of monsters and magic

[chihari the Kiwi]

This is a private roleplay for Klarp Glornharm and Chihari the Kiwi.
If these aren't your username, please do not post.

[chihari the Kiwi]

Jael

Appears around nineteen-twentyish. Tall. Stocky. Skin is a warm honey colour. Black hair, very curly and long enough to fall into his face and down the back of his neck. He often ties a cloth around his forehead to keep it out of his eyes (like a bandana). His eyes are hazel, and he has a darker birthmark underneath his left eye. He has a scar on his torso, starting on the left side at the bottom of his rib cage, and curving down to the top of his right thigh. Dresses plainly.

[Klarp Glornharm]

Min

Min is a grey-eyed woman in her early thirties. She's of average height, with a lean build, sun-darkened skin and short, straight, red hair that falls to her shoulders. She tends to wear gloves, mostly to cover her left hand. Under the glove, her hand has fissures of orange light, presumably an effect of magic, and the spells that come from that hand are stronger, but unstable. Tends to dress in men's clothes.

[Klarp Glornharm]

The academy would look like a castle from far enough away, at the proper angle to see over the wall that surrounded the village. In its own way, it was a castle of sorts, though no ruler lived there. The walls protected not the people inside, but the knowledge. The building was large, but unlike a true castle, there were actually very few people that were regularly inside. No guards, few servants, the students and those who would teach them gone for one reason or another more often than not. What few remained could be those too new to be trusted with their magical talents outside of the walls yet, those who were too old to do much more than teach those who were barely coming into their magic, those who were waiting for a new charge, whether student or job from one of the kingdoms, and those charged with protecting the knowledge in the Academy, and by extension with keeping the peace of both the building and the town that surrounded it.

It was inside the Academy, in one of the many "libraries" contained within that Min awaited her charge, with countless books upon shelves, those built to stand in the center of the room and upon the walls going up several floors until there was no longer room to go up. Some of the newer recruits to the school seemed to be making a game out of who could stare her in the eyes longest, as if she had some glare on her face, though the grey-eyed woman could not remember placing one there. More likely than not, they had heard the rumors from the Protectors that she had been in an accident, and been scarred. Probably, they were looking for some scar upon her face, or in her eyes, something somewhere that they might see.

She brushed her coat subconsciously with her right hand to keep it from scratching her left. It had begun itching the moment she thought of it, and silently the magician cursed herself. But then, anything was better to think of than what the Elders had said. She was to train some boy that was destined to be a hero, or something of that sort, and it was supposed to be an honor, but she knew the truth of it very well. If there were any such honor to be had, the old fools would be doing this training themselves, and they would be doing it in the Academy. The orders had explicitly been that she leave within the week, and they had not answered her questions of how far along his training was already.

She suspected that hers would be the first lessons he would be getting in magic.

But it was her charge, and there were jobs that had been sent as well that she could take. There would be other places she could go for more jobs that would earn her the coin needed to take care of herself and the youth. The one good thing about this was it would keep her away from those rumors, and likely they would not try to place multiple students in her care if she were to teach someone so important. That meant fewer mouths, and in the long run, less work.

"Where is he?"

((I hope this is good enough for a starter?))

[chihari the Kiwi]

The boy walked along the wall, arms stretched out, placing one foot carefully in front of the other. Some twenty feet down, the old geezer yelled for him to get down from there before he broke his stupid neck, and how he was losing ten years off his life just watching him. Jael paid him no mind. The wind tugged at his hair and clothing, mussing his hair even further than it usually was. He was listening, and quite intently. Not to the man below him, but between him and the wind Jael couldn't hear anything else. An aggravated sigh had just escaped his lips when he felt himself grabbed by invisible hands. He jerked slightly in alarm, but gave no other outward reaction as the spell scooped him off the wall and brought him slowly down the the ground.

He staggered slightly when his boots hit the dirt of the courtyard between the castle and the wall, but straightened quickly and attempted to look tough and remote. He was a full foot taller than the geezer charged with following him around and trying to keep him out of trouble, the the old man was heavier. Not just an annoying old man, but an annoying old man skilled in magic. He sometimes forgot the distinction.

