Iolara took her time refreshing herself within the tropical Suvan waters of Syka. Aquatic by nature, the sea witch had always found immersing herself into her natural environment to be soothing, and this day was no exception. While Syna shone bright overhead, the water currents among the Syka reef whirled and swirled around the rocky coral outcrops. For the time being, Iolara allowed herself to be carried along on this undercurrents, devoting energy to movement only to prevent being dashed against this coral or that one. The eternal flow of water provided an apt metaphor for her thoughts, or rather, their ideal state when channeling her djed into words of magic. Smooth and flowing, that was the trick, Iolara realized as the currents carried her lithe form along.
While she had been living with the gift of reimancy for nearly six years, Iolara relished the chance to practice her skills. During her travels, the young Charoda had been a dynamo of motion, never remaining in one place for very long. Always itching to wander further beyond the next horizon. But here in Syka, in the rainbow of life beneath the sea, she felt peace. Tranquility. Passing through the sea grass meadow on her way back to the coral shelf that served as her temporary home, Iolara snatched a quick snack to quiet her rumbling stomach. As she knelt in the sand, she adopted a posture of prayerful submissions arms raised with palms facing upward while she bowed her head, tentacles streaming behind her in the faint current sweeping in from the reef.
Thanks be to Caiyha, Lady of the Wilds, Iolara began, a small humming tune beginning in her throat as she prayed mentally. I thank you, Lady Caiyha, for all your gifts and guidance. I pray that you will not remove these blessings of community from me, but ask that you shape me to your will. Guide me, Great Mistress, that I might be a faithful steward of your creation! Iolara remained there, kneeling beneath the coral shelf, for several chimes more before making her way back towards the shore. She felt refreshed, mentally, spiritually, and physically as she emerged once more from the surf. Any sign of her earlier seated practice had been scoured away by the relentless motion of the waves.
That impermanence in the face of Nature’s forces brought a reverent smile to Io’s features as she resumed her cross-legged posture. The tide was coming back in, and wave remnants regularly reached her position, lapping at her legs as they washed over her. Iolara trained her pale eyes intoa soft focus on the horizon, mentally tuning out all sounds but the constant, gentle roar of the waves. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Repeat. As her breath lengthened, the young Charoda felt a sense of peace wash over her, not unlike the physical waves plucking at her skirt.
As that calm spread down to her toes and out to her fingertips, Iolara’s tentacles lay dormant and content once more along her shoulders. She allowed her breathing to return to normal once more as her mental focus turned inward. Once more she focused on the djed within her, willing it to ride on her breath rather than concentrate in her palms. As Iolara breathed, each exhalation brought with it more wispy strands of silver-blue res. Always there was the temptation of expending more than was strictly necessary. Iolara was no trained mage, and she was ashamed to admit that she had fallen somewhat out of practice since her days on that first island of outcasts six years ago. Still, she was determined to keep her focus, refusing to be distracted by either the pleasure of working magic, or the pain of reminiscence. After a few chimes’ worth of breathing, she once more had a useable sphere of res floating before her very eyes. Nothing like a little exercise to whip myself back into shape, she allowed the happy thought to come and then go, like a cloud crossing the sky, as she began to concentrate once more on transmutation.
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