Burning the candle ~ 29th Sam

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:19 am

Ceris sat on the window sill. Her hair, freshly dyed each evening, was leaving inky trails on her moon bleached shoulders, it took a long while to dry even with the window open and the first of the nights breezes stirring against her skin. It had not been long since the mark, she did not have much time before Ventalla would expect her for instruction. In three days she had found magic an odd art, sometimes she felt like she owned the flows, sometimes they were as elusive as a wisp of smoke. All in all she had had little time to herself in either case, when she was not weaving flows she was studying theory. The only time she truely had were those wrapped in feathers, dawn was now welcome as a lovers kiss and dusk seemed a cruel mistress demanding she be home before the mark struck. Still Ceris had lived with that time keeper her whole life, it was nothing new.

She flicked dark locks of hair from her neck and breast, once she had more skill there would be no need for this awkward ritual. She soaked a sponge and used strong spirit to wipe the Khol from her shoulders. It was an expensive ritual too...

She wondered what tonite would have in store? More introspective studies? She had thoroughly enjoyed simple classes like astronomy though she had not truely had much time to study them. She had turned up to the classes on shadow and light manipulation but her inability to practice at noon was something of a hinderance. Ceris smiled, that wouldnt be a problem for long if her guess was right. It was nearly that time of the month.

She smiled, Ventalla would be pleased. She slipped into her grey silk dress, tied her hair up so as not to ruin the fabric and slipped out of the doorway.

ooc: It looks like I will be joining the war for a while... not sure how this is gonna happen but we will see

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:36 pm

The University seeemed off to Ceris this night as she descended the stairs towards Professor Ventalla's office. Usually the wall radiate a feeling of age, of timelessness really, that some find comforting and others are disturbed by. Tonight, those same walls were on edge like an ancient guardian roused from slumber and called upon to live up to that title.

Placing her hand upon Ventalla's door caused it open now that Ventalla had altered his door wards to allow her entry. She found Ventalla sitting cross-legged on the floor in a state of meditation. This was not an unusual occurance. Ceris often found him like this and only a flicker later Ventalla would offer a serene greeting from whatever place his mental travels had taken him. This night the opening of the door snapped Ventalla from his meditations and he looked up in annoyance until he saw it was Ceris.

"Good evening, my dear." He greeted her. "The sun has slipped away when I wasn't looking I see." Ventalla rose to his feet. "How have your lessons been going since last we met?" He inquired.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:12 pm

"Well enough, I still lack control though and it frustrates me." She felt her heart surge, she wanted to impress this man and those around her. In truth she devoted almost all her human life to study or practice, trying to make one flame jump from candle to candle in her room or smoothing her armour of feathers. She spent marks of the night in the light of the library studying tomes concerning manipulation of the aether or light and shadow.

"I think I am improving, but the others have lectures and classes in the day that I cannot refer to. It also frustrates me." Ceris clenched her rouged lips into a thin line and took a breath to calm herself. Ventalla would not be impressed by petulance or self pity. She would study harder.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 4:52 pm

"That is an unfortunate limitation but alas one we can do little about." Ventalla sympathized. "If only we had a dark adhiel or two on staff for whom darkness is also a boon." He murmured. He waved the thought away and moved towards his desk. "Well lets' see we can do to speed your process along."

"You have has time enough to study out the basics." Ventalla informed her. "What kind of magical effect do you long to achieve? We shall start you along that path to achievement."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 2:32 pm

"The classes in shadow are of an interest to me, perhaps because they are such a challenge. The very thought that one could manipulate darkness as a tangiable thing... It amazes me. I wonder what one could acheive if the avenue was explored totally."

Ceris mused at the question Ventalla posed, there was such scope and so much opportunity.

"But then, I do have time to persue the arts at my leasure. Perhaps you could suggest something that is a window to other studies. Your classes in introspective studies are very interesting, exploring my own soul seems to be challenge enough at the moment." She smiled, flashing her teeth, a nod towards her mentor's classes was neccesary politcal ettiquette and not one that was wholly false. She still wished to fine tune the basics of her mental armour and understand the glamour that she projected that she might better control it without Ventalla's trinket.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:30 pm

"Very well then." Ventalla was not immune to flattery and it was his favorite subject after all. "The key to it all Ceris is perception." He began. "A few days ago the only way you could see was with physical eyes. But with the sure knowledge that there was more you could see and careful coaching in how to look for it, the energies of the Aether became clear to you. Well now I tell to you that the Aether can be as much of a shroud as the Tether was to true understanding of things. There are other ways to look and other paths to knowledge."

Ventalla moves over to his desk and picks up a fist sized piece of a green mineral. "This is a rock." He says simply. "You understand the properties of a rock. Its solid. Its hard. Its heavy. If you study the rock longer you might recognize the minerals that make it up and gain an appreciation for its crystalline nature but in the end its a rock. A magician would draw energies of earth from it and do it without delay for he understands rock. What I suggest is learning to know yourself as well as you know the elements you study. Then and only then can you unlock your true potential as a sorceress. Would you walk these other paths with me for awhile or do you prefer lessons in straight sorcery?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 1:29 pm

"I fear such understanding would take lifetimes." Ceris replied, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. She had known the answer to this question before he had even asked.

