Theoretical Thrones (Open, PM to join) | Wyrdwood Academy

[Hope]

Jaxius cringed, floundering for something to say. It wasn't like he didn't get it, he didn't like talking about family either, but sometimes he forgot just how bad things can get when magic is involved. He hated making the girl uncomfortable though.

"Ah- well-" he stumbled, "you'll like it here! There's- um- there's this really pretty clock tower!" Getting into tourist mode, he began to regale her- or at least try to regale her- with some of his own stories. "The clock tower has this loft in it that's kinda hidden, and if you climb into it there are stained glass windows that throw rainbows onto the walls... and there's this, um, there's this wall where people have been writing one liners and stories since probably the beginning of time. People will complete each others' lines and pages. And it's crazy 'cause we, Brahgo and I, we never see anyone when we go up there. There's a poem that covers almost a fifth of the wall and half of it is about this crazy farting dragon, it's hilarious."

Jax paused, partly for breath, partly because the loft was a part of the school's history and newcomers didn't usually get to know about it for a while. Going into the loft was kind of like when you finally realized you belong at Wyrdwood, and it's been a safe haven for students to write emotional journal entries and ragged poems onto the wall for centuries. He deliberated for a moment on whether or not he should continue talking about the clock tower, then decided, what the hell? Why not? She was one of theirs now, anyway- no one would bother her as long as he and Brahgo were around. They were pretty respected, well-doing boys in the school.

[DragonSong]

And just like that, it seemed they had adopted a kitten.

At least, that was how Brahgo had started to think of the girl. It was what Rey called her--my kitten, or sometimes just kit. He really needed to work on his communication with felines, but he could understand enough for that. And that the large cat was...worried about something. Though what exactly he was worried about eluded him.

The "kitten" in question was just staring at Jaxius with wide eyes, food untouched. She didn't know how to react--should she react? He seemed to be on a roll, not like he really needed her input...

Oh. He'd stopped. Damn, was she supposed to say something now? "That...that sounds nice," she tried, voice soft as ever, but there was a glimmer of genuine interest in her eyes. "I, um...wh-where I grew up, there's really nothing like...I mean, it was mostly just jungle." The moment the words were out of her mouth she blushed, feeling like an ill-educated bumpkin. That was what her roommate had called her, before she'd fled out into the hall and nearly collided with Brahgo.

"But it--it sounds nice..."

[Hope]

Jax noticed the flush on her cheeks. "Jungles are nice too," he said, softly, hoping not to upset her with talking about the past. "So... is there anything you'd like to know about the school? Or anything you'd like to see?" He kept his tone gentle, since Laeni seemed kind of... unsure... about everything, and he really didn't want to say something that disturbed her again. He hated putting her on the spot, but at the same, he didn't want to just ramble on and seem like he didn't care about her opinions at all.

At the same time, he shot Brahgo a sideways glance. Brahgo and Rey seemed to have warmed up to each other quite a bit, and Jax hoped that maybe they would come up with something that Laeni would enjoy doing. He inconspicuously snuck another piece of bacon towards Rey, a little in awe of the massive cat, as he ate his breakfast.

[DragonSong]

Laeni actually smiled at that--a proper smile, slightly crooked and a little self-deprecating, but a smile. "Jungles are jungles," she retorted with a short chuckle. "Sometimes pretty, always dangerous."

"Brrp?" Rey made a chirping sound and tilted his head at her before snapping up the slice of bacon.

Laeni jerked and looked at him. "Oh, I don't want to bother--"

"Of course we wouldn't mind showing her around," Brahgo said at the same time, clearly answering whatever it was the panther had said. He glanced to Jaxius and explained, "She doesn't have classes until tomorrow. We could give her a quick tour, yeah?" Looking back to Laeni with a sheepish smile, he added, "Ah, you might be stuck with just Jax in the evening though; I've got a late afternoon lecture."

[Hope]

"Oh, of course we could tour. This school is huge." Jaxius stood from the table, a little relieved that he had been alleviated for the moment from his rather awkward conversation with Laeni. The role of tour guide was far easier, and he loved the old school's little crooks and crannies. It had character and charm, and he always thought he could feel the footsteps of previous students when he walked their paths. "Do you have a schedule yet? We could show you to your classes first. Then you won't have to find them tomorrow. Between the two of us, Brahgo and I should know where all your classes are, at least."

[DragonSong]

"Oh! Um..." She blinked, still a little wide-eyed, and looked between them, but eventually offered a cautious. "I...have a course list back up in my room. I'm not sure I remember everything off the top of my head, but if you don't mind waiting I could go grab it...?"

