Seer to Seer (Estrellir, please)

[Thomas Cosa]

Spring 516 AV

Rarely was Thomas ever in a good mood.

Today was an exception. Lhavit was beginning to familiar, life was getting easier -- no wonder the mages here all seemed smiled and laughter. To them, the rich and magical, life was a game to be enjoyed, not a sentence to be suffered. This life was their reward, a lush present from Lhex where they could be pampered and play to their heart's content. Thomas was only just beginning to make his way their, but for once in a long while, he was positive about something.

Perhaps Lhavit could be a home. Alses hadn't seemed hindered by this society, so why should he?

He was smiling as he came into the classroom, readying his notes. Apparently he was to be doing an introduction into Auristics today, something he'd only attempted a few number of times. It hadn't been horrible in the past, but he tired of watching his students struggle to achieve any kind of sight-spark. Today, he would be trying something different.

[Estrellir Konrath]

Lhavit was strange.

It seemed foolish to offer classes in magic to anyone who had the money and wit to take them. Estrellir suspected that the three families Twilight, Dawn and Dusk were something like nobility, although they didn’t seem to rule. Maybe they were merchants instead. Kenashian Dynasties were that too, after all. Yet to train in magic or even acquire knowledge of it, a Dynast had to find a mentor and then convince them to teach. Magic users were few and often eccentric Freeborn who enjoyed dangling their rare skills and knowledge in front of the Dynasty brat’s nose, laughing and taunting them. In Zeltiva, students who expressed interest in magic were required to pass a mental examination before being allowed to study the most harmless aspects of it.

In Lhavit, however, beautiful glowing Lhavit, people seemed to have a different sense of self-preservation. Once Estrellir got used to that, she intended to learn as much as she could. After careful consideration and weighing options, she had decided on the type of magic too.

So the Konti walked into the classroom with confident and purposeful strides, dressed in clean, yet slightly worn tunic and pants. Sitting down in front of the podium, she swept back her short mop of ivory locks. As the teacher didn’t seem to have arrived yet, she straightened and tried to ready herself for the lesson by taking long, deep breaths and looking at nothing in particular. Webbed hands were clasped in front of her, opalescent Seer’s Lily gleaming at the back of her left, as she attempted to find that hidden core of silence within herself.

When someone walked in, Estrellir immediately rose to her feet – partly out of respect, partly due to that tingling feeling every Konti knew all too well. The other person wasn’t a Konti or even a woman though, but a young man, slim, pale, with coal hair and eyes. Still, she sensed Avalis’ blessing on him as surely as the sky was blue.

Anyway, he seemed friendly enough. As she didn’t know what to make of that knowledge yet, she decided not to mention it, although her own gnosis mark was plainly visible on the back of her hand. “Good day and well met. I’m Estrellir Konrath. I take it you’re the teacher?” It still felt strange to speak her own name, knowing that it meant nothing in those regions, nevertheless she extended a hand in the usual greeting.

[Thomas Cosa]

It was like home, the floral warmth that enveloped him. Thomas' gnosis hadn't touched him like this in years, immediately he recalled his lazy days in Mura, before Sahova, before he was touched by paranoia and fear. He once wanted to help people, guide them as Avalis asked some of her chosen. He'd wanted nothing more to be picked for something greater, to be sent away to find a home that would welcome him; he'd been impatient, and instead of trusting his goddess, he'd believed his gut, and inspired a series of happenstance that left him alone, cruel, and cold.

Thomas hadn't hoped for a friend in years. Not in Sahova, not in Riverfall, and not in Kalinor. The sudden appearance of hope burned away at his frosted exterior, a light chasing away all of paranoia's shadow. His magic, encouraged by instinct and practiced, reached for the stranger, pouncing as the door opened, only to be dismissed immediately; Thomas wouldn't have his first meeting with another Seer marred by mistrust or magic. Friendships could not be born from either, he'd long since decided.

It was a shame then, that he would be their magic teacher.

"I will be your Auristics teacher this season," his lips twitching long unused smiles, lips curling upwards in a smile. "I am pleased to meet another lily-blessed," he waved his marked hand, the charcoal lily glimmered in a knowing warmth. She was a Konti, which was hardly surprising. His gnosis told him she was his equal in Avalis' eyes, but nothing of the gift her people shared; he wondered how else Avalis had blessed her? His magic itched to know, his nature always curious, but Thomas was in command, he was the a mage who dictated his magic, not vice versa. "My name is Thomas Cosa, and I will be your guide into Auristics, a most enlightening discipline, if used correctly." He would watch her for a reaction, but only through his eyes. He could at least abstain from spells now.

