What breaks and what does not? (flashback)

[Sam Leaie]

25 Spring 507

Another magic was forced upon him it felt like. This time Shielding and on top of it all he had to focus his thoughts more and more before he could even touch it. He was too unstable otherwise and had to focus long before he could use it but it felt like a pointless magic to him as he was still having a hard time with his Earth Reimancy.

He found himself in the clearing once more. Alone like always. Maybe he liked the fact he was alone or maybe he was just trying to fool himself as he sat on the hard ground. Meditation did not come easy for him. It felt like it never would with his thoughts everywhere but he had to focus first before he could do what he wanted.

His task for the day was really a task for the next few days. First was to use his Earth Reimancy to form sorta a three wall box, without a lid. That could either take a day or more depending how much Res he would have to use. Then he would use shielding to form a barrier to block out the sunlight on the top making a place for him to rest.

Really it sounded pointless but it gave him something to work on and that goal would help him keep moving forward with other goals. Maybe Shielding would be able to pay off or maybe not but at least for now he was going to try and learn more of it.

With each thought that came into his head, he pictured himself picking it up and placing it in a hole for later use. His breathing slowly moved into a steady pace, in and out. In from the mouth and pushing out with his nose. Slowly, ever so slowly he pushed back his fears, hopes, dreams even the sounds around him. Everything until he felt only himself.

The res came slightly easier as he took focus upon the single task at hand. The mist leaving his mouth forming into a solid upon the ground, a foot away from him. He molded it and played with it with his will and thoughts as it moved a bit under the ground. The soild Res was two inches thick, and six inches long.

Due to he did not have to move it he turned it into stone both the inside and outside at once. In a flash of his eyes once more the tinted Res turned into the grey stone. How long did he have to do this until he could do it without getting tired? That question came to mind as he kept sitting in place letting the wave pass him by.

How long could he really keep this up? How long before someone found him? What would the Ebonstryfe do if they caught him? Did they already know and were just watching him? Waiting for him to make a mistake? Sad thing was he made a few if he thought about it. The stones out of place, the pile of sand, the damaged tree. All signs of a new Reimancer that had the earth element.

He did not know what would happen. Odds are he would have turned in his Aunt for she forced it upon himself and he was just trying to have a handle over it. Yet was that the real reason he was out here doing this? No, a part of him wanted power. Wanted the power it took to do whatever he wanted and that alone made him a danger in the end. For now he just had to hope for the best.

[Sam Leaie]

So for now he just closed his eyes once more, letting both his mind and body rest and taking more then enough time to regain his energy. Breathing in from his mouth, out though his nose. His mind coming to a still once more. No worries, no fears and no stress. Or at least that was his goal but his mind still plagued him with worries and fears which brought more stress to his mind.

He was just a teenager. Would they know him in the prison? Torture him? Kill him? Force him out of the city? Put him in a deep dark hole forever? His fears just kept growing and growing inside his head as his breathing was faster with each thought passing over.

What could he do? What should he do? Did he stay and do this on his own? Or did he turn himself in? No he could not do that. He did not want to be a wizard truly, just learn this power so he could live without fear. He wanted to be a cook and be known in the city for that. He was just out here doing this so he would not blow it by making a mistake if his emotions got the better of him.

Was that really true however? He was not sure. He was not sure what was true anymore with him or the world around him. He should just leave and forget about this madness. Magic never brought anything good. It was just common understanding that no magic was good. He just had to forget about it.

He moved to his feet at last. Shaking the thoughts out of his head as he turned leaving towards the city. With that he was done. Something just broke inside him or maybe he was broken to start with. He could not do this. He was alone and sacred. Magic just was a curse and not to be used.

He had his whole life to worry about. He could not let a random Aunt he did not even know ruin it for him. He missed his cozy home with his parents but he knew they were not coming back. He had to start making his own choices and one of them had to be to forget about this pipe dream of using magic.

[Sam Leaie]

Sam found himself laying on his bed. The room around him was dark, the sun was long gone from the day. He could not sleep it would seem as he laid alone in his bed. The room he was in was just bare and small. Just enough room for the bed and a small chest that held his items and clothing.

It was nothing special but it was his home for now. A place off the streets as his Aunt called it. Really she could just leave him alone he felt as he moved up and off the bed, his bare feet touching the hard cold ground. He made his way to his small chest, shuffling the items around before picking out a leather bound book and with that he made his way out of his room until a dining room setting.

He really did not want to be out but he wanted the light from the candles that were lit around the table. The book was given to him by his father, it was a cookbook that held different recipes that would help him with his cooking life. Once he read it however he would have to look for other types of books that dealt with cooking.

With a quick search around the room he found a quill, ink and a small blank notebook. He knew his Aunt would make him re pay for it for using it but a few coins would be fine as he started taking notes.

It would be a long night but he would at least get as much as he could done from this book. First page it was as he started. Maybe he could learn more then just doing it.

[Sam Leaie]

Tools of the trade

He knew the tools he used. Knives, spoons and such but he was going to copy it anyway.

• Knives come in many forms and sizes. Metal would be the most desirable. However stone could be considered a knife as long as it can cut.
  
• Edges of knives -
  
  
• Serrated blade, Saw like teeth along the edge of the knife. Saw like movement can cut into breads or thick meats.
  
