Closed [Judgement] Learning to Dance in the Rain

[Verin Rush]

40th Day of Winter, 514AV

It had taken Verin a substantially long time to decide what he thought was an appropriate way to allow his Hypnotism to manifest in front of those who would judge him. At first, he considered using the slave, Redd. In using the arcane gift, he had once convinced the girl that she wanted to wear a collar, when he knew just how much the Kelvic despised the choking device that would limit her ability to morph into the form that she loved. Now that Verin trusted her somewhat, the collar had been removed.

But he could use that same method to convince the Judges of his worthiness. It would be easy. "Too easy," his thoughts countered themselves, and he knew that his pride would never let him sink so low as to do something he already knew he could succeed at. The Judges might not know that it was a repeated command, but Verin, always a man of honour, would lose respect for himself. "No. It must be something new..." He still liked the idea of using Redd as a part of his demonstration, though - the magic had to be used on someone, and he had reservations about attempting to use Hypnotism on a Judge.

Called forth, in a lecture theatre of the Gug Andjak, Verin had previously been watching other hopefuls face the formidable judging panel, with Redd seated silently beside him. Six had already received their answers, and they displayed a wide range of abilities. A Reimancer, or so Verin assumed, producing elements in a similar fashion to how the familiar Ender had. That, from a visual perspective, was the most impressive feat that Verin had witnessed so far, but he could not deny that the display of Morphing (which was a previously unknown magic to Verin) looked like a desirable ability. Another did not produce any active magic while in the room, only presenting a small object which, according to the reactions of the Judges, was imbued with magical properties. Squinting, Verin couldn't tell what it was, but he knew that it was not made of bone, so it wasn't the product of Malediction.

Now, though, the blond initiate to the Black Sun approached the centre of the room. The ex-bartender had practical knowledge of two magics, one of which he had only used once, so Hypnotism was all he could sensibly use to show his skill. Seeing the abilities of others, for the first time Verin found himself doubting the wisdom of his God. Did Rhysol truly see him succeeding in this venture? He could not return to Ravok without his Mark, without the distinction of becoming an Agent of the Black Sun. Steeling himself, he slowed to a stop, motioning for his slave to stop to the side, and a little behind, him.

"Verin Rush," his voice echoed through the room and the pervious chatter from the large audience in the auditorium - all presumably discussing the display previous to him - diminished. "With your permission, I will be presenting to you a display of Hypnotism." He stared at the panel of judges for a few ticks longer, and then he turned to his slave, Redd, examining her expression. The girl had little choice in being brought here, and she was impassive enough that Verin wasn't sure how she felt. It concerned the blond a little; so far his use of the magic had been a success on Redd, but he wondered if the fact that she was aware of what was about to happen could affect her receptiveness to his suggestion. Yet he had impressed upon her the value of this process for the pair of them, so he hoped that she would not deliberately fight her.

[Redd]

Redd had watched the displays of magic before her, but her single hazel hue had viewed it with a distance that had begun to develop within the wolf. She had begun to distance herself from her own emotions, for no one else cared about them, so why should she? Besides, it seemed like the only way to defeat Venser, was to distance herself from everything, including herself. Her single gaze peered at someone as they held some object within their hand. She barely even saw the person or the object within their hand, instead, her gaze had taken on a blank expression. She wasn't here for herself, she was here for her new master, Verin. The young wolf, wasn’t exactly interested in what was being presented, it was magic, as far as she knew. One she had recognized as reimancy, one that she had become very familiar with ever since her first master had used it. She didn’t understand as to why exactly that she was there, for Verin had only told her to follow and that was it. Of course he had also told her that this process was valuable to the both of them. How it was valuable to the both of them, she didn’t really know. Simply following the man’s orders, made things so much easier for her, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t act out occasionally.