Rey huffed and rolled his eyes at her, grumbling something that made Brahgo snort and Laeni flush before he jumped down from the table and padded from the dining hall, tail swishing smugly.

"He says he can get it," the half-orc relayed to his friend. A little lower, he added, "And that if Laeni is going to bother training her magic, she might as well try to remember that she has a familiar who can do things like that."

Laeni's blush deepened.

[Hope]

Jaxius restrained his laughter, but he couldn't hide his smirk. "Alright then... can Rey catch up to us outside? The classroom buildings are across the courtyard and it's a little far for human legs." He added, turning to Brahgo, "Remember the first time we walked to classes? I could've sworn the courtyard doesn't end."

[DragonSong]

Brahgo snorted. "I think it didn't. Some upperclassman was fucking around with spatial-temporal spells remember? Got a suspension for unlicensed experimentation and everything."

Laeni's lips twitched as she listened to them, but she nodded an assent. "Rey always knows how to find me."

"You ever gonna get one of those?" Brahgo asked, clapping Jax on the shoulder. "A familiar. Does that work with your magic? You've never really said."

[Hope]

Jaxius laughed a hint sarcastically as they began walking towards the classes. "I mean, I guess I've never considered having a familiar. I don't really know if it would work, but I suppose it probably would. Life magic is naturally very nurturing, and animals intuitively seek to end pain and find gratification. But I've never had a connection..." Jax changed his words mid-sentence- "like that."

A connection like that.

When he turned twelve, Jax's parents gave him a wolf pup, a rare purebred black wolf with haunting, icy blue eyes. They told him to teach it to hunt. Every day, the boy and the wolf went into the forest. At first, the wolf was tense and nippy, and Jax came home with bite marks and scratches all over his body. But he fed the wolf by hand and told it stories in low voices, and there came a day when Jax was able to proudly show off his wolf.

You've taught her love, not obedience.

They had taken the wolf away and Jax felt the crushing weight of remorse and pain and guilt all over again; a stabbing pain tightened his chest as his brain replayed the way the wolf's blue eyes had stared into his soul as she was dragged from his side.

He didn't know what his parents had done with her. He didn't think he ever wanted to know.

[DragonSong]

"Hey." Hand still on Jax's shoulder, Brahgo shook him lightly. "You still with us, mate? You're drifting off."

Laeni, trailing just a few steps behind, cocked her head slightly as she watched them. It felt like...like a tug in her chest. Something warm and golden that flickered in a sympathetic response to--to whatever it was that was happening to Jaxius.

Then she realized both what was happening and that she was staring and quickly snapped her eyes away, a flush rising to her cheeks once again. She wrapped her arms around herself so she could hold her elbows and drew her bottom lip between her teeth in what was clearly a nervous habit.

Calm down, she told the strange feeling in her chest, just barely keeping panic at bay. Calm. Down.

It had never been like this before. It scared her.

[Hope]

There was a brief flash in Jax's left eye, the golden one, and he thought for a second that he felt something in him. Something kind of warm, and cozy, something like the essence of a hug. Then he snapped back, leaning slightly into Brahgo's touch to ground himself, before offering him a small smile. "Sorry about that, I got lost in thought."

Then Jax glanced back to make sure Laeni was still with them and noticed the position she was in. He hesitated, unsure of what to do.

[DragonSong]

Brahgo shot him a look. Jax wasn't always the touchiest person, and him leaning into the half-orc's hand had struck him as a bit off. But he didn't push, just nodded and nudged the other boy with his elbow before lengthening his stride and changing their angle slightly so they could cut across the shortest path through the courtyard.

He glanced back at Laeni as well. She seemed...lost in thought maybe. But then seemed to realize she was falling behind and jerked, then hurried forward—nearly knocking into Jax in the process.

"Oh!" She jerked back like the other mage was made of hot oil, eyes wide, sun-browned skin blanching. "Ah, sorry. Got distracted..." She said it like a lie that even she didn't believe.

Brahgo blinked. Okay, there was shy, and then there was...whatever that was. He shot his roommate another look, arching one brow. He didn't pretend to really understand Jax's magic, but it had to be more useful in this situation than turning into an owl or something. What's with her?

[Hope]

The moment Laeni came close, Jax felt it like nothing he'd ever felt before. The energy flowing through her wasn't the usual gentle ebb and flow that he could detect with his life magic. There were tugs and pulls, tides; it felt like a raging storm in the ocean. And her life energy wasn't contained within her body, the way he was used to; rather, it was tugging and pulling on and through and around her physical form, and it reached out around it, feeling into the world.

