toku matsudaira, geezermancer (giri) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-06-12 23:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, hippolyta flynn, toku matsudaira |
I felt the earth beneath my feet, sat by the river and it made me complete.
Who: Hippolyta Flynn & Toku Matsudaira
What: Teaching Flynn a spell, as promised.
Where: The Outlands.
When: 6/3 (backdated)
Rating: PG for Flynn's language, but otherwise tame.
Status: Complete!
It has been a year since Toku last visited this clearing, but his feet remember the way. He leads Hippolyta from the North Gate without trouble and is glad to see that, as usual, that particular area is calm, no matter what monsters may lurk elsewhere in the Outlands. He once used to come here to practice his Terrain spells, when he had just started studying Geomancy, so it is fitting that this should be the place to teach another the basics. (Not to mention the Tower is not fit to endure further rumbling of the earth―and a man-made environment like a casting room is a poor place to learn to wield the power of nature.) “I do not believe we shall be interrupted this far from the city,” he tells her, as he settles on the ground, legs folded beneath him. “There is no need to be anxious.” It’s for another reason ― or several reasons ― that Flynn feels her anxiety welling up in her throat, mixing with an excitement that nearly has her trembling like an animal. The attack in the Outlands and any chances of impending danger are quickly forgotten, squashed from memory as she recalls how long she’d been waiting to learn a geomancy spell. Long before making first class, she remembers. Rather than following suit, she lowers into a squat, hands pressing into her kneecaps. “I’m not anxious,” she protests, keeping her voice calm, “I’m― alright, I’m a little nervous.” They’re basically the same thing, but she doesn’t have the heart to remind herself of it. I’ve just wanted this for such a long time. He gives her a small smile. “I suppose that is inevitable.” It is a perfect day to attempt this, all in all, and he cannot deny he has been looking forward to this lesson since he tasked her with making that potted plant’s leaves move―he had no doubt she would be successful then, just as he has no doubt now. It may take some time, but Hippolyta has never been one to give up easily. And being away from the city and the Tower, even if only for a few hours, being surrounded only by nature, does him good as well, gives him peace. “Tremor is one of the most basic Terrain spells. Its effect is similar to Quake, though it can in some cases inflict Confuse on the target.” Gently, he places a hand on the ground beside him, says, “I will not ask a violent quake of you on our first lesson, but a slight rumble of the earth will be enough to start.” He presses his palm against the grass, and the entreaty is simple enough for the earth to humor; a shudder passes through the ground beneath them. Flynn isn’t sure what to expect as she watches the hand go down, but the slight shake of the ground beneath her feet catches her by surprise. While it isn’t enough to jostle her, she rocks forward, knees and palms to the grass to feel, to ride the tremor. Similar to Quake, he’d said. Not too daunting, in that case. Her voice leaves her before she can rein the words back in. “How do I get the ground to listen to me?” (The inquiry sounds ridiculous against her ears; she half-expects him to laugh at her for it.) He doesn't. "It is not so different from that exercise with the plant," he says. "It is the same with every element; if you listen, you will be listened to." His voice is gentle; there is no impatience in it, no question is silly if it can bring understanding. (His work on the Council, and now as Sage, is important; but he has missed teaching.) "I will make the ground shake as before, but keep it going a little longer," he tells her. "Concentrate on the feeling of the earth beneath you when it's shaking. Try to listen to it." Once more his hand on the earth causes the slightest quake, with him at the epicenter; this time, however, it lasts more than a few seconds. Unlike before, it doesn’t catch Flynn by surprise again; she’s ready for it, palms pressed to the ground, blades of grass slipping between her fingers. The sensation of the earth shaking beneath her knees should be alarming, but it isn’t. If anything, it’s a relief, a sign that this is really happening. She closes her eyes, intent to do as told. If you listen, you will be listened to. Toku does not speak. Now, his words are no longer necessary; it will help her far more to become accustomed to the rumble of the earth, to understand it as something alive rather than just part of the background. This is a leap that she has to make by herself; he can only point her in the right direction. She has already taken the first steps, but the path ahead is also hers to discover. He allows the quake to subside and waits, hands once again folded in his lap. Listening to the earth, Flynn learns, isn’t like having a real conversation. The ground beneath her can’t speak with words, not really, but that isn’t because it isn’t saying anything. There’s so much to say, so much to hear, and for a moment, she feels as if she’s missed something by the time everything is stilling and her eyes flutter open again. I’m listening, a voice whispers in her mind, can’t you hear me? The councilor had said it was similar to Quake, but― how can she focus on the earth and not cast Quake instead? How is she supposed to differentiate between the two? One requires mana, one requires energy. A conversation. Still an exchange, but different in nature. Her eyes fall closed once more as she pictures the earth shaking, whispers Come on, please to anyone who might be listening in on her thoughts. Toku watches her in silence, to avoid breaking her concentration. He does not make the ground shake again, but after a time it moves anyway--just the slightest ripple of energy, almost unnoticeable but undeniably there. He smiles, proud. (This is what he has missed, the moments of success, the looks on students' faces when their hard work and concentration pays off.) She feels it almost immediately, bright eyes snapping open but missing the smile as she focuses her gaze on the grass, red curls sliding into her line of vision. “Come on,” she whispers (aloud this time) in encouragement. Had all of those hours spent trying to raise a leaf and meditate in strange corners of the Tower really come to amount to just this? Eventually, the ripple turns into a slight rumble, not enough to unbalance her, but enough to make a notable difference. The grin splits across her face like wildfire. “Did you feel that? Did I do something?” He smiles again. "I did indeed feel that. And I was not doing anything this time; that was all you." She looks as though she cannot believe what she has just done--but he remembers the feeling, forever ago. "For a first attempt, even a weak rumble is remarkable." But for all of his kind words, Flynn directs her attention to the grass, admiring the blades, the tiny insects that crawl between them, the place where they all connect. As the excitement washes over her once more, her smile makes a return, and dusting off her palms, she says, “I’m going to try it again, and it’ll be better this time, just watch.” "Very well," Toku agrees, and again he places his hands on his knees and waits for this second attempt, to see if she can channel that thought into action and make the ground shake. When it does, it is not a violent quake, or even a buckling Tremor, but it is, undoubtedly, a beginning. |