"If you would, please tell me what you know about this magic? We will, of course, need to prepare you for the introduction, but that might take weeks or hours, depending on your will."

[Estrellir Konrath]

Violet eyes followed his hand as he waved it, his gnosis mark a little darker and less colorful than hers. It was even more of a coincidence that they shared the mark and its location on their respective bodies. Estrellir couldn’t help but wonder if Avalis was trying to tell her something, calling her to focus. Avalis was like a divine mother to the Konti, so she had often taken Her gifts for granted, but here stood someone who had earned them. An auspicious meeting!

If nothing else, it certainly meant that her magical studies were blessed and that reassured her. “I’ll do my best then, Mr. Cosa.” The corners of her mouth twitched, much like his, but a tick later, her features were composed into a neutral, slightly attentive mask once more. “Not much, to be honest. Where I hail from, magic was regarded as dangerous and obscure. Nevertheless, I know an Aurist gains a second sight, so to speak, so if they look at someone, they see more than others. Moods, feelings and even thoughts, to a certain extent? If they look at objects, they can tell a lot about their properties. They can detect magic.”

She hesitated, thinking through what she had learned over the years, before punctuating her answer with a little nod. In a city like Lhavit, she was bound to come across as clueless, even ignorant, but after all, she’d only just arrived. Lhavitians seemed to value a thirst for knowledge above most, if not all, so she expected to be treated decently at least. Again and again, she had to remind herself that people weren’t playing games of power, intrigue and secrets like they did in Kenash.

As the lesson seemed to have started, Estrellir sank into her chair once again and folded her hands on the table. Unlike the typical student, she hadn’t brought anything to take notes with, trusting her trained memory instead. “If you don’t mind me asking, prepare me how? I’m extremely willing, as you will notice soon. I’ve been looking for an opportunity like this for a long time.” Pausing, she ran a webbed hand through her hair again. “I have some experience with meditation too, if that helps.”

[Thomas Cosa]

Thomas nodded along, carefully adding a view affirmations, a casual 'yes' and 'mmmh' as she spoke, signaling she had his attentions. He wondered the chances of meeting another marked here, so far away from Mura. Avalis, he'd always known, was careful with her marks outside of the Konti race, so he was always surprised when he ran into another outside the White Island. Auspicious, indeed. He wondered if this was Her was of showing him that perhaps teaching magic wasn't as ridiculous as he thought.

"Unfortuantely, Estrellir, magic is dangerous, but like anything, can become a safe and well meaning ally when practiced with an education," Thomas offered her another smile, "It is hard to move past one's own raising, and distrust of magic is something many people, regardless of culture, seem to share. I applaud your choice to seek out an education instead of playing sheep to the world around us," he said, remembering full well his first steps into magic. His family, his father especially, had been against it, eventually forcing Thomas to out of the house to seek acceptance. Eventually landing him in Sahova, he blamed his father for this more than anyone. He promised to make sure Estrellir would find nothing beside tolerance and a willing teacher inside his classroom. No need to push another Seer into the cold darkness that was the Citadel.

"While meditation will help you, I still expect the initiation to last a week or two, although I have been surprised before," he shrugged, opening on of the top drawers, revealing a small pebble. "This will be your companion until your magic wakes, and even after. I'm sure you will come to hate it, but you will come to know this pebble better than yourself by the end of the season," he said, offering her the simple grey stone. "Initiation into this magic is tedious, but rewarding. Auristics, you'll find, will show you the world around you as it really is. If you become well practiced, hardly anyone will be able to fool you, and nothing you want to know will escape your power," Thomas smiled, offering her a seat beside him. They would talk as equals, as they should, both loved by the same goddess.

"Initiation will go as thus: you will mediated on this pebble until you can touch it, understand every part of makes this pebble this particular pebble, without actively touching. Which, I know, sounds confusing, but you'll understand in no time, I promise you," he offered her this happily, certain that she would grasp his teaching easily and quickly. Kontis, he'd found, were a especially intelligent race. Those marked by Avalis, even more so. "I would like to discuss some theory before we begin the initiation, but we can, if you'd like, to start the initiation process immediately? Whichever you prefer."