His brief freedom ended, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat, tuning the elderly wizard out as he scolded him. Under most circumstances, he wouldn't have minded the Academy. It was a castle made of stone, adapted into a school, though it was over half empty over half the time. Jael was from the mountains. He was used to stone. He was even fond of it. But he was not used to being caged in, and he did not like it. He had not exited these walls since setting foot within them, and he could feel himself starting to go distinctly batty.

Though supposedly he would be leaving it soon. Today, even. It seemed the Elders had finally found someone to teach him, and they were booting him out the door as fast as could be arrange. His bags were packed with his meagre belongings and were sitting on his bed. His new teacher, the poor sap, had probably been told next to nothing about him, let alone why no one else wanted to take him on.

No way they'd have mentioned the monsters.

Unconsciously, he rubbed the scar under his shirt. When he realized what he was doing, he scowled and dropped the hand back to his side. What Jael would like to know was, if they wanted him gone so bad, why they had bothered with him in the first place. Why not just leave him with the mess he had made for himself? Because he had made it himself. His own pride had always been what got him in trouble. Though knowing that didn't seem to change it.

He was shaken from his thoughts when a hand closed, vice like, around his arm. He fought not to wince. For an old guy, Master Treehill was pretty strong. The little old wizard began to drag him through the courtyard to the castle doors, complaining loudly at how they were late to meet his teacher, and how if he screwed this up for them they would make his life a misery. As if it wasn't already. He allowed himself to be dragged up until they entered the doors, then sped up to walk on his own power. He didn't want anyone watching him being dragged by such a brittle looking old guy.

The pair went through dozens of twists and turns that all looked the same, passageways that Jael would never get a chance to familiarize himself with. Not that he cared. He didn't want this to be home. They arrived at a room he recognized as the library – one of them, at least. There were at least three in this place. Master Treehill marched him right up to a red-haired woman. Jael blinked in surprise. A woman? His teacher was going to be a woman? Somehow the thought had never occurred to him. The school was primarily staffed by old men, or that's what it seemed like to him. Maybe the women had more sense than to cram themselves into a stone box their entire lives.

“Min,” Master Treehill began. He was wheezing slightly from the briskness of the walk. “I apologize for our lateness.” He continued on to thank the woman for agreeing to take him on. Jael looked the woman over. She looked tough, he supposed, with serious grey eyes.

A hand whacked his shoulder lightly. Recognizing the cue, he nodded his head slightly. “I'm Jael. Ma'am.” He added, when Treehill gave him a sharp look. Don't forget the social niceties. Whatever. He stuck his hands back in his pockets, their favourite resting spot. “I hear you're to teach me?”

((It's great. :3 Second time typing this post out. The first time my internet crashed and I lost it. I hate it when that happens.))

[Klarp Glornharm]

Her eyes, and those of the students that had been staring at her, were drawn to the new arrivals. Whispers sprang up around her, the students apparently knowing the face somehow. But then, she had a reason to guess who was arriving with Elder Treehill. The man was known as around these parts, just as most any other Elder was, though they were not all part of the council that made decisions. An Elder and The Elders were different in that The Elders were not simply the oldest, but among the strongest of the magic-users that had come to the academy. They were those who, when gifted with strength and talent, had not killed themselves or become consumed by it, and so they were given a place. In a way, it seemed unfair.

But little about the world was fair, she decided as her left hand twitched.

"Elder Treehill." Min's voice was soft, which might not have been what one would expect when they looked at her. She kept her face calm, and turned her grey eyes to the youth. As she spoke, she searched him, as if looking for something that would make him special. "It is a blessing to take such a promising student, of course." That was what The Elders had told her when they'd given her the choice. Him as a Charge or taking a role as a Protector for a year. While such a thing was normally no punishment, it was something that most Protectors considered an honor, actually, she had no wish to remain at the Academy, or the village, with the whispers that sometimes followed.