Reaching into him. And through him, and intertwining with his own essence, his own energy.

The movement was definitely unsettling, but not too disturbing; he had learned to control his own essence through his lessons, and was able to sift through and kind of re-guide her energy back towards her body. But he caught Brahgo's look and answered with a quick shake of his head.

Not now. We'll talk later.

The whole experience had been surreal, and he'd never encountered something like that before. It would take a whole lot of explaining.

[DragonSong]

He continued staring at Jax for a moment, lips pursed around his tusks, then shrugged and nodded. Fine. But we will talk.

Then his attention moved back to Laeni and he blinked. "Whoa. Hey there, you alright?"

She was swaying on her feet. He reached out to steady her, automatic, but she jerked away before he could touch her, stammering a harsh, "D-don't!"

It was the loudest he'd ever heard her speak. He blinked again, opened his mouth--but before he could say anything a streak of blue and green came bounding up to them, rubbing up against Laeni's legs and nuzzling her hand before rearing up onto his back paws and shoving a slightly crumpled paper toward her face.

"Rey." Laeni felt herself sag a little, even as she scratched her familiar's neck and took the list of classes from his mouth. "Thanks," she murmured, giving him a small smile.

Gods. She didn't want to look back at the boys. What must they be thinking of her? Eyes downcast, she muttered, "You don't, um...if you don't want to, you don't have to show me around. I'm sure I'll manage..."

Okay. Even she wasn't convinced by that. But she had to give it a shot.

[Hope]

Jax almost tackled Brahgo to the ground, but settled instead on jerking back his arm, almost shoving Brahgo behind himself.

The girl's reaction was strong, and the life-force Jax had been trying to redirect back towards her burst away from his magical coaxing, surging into the air in starbursts that almost blinded him. He narrowed his eyes, trying to discipline his sight, and attempted to mentally detangle the energies that Laeni's had drawn out and into the air. His own he drew into his blood, his heart, his lungs, letting it cycle and flow back into his body. He felt Brahgo's leaking and drew it away from Laeni's with a flick of his wrist. He had no idea what he was manipulating; it was all intuition. He usually manipulated physical cells and nerves and tissue in an effort to get life-force flowing properly in a person, not the life-force itself. Jax pushed at Brahgo's air, tangling his life force into it, letting him breathe the magical air back into his system. 

He felt Rey just before the panther arrived- a solid ball of warming energy, a life-force that bundled Laeni's messy essence back together and soothed her. He breathed a sigh of relief as the world seemed to right itself and life-force wound itself back into its owners.

That had been close, and dangerous. He wasn't sure he could've controlled that for long. But at Laeni's muttered words, Jax realized that he wasn't going to give up on Laeni. She obviously had a slippery grasp on control, but everyone had to start somewhere. Maybe he could even teach her a thing or two.

"It's perfectly alright," he told her smoothly, slipping easily into his nonchalant facade- the one he practiced for family affairs and large official parties. "I'm sure this must be a difficult transition and magic itself is unpredictable at best. That said, it appears we've reached the classroom buildings without any mishaps this year. Where's your first class? Perhaps we'll even get to meet some of your classmates or professors."

[DragonSong]

Brahgo actually yelped--albeit quietly--as he felt Jax tugging his arm. He glanced down at the other boy with an arched brow, then frowned. He felt...something, but whatever it was, it was clear that Jax could feel it more strongly.

Not for the first time, he felt a flash of frustration that his own magic didn't seem to extend beyond shapeshifting. He could feel tensions and shifts of power in the air, but only vaguely, and even then they typically had to be pretty strong for him to feel them at all.

Oh. Which meant...

He looked back to Laeni, who was blushing and ducking her eyes again. No. The kitten? Really? Huh.

For her part, Laeni started back a bit, then just stared at them. Well, at Jax. Jaxius. This boy who didn't know her, or know what she could do--what she had done, and had just...

That had been him, hadn't it? She'd felt something dragging at--at what felt like the edges of her, whatever that meant. She couldn't properly describe it, let alone explain it. And it seemed like Brahgo was just as confused as she was, looking back and forth between the two of them, so he hadn't done...whatever that was.

Rey pressed into her hip and she stammered an automatic, "I, um..." She looked down at the paper she held, taking a moment to actually focus enough to read it. "I--something called Introduction to the Healing Arts?" She shrugged; when she'd first arrived at Wyrdwood with a letter from her parents explaining who she was and what had happened--along with a note from some professor here called Idara Something, apparently as a favor to her father--the magister she'd spoken to had simply told her they would enroll her in a handful of life magic classes in an effort to determine just what exactly she could do.