[Estrellir Konrath]

Nodding along, Estrellir briefly thought of the stories she’d heard of magic. Despite their mistrust towards all disciplines, if there was one that Dynasts were interested in, it had to be Hypnotism. At the same time, it was a terrible thing to suspect someone of hypnotizing others as you could never tell whether they used actual magic or simply their (comparatively harmless) rhetoric skill.

Mages were rumored to be eccentric and scatterbrained at best, violent and uncontrollable at worst, yet the one sitting in front of her seemed extraordinarily friendly, almost cheerful. Strange. Then again, surely the towers didn’t accept just anyone into their ranks. His remark about seeking knowledge struck her as odd too. Possibly he had come from a place or known people that shied away from such education. He also didn’t seem interested in her motives at all, instead he applauded her for seeking that which others feared. Estrellir, however, was used to operating on the fringes of society, in the shadows between law and crime.

The Konti was observing him closely, partly out of habit, partly because any and all knowledge gleaned would help her through his course. To understand and follow instructions more easily.

She frowned at the pebble, but accepted it carefully. “Charming.” Rolling it between her fingers, Estrellir inspected it from all sides, felt its texture and weight. Tiny grains of dust powdered her fingertips. As far as she could see, it was a perfectly ordinary pebble. As Thomas continued, her focus shifted back and this time his words ignited a spark. She nodded sharply. “That is exactly what I want.”

Then he invited her to sit with him which Estrellir accepted with a faint smile. Looking back at the pebble, she gave a thoughtful hum. “You’re right, I can’t quite imagine how that would feel yet. But understanding the theory will help me get there, no? Either way, I’d like to start with that.” When seeking enlightenment on any topic, Estrellir tended to consult books first. Solid information, analysis, theory – it was just the way her mind worked.

[Thomas Cosa]

"Good," Thomas started, his face expressing a brief moment of panic as he realized he had no idea where to begin. While he'd spent a decent chunk of last season teaching novices, he hadn't exactly cared whether or not they'd learned anything. With Estrellir, he wanted to her not only to learn, but enjoy the lesson.

"To begin with, let's talk about what an aura is," he said, deciding it best to start with what he knew for fact. He silently prayed thanks to Avalis, and to whomever dictated his interested, because his basis in animation would prove enough to get through a quick lesson on the soul. "An aura is the psychic expression of a thing's, alive or non-living, Djed. A general rule is, the more sentient something is, the larger and more complex it's aura," Thomas paused, thinking, "Aurists differ in their perceptions of auras, thus the way you experience auras will be different than I or any other Aurist you will ever meet. This magic is highly individual, which can make teaching the actual understanding of auras a bit complicated," he sighed, not wanting to imagine how he would get through that particular lesson.

"With Auristics, you will be able to infer the physical properties and internal structure of things. You will be able to see magical ability and activity, as well as pick up on residual matter on an aura. Emotions will become visible, as well as intent," Thomas continued, not realizing that Estrellir might want examples. "These abilities will be readily available to you at your initiation, when you first become able with this magic, all though some are more advanced than others," he drolled on, again not saying which were more advanced and which weren't.

"If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask."

[Estrellir Konrath]

Estrellir listened, features arranged in a pleasant mask, although she had noticed his moment of hesitation. At once she wondered what Djed meant – and couldn’t remember if she’d heard it before. Neither Common nor Kontinese, it sounded like remnants of an older language instead.

She decided not to interrupt his speech when it had barely started though, biting back her questions and storing them away to voice later. The next part she didn’t quite understand was the one about perceiving auras. So every Aurist saw different things on the same person? A slight frown was all Estrellir allowed herself before Thomas continued. Apparently he was giving her an overview without actually going into detail yet and she could appreciate that. However, to her inquisitive mind it just wasn’t enough.

Nodding, she spoke immediately when asked for questions. “You said an aura is the image of… Djed? What is that exactly?” She tried not to stumble over the foreign word, but still didn’t get the pronunciation right. “I thought everyone saw auras with their eyes, is that wrong? Also, if everyone perceives them differently, how can they interpret correctly what they see?”

Taking a deep breath, she allowed Thomas to digest those words before she continued. “I’m not sure I understand exactly what you mean… regarding what auras can tell us. How can you tell what someone intends to do or say? And what physical properties? Would it be too much to ask for a demonstration?” Grinning suddenly, she leaned forward. “Take a look at my aura and tell me what you see.”

