[Alements] Windowpane

Xira and Aoren cross paths at Alements.

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Built into the cliffs overlooking the Suvan Sea, Riverfall resides on the edge of grasslands of Cyphrus where the Bluevein River plunges off the plain and cascades down to the inland sea below. Home of the Akalak, Riverfall is a self-supporting city populated by devoted warriors. [Riverfall Codex]

[Alements] Windowpane

Postby Aoren on April 3rd, 2015, 9:07 pm

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Xira’s reaction to the protection offered by the Shield was entertaining to say the least. Watching the man stare at the window slack jawed brought a chuckle to Aoren’s throat. He folded his arms over his chest waiting for the man to take up his seat. As Xira repeated the thoughts to himself the Drykas man inclined his head. Aoren watched Xira focus. He drew upon his own magic to inspect the courier’s aura carefully that he might be able to offer a critique of sorts. He watched the aura ripple and shift as Xira drew upon his own magic. The ripple appeared almost sluggish as if the piece of himself that Xira was drawing upon did not want to obey the command it was being given. A familiarity ghosted across Aoren’s consciousness as he studied the bit of djed that formed in Xira’s hands. The feel of it was something he knew on an instinctual level, res. Mentally, Aoren made a note of how that bit of information felt to him even as he answered Xira’s question.

A Shield is djed pushed outside of the body. It is not initially given purpose other than to exist as raw djed in the environment. It is in the constructing of your Shield that you task it with a measure of protection. You are essentially just building a wall of djed instilled with the idea that it should stand firm against something that touches it.” While Aoren knew there was more to it than that he was doing his best to convey what he knew in terms Xira might understand. Compared to Reimancy where the binding of elements was almost primal in nature, Shielding took a little more abstract thought.

Something you must remember though is that a Shield must be anchored to something. For instance, if you are going to Shield a window, you build the Shield directly on the window. The same goes for other objects.” Through Xira’s aura, Aoren could perceive tendrils of curiosity mixed with frustration ebbing in and out of balance. It reminded the Drykas man of how much he had initially struggled to grasp some of the more subtle nuances of different magic. Reimancy came to him as easily as breathing. The same still couldn’t be said for several of the disciplines that he practiced but they grew more familiar with time.

Every Shielder can see Shields equal to their own in strength or lesser. However, there are means of seeing Shields even without knowing the magic yourself.” Aoren did not specify the method to which he was referring. He would not lie if he was asked directly but he was necessarily going to offer that information unbidden.

Breathe, Xira. In order to create a Shield, understand their purpose. More specifically, understand the purpose that you would give to them. With your Reimancy, you wield Earth because you understand it. It resonates with you. The same can be said of Shields. Find your means of understanding what a Shield is. I can teach you the principles of what a Shield can do. Only you can find it within yourself to build one.

It was the nature of Personal Magic. The disciplines were referred to as such because they drew upon the djed of the self as opposed to the djed of that which is used to perform the magic. Thus it was up to each individual wizard to determine how they resonated with the discipline in question. For all of them it was different. Aoren looked a little deeper into Xira’s aura. He dug through the layers to watch closely as the man reached for that part of himself that made the most sense.

Think. They are woven to protect. They are put in place to defend. Feel for your djed and stir that understanding into motion. You can cast your Shield in whatever manner makes sense to you. When I initially began creating Shield, I used a paint brush and painted my djed onto objects. As I grew familiar with the discipline I no longer needed to rely on that method.

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[Alements] Windowpane

Postby Xira Hezmek on April 3rd, 2015, 10:36 pm

Xira paused in his conjuring and looked up at Aoren, giving the man his undivided attention. The healer was really good at explaining concepts and teaching the abstract. The courier had the suspicious that Aoren might have had done this before, or something similar. The thought was a comfort. Better to have one bumbling around in the dark rather than two. That would be a disaster; like the blind leading the blind.

He nodded his understanding before turning back to his hands. He now realized where he had gone wrong. He needed an object, something small, to anchor his shield. Assuming that he could get it to form in his hands. "Hrm. Maybe I should try forming a shield around this?" He asked in a sort of half question. He gripped the mug as Aoren continued to explain. Woven djed... or painted... intriguing concepts.

