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 Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:18 pm
If everything were as it seemed, life would be a dream.  Anya looked up at the small clock on her mantle and stood with a sigh. Scratching her new friend behind the ears, she left the room, locking her door with magic and heading down the stairs towards the sitting room on the first floor where her lessons usually were. But she was intercepted by a maid, who said her lesson was to take place in Jethrow's private study, by his room. Puzzled, Anya followed her to a door that was right beside Jethrow's door. A door that she knew had never been there before, even as she turned the knob. There is much to learn in this world. To learn it, you must realize you know nothing.  Jethrow heard the door creak open and he almost smiled; he knew that the fact that his study had just appeared, plus that she was having class inside it, would bother her. It was always amusing when she was worried over nothingness. "If you don't come in, you won't be brewing the newest potion I've stocked up for." As soon as he finished, she walked in, closed the door and came over, looking around curiously. Almost laughing, Jethrow lit the fire in the fireplace and revealed the cauldron there. He gave the name of the potion she was making and the exact measurements of all the ingredients. "Your challenge is to discover how best to combine these ingredients. You cannot experiment, but you may read any book on those shelves for answers."
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Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:10 pm
Luke soon left Lunora to rest in her room and went to the gardens. He liked being out in the wilderness of his garden's unkeptness. The flowers bloomed unconditionally and there were so many flowers, it was like a sea of colors.
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Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:11 am
If everything were as it seemed, life would be a dream. Flustered, Anya brushed her bangs out of her eyes worriedly, stirring the blue liquid that was sitting in the cauldron. Her challenge was to make a potion that would break a demon seal, which needed to be potent and powerful. The ingredients were all simple; she'd used them all at least once before and knew how their best combinations worked. The problem was combining over and over again. She'd managed to get the potion to a steady level of steaming using garden snake skin, peeled with a dull knife rather than generously chopped with a sharp one. There were some simpler medicinal herbs stirred in already, but now she was starting to add the more potent ones. She knew if she mixed the flower bulb of the moon lily with the feather of a rare pegasi species, the effect could be deadly. But both were required ingredients and therefore had to be mixed perfectly. With the heat from the fire, and the pressure to mix a potion correctly, she was ready to quit. But, that's usually how she treated days like this. There is much to learn in this world. To learn it, you must realize you know nothing. Jethrow was merely sitting there, sipping a mug of tea and watching as the potion went admittedly well. He wasn't quite sure the shade of blue was the particular one he'd have felt most comfortable with if the potion were to be used for its purpose, but it was a good start for her first time mixing it. If she puts the basilisk scales in next, the potion will go to ruins. But she has yet to even pull them out, so she must not intend to use them soon. Her fingers twitched towards his container of pegasi feathers and he tilted his head, catching her attention. He smiled mildly at her and waved her on, and taking courage, she measured out two and a fourth feathers, carefully cutting the stem of the third one so that she didn't mess up the edges. Stripping them into the cauldron, she put the stems down and reached for something else. It was impressive sometimes just how creative she was in her potion work, and Jethrow entirely approved. Lazily, he glanced out the window and frowned. There was a figure moving through the gardens, and judging by its aura, they were either Luke or Lunora. It was more likely to be Luke, but it was still unsettling that the fox demon was now certainly alone. [OOC:]Sorry I took a while; as stupid as this sounds, I pulled a muscle in my left hand/wrist and it's been killing me for the entire day. :/
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:22 am
After a bit of useless wandering, Luke decided to head in and check on Lunora. Though she did look better, she was still sick. He gathered up some wildflowers and headed up the stairs, knowing she'd love something from outside.
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Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 6:44 pm
If everything were as it seemed, life would be a dream. There were only about three other ingredients to add to the potion, and hopefully it would be a dark purple color. Sighing, Anya sat down, leaning against the brick wall and held the three ingredients in one hand: a moon lily bulb, extract of pickled rat's tail, and the pollen of a sunflower. Since she'd long since added its poisonous counterpart, she figured the moon lily would be easy enough to dice and drop. But the rat's tail was the complicated part. It was a potent ingredient, only used in some of the most dangerous potions, seeing as it was itself dangerous. If released from the potion before mixing with the other ingredients, it would poison the air and surely sicken herself and her teacher. That left the sunflower pollen. Tilting her head, she took the small tube holding the pollen and tilted it, allowing the black dust to glide into the tube holding the rat's tail extract. The grayish liquid began to turn black with the mixture of the pollen, and she shook the tube from side to side, mixing it thoroughly. It would need to be put in immediately, and she quickly leaned over, pouring the whole of the contents into the potion and beginning to stir. The color changed from a simple blue to a darker, blacker blue. It was a good sign, in her opinion, because it was starting to look more purple than before. She pulled a knife out and began to cut the bulb of the lily up, careful to keep the leaves together. There is much to learn in this world. To learn it, you must realize you know nothing. Jehtrow tensed as Anya prepared the rat's tail correctly. Though she'd dulled the potency with the pollen, it was still a possibility that the boiling of the potion would released the poison. Preparing, the old wizard curled his fingers over his staff and sat on the edge of his seat, but the ingredient went into the potion and mixed without such resistance. Sighing from relief, Jethrow stood and stepped towards Anya. "Good job; once you've added the lily you may rest. That will be our only lesson for the day, so feel free to do as you will until dinner." With a nod from Anya, he began to leave his study, glancing quickly at the door to his room behind its tapestry and decided it was hidden well enough before he walked out the door. He strode quickly towards the stairs, starting down them in the intent of catching Luke; he'd need an update on Lunora.
