Elements and Aptitudes [Æros]

[Hilana Chenzira]

Late Ash, Year 122

[Closed - Æros]

It had been a few days since she had had her first lesson with Palaemon at Æros’ domus. True to her word, Hilana had gone the next day to get the list of books filled that her new paedagogus had recommended, coming out of the bookshop with an armload of texts. She was alternating between the first one, which seemed more oriented towards theory for beginners, explaining the theory behind the use of Elementalism, and the book on summoning. Learning about the spirit planes was important, Dominus Palaemon had said, and as such, Hilana endeavoured to start that education.

That was another discipline that might be considerably helpful in what she did. Spirits were everywhere, and gaining an aptitude with them could only enhance her work further. Well, assuming she didn’t anger them, which was admittedly entirely possible, but the girl was being careful so far to avoid it.

It was early evening, though with the new, permanent sun, there was no break from it to tell the hour. All the same, Hilana just kept on going about her usual business. There was nothing for it. More learned minds than hers were surely working on whatever was wrong. But the shadow monsters were definitely getting on her nerves, and something had to be done. She couldn’t leave the city on her own anymore without their swarming, and the Vastiana hated it. The only solution was getting strong enough to take the damned things out unless she had someone that could with her. Hilana made her way through the Aurecine, Tiaz on her shoulders. She was coming from work, having closed Sweet Remedies for the evening, and finished her dinner there since it had been somewhat quiet towards the end. That way she could be cleaned up and presentable for her lesson. Her hair was bound up today, and her tiered skirts of black, grey, and white hung off of her hips. She had new gifts in her backpack for her paedagogus and her host, and when Hilana knocked on the door, she greeted the servus and gave her name, quite eager for lesson number two.

[Aeros]

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Both Æros and Palæmon were waiting again within the grandeur of their Luxium manse’s large gardens. In truth, there wasn’t really much of a direct need for Æros to be present– he was no Elementalist, though it’s not as if he had no interest in the Craft whatsoever. In an idealized world, he'd master all magic; for now, however, that journey had just begun. Further, his cousin’s words regarding attuning oneself with æther and gaining the ability to wield it as one would any of the other elements were quite enticing. To that end, he figured it might do him some good to sit in and observe; his academic knowledge on most magics was high enough, so he could easily participate in conversation, too. And, in truth, the half-Fæ did enjoy spending time with both his cousin and Hilana, so if his presence wasn’t a nuisance, why not?

Once the servus that answered the door to Hilana brought her into the garden’s open air, both elven nobles offered her their greetings. “Did you get your hands on any of the texts I recommended? If you did, I think a decent place to start would be on that; of what you’ve read, have you any questions? Did anything stick out to you in particular?” Palæmon floated these questions to his protege with a sort of interested curiosity.

When it came to acclimating oneself with Elementalism after its acquisition and learning to wield it well, it did work best to teach individuals one by one. This was the case with most things, but especially so given the versatility of this particular Craft. While one needed to master all of the primary elements, every student had preferences and then there was the whole subject of finding and deciding upon one’s arche element– a journey unique to each and every mage.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

Once she was shown in, Hilana thanked the servus as was her habit, and she headed for where her friend and his cousin were seated on the shaped boulders. She bowed to them, smiling brightly. “Good evening, Dominus Æros, Dominus Palaemon,”] she greeted the pair of them. She seemed none the worse for wear from her days away since her first lesson, so clearly, she had taken the advice about resting to heart. Tiaz was already stretching himself towards Æros, apparently intent on settling on the horned Faerie to enjoy the coolness of his skin despite the ever present heat. Heat that was no longer going away, thanks to the permanent aetheric sun overhead.

