[Haven] Elemental Questions

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 20 Ashan

It was a cool evening on the beach – perfect for a little Defiance training. Praetorum wanted to get a start on seeing where she was at and Elisabeth thought the beach would be a good location. Evening unarmed training had wrapped and there was nothing left to the trial but personal time for everyone. Balthazar was off tending to a few things that had popped up.

The young mage closed her eyes, breathing in, breathing out, letting the waves guide her. It would be interesting having Prae probe her abilities with magic. It was an area they had never explored before and while she welcomed his help wholeheartedly, it was something that made the little butterflies in her stomach storm free. What if he thought she wasn’t any good? He was kind to her, of course. He always had been. There was always that want deep inside of her to make him proud of her so Elisabeth hoped that would be the case.

Clearing her mind out before working with Defiance always helped her. Lucky for her, she lived in a place that made it easy to do so, but something popped up into her mind as soon as she let it loose – the visions. They had come while she was meditating and even though she knew the whole story now about what the visions had been, she still didn’t know the why. She also had a bit more context into the events happening in Scalvoris so all in all, the raven-haired mage had a lot to think about. She probably needed to tell Prae about the visions. Maybe he had an idea as to why she had been getting them.

Elisabeth let her curious mind wander a bit, waiting for her new Defiance mentor to arrive, simply happy to have someone to talk to about the ability that flowed through her.

[Praetorum]

Prae returned to the beach after dark, having agreed to meet Elisa to train her in defiance. He had to admit, he was excited for this. When he'd last seen Elisa, she'd been newly initiated, and he wasn't sure how much she'd improved in the time they'd spent apart. He remembered still those early days of learning to commune with the elements—how nervous he'd been about something as simple as picking a kin element. Or rather, allowing a kin to pick him. He'd even asked Balthazar for advice, he remembered suddenly, back in Yaralon, the first or second time they'd met.


He wondered what Elisa's first kin had been? She'd mentioned having developed a mutation; he remembered his own first defiance mutation emerging about the same time as his first kin. Privately, he had a feeling it would be fire—she was too similar to that element for it not to become one of her kins, in a very different way than Balthazar. 



Sand crunched beneath his feet as he approached the woman sitting on the beach—as he had that morning, he sent out a gust of wind to herald his arrival. This time, though, he didn't let it dissipate after ghosting through her hair, instead having it continue to dance around her, an invitation to play. "How are you feeling?" He asked, "You and your spark?"


"Oh, and I should have asked earlier—did you bring your blade with you?"

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 20 Ashan

Elisabeth heard the sand crunching behind her, heralding the arrival of someone large, which could only be a certain Ithecal she was exceptionally fond of. She slowly brought herself out of the meditative state as the wind began to dance around her again, causing a soft laugh to slip free. “Promise me you’ll never stop greeting me that way? I find myself getting rather attached to it…” Slipping up on her feet, the young mage greeted him with a gentle hug, which always was something of a sight considering their size difference.

Smiling at the wind playing with her, she answered his question to the best of her ability. “I’m alright. As I told you before, Balthazar believes I’ve mutated, which I take to mean progress. I’ve certainly noticed new things I never did before. I can manifest elements now, but there have been some subtle changes inside, with my spark I think. Before when I used magic, it never really felt much different. I mean, it did…but not like it feels now. When I use it now, there is like this slight…euphoric feeling. Almost like the good parts about being drunk without the bad stuff. And when I stop using magic after, there’s a letdown. I haven’t told Balthazar because every time I tell him something, he always says that it’s hard for him to guide me because things are so different for each Defier. I had to work my way through the beginning level of Defiance mostly on my own.”

Sighing a bit, it was…nice…being able to tell someone how she had been feeling. Prae, like Balthazar, may not have been able to understand her connection to the elements or her spark, but it felt good being able to talk about them without feeling guilty.

“There’s something else too. When I use one element more than the others, I feel very out of balance. That’s new as well. I’ve found that I need to at least try to work with them all equally or the 'wonkiness' lingers.”

Shrugging her shoulders, she gave him an apologetic smile, wishing she could explain things better.