Aoren's next words piqued his interests and he flashed his dark blue eyes at the drykas. "Is that so? Another means? And what would that be?" He asked as his curiosity sharpened and focused on Aoren. Only moments before his curiosity was scattered and mottled with frustration over his consistent failures. "Would that perhaps be another form of magic?" It made sense, he supposed, that there might exist a magic to enhance one's seeing to glimpse the invisible. But the courier obviously could not guess what it would mean to have that ability or what it entailed. It aroused that insatiable hunger for knowledge, in any case.

He waited, and as he waited he worked.

Xira took a moment and closed his eyes. He sought to focus, to still his mind. Magic took great concentration, as he well knew. It took determination and willpower. He sought that inner stone, that rock that was his core and then moved out from there to his limbs. He felt the cup beneath his fingers and started the process that would bring his res out but held himself on the cusp of release. It was an agony to deny one's self like that but Xira did not need res, he needed shielding. He needed to weave his djed and build up a ward to protect his mug. With his eyes closed and stroked the cup, imagining that he was shaping earth or clay in his hands around the cup. In his mind and from behind the darkness of his eyelids he imagined a thin layer of clay, micro segments of interlocking crystals forming around his mug.

Suddenly, he felt a faint trickle of djed release from himself and he opened his eyes. It was only a glimmer, but a tiny patch of his cup shone before his eyes. Excited the courier released the cup too quickly and the cup fell from his hands, bounced off the table and shattered on the flour, dumping its contents all over the wood and carpeted floors.

"Aww... I thought I saw something there. I was so close" He looked up at Aoren with an expression like that of a child who dropped a sweet into the dirt. "I could really feel it." He stood up quickly and went to fetch a means to clean up his mess. "I'll be just a moment. I should really clean this up before we continue."

Xira let his irritation steam off him as he went to the backroom to get something to pick up the pieces and a cloth to clean up his ale. At least he gave Aoren extra to pay for the broken cup, that much wouldn't weigh on his conscience. In a few moments he was back and sweeping up the shards of his mug and mopping up the leftovers of his drink. Still, he had consumed enough of the drink to leave a warm feeling in his belly and a looseness in his mind.

"Alright, where were we?"
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[Alements] Windowpane

Postby Aoren on April 3rd, 2015, 11:28 pm

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Aoren knew exactly the moment when Xira grasped the fundamental concept of Shielding. He felt the familiar stalwart solidarity of a Shield being formed as the man’s djed flowed onto the mug. A smile touched Aoren’s face. He watched carefully the patterns drifting in and out of Xira’s aura. His own concentration was only interrupted when the mug crashed to the floor. The Drykas laughed softly releasing his Auristics.

"Other methods of seeing Shields, yes. It called Auristics. With it one is able to perceive what is called an Aura. An aura contains within it information about the object that it extends from. You can interpret many things with Auristics. Emotions. The way an object is structured. Physical properties. You can even perceive magic both active and residual. It opens up doors in many, many different ways." The Seer closed his eyes remembering when he’d first tackled the discipline of Shielding. He’d had a terribly difficult time with it. To build a Shield was to build something based on the principles of order and protection. Up until that time he had been used to the free flowing nature of Reimancy where everything was almost purely based on how he could emotionally connect with the elements. To be forced to think on crafting Shields in a much more abstract manner had been difficult. That task had been made much simpler when he learned Auristics. His eyes were quite literally opened to new forms of knowledge on a far deeper level than he would have ever known without it. He opened his eyes as Xira returned.

You were more than close, Xira. You made a Shield. A small one. Very small. It was a step in the right direction however.” Aoren stood up from his chair going to another window. As he strode up to it he stirred his djed into motion. Bringing his hands up he pushed his djed outward waving a hand diagonally across the surface of the glass. The djed clung to the window as Aoren expected.