The girl took her seat across from them once it was indicated, her ever-present rucksack set down at her feet, and out came the notebook and pencil, same as the last time. With it opened, both of them could see that Palaemon's list was secured to the inside cover of her notebook, and that the industrious Vastiana had been reading, or at least had made notes from their first session. At Palaemon’s opening questions, Hilana brightened, and Æros knew that sign in her symphony well. There was a very high chance that she was about to go off. Not in a rant, but to let loose all of the questions that had been building up over the last few days. The girl was not stupid, and she was certainly capable of doing her own reading and research - her encyclopedic knowledge of the desert and everything in it, along with plants beyond the borders of the kingdom was a testament to that. But anything arcana was brand new territory for her, and while she was enthusiastic and a determined learner, not everyone took to it. Would she? In their last visit, she had revealed that she had been very careful with her little experiments since she had been given the rune, preferring to wait until she was under the guidance of a teacher before trying anything more substantial than making little holes in loose dirt in a pot, or stirring water in a bowl.

From the depths of her rucksack she pulled out all five of the books that had been on Palaemon’s list. One had to wonder if it was enchanted in some way to either carry more or weigh less, but it was just likely that she was used to hauling things. Æros had seen her without as much as she usually wore, and between running around, swimming, climbing, working and hauling, Hilana was active and she worked hard. “I did, actually,” she began. “I started with these two,” she held up the first of the two books. The first one was the broader text on Elementalism, meant for beginners and focusing on the basics, explaining history, theory, and how the practice broke down. Start at the very beginning to get an in-depth understanding, to be thorough and learn it from the very ground up. “And this one. Since you said it was important to know about the spiritual planes and how they interacted with ours and especially elemental spirits,” she held up the introductory book on Summoning. “So my first question is if the elements are upset and refuse to listen, could you use summoning to urge them to comply? Or no, you’re more likely to be refused again? This one mentions sculpting," she indicated the book on Elementalism again. "Does this mean it would be important for me to pick that up and try it without Elementalism in order to be better able to shape and form with the elements with it later?” She actually took a breath before unloading the third question, as if she was not looking forward to the answer. “Both books say that meditation is important to success and advancement in both disciplines, since it improves focus and ability. The summoning book called it vital Is this true? Do you agree?”

[Aeros]

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Palæmon watched with great amusement at the size of the girl's rucksack and, presumably, just how much stuff she carried around with her. Æros, of course, expected this of her since the two had known each other for a minute by now, but to the other elf, this was a bit novel. While it was evident she could handle all of her things, the Moonborn still did feel compelled to offer a suggestion.

"Have you considered getting an enchanted bag? Your strength does not appear wanting…but it is, ah…ever so convenient for items of greater size as opposed to weight, really. They're not…terribly expensive, if I recall correctly." He voiced this innocently enough, though he wasn't correct; for many, the cost of a featherlight bag was quite expensive, just…not to those of his ilk.

Nonetheless, she withdrew the books from within her bag's depths and began to voice her queries. Æros welcomed the presence of Tiaz over his shoulders, curious to see if the snake would offer any more insight into his true nature.

To her first question, Palæmon tilted his head, one arm across his chest and the other hand against his cheek, the chains connecting his cartilage and lobe piercings drifting with gravity as he moved. "You certainly can try that method; Summoning works through contracts, so if you've skill in negotiation, you can easily have a veritable army of spirits happily serving you. If you're…messy…in that regard, angering them is just as easy. Ultimately, you serve to gain much from trying this method, but it's a risk vs. reward system. Try at your own peril, so to speak. As a novice, my recommendation is to start small and build upwards; the spirits of nature tend to take great umbrage with arrogance. They do admire confidence, but those who disturb the balance…? That is seen as overstepping." While he spoke, he wore a ponderous expression, but it shifted to a cheerful sort of smile at the end of the answer.

To her question regarding sculpting, "...I wouldn't say that's entirely necessary for a beginner. If you've already skill in sculpting, it can definitely help, but I would defer learning that until you've got a good foundation in magic, lest you stretch yourself too thin. Beyond that, it can only help you– just don't take on too much at once," he answered, maintaining a chipper tone.

