the effects of Tome of Memories. Whatever was said felt much clearer, and easier to remember.

Sparrow instructed them all in not only how to lie without giving tells, but how to spot tells in another; the body language, hesitation, and changes in voice that could all indicate nervousness if not lying.

They walked around the classroom, using themselves and ‘volunteers’ (aka students they pointed to then commanded to do things) to demonstrate as they went along, using increasingly outlandish lies for comparison.

“I am a student at the College of Spells.” Theo felt like Sparrow was telling the truth, even though he knew it was false. Even though they were far beyond the age of most students at the College (or at least, Theo presumed – he didn’t know Sparrow’s actual age), it still felt more believable than when Rowena repeated the same phrase.

They’d cautioned the class that even though some things were universal (or at least, common enough in this part of the world), it would change from person to person, depending on cultural and personal factors, so it would be best to learn the normal patterns of a person to spot when they deviated from it.

Which is how Theo found himself staring at Drew as he talked, trying to take in his behaviour and figure out when he was lying and when he wasn’t. Drew had his arm slung around the back of his chair, very casual, only occasionally looking at Theo.

“- my mum used to pick me up and swing me around by the feet, and that’s one of my favourite childhood memories.” Theo nodded, as he cursed Tome of Memories for not helping with picking up every detail.

Drew stayed stone-faced, and didn’t change much as the silence stretched out between them. He stared into his eyes, searching for any small hint of anything.

“So, your dad used to swing you by your feet?” Theo tried to change a small detail, looking to see how Drew would react. There might have been a slight twitch (or it might have been a mild hallucination from staring so hard). Either way, he had no idea what that meant with regards to how Drew was feeling.

“No, I said my mum used to do that. My dad was pretty worried about it, telling her to stop. But I begged her to keep going. It made me feel like I was flying.” Drew’s face softened, and the corners of his mouth threatened to curl upwards for an instant before he schooled it into neutrality once more.

Theo wasn’t under the same constraints, and his mouth grew into a wide grin as he honed in on that. “I think you’re telling the truth.” The game ended, and Drew relaxed his face, leaning back into his chair as he quietly chuckled while observing Theo.

“Not quite. It was mostly true, but mum didn’t pick me up by the feet. She lifted me up by my shoulders until I almost puked. I still wanted her to keep going, but dad made her stop way before then.” Drew had a wistful look on his face, as he rubbed his beard and looked off into the middle distance.

“So that was one of your favourite memories?” Theo ignored the pang he felt at the thought of possibly knowing his parents. That was a box he had shoved in the corner of his heart and sealed as tightly shut as possible, and he wasn’t planning to change that any time soon.

“Yeah, dad said mum spoiled me by letting me do whatever I wanted, and as a kid you don’t get why your dad is a buzzkill, but now I understand it more…” Drew kept talking, but Theo was just trying not to think about parents (he was also thinking about how to tell Drew to stop talking about his, but couldn’t find the words to do so politely).

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Thankfully, Sparrow came to the rescue, almost dancing around the room as they checked in on everyone’s pairs in the exercise.

“Good work on twisting the truth Drew. Keeping things as close to reality helps it from getting too complicated, and also means you can draw on the feelings and emotions you would feel normally instead of having to consider how to weave those into your deception as well.” They patted Drew on the shoulder, winking at Theo in the instant where they whipped their body around in a twirl, taking a quick glance at the whole class.

“Being as close to the truth as possible is easy and reliable. It also means that if people check if you’re lying, either through a truth spell or verifying information, that it can even convince them that you’re correct. This is also why telling the truth while omitting information can be a very powerful form of deception.” Sparrow raised their voice, telling this to the whole class.

“The less deception to keep track of, the less you have to be mindful of, the more energy you can dedicate to making what deception you are engaging in believable.”

A thought struck Theo, as he considered (like a carpenter with a house to build, and a shiny new hammer) how Tome of Memories could help with deception.

