Nico

After the Alexandrian Society orientation, the candidates are given 24 hours to decide whether to accept the invitation. Nico walks home to his roommates, who are introduced as Gideon, a narcoleptic magical being who can walk through dreams, and Maximilian, a shapeshifter who can turn into a black Labrador Retriever. Nico tells them that he has been offered a new position, but he does not elaborate since he was sworn to secrecy. We also learn that Nico and Gideon are best friends, and Nico has been secretly protecting Gideon from his criminal mother Eilif and plans to use the Society’s archives to secure his safety.

Tristan

Tristan insists on speaking with Atlas after Dalton’s presentation because he wants to know why he was selected. He believes that his talent, although rare, does not match that of the others. Atlas responds that Tristan may not know what he is capable of. He demonstrates this by having Tristan describe the details he notices in a painting, proving that the latter’s power of deduction combined with his ability to see through magical illusions is extremely valuable.

Parisa

Parisa follows Dalton to glean information about his role in the Society (incidentally, we also learn that the building is slightly sentient).