“The way I interact with the elements seems to be different. I guess it’s the influence of the spark and while it doesn’t sound/feel odd to me, when I mention it to Balthazar, it seems like perhaps it is. I don't really know. He's the only defier I've had access to up to this point, so I have a lot of theories, but nothing more.”

And then came the part she was curious how he would take..

“Fire is Balthazar. Earth is you and Varlum. I hear rocks and always remember how I saw both of you burrow into the earth and emerge. The problem is earth is the hardest element for me to work with and I’m not sure why.”

Considering him, knowing he must have questions about the oddness of her connection, she smiled. “My theory is that my connection to my spark and elements is influenced by people that were around me when I was initiated. Fire, which has also made itself known as my kin, has always been my strongest element, and I’ve always associated Balthazar with fire so that was a given. You and Varlum were the other two Defiers that shared your abilities with me early on. I think my spark's 'personality', if you can call it that, makes me connect things to elements.” Of course, it was all theories and speculation on her part. Not understanding was difficult sometimes. As far as she could gather, most mages just tried to explain things the best they could.

His last question was answered with a wave of her hand, showing him that her longsword was leaning against the side of a nearby log.

[Praetorum]

“Promise.” Prae said with a smile as Elisabeth disentangled from their hug. It was a simple enough thing to bring a smile to her face.

He listened carefully as she spoke of the changes she’d experienced. That her spark seemed almost to encourage an addiction… Prae knew what that was like. His own defiance spark encouraged movement, motion, and more than once Prae had found himself accidentally floating or flying when he needn’t have. “Every spark is different in their own way, true. But a spark by nature wants to be used.” He said quietly. “In that sense, they’re all the same.”

Savior’s hero complex and urge to be seen, Flow’s hunger for constant change and advancement, Suspicion’s deep seated paranoia and curiosity—Prae wasn’t a fool. He had long since seen the pattern in them; and his mentor had warned him besides. Marken was far more knowledgeable about the nature of sparks than Prae was, and he trusted the man, despite how long it had been since he’d seen him.

“It’s good to improve and grow your spark, but be cautious not to let its desires take over. You are the one in control, and you should stay that way. ”

The “wonkiness” she described was something of a surprise, and Prae wondered if that was the mutation, or just her spark asserting its own personality. The way she explained how the voices of the elements sounded to her was also interesting. Balthazar and Varlum’s voices made sense, but he had to admit, he found it intriguing that her spark had associated him with earth rather than air.

Then again, his relationship with his first kin was not so obvious or straightforwards as Varlum and Balthazar’s with theirs. Praetorum primarily used earth and fire in combat, which was what most people remembered when they saw him, but his spark’s core was movement, and in that, his connection with the air was like none other. Sometimes Prae thought he flew more than he walked.

“What is it about earth that’s so difficult?” Prae asked, tipping his head to the side. “Do you not get along, or is it hard to hear its voice, or to ask things of it?” He considered for a moment, then uncoiled his tail from around his waist, and used it to pluck a pebble from the beach.

“Come on.” His tail flicked, and tossed the pebble lightly towards her. “Show me what you can do with it.”

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 20 Ashan

She nodded when he spoke of the nature of sparks, finding comfort in his words and realizing that there were things she could learn from other Defiers. The young mage had felt a bit alone in that sense, so a bit of relief flooded in.

Elisabeth had some assurances for him as well. “I have been keeping up with my meditation and discipline training, to help mediate some sort of balance.” Balance was important to her for she did not like feeling off. Her spark, however, appeared to enjoy seeing how far it could push her, which had necessitated the need for her increased work in discipline. Learning how to resist her spark was important.

He seemed to take the knowledge that he was a part of her relationship with the elements in stride, which relieved her. Prae moved on to her issues with earth, asking her for more information. “I’m not sure. It is possible it’s just the one I’m most unfamiliar with? The other elements, there is a grace and flow…but earth. I feel like it takes so much more effort, and I am not sure how to get past that. Can certain elements just not like certain Defiers? That’s a bit what it feels like.”

