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Stranger Danger (DragonSong)

Started by Kingfisher, February 06, 2018, 09:38:30 AM

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Kingfisher

Alexis just stared at her new teacher for a moment.  Then she clicked her tongue before trying to explain.  "If I had even a clue how to do that, why do you think I was in the library trying to figure out what Mordecaism even was?"  Trying to reel in her frustration, the woman tried to soften her statement, adding, "In Connlaoth, academia is quite limited.  The church is so fanatical in its stranglehold on power that any serious inquiry that has even a vague potential to challenge their world view is quashed, often violently."

The mercenary paused, sighing.  Eyes remaining downcast, she continued, saying, "Maybe if I knew what to even focus on, I might be able to get started on controlling this."

DragonSong

Hmm. Not exactly unexpected, but a little disappointing. "Your training did not even include a sense of your own field?" He frowned, thinking. "Do you have...any connection to your field. Like- like when you think about breathing, and you can almost feel your lungs filling and emptying?"

Kingfisher

Whenever Alexis spoke of the church of Ansgar, she had a tendacy to default to a high pitched, lilting, whiny voice that mocked their fanaticism.  That was how she sounded when she said, "Mordecaism isn't really my power, it's god's will working through me!"  As she laughed bitterly, her face took on an ugly sneer.  It was hard to stomache that such foul tasting sentiments had once slipped from her lips without a hint of irony.

Biting back her spite, Alexis turned to Joseph.  "That said, being around other Adhara always gave me a vague sense of...I don't know..."  She trailed off, unsure how best to describe it.  She always felt freer around her Sisters.  She had mostly assumed it had been her fondness for good company.  But.  "Do the fields of Adhara cancel each other out?"  If that was the case, she could use aspects of that simpler, more ignorant, time to learn how to control her ability.

DragonSong

Joseph shook his head slowly. "They shouldn't. They should really only effect latent or active mana."

Kingfisher

That was one idea out the window.  That would make things too easy.  "The trouble with being born with this power," Alexis mused, hoping Joseph would understand, "I don't exactly know where my Adharism ends and the rest of me begins."  It was not like breathing or a heartbeat, where at least for an instant, you could feel what it was like to not have a heartbeat.  "It's like an old injury.  At first it hurts, but eventually, you get used to it, forgetting that it's even there.  You don't even remember it hurts until the pain is gone again."

She was so close, so close to a solution and now Alexis was stumbling a the starting line.  Her stress was rising, a dull ache forming behind her eyes and she would have loved nothing better than to step away and stab something.

DragonSong

Eyes soft, he smiled kindly and murmured, "I may understand better than you think."

Most magic was like that, but divine magic even more so.

"Alright. We begin with the very basics then. Come here." Without further ado he sat down on the grass, folding his legs gracefully and placing his palms on his knees.

Kingfisher

Alexis had not caught much of what Joseph said to himself.  It was clear whatever had been said was not really for her as the man quickly shifted to the next topic.  As he instructed, the mercenary took her place facing him.  Adjusting her sword, she sat on the ground as well, crossing her legs.  Mimicing his posture, she took a breath.  "So, what's first?"

DragonSong

"Close your eyes." He waited, then continued, "I am going to lead you through a guided meditation. If nothing comes of this first session, don't get frustrated. Sometimes these things take a while."

He closed his own eyes and took a careful, measured breath. "Now, relax. Focus on feeling your breath. Just in and out. In. Out."

Kingfisher

Joseph's instruction reminded the mercenary of her fist time using an arquibus.  The idea of steadying her breathing was calming and familiar and she took to it quickly.  She was wordless as she did so, inhaling deeply, breating out through her mouth.  She awaited the next round of instructions - the hard part was clearly yet to come.

DragonSong

"Alright, keep breathing. In for four seconds, hold for five, and then out for eight. And repeat the pattern. Just keep breathing."

Watching her carefully, he sent out the thinned tendril of divine power, probing carefully at her aura. She shouldn't notice, but hopefully it would give him an idea of how connected she was to her own abilities.

