Practice Makes Perfect - Printable Version

The beast was quick to reiterate her name. Perhaps this was due to Aleera’s lack of using it, she couldn’t be sure but what she was sure of is that the horse had already given it once before. However, rather than be rude and point that out the black pup merely nodded in understanding. The other peered upon her with concern displayed clearly in her eyes, but Aleera didn’t want her pity she simply wanted to be left alone. This did not seem to be the case, as it usually was. Perhaps it was good though, to test herself and her limitations against a verity of creatures, anything these demandable caves could throw at her. She would learn to be strong through struggles rather than let them eat her alive. The horse kept her distance which again, Aleera was grateful for, it made this interaction that much easier to mitigate but persistently still her kindness bore no weight upon the wolves perception of her. It would not be the first time someone had used kindness as a ploy to gain her trust, if only for a moment, and use it as a way to strike the pup back down for nothing more than a difference she couldn’t help. The world was cruel, and so were the creatures in it. That was the truth of it.

As the beast regarded the pile of debris rounded up in the corner she spoke, saying that although she might have a few more spells than Aleera, she wasn’t close to being a master over them. Delphine even admitted to having had her own magic back fire on her on occasion, which caused the wolf pup to tilt her head up in acknowledgement. So far, she had only seen herself fail miserably with her own magic, the pain on the bottom of her paws welling up to remind her of this. Though it hurt to walk, she couldn’t just sit around whining to herself, that didn’t help the situation at all. With a promise to not touch the pile Aleera had constructed against the stones, Delphine turned, certain to say within her line of sight and walked a few paces back before turning to face the wolf once more. The cavern became quiet as she watched the horse turn inward and become focused on channeling energy from her gem, the same way most everyone else did when they began to cast. Then suddenly the horse rose up a great leg and brought it down hard upon the stone floors, and from that simple movement the entire earth shook. Aleera’s paws instantly spread out to be certain to keep her balance, tail raising to assist this further though the majority of the spell had begun to fade. ”Earth magic…” She muttered to herself, dubbing it what she thought it should be called and glancing around as pebbles stopped their involuntary dance.

Luminous orange eyes turned back upon Delphine when she spoke, announcing that this was one of her weaker spells and it still failed a lot. ”Still good for tripping others up I’d imagine.” Aleera remarked with a curt nod, certain in the little spells effect. If used on someone who wasn’t anticipating such a thing it would be easy for them to lose their footing. The black pup remained in her stance and turned just slightly so she could better face the debris she’d gathered. ”Mine doesn’t work that often either, and it’s the first one I learned but…” Aleera cleared her throat, dispensing with the explanation. Instead she became quiet and focused on the gem placed in the center of her forehead and took in a deep breath. Her form was like steel, muscle coiled tight as she began to feeling burning sensation deep in the bowls of her chest. A moment later the wolf released her breath, and it was nothing more than that. A breath that reached nothing, right up until she began to lose the ability to keep breathing out in this manner and then it came out, much like a hiccup. A wave of heat washed over the area and threw bits of the debris about but it did little more than that. Aleera cleared her throat again, clearly not happy with the display her own magic had. "It's come out like that almost every time now."

OOC; Excuse the sudden use of the table, I’ve come to realize writing in the actual reply box is not a good idea. Keep losing replies that way. ;n;

table by Sara

@Delphine

RE: Practice Makes Perfect - Delphine - Sep 14 2015

'Earth magic...'

In truth, she'd never given name to her powers before. It was something that had simply never occurred to her even as she bore witness to a multitude of magic that were unique in their own ways, hers as much as anyone else's. She nodded but once her approval of the child's terminology before settling back to watch her demonstrate her powers, deigning only once to interject with a comment, "Yes, it does bear with it an element of surprise but it takes an immense amount of concentration that when felled could just as easily backfire." It was one of the most fatalistic drawbacks to her magic, one she learned earlier on in her cycles when she'd efficiently fractured both her one fore- and hind-leg. Once in solitude and the latter in the presence of others. The failures should have deterred her from tapping into her source of life and energy as frequently as she did but the desire to master her magic easily eclipsed any and all thoughts of giving up.