Shields are steady things. They take time. They take patience. Some you can spend days shaping, weaving, poking or prodding just to get the consistency of it right. Others you might drape over an object fully expecting it to deteriorate over time. A Shield is a reflection of what you believe it is worth.” Aoren took his time though he was much more familiar with building Shields at this point in his life. As he spread the djed across the glass he considered what he would task this one with. When the thought hit him he found it a perfect way to display the range of what a Shield could do. He worked for only a few minutes until the thickness and consistency of the Shield was as balanced as he could make it. The Drykas man then turned to Xira. He walked up to him extending a hand.

Forgive me.” With a quick motion, Aoren reached out and plucked a hair from Xira’s head. He gave the man an apologetic smile then returned to his Shield. The Seer extended the strand of hair to the Shield with one hand. The other touched to the djed of the Shield as he began the process of tasking it to specifically block Xira. Slowly the strand of hair was taken into the fold of the Shield’s djed. Aoren carefully directed the streams of power within the construct so that djed present within Xira’s hair was evenly distributed throughout the entire thing. As he worked the hair dissolved in short order until it became part of the Shield itself. When Aoren was finished gestured to the window.

Punch the glass.

Were Xira to step up to the glass, Aoren took up a position directly behind him. He wanted to be able to catch the man in case he went careening backward in his effort to slam his fist into the glass.

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[Alements] Windowpane

Postby Xira Hezmek on April 4th, 2015, 1:29 am

"Auras huh?" Aoren straightened himself up and placed the debris on an empty table. He would dispose of it later, or... he supposed he could attempt to piece it back together by healing it with Reimancy. An interesting experiment that he might have to try later. "So... I take you have that too? That you can see my emotions? Can you read my mind?" He said the last bit in a softer, awed voice that had a trace of fear in it. If a man could read his mind with magic... wizards would become a much scarier group of people indeed.

However, rather than letting his imagination give into fear, Xira smiled at Aoren. It was exciting, already he had gotten a shield. No matter how small it was. He would work at it and make it better, bigger. "Really? So my eyes weren't playing tricks on me?" He then looked at the ruins of his mug, "I wish I hadn't have dropped my ale. Waste of really tasty drink."

Aoren moved on with his explanation. It was a struggle not to let his excitement and pride drown out the serious nature of shielding and the principles behind it. Xira could exercise patience though, rather than shooting on ahead he would consider everything the Healer had to say. There was something philosophical about the idea that a shield could be a reflection of the worth of the object being protected. Perhaps a weak shield might reflect that the shielder simply did not care about their precious object, or person.

His eyes followed the drykas as he slid to another window. Xira really wish he could see the man working on the shield, as it was, Aoren appeared to merely spreading his hands over the glass. The courier knew what he was looking for this time, and the physical technique was not far from how Xira mentally spread his shield over the mug. He strained his eyes as best he could, but the shield remained invisible. If only he knew how to see it like Aoren did.

He was deep in thought when Aoren walked up to Xira, hand outstretched. His expression slowly shifted to confusion when that hand darted out and pulled a strand of hair from his head. The courier jumped and yelped, and then clapped his hand over his head. "Ow. What- why?" He gave Aoren a hurt expression but it was lost on the drykas, his back turned to work on the shield. The courier watched intently as the strand of hair was absorbed into the invisible shield, a slight ripple of color and light revealing its structure.

Then Xira was thrown off kilter when Aoren instructed him to punch the glass.

There is a certain amount of trepidation when all Xira knew about shielding. From Xira's point of view, shielding only seemed to include absorbing things. Sure, only moments ago he was attempting to touch one, but after both his hair and his reimancy got absorbed by shields, he just a bit hesitant to attempt his whole body. However, Aoren was a healer. From what he knew of Rak'keli marked, they could not harm others except in self defence. If this somehow hurt him, that would violate the friendship that Aoren had with the goddess. Sometimes such friendships were intrinsic to a person's being.

But he wasn't going to punch the glass.