Kingfisher

So Alexis continued her breathing, slowing her rate little by little, counting heartbeats to guage her timing.  She was too unconnected from her power though and Joseph's magic slipped toward her, unnoticed.  Her eyes remained closed, her attention focused inward as she awaited the man's next instruction.

DragonSong

"Focus in." His voice was low and calm. "Find the well inside yourself that is you, keep it separate from anything else."

Kingfisher

Alexis had no idea what Joseph meant but she tried to do what he said.  It was difficult to grasp herself without regard to her senses and the mercenary almost called the man a quack.  She held her tongue though.  She wanted to believe he knew what he was talking about.  After all, he was her best shot at controlling her condition.

Alexis almost did not believe it when she found it: a sensation, a feeling that did not coencide with any place on her body.  She was sensing something without sense.  Granted, it was vague and disconnected, just a general...something.  But if this was what Joseph wanted her to find, maybe there was still hope.

DragonSong

He could feel a subtle shift in her energy and smiled softly to himself. Continuing his coaching of her breathing, he encouraged, "For now just focus on that sense. Learn to separate that self from the senses of your physical body."

With time, hopefully she would be able to separate that sense of self from her powers.

Kingfisher

"Right," Alexis said.  Her enthusiasm was surprisingly subdued given that this was her first chance at control.  "At least it's a place to start," she admitted.  She knew she had a long way to go and it would be some time before she could just retract her power completely.

"You seem oddly familiar with my power," the mercenary mused aloud.  "Have you done something like this before?"

DragonSong

"Well, not exactly like this," the ex-angel admitted. Training the garrison was similar, but not identical. "But I do have a decent amount of experience training battle- mages." He stuttered a bit over the word; he'd never liked lying, despite the necessity.

Kingfisher

The shrewd woman caught Joseph's hesitation.  Whatever or whoever he had trained, they were not mages.  This piqued Alexis' curiosity but she dared not pry too openly.  She was willing to offer him benefit of the doubt but out of necessity, she would have to look into this peculiar instuctor.

That could wait, though.  It was nearly noon now, and the mercenary captain was looking forward to lunch.  "Do you mind if we take a break for now?" she asked.  Alexis rose quickly, hands never even touching the ground.  "If you're hungry, I'm sure there's enough stew to share."  She was fairly sure one of her men had been preparing a wild pheasant of some sort to add to the pot so that would be a rare treat.  She also hoped the meal would give her a chance to discuss her training further with Joseph.

DragonSong

"Yes, I think a break would be fine." Joseph nodded and got to his feet, stretching. "How do you feel?" he asked with a little tilt of his head, looking her up and down almost calculatingly.

Kingfisher

As the pair headed for the cookpot near the center of camp, Alexis remained mostly silent.  She was unsure how to answer Joseph's question.  "I don't feel any different, if that's what you're asking."  The commander's approach did not go unobserved and on of the men manning the cookfire offered the two wooden bowls.  Many of the other men had already served themselves but no one was eating yet.

As expected, chopped bits of wild meat bobbed amid lentils and vegetables and the woman quickly took a ladleful for herself.  "As I understand," Alexis continued, stepping aside so her guest might take his share.  "Nothing about me will actually change if I manage to contol my power.  I would still be an Adhara and I would still feel my ability in a subtle way..."

The band did not travel with utensils, so Alexis was the first to sip at the broth straight from the bowl before grabbing a few pieces of flat bread, still hot from baking over the fire.  Seeing their commander begin eating, many of the other mercenaries, who even now were congregating around the main firepit in smaller knots, began dipping their own bread, sharing meals and conversations with their brothers-in-arms.

The commander, who had silently signalled that the food was fit to eat, took a stool near the edge of the congregation.  Another had been set besider her, meant for Joseph if he chose take it...

DragonSong

The ex-angel took the apparently offered seat and folded his hands in his lap. "No, nothing about you will change all that much. You will simply have more control," he said with a nod.

"I don't expect you to feel all that different after just one session, I simply wondered how you felt about the session itself."

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