• Closed • Next Step Forward (Modded)

[Rey'na]

42nd Ymiden, 718

Rey hummed quietly to herself as she stood in her new kitchen. It had only been a few days since she had been given such a beautiful house by her sister Faith, but she had already grown incredibly comfortable with it - and she fell in love. When she had seen it she knew it would be the most amazing house she had ever lived in, but Rey'na could never have imagined just how beautiful it would be. Being near the beach meant her view in the morning was the sun rising over the beautiful scenery that was Scalvoris, and when she felt like it she could walk down the quiet beach alone before most others would be awake.
Rey knew Archie would be arriving soon, as the sun reached its peak in the sky. If she could guess the man would be early, so she was doing some basic cleaning. Her house was near to spotless as it was, she'd barely spent any time in it since moving in and the time she did spend was either out on the beach or in bed, but it was always worth to make the best impression she could for the man. After all, he was to be her tutor.

As she hummed a small tune, the girl looked out of the window in the kitchen, pausing her cleaning while looking out to the sights. Along the beach ran a small family, a man and woman with a young daughter. Rey couldn't help but smile at the sight of it. Happiness in Scalvoris was what she wanted for the world, and seeing it so close to her home made every danger she would be going through soon worth it. Every fiber of her being knew that she was meant to be the good guy, the hero.
"Thank you" she muttered under her breath to all the Immortals that had helped. Pier and Pre, Ymiden - even Moseke to some degree. Despite how hard the journey here was, all of them helped rid her of the curse that Lisirra called a blessing, and the trauma that had come with it. While she was nowhere near perfect, the girl was on her journey to the heroic fate she wanted for herself, and those immortals were the reason she had made it this far.

With a knock at the door, Rey politely walked over and opened it, smiling at Archie. "It's good to see you again. Please, come in."

[Pegasus]

Next Step Forward

42nd Ymiden, 718

At first glance, it would be reasonable to assume that Archie had arrived prepared for them to go on some extreme expedition or undertake some weird science experiment. Certainly as he handed her a bag, while still balancing the box in his arms and that had another bag on top of it. "Morning!" Archie exclaimed and made his way in where he unceremoniously dumped things on to the table. Then, he smiled at her and glanced around. "Nice house. Very ohh-laa." He seemed to approve, it must be said. Not so much of the house itself, although there was no doubting it was lovely, But she knew him well enough by now - he approved of how neat, tidy and ordered it was. He very much approved of that.

"So, I am a fool. An optimistic fool who believes that anyone can learn. Do not disappoint me," he said and then, from his box, he picked up a slatted wooden spatula. "I am going to teach you to cook." Whether this was a good idea or not, Archie said, considering how she managed to butcher a perfectly simple cup of tea, he was not yet sure. There might well be things which terrified him, or made him lose his faith in mortality, but he had always believed that anyone, anyone could learn some basic cooking. As he said that, he glared at her in mock-sternness and then a rare but genuine grin crossed his face.

"As we're putting things out, in neat and orderly fashion," he explained, "I want you to tell me if there's anything you don't recognise or don't know what it's for." Then, they'd put out the ingredients he had brought with him and he wanted her to tell him anything she didn't know or knew but hadn't eaten. One of the first things to do was to know the taste of what you were cooking, it meant that you could be sure when, as she tasted while she cooked, she knew what "right" and "good" tasted like. Unlike her tea.

He'd brought a lot of things with him. Literally, everything he'd need. Every pot and pan, utensil and condiment, he'd left nothing out at all. There was wine and two glasses and it seemed that they were going to be dining on some very good steak. As she started to do as he instructed, he spoke, casually. "So, while we work, I thought we could talk about magic. Tell me what you know about Abrogation already?"

Off Topic

Hi there!

So, same deal as before. What I'd like you to do is to self mod / solo a thread with Archie where they talk about his forced initiation into Aberration. This might be in a thread where you eat the delicious dinner or it might be on patrol together. Thanks!

[Rey'na]

Rey took the bag immediately and brought it to the table, giving the man a small chuckle when he complimented her house. "I'm glad you like it. My sister bought it for me, it's stunning" she smiled, eyes still wide when she looked around the room and knew it was hers. Something about being given such a gift still came as a shock for her, as if anyone giving her such kindness was unnatural for her. Anyone bar Lisirra, and she had no kindness anymore. Not for Rey'na. As far as Rey knew, she had a new 'daughter' to control - and Rey was just a memory.
When the man said the two were cooking, Rey'na smiled brightly. "Believe it or not, I've cooked before. I wasn't very good at it, though" she chuckled to herself, her hand resting on her chin as she looked at the ingredients. When Fridgar had helped her with cooking, he went out and bought near to everything she could have wanted, so most of this was familiar for her. This time, at least, she knew not to cook a rabbit while it still had it's fur on. That was a disaster.

"What meat is that?" she asked and pointed to the steak, before following his instructions slowly. She looked over every item that she needed to cook and took in a small inhale. It had been a long time, and with an entirely different mindset, since she had last cooked. It wasn't going to be an easy task for either of them. While he might be a patient man, Rey'na had a habit of being a slow learner, and she knew it. It was unfortunate but true. However, she was willing to learn. Besides, she and Archie had lot's of time left together. She could learn.
"I know that it's about protecting, shields and the like. I was told before coming to the initiation that the task would be hard, but it would help make me resistant to magic and therefore protect against it" she said and glanced to him. It was all she knew of it, the only thing she had been told or taught.