In a surprise, he flicked the pebble at her, causing her to raise her hands a bit, catching it and placing the pebble between her fingers.

He would immediately notice her mutation, just as Balthazar had. Ribbons of gold swirled in her cerulean gaze as she began to work with the element. Focusing on the pebble, she found its small voice hurtling towards her, capturing it. That was the easy part. Taking her hand, she made a small motion of making a fist, willing the pebble to crumble. It sat there, mid-air, vibrating for a few trills. The young mage took a deep breath in, more forcefully exerting her will upon the element until small pieces began to rain down off it. It took a few more trills but eventually, the entirety of the pebble crumbled down to the sand.

Glancing at him, she remarked with a bit of a sigh. “That took way too long, I know".”

[Praetorum]

It was a relief to hear that Elisabeth had not been neglecting her mental skills in favor of magic. Prae had made that mistake early on in his life as a mage, egged on by the aggressive, almost reckless nature of the Yari, and it had caused him a fair few problems. No, much better that she learn slower, with much more caution than Prae himself had. Balance was exactly what Elisabeth needed, and it was good to see that she understood that.

Then the younger defier spoke of her difficulties with earth, and Prae thought, tapping his muzzle. “It is possible for elements to take a dislike to defiers, but from what I’ve seen, that’s usually a result of severe overstepping. I’ve never heard of a newly initiated defier being rejected out of hand for no reason.” He shook his head.

“I would suggest taking time to focus on earth—not on controlling it, but just in communing and understanding. It might well be that what you want the earth to do is further from its nature than the other elements.” Even as he said it, Prae wondered if he was explaining it correctly. He was still new to actually teaching anyone, let alone on a skill so intuitive and personal as defiance.

“Remember,” he said, “defiance is about dialogue, not demand. It’s a balancing act between your desires, your spark’s personality, and the elements’ natures. What the earth wishes to be and do carries a great deal of weight.”

He smiled, watching as she crumbled the pebble into dust. Not bad, but as she’d said, he could see it was a struggle for her. “Do you want to try and work on that now? I’m not sure how much I can help in that respect—you have to forge your own bond with the element.”

“If not, I was thinking I could teach you a few tricks with your sword. Have you learned to caress your weapons with the elements yet?”

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 20 Ashan

Listening to him, she nodded, realizing the same fact that he had. Elements didn’t dislike defiers unless they had a good reason, and Elisabeth wasn’t convinced that earth disliked her. To her, it felt more like a misunderstanding that they needed to sort, so when Prae asked her if she wanted to stop and work on that, she shook her head. “No, you are right. I’ll have to work on that myself. We should move on….but one last question about my issues with earth…”

Fire, wind and water – she had a good relationship with each. Varlum and Praetorum himself had been the first ones to expose the young woman to Defiance, and both had shown her the power of earth. In truth, when she called upon earth, it was the pair of Defiers that she thought of, both encased in earth. “Could, perhaps, part of my problem with earth be caused by my own hesitance? You and Varlum, I’ve seen both of you melt into the earth during intense combat. I also know that Balthazar had an earth initiation and that it was traumatic. I’m wondering if some combination of those things might be causing something of a block? Is that possible?”

He asked her about caressing a weapon, and again, a shake of the head. Techniques were hard to come by since Balthazar had ceased instructing her. Elisabeth had stumbled into the others on her own and she was progressing in raw talent, but the more refined skills were lacking.

It was difficult for her to grasp truly how far she had come, made even more difficult by the fact that most of the journey had been done alone, without a guide. By the time Elisabeth had crawled out of being a novice mage, Balthazar’s magic had been cut off and from that point on, she had worked hard to progress her abilities on her own. The work was slow and tedious, but it was progress. Progress she could be proud of for she hadn't given up.

[Praetorum]

Praetorum tapped his claws against his muzzle when Elisabeth asked her question. “I suppose it’s quite possible. A relationship like this goes both ways, and it may very well be that you have your own issues interfering with it. Or it might just be a matter of incompatibility that you have to work out slowly.”

He wished he could help her further, but he had a feeling this was one hurdle she was going to have to face all on her own. Still, at the very least, he could make sure she didn’t have to learn everything by herself.

