[IC] Rosa Clare Academy - Cryptid Haven and School of Learning 2.0

[LuckyBlackCat]

~~~Lainie~~~

@FallenTrinity

Lainie let out a soft sigh of relief she hadn't known she was holding. Sulleykaar hadn't reacted in the way she'd worried he would, and he still wanted to help her. Even so, she had to resist the urge to shrink back from him. Something about his manner intimidated her, friendly as he was. She took small mouthfuls of her food, her gaze constantly flicking away from his glowing eyes.

"O-Ok... Thanks," she replied. She wondered what his teaching style would be like... how safe would it be? Safer than starting fires whenever she had a nightmare, she decided. "I don't really have anything else planned today."

She listened to his question. "Well... Elemental witches aren't exactly common," she explained. "Our type of magic isn't well understood. You see, I'm from a coven of healers... I'd thought I'd be like them. When my magic first manifested, they didn't really know how to train me. So... here I am." She finished with an awkward smile. One of her worst memories surfaced, that of the time she'd nearly burned the house down. Nobody had been badly hurt, but it had been close... She put her spoon down and folded her arms, unconsciously running her fingers across the scarred patches of skin. She hoped this 'unorthodox' teaching style would be what she needed.

[Fetzen]

@Aspen Wren@KuramaaaZ

Asmund Gjanarsson

---

Asmund caughed. The mixture of ash and dirt had hit him right when he had been taking another breath. It took quite a bunch of seconds for him to get his respiration calm enough to speak again.

"I'm feeling quite a bit fed up with this. If you would allow..." The gifted didn't ask for a response. It might very well be that Laurel was able to stop Vlad, but Asmund knew that he was a different case. The huge man hauled himself towards to charred remains of the tree that had collapsed in front of them. His shirt was very wide, but the moment he tensed his almost inhumanly looking heap of muscle, it was clear that he needed every inch of it. There was no groaning or anything else that would indicate that he was putting himself under a particular amount of strain. After all, he was currently wearing Megingjörð. It was more like a gentle behemoth slowly pushing an obstacle out of the way when Asmund lifted one end of the trunk and turned it by 90 degrees around the other end still lying on the ground.

"And here we go..." Quickly, he had his arm around Vlad's waist and lifted him as if he weighed nothing. "If I see any indication of fire originating from you now I'll break your arm. Believe me I can do that..." Now he turned his attention towards Laurel and started walking slowly along a path that would lead him and Vlad around her current position. "I would appreciate it if you accepted it as a solution that I will try and take our mage here..." - he hooked in the strange hammer in his belt and started stroking through Vlad's red hair gently - "to a boat and head out into the lake. Water should be a quite robust training target for fiery magic, shouldn't it ?"

[FallenTrinity]

@LuckyBlackCat

'Nothing planned, huh? Perfect time to learn abit bout what I'm up against I suppose. A twitch to the side of his mouth. He nodded after taking a gulp from his drink and leaned back again. Good to know she wasn't busy. He listened to her story, chuckling at the notion of a coven of healers gaining one bad egg. "So a coven of healers, a coven of peace gained a witch of chaos. Hmhmhmhm. Its amusing." He held a thin smile before letting out a plume of smoke from his nose. His smile ceased as he glanced over at the rest of the patrons in the café. "So when did your magic first manifest? What was the catalyst? Some gain it through emotions, some life or death experiences, some even just get them. Everyone is different. Naturally I just gained them but I was lucky enough to also be prodigal in magic so that helped drastically." He looked down to the side, looking back to his past. The red dragon remained like that for a moment before sitting straight up again.

"So If your dedicated to the work and the training I'll be able to help you control and manipulate it quickly. Just don't tell your profe- on second thought tell them. They need to know they're not teaching fast enough or efficiently. I practically tested out of magical theory and manipulation. Mr. Lasik did not like me for a month after I showed him up. You should have seen his face, hahahaha."

Mr. Lasik was the other magic teacher, teaching both theory and manipulation. It only took about a month before Sulleykaar had lost his patience with the teacher before arrogantly demanding that he get transferred to a new class since "his incompetence and lack of experience in the magical art was a disgraceful. How could someone who barely has been through half his elf life not know much about something so simple as magic. This isn't rocket science." The teacher quickly agreed if he could not only finish the lesson but the final exam for the year which involved demonstrations with magic versatility and technique. Needless to say the dragon, the prideful wyrm that he was, showed up and humiliated the teacher by scorching the teacher's clothing with his most powerful fire move. However in hindsight that had not been his smartest move. For one, he had gotten into significant trouble with the Dean and a few other staff members as he was supposed to be "a role model student" and "someone that the staff could count on". Two, he was lucky no one burned alive by the intense heat or suffocated due to the vacuum effect from the fire. He also was lucky he didn't lose his position on the student government. If it hadn't been for him willing to make up for the ballroom incident he would have been both off the SG committee and possibly out of the school for that. He did however reluctantly offer a public apology (while holding back a bit of a chuckle nonetheless), as well as host the next big banquet besides the-.

He shook his head out of his nostalgic daydream and apologized. "Sorry I got distracted. But yes I am willing to start today. We'll need an open field to do this and do not worry about going out of control, I'll handle that. I'll need you if anything to focus on feelings when it happens." He stood up and grabbed his tray, offering to take hers as well before heading out a side door that would lead through one of the schools courtyard and out towards a training ground, anticipating her to fall in line behind him.

[LuckyBlackCat]