"Is there more you can teach me?"

[Pegasus]

Next Step Forward

Archie looked at her and shook his head slightly when she asked what meat it was. "How'd you survive so long, not eating steak, Rey'na?" He chuckled and told her what it was, what the cut of it was, that kind of thing. He showed her how to prepare it on one steak, how to tenderize the meat and then to rub it gently with salt and garlic. As he did it, he motioned to the other steak. "Come on, you do that one. It's the one you're eating, so I hope you do a good job." The smile on his face was genuine as he watched her. "It's a nice house. A very nice one. Must feel good to be so loved." Others might comment on how generous her sister was, but not Archie. He chose, instead, to focus on Rey'na and what it was that she had done and continued to be which meant that she provoked such generosity.

When she answered about Abrogation, though, he gave a glance and a slight shrug. "In one way of looking at it. It's unlike any other magic, but then I suppose they all are." That was certainly the case, he considered. Anyhow, he continued. "It comes from the word 'abolish' and that is what it does. It abolishes where it can, repels in other places." It was a defensive magic, he explained, which could seem to be a shield, but in many ways it was much more specific, much more nuanced than that. A shield, after all, was something carried and required a very limited understanding of what it was defending against. Abrogation, he told her, was a very much more specific, and more complex process.

There are three things to learn. They are the pre-emptive dampening of magic, the reactive destructuring of a spell as it's cast and the defensive replication of spell elements used to protect. So, stop it before it begins, stop it once it's begun and stop it from hurting you once it's done.. That's the shield part" He smiled at her and put two pans out, together, one for her and one for him. They were for later, he said - before them there was a lot of vegetables to chop, potatoes to slice into steak-cut wedges and so on. He was quite happy to work with her in silence, but equally if she wanted to talk, he'd talk.

He showed her how to cut the vegetables, how to clean them and prepare them fully. Preparation, he said, was key here.

"Magic changes you. Fundamentally, as a person. It's like accepting another person into your soul." He said, with a slight smile. Then he lowered the knife he was slicing potatoes with and looked back to her. "And if I initiate you, Rey'na, I take responsibility for you. I tie our lives together."

There was a slight grin on his face at that. He'd asked her to marry him, after all, as an example of what she was getting into. "I'd hate for you to regret it." He explained that quite genuinely. Would he be here now, voluntarily, after all? Probably not. Looking at Rey'na he gave a slight grin. "I might be inclined to wait a very long time and then still not be sure." With a sudden realisation he let out a bark of laughter. "It just occurred to me, in fact. Getting married would be less of a commitment. I don't want to ruin your life, Rey'na."

Glancing at her, he nodded his head slightly. "Although, at least you aren't ruining your dinner."

[Rey'na]

"I just ate whatever they served at the local tavern or cooked poorly made rabbit" she laughed in return and watched as he prepared the steak, before ordering her to do the same. With a small nod, she copied what he had done as best she could, tenderizing the meat and occasionally glancing over to him to make sure that what she was doing was right. All of this cooking stuff seemed complicated to her, hence why she hadn't done it since she and Fridgar had tried it together - and that had gone tragically. Charcoal rabbit with fur attached wasn't the dish she had intended on cooking, it had to be said. Hopefully, a charcoal steak was better tasting.

Rey blushed a little when he spoke of how loved she was, nodding with a level of pride to her before silently carrying on with her work. It was nice when the two spent time and his compliments were sincere. It was what made her so happy to have him as the man that would teach her Abrogation and any other magic in the future. A few had come to her mind in the time she spent around mages now, but for the time being she had full intent on focusing on the protective magic that was Abrogation. It was her purpose now, after all. Protecting people, doing what was right for the world - and taking out those that were judged for death.

Taking her mind back to the man, she listened as he explained Abrogation to her. Three different ways of disrupting spells, one of which creates a shield. It was fascinating to her, admittedly, that a human could possess any power like that, something so powerful that gave mortals capabilities none should possess. With those thoughts in her mind, she stayed silent for a trill, before glancing over to him. "Am I insane for opting into this power? Every time you remind me of the commitment it makes me more determined, because with it comes the power I want to help people. Yet I don't fear whatever negatives it might have" she explained with a sincere smile to show that she had no fear.

When she prepared the vegetables he started again, explaining more aspects of the magic. When he gave Rey'na a grin she laughed a little and placed down her own knife, waiting for him to finish before saying her own piece. Immediately she turned to face him, a small smile spread across her face. "Well, if it means anything" she began, letting her hand rest on the counter away from the food and blades. "There is nobody else I would trust enough to tie my lives with, though I'll still have to decline that proposal - romance isn't my thing" she chuckled.

"You've been kind to me, given me chances, trusted me. You've made sure that I'm certain, and for as long as I have to wait I'll do it. So long as I get there in the end, I'll just keep enjoying the journey."

[Pegasus]

Rey'na

Overview

Well done! I really put you through your paces in this series of threads and you were like a trooper! Thanks so much for working with me here, and well done!

Points

XP: 15 (not for magic)

Renown: 5

Loot

Knowledge

Cooking: Preparation is key
Cooking: Make sure everything is neat and orderly
Cooking: How to prepare steak
Cooking: Heating the pan
Discipline: Focus on the future
Discipline: Identify your priorities
Meditation: Consider your own thought processes
Meditation: Reflect on your own feelings.