Training: Dance Monkey [Eitan, Florian, Brenner]

[Florian]

Florian was faced with an onslaught of questions he only half-knew the answers to, though he still made effort to think of the answer. His magic wasn't something he had studied, it was something he had learned, some parts that came instinctively and innately, and some parts that came through trial and error. It felt akin more to stumbling upon power than to harnessing it, though in tandem with Eitan, his magic had only grown stronger faster.

"Like lightning," came the first answer. "It can be weaponized..." It was an odd terminology to use for himself, like he were a tool rather than a person. "And the aether is used when I sustain myself on it. I can't do it forever, and I have to rest for twice as long as I've used it. No matter what I've done, really." He shrugged, and then addressed the other brother. "Usually like illness. A fever, soreness. Sometimes it's violent, if I use too much of my own aether too quickly. A bloody nose, cramps."

And then Eitan insisted on a demonstration being done on him. Florian didn't think it was necessary for that — he could have just discharged the aether he held at nothing — but he assumed Eitan had a reason. Maybe to show the brothers Dornkirk what exactly it could do. He would just split it up into two demonstrations. To Eitan he released a weak amount of aether, painful and shocking but not nearly enough to damage him. While to Florian it looked weak, he was sure that the shocking, crackling light of the aether was impressive to the brothers who hadn't seen it before.

He took a few steps away from Eitan and released the rest of his aether in a much more powerful burst in front of him. It was less a shower of sparks like had been used on the XO, and more a small flash of lightning, though he wouldn't yet compare it to that in terms of brightness. It was audible, even more loud and explosive than the burst he had used just before. He looked back to the Dornkirks.

"That isn't the best I can do, but it's the best I can do given the aether I have." He walked back towards Eitan and the two wards he had made, and siphoned up the first a bit faster than he had when he was showing off. Both of them were weak wards, though, and though he felt some cramping in his arm when he released the aether from the first back into the second ward, he thought nothing of it. Just as the silver had crawled up his arms when he had siphoned the ward, it seemed to flow back outwards as he released it. Hopefully the act answered Stefan's last question, as Florian had touched the ward itself and, in his eyes, grew visibly brighter.

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Intriguing..." Brenner muttered as he notated the information with a few of his initial thoughts and questions on the notepad. "That sounds not unlike threshold sickness, as I understand it... When I was reading up on mages for this mission, I perused various accounts of various witches who overstepped and took ill. It seemed it effected different people in different ways and sometimes based on the rune itself, but... If it besets you, Albrecht, who don't even manipulate magic of your own, that speaks a lot to the volatility and, indeed, the insidiousness of the Kraft." The conclusions Brenner was beginning to draw, made their work feel that much more important. They were seeking not only to save the world from mages, but to save the mages from their own blight. He'd always felt that way, of course, but this was deepening his resolve.

Brenner cocked his head toward Eitan, bemused at his masochistic order to Albrecht. In that moment, he might have been surprised to know that the Lysanrin was thinking along similar lines and wondering whether they might have forgone a demonstration that did damage to a member of the company. Brenner wouldn't shirk taking harm for the good of his team, but he certainly wouldn't order a subordinate to manipulate aether around himself. Brenner was already worried about the lasting effects that might be incurred by the ensorcellments he'd already suffered. There were some who believed being enchanted increased the risk of certain types of cancer in the afflicted. But perhaps Eitan felt that he was already blighted enough by his Rune that he needed to self-flagellate by having his pet shock him toward absolution.

Whatever the case, he remained mum in lieu of protesting and stepped back until his shoulders were touching the wall. With his notepad aloft he regarded the striking scene that played out before him. With quaking breaths and a quivering hand he jotted down his observations, deeply disturbed at watching such perversion being plied before his very eyes. His instinct was to put a stop to it, as he always had in the past, but his conscious mind knew that this would be to their benefit. He'd always known this mission would demand sundry sacrifices and proximity to magic was certainly amongst them.

"Thank you, Albrecht." Though he sounded more harrowed than grateful, "I can see that you will be a valuable asset in the days to come..." He pondered a moment before turning to Stefan and whispering in Kathalan,

"I wonder whether the creatures will be drawn to him, or whether he might be able to use his power to guide their feeding in one direction or another..." A notion that could be either dangerous or useful. It was, perhaps, a consideration for another time- One when they actually had specimens upon which to experiment- but whatever the case it felt worthy of note in the moment.

