Official water training thread

[Aizen Teresaga]

The natural breeze of the sea whipped past her petite form, the silky black hair tossed behind. No longer the shortly cropped hair she wore when she had first arrived from her test, Raven's hair regained its natural length resting at her slender waist. She had exchanged her singed red blouse and black slacks and boots for something more light and appropriate for the beach; a long sienna red skirt, and a white ruffled top with short sleeves. Across the white bodice, she wore a leather vest, reinforced with tiny plates of steel that served as both protection and a training exercise for her muscles.

Her white sandals sank into the ground with each step, and she relished the burning sensation in her calf muscles. A broad smile played on her lips as the cat-like pupils of her emerald optics dilated at seeing a familiar face. She flexed the muscle of her left arm, which was wrapped tightly in a gauze bandage; the very thumb of that hand and arm was hooked around a leather cord, which carried the shaft of the Naginata strapped to her back. It was her best weapon and friend, a shaft five feet in length, capped with eighteen inches of slightly curved steel. Raven hastened her pace, making her way towards the sand bar along the beach. She had caught the light spray as a wave crashed, enjoying the cool, refreshing sensation of the water. It would certainly prove to be an amazing place of training. It was here that Raven Kanzaki would hone her skills as a newly appointed Apprentice. She stood five feet away from the other familair woman, her broad smile now more subtle and appreciative. Raven knew it was rude to encroach on what she knew was a personal moment, and instead stood near by, facing the Ocean's horizon in silence.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

Raven smiled broadly, stepping towards the crashing waves. She slipped her feet from her sandals. The water was cool, and she could feel the way the sand shifted beneath her feet with each step. The fringe of her skirt brushed against the water's surface, and it was there Raven stopped.

"Meditation...you're asking a worry-wart to meditate." She laughed, before taking a deep breath. The lids of her eyes slowly fluttered shut as she knew this would be a more difficult task for her. So many things flooded through her mind; so many worries, so many wishes to see her family and friends at home. She worried most about those of the Guild of Fighters who had accepted her as family, such as Noah, whom she affectionately dubbed her little brother.

Raven exhaled slowly, her mind wandered towards the very waves of the Ocean she stood at the edge of. It was a serene and comforting sound, one that took her to a place of whiteness. Raven stepped forward, her feet plunging into the oncoming waves. The water felt whimsical beneath her, as she continued to focus on the waves. Very slowly, the muscles of her body were unwinding, becoming lax. For a moment, she felt as though she were sleep walking.

She could feel the solidity beneath her feet, and stepped upwards. It had taken an effort, it felt strange and uneven to her. Raven allowed the relaxation to come over, and very slowly, lowered herself to rest on her knees. The rhythm of the waves lulled her, her mind blank of the worry she had once before. Even more carefully, she came to sit on on the waves, the rocking of the ocean allowed her to relax even more.

"This is nice..."  

[Aizen Teresaga]

"I was born as a child of the Moon and the Sea." Raven reflected on this, missing her own world of Matreya. The very current of the water reminded her of long-forgotten lullabies, and world where the people's flesh glowed silvery-white like the moon. A place where dancing was a way of life and communication. It was a lovely place in Purgatory, stuck in her memories.

But with every good memory, there is a nightmare. Raven's nose habitually wrinkled, distance screams and fires ripped through her mind as she recalled the destruction of her world, and her inevitably forced exile to a world of darkness. She remembered there, how she had been brainwashed and transformed into a killing machine, and how she had discovered her blood as an Elementalist.

With a loud splash! Raven sank into the water, her feet instinctively kicking out as she regained her balance. She sighed heavily, shaking her head. Already worry began to spread through her mind, reflecting on teh situation back at the Guild--was Noah all right? And Ulta, who had fainted at the sight of a floating fortress ready to attack them? What of kind Desmond, who helped her recover? Did Light regain his vision? Why was Roan being so distant? Where did that secretive Kira Stevens go at such a dangerous time? ORDER was about to attack her home, and here she was, training when her family and friends needed her the most.

Enough. Raven told her self, clearing the barrage of doubt and worry from her mind. She concentrated on the motion of the waves as they brushed against her, breaking into the white foamy fringe that engaged the soft sand bar. She leaned back, throughly soaked as she floated there, allowing the steady calm to resume, her mind slowly emptying itself to white once more. She knew where her loyalties lay, and would never see this as abandonment. Until she could return home, Raven would remain here, and keep her faith in her friends to fight harder without her.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

"Say Gabby..." Raven paused to collect her thoughts again. She had struggled for many moments with her mediatation exercise; it proved to be one of the hardest things she ever had to do. It was much more difficult to keep her mind, calm, serene, or even blank, rather than what Raven's mind filled with. It had been before Gabriela's ceremony that Raven had visited the graves of her late children, and still it lingered on the outskirts of her mind.

"...do I need permission to engage another Apprentice from another Element?"

The question were harmless, yet it had crossed her mind several times as she lay there, resting against the Water's surface. In her mind's eye, she visualized a spectacular place to be used as a battlefield. Her thoughts were slowly succumbing to being more positive, and the exercise were getting easier for her.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

"It's uncertain at this point." Raven smiled faintly; It had been a long while since she had seen Roan. He had spoken briefly to her about going to the Fire region to hone his skills as she had come here. He had also spoken to her about the future. She wanted to fight him as well, knowing she had to prove to him that she had come a ways since she first left him to train.

"I also want to see how well I fare against the Earth and Forest Element. It's something I don't have much experience in. Prominent weakness, I suppose." Raven sighed, disappearing under the water, before pulling herself to stand. For a moment, she had a flashback. She had been knocked off a cliff, and fell straight into the water, sinking fast. She recalled watching the sun from the underside of the water's surface, and she remembered falling into darkness. Strong arms had gripped her, and Raven recalled watching the stern pair of Gambouge eyes leering down at her. Raven shook her head, squeezing the water from her hair.

She had blinked, peering down as she noticed that she now trembled, standing on the shalllow surface of the beach. Slender eyebrows arched in surprised, a grin a triumph flashed across her face, "Well, well. Roan's more serene to think about than I thought. Join us!" She spoke now to the newest arrival, gesturing her to come into the water as she shifted to sit back down along the surface, "We're meditating." Even then, Raven found it more easy to relax and allow her mind to wander as she rested against her Cardinal Element.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

"I was worried I couldn't do this, but...it's relaxing..." Raven drew the tips of her fingers up into the air, a slender ribbon of water trailing after the path her fingers took. It felt easier to call upon, the water was less resistent when she was upset. She knew her own emotion was connected to the Entity, and knew that both Elemental and Elementalist would come to respect one another on a more deeper level.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

Orbs...

"Hm." Raven imagined within her mind, the spherical form of a bubble. The palms of her hands ascended as she imagined water, in all its fluidity, taking on the form of a sphere. She then allowed her own will to connect with the water, and with silent permission, willed a single orb of water to manifest. It felt hard to control at first, the water wanted to spill o ut of the spherical form, but after a moment of control, the sphere began to hold its shape, hovering in the air before her.

She explored her range, and began to see just how many she could make. A second sphere slowly began to form, and she reigned the same control over the second as the first. A third formed, more swiftly than the second and first as she felt a familiar routine of visualization, will, and control. By her fourth, Raven began to feel comfortable with manifesting orbs, and decided not to push herself too much that she would lose control over them all. Now she practiced the manner of multi-tasking, keeping control of each orb to hold its shape.