“So if you do have the memory for it, you could have complicated lies that work well?” Theo half-asked the question to the air, but he knew Sparrow heard it, even as they waltzed around the room listening to the others.

Sparrow said something inaudible to Rowena, before coming back to them. Drew was also listening intently. “Yes, if you are a competent enough actor to do so. Memory alone will not help you deceive. It will help with spotting deception, but making your own believable is another story.”

“You can even deceive without saying a single lie. If you do become adept at faking your responses, you can even say something completely true and act as if you’re lying and trying to hide it, bluffing and muddying the water. Uncertainty can be more useful than simple misinformation.” Sparrow rambled on, gesturing with their fingers at an imaginary box. They used their hands laid flat to mime out layers and layers of something (like a good lasagne).

“It is difficult to keep track of, but if you become a true master of bluffing, you will know how to use layers and layers of bluffs and counter-bluffs and traps to catch others. So brush up on your acting and you will understand how deception is the greatest challenge for any performer.” And with that, Sparrow shot off again, this time to check in with Jade.

Drew and Theo turned their attention to each other, and prepared to go again. It was Theo’s turn to deceive.

---

Theo hung around after class was over, and went to talk to Sparrow as the rest of his classmates went to lunch. They nodded at Theo, and gestured for him to follow as they walked out of the room, down one of the long corridors, deeper into the College.

“So, something you’re happy to say out loud, or does it need to be a bit more private?” Sparrow asked over their shoulder, not even looking at Theo.

He looked around, hearing the way their words echoed slightly, and the ends of sentences from others conversing in the College.

“Probably should get a bit more privacy.” Sparrow nodded in acknowledgement and continued walking, counting the panels on the walls.

“By the way, I heard from Kevin about de-escalating that fight. Good job. If you’re looking for evidence of leadership potential, that’s one point right there.” They mentioned offhand, and before Theo could process and respond, they had stopped before one section of the wall, and opened up another secret room.

This one was pretty similar to the one in which he met Esther, but not identical (the thought of that didn’t re-assure him enough to stop him from checking the corners of the room for her hulking shadow, however). It was lots of wood, in a dimly lit room without windows, just a table and some chairs and not much else.

Sparrow sat down at the round table in the middle of the room, leaning back in their chair and resting their feet on the edge of the table (making it creak and tilt slightly in response). They gestured for Theo to sit and explain.

He proceeded to do so. “I managed to activate Tome of Memories.” Sparrow’s eyebrows raised in surprise (tinged with hints of disbelief and envy) as they gently rocked their chair back and forth, hands behind their back.

They whistled slowly. “Good job.” Sparrow said, for the second time today. Theo absent-mindedly noted that he was getting used to that.

“I presume that’s not the only reason you asked to have a word?” Theo nodded, pausing. He rolled words around his mouth, trying to find the best way to ask.

“You know how with internal magic like Bat’s Ears, you told me to stop infusing at a certain point, so it didn’t get too sensitive?” Sparrow nodded.

Theo gesticulated with his hands, formulating his next sentence.

“Should that be something I worry about with Tome of Memories?” A smile graced Sparrow’s lips.

“That is a clever question to ask. The general rule of thumb is that whatever caution you take with an internal magic, you are even moreso careful with any that builds upon it. So while I don’t have personal experience using Tome of Memories, yes, like Bat’s Ears you shouldn’t over-infuse it.” Sparrow nodded, as if confirming what they had just said.

“So…when should I stop?” Their brows furrowed at his question, crossing their arms as they entertained a hypothetical. They stopped rocking in their chair.

“Infuse it a little bit, enough that things are sharper, but not much more than that. Trust me, there will be things you will want to forget, and you will want to keep that option open.” There was the weight of experience behind that statement.

Theo thought back to the taste of the beer at The Pub, and silently agreed. Still, something bothered him.

“But…what’s the point if I can’t use it to remember things?” Sparrow considered his point, nodding, right hand resting on their face, fingers tapping on the side.

“I have a feeling the third step is going to be what you need.”