[Stefan Dornkirk]

The demonstration went on, showing off in the open light what Stefan had only read about in the abstract his entire life. It felt wrong, to watch; to see shields forming, to feel the electricity in the air, to hear it, smell it, watch the effort on the faces of the two men wielding the energy of gods and demons. It felt too close, too intimate, like watching a man and wife after their bedroom doors close behind them. Like standing in a closet, viewing people you know well performing acts that you know to your core aren't for you, too afraid to call out for them to stop, unable to force your eyes away.

Brenner took notes, Stefan stared. Notes were forming in his head, things he would write down in the ride back to the Windworks and likely continue to add to as he analyzed the experience over the next week or more, but while he was happening he couldn't look away. A part of him knew he was supposed to be studying, and that part of him was, but the majority of his mind was blinded by the fascination of seeing that which was fobidden.

When, at last, the demonstrations ended he blinked, quickly and embarrassedly forcing his mind to replay for him the questions and comments of Brenner and the two magic users. The term still made his belly clench sickeningly, but it happened faster now, there and gone in a quick involuntary spasm as though his disgust knew he didn't have time for it. Taking half a step closer before realizing it and stopping himself he made direct eye contact with the Lysanrin, for possibly the first time, hilted his head to one side a little and asked,

"Does it hurt? When you let it out? It looked like it hurt. You flinched, just a bit, right as it happened, both times." Had he been in other circumstances he might have realized the folly in asking an active military man to admit to feeling pain, but he was in full Learning Mode so would have to accept the consequences of his lack of propriety as they came.

[Eitan Angevin]

It seemed only fitting the men should see the effects of an aether discharge upon a human, but he also wanted to test Albrecht's control. He believed the Lysanrin to be a good person, as evidenced by his service to the State and willingness to use those baser parts of himself for its benefit, as well, rather than to seek dominion for him and for his people. And so he was certain that leveling that power on his keeper would be a tool to help him hone his control. Angevin was not proven wrong.

His muscles seized involuntarily, but he quickly smiled it off. Thankful that the Dornkirks were more interested in the proceeding demonstrations, he took a few moments to breathe deeply and slowly, willing his muscles to relax and his body to stand down. The shock of it was enough to trigger fight or flight responses, but he was a man rather than an animal, so he could control what he did with those responses.

Considering Brenner's whispered question as he gauged the men's responses, he rather hoped between the two of them, he and Albrecht would be able to corral the beasties and protect each other, as well as the rest of the crew, until such time as Stefan's contraptions could safely contain them. He would have to confer with Orator Beeman before they left and frequently check in with her while they were in the Warrens with actual specimens to study. Perhaps there would be evidence before they found the things, the better to prepare them.

Brenner seemed to see the value in Albrecht, which was good considering he was in charge of the upcoming mission. Stefan seemed fascinated, and almost embarrassed by that fact. He would have to ask him about that whenever they got a moment alone. The man almost seemed to enjoy a bit of embarrassment when it was just the boys, but he didn't want to embarrass him in public.

[Florian]

Threshold sickness was a term that Florian was not familiar with. He could not quite say whether he experienced it or not, or whether it was the same thing with his magic and with someone else's — like Eitan's. His understanding of his own limitations and abilities came more through trial and error, some intuition, and what bits and pieces Eitan had told him since they met. He had no formal instruction in the matter, and his own mother seemed content to stay away from their inborn power.

He was a bit taken aback by Stefan's question, though it was more in regards to how closely he had paid attention to his mannerisms and movements. "Ah, no, it doesn't hurt..." He paused and rubbed his arm, still tinged with nerves about the fact he was giving a demonstration to begin with, what with the feeling that Eitan was trying to sell the idea of him to the brothers Dornkirk.

"It doesn't hurt me, at least, but it's a bit...surprising? Loud? Tiring..." He stopped himself before he went into more detail into the matter. While he figured that Stefan would appreciate it, it just felt odd to share so much with someone he did not particularly know. He did trust Eitan, and Eitan trusted these brothers, but his own trust in them was not so strong. He also felt weaker now, with the aether he had absorbed now gone from his body.