~~~Lainie~~~

@FallenTrinity

Lainie cringed as Sulleykaar asked her the question she'd hoped he wouldn't. It had been anything but amusing. "Well, I..." She trailed off. The words wouldn't leave her mouth. Telling this story would involve mentioning a part of her magic she really didn't want to talk about. She'd have to, eventually... in any case, there was a good chance he'd find out. She just couldn't bring herself to say anything about it right now. "I just, uh... gained it too."

That was part of the truth, at least. She remembered all too well the look of betrayal on a former friend's face. Lainie shuddered, glancing away from Sulleykaar as if keeping a guilty secret from him.

She still didn't know if accepting was a good idea, especially if there was any chance the professors wouldn't be happy with this. This would be nothing like their tried and tested teaching method. Yet, after hesitating for a moment, she stood up and followed him. Unsure as she was, she couldn't deny the thought of it stirred up a slight thrill. It was a risk, but the idea of taking risks called to a part of her, hidden deep inside... No, she reminded herself, that wasn't the point of the training. This was about control. "Ok..." she said, pausing for a second, looking back, then forwards, before following him with small, shuffling steps into the training ground.

[KuramaaaZ]

The red dust exploded and in this moments of confusion created by it, Vlad was relieved he had finally left this unfairly powerful woman behind. But this moment of relief was short and cracking wood and a loud explosion broke it. Something heavy landed in front of Vlad, creating a small crater and sending dirt all over the place. The witch nearly lost his balance and barely managed to not fall down. "What the?...." and his thoughts were quickly answered when he felt that presence he felt before, that of that huge man before. And that woman was standing there as well.

Vlad's options were getting fewer and fewer, did he really had to resort to that this early? And his scars were even more painful then before, making it very difficult to think straight. This feeling of helplessness frustrated him so much he could cry. It made him so angry that he didn't care and just would turn everything to cinders. He channeled his remaining energy into his fists but before anything could happen and still being lost in rage, two hands caught him in a powerful iron grip, with enough power that it blocked most of the energy flowing through Vlad's arms. It was that huge man, this time next to him. The man gave him some intimidating words about breaking his arms if he tried anything, which looking at how easily he could keep Vlad restrained, wasn't hard to believe.

But before the witch could say anything, he suddenly stopped moving. His eyes were wide open before fading away into the eyesockets and his head falling backwards and his body lifelessly hanging in the man's grip. His scars were vividly red and slightly glowing. This always happened if Vlad used too much energy in a short amount of time or was heavily emotionally involved into something since that accident, two years ago.

[FallenTrinity]

@LuckyBlackCat

---

Sulley with Lainie in tow made their way to the training fields. It was a spacious area with enough room for the training that she would receive from the red dragon. Sulley preferred to "learn on the job" in a sense as the best practice was hands-on. Books can only show you theory and instruction but the actual implementation of said theories and instructions required actual practice. He wasn't considered the Dragon Mage in his realm for nothing. He had gotten towards the center of the field and turned to face her, his posture much more relaxed but seemingly disinterested in what was to come. His arms folded, his head to the side and his body slightly leaning he eyed her up and down, getting a better look and sense of the type of girl she was. Timid, low confidence and low self-esteem could be seen in the way she held herself though it could have also been because of him, he hadn't taken that idea out of his mind. He cocked a brow and gestured to her.

"So, I suppose you can show me what you do know and what your limitations are." His mouth tightened as his throat seemed to glow before spitting a fireball at the ground. It was small in size, around that of a soccer ball but left a nice mark in the ground, splintering off only in a small 12 inch radius. It burned hot and violently until subsiding into a more candle like flame, simply moving with the breeze. He glanced down at the flame and back to her. Not feeling like explaining himself much more than his statement a moment ago, he backed up a few feet and stood there, waiting for her demonstration.

[LuckyBlackCat]

~~~Lainie~~~

@FallenTrinity

Ok, that was impressive. Not just the demonstration itself, but the way it seemed to come effortlessly to him, to the point that he kept his casual demeanour the whole time. Maybe, eventually, she'd be strong and skilled like him... There it was again, that flicker of a thrill, threatening to spread and take over all reason. She tensed against the thought, pushing it to the back of her mind.

"Ummm, ok..." She kept glancing from him to the scorch mark on the ground, rooted in place by conflicting thoughts and feelings. She took a deep breath, finally forcing herself to move. Holding her hand out, she drew on her reserve of magic, a slight tingle running through her body as she did so. A small, controlled flame hovered above her hand.

Something seemed to whisper to her. She could do better than that. She was stronger than that. The tingling sensation intensified. She resisted, trying to limit the flow of magic. Something was getting in the way, though, provoking her. It was the way Sulleykaar looked at her, with one eyebrow raised. He'd been acting like that the whole time... How had she let herself put up with it? What did he think she was, some fragile little flower?

The tingle intensified into a surge of energy, the elemental magic's influence consuming her like an unchecked blaze. The flame swelled with a whoosh, crackling as tongues of fire lashed at the air. She raised her head and looked up at Sulleykaar, a rarely-seen grin on her face. "You going to keep looking at me like that now?" she shouted, an edge to her voice. More flames sprang up, growing all around the girl who, just a moment ago, had tried to hold back her power.

[FallenTrinity]

@LuckyBlackCat

---

He sighed as her weak reply came through but nonetheless stood back and watched. She was concentrating rather hard and this only raised his skepticism about her limitations. Most fire elementals and dragons were well adapted to the element and its magic so he had expectations as such. Sulley felt the temperature in the air slightly shift as a small flame was produced by the little girl and his eyebrow slowly lowered. 'Disappointing. I was expecting much better.' He thought quietly to himself until he heard the roar of flames begin to pick up to which he leaned to the side, a stoic expression upon his face.

Then it came to her question that, by the sound of it, the low self-confidence seemed to disappear slightly. A plume of smoke escaped his nose and a twitch of the mouth. He should say good job or well done but that wouldn't come; no, not at the moment at least. He felt the flames, listening to them. They roared and whipped around them, crackling and sparking with joy. But they felt - off. It had that aura that one would have first learning public speaking, ready but nervous. Instead of congratulating her, he simply gave a command.

"Hotter."

[Aspen Wren]

- Laurel -

Laurel had braced briefly for an impact but it never came, her nose twitched slightly as she opened her green eyes. She had opened her green eyes just in time to see the with go limp in Asmund's arms. She pursed her full lips, twisting them to the side in displeasure at the sight. "Fuck." She was forever familiar with overuse of energy, especially fire energy. The kid was down for the count and because she didn't know him there was no telling how long he would be out. She growled softly, drawing the noise from her chest as she looked at the scene before her. She glanced up as Asmund's face, her features twisting once more as she pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

"Here, let me have him. He might freak out again when he wakes up, the fire won't hurt me as it will you." She held her hands out, tiny as she was even a full grown man would not prove very difficult for her to carry. She would have to take him back to the lake and wait for him to wake up. Perhaps she would make the trek back to her room instead, it would be easier to care for the witch there than at the lake. She more items at her disposal there and it was significantly closer than the lake. She would just have to scare anyone who looked too closely at them.

"I'm going to pack him back to campus and make sure he isn't going to die. He has to recoup from the stress and overuse of fire magic. It consumes energy just as it consumes the matter around it." She wasn't quite sure why she was explaining herself but she did anyhow, turning her green gaze from the witch to the gifted that held him firmly. She flexed her hands briefly in the classic hand that to me motion.

[Fetzen]

Asmund Gjanarsson

---

Ohh shit! This wasn't actually happening to him right now, was it ? Asmund halfway panicked when he noticed that Vlad had passed out. The gifted quickly checked if his grip could be too firm for the witch. Vlad appeared rather sturdy, but someone who knew Asmund knew that difficulties controlling his strength were no new phenomenon to him. After all he had just lifted that tree out of the way without feeling much of an effort. Being able to shake hands with someone else required an amount of sensitivity that many people didn't judge him to have. Not that he could not understand that. Asmund checked Vlad's pulse.

"Here, you can have him if you promise me to do no harm. That won't teach him anything." He let the unconscious Vlad slide out of his arm into those of Laurel. What Asmund didn't tell her that he was somehow glad to get rid of the problem. Those red glowing scars, paired with the direction Vlad's eyes were pointing at and the position of his eyeballs in general, were a bit scary indeed.

"I'll tidy up this mess a bit and then go to the equine center. If you want to find me, look there first." He didn't judge his chances very high though. It would not be the first time he would be sitting on a horse, but the last time he had been a teenager not knowing that he was gifted. Since then, he had grown by more than three feet, gained an incredible lot of muscular bulk and got a bit of a gut. He certainly wasn't the most agile one around here and not the fastest either, but it was worth a try. He could remember very well that he had enjoyed riding in the past.

Asmund used the side area of his hammer as a shovel to fill up the small crater he had created with the very same tool. The tree was a different thing: If he moved it out of here he would likely cause more damage to the surrounding vegetation than by just letting it rest here, or the charred wood would start to desintegrate in his hands, leaving a trail of ash behind. He planned to get a saw and cut this thing into innocent pieces later, but for now, he headed out to the stables.

"Erm... anyone here ?" Asmund's lack of self-confidence was audible in his voice. At least the ceiling here was comfortably high. The Mjölnir-ish hammer and the other two items had disappeared from his girdle as mysteriously as they had entered this world. He cerintaly would not need any of them here.

[LuckyBlackCat]

~~~Lainie~~~

@FallenTrinity

"Hotter, huh?" Lainie stood with her shoulders back, her head high. "No problem." Why did she usually suppress this side of herself? Why did she want to be that scared little mouse, when she could be so much more? Her fingertips took on a fierce glow, and the flame shot up higher, turning from golden to white. "This good enough for you?"

The water can fell to the ground, the lid coming off, contents hissing and steaming as they sloshed everywhere. A blaze of red, gold and white danced all around. Lainie's grin widened. This was who she was supposed to be...

She yelped. The fireball was raging out of control, the heat radiating from it searing her hand and arm. Her surge of confidence gave way to panic. Gritting her teeth, she tried to diminish the flames, but as soon as they shrank, they sprang up again. Come on, concentrate, she told herself, recalling what she'd been taught by more trustworthy people. Finally, the fire died down to nothing. Lainie sank to her knees, head drooping with exhaustion. After taking a few shuddering breaths, she managed to speak.

"I-I'm sorry..."

[Aspen Wren]

- Laurel -

Laurel chuckled slightly at Asmund's comment about going riding, she kept a personal horse there. A fiery palomino mare with two opposing white socks and an impossibly long mane and tail that was bred from the finest war stock still available. The barn manager would likely find a rather large docile draft horse for the exceptionally large man to ride. She didn't reply though as she turned quickly on her heel, thankful for her unnatural speed even in human form. She was a good bit faster than most gifteds who were already faster than humans. There were numerous things that she couldn't out run though, like Vampires and Werewolves, she was also fairly certain that she couldn't out run her Faerie roommate Kiara.

It wasn't but a few minutes that she arrived at the dorm, looking quite odd she was sure carrying a man that was at least a head and shoulders taller than she was. Her delicate frame showed nothing of her athletic nature or her strength. Students gaped at her but the simply act of drawing the leopard closer to the surface sent them away. If they were concerned for the witch's life they were more concerned for their own. Laurel's reputation tended to proceed her, people stayed well away from the Egyptian Gifted with her ruby colored lips and inky black hair. She hoped Kiara wouldn't arrive home anytime soon to find the same witch who had upset her before in their apartment. Laurel couldn't imagine that going particularly well.

Their apartment was posh, filled with dark but sensual colors and textures while still remaining modern and sophisticated. Her own room was no exception, the walls had been painted a smoldering dark red like darkened blood with inky black wood floors that shone from the gloss. Her bed was a magnificent California king four poster with sheer black curtains draped around it that seemed to be laced with gold, shimmering at every slight movement of the fabric. The sheets on her bed were the same dark ruby as the walls but they too shimmered as if laced with gold, cool to the touch. Laurel brushed the curtains out of the way as she laid Vlad on the massive bed.

Once she had deposited the witch in the cool darkness of her room she headed for the bathroom to get a cool damp rag, returning a moment later to place it on his forehead before taking a seat in an all encompassing leather chair, black of course with plush ruby seat cushions. She folded herself elegantly in the chair before picking up a book from the bedside table to wait for the witch to wake up.

[FallenTrinity]

@LuckyBlackCat

---

A boost in confidence. Good. It was followed by a burst of energy that gave the flames more life. He gave Lainie a subtle nod as he watched. Lainie held on to this small torrent for some time. She showed promise. "Maybe your not as weak as I thought." He chuckled quietly as his posture showed a bit more interest. "Not bad fo-" He finally decided to speak up but it he was interrupted by a yelp from the girl to which his expression became a bit more serious. The flames begun to thrash about violently, much more so than before. He took in a long breath and felt the air around the two and frowned at his conclusion to a personal question of his.

It thrashed about, hitting him now and then as its fiery tendrils wrecked havoc around the two. She hadn't really caught to much of his attention however. He simply was going to help her get better, nothing more. But when young greenhorn of an elemental attempted to suppress it, he felt something powerful and his eyes widened but not so much to cause alarm. Soon enough it had settled and the once confident girl returned to her measly timid but tired self. He stood there for a moment in silence as she gave her apology. "Sorry for what? For doing what I asked? Do you feel you did not reach my "expectations"? Is that it? Don't you ever apologize to me unless I say otherwise, do you understand? One could see the scolding look through his eyes alone but soon that faded.

Not to deflate what confidence she had left if she had any left at all after that, he smiled. "Actually you piqued my interest even more but I will hold off on why for now. What I can tell you is that you have some potential. Nothing to my level and that is only due to your lifespan however-" He turned and walked away from her, approximately 15 feet and turned to face her again, his voice raising with every step to ensure she could here him.

"I can see your potential at level such as this." His eyes glowed lightly as the visible veins in his body glowed as well to a bright white and only highlighted by his reddish skin. He brought his arm up so his palm faced him and with the simple snap of his fingers, the immediate 5ft radius around him lost its vegetation in a split second, leaving it charred and smoldering ember. Eight feet out the earth was set ablaze, 11 feet the ground was beginning to catch fire and a final foot a simple smoke ring. The fire roared around him, whipping around with the wind but the difference between her flame and his was apparent. It was tamed, and simply moved with the simple breeze in the air. The sound was different as well, a bit lower in pitch with much less crackling. He let the flame hold so she could see what he meant before dismissing it with a simple wave of his hand. Its disappearance gave a better view of the damage dealt. Not as hot but with about that range maybe even more if your dedicated to it and that means eat, sleep and breath fire...last one figuratively of course." He smirked at his little pun. He walked back over to her and sat down beside her before laying on his back, looking to the sky.

"Tell me something. What do you think is the most dangerous thing to humans and creatures alike, hm? He gave Lainie a sidelong glance, awaiting her answer.

[KuramaaaZ]

--Vlad--

Snow was slowly falling everywhere, covering the forest in a beautiful layer of pure white. And no sound was heard, except the wind quietly howling. A young red haired boy, around the age of 16, was looking up at the sky when a snowflake fell on his nose. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, with a smile of satisfaction. He was enjoying the serene calmness. He was wearing thick white clothing with an orange patch on his arm, the sign of the fire witches.

But his moment of peace was broken when a girl suddenly pulled his arm, waking him up from his little moment of rest. "Wake up you idiot! We have to continue before it gets dark..." She looked irritated but also amused at how easily the boy could get distracted at the most simple things "... You know how terrible master Lena is when she's angry". The girl was slightly shorter than the witch and had long, full red hair, a face as pale as the snow covered in small beautiful freckles and light green eyes. Needless to say, she was beautiful. The boy sighted while refusing to look her in the eyes, every time he did he'd start blabbering like an idiot. "It's just.." he muttered " .. the snow, you don't see it often around here, it's so beautiful.." he raised his open hand, which was not covered in scars or burn marks, "And yet so fragile"

The girl looked at him with a look of "you're such an idiot" but then looked up at the sky, where the snow was still slowly drifting downwards. "I guess you're right, it really is beautiful.. BUT" she suddenly yelled " We're fire witches Vlad, and most of us hate the cold and everything related to it, you're just so different". Vlad looked down, with a disappointed face. The girl pulled his arm again but this time gently. "But it doesn't mean it's something bad, it makes you an really interesting person" she said with a smile....

Suddenly, everything faded to black and a loud scream was heard.

"AAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAA!!"

Vlad suddenly awoke, with eyes widespread. He was breathing heavily, and was sweating. His scars were extremely painful as well, which covered his hands, arms and parts of his chest. But the pain was nothing compared to the looming sadness he felt seeing those memories again. But this all was forgotten when the witch realized that he wasn't in his room, he tried to sit up but the painful scars made him fall back right away on the back. Something wet was on his chest, some sort of rag which probably fell off when he tried to get up. And the bed he was laying on was comfortable, and the room itself was beautiful. But his small moment of appreciation melted away like ice in the sun when he saw who was sitting on the chair next to the bed he was on. It was that stubborn catwoman from before, but she didn't seem to notice that the witch was awake.

Vlad observed her, she didn't seem hostile at all. She was lost in her book. "What should I do? I doubt I can take her on in this condition.. I can't even stand up" he squinted his eyes as the pain shoot through his body. "... But if she really meant harm, I wouldn't be laying here so what to do.." and after a small moment of silence, he cleared his throat and slowly raised himself. It was painful but not as much as the first time. He looked at the woman and asked calmly "Who are you and why are you doing this?"

@Aspen Wren

[Aspen Wren]

- Laurel -

@KuramaaaZ

Laurel kept her nose in her book as she gave the witch time to settle down, he'd clearly had a nightmare of some sort. She was just glad she wasn't having to call her mother to request another pair of sheets, though they were fire retardent for the most part if one tried hard enough they could definitely be set on fire. She was a bit startled when he addressed her, he seemed to be quite confused about her motives. She moved easily, predatory grace setting in as she forgot to quell the gift that coursed through her. She was entirely too comfortable in her own space to notice that she had wasn't pushing back as she normally did to settle the gift back several notches so that she wouldn't frighten people. Sitting up as easily as any lady in her chair, legs still folded elegantly in the chair beneath her, Laurel paused as she looked at the witch. Green eyes edged by thick lashes and a black line of eyeliner watched the witch closely for a brief moment before she spoke easily as she unfolded her legs from beneath her.

"My name is Laurel and I'm taking care of you till you're well enough to return to your own room. I used to burn myself out occasionally but everyone was so frightened of me they just left me where I'd passed out. Once I was out cold for something around four days in the glade. I won't do that to someone else. Now lie back down, you're not well enough to be sitting up yet." Laurel purred the words for the most part, emanating contentment as she looked down easily at the witch. She splayed a delicate looking hand across his chest, pushing softly to get him to lay back down. She picked the damp rag up carefully and disappeared out the doorway to her room before returning a moment later with the rag warm again. She fussed around the witch, tugging the thick duvet that was plush with the finest filling and made from silk up around the witch before laying the rag across his forehead again.

"I can fetch you some more comfortable clothes and some food if you would like." She offered easily, standing off to the side of her bed in the slight opening of the curtains that surrounded and covered the bed. She spoke with a soft melodic accent that added an easy lilt to her words, softening them more so here than they had been in the glade. She was considerably kinder in her mannerisms in her own space than out in the open. Home wasn't a place for hostility and coldness, it was a place of warmth and hospitality. She looked every bit the perfect housewife, if she was a little predatory. Her black hair hung loosely around her face, plump ruby lips pursed as she awaited his answer.

[LuckyBlackCat]

~~~Lainie~~~

@FallenTrinity

Lainie's head felt heavy as she raised it and took in the charred training ground, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She'd just done that... No, it hadn't been her, but it had still been her fault. She tried to stand up, but slumped to the ground again, legs trembling, lacking the strength to support even her slight weight. She hadn't meant to use than much magic at once. Her arm still hurt, blisters forming on the reddened skin. Flexing her hand, she winced. She'd have to get that seen too. In any case, she'd have another scar.

She cringed as Sulleykaar chided her for apologising. "Y-Yes... I understand, I'm sor-" She stopped herself mid-sentence, looking from him to the scorched ground.

Now it was his turn to demonstrate, and she watched as her surroundings went up in flame once again. It was a different kind of flame, though, burning brightly but steadily. Such skill, and such control. It seemed to take him no effort to dismiss the fire, unlike her first few attempts. Could she really reach anything close to that level? At his words, she shrank back, shoulders hunched. "That... That isn't me," she explained. "That wasn't me just then. I don't want to be that person." She longed to be more confident, but not like that. "I want to control my element, but... I don't want to let it take over." She glanced down again, hoping she hadn't spoken out of line.

She considered his question for a few moments before giving the only reply she could. "I-I don't know..."

[Fetzen]

Asmund Gjanarsson

---

It was matter of a few seconds until the gifted had drawn much more attention than intended. The barn was a rather large one. It wasn't curious that despite the low progress the sun had made on its daily journey so far, several students were present taking care of some of the school's or their personal horses, heading out for a ride or already returning. His voice was an incredibly chesty one and Asmund still had frequent problems throttling it back to a perfectly normal volume. His brain was still configured for the old days when he had been a small boy in that respect... Now people were looking at him. That wasn't new, but new was that subtle expression in their faces: Is he really trying to do what I think he is trying to do ?

The Norse Gifted wasn't intimidated. Why should he ? It was just a small bunch of students staring at him. The amount of people that had been infected with the 'nickname-Asmund-a-monster'-disease wasn't neglectable and it constantly failed to provoke him to do anything to intimidate back as well. After all, he knew that it was meant in a positive way and it was undeniable that his stature indeed was an open invitation for such things. It became obvious once more when the barn manager approached him and had to stop a few feet away. Otherwise he would have had the choice between buying himself pain in the neck by steeply looking upwards or only seeing Asmund's belly button. Was there a slight sound of chuckling in the room ?

"Hey! What can I do for you ?" The manager stretched out his hand for a greeting.
"I'd like to ask if I could ride one of the school's horses. I've done this many times back in my youth."
Another wave of chuckling crossed their part of the barn, this time a bit less restrained.
The barn manager took a much more analytical approach, stretching the duration of his next exhale to gain some time for thinking and scratching his head. "You know I'm obligated to test anyone before I can allow this ?"
"Erm... will that be a problem ?" He was absolutely confident in his ability to pass through anything that could be coming. Yet his question was marked with humbleness in both wording and tone.
"That depends on you. Follow me."

The mounting block was lazily nudged into place by foot. In front of the manager and his student was standing a mount that was large even by draft standards. The gifted's feet wouldn't drag on the ground when sitting on this impressive animal of gray-white coat color, though Asmund certainly wasn't too small to get up using the stirrup easily. In fact, it had more to do with the mentor's worries that the thing could snap when his apprentice would use it for that. Him dangling from one side like a giant, helpless crab was just bound to be displeasing for everyone involved.

Luckily, none of these things happened. The horse groaned noticeably under the monster's weight, but if, between his long hair and his beard, there was decent knowledge about how to control himself up there and how to keep things relaxed at the reigns, it would be within the upper end of the acceptable range.

The manager wanted to inspect Asmund's seat first. To do this, he lead them slowly onto a path that would run along the training fields later on. That was... if those fields would still be actual fields and not been turned into burnt-out blast pits when they arrived.

[KuramaaaZ]

--Vlad--

The woman nearly dropped her book when he spoke, she was clearly not expecting him to wake up or talk at all. This slightly amused Vlad but the pain and the whole chase in the forest quickly changed the amusement into cautiousness. The woman quickly stood up and moved around in a weird but graceful way, like a cat. Vlad kept his eyes focused on her, slightly uneasy at her movements, perhaps she was ready to attack him?

But to his surprise she answered the witch's question and told him more about herself and how she wouldn't want the same happening to the others. This little bit of info immediately reminded Vlad about how difficult it became, the whole fire bending and other magic, since he got these scars back then on a winter night. The red haired witch closed his eyes for a moment, trying to not think about that night, when he suddenly felt the soft hand of the woman on his chest. It was a weird feeling, he haven't been touched by anyone in another way than in battle since Anna because he would simply not allow it, it made him feel quite uneasy as he grimaced at the woman while she was putting a new damp rag on his forehead. "I'm f-fine" he muttered although the scars were still extremely painful. It was the first time they were so demanding of his energy, was it because of the new academy and the vast amount of different life energy around?

But the woman didn't seem to notice it and continued talking about offering him new clothes and food. Although he was quite hungry, he was too proud to be this miserable and be fed like a helpless weakling. "No... Thank you" he said quietly, almost in a whisper but then the witch continued " I'll just rest a bit more then head out" he swallowed and noticed how dry his throat was " but I'd like some water if it's possible". Proud or not he was even more thirsty then hungry.

@Aspen Wren

[FallenTrinity]

@LuckyBlackCat

---

He simply rolled his eyes to her excuse, not caring for the fact that the moment she felt the slightest tinge of doubt she had lost control and then dared to give an excuse. He sighed and after asking her his question she simply said she did not know. He smirked slightly as he glanced over to her from his laid back position, flattening his feet on the ground before crossing one over the other.

"Fear. Fear is the most dangerous and destructive thing, human or not. You see. We can look past things we know such as water can drown you, the wind can wisp you away, the earth can crush you and in your case, fire can burn you. You know that what follows day is night and what follows night is day. You know you wake up at a certain time and go to sleep at a certain time. We all know this but its what we don't know, the unknown is what holds us back and can inevitably kill us, physically or metaphorically." He held his glance to her before looking away again and spat out another fireball into the air, watching it fade into the wind. A plume of smoke exited his nose as he turned his head to face her.

"Like I said, we know the elements can kill and we know how certain things are supposed to work. We know that if we ask someone out we will get a yes or a no or something in between. But what happens if we, say, don't ask that person? What if we have self-doubt? We could have been their friend, hell, maybe more so. Or say you never went on a rollercoaster or driven a car. How will you know if you'll have fun or not if you don't go? How do you know you won't be a good driver? Life is full of gambits that have different payouts but its up to us to take the chance." He smiled gently as he closed his eyes, his hands rested behind his head as a makeshift pillow.

[Aspen Wren]

- Laurel -

@KuramaaaZ

Laurel nodded easily at the witch, he was obviously in a good bit of pain and she could smell his unease as being in her presence. It was a reminder to act more human and less feline. She could never totally turn it off as it was a part of her nature but she could tone it down so that she appeared almost human. She moved considerably slower than before at a pace she felt was closer to that of a human or a witch. She offered a bit of a smile, her ruby lips twisting up into the recognizable facial expression, revealing a set of slightly sharper than normal canines but otherwise normal pearl white teeth. It was something that Laurel rarely did, most of the time her smile was either fake or nothing but a smug grin. A genuine smile was something spectacular indeed when it came across her face, softly scrunching the light caramel colored skin around her eyes.

It took considerable effort on her part, especially in her own home to not move as she normally did across the familiar space. Her steps and movements were still undeniably graceful but more on the level of a dancer than a feline. A slow walk was something Laurel almost never accomplished, she always moved a bit too fast. Today however she ensured that the movements were careful and slow, she had no desire to make the witch more uncomfortable that he already was. It seemed his over expenditure of energy was more than enough penance for his behavior at the glade. Karma was a bitch indeed. Once she felt she was out of his line of sight though Laurel resumed her own natural speed as she flew though the apartment.

Once she was in the kitchen she pulled a golden rimmed crystal glass from the cabinet and a small plate. She filled the glass with water but she also removed a small potion bottle from the corner of the shelf that she had hidden away. She'd at least offer it to him to ease some of the suffering. She hummed softly as she thought about what to gather for the witch to eat. She wasn't certain whether they had any particular eating habits or something of that nature but she assumed that some of her native food that she had handy from earlier in the day wouldn't hurt. She carefully pulled some of the roasted lamb from the microwave where she had placed it to keep the warmth along with the clay dish that it was in. It was still nearly hot and steamed softly when she pulled the lid off the clay dish. She retrieved a fork and pulled away some of the tender meat and slid it off onto the plate she'd gotten. After putting the lid back on the dish she grabbed a section of soft bread to go with it and a plain baklava. She gathered the things easily in her slender hands before she headed to the bedroom.

She gave another smaller smile as she entered, slowing her movements down once more as she sat the dishes on the bedside table. "I brought some food anyway, its just roasted lamb with bread and a baklava. Nothing special really but the lamb is fresh. I made it just a couple hours ago. I also brought a potion that a healing witch I know gave me. It won't take all the pain away but it will make it easier to move around a bit more." She pursed her full lips again as she retreated back to the chair. She could tell the witch wasn't comfortable with being taken care of but she wasn't simply a violent vindictive bitch as most of the other students seem to think she was. Nor was she anywhere near as explosive as she had once been. She knew he would certainly be hungry soon if he wasn't already, she had always been ravenous when she woke up from burning herself out in the way that he had done.