"You," she said, almost a whisper. Her eyes moved to meet the youth's eyes, and she intended to trap them in her gaze if it could be done. "Jael. Hands from your pockets." She rose then, hands going to brush at breeches, as if somehow a crumb or some dust had gotten on them. It did well enough to hide the twitch in her left hand. "I suspect that you have not learned manners, but you will need to if you will last." There was every chance a nobleman or woman would approach them with requests, which she would fully intend to refuse politely. It would not do if her student offended them and forced her to pull him from their ire. "Keep your hands in sight at all times. It is a respectful sign among magic-users." Many spells took gestures, or pulled the magical energies into the hands. If one was hiding their hands, they might well be hiding a spell.

"May I ask how much he has learned, Elder?" Just like that, as if she did not care for Jael any longer, she had turned her attention to Elder Treehill.

((That's always the worst.))

[chihari the Kiwi]

The woman was soft-spoken, but Jael wasn't fooled. There was something hard about her, in her. He could feel it when those grey eyes fixed to him. He stared back, wondering what she saw when she looked him over. He knew he didn't look like much, but damn if he'd let himself be looked down on and belittled. He was a man. Barely, but he was. He didn't like how all these pretentious magic folks treated him like a child. Back home, he worked, same as anyone else. Had since he'd been a child. 'Course, he'd left when he'd realized there was a world outside the boundaries of the village. Sure, that had been when all this trouble started, but he couldn't say he regretted it. Life had been dull before. Predictable. Now he had no idea where life would take him.

It was exciting.

He wondered what the Elders had told her to make her think he was a promising student. He picked up on things fast, sure, he always had. But there weren't many people of his own age and skill level here to compare himself to.

His jaw tightened when his suspicions were confirmed. This was no soft lady. “I know manners plenty,” he said, a touch coldly. “It's not my fault if your manners are more complicated than mine.” Pretentious assholes. Still, he did remove his hands from his pockets. These people needed to understand that he didn't grow up among magic folk. He didn't know all these minor details.

After that, she ignored him. He had to fight not to roll his eyes. So they were just going to talk over him. Figures.

“Not much, I'm afraid,” Elder Treehill replied. Jael stared blandly at a nearby bookcase. “He came to us not knowing much of anything. He can read and write of course, and magically he has excellent control. With most just learning their extent of their magic, there's usually more flares where they lose control. He's had none of those. He has considerable raw power, and we've begun to teach him the basics to channel it. But he hasn't been with us long, and he has a... decidedly uncooperative disposition.” From the look the Elder sent him, Jael guessed he was remembering finding him on the wall earlier. He gave his sweetest smile in return. The Elder frowned deeply, and turned his attention back to Min.

“Those of us here at the Academy are largely too old to deal with someone so... spirited. I'm sure he'll do much better with you.” As if to cement the fact, he nudged Jael a few inches closer, and not very gently at that.

“Sounds like we're made for each other,” Jael said in a monotone. He couldn't wait to get out of this place. He hadn't left the mountains just to be caged in one spot again. It was safer in here than out there, but out there was so much more fun.

[Klarp Glornharm]

Min sat there absorbing the explanations. Too old. An excuse for the boy, she was sure. Old here didn't often mean much in the way of competence, one way or the other. Most tended to think it meant there was more competence, but often enough it meant they simply hadn't pushed themselves. The Elders would likely have taken the youth themselves if they'd wanted him to be trained 'properly,' and left it to one with more talent than she had. She smiled at Elder Treehill and bowed. "I will take him from here, then." It was a dismissal, or as close to one as she could get to one above her station.

The magician would wait for the elder to leave, with the smile in place until he was out of sight. A moment later, her attentions would turn to the youth. Raw power, and not pushed to a point where he'd lost control. So they're afraid then. Most of the lessons taught early on were meant to force someone to lose control, someone being beyond that didn't bode well for them. Someone who hadn't felt the horror of their power doing what it wanted against their will was someone who had not found a reason to learn discipline... And they had tossed him to her?

Her left hand clenched on its own.

