37th of Ashan, Arc 719
The windstorm had started in the night; Prae had slept through the earliest breaks of it; given the option, he might have slept through the whole thing.
Naturally, Prae didn't get to make that choice.
"Praetorum!" Someone shook him aggressively. "Praetorum, wake up! We don't have much time."
"Bluh?" Prae blinked the haze of sleep away, only to find his mentor hovering over his head, shoving at his shoulder.
"Prae, wake up!" She hissed. "There's the beginnings of a windstorm, right now. Listen."
Shaking her off, he sat up, shaking his head to clear it. Stumbling to his feet, Prae pulled open the door to his home, only to be hit full force by a heavy wind.
He closed the door. "I'm awake now. What's the problem? Do we need to... I don't know, evacuate people or something?"
Edyn snorted. "Fates, no. No, I need you to sit down, and make a decision, alright. Listen." Too short to reach his shoulders, she took his elbows, and steered him towards a chair. Obligingly, he sat in it, confused as to what, exactly, she was here for.
"Praetorum, I told you, last season, Selyin and I were... unsure of whether you were fit to take my place?" Prae nodded, and she continued. "We've been discussing since we got back, with Mayor Eva as well. And, well." Edyn stood, sweeping a hand towards the door, and the windstorm beyond. "Do you want this? To be my apprentice, my successor in the band, and accept with it the connection with the elements I have?"
Prae had half been expecting this. The two captains had been looking at him oddly these last few trials, since they'd returned and learned of his... misadventures. He'd been half torn between thinking they were going to take him on as Edyn's heir apparent in the band, and thinking they were going to toss him out for overstepping his bounds. Seems they'd finally made a decision on that front.
"Yes." He said, without a moment of hesitation. He'd had a taste of leadership now, and found that it suited him, no matter what anxieties might have plagued him before, might still plague him now. And besides. He had someone else he didn't want to let down now. "I'll do it."
Edyn smiled then. "Why did I know you'd say that?" She teased a little. "Well, let's start. First things first. Why did I barge into your home, right now, to ask you this."
Praetorum looked down at Edyn's feet, where a miniature duststorm whirled, as it had the entire time he'd known her. Then, he looked at the door, and the windstorm beyond. "Does this involve 'overloading' me with the elements too?" He asked, sighing heavily.
"Got it in one. Come one, let's go. Ah, no need." She said quickly as Prae reached for his things. "We'll be back before you know it. Come on then."
Outside, the wind had picked up a little. Right now, it wasn't much more than a strong wind, but already, Prae could see that over Yaralon's walls, over to the north...
Prae swallowed as he took in the windstorm rolling in from the spines. "Will Evonshire be alright?" He wondered. "That's dangerously close to them."
"They'll be fine. I built a sort of... storm shelter around the village earlier. The storm isn't quite at them yet either; afterwards, if you survive this initiation—"
"How reassuring."
"— we'll head over there, and I'll teach you the basics while the storm passes?"
"In the shelter, I would hope?" Edyn simply laughed at that, like he'd cracked a joke, and Praetorum sighed something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'fekking yari'.
"Cheer up, throwing students in the deep end is a time honored yari tradition. Now, you're going to find this a little weird, but just... bear with me here."
Pressing a hand to her neck, Edyn tapped the hone rune there, and then reached over and pulled Praetorum into a bridal carry.
"Um."
Then, with seemingly no effort, she started to run down the street.
"UM."
When she leaped into the air, Praetorum cringed, fully expecting to topple to the ground when she landed. All the strength runes in the world couldn't change the fact that Prae was some two, maybe three times heavier than she was. But instead of landing, Edyn simply... kept going up, soaring into the fierce wind. And even more astounding, the wind seemed to be parting for her, even changing directions to carry her, and Praetorum with her, on to their destination.
"Oh, don't look so surprised." Her voice was easy to hear, despite the heavy winds; almost like there was a patch of peaceful air between the two of them. "The elements, they're my friends. And I've been working with them for over half my life; they know me, care for me, listen to me. You'll be able to do this too, with a great deal of practice. The things a master defier can do, Praetorum, you would not believe. It's almost... almost like being one with the elements. They become so ingrained in your life, they nearly become part of you. Once you're initiated, you'll see what I mean."
"Assuming I survive?" Prae teased a little.
"Assuming you'll survive. I expect you will, though. You've got the temperament for it, I'd say."
"Thanks for the compliment, I guess?" Prae eyed the storm they were very rapidly approaching, a little unsure of himself. "Tell me about the initiation."
