[Semele Park] Like Minds (Thienna)

by **Elem Bree** on November 29th, 2012, 3:19 am

Thienna seemed very confused. Elem was curious about her, with her nervousness and way of acting. Was she scared of him? No, that didn't seem right. Her reply gave him clues but also more questions. She practiced flux magic? He had not heard of it before, but his focus had been pretty limited of late. "Flux magic? What is that? Why does it hurt your body?" He knew right away that it was not like Shielding or Auristics if she had overgivne. It was an active magic. Her body being in pain was not quite enough to go on. He listened on.

She spoke as if she had not been in the city long. Looking at the same wrists he had held, Elem knew she was not Kuvan either. He suspected that the plight of women of all sorts was harder when they did not stick to being attractive and desirable. Not that Thienna wasn't. Nevertheless, he did find sympathy in her efforts to become stronger. "What do you do to become stronger? Do you have a routine?"

by **Thienna Silverlion** on November 29th, 2012, 6:12 am

His question caught Thienna off guard. What was flux magic? This thing that she didn't know a whole lot about, yet she used it like it was a part of her. It flowed, although not as gracefully as she would like, through her body, yet she knew little about it's true potential.

"Well flux magic," she began, the words slowly coming to her, "Is when you control your body with your Djed. Or really, enhance your body." She tried to recall what she had read and what her master told her. "You push your Djed in a way through your muscles so you can access it's strength. Although, I heard that it can go beyond that, where you can use more strength than what your body actually has," she paused, trying to determine if she was making any sense. "I'm sorry if this sounds confusing. I'm still trying to learn it for myself and it's a complicated process. I know that if you use too much of it too fast in the beginning, you can hurt yourself. That is what I did, unfortunately. But that's what happens when you are distracted."

Thienna wondered how much of that he could actually find useful. It was hard to explain it, not knowing what it would feel like to other people. She felt that it might be the most personal of magic, something that only you can experience. But then again, she didn't know about a whole lot of other magic, just the things that she had witnessed and read about.

"Becoming stronger," she continued after a moment, "Is an ongoing process. I try to improve myself whenever I get the chance, be it my mind, body or spirit. The balance between them is what I strive for."

by **Elem Bree** on November 30th, 2012, 6:17 am

...control your body with Djed...

...enhance your body...

... push your Djed in a way through your muscles so you can access its strength...

... go beyond that...

...use more strength than what your body actually has...

Elem continued to nod, though his mind wanted to devour this knowledge completely and wholly, leaving no scrap or crumb behind. Why? He didn't care. He had experienced lust before, of the flesh, but never of power until this very moment.

"You know this magic? You could teach it to me? I know about some magics myself and would be happy to trade. Or better yet, I could take you to where I liveand work, the Sanctuary, and they could maybe have a look at you. There are more competent healers there than me there. Perhaps they could help you where I could not. How did you learn it?"

Elem felt very strange. He felt hot, too, around his chest and his neck. Why? He tried to regain his composure, looking around. "It's against the law to trespass. Maybe we should continue our conversation on the park path or elsewhere." Maybe moving would help.

by **Thienna Silverlion** on November 30th, 2012, 7:00 am

Thienna studied him carefully, feeling a sudden shift in his mood. Something about it reminded her of her old master and she felt a sense of duty to help protect this man from the same fate. She was thinking about if and how she would teach him. She wasn't one to refuse someone useful information, so she decided that she would have to choose her words more wisely.

"Yes, let's get out of here. Although I think we should keep out of hearing range of others. Magic isn't a subject that settles well with some people," she said as she moved to leave the secluded area. "I must warn you, though. I think this magic is unlike others. From what my master told me, it is one of the easiest to loose control with. You will be injured if you don't pace yourself. Magic is frightening yet exciting to me, Elem, which is why I will probably only use this one type. I saw a brilliant man decay from the use of magic, and I would not wish that fate on anyone."

Her mood turned very serious, and indeed it was a very serious thing for her. If she were to teach him and it hastened his undoing, she could not live with herself. Even if she didn't really know him, he was still a living person. If she taught him wrong or he used it the wrong way, his blood could be on her hands.

by **Elem Bree** on December 3rd, 2012, 7:08 am

As the two moved from their spot back to the path through the park, Elem wanted to change her mind about something. "I thought that magic was like that as well. In my home of Zeltiva, there is even an asylum for Wizards that overgive. They are too dangerous to be left alone with the public, you see, their minds gone from the overuse of Djed. Here, though, I believe it is accepted enough that we do not need to hide and whisper." He listened further to her words of caution and heeded them. It was a dangerous game, magic.