"You sound like a dangerous weapon." She said at last, when she turned her attention back to Jael. It was not a compliment. "I will find out what you can do, what you know, and we will cover manners in our lessons." She would need to prepare her own horse, and what she had packed to bring on the journey. Likely, Treehill would have already had Jael prepare what he was going to bring, with the way the old man was rushing him out. She would set someone else to bringing them and preparing his horse.

"You may address me as you wish when we have left, but until then, at least, I expect you to honor the formalities they have taught you." She knew that they covered those before meditation was done. "If there is someone you wish to say goodbye to, or something you must do before you leave, I suggest you do it." She would see that their things were dealt with. The students that had begun whispering again were granted a brief glare that silenced them.

"If I hear that you've done anything wrong, I will bind you to your horse while we travel until I can trust you to keep out of trouble." It would likely be embarrassing if they passed anyone on the roads. "You may go."

*****************

Terry was not anything special amongst the students, with no grand distinguishing features beyond his dark skin. His brown hair was short, as if it had just had about a week to grow back after being shaved, and his matching eyes didn't have any particular passion. He wore nothing special, though no student did, and he had yet to have a master chosen for him, which was not uncommon for his age.

He had a chosen spot to spend his free time when he found it outside in the courtyard where much of the combat magic was practiced. If Jael chose to say goodbye, it was most likely there he'd find him.

[chihari the Kiwi]

Eventually, the Elder left. Jael watched Min out of the corner of his eye, not interested in looking at her directly, and raised his eyebrows when she called him a weapon. “Hardly,” he replied, and scuffed a boot across the stone floor. Anyone who tried to use him as a weapon would quickly learn their mistake. He wondered why she'd drawn the conclusion that he was one. Adults were so strange. They all drew their own conclusions about him, never told him why, and sometimes not even what those conclusions were. He frowned at the floor. He thought he deserved more consideration than that, didn't he? Why did he have to be judged by people who barely knew more than his name?

“Of course,” he said, with more resignation than anything. To people like this, “manners” meant playing nice with people and keeping nasty thoughts to himself. He'd never been good at that, and didn't care to pussyfoot around people.

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered after she'd finished giving her directives. It wasn't like he ever did anything really wrong. The old geezers just had poles up their asses. He took off as soon as he was dismissed, his shoulders hunched. First, he detoured to his room to get his bag. He had no idea when the woman would come back and demand he come with her, right now, whether he had his stuff or not. He gave a last look around the room. He didn't care much for this place, but leaving made him feel strangely... lonely. He knew enough to understand that he was being cast out. Probably he wouldn't be coming back. Still, he shrugged off the feeling of melancholy and left.

He hadn't even consciously decided where he was going, but he found himself out in the courtyard. And there was Terry, right where he usually was. Jael considered him something of a friend, as much as you could consider someone you'd only known a week to be a friend. He was a decent guy. He at least deserved to not have Jael disappear without a word. He made his way over.

“Hey,” he said, then paused awkwardly. s**t, how was he supposed to come out and say he was being cast out into the care of a woman who obviously wanted nothing to do with him? “It looks like I'm leaving, like, right away. So, uh, I guess this is goodbye.” He gave a crooked smile. “Thanks for putting up with me. I like to think I'm not as bad as the Elders make me out to be.”

((Sorry I made you wait so long for this. A week passed without me noticing. >.< ))

[Klarp Glornharm]

(xD It's fine. Things happen I suppose.)

Min whispered angrily as the boy left. It felt as if she had a ticking time bomb, now, waiting for the chance to lose control. If he lost it in an uncontrolled environment... She pushed the thoughts down and went about her business.

Terry looked up at Jael's arrival and offered a soft smile. "They still haven't gotten any better." He gestured to a few students that were practicing with the Protectors. "Old Man Treehill was right. They're not learning anything from sparring." Magic, he'd said, wasn't something you could learn by seeing unless you learned to see first. That annoying cryptic way of teaching was something the old men seemed to love.