With a shake of her head, Elisabeth told him that she had not yet learned to caress her weapons. He wasn’t that surprised, to be honest. Balthazar wasn’t able to teach her right now, and the man had always favored unarmed combat anyways.

“Caressing,” he told her, “is when you call upon the elements to enhance your tools.” Summoning his glaive into his hand, Prae shifted his grip so he could lay a hand on the blade. All it took was a flick of his claws, and then the metal was ablaze, flames licking merrily along the length of the blade, stopping just short of the shaft.

“You see why I had you bring your sword?” He grinned. “Come on. Give it a try. Hold the blade in one hand, and call to one of the elements—your kin element would be easiest, but air would be safest—to your hand. Touch them together, and try to ask the elements to coat just the tip of your blade.” He would stay alert as she did so, prepared to help if she overshot the mark and things got out of hand. Fire especially was easily excitable like that.

He proffered his still flaming glaive towards her, a source of fire for her to draw from if she desired. He didn’t know if she was capable of manifesting the elements just yet; something else to work on if she hadn’t.

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 20 Ashan

Elisabeth listened as they wrapped up the portion of the lesson related to earth. The young mage was going to have to work through that issue on her own, which was fine. It was simply nice to have someone to talk to about defiance with.

Moving on, they turned to the ‘caressing’ technique. Grabbing Iustitia, Elisabeth listened as the Ithecal explained what to do. Nodding, she flipped her grip on the sword to copy what he had demonstrated, giving a soft grin to him while shaking her head, noting him holding out the flames to her. “I’m sure I can manage…”

To which element she called, while sorely tempted to choose fire, Elisabeth resisted her spark’s urges and went with the safer option, air. Swirls of silver began forming within her cerulean gaze, listening to the element, urging it forward to do as Prae had instructed, holding out her hand and allowing it to safely manifest.

Gently touching her hand to the blade, an unexpected reaction quickly occurred. Unfortunately, due to her unfamiliarity with the technique, the young mage was unable to stop the excitement of the air, which rushed forward to assist her and managed to knock the sword clean out of her hand, sending it to the sand. Blinking a bit, she arched an eyebrow at Prae and spoke before he had the chance. “No laughing….” she warned, flashing a quick smile as she bent over to retrieve her wayward weapon.

“Let’s try that again, shall we?” Concentrating harder this time, Elisabeth put the sword in the same position, holding it steady as she manifested air in her hand again, and slowly touched her hand to the blade. This time, she remained much more conscious of how air was responding to her, slowing it and much more consciously allowing it to wrap around the blade. It took much more effort than she imagined it would, but within trills, she had accomplished the technique, albeit a bit clumsily.

[Praetorum]

Extinguishing the flames on his glaive, Prae settled back to watch Elisabeth work. Since she was working with air, he didn’t worry too much, and just let her get on with it. Making mistakes was a part of learning, after all, as long as they didn’t burn you too badly.

Case in point…

He grinned, but didn’t laugh as the sword went flying out of her hand. That was nostalgic—the first time it had occurred to him to caress his shield with air, he ended up nearly throwing it at Edyn on accident.

Elisabeth’s second try went much better than the first. She kept her cool, and coaxed the element to follow her lead instead of letting herself be guided by it. “Good,” he said when she was done. “It’s a lot easier with practice, especially with a tool you’re familiar with.”

“Now,” he said, “coat the whole blade with air, and give it a few swings. Don’t try and control the air directly—ask it to follow the direction of the sword. That way you’re only focusing on one thing, the blade, instead of multiple things at once. Whenever you can, simplify things for your mind. The less you have to think about, the faster you can react.”

Caressing his own glaive with air, he stood, and demonstrated a few swings and thrusts, showing her how the air wrapped around the blade could increase its speed and decrease its weight in the hand. Finally, with a flick of the glaive blade, he sent a projectile of compressed air flying towards the beach, scattering a pile of sand near them.

“Alright,” he continued, “this technique of Caressing can be used with any tool, and all of the elements. Think fast—how many ways can you think of to use it in two bits?”