"I understand what you mean, there. There are disciplines I have studied and seen with my own eyes that have the potential to kill the user outright, if not by misadventure. We can surely take our time. Do you live around here? Perhaps we could be more comfortable in a more private setting." A few more steps and he let that statement sound out in his mind, the intent hazy and vague. best to clarify. "I'm sorry, that sounded a little odd. I just meant that if you were concerned about others hearing, it might suit you better. I meant no offense."

by **Thienna Silverlion** on December 4th, 2012, 1:37 am

"No offense taken. Why don't we go to the Sanctuary? Where I live is a bit of a walk from here. And besides, I've never been there before," Thienna said.

She couldn't help but think about her old master. He had a twisted way of living through his magic and it had frightened her. The only way she was able to use the flux was because she couldn't see it. It existed only inside her and she was content with that. Although, she vowed to never use it again should it severely hurt her or if she lost control.

"So you are a healer?" she needed to distract her mind. "I have heard of the Gods marking people and giving them gifts, but I've never seen it firsthand."

She felt a little naive asking. It always seemed a little far fetched to her that a God would take his time to visit someone. She just assumed it was stories until now. Her master never mentioned anything about it and she lived a sheltered life away from most other people.

"How does your healing work?"

by **Elem Bree** on December 5th, 2012, 4:21 am

Glad to have avoided offense, Elem took the lead and began to lead them out of the park. "Well, I'm sure Sanctuary is farther away, but I am happy to take you there. We'll have to leave town and then head south a piece, but we can talk along the way." They were already making their way toward the gates as she asked him about his status as a healer.

"Yes, I began as a medical student. To be honest, I had no real belief in the power of Rak'keli. I knew the Gods existed and they marked people and di things, but having never seen it with my own eyes, I was pompous enough to believe it myth." His mind started to wander back to Zeltiva brifly, but the roar of the Bluevein brought him right back to his current and possibly permanent home. "During the Winter Ball at the University, I saw a man fatally stabbed. I did all I could to save him and then when it got really bad, Rak'keli appeared and healed him, marking me as one of Her own. I've been faithful ever since."

As the crossed on to the road, Elem thought of another thing to point out before answering her other question. "The towers in Riverfall, you do know that Gods live in them?I've never experienced such a thing. In Zeltiva, we had shrines and temples, mostly to Laviku, but here, Gods actually reside among us." He may have sounded dramatic, but that is how he felt about it. "As far as my own Healing goes, I pray to Rak'keli for Her power to guide me in healing someone. I don't know if everyone does it that way, but it works for me and seems the proper thing to do."

by **Thienna Silverlion** on December 7th, 2012, 11:55 pm

Thienna followed and listened, amazed that this man was blessed by an actually goddess. She could only imagine what that would be like.

"Well, I've never seen any of the Gods," she said thoughtfully. "Honestly, I just thought that the towers were like shrines of some sort, that the Gods were there in spirit. I don't pay much attention to the Gods, I guess. They just didn't seem so important to me."

She hoped that one day she would get to meet or see one. She had heard so much about them, yet have them little thought. It was a strange concept to her, great beings interacting with mere mortals. But then again, what other things would a God do?

"So it was just that? The Goddess put a mark on you and went on her way? Have you seen her sense then?"

by **Elem Bree** on December 11th, 2012, 5:21 am

As the pair walked down the road toward the Santuary, Elem tried to approach the topic of the Divine as best he could. " The Gods are important to everyone, whether we believe it or not. They surround us and provide for us in every way. For instance, Akajia, Goddess of Night. She is the night. When Night falls, it is by Her blessing and then Leth can rise into the sky to provide us with light. Syna shines above us even now, warming our bodies, bringing life to plants." His hand pointed out to the ocean, which followed along their general direction.

"Laviku, the God of the Ocean, is there. He is everywhere the ocean is. So, with Rak'keli, while I do not see Her with my eyes, moves through me when I heal. Even if I was not marked by Her, the ability to treat people and animals alike with medicine is only possible with Her existence. I do not mean to get so moved, but I can't help it sometimes. It is important to thank the Gods for giving us life and a world to live in." The outer stone walls of the Sanctuary were coming into view ahead. "Up there, those walls, that is where I work."