About meditation, "...now this one? I would argue it's necessary, though I've met some idiot savant spellcasters that have…ignored this step and been quite fine. However, if you lack their, ahm…'gifts,' then definitely work on meditation and honing the mind. The self-discipline will also help you in all aspects of life, I think, so it's worth doing even if not strictly necessary on a personal level." To this, he giggled a bit, knowing some people that have been reckless and successful, plus others who have…failed horribly attempting to walk in their footsteps.

"Have you tried to flex your æther at all since we last met?"

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

“I’ll have to look into one,” Hilana was cheerful in the face of the suggestion. Vasilei had proposed the same on more than one occasion, and she had used them regularly as part of the transport teams - her father had supplied them to make it easier for those hauling goods to and from across the desert for him - but she had seen the prices in the specialty shops. For now, she was perfectly content to carry around whatever she needed in her trusty rucksack. She was young, she was strong, and she was capable. The lure of a featherlight bag was so very tempting, though.... Just to enable her - and Hayima’el - to carry around quite a bit more. Perhaps one day she would invest in one.

As it was, Tiaz was perfectly content to relax on Æros, getting comfortable on his nice, broad shoulders, and part of his lower half was draped over his arm. This was a comfortable, cool perch, and he was pleased to start soaking even more heat out of the Wintery Fae. The reptile was going to have to slip again some time, and surely if anyone would catch it, it was him. But it seemed that the innocuous python was just going to lounge and watch the lesson, happy to bask and wind himself along... though his head was definitely pointed at the girl sitting across from them.

Hilana listened attentively, and for once, the pencil started flying over her notebook, though the scratching of lead on paper was relatively quiet. Her eyes never left her Moonborn paedagogus, though, as she nodded and made her notes. That made sense. She wasn’t bad at negotiation; barter was a way of life for her, in the sands, or watching business in Tertium, or even in Sweet Remedies. She bartered amongst some of the older women in the Bazaar, trading things and sometimes coins, depending on what was required. There were times to push and times to cede; and she was sometimes surprised that her father had never sought to take on that particular Rune.... he was a master at negotiating outside of his family.

Well, outside of his feral fourth daughter.

Confidence was good, arrogance would be punished. That sounded about right to her, though considering how many Royals held the Rune, Hilana had to wonder how they managed. Maybe they put ego aside for the beginning of it, the girl didn’t know. But she was content with the knowledge that she wouldn’t ever be likely to find out. “So you would say that attaining the Rune of Summoning could be quite complementary to Elementalism, then? Eventually, once one is sufficiently seasoned in the practice of one of them first?”

The Vastiana nodded along about the process of sculpting. The most she had ever done was make sandcastles on the shores of the Vasta or the Crystal Sea. She had friends that had made all kinds of creatures and structures with it, only for the water to smooth it all into lumps and mounds before too much longer. Hilana’s wildness and energy rarely allowed her the patience necessary as a child to partake in arts like that, not for the lack of trying by her family. She always had a lot on the go, but trying to sit to shape clay? Was not Hilana’s choice of how to spend her time. It would be later; especially if she wanted to be good at this, and she did. Hilana didn’t care to half-ass important skills like this; Dominus Æros had convinced her early on as to what sorts of possibilities she could accomplish with honing the discipline, and if she was going to do it, then she wanted to use it. But meditation would be necessary.... Well, practice made perfect. A lot of her activities, especially in the greenhouses, or riding on Hayima’el, or kneading dough served to quiet her mind, and Vasilei had said her head was in desperate need of Glade cleaning. So sitting, and finding that calm was going to be a necessary evil. She could. She would. But it would get easier as she went.

Surely...

“I’ve been working a bit with earth in pots,” Hilana admitted. “I put pebbles, mostly, though I tried with a river rock at the end, in the dirt and practiced moving them up through the soil to bring it to the top. It was easier when the soil was looser, but getting a bit better. The spirits thought it was a rather novel game that I was playing with them, and they were a bit upset at me that I had to stop when I started getting a headache,” the girl smiled at that. Æros would be able to read the Echo - and produce it for his cousin with Masquerade if he so desired - of that memory when the dirt had all but exploded out of the pot on the large table inside the greenhouse, and when Hilana had scooped it up to put it back... burst out on her again.