She fell to silence as the pup coiled and tensed, her jowls opening to exhale in a way that if Delphine did not narrow her eyes, she would not have caught the heated plume of air knocking aside the debris. Her brow arched and she shifted from one leg to the other, curious of the source of her powers. "You've a gift for fire, like the dragon that was in Polaris." The comparison was one that was badly made but it'd been born of good intentions for she saw and acknowledged the scars upon the child's body. She herself wore one upon her back, one that extended its cruel, pink edge along her back and shoulders. The only difference to distinguish them was that hers was the result of an attack and Aleera's, well she would have been presumptuous to assume anything of the child's situation but she imagined that much of her mistrust must have stemmed from her previous encounters. "I am not very familiar with your source of magic, how should it be?" She inquired.

All the while, the young mare turned so that she was no longer facing Aleera and instead directed her attention to a cluster of rocks though her one ear remained perked for a response as she summoned forth her power. Often times, the steps were the same and the sensations not dissimilar in their execution. What mattered was the intention and when her eyes honed in on the cluster of rocks, her desire was made well and clear when her magic burst forth in an anticlimactic finish. The rocks shifted, tumbling and rolling over one another but in terms of what her initial purpose had been, it was quite simply a failure. Her lips pursed and Delphine cantered her head to one side, shooting a wayward glance to the child. "That wasn't what was supposed to happen." A small laugh drifted between them and her eyes lit with what was unquestionably embarrassment and amusement. "The rocks were supposed to break but ah.. Like I said, earth magic is quite fickle."

RE: Practice Makes Perfect - Aleera - Sep 15 2015

Delphine made it clear that Aleera‘s gift was for fire and compared her to ‘the dragon in Polaris‘. The pup looked back to the horse with a raised brow, that was the second time someone had said something about a ‘dragon’ whatever a ‘dragon’ was. The last time it had been about her deformities, now it was about her magic. ”I’ve heard of this dragon thing before…People keep bringing him up and comparing him to me, is he…bad?” Clearly what the wolf wanted to ask was ‘is he like me?’ but it came out differently because so much of her life was spent believing that she was a monster of everyone’s nightmares. It was why she opposed much interaction and even believed, some small part of her was as everyone said. She asked if he was bad because she wanted to know if yet again, she was being associated with evil in the world as so many had done before. Truly Aleera was not an evil thing but having suffered as she had from so many, a kind heart was hard to keep and there was little that promised the wolf to be that extraordinary exception. Quickly though, the horse divulged that she was not particularly familiar with Aleera’s source of power and asked as to what the pup focused on to make it happen. ”I learned it on accident by sneezing. I wilted a bed of flowers…” She remarked, looking away with slight embarrassment. ”After that, I just think of warm things until my chest starts to burn…But maybe that’s because I’m holding my breath. She tried to explain but it was clear the exact way in which the spell was being cast, even just barely, was lost upon her.

Delphine then turned from the wolf to face a cluster of rocks. It was clear in the beasts movements she meant to cast something more, and Aleera readied herself for it in case the entire ground shook once more. This time she made no sudden or clear movement that indicated the cast of a spell, but all the same the rocks she seemed to focus upon came tumbling down and Aleera relaxed, not as impressed with this spell as she had been with the last. Delphine cast her a glance, not pleased at all with her own cast either and explained right away that the outcome had been desired differently, that instead of the rocks tumbling apart they were meant to break apart. She even went on to state yet again that earth magic was fickle and Aleera could only cast a side long glance toward the ground herself. ”It’s not the only magic that acts that way.” She muttered, remembering the pain her newest spell had caused her and was uncertain if she even wanted to cast it again. There several long moments of silence as the black pup sat there, apricot eyes down cast before her chest expanded with a large inhale and stood back up. Thin legs where little muscle had begun to form just yet propelled the obsidian girl toward the debris pile, yanking out a few dry leaves and thin twigs. ”I don’t remember how I got this spell to work last time. So um…give me a moment.”