Instead, her thoughts had turned back to the hunting that she had been allowed to do of late, although she had taken certain liberties and decided to do a little bit of exploring. After-all, a wolf that was well attuned to their environment, turned out to be a better hunter than one that wasn’t. It was the reason why wolves tended to have territories that they were very protective over. Sahova wilds wasn’t her territory, this she knew, for there was no such thing as home for the wolf, but she preferred to be out in the wilds, rather than be restricted to a room. It was then that Verin flowed forwards from his seat and she simply followed him, her steps slow as she attempt to step light with her bare feet. The young wolf wanted to remain quiet so then to not draw too much attention to herself. Redd followed Verin’s silent commands, stepping to the side and taking a step backwards so then she was a little behind him. Verin spoke, introducing himself and she remained quiet, knowing that she wasn’t important enough to be addressed by her master.

Hypnotism was a word that caught her attention however and for once, her hazel hue had taken on an interested appearance. For it was the first time that the word had been used around her and she didn’t know what it was. She glance towards Verin, wondering as to just what hypnotism was and how he was going to do it. From her memory, she had never seen Verin do anything with this thing called hypnotism, whatever it was. She had seen him do something with the glass objects and plants that she had seen within the wilds before, but never this hypnotism. Was it like reimancy? Would she be able to see it in action? Or was it like flux, a magic that one couldn’t see but it gave speed and strength to the person. She blinked as she wanted to know just exactly what Verin would do, as to how this so-called hypnotism work. The young wolf lifted her single eye and angled it so then she could properly view the man with her left eye. She wanted to question him, to ask him about it, but she held back the urge for she didn’t know if he would even oblige to answer her. Her gaze turned to view her bare feet, You need to stop caring Redd. She told herself sternly as she lifted her hands to slide them into the pockets of her pants. Because no one else does.

[Verin Rush]

A brief incline of the head from one of the Judges sitting opposite from Verin was recognisable as permission for him to continue. He dipped his own head in acknowledgement and took a deep breath in. In Ravok, Verin’s sociable nature was one of the few things that set him apart from his younger twin brother. Venser shied away from attention and social occasions, probably as a result of the harsh treatment that he suffered at the hands of their father. Verin, however, was a social butterfly, one who had a way with words, one who thrived at being the centre of attention.

This was different, however. Verin was the centre of attention in a lecture theatre larger than any room he had ever been in, except perhaps the expanse of The Temple of the Black Sun. But Sahova was not Ravok, and he was most definitely out of his comfort zone. He had just witnessed unimaginable magics, and his own paled in comparison. What confidence he would normally display in his actions and words was completely forced now, in front of all these people, and he felt very small, very insignificant. All of a sudden, he felt incredibly lonely. A momentary wave of insecurity falling over him, he reached into his pocket were, hidden from Redd, were a dart laced with Wildleash was stored away in his pocket.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply again, an attempt to centre himself, and to drown out the noise of chatter from the audience above and all around him. Slowly, he released the breath he had been holding as he recalled why he had travelled all this way. In again, and he remained himself that Rhysol was with him. Out again, the annoying natter around him was drowned out. In, only the light breathing of the kelvic stood beside him could be heard over his own breathing. Out. His mind cleared, and a weight was lifted from him - he felt alone, save for Redd and Rhsyol. He opened his eyes, allowing his pale orbs to fall upon the single remaining eye of his slave.

When he locked his gaze upon hers, he felt the surge of Djed energy inside him. His meditation had effectively filtered the Djed stores into where it needed to go - his eyes an his tongue. A small reserve had been siphoned into his fingers, where he might first use his touch to lay his first wave of Hypnotism upon the girl. The Emotional Response, if well-placed, would cause Redd’s inhibitions to fall away, making her less cautious and hopefully more susceptible to his Hypnotism. Gently he raised a hand to brush away a few strands of hair from the girl’s face, in order to tuck them behind her ear. Erin was not always tactile with his slave, but he was always gentle, and the gesture, though not particularly common, would not be completely new or unusual to her. With that touch, however, he had an ulterior motive, for in that touch, he allowed Djed to flow from his fingers, and he willed the energy to push an emotional response into the girl: something between anger and fear.