[Aeros]

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Palæmon nodded at the confirming question. "It is! I've met many a successful Elementalist that does not utilize Summoning, but I suppose it depends on the type of mage you want to be. Some prefer to be, ah…less social. Still mindful and respectful of the spirits when weaving their æther, but not the type that wants lasting partnerships. For myself," The moonborn raised his left arm, pale, bluish skin looking lit from within as if a reflection of sunlight through water had been permanently stained from fingertip to just below the shoulder. On his palm lay a white white triangle, and if read from his perspective, was the alchemical symbol for water; if one looked, similar elemental runes glinted up the skin of that arm as well. "This is what happened to my Elementalism and Summoning runes over time…they were both tiny on the front and back of this hand at first; we Moonborn tend to…have odd marks, though!" This phenomenon was a well known one, though the answer as to why it was a thing had yet to be discovered. "Anyways," the white symbols glowed and a sentient globule of water emerged from his palm. "I do practice Summoning; this little spirit has been of great help of late…what with the extra sunlight, and all that." The spirit itself did not speak, it merely coiled around the elven man's arm, somehow managing to not get him wet. This was no aidolon, just a spirit bound by a relatively simple contract to provide additional water when necessary.

"For example, with its help, I can provide a lot more water than with just Elementalism alone because it will use its own æther, not mine." Of course, Palæmon didn't struggle with æther on any regular basis, but with the state of the Vasta? It was a great boon. "Summoned spirits are their own entities, with their own skills and their own æther whereas Elementalism is almost entirely your own æther, your own skills. It is most helpful for projects of a larger scale or if you cannot be in two places at once."

Having offered this explanation, he then moved on to address the little exercise she had made for herself, giggling a bit at the fact that the earthen spirits made a bit of a game out of it. "Oh, you must've been in the vicinity of funny little ones, then– most don't bother to entertain themselves with mortals. Either that, or…they simply liked you? Either way, a good sign," Palæmon smiled; he looked pleased, but his voice carried with it indicators of more he wasn't saying; in this case, he felt Hilana had a strong connection with the spirits around her, but he simply thought it'd be more fun for her to gradually discover that on her own as opposed to spoiling the fun. It was a rare gift, one he, too, possessed.

"Have you done anything with fire or air?" On their first meeting, they'd used water, and shed just self reported earth, but what of her ease of use with the other two?

For now, Æros had nothing to add; this was not his area of expertise and he was content to just sit with Tiaz as the other two discussed. He did, however, offer and illusory illustration of what Hilana described with the earth spirits, animating it on a loop a few times. Palæmon found this deeply amusing.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

The girl listened intently, continuing to make her notes as Palaemon confirmed the usefulness of combining Summoning and Elementalism. The idea of not being social with the spirits struck her as not fitting with her own behaviour; Hilana was usually quite social and always up for new people and new conversations unless she was drop-dead exhausted... which happened only exceedingly rarely. But respect for the spirits, elemental or otherwise, was crucial. When her paedagogus revealed his arm, though, her writing actually paused and the Vastiana forgot herself and stared. She leaned forward in her seat, her head tilting. Ohh. The witch marks of the Moonborn. She'd only seen them up close very rarely; and each time they were different. She had seen some on patients that had come into the shop, and with a partner or three since she had come of age, but it was always fascinating.

She did, however, recognize the alchemical sign and that made her smile. It had been in her book. And she felt that it made sense for him.