Xira walked up to the glass and frowned. He turned to see Aoren behind him and flashed a nervous smile. He then reached forward and tapped the glass. Xira marveled as the shield lit up and his finger lightly bounced off the shield. "Wow, how come I can touch it now?" He turned to Aoren and looked and him quizzicly. "Sorry, I would rather not have something gone horribly wrong. Especially if I went through your shield and hit the glass. I've already broken one thing of Cael's don't need to break another" He chuckled to himself. "But thats amazing, I bet I really could punch it" He lightly tapped his fist against the shield, marvelling at the way it bounced off.

"How'd you do this? What else can shielding do? Could I try again?" He said all in a rush, the events thus far making him excitable.
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[Alements] Windowpane

Postby Aoren on April 4th, 2015, 5:03 am

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Aoren waited to answer Xira’s questions. He felt bad about having caused the other man pain but it was necessary for the lesson he wanted to impart to him. He watched as the courier tapped the Shield. It wasn’t the full force that Aoren had instructed but it got the point across. He folded his arms over his chest nodding his approval then answered the questions that had been posed to him.

I do possess Auristics. Yes, I can read your emotions and a few other things. No, I cannot read your mind. Yet.” He gave Xira a wink and a smile. Everything Aoren knew about Auristics told him that mind reading was not something the magic could actually perform. Rumors during his time at the University however suggested that Professor Stonemiller, a powerful Aurist, seemed to be able to just by looking at a person. Aoren wasn’t sure if that was a result of the man’s known prowess with Auristics or as a result of other gifts.

Earlier you did indeed create a Shield. It was small. It was perhaps the most rudimentary form but I recognize the magic. It was similar to mine when I was first exploring the depths of Shielding.” He stepped past Xira eyeing the Shield that he had created. He found Xira’s enthusiasm refreshing. At the same time however, if that enthusiasm weren’t tempered with a bit of wisdom it could become something volatile and dangerous. Magic was a magnificent tool that could be used to accomplish many good things. If one dove into it recklessly though, it became something terrible.

I apologize for plucking the hair from your head. I needed it in order to properly task this Shield to demonstrate what they could do.” He cleared his throat considering his words before he continued.

The Shield has been tasked to block the djed specific to you. That is to say, unless you possess strength and skill greater than the Shields I can create, you will never be able to cross beyond it. So long as the Shield has the djed it needs to sustain itself it will stand firm for a very long time.” Just how long, Aoren couldn’t say. In theory the Shield could stand for an eternity if it were tasked properly. He was not so adept a Shielder to make that completely possible however. With time though, Aoren intended to accomplish a great deal.

Something you should remember, a Shield will never hurt you or anyone it is tasked to block. It is simply not part of them. They are passive things but resolute things as well, if you can understand that.” He touched a hand to the Shield, shifting its structure with an exertion of his will. Aoren focused. He furrowed his brow searching for the strands of Xira’s djed. With a steady breath the Drykas man took hold of that particular stream of power. He reached for it pinching it between his fingers. Much like plucking a loose string from the hem of his shirt, Aoren drew the weave of Xira’s djed that he had added to the Shield, out of it. The whole construct glowed softly before Aoren finished pulling the strand of djed out.

Aoren released the strand watching it dissolve into the air for a few moments.

By using your hair, a piece of you and thus an extension of your djed, I threaded it together with the strands of power that exist within the Shield. By focusing my will and intent upon blocking the djed signature of that which is added to the Shield, it can block you. Conversely, the Shield could be tasked to allow only that specific djed signature to pass through it. It is all dependent upon the purpose you give the Shield.” Still touching the Shield, Aoren instilled within it the concept of absorbing simple djed for the time being. He dropped his hand then returned to his seat.

The range of things that you can achieve with your Shields are limited to your imagination, really. Though, you won’t find much success in more complex structures as an Initiate.” Leaning back in the chair he studied Xira for a moment before nodding.

If you feel that you are focused enough to give it another shot, I don’t see why you couldn’t try again.

.
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[Alements] Windowpane

Postby Xira Hezmek on April 10th, 2015, 9:23 pm

"Sure, I am up for giving it another go." With any luck Xira's next attempt will yield better results. It helped that Aoren was a good teacher. The concepts were difficult, yes, and it was clear that Aoren did have trouble explaining some of them succinctly, but Xira was quickly picking the bits of knowledge up. Xira would certainly have trouble translating the abstract and intangible concepts of the magic to an uninitiated himself, it was a wonder that Aoren did so well in the first place. The matter was applying the knowledge to skill.