"Defiance is a conversation, a relationship, a kinship. So, we put you in a state that forces you to reach out to the elements to survive." Ominous. "I'm going to put a piece of my spark in that storm, and then you're going to walk into it." There it was. Again. "Just.. try and talk with the elements. Ask them for help, don't be proud. And try to understand them in turn. Defiance can't be a one sided relationship where they serve you when its convenient."
Prae nodded, growing more and more nervous as they drew closer and closer to the storm. There was a bubble of sorts around Edyn, a stream of wind blowing them towards their destination, that kept them from the worst of the storm, but there were parts of him, the tips of his tail and fingers, that could feel the full strength of the storm. And it was a powerful one, for sure. Prae had always been taught to find shelter in storms, in a cave or a sturdy building. To just walk— no, to just fly— directly into the storm went against every survival instinct he had.
Edyn began to fly higher, the wind obligingly raising her at an angle he was fairly certain winds were not supposed to go. "Listen to me, Praetorum. This is what's going to happen, alright? We're going to dive into that storm, into the strongest, deadliest part of it. And then, I'm going to let you go. It's terrifying, I know; I nearly pissed myself when I was being initiated. But I promise, if you can make it through, gaining this relationship with the elements will be the most amazing thing you've ever earned. "
Distantly, Praetorum became aware that his heart was racing, that his breaths had gone shallow. He was trembling too, he realized, shaking like a leaf in the arms of a human woman half his size. "I'm ready." He rasped out.
"No one's ever ready for their initiation. But I believe in you." Edyn took his hand, pressed it to the rune of naming on her brow. Everything she was, she thought, she felt washed over Praetorum, and his breathing evened out. Edyn had been made in her initiation, in a way; she thought of it now as a second birth, the moment when her true life had begun. It was the greatest gift anyone could ever have given her. And she wanted to give it to him now, believed that he was capable of accepting it.
She was lonely, he realized. She'd wanted someone to share the joy of the elements with, someone who she could trust. And she wanted that someone to be him.
She was afraid for him too. He didn't know why that realization soothed him, but it did. Slowly, his trembling slowed, then stopped entirely. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and activated Taithir's inspire, giving her the strength to fight past her fears and anxieties. He could almost see the worry and tension drain from her, and he caught her eye. "Alright. Let's do this then."
Naturally, Prae didn't get to make that choice.
"Praetorum!" Someone shook him aggressively. "Praetorum, wake up! We don't have much time."
"Bluh?" Prae blinked the haze of sleep away, only to find his mentor hovering over his head, shoving at his shoulder.
"Prae, wake up!" She hissed. "There's the beginnings of a windstorm, right now. Listen."
Shaking her off, he sat up, shaking his head to clear it. Stumbling to his feet, Prae pulled open the door to his home, only to be hit full force by a heavy wind.
He closed the door. "I'm awake now. What's the problem? Do we need to... I don't know, evacuate people or something?"
Edyn snorted. "Fates, no. No, I need you to sit down, and make a decision, alright. Listen." Too short to reach his shoulders, she took his elbows, and steered him towards a chair. Obligingly, he sat in it, confused as to what, exactly, she was here for.
"Praetorum, I told you, last season, Selyin and I were... unsure of whether you were fit to take my place?" Prae nodded, and she continued. "We've been discussing since we got back, with Mayor Eva as well. And, well." Edyn stood, sweeping a hand towards the door, and the windstorm beyond. "Do you want this? To be my apprentice, my successor in the band, and accept with it the connection with the elements I have?"
Prae had half been expecting this. The two captains had been looking at him oddly these last few trials, since they'd returned and learned of his... misadventures. He'd been half torn between thinking they were going to take him on as Edyn's heir apparent in the band, and thinking they were going to toss him out for overstepping his bounds. Seems they'd finally made a decision on that front.
"Yes." He said, without a moment of hesitation. He'd had a taste of leadership now, and found that it suited him, no matter what anxieties might have plagued him before, might still plague him now. And besides. He had someone else he didn't want to let down now. "I'll do it."
Edyn smiled then. "Why did I know you'd say that?" She teased a little. "Well, let's start. First things first. Why did I barge into your home, right now, to ask you this."
Praetorum looked down at Edyn's feet, where a miniature duststorm whirled, as it had the entire time he'd known her. Then, he looked at the door, and the windstorm beyond. "Does this involve 'overloading' me with the elements too?" He asked, sighing heavily.