She let her smile drop a little and her face took a more appraising demeanor.

"I will walk your path a while proffessor," she replied in her lilting Islay accent. "Perhaps we could both stand to learn a little before the fireballs fly." She smiled, raising one eyebrow in question.

She had time, time to master each art in succession and studying under Ventalla would be a foundation upon which she could build her craft, a tower tall and strong. She would ascend, rise above those that saught her; no longer to live in the shadows, hiding in the hours of dusk and dawn. She would be a beacon to her people, a flame to outshine all others. In time.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:07 am

"Then let's begin." Ventalla smiled. "It begins like meditation, like centering. Find a comfortable position for mind and body. Relax and find the core of your being once more. This time do not move past that awareness of your body. Focus on it. Feel your heart beat. Feel your chest rise and fall with air. Examine every muscle. Is it tense? It is lax?" Ventalla spoke soothingly. "How long are your fingernails. How sharp? How strong are your bones? For the perceptive mind, these questions all have answers."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 10:11 pm

Despite her training, it was still no simple matter for Ceris to clear her mind. There was too much to distract her, too many fears and doubts. She was trying so hard when she should be relaxed. She tried to slow her breathing, focusing on that first. Once there was little else in her mind she stretched her conciousness out, trying to guide her mind as Ventalla instructed. She tried to be aware of herself and herself alone, the world around her became distant - only Ventalla's voice piercing the haze.

She did not speak, hoping that Ventalla could monitor her progress and guide her accordingly. To speak would be to think about words, to construct them in her mind and she could not afford that distraction. She tried to achieve total awarness, a complete understanding of her body, its proportions. She winced, her muscles felt lax, she had neglected her body to further her mind. Something would need to be done about that. She shook herself and reapplied her focus. Awarness, total perception.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:20 pm

"Calmly." Ventalla advised. "Do not think about your body. Know it. A critical difference." He moved quietly around her. "Your heart beats faster out of concern but you breathe steadily to keep control." He observed. "Your left fingernail is longer than your right. Can you tell?" He challenged.

"Such a detail might be beyond you." He admitted before she tried too hard. "Let us focus on the big picture. Overall, you are healthy. More than healthy, you have the glow of health that only the immortal can have. Can you sense that? That all is as it should be in your body?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:16 pm

She settled herself, soothed by Ventalla's words. There was no rush to this, she was governed only by her own impatience. She calmed herself, fed all her thoughts into the void of her own mind and became simply aware. She had been able to see this all along, she knew it as surely as she knew the sun warmed her and that the nights were cool. She radiated, the auora of her soul spilling out like the heat from a flame.

"Yes, I feel it." Ceris smiled, every step to her was a thing to be celebrated but she would need to pace herself and not rush into anything too quickly.

Post by **Grey Wolf** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:42 pm

"Now it is important. Stay focused. Do not ask how I know it, try to see for yourself." His voice was calm and soft, almost as if he feared to distract her from her quest for new perception. When he spoke it was a sigh that left his lips first, preparing her for the words that would come, at first his voice no more than a whisper, and then rising in power, but never too loud. Just loud enough for her not to be forced to strain her hearing to hear him. As it came so too it left, disappearing into a sigh, letting her mind fill the hollow left by it by discovering more about her.

"Imagine yourself now. As you are. Like you were not in your own body, but close by. Watch yourself, but do not open your eyes. Lean closer. Watch the tiny hairs on the back of your hand. Do you feel the breeze upon your skin. It might be too faint, but it is there. But, do not focus on the breeze. Focus on what it does to your body. Notice how the blood vessels in your hand widen. How they force more blood to your skin to warm it. Can you hear the brush of blood against your veins. Feel them constrict and then expand at each heartbeat?"

OOC: Just a short tie-over till Tristam is back

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:56 am

oc: Ta

ic

Ceris was almost overwhelmed by the rush of sensation. She felt her perception thrown open to every event in her body, though she tried to focus only upon the skin of her hand she now heared the rush of blood in her ears, felt the friction of fabric against her skin almost to the point of pain. She tried to settle herself, push out those intrusive sensations. She focused only on her hand and it was as if the member came alive. She felt every pulse, the dilation of every blood vessel, she swore she could feel the vibrancy of life even in so simple a thing. She nodded, not willing to risk her concentration by speaking.