  
• Smooth - Used for slicing and dicing.
  

Just a few lines in and he was bored. He learned all this over and over when he was learning but he at first wanted to make sure he knew. He knew. With that he waited for the ink to dry before he turned the page over in the cookbook showing rather simple starting recipes.

He would take the time to read theses more in detail and write them out so he would understand them and see if he could either improve them down the road or alter them to suit his or someone else's tastes.

Tomato Sauce


• 2 bay leaves
• 8 black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 5 cups of water
  
• 3 tablespoons of oils
• 10 tomatoes
  
  Heat oil in pot.
  Chop Tomatoes and add in pot with the jucies
  Add spices
  Cook until boil
  Remove dried spices or keep
  Makes for 10
  
  
  
  

It was a rather simple recipe. The only thing starting cook would have a hard time would be the spices but they could ask for that by name at any shop. The sauce could be made for a lot of different foods so he would have to keep this in mind as he let the ink dry again before going on. He would copy a few different ones before calling it a night it would seem.

[Sam Leaie]

Skinless Sausages


• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 3/4 tsp ginger
• beef broth
  
  Mix beef, eggs, and spices. Make meatballs and cook in beef broth for about 6-8 minutes.

Sam kept writing down the recipes from the book so he understood them more. It was rather slow work and his writing was still rather sloppy as he never did much with writing. Really he could not understand how people made a living off of writing and copying but he just kept at it.

Beef Stew

1 lb. beef, cut into small pieces
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 cup water
2 cups red wine
1 Tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. hyssop
2 tsp. salt
3 slices bread
1 1/2 cups broth
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. mace
1/2 tsp. red sandalwood
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup currants
Place beef, onion, 1 cup water, wine, parsley, hyssop, and salt into a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer.
Meanwhile, tear bread into large pieces and place in a bowl with broth. Let the bread soak for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, and strain into pot, discarding the solids. Cover and let simmer for one hour.
Measure out cinnamon, cloves, mace, and sandalwood into a small bowl. Stir in vinegar a little at a time to prevent clumping. Add spices to pot along with currants, stir, and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.

[frametrans]

Fine Spice

1 oz peppercorns
1 oz cinnamon
1 oz ginger
1/8 oz cloves
1/4 oz saffron
Grind all spices together and store in an airtight container in a dry, dark area.

[/frametrans]

Sam just had to pause as he wrote down the fine spice notes. The book did not talk about it in detail other then it was travel safe and could have been used in any food. However he did like the idea of having a spice powder on hand for foods and not spending a lot of time working on it.

His hand felt sore as he put down the quill. His mind more tired than before as he closed his eyes letting them rest. This was enough as he packed the items yet before he went to sleep he made sure to leave a gold coin on the table to keep the book.

[Sam Leaie]

Next day

Sam found himself on the lakeshore as the day turned into night. He lost track of time on how long he stood just watching the small waves move forward and back. He did not know what to do as he let himself lose more time as he held his right hand, the palm facing the sky.

The res came faster and more easier this time as a small ball was formed with just his will and thoughts. The outer shell became stone was more as he threw it into the lake letting the rest take shape and come to life as the newfound magical stone formed fully before splashing into the lake.

How many balls could he do? That question came more to mind as he kept his hand upright as another small ball formed and once more he threw it into the lake again letting another splash fill his ears as his eyes saw the waves from the rock.

He felt more tired after each one but the tiredness was becoming less or maybe it was just more normal to him as he did not move. Just standing and watching his work. This was magic. Small magic but magic nonetheless.

He still had many fears about what would take place if he was caught but for now he knew he could only take one day at a time and focus on. Maybe down the road things would change but for now he had to live his own life. For now that meant understanding both his cooking ideas and now his magical powers.

He would take a class but he both lacked the money and status in the city to go to the school even if he heard rumours that the school offered magical training in different areas. Maybe one day he would be able to enter it on his terms but for now he was on his own. He did not trust the last person of his known family for this since she forced it on him.

The res came faster as he put more thought behind it but it still felt too slow for fighting as he focused his mind on the task. The ball was slightly bigger as he molded the res into spikes on the outside as they took life in form of grey stone before he threw it again as the insides turned to stone once more as an slightly larger splash took place due to the effect of the rock.

How could this power be used in a fight? He would have to speed up the time to form the res. He never did any fighting himself but he saw the fights in the pits. He knew that it was a matter of chimes to make up your mind and react.

If he could form the res that fast then maybe he could use the stones power to hurt someone. Spikes would cut deeper and could punch past armour or at least that was the idea. He was not sure but one day he would have to find out for good or bad.

[Persona]

Thread Award! Sam Leaie: Skills: Meditation +2 Reimancy +2 Writing +1 Lores: Magic is Exhausting Paranoia: Do They Know What I Am? No Magic Is Good...Right? Cooking Tools: Knives Cooking Recipe: Tomato Sauce Cooking Recipe: Skinless Sausages Cooking Recipe: Beef Stew Cooking Recipe: Fine Spice Reimancy: Conjuring Stone Potential Combat Uses of Reimancy Notes: Heh. Poor paranoid mage. I look forward to seeing you actually cook some of those recipes Also, please remember to keep your thread list in your CS up-to-date.