[Redd]

Redd’s hearing picked up the sudden shift within Verin’s breathing and she angled her head so then her single hue could flicker over the man’s appearance, just to make sure that he wasn’t injured. For some reason, the man was very much taking a couple of controlled breaths and she didn’t understand it. His eyes were closed through-out this exercise before suddenly she found his pale blue hues upon her single hazel one. Unease flickered through-out her form and she began to wonder just as to what exactly hypnotism was. The young wolf was also very aware of the surrounding occupants within the room and a confused look settled upon her brow. She then saw his hand lift and reach towards her. Redd’s first response would have been to flinch and pull away, but a wave of sudden calm flooded through her being and she simply stood there as his fingers gently brushed against her pale skin. Again, the urge to flinch was there, but it was slowly fading as was the confusion that had been etched upon her forehead. She leaned her head into the touch, as just like any wolves, she enjoyed the sense of touch, especially from those that were considered to be pack members. This here was her alpha, giving her attention which should have confused her and made her pull away, but for the moment, she simply revelled within it. For it was a rare moment of touch, one that she would remember.

The young wolf knew that she should have questioned it and the thought niggled at her mind for a moment. Caution told her to question it, to pull away and be on the defensive. For she knew Verin, she knew that this was not him, but she couldn’t help but think, he had been acting a little strange ever since they had stepped out onto the floor. Why not just simply enjoy it for as long as possible? whispered a soft voice within her mind. A slow breath was inhaled and just as slowly, she exhaled, allowing herself a guilty moment to just enjoy the scarce attention that her master gave her. She had denied herself enjoyment of his touch for quite some time, was it not time to enjoy it for once? She questioned herself before she even realized that something else was creeping in. She had missed the warnings that were being sent off through her mind as she ignored it to give in to this sense of calm. However, as the sense of urgency grew, she could no longer ignore it.

Fear speared through her as alarm suddenly filled that hazel hue of hers and she couldn’t understand it, for she smelled nothing out of the ordinary from those scant ticks ago. What had changed between then and now? Came the question just as anger began to settle in. Redd still felt the fear that had hit deep within, but she also felt anger and it confused her. Why was she angry and fearful? She had only felt such a thing when she faced an adversary and felt anger for that adversary, however she would also fear for her life, but she wouldn’t back down from the fight. Her top lip twitched as she tried to fight these unwanted and unwarranted feelings. Her gaze flickered away from Verin in order to attempt to put the feelings to rest, to prove to herself that they were unnecessary. However, the more she looked, the more that the feelings grew and began to fester. Why? She asked herself as she looked back into Verin’s pale blue eyes, alarm clearly visible within her single eye, but it was also coloured with the anger that stirred underneath the surface. An anger that she was able to restrain for the moment.

[Verin Rush]

All of the Kelvic’s attention was on him, he noted. She was watching him, listening to him… to the extent that her breathing seemed be be in time with his. Inhale, exhale… inhale. It was pleasing to him to see… for perhaps the first time since Verin had become her Master, she had her full attention on him. And, oh, how he knew that she would be receptive to him. She was open to his suggestion. But she wouldn’t be experiencing his suggestions, like she had been exposed to in the past. No, Verin had recently remembered a conversation with a certain naïve Familiar, a conversation which took place almost a year ago. He remembers talk of how one might be able to use Hypnotism at a more competent level, in order to more profoundly manipulate an individual.

He kept his touch gentle, and kind - Verin could see the girl’s eye dilate and pulse ever so slightly, and he knew that she enjoyed the touch. For now, he needed her complete trust, and if he got that trust through borderline sensual gestures, he would willingly empty such methods. Briefly it had crossed his mind whether he would ever have the slave’s trust after this… he knew that what he was about to do to her, if she was given the opportunity to think about it after the fact, would rip her apart. He was about to use her weakest moment against her, for his benefit. Ultimately, he had come to the conclusion that it did not matter; if he could not pull her back from this, he would sell her, knowing that the island would welcome the opportunity to have a wolf kelvic hunting for them. He ignored the small nudge in the back of his mind that had grown fond of Redd.