Of course, she was suggesting a dangerous game. Estrellir had as many secrets as the average person, most likely more, but on the other hand, most of them concerned Kenash, a city half a continent away. Estrellir didn’t think what she knew about others could benefit Thomas anytime soon – he hadn’t even said anything about reading thoughts or memory. All she had to lose was herself.

[Thomas Cosa]

"Djed," Thomas echoed, momentarily stunned by her question, "Oh, yes, of course. I'd expected that you'd, uh, well," he voice fumbled into air as he reached for an answer. Djed was something so utterly known to him, so intertwined with his own existence, how was he to explain something so complex to a complete beginner? "Well...Djed is like...Djed is like," he paused, a finger tapping against his lips as he thought, "Essentially, Djed is you. Djed is me. Djed is everything and anything you see, and, uh, don't see, I'd assume. It's everything. The very core of reality, so we all have it, but it also makes us different from one another, you see?," Thomas nodded slowly, encouraging her by his will alone to understand and grasp the concept instantaneously.

It was harder being a teacher when he really wanted the student to learn, it seemed.

"Yeah, I think we can manage a demonstration," Thomas smirked, his eyes suddenly gleaming with a predatory curiosity. His magic answered him immediately, the every familiar hot bubbles expanding from his core to the world around him, and as easy as breathing he focused his spell and himself on Estrellir. She was stoic ocean of purple, dusky magenta to neon violet, each shimmering around her, each melting in with the other, difficult to distinguish with his Auristics. "You're careful with your emotions, or you aren't very expressive," Thomas started, his magic stabbing into her whirlwind aura, poaching colors from her deep ocean to examine them closer, "I know, because your colors are harder to catch than usual. They kind of melt away unless I really focus on them," He'd long wondered why some people's aura were harder to divine than others, and he was beginning to realize it was just another part of their personality he had to crack. Keene had been guarded, so maybe Estrellir was as well? "You're a curious person as well, and really hungry about it -- your aura is grabbing at everything!," he was able to differentiate between flickers of emotions and actual personality now. If the aura acted out a thing or reflected it, Thomas long discovered that had more to do with the actual soul than a general shallow emotional flicker.

"I could catch lies like this too, unless you're particularly good at them, and even things you're interested in if I focus enough. Do you have any more questions I can try and answer during this demonstration," he asked, his magic sloppily poking at her aura, itching to find out more.

[Estrellir Konrath]

Estrellir watched Thomas with piercing gaze, her eye color darkening almost visibly. She was no mage, how would she know what Djed was? Yes, the term sounded familiar, but that didn’t mean she knew what to do with it. While she didn’t doubt Thomas was an exceptional mage to be able to initiate and teach a complete beginner, his teaching skills seemed a little lacking. On the other hand, she was glad she hadn’t been assigned a native Lhavitian teacher as their extreme politeness still irritated her.

She absentmindedly rolled the pebble between her fingers as she took in his explanation. So it was a kind of philosophical everything, the material other things and even living beings were made of or at least possessed in abundance. Estrellir guessed it was like what he’d said about initiation earlier. You had to experience it to fully understand it. So she nodded hesitantly. “I’m not sure if I understand, but I guess it will be clear soon enough.”

The demonstration, on the other hand… Her grin widened when Thomas agreed to show his skill. After a tick, his gaze changed slightly. It reminded Estrellir of stained glass windows. If you looked through, everything beyond took on the color of the glass. She held his gaze steadily, not looking away even once, while he was observing her.

His words reassured her. If he couldn’t read her easily, that was a good thing. Although it hadn’t occurred to her before, it made sense that some auras were harder to read than others, same as expressions and body language. Some people were open books, some more guarded. Still, he gave her a fairly good idea of what kinds of things an aurist could tell by looking at auras. When he mentioned lying, her eyes narrowed. Interesting. A webbed hand was brought up to tug at her lip for a brief tick, then she straightened. “What you said is true. Now, I have a question or more of a test. It’s just something I’m curious about. Tell me whether the following is a lie or the truth…” She took a deep breath, then held his gaze. “My family hails from Konti Isle.”


OOCIt's your decision whether Thomas catches her lie or not. Est has some rhetoric skill, but not enough to decide this, I think.