Aleera peered down upon the debris and took in a calming breath, thinking about warm things while also focusing on her feet as that had been where it had manifested before. Energy moved through her, through her gem and she began to feel it. She felt the numbing sensation followed by warmth, like a stone over a fire it took time to become to the degree she desired until finally the creases on her paws as well as her claws became aglow with a white hot intensity. It didn't hurt like it had the last time but regardless the pup touched the debris and almost instantly they caught on fire and began to turn to ash. "Ow, ow, owwww, ow." With her spell cast Aleera then engaged in an awkward little dance where her feet looked for the coolest portions of the stone, leaving behind black scorch marks in the shape of her paws until finally the glow dissipated and she rolled over onto her side, flailing her limbs in a dire attempt to ease the sting of the cast. Eventually the pain vanished as did the magic and Aleera got back to her feet. "I wonder if it would hurt someone else as much as it hurts me." She muttered, for if it didn't, then what good was the spell?

table by Sara

@Delphine

RE: Practice Makes Perfect - Delphine - Sep 15 2015

The question Aleera posed was one that bore with it far more implications than Delphine herself intended. Though she did not compare the child to the dragon on the spectrum of good and evil, she feared that her intentions would be mistaken as such. She could see the underlying thoughts passing behind eyes of fire and ember. "Yes, he is but that is not why I brought him up. I remember him because he is born of fire, just as you." She explained though whether or not the interpretation remained lost upon them was entirely left in the hands of the child. "I have a dear friend, a bird who also practices in a similar element." She paused and cast a cursory glance to the pup before choosing to clarify immediately then and there, "Do not mistake my words, I did not compare the dragon to you because I think you're bad, I did so because you both share a power that is beautiful but dangerous. How you choose to wield it is another matter altogether." At that, the mare sought to escape the subject altogether. It was not that she doubted the child but that the notion of good and evil was one she did not oft dwell on, not when her naive heart sought to believe in the good in everyone. To outright claim that anyone was born of chaos was to design a creation counter her beliefs and of her current state of mind, she preferred her oblivious nature.

She smiled and wondered how she would have reacted had she sneezed and wilted flowers, she imagined her reaction would have been most convoluted. A mixture of shock, mesmerization and perhaps guilt. "I see..." Then Aleera stood and ambled toward her small pile, each action ghosted by Delphine's curious gaze for what would unfurl. And indeed, the child was one of many wonders. As she called upon her powers, the young mare felt her own react in kind but she was quick to repel its rising thrust when she caught sight of her onyx limbs growing white and just below, the debris catch fire. Delphine gasped wanting to display her excitement if not for the fact it seemed inappropriate when the act of casting the magic itself seemed to bear repercussions of its own. Aleera flailed and it'd taken everything in her power not to rush to her behest if only to make sure she was not wounded. Such an impulse would only scare her away and the fact that they were able to exchange words was a milestone enough. "That's amazing." She mused, her voice lilting with awe.

But then another question was posed and suddenly, she found herself at a loss for words. "Do you wish to hurt someone?" Delphine asked softly but instead of dwelling too long on the matter — for she thought perhaps that her concerns were visible upon her features — she turned to face her own pile of rocks, hoping that this time around her magic would obey. Turning her attention inwardly, she tried desperately to assuage her mounting concerns that someone so young would aspire to inflict pain unto others. But it would be no avail when she expelled her magic haphazardly and instead felt a striking pain shoot up both of her forelegs. The mare shrieked and reared, kicking her bloodied limbs on high before slamming gracelessly upon the earth. Where once her legs were a sleek ebon, there were now lacerations light to moderate streaked below the knees. She shuddered and shot a nervous glance to the newly acquired wounds. "That... That's my fault, I wasn't concentrating." She mumbled with a nervous laugh though in truth, the mare took no amount of pleasure in failing so often as she did particularly not when she had audience.