He watched as the girl’s demeanour changed, knowing that his first use of Hypnotism had seeped through her subconsciousness, and he rested the palm of his hand a little firmer against her cheek: Verin needed her to maintain eye contact with him. “Redd." He waited patiently until she met his gaze once more, his demeanour and expression never changing, in fact he barely moved, save the slow rub of his thumb along the girl’s cheek: an effort to maintain a sense of calm and trust within her. Whether wrong or right, Verin believed that his manipulation would have the highest degree of effectiveness if he layered the trust up, creating something akin to complacency within the girl. Following the build up of this safety net, he would rip it all away, and the girl would fall into it, unawares and unprepared to combat the assault on her mind.

Her breathing was slow and calm, despite the war of emotions that he knew she was struggling with. A small furrow of the brow told him that she didn’t understand where the sudden emotions had developed from. If she was overthinking it, it would leave Verin’s task to be all the more harder. He didn’t have the luxury of time any more. Maintaining her gaze, the ex-bartender’s thumb movements slowed as he focused on the pooling Djed, which he would be using to pass on the Hypnotic Flash to Redd. It was easy for him to construct the short hallucination that he wanted the kelvic to see, as her missing eye was a constant reminder of what she had suffered at the hands of his brother. His identical twin brother.

Were he to construct the hallucination carefully enough, Verin intended that Redd would, once again, be reminded of what Venser had done to her. More to the point, he was attempting to fabricate a memory for Redd, in which she had been with Venser in Sahova. He needed Red to believe that Verin and Venser were interchangeable, yet not the same person. At Verin’s hands, Redd had never experienced love or affection… but she had known safety and care. She did not associate Verin with pain, thus was unlikely to easily accept what he wanted her to unless she believed that Venser might be with them on the island. His hand felt heavy, as if the Djed waiting inside it weighed him down. Inhaling, he held his breath and watched intently as, during his Judgement, he began to experiment with his theories about a magic which he barely understood, and he allowed his energy to pass over to the girl, placing the seeds of the Flash.

[Redd]

Verin’s firm voice and touch brought her back, just a little to focus upon her master before her, her darting gaze having flickered back to him. However, when her single hue had locked with his pale blue eyes, it suddenly seemed like she couldn’t look away. Deep within though, she knew that she didn’t want to even though fear and anger was reigning over her emotional state. What was going on? She whispered silently as a soft whine was made before she slowly angled her head a little further into the man’s touch. It was slow, gentle and it was a touch that had not harmed her. A sense of calm began to settle over her as his thumb slowly moved over the pale skin of her cheek, but the alarm bells of anger and fear was still ringing, even though it was fading into the background. I can trust him… Can’t I? She asked herself fully expecting the voice within her own mind to respond. However, it remained silent, silent as the stars that she had once gazed upon when she lived among the wilds. In fact, his pale blue gaze reminded her of the sky that had once stretched endlessly over her head.

Those eyes that reminded her of the blue sky, continued to remind her of the wilderness outside of Ravok. The ones that she used to live in, the ones that she used to prowl and explore. It was always something that had been able to soothe her troubled soul and she allowed this image of the blue sky to soothe her now. As if it was exactly what Verin was asking with his hand upon her cheek and through his intense gaze, even though the wilds that she thought of to soothe her was far far away. The only question was, could she trust him? Redd half expected the voice that she had been hearing inside of her own mind to respond, but again, it was silent. Her single eye maintained contact, for she couldn’t, no, she didn’t want to look away. She leaned her head a little bit more into his touch in an attempt to find the trust that she knew that he was asking of her. Then it was like a miracle, because she did finally find the trust that she needed to give him, something that she had never done before for fear that he too would leave her behind. For fear that he would eventually mis-use that trust given to him. A slow breath was inhaled, her lungs expanding with the effort before she exhaled. Once she exhaled, her shoulders visibly relaxed and her form lost the tension in her muscles that she normally showed. Her head angled slightly forwards so then her chin could drop just a little, but she continued to peer up into those endless blue eyes.