"Got it in one. Come one, let's go. Ah, no need." She said quickly as Prae reached for his things. "We'll be back before you know it. Come on then."
Outside, the wind had picked up a little. Right now, it wasn't much more than a strong wind, but already, Prae could see that over Yaralon's walls, over to the north...
Prae swallowed as he took in the windstorm rolling in from the spines. "Will Evonshire be alright?" He wondered. "That's dangerously close to them."
"They'll be fine. I built a sort of... storm shelter around the village earlier. The storm isn't quite at them yet either; afterwards, if you survive this initiation—"
"How reassuring."
"— we'll head over there, and I'll teach you the basics while the storm passes?"
"In the shelter, I would hope?" Edyn simply laughed at that, like he'd cracked a joke, and Praetorum sighed something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'fekking yari'.
"Cheer up, throwing students in the deep end is a time honored yari tradition. Now, you're going to find this a little weird, but just... bear with me here."
Pressing a hand to her neck, Edyn tapped the hone rune there, and then reached over and pulled Praetorum into a bridal carry.
"Um."
Then, with seemingly no effort, she started to run down the street.
"UM."
When she leaped into the air, Praetorum cringed, fully expecting to topple to the ground when she landed. All the strength runes in the world couldn't change the fact that Prae was some two, maybe three times heavier than she was. But instead of landing, Edyn simply... kept going up, soaring into the fierce wind. And even more astounding, the wind seemed to be parting for her, even changing directions to carry her, and Praetorum with her, on to their destination.
"Oh, don't look so surprised." Her voice was easy to hear, despite the heavy winds; almost like there was a patch of peaceful air between the two of them. "The elements, they're my friends. And I've been working with them for over half my life; they know me, care for me, listen to me. You'll be able to do this too, with a great deal of practice. The things a master defier can do, Praetorum, you would not believe. It's almost... almost like being one with the elements. They become so ingrained in your life, they nearly become part of you. Once you're initiated, you'll see what I mean."
"Assuming I survive?" Prae teased a little.
"Assuming you'll survive. I expect you will, though. You've got the temperament for it, I'd say."
"Thanks for the compliment, I guess?" Prae eyed the storm they were very rapidly approaching, a little unsure of himself. "Tell me about the initiation."
"Defiance is a conversation, a relationship, a kinship. So, we put you in a state that forces you to reach out to the elements to survive." Ominous. "I'm going to put a piece of my spark in that storm, and then you're going to walk into it." There it was. Again. "Just.. try and talk with the elements. Ask them for help, don't be proud. And try to understand them in turn. Defiance can't be a one sided relationship where they serve you when its convenient."
Prae nodded, growing more and more nervous as they drew closer and closer to the storm. There was a bubble of sorts around Edyn, a stream of wind blowing them towards their destination, that kept them from the worst of the storm, but there were parts of him, the tips of his tail and fingers, that could feel the full strength of the storm. And it was a powerful one, for sure. Prae had always been taught to find shelter in storms, in a cave or a sturdy building. To just walk— no, to just fly— directly into the storm went against every survival instinct he had.
Edyn began to fly higher, the wind obligingly raising her at an angle he was fairly certain winds were not supposed to go. "Listen to me, Praetorum. This is what's going to happen, alright? We're going to dive into that storm, into the strongest, deadliest part of it. And then, I'm going to let you go. It's terrifying, I know; I nearly pissed myself when I was being initiated. But I promise, if you can make it through, gaining this relationship with the elements will be the most amazing thing you've ever earned. "
Distantly, Praetorum became aware that his heart was racing, that his breaths had gone shallow. He was trembling too, he realized, shaking like a leaf in the arms of a human woman half his size. "I'm ready." He rasped out.
"No one's ever ready for their initiation. But I believe in you." Edyn took his hand, pressed it to the rune of naming on her brow. Everything she was, she thought, she felt washed over Praetorum, and his breathing evened out. Edyn had been made in her initiation, in a way; she thought of it now as a second birth, the moment when her true life had begun. It was the greatest gift anyone could ever have given her. And she wanted to give it to him now, believed that he was capable of accepting it.
She was lonely, he realized. She'd wanted someone to share the joy of the elements with, someone who she could trust. And she wanted that someone to be him.
She was afraid for him too. He didn't know why that realization soothed him, but it did. Slowly, his trembling slowed, then stopped entirely. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and activated Taithir's inspire, giving her the strength to fight past her fears and anxieties. He could almost see the worry and tension drain from her, and he caught her eye. "Alright. Let's do this then."
Off Topic
Storm approved by Aegis