School of Magic (Ball, Arch and Alex)

[Nivel]

38th Day of Winter, 516 AV

Nivel had been meaning to catch up with those she had previously taught magic for some time. She had taught Arch and Ball quite a while ago and Alex was still in need of guidance. She would have to cement the need for meditation and patience during her lesson, mostly for the benefit of her fellow pycons then for Alex. The Tall Folk already seemed to have grasped that concept and he was taught the much less hazardous brand of magic. The last time she had taught the two pycons it hadn’t gone quite as well. Nivel was inexperienced in the art of teaching and wasn’t confident enough to handle the task.

Instead of getting parchment and writing out the invites she cut three patches of linen fabric and painstakingly stitched each invite. Her skill in the area was lacking so the stitches were uneven and the threads were frayed from how many times she had to take them out and re thread them. Each message had the name of who it was addressed to, a date and a location but nothing else. It would be pretty easy to figure out who it was from though, since there wasn’t many who would stitch their invites. When Nivel had finished them she slide them under the doors of her desired recipients.

She waited for them patiently at the stone garden in the early morning. It was a calm day with little to no breeze or clouds present, the most ideal day for tranquil meditation. She had no idea when they would each show up but this gave her time for some personal training of her own. Nivel hadn’t done very much combat training since she had to focus most of her time on her magical practice and studies but intended to make up for it.

She fell into her usual fighting stance with her legs parallel, her back straight and her arms in a defensive position. She didn’t move like most fighters however, instead she thrust her back leg forward into a spinning forward kick and spun another time pulling her leg in quickly to increase her speed. She used her spin to leap herself forward hurling her knee first with as much ferocity as she could muster. She landed and spun again on a single foot, as she did her braids whipped about to hit the invisible enemies that surrounded her. Nivel’s skills at dance didn’t match her acrobatic skills or even her combat skills so she couldn’t spin as long or as graceful as she wished. She kept at the technique until she became too dizzy to continue. The pycon only took a quick breather before she tried a different style of fighting. She shifted the clay from her wings into her arms and they swelled into two massive mace like structures. She thirst on forward then the other hurling her full body forward with each strike. Nivel strained during each of her attacks to keep the clay in her arms dense and strong. She pretended that she was using her spiky fists to pound her way through a mountain and it proved to be a great motivator.

Nivel suddenly sensed a familiar presence and forced herself to stop mid punch to see who it was but fell forward into a clumsy tumble instead. She scrambled to pick herself up hoping they wouldn’t notice and looked to see who it was.

“I’m glad you came!” She cheered as she rushed over to them with excitement.
“We just have to wait for others to come before we can get started with my lesson on meditation and magic.”

She greeted the others with the same enthusiasm each time, and even did a merry little jig when they all arrived.

“Okay find a comfortable position amongst the stone and we’ll begin with the training.”

[Alexander Faircroft]

Alex a few days prior had arranged a simple day of practice and training. Learning to mitigate and control the effects of the magic he’d gleaned and been taught by Nivel. The walk from the bittern district was short. But still long enough for Alex to ruminate on a few things. Events from earlier seasons and this season. Events from his long since faded past. Alex had stalked out free of the trappings of steel. Even without a single blade of any kind on him. He felt…Naked. Despite being clothed in wools and coat, he still felt unsafe.

Stepping into the sparse and quiet stone gardens Alex heard… Nothing. At least for the first few seconds. A brief moment of calm peace within the rush and rabble of the city. It was almost soothing in its tranquillity. Alex stepped amongst the stones to see an already tumbling Nivel roll up to greet him. Perhaps the landing was something planned? He caught a small chuckle in his throat before it emerged but he still let out a light smile. His hands tucked firmly into the pockets of the jacket he wore.

At least she was happy to see him, then again she was always fairly happy to see everyone. But everyone needed to arrive before she could begin the lesson. Without even hearing through her words Alex just nodded, pretending to have heard them. But surprisingly enough he did what she suggested anyway. His eyes swinging back and forth lightly he spotted a perch large enough for him to sit in. Lowering himself down, he pressed his back a little into the stone. One leg stretched fully forwards and the other bent at the knee.

He closed his eyes and leant his head on the stone. Trying not to think too hard on his mind set, Alex took a few slow breaths slowing his mind a little and building the tower in his mind again, the huge spiralling library of all his stores of knowledge. His mind palace. With a slow exhale he began to pour through the books and the tomes of his memories and things he’d learnt. However out of the corner of his eye within his own head he could catch glimpses of something. Something grey.

He tried to shrug it off, but it didn’t want to leave the corners of his mind. He sound of the other two pycons arriving wasn’t surprising to him, but perhaps to them it would be surprising that he was here. Perhaps they’d thought him away from the trappings of magic. In truth he felt himself less like using the power she’d taught him on others and more using it as a way to make sure that he was holding himself in check. He didn’t even open his eyes when he spoke, instead he gave a small smile and a quick word. “Hey guys. Didn’t expect to see you two here.”

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

In the two seasons since Nivel had first introduced the Pycon to the existence of djed, nothing had changed. He still had nary a clue what it was, why it was and how it was. Nor had he actually put the magic to use, at all. He would, if he could. Nobody seemed particularly interested in teaching, though.. especially given all the trouble that had already happened in the city due to magic in recent seasons. In the end, it seemed like a better idea to just hold to what little he knew and leave it at that, until he could find a better teacher. There wasn't anything wrong in taking a little bit of caution when it came to something well-known for being horribly dangerous. It wasn't as if he was dependent on the use of magic to augment himself, after all.

When he first read over the little stitches, with some effort, admittedly he was hesitant to go at all. There was only one person he knew that would ever hand-stitch an invitation like this, of course - Nivel. Nobody else was quite odd enough for it, but then, that's what made her unique in a fun, unpredictable sense. Of course he'd be more than happy to see her again for just that reason, but.. if they did start to talk about magic again, as they had done nearly every time they'd met, he had to sit down and wonder for a moment whether he actually did want to continue his pursuit of magic at all. Arch was in a good place right now; teaching others, doing his work, exploring new avenues in his career. Was it worth it to put all that on the line for a little bit of magic?

Well, he thought to himself, I kinda learned it and then had enough self-restraint to avoid using it for two seasons. That wasn't really what happened but for the sake of this argument, it's what he chose to believe. There's nothing stopping me from just going there, learning a little more and then not acting on it, if I don't want to. Nobody's forcing me. A little self-motivation and confidence was all it took.

When he arrived at the Stone Gardens, Nivel was already there, waiting. Alex, too. Made sense; he wouldn't be surprised if the boy had camped overnight to be the first one here on the morning. "I'm glad too.. it's been quite a while." The squirrel-shaped statuette rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before nodding in agreement. "Yeah yeah, sure thing." He found a somewhat comfortable spot at the base of one of the stone columns; his back pressed against the cold stone and tail draped over his own lap, both hands gently resting on its length.