"So what should I shield next...Oh! I know." He looked up at Aoren as he drew a trickle of res from his hands and molded the substance like clay. He had to be careful, he was getting close to overgiving. Oh, there is a subject. "How does overgiving work for Shielding?" He asked as he made a small bowl out of res and converted it, perhaps with a bit more confidence, to a bit of stone that looked like it might have been rough granite. This is what he would shield, rather than risk breaking mugs.

As Aoren talked, if he talked, Xira began to concentrate. He reached down like before for his core, that stone steadiness. He followed the success from before by drawing his djed with a more conscious effort to his hands. The courier knew that it did not need to be his hands, but it was what he was most used to. He then focused on the qualities he desired. Protection, steadfastness, a stalwart guardian.

Like before a trickle of djed slide from him. It was not res, but something... different. The idea excited Xira. He was getting more control over his essence, his djed. But the substance stopped the moment he became aware of it. Always something to go wrong. He opened his eyes and looked down. Before him his small cup's rim shimmered a rough violet, presumably his shield. Now he just had to expand the patch to cover the bowl. Xira looked up at Aoren with a smile as pride welled up in his breast. "Well, it's a start" he gave a small laugh and tried to add more. "Just can't seem to get it to flow steadily... like Res would. It is like Res wants to come out, but shielding takes more effort. "

He willed the djed back to his palms and tried to work without blocking out all distractions, but he still had to draw on that inner calmness. He imagined in his hands he was coating his bowl in a thin layer of clay, or rubbing sand into places to shine and smooth the stone into that violet glimmer along the rim. Using his thumb, he pushed more djed onto the bowl, segment by segment in small circles. It was exhausting work and he could not imagine how Aoren managed it. It took long minutes the work was completed and the bowl was covered in his very first shield. The shield itself was... not pretty. Its was lumpy and seemed thicker in some portions. Not unlike a child's attempt (or an unskilled courier's) at pottery. Certainly something only a mother would cherish.

"So... how would I start tasking my shield? What can I do with it, even if I just started?" He peered over at Aoren before offering up his shielded bowl. "I get that the bowl is protected, but I can't imagine from what. Is there a sort of... default? Or is that determined by something I can't control, like reimancy? What about how long mine will last? Do you know?"

He turned his head to the window and considered, "Could you task those window shields so that they both absorb magic and only allow specific people in? Like in reverse what you did with my hair." The courier had not forgotten what Aoren was attempting to do for Caelum, though the task was momentarily forgotten.
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Postby Aoren on April 18th, 2015, 10:55 pm

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Overgiving is a difficult thing to reach when it comes to Shielding. The magic itself is very passive in nature once invoked. When it comes to Shielding, you simply run out of djed to cast your Shield. If you push yourself beyond that it is because you do so knowingly and are thus pushing yourself intentionally into overgiving.” As Xira worked, Aoren pushed his senses outward that he might perceive the information beyond what was perceptible through just mundane means. He synchronized his own aura with that of Xira’s and the aura of the stone he worked with. He studied the layering of the bowl that Xira crafted sifting through the layers that the novice reimancer built. Earth wasn’t particularly new to Aoren’s repertoire of elements but he had not used it as often as the others he commanded. To see another reimancer use it helped his understanding of more ways he could apply the magic on his own.

His attention then turned to Xira and the shifting of the courier’s aura as the budding Shielder grasped the fundamentals of how to direct his djed properly. Aoren was glad for the opportunity to study another mage’s aura so intently. Not often did the chance arise nor so openly. Now that he thought about it, the truth of the matter was that Aoren had not encountered many mages in his life. There were one or two here and there but outside of his formal education they were few and far between. When Xira finished building the rudimentary Shield over the mouth of his stone bowl, Aoren nodded. Before he answered, he leaned in closer examining the newly created Shield with his auristics. The construct was weak but that was to be expected. The layering was off with a consistency that was, to be frank, all over the place.