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:41 pm
Luke played with the lilies, wildflowers, and roses he had collected for his sister. She may have been tough, but she loved flowers. As he made his way closer, he saw Jethrow coming towards him from the stairs.
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Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 3:13 am
There is much to learn in this world. To learn it, you must realize you know nothing. Jethrow smiled at the sight of the flowers Luke had. It was clear that he was hoping to cheer his little sister up from her sick stupor. "I would never have taken Lunora as the type to enjoy flowers before I'd gotten to know her," the old man said cheerfully as he reached the same step as Luke. "You don't mind if I pay her a visit, do you? Anya is busy finishing a potion and that leaves me with nothing but books for the rest of the afternoon; I'd like to see how your sister's recovery is coming along." And if that potion that Anya made will be free for a simple shortcut in training, rather than to let Lunora live.
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 7:44 am
Luke smiled some and nodded. "No, I don't mind." he said, leading Jethrow back to Lunora's room. He let Jehtrow in first, before coming in himself and shutting the door. He went to Lunora's side and put the flowers in a vase. "I brought you some flowers to make you feel better." he said softly.
Lunora had been napping when they had walked in. She smiled as she saw the flowers. "Thank you, brother." she said hoarsely. She looked very tired, and still very sick.
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Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 8:24 pm
There is much to learn in this world. To learn it, you must realize you know nothing. Jethrow looked on as Luke gave Lunora the flowers, watching her as she smiled and spoke. She may have looked ill on the outside, but he could tell by her aura that she was recovering. With a smile and a nod, he left the room, not saying anything as he moved down the hall towards the stairs. Even an old man needed fresh air sometimes, and the grounds were a nice and sunny walk that day. Lunora's recovery was the most reassuring thing he'd seen all morning. Even though Luke and Lunora were clearly older and more independent than Anya, Jethrow felt the need to protect them. Demons were what the wizard had studied the most intensely, and specialized in. It had been sheer coincidence that the two had arrived with their strange situation. Pure coincidence.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 4:08 am
Luke tucked his sister back into her bed for some more rest before going to catch up with Jethrow. "I was wondering if I could keep you company outside. Lunora's gone back to sleep." he explained.
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Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:42 pm
There is much to learn in this world. To learn it, you must realize you know nothing. Jethrow turned to face Luke and smiled a little, nodding and continuing at his slow pace towards the doorway of the castle. "If we are to walk, we might as well talk as well. And Lunora's recovery efforts don't seem to take up more than a few sentences of discussion. In that case, what do you propose we speak about?" Jethrow leaned on his walking stick outside the door, propelling it open with magic before continuing outside. As he'd guessed, it was sunny and breezy, perfect weather for an old man's joints. A servant on his way back from an errand bowed to Jethrow and Luke, walking past them slowly back to the castle.
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:13 am
"Well... Tell me about Anya. How are her studies coming along?" he asked, nodding to the servant as he passed by.
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Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 1:13 am
There is much to learn in this world. To learn it, you must realize you know nothing. Jethrow shrugged simply, clasping his hands in front of him as they walked. "I suppose well. As any teacher, I like to consider myself a good instructor passing along knowledge to their pupil, but who ever knows how much really sinks in? After all, I've taught many students over the years, and not one of them uses their new magic knowledge for anything but entertainment at parties." With a chuckle, the old man shook his head thoughtfully. It was true, making little crystal balls out of thin air that would bounce to the sun and back always entertained children, and telling stories right off the pages of their books wowed all audiences, but it saddened him to know that magic was becoming a mere plaything these days.
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Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 3:54 am
Luke smiled some and sighed. "Magic has fallen a few notches." he agreed. "But the sword has fallen farther. Why go to a teacher, when you can practice at home with a stick?" he said sarcastically.
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Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2010 10:41 pm
There is much to learn in this world. To learn it, you must realize you know nothing. "A stick? I'd hope they at least learn with sharpened broomsticks," Jethrow joked. It was easy to understand Luke's frustrations, particularly since he'd been alive when the need of learning swordsmanship was more than just necessary. When Jethrow had been only as old as a single natural lifespan, there were so many wars it was hard to keep track of them. If every boy did not learn weaponry, that country was at an extreme disadvantage. Even he'd been entrapped in the world of battle, for the sake of the lives at stake. "If for every ten students you do receive, there is the chance that one is truly evil at heart and another one is to follow them diligently. The less students swords masters have, the less evil joins this world. There is always a bright side to every glass of lake water."
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