"I take it the Crown has called you up to help tend to the Vasta and the environment with the new sun?" she asked, her head tilted, but the way the water spirit coiled around his arm brought a small smile to her face. "Hello, little one," she greeted it, though it was quiet and didn't speak before then. Her notes did resume, though as the lecture continued. When Dominus Æros projected the memory of her attempts in the greenhouse that the Fae had been in before with her at guiding the pebbles and stones through the earth, and then the spirits pouting and dirt and soil going everywhere including her hair, on Tiaz, down her shirt, the table, the ground... only for her to scoop and sweep it back in to the pot, and the soil to throw itself out again... Hilana blushed a bit, but it was at least funny. The spirits had complained when she didn't use the magic to put them back in the pot, but by then, she had had a headache from the practice, and hadn't wanted to continue further as that was her limit for the time. "It was fun until they were upset I couldn't continue, and no amount of explaining was satisfying to them. So they were a bit impish at the end, but I did promise them that we'd do it again another day, and we did... I gave them a bit more warning that time of how many times I could do it and they didn't quite sulk as much."

On the subject of attempts with other elements, Hilana nodded. "A sentinel told me that a good exercise for starting with fire was to sit and hold a small ball, about so big," she indicated with her fingers to something the size of a plum, "and keep it there. Not let it grow bigger, but not let it extinguish. To build my stamina and control for it. Because fire can get out of hand quite quickly, and if I couldn't control it, everything and everyone gets burned. As for air... I've made waves in a pail of water with it. Trying to focus only on the air, and let the air move the water," she explained.

[Aeros]

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"Correct! I've been helping with both water volume and regulating temperature as some species are not the world's biggest fans of all the excess heat," Palæmon sighed a bit; he really wished the extra sun could be dismissed, but whatever purpose it served apparently overruled the fact that it now required an excess of manpower to maintain the city's supply of water. He didn't mind having to do additional work for the good of the realm, he just thought that the risk was extremely unnecessary; though if such a thing was deemed necessary, the presence of the sun surely must carry great import, no?

As he spoke, the little water spirit the elder Elementalist had summoned coiled around his arm and then up to his shoulders, almost appearing to mimic the way Tiaz was sitting upon Æros. And, when greeted by Hilana, a small tendril would extend from the thing's main 'body' and appear to wave at her, as if trying to mimic a wordless greeting. Having been around awhile, this spirit had some knowledge of mortal customs.

Regarding the earth spirits, Palæmon responded with soft laughter. "That can happen if the spirits think you're playing a game with them. Careful not to overindulge their curiosity when you've more æther to work with, too– lest they get used to seeing you as some sort of court jester for their entertainment," he said, ending the sentiment with an amused smile.

Further, the Moonborn pondered the woman's words about her experience with all four of the elements, tilting his head to the side in thought. "Would you consider any particular element easier for you to wield over the others? Some people find themselves biased right away while others end up being far more even…but yes, as a beginner, do be careful with fire. We can practice that today, if you'd like– low risk here; I can snuff out anything before it gets our of hand."

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

She nodded to hear that. That made sense; she had heard that many Elementalists had been called up to assist around the realm with regards to helping keep the cities and the River going. But it was still intensely problematic; Hilana didn’t understand why it was necessary. It was, she guessed, something for the Imperatrix’s Jubilee. But even still... that didn’t quite add up. “I wonder if it has something to do with the shadow monsters that are swarming every time I’m out of the city,” she was not happy about that, Æros could well imagine. And it was certainly a powerful motivator to improve and work on her Elementalism, just so that she could go back out there and be able to defend herself from the creatures. Being able to manage on her own in the Sands was in fact a point of pride for the girl, and the fact that she couldn’t? Was definitely a blow.

The way the water spirit imitated Tiaz on Dominus Æros’ shoulders amused the girl to no end, and she definitely perked up when the spirit extended a tendril to wave at her. She made a delighted sound, and waved back. “You are precious,” she told the spirit, smiling. That....okay, that was adorable. Palaemon may not have been intending to convince her of another Rune, but he had, just by his relationship with the spirit. Eventually, Hilana would have to add it to her repertoire. If it made her more effective as an Elementalist, then that was well worth it. Quite possibly Æros’ encouragement had had a stronger and more lasting effect than intended, but so long as the girl was safe and studious, she should theoretically be fine. Theoretically.