Once the young wolf felt the trust that Verin was asking of her, she was able to feel calm, but the fear and anger that she had felt before was still there, deep in the background of her mind. Redd took a moment to address this anger, although she maintained a distance so then the calm that she felt was the strongest of the emotions that boiled within. It was the anger and fear that she didn’t understand, especially if it didn’t have a just cause, like if Verin or herself was threatened by something or someone… Suddenly it had all made sense as she flickered over her own thoughts and memories. How could she have forgotten about Venser? A frown creased her features as she realized that something else didn’t add up, especially considering that the memory that she reflected upon was of Venser… Standing in the courtyard of the Citadel. Those unforgiving grey-blue eyes staring at her with their intent on pain and that grin… The grin that said that he was more than happy to take her remaining eye. Venser is here in Sahova… finally whispered that voice in a mocking tone."No..." came the whispered response, "He can't be..." However, the memory of sighting him was clear as day within her own mind and she rarely forget about the things that she had seen.

[Verin Rush]

A fleeting smile drifted across the elder of the Rush twins’ face as he watched his manipulations take root in the kelvic’s mind. It occurred to him, however, that after this he would be unable to manipulate he like this ever again. It was a gross violation of the trust that he had worked hard to build, and after today, no matter the result of his Judgement, he would have to be honest with the girl, and explain to her what he had done to her, what he had been doing to her since he first took charge of her. Would she make the link, he wondered, between the words he had said at the beginning of his Judgement and what he was doing now…

Because he had no interest in keeping a slave who was fearful - or worse, mistrustful - because he needed her to be useful, and for that he needed her to be loyal. She would trust him again, after this… eventually. But he would never be able to use this magic on her without her knowledge or consent. After today, Redd would know of Hypnotism. But for now, he had to continue as he had planned, for what mattered to him was not the healthy mind of the girl who stood in front of him, but the task that Rhysol had set him. He needed to achieve this, for the sake of his city and his God. Desperately, Verin wanted to look over to the panel of judges, who were no doubt watching his every move. But he dared not, lest Redd was reminded of where she was or, more concerning, his own concentration failed him.

A small, dull headache, which had begun to throb not long ago, became more predominant as Verin once again summoned up more Djed in preparation for the last stage of his display. His eyes began to water with the strain but he did not allow himself more than one blink, lest Redd observe his discomfort. But it seemed that she was distracted by her own thoughts - the confusion of Venser’s possible appearance in Sahova was quite visibly affecting her, and he knew that he would have to act quickly he wanted his last efforts to be successful, without her having a chance to truly process the information she had just received.

Verin thumbed the kelvic girl’s cheek a couple more times, before raising it to slide through her auburn locks. Then, he let his grasp fall away from her and stepped back, anticipating the only reaction he could expect from her after what he was about to do. The pressure behind his eyes grew as the Djed continued to pool, and he focused entirely on Redd’s only functional eye, which was gazing back at his. Verin had spent bells alone, deliberating over what he should say to the girl, what words might sway her enough, so that his Hypnotism might strike true. And he had come up with the perfect phrase. Something that he knew Venser would say, or had said. He had never been around the two together, but he knew his brother better than any, and knew how the younger Rush twin would use language in order to verbally attack an individual.