[Hope]

"Ah, an old favorite of mine." Jaxius tried to brush off the expressions on both Brahgo's and Laeni's faces. He would need to talk to them soon, and separately, to try to figure things out, but until then, there was nothing he could do but continue the tour.

He couldn't stop himself from thinking about it, though. Whatever had just happened, it wasn't quite as clear as he would've wanted it to be.

What with the mix of energies and his sight kicking in, blurring golden threads of life into a mess... well, he couldn't afford to disregard the possibilities. And one of those possibilities was that he had set off Laeni somehow, or that she had set him off- why else would that strange starburst pattern have appeared?

That possibility scared Jax. The fact that it could've been him making those patterns. After years of practicing discipline and control, to know that someone as timid and wary as Laeni- someone who wouldn't normally have been a threat to anyone, what with her jumpiness and refusal to let anyone touch her- could cause him to slip up... well, there was no going around it. He was terrified of what he could do. But he could damn well hide it.

They stepped into one of the oldest buildings on school grounds, a seemingly simple classroom with high walls and books piled up in every nook and cranny. Anatomical drawings were pasted onto the walls and there were no desks; instead, beanbags and cushions were scattered on the floor. A few animals were resting in cages against the far wall, and on closer inspection, it could be seen that they were all healing from injuries.

[DragonSong]

"Oh!"

The moment she spotted the cages, Laeni moved toward the nearest one. Animals were easier—she may not have a beastspeaking gift, but she'd always felt more relaxed around animals than she did most other people; it probably helped that in recent months she'd learned that she didn't actually have to worry about accidentally touching them, either.

Apparently her abilities only drained humanoids.

She knelt next to a cage with a smallish fox inside it. The animal eyed her warily, but when Brahgo approached it seemed to relax a bit, and then even more when he tilted his head and sort of huffed after it.

Laeni glanced back over her shoulder. "What did you say?"

He shrugged. "Just that you were new, and she shouldn't be worried about you. You'll be learning how to heal here."

Laeni winced. "Right..." She glanced toward Jaxius again. Healing. Right. "You...you've taken this class?"

[Hope]

"Yeah, I have. The professor was super helpful."

When he'd first taken this class, Jax had barely been able to manage his own powers. His sight of what he loosely considered people's "auras" often blinded him with bright colors, and he had a hard time trying to sort out which parts of people to work on in order to get their life energy flowing normally again. It was especially difficult since everyone's energy had a different kind of "normal." He remembered struggling to understand, his hands positioned over a falcon as the professor crouched nearby. The moment when, with the professor gently explaining, it had suddenly clicked for him. He remembered the exact way the energy had flowed around the break in the wing, and what had appeared to be a jumbled mess suddenly and clearly showed a certain discrepancy. He had been able to set the wing, knitting bone and tissue, by manipulating the bird's life energy.

He had been lucky, though. His intuition and form of magic genuinely sought to heal; there was never any real danger when he interacted with his magic, and even when he lost control, the most that would happen was blinding flashes of auras and bright strands of energy. He remembered classmates who inadvertently hurt themselves or others- the professor often had to perform emergency medical procedures.

He didn't talk about that, though. "The class was grueling," he said instead, "and there was a lot of anatomy that was kind of compulsory to memorize, at least for me. My type of magic requires me to recognize the way energy and people's physical bodies interact, so I had to first learn about the body in order to learn about the magic. It's a really amazing class, though. The professor here was the one who made everything eventually click for me. I started to understand how I could not just throw my magic around but actively use it and manipulate it."

[DragonSong]

Laeni was looking up at him as though he was speaking a foreign language, eyes wide once again. Brahgo glanced between the two of them. Dear gods, the girl looked terrified. Why? Jax hadn't said anything particularly foreboding, as far as he could tell—Of course, his own magic didn't work at all the same way so he didn't exactly have a basis for comparison, but still.

"Hey!" He clapped Jax on the shoulder and gave Laeni a grin. "Wanna go see that clock tower Jax was talking about before?"

Abrupt shift in topic, but it felt warranted. He shrugged as he looked between them. "I know we should take her to a few more of her classes, but we've got time for that, right? And honestly you seem like you could use a bit of distraction."

The last was ostensibly directed at Laeni herself, but was meant for his roommate, too. He hadn't seen Jax get this introspective in...a while.

The two of them were making him nervous.