It most certainly is a start.” A chuckle bubbled up out of his throat as he released his hold on Auristics.

To task a Shield you merely instill in it the idea of what it should protect against. Starting out, it really won’t be able to do much. The basic tasks are mostly sensory. You can weave a Shield that is tasked to block sound, or stop light from passing through, perhaps a particular smell or at its most basic level just block the raw djed of other magic.” He gestured to Xira’s Shield.

Initiate level Shields might last a few minutes at most. Mine certainly didn’t last very long to begin with. The more you work on layering the Shield properly, weaving the djed together so that it lays more evenly, the longer it will last. When the djed is lopsided or spread too thin or rests too heavily in one area, that causes it to be unbalanced and it will deteriorate rapidly.” He turned to regard the Shields that he’d constructed over the windows. Reaching up he grasped hold of one of his own strands of hair plucking it from his head with little more than a slight wince. He stepped up to one of the Shields extending the strand.

Carefully he pushed the hair into the djed of the Shield watching as the tendrils of power that rippled throughout its structure latched onto it. Grabbing a hold of his own djed, Aoren pushed some of it into the fabric of the existing Shield. With it he instilled the notion of only allowing the individual with the offered djed signature to pass through. Essentially, he tasked the Shield with only allow him to get through the protective barrier over the glass. When he was finished he gestured to the window.

I just tasked this Shield to allow only myself to pass through it. Go ahead, give it a try.

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Postby Xira Hezmek on April 22nd, 2015, 1:59 am

Xira nodded to Aoren's instruction, considering of them each in turn. He looked at his own shield, and tried pushing the top layer to get it just a bit more even but it was useless. He simply didn't have the eye of craftsmanship or the skill involved to make it what he imagined strong and elegant. But... he could instill it with the means to block out his magic. He gripped the bowl with his hands, his thumbs stroking the surface of the shield as he closed his eyes and focused. This time was a bit different, rather than drawing on the inner source of his magic, he was working with an existing essence. Independent. He attempted to push a fear of magic into it, a solitary notion of protecting from the goods and evils that magic could accomplish. In that darkness he could feel his shield shiver, almost break apart from the instilling of task.

Now he would need to try it out. He formed a bead of res and using a verbal and a somatic gesture he converted it to stone. As Aoren worked on his own shield, dropped the pebble, the marble, onto his shield and marveled as the stone rested on nothing. It lay suspended by his shield. To an outsider he knew it would be a neat trick of magic, though he could see his own shield clearly. When his shield would dissipate, the stone would drop into the bowl.

He smiled to himself, perhaps a bit smugly at his own cleverness as he watched Aoren finish up with his shield. He settled his bowl down on the table and peered up at the rippling shield, the last bits of activity dying away as Aoren turned and offered a chance to try it out. "I imagine that would be pretty handy for security, since that is the whole point, right?"

The courier stood up and strode to the window, eager to attempt another experiment with his friend. Despite the aches and pains of the day, this chance to play around with a safe magic that could do real good was invigorating. Not to mention he was learning so much from Aoren, it sort of reminded him of Temur. If the Temur he knew was kind and thoughtful, and not the grumpy man he was when Xira last had seen him.

However, a simple demonstration was not in the cards for that day.

Xira's foot got tangled with one of the nearby chairs. He tripped. He stumbled. He took a few steps and slammed into the shield that was keyed solely to Aoren which caused him to ricochet off the space and backwards... straight into the drykas himself. The first thing he noticed when he found himself pressed against Aoren was his scent. It was clean, masculine and smelled of horses. It was a warm spring day, of hay and of grain. Xira blushed heavily and tried to extricate himself, but his feet were tied up and he was having trouble standing. "Uh... uh..."

A plink from the nearby table signified that his shield had dissipated.

Joy.
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Postby Aoren on May 9th, 2015, 7:08 pm

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Aoren moved to assist Xira as soon as he saw him trip over his own two feet. Before he could reach the man however the courier had landed straight against the Shield and bounced straight into his arms. Aoren caught Xira staring down at him with a slight smirk. He met Xira’s blue gaze for a moment studying intently. With a strong arm he helped Xira back into a standing position giving him a pat on the chest. He squeezed the courier’s shoulder before gently but firmly ushering him back to a seat.