She did make a note about not indulging the spirits too much with playing games. It seemed like it was a fine line - building a good relationship and reputation with them, and coming across as a playful pushover that they didn’t need to listen to. That apparently was worth putting a star beside. Hilana did want to build a good connection with the spirits; but giving too much leeway and letting them call too many shots wasn’t going to be good for her in the long run. Gentle, but firm. Set the boundaries and hold them.

“I think so far the most cooperative has been earth,” Hilana admitted after considering the Moonborn’s question. “Probably because I work with it so much when I’m in the greenhouse, and so they’re pretty familiar with me in there. But if I sit outside somewhere else, they’re still friendly and helpful, but somewhat less so because they don’t see me as often,” her eyes searched his face to see if her theory might in fact be right. “Air has been responsive, though they can be a bit aloof sometimes, though maybe it’s just those particular spirits. It’s not all the time. Water has been friendly, but occasionally they are almost as mischievous as earth. Fire has an attitude, sometimes... I think I may not be being firm enough, or consistent enough, to feed them because their appetite is endless.” It was something that she desperately had to work on to master, however: the Crownwyrm had told her that she needed to become a friend to flame, and Hilana didn’t know just what that entailed. “I’d like that, if we could, please,” she felt a lot more secure with him there, especially with all the water around, so that she could not cause a disaster.

Tiaz was reclining on Æros, his tongue flickering as the sturdy, muscled python didn’t see the need to move or reveal any of his secrets right then. Though with the way his head was angled... it was almost like he was watching his owner where she was making notes across from them. Suspicious snake though he was, he wasn't expressing any otherworldly emotions that he could detect like what had alerted him the last time.

[Aeros]

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It had crossed the mind of the elder elf many a time that the false sun erected in Aværys’ honor had something to do with the strange, shadowy beings that had been wandering around of late. “Maybe. I’ve pondered its proper purpose for a while; it seems an unnecessary risk if it is only for vanity…but alas, such knowledge is above me.” Palæmon clicked his tongue and shook his head.

The little water spirit he had summoned was a curious thing; it was a creature that took great pleasure in all life, spirit or mortal. This rather amiable, curious temperament made the little one quite amenable to aiding the elf in his endeavors to keep nature balanced. The false sun was also causing some distress amongst the nature spirits, though what kept any hostilities at bay overall was the fact that many a mortal put effort into assuaging the harsher side effects of such a thing. The water it was composed of would flow and almost bounce around, pleased to be acknowledged by Hilana when it was.

Palæmon listened with an inquisitive expression when the girl answered his inquiries. From his perspective, she got on best with earth thus far, but it was early and the bias wasn’t huge. She could yet shift– she could also find herself drawn to wood or metal or other, too. “Fire is the one that can get the most out of control the fastest, yes.” As he spoke, the water spirit was now flowing in a loop ‘round the man’s neck, draped over him like a lazy little thing.

Raising his left palm, something sparked and a small flame ignited just above the skin. That small flame grew rapidly in a manner almost explosive, though the Moonborn, and Æros for that matter, remained fairly stoic. Æros looked more curious, his elder almost gazed upon the flashfire with a look closer to aloof. The plume would widen briefly before tendrils of flame would swirl ‘round, narrowing it into a more focused pillar of maintained fire, vibrantly blue at the base. With little warning, a gust of wind would force the fire forward, towards Hilana, though a cold breeze would split the flame in twain, surrounding the girl, if only briefly, with forking fire on both sides of her. The heat and force of this maneuver blowing past her would be akin to the bellows of a furnace. And as fast as he had begun this, Palæmon snapped closed his hand and the fire was snuffed out. Through this brief demonstration, nobody was injured whatsoever.

“Yet despite the danger fire inherently possesses, with adequate control, one can easily manipulate it with little worry,” he spoke with a chipper tone and bright expression. "For you, however...just see how big of a flame you can comfortable make in the palm of your hand. If you feel strain, or if you feel as if it will flicker and bounce out of your control; snuff it out. If it gets out of hand, I am here for that."

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"