Florian didn't feel nervous, at least, about using magic in front of them, even as the brothers seemed measures of wary and intrigued. It was distinctly weird to be in a situation where he was both on display and a source of fear. He could not say he entirely disliked the feeling.

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"I wonder..." Brenner began, as a pensive expression crossed his delicate countenance. "And this may be an utterly idiotic question, but... Can Lysanrin manipulate naturally kinetic force as well as magical?" He furrowed his brow, and tipped his head down as he considered how better to frame his thought.

"That is to say," He lifted the pen he'd been using to take notes, "If I were to throw this pen at the wall, would you be able to rob the projectile of its momentum?" It was only at this point that he turned to regard Albrecht, to whom he'd obviously posed the question.

"Could you send an airship tumbling from the sky by stealing its force?" He paused, "For that matter, what is the range of this power? How close would you need to be to siphon magical energy from a mage or enchanted object?"

That Lysanrin were only beginning to be a part of Zaichaer's anti-mage efforts was increasingly shocking to Brenner. While, of course, many Zaichaeri- Brenner included- were not entirely comfortable with the subhuman races, he'd always thought of the High City as being pragmatic above all else. They'd made compromises in the past for the good of humanity- The Order of Reconciliators itself foremost on his mind, and it seemed Lysanrin were uniquely poised to benefit their goals with their oddly convenient power to steal or deafen the magical energy that so vexed their population.

His mind spun with the many possibilities they presented. Perhaps, even if the expedition failed, they could find new ways to employ this mercurial race now that Zaichaer had finally adopted the notion of exploiting them to benefit her aims.

[Stefan Dornkirk]

Stefan stepped back and let Brenner as the questions for the moment. Though he seemed his brother might be misunderstanding the abilities they were observing the questions did bring more to his older brother that might be important. He would hold on to them, do his own researching, for, if his queries proved true they might do no more in this setting than inform the Private of ways he might hard the State.

Albrecht seemed fully invested in his loyalties to Zaichaer but there was never such a thing as being too careful so Stefan merely jotted down his ideas and held his tongue. Could it be possible that a Lysanrin could, not pull the kinetic force of a moving ship from the air, but pull the magic from the shards that gave it flight? Albrecht claimed he could only pull magic from magic being used, but his knowledge seemed to be based on his own trial and error. What were the odds he'd ever been in a situation with activated dragonshards? There were many in the Noble Gambit, of course, but it did not seem as though the man was an engineer.

If, after the Expedition, the diminutive man had proved his loyalty, Stefan might request his assistance in ascertaining the reality to the shadow threat he'd just imagined. An idea occurred that could be implemented more quickly, a set of tests to ascertain how much of the power of the dread race was tied up in their physical forms.

"Coud l..?" He glanced between Eitan and Albrecht, not sure where, exactly, to direct his request. "That is. Would it be alright if I took a sample of blood?" He nodded to the Private, acknowledging his autonomy while also implying whose blood it was he wanted.

"I would like to run some tests to find out if the abilities displayed are inherent in the form or if they stem from the mind instead. That is to say, if the powers will manifest on their own given the right stimulation or if they remain inert without a wielder."

Pulling a small case from his pocket, about the shape and size of a comb box, he held it out with a mild, hopeful expression on his face until he was given permission. When he was he stepped over and asked, politely, for the Private to roll up one of his sleeves. Drawing blood was one of the things Stefan had learned, both in the medical training he'd received at the Academy and as part of his later Biology education.

Pulling a clean needle from a small vial he attached it to the syringe and made quick work of drawing several vials of blood from the grey skin offered to him for the purpose. When he placed a little cotton ball over the tiny wound and held it in place with a small bandage.

"Thank you." His grateful smile was genuine and stayed in place as he turned to Eitan and nodded appreciation in that direction too.

"I think I've gotten what I came for, thank you, gentlemen, for your demonstrations. I know it mustn't have been comfortable for you and I do appreciate your efforts for science."