We should work on your balance some time. We can’t really have you flinging around stones and shaking the earth with such unsure footing.” A chuckle made its way out of Aoren’s throat before he returned to his own seat.

So tell me, Xira, what is it that drives you? What is it that draws you to magic?” Aoren could recall the first days that he was sitting down with Leoshan. He remembered how terrifying the old man had been. Grouchy and hardly in the mood to be a teacher, he was nevertheless a good one. The lessons that the old man had to teach were ones that stuck with him the whole of his life. They were things that he took to heart even as he sat down sharing a drink and small demonstrations with Xira.

I can remember when I was first brought into the fold of magic with my mentor. He was more of a father to me than a teacher if I'm being honest. He asked me a single question, a question that I ask myself often.” He folded his arms over his chest regarding his fellow Syliras carefully.

With the gift that I give you, how many lives will be made better by it?” Aoren’s stare was a serious one. He pulled at the strings of his djed examining the depths of Xira’s aura once more. If he was going to understand his friend he wanted to gauge his answers as best he could. What better way than to see the truth of his words hidden beneath the façade of the mundane? Aoren had to admit that unraveling the powers of Auristics was a wise endeavor that Leoshan would have approved of. He only wish that he could share his achievements with the old man.

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Aoren
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[Alements] Windowpane

Postby Xira Hezmek on May 13th, 2015, 8:18 am

The courier sort of withdrew into himself. His olive features turned a bright red color. His blue eyes met Aoren's and he sort of lost himself as the Healer settled himself on his feet. He shivered as complex feelings, feelings he had thus far only felt for Caelum, coursed through him. "Th..thank you Aoren. I swear I am not usually so clumsy." He stared down at his booted feet before looking up to Aoren, who offered the courier a seat.

He let out a puff of air as he returned to his now mostly empty mug. He sheepishly gave a sip of it, letting its bitter flavor wash down the embarrassment. "Ah, truthfully. I don't exactly understand the desire. When Kavala showed me what it could do, inducted me into it even, I found myself craving it like nothing before. Some crave food, or fine wines, clothing or status. I find myself drawn to magic." He turned his mind's eye inwardly as he spoke, focusing on his cup in a rather indistinct manner. By all means, he should fear it, like most sane people. Perhaps Xira wasn't completely sane. After all, he had been using magic now for nearly a year. He was given a great supernatural power, and that forces you to change. Messes with the mind.

"I guess I just need to know. I don't know who would look more favorably on it, Akajia or Eyris. And magic is a great secret that... I don't know, fuels me." He looked up at Aoren. "That sounds entirely self absorbed, I know. But it's the truth."

He nodded slowly his understanding to Aoren as he related his relation with his mentor, his own mentor flashing to mind briefly. That core of stone, his central being and inner self was struck then. It was like a flash of lightning hitting a vein of iron or copper and it wormed its way through his core. "How many lives will be made better with it." He looked up at the man again, his eyes had gotten indistinct and focused on his reimancy bowl again. "I..." He choked up as his self discipline slipped.

The courier had to simply stop for a moment. He placed both hands on the table and breathed out deeply. He had nearly let that tempest of emotions taken over. His deep rooted sadness and senseless anger and flared up. All remnants of all the things he lost and the loneliness thereafter from his times in Syliras. He had left that. He had started afresh in riverfall. His eyes had misted up for a moment as he drew those feelings back into the stone embrace of his core, cemented into discipline as veins of precious metals. "I... am going to use this to protect those that I love and care for" He thought of Kavala and her children, his friends at the Sanctuary, Caelum. All whom he cared for in various degrees and ways.

"I think I will take a break from practicing magic. Thank you Aoren, for teaching me about Shielding. It is an amazing trick, makes using magic that much more safe."

He gave Aore a smile. "You are a good friend." And he meant it.
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Xira Hezmek
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