Post by **Grey Wolf** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:18 pm

"Now focus on the back of your hand. Sense every hair on its back. Every pore. Bend your fingers. Close you hand into a fist. Feel the skin stretch taut. Feel the moment your muscles start moving. Hold it like that." The professor's voice drifted towards Ceris, calm, melodic, almost droning. Then, without any warning came a sharp prick on the back of her hand. A needle pierced her skin, and went in, Aeris' heightened perception making her sense how deep it went, know exactly which blood vessel it ruptured, sense the drop of blood as it went out.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:24 pm

Ceris was unable to control her hand as it jerked away from the source of pain. The needle had been like a sword piercing her skin, she had felt it sever the tissues as it went in and the pain of it was amplified a thousand fold.
She cried out, backing away from Ventalla her mind confused and hurt.

"What was that?" She asked, brows narrowing. What had that been? Some sort of lesson? She wiped the blood from the back of her hand, getting jabbed with needles was not her idea of a lesson and Ventalla would have to have a good explanation.

Post by **Grey Wolf** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:03 pm

It indeed was a needle that the Professor held, and the wound was miniscule, a mere pinprick upon the back of her hand, the professors face a mixture of apology and disappointment. With a sigh, he stuck the needle into the lapel of his coat and closed his eyes for a moment. "It was a lesson. But, before I explain, tell me what happened? Why did you pull you hand away?" At this he fell silent and raised a brow in question.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 4:53 pm

"Because you rammed a needle into it." Ceris rubbed the sore spot on the back of her hand, it would not bleed much but she wanted an explanation all the same. "What did you expect?"

Ceris felt a little dejected, she had been pushing the boundaries of her own conciousness, exploring the limits of perception and now it seemed her lesson had been cut short. She did not know what she was expected to say here, it was a simple and natural response. She could have over-ruled it through force of will, but she saw no reason to do so, pain was to be avoided unless there was some defining purpose to its indulgence.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:21 pm

"For you to block out the pain and sense how minor the wound was." Ventalla answered. "I forgot how eager a new practitioner is to sense everything there is to sense. I'm sorry my dear. Please forgive an old man that has forgotten as much as he has learned."

Ventalla sighed and opened his eyes to look at her once more. "At the beginning, you can sense obvious hurts like cuts and burns. The difference between a painful but ultimately harmless flesh wound and a painless but ultimately lethal wound would be clear to you. As your senses expand, you can tell if that queasy feeling in your stomach is a disease, a poison, or just a reminder not to have the stew at the Burpin Dragon." Ventalla chuckled.

"At the height of your powers, your senses will move beyond your body. Changes in your spirit and aura will be clear to you, and that my dear maiden is something I think you will find very useful indeed." The professor shuffled over to this book shelves and ran a hand down a row of books. He pulled out a slim brown volume and handed it to Ceris. "I think you would rather practice without benefit of needles. This should help you with your meditations."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:50 pm

Ceris nodded, feeling a little shame for her outburst. She should have known that Ventalla had only her best interests at heart. She had feared a drug or poison and the paranoia of an attack burnt in her breast. She tried to quieten herself and reached out to accept the volume her mentor held out.

She turned the book over in her hand and inspected the title. She had a few books in her room from the library, but they were nothing but the most generic volumes on the magical arts. Many concerned its history rather than its practice but Ceris still possessed that fresh voracious thirst for knowledge that must infect so many new practitioners. Any insight they could lend her would be useful, she felt at least.

"Have you had any thoughts on how I could earn my keep as a student?" Ceris asked, running her fingers down the spine of the book. "I do not know what you have need for in the University, but I thought perhaps a job with a little travel - Id like the opportunity to stretch my wings every so often."

Ceris asked this question with some measure of trepidation. She feared some job as a scullery maid or washer woman would be found for her. She would much prefer employ as a courier or messenger where she could put her natural abilities to their best use. "I couldn't stand to be underground."

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 2:35 am

"The University is pretty self contained, Ceris. Students are expected to help with work on the grounds. Still, we can endeavor to keep you under the open sky instead of behind stone walls." Ventalla mused for a moment. "I know the diviners are always looking for people to keep an eye on the sky for them. You could put your astronomy training to good use. There are night gardens that need tending and the librarians always need help keeping the books in order."

"Of course that is just for the nonce." Ventalla explained. "As your skills in magic grow, we will find you tasks suited to your skills. Preparing alchemical reagents or helping with the upkeep of defensive wards, that sort of thing. We prefer to find you work that allows you to practice what we teach even if it is the grunt work of the magical trade."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:55 pm

"Very well, I am sure I can find something to do in the midnight hours." Ceris smiled and stood to her feet.

Time had flown swiftly during her meditations, the night well under way.

"I will leave you to sleep proffessor. The class in shadow magic will start soon and I must prepare." Ceris turned the book over in her hand. "I will get this back to you as soon as I can." She smiled and moved over to the door.

Meditiation, such a strange art. She made her goodbyes, always feeling guilty for making an old man stay up late. Still, there were still classes to attend or time she could kill in the library. The university never slept.

Tristam · Post by **Tristam** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 2:02 pm

Fin: One day you shall learn that the mind is mightier than the pin.

Thread skilled!