[Eitan Angevin]

"He can't, from what I understand, absorb kinetic energy," Eitan interjected, feeling like he was mostly himself again. He glanced to Albrecht, not wanting to speak for him, but knowing the work to be taxing—and they were a team. Aether or Kraft channeled through the Rune of Kinetics, yes. He couldn't just yank an airship out of the sky from the ground, but he could go to the engine room and drain the dragonshards powering it, effectively dropping it out of the air. That the Noble Gambit never crashed mysteriously mid-battle or mid-flight speaks to his loyalty, I think."

He smiled, gently teasing.

"Channeled aether—Kraft—dragonshards, and perhaps aetherborn beasts, though we haven't had a chance to experiment on that front." He didn't suppose they had time for another journey into the Warrens, though he should have had Albrecht attempt to suck the aether out of one of their adversaries. The wraith had powers much like a kineticist, an elementalist, or a mesmer. Perhaps he could find some research on the matter so they might have a definitive answer before the expedition, assuming Brenner signed off on the idea of a loyal Lysanrin instead of another Order mage.

Eitan nodded his approval, but would not force Albrecht to bleed for Stefan's curiosity. Later, he might persuade him that it was for the greater good, even offer him juice and a cookie so he wouldn't swoon into his arms, then tease him about wanting to swoon into his arms because there was no better way to motivate Albrecht than by pissing him off in the right direction.

Then a thought occurred to him.

"I wonder if we could just take him to Kalzasi and have him drain the pidge prince to a smoking husk... That would make everything so much easier."

[Florian]

Florian let Eitan answer the question about kinetic force. In the end, he had no idea, but he assumed that if it were not actively channeled aether, it couldn't be done. He could gather what the magic of Kinetics was of, but it was yet another magic he was wholly unfamiliar with. The thought to absorb the dragonshards that powered the Noble Gambit had never occurred to him, but he also wondered to the strange applications of such. He still had to touch the channeled aether to absorb it, and that was a fact that did not seem to change no matter how practiced he became.

"Oh, sure? I'm fairly sure this is just something that any Lysanrin can learn to do, though most don't." Florian replied to the request to draw blood, though he wasn't quite sure what that would do because as far as he could tell his blood was the same as any other's. He'd seen the same color red whether it came out of him or someone else. He'd never had his blood drawn before, though, and rolled up his sleeve for the process. To see the liquid in such a clinical manner as inside a syringe was vaguely off-putting, but he didn't protest.

"I don't think— I think it has to be magic, not just inherent aether." Florian squinted and, in general, looked uncomfortable at the manner of discussion. It was about him, but not particularly to him, and it was more as if he were a tool or a weapon with powers to be wielded than a person who used them. As far as he could tell, Eitan saw him as a person, but he also did not seem to mind demonstrating him, either. In an unusual move for him, however, he had decided against protest or argument.

[Torin Kilvin]

R E V I E W

Lore:
Eitan:
Negation:
Performing Demonstrations
Forming Shields Intended to Block Shock

Magical Theory:
Observing Aether Syphoning in Use
Use of Aura Glass
Learning to Interpret Seeing Magic
How Negation Deflects Physical Force
How Aether Syphoning Absorbs Magic
How Held Aether Sustains Lysanrin
Watching Aether Flow
Seeing Aether Convert from One Magic to Another

Florian:
TBA

Brenner:
Magical Theory:
Working Through Aversion
Observing Negation in Use
Observing Aether Syphoning in Use
Use of Aura Glass
Learning to Interpret Seeing Magic
How Negation Deflects Physical Force
How Aether Syphoning Absorbs Magic
How Held Aether Sustains Lysanrin
Basic knowledge of Lysanrin abilities
Seeing the merit in fighting fire with fire

Stefan:
Magical Theory:
Working Through Aversion
Observing Negation in Use
Observing Aether Syphoning in Use
Use of Aura Glass
Learning to Interpret Seeing Magic
How Negation Deflects Physical Force
How Aether Syphoning Absorbs Magic
How Held Aether Sustains Lysanrin

Politics:
Emotional Control
Expressing Displeasure without Words

Points: 8 each, Eitan may use for Negation and Florian may use for Aether Siphoning

Injuries/Ailments: Brief electrical shocks

Loot: None

Notes: