[h1][u]Ciara Ventura[/u][/h1]
[i][color=gray]Wingram Academy, Classroom 103[/color][/i]
[@Nanaya], [@Sifr], [@ERode]
[hr]

Hildegunde gave a small nod as Ciara sat beside her. Encouraged, Ciara tilted her head. Her voice was low, softly speaking. [b]"I have a feeling you and I are more similar than what we lead on. You can try to make a barrier, and I will break it."[/b]

The stronger bits of essence, the white little stars in Hildegunde's aura, flowed more naturally, without force, resistance, or cognitive routines. It made Ciara consider that Hildegunde's magic was likely primal in nature, but she'd have to see it activate in person to be sure.

[i]"Or we could just Eat it."[/i] Came a cruel Voice in her mind.

[i]"Shut up."

"It would be tasty chalk."

"Shut. Up."[/i]

Otis caught her gaze as he stepped up to the front of the class, and she leaned forward from her seat on the ground, looking up as he spoke. It was a somewhat lengthy explanation, and overly complicated. Is this really how other classes of magic interacted with essence? Is this really how the arcane did it?

How [i]painful.[/i]

She watched the wind swirl around him, relieved somewhat that his convoluted methodology worked.

She paused for a moment, staring at him from her position near the center of the room on the floor, glancing at Hildegunde for her reaction, before speaking up.

[b]"You're putting too much thought into something that should be just [i]felt[/i]."[/b]

She fixed her eyes on Otis. She took a breath, and began to search the room with her awareness. [b]"It's as simple as moving your awareness from your own body, to the the air, to the specks in the air."[/b]

That's when she noticed the slight increase in the temperature of the room. Puzzled, she pressed her awareness deeper, and found the essence that felt like the plants back in Vaal Kastrix becoming agitated. She tried to pull at it, to use it as her Personal Barrier. However, the essence wouldn't budge. Was it already programmed for something else?

She shrugged it off, instead delving her awareness deeper, moving from the air to [i]beyond[/i]. A hidden place that felt like home.

[b]"You reach out to what is connected to you, and draw it closer..."[/b]

Wind tickled through her hair, highlighted by the occasional streak of dark specks. It coalesced over her skin, little vortexes of colorless air that acted as a buffer. She demonstrated by trying to touch her finger to her palm, which was now impossible.

She held the form for a few moments, before releasing her held breath, and allowing the wind to collapse. It felt... refreshing, like moving muscles that never got worked. The air returned to normal; she looked up at Otis, smirked, and glanced over at Professor Alto, who was addressing the class. As he spoke about the rebound from Prime Essence, she swallowed nervously. 

The air grew even hotter. Ciara reached out again with her awareness, feeling the essence move, more agitated now. Her eyes slid half-closed, noticing how it coalesced around the professor as a center. What was he up to?

[i][b]"I've prepared a little exercise for all of you to partake in, so I'll give a few more minutes and then we'll see how you all adapt, okay? Nothing too serious, but a little bit of physical education never hurt anyone!"[/b][/i]

Her eyes narrowed further, wholly focused on the essence of the room. The last time this school thought physical education was a good idea, students were beating each other for seats. The professor seemed nice, innocent, even. But this school was never what it seemed to be.

She glanced at Hildegunde, before her eyes rested on the professor. 

[b]"I'm ready."[/b]