"Way they fell all over themselves to be your teachers, I guess I can't be surprised you're being assigned already." Terry pushed himself up, and dusted his pants off a moment later. "So, d'you get what he meant? Learning to see?" The youth seemed less-inclined to give an immediate chance to just walk away. Jael seemed the sort to rebel a bit, and he didn't want a one-sentence goodbye from his friend.

((Definitely shorter. I hope it's fine.))

[chihari the Kiwi]

He glanced over where Terry gestured. There were a handful of students practising with some old men, and a couple old ladies. Well, one wasn't so old, he realized when he looked closer. Maybe early thirties. He really shouldn't assume everyone around here was ancient. “Huh,” he said without much interest, watching as one tried – and failed – to cast an attack spell. Earth element, if he was guessing right from what little appeared when the spell was cast. “They'll figure it out eventually. Or not. I won't be around to find out.” He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the students. It was hard to sort out his feelings. Did he want to stay here, be one of them? No, not really. But he didn't want to go with Min either. He didn't know what he wanted.

He made an odd grunting sound, almost a laugh. “I can still feel their boots on my a**. They're giving me a good kick out the door. I don't really like the lady they're assigning me too...” he stopped with a wince. He hadn't meant to confide anything. He wasn't a confider. He tended to rub people the wrong way, so when he actually had someone to talk to about problems, it often didn't occur to him to do it. And he hadn't exactly been well-liked back home, either. “Well, I'll survive.” Forgetting Min's earlier reprimand, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

He tilted his head, mulling Terry's question over. “Not really,” he said after a moment. “I guess you can't duplicate what you see unless you actually know what you're looking at. I dunno. I'm not good with cryptic s**t. I don't get why people can't say things straight out. Why say 'you have to learn to see' when you can say 'you're doing it wrong, dumbass'?”

[Klarp Glornharm]

Terry laughed at the other's annoyance with the way the old men seemed to be choosing to teach. It was definitely a very dumb way of doing it, but many people who were first-timers, or had rarely been there, seemed to think they were wise because of it. "That does sound about right. But you're pretty lucky, I think. Even if this lady doesn't like you, maybe she'll tell you what the heck they mean?" He wasn't entirely convinced that Jael was correct in what the old men meant, but it was his best lead. "If nothing else, you're giving up these geezers for someone who might actually end up being a real teacher."

The dark-skinned youth would start walking, with a short gesture to his friend. He was repositioning to get a different angle on what was happening in the sparring sessions. Some of the Protectors were performing now, showing what they knew on a lower scale. Most of it was flashing lights, rather than real damaging spells. It was something they did when practicing in earnest, and not showing off, but he hadn't been able to replicate the spells. "You said they were booting you out, but that's still the sort of thing most of us will dream of for years to come. If I were in your shoes, I'd be ecstatic for real hands-on training, rather than halfhearted teaching from the old men that want to be out showing their skills."

The youth would stop moving now, and face the sparring field. "I do think you should give a chance to this teacher. You have magic, and even if you plan to leave this group some day, it'd be smart to learn to use it. If she turns out to be a horrid teacher, you can always try running away from her."

[chihari the Kiwi]

Some of Jael's annoyance with his situation dissipated when his friend laughed. The world wasn't so bad if people in it could still laugh. Plus, Terry had a point. “Yeah. I hope she's not into that cryptic s**t. She doesn't look like she's into nonsense,” he said, and that made him scowl again. Jael loved nonsense. It was so much more fun than just blindly obeying what someone told him to do. He liked excitement in his life... even if his idea of excitement often led to risking his life over stupid things. “Hey, you don't know she'll be a good teacher. Maybe she'll suck. Hard to judge just by looking at someone, and you haven't even seen her.” He nudged Terry's foot with his own, kinda hard, but in a friendly way.

With a shrug, he followed Terry when he circled the open area, Jael assumed to get a better look at the action, since his gaze was riveted there. A lot could be learned from observing. Jael would know, since before he'd been taken here (against his will) that had been his primary method of obtaining information. “Yeah, but you want to be a good mage or whatever,” Jael pointed out. “I don't care. I just want to be a guy. A nomadic guy, but a guy.”

He huffed. “I guess you're right. Except for the running away part. If I did that, she'd probably dump me down a well or something. She don't put up with nonsense. I could see it in her eyes.” He crouched, dangling his hands between his thighs. Sometimes he really regretted that bit of flash in a city market that had gotten him dragged here. He had only been looking for a bit of coin, but had lost his freedom in the attempt. Now he was totally at the mercy of others.

“So what about you? What are your plans?”

[Klarp Glornharm]

"I'll probably train here until I'm worthy of a teacher. Then I'll become a master of this skill, or as close as I can manage." He explained though it was surely something that Jael had heard, or expected most of the students to want. Most who came here had nothing special waiting for them back home. They were the children of blacksmiths, innkeepers, soldiers, and even thieves. The nobles were often gifted with someone to teach them quickly, and in the comfort of their own homes often enough.

"Perhaps this stern woman will be the one to teach you manners?" He joked, a chuckle escaping with the words. "I'm fairly sure she'll be better than these old men. No matter what she does, it's one-on-one teaching, not classes or them ganging up on you to try and force you to learn a lesson. Perhaps you'll even reach your limits one day thanks to her?" It was less of a joke, but still that amused smile stayed on Terry's face. The youth doubted that Jael would ever reach a wall he didn't traverse, though in his opinion it seemed more likely that his friend would crash through the wall, rather than climbing over it.

"I suppose I must say goodbye eventually. Putting it off only distracts us both." He turned his attention from those sparring people, and put their spells out of his mind. There was time, plenty of time, to learn what they were doing, and how they did it. There was far less time to say farewell to a friend who might not return.

"If you do happen to run away, you may be able to find refuge with my family for a time. Haleston is where they live, don't forget." He explained, and reached out to pat Jael's shoulder. "Until we meet again."

[chihari the Kiwi]

“That sounds so boring,” Jael remarked, rocking back on his heels. It wasn't his intention to insult Terry's goals in life. They were just boring goals. Jael wanted adventure in his life. Granted, he'd already had enough adventure to satisfy most people... or turn them off adventure entirely. If he were being honest, he really didn't care much about his magic. He had it, so he worked it into his life, but he felt that he would be happier without it.

He grunted something that sounded like “better men have tried” and shook his head. He didn't know why everyone thought he had no manners. It wasn't like he went around scratching his butt in public. And he didn't insult anyone who didn't deserve it. And most people deserved an insult at some point or another. “But well, I'll learn whatever she has to teach me. Not like I'll stand there plugging my ears.” The last comment earned Terry a quick sideways glance. He seemed to think highly of Jael's magical abilities. But then, most of the students did. He couldn't understand why. Most of them were more skilled than he was. After all, they had teachers, and he'd been largely self-taught. And he hadn't told any of his new friends about the large-scale destruction of property he'd caused back home while practising. It was one of several reasons he couldn't go back there.

“Aw hell,” he said, pulling one of his hands from his pockets to scratch at the back of his neck. His face creased in subtle distress. “Don't you go all sentimental on me. I hate that s**t. You know I cry easy, let's not show everyone else, 'kay?” He swallowed hard. He wouldn't miss the place, but he would miss the people. Terry wasn't his only friend, but he was the best, and the only one he really had time to say goodbye to. “Thanks, man,” he said, covering Terry's hand on his shoulder with his own. “You study hard, learn them spells, and knock all their socks off. Then maybe I'll come back to see how good you got. Take care.”

He reluctantly pulled away, stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning away. He walked back to the castle quickly, not daring to glance back for fear that he really would start crying, and then everyone would think he was a wuss for being all emotional.

He honestly couldn't remember if Min had given him instructions on where to meet her when he was ready to go, so he went to his room to collect his bag and then lounged against the stable wall. People who were leaving needed horses, right? So he figured she'd come this way eventually. If not, well, she was supposedly such a great mage, she had to know a few tracking spells. She'd find him. Or not.