“You seem to have an alarming proclivity for suffering, slave.” Years of shielding his twin brother from their father’s hands had left Verin confident in his ability to impersonate Venser well enough that the slave - who barely knew him - might not be able to discern the difference. He had extra reassurance in the knowledge that his Hypnotism had apparently worked well thus far. In theory, he had prepared her perfectly, using different techniques to allow her to sink further and further into the illusion he was attempting to create: the illusion that she stood before her enemy, rather than her master. This last technique, this piercing, sudden thought, would hopefully seal the deal. His tone dropped, and the melodic quality that Verin's voice often contained when using the magic fell away. In its place was barely a whisper, threatening and deadly, as he tried to emulate Venser. "Do you need the other eye?"

[Redd]

Redd’s single hue, due to peering deeply into the blue eyes of the man before her, glanced the fleeting smile. However, she barely paid much attention to it due to the fear and possibility of her enemy being in such close range. The one enemy that haunted her dreams and turned them into the nightmares, nightmares that had her whimpering as she slept. He was also the one that had pushed her over the edge to the point where she just was determined to kill him, no matter the cost. She just didn’t think that it would come this soon, the young wolf had counted on having more days to get stronger. To be stronger in mind and body, even with only having one eye. The only factor that she really didn’t count on when setting her sights on revenge, was Verin. While he was her master, he had cared about Redd and she had, to an extent, began to trust the man. Even now she still held that level of trust close, for it seemed like he was trying to reassure her with the hand that rested upon her cheek. It was a light touch, one that reassured her that he was there. Touch, it always calmed her, however the touch still couldn’t quell the fear and anger that brewed within.

It’s too early, Venser shouldn’t be here, she whispered to herself as her single hue continued to look up into Verin’s face. The young wolf had known that she would betray him… Just not so soon. Someone once accused you of betrayal once, whispered the voice inside her head and she had to restrain herself from growling at the voice. However, the voice was correct, Vayl had accused her of such a thing, when it was she who had thought that he had turned his back on her. These thoughts had her caught up for a brief moment, but then Verin’s touch began to change and she quickly snapped her attention back to him. Her breathing however, had quickened at the thought of Venser being in Sahova, even her fingers had curled in towards her palms. They were the outwards signs of the fear and anger that boiled within, barely contained as it was. Redd wanted to turn tail, to run until she knew that she could fight Venser, but another part of her wanted to get it all over with. However, the final part wanted nothing more than to taste the sweet blood of her enemy upon her tongue, to rip his jugular out and feast upon his dying body.

She felt Verin’s thumb slide over her cheek once more before his fingers shifted to brush through her brindled red locks. Then, he stepped back and his touch left with him. Pride made the wolf stay upon the spot that she currently stood upon, but secretly, she wanted nothing more than to whine and step forth. She wanted to grasp his hand, only to hold it to her cheek while she stared up at him. Although, the red wolf knew, that she couldn’t. He was her master, nothing more, nothing less. This feeling should have been stronger than the fear and anger, but it wasn’t. While, she was still staring into his eyes, words were spoken from the man’s lips, words that she never thought she would hear from him. Not that she knew what proclivity meant. Redd angled her head slightly to the right as the last words left the man’s lips. Verin… Is Venser? No, Venser has to be doing some kind of trick she thought to herself, he is pretending to be Verin. A snarl rose from her lips as the young wolf took a step backwards. ”Venser, the only chance that you will have to take my other eye, is if I’m dead.”

A breath was drawn as she took a quick look around them, where is Verin? She silently asked herself as her right eye focused back upon Venser before her. ”And what did you do to Verin?” She snarled as her pale fingers worked at untying the cloak from around her shoulders. Upon its freedom, the simple black cloak, pooled upon the floor. ”You better not have hurt him,” Came the strained words as she tried so very hard to not shift and attack him straight away, as hard as that simple task alone was. Perhaps your master just left you, chimed the voice inside her head and Redd almost snapped at that too, but for now, the wolf had to focus upon Venser. Last time Redd had attacked the man in her human form, she had hoped that her canines would simply be enough to rip out his throat, but she had failed. This time, Redd would turn into her wolf form and attack. This time, she would either kill him or die trying.