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 Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 12:43 pm
Because he was concentrating on the tornado in his hands, he startled when she suddenly appeared and he nearly lost control of it, causing it to almost completely dissapear. He quickly recovered though, using his right hand to adjust and control the tornado in his left hand.
He swiftly looked at Iri with a bashful smile, and then looked back at the tornado while he listened to her instructions.
He made a quick nod, and started to try and make it spin faster, by adjusting the flow of energy he constantly sent out of his fingertips.
He first tried to simply release more energy, which indeed resulted in a faster spin, but he concluded it would be far too tiresome to keep it up at a larger scale. He tried to concentrate his energy flow more, as if you would hold your finger against a flowing water-tap. He noticed the tornado almost immediately started spinning a whole lot faster and he had to keep it from turning too large by releasing less energy and turning his right fingers a little more horizontally.
He grinned. This is way more efficient!
The only thing he had to do to slow it down was releasing less energy. It was harder then the other way around, because the tornado easily turned too small and several times it nearly dissipated in the proces, but after a while, he was able to let it spin very slowly, as if it was a light summer breeze, and make it spin fast enough to be really called a miniature tornado.
It was only then that his attention went to his hands, and he saw that they where completely human-like, with the only difference that his nails –not claws- where just a little bit pointy. He frowned, but didn’t stop the tornado. He concluded that it was the bright energy doing this, and that they would turn back to ‘normal’ when he released the energy, just like last time.
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Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 1:10 pm
The clone smiles. Good. Very good. Ookami picks up on these things quickly.
"Perfect. Now, keep doing it. Play with it. Figure out other things you can do with a small tornado. Maybe try picking up small objects. Then I want you to create a few exercises on your own. It's important for you to be an independent thinker. I don't want you to have to rely on the techniques that I can teach you. I want you to be able to come up with your own tricks and style. I'll be back soon, and I'll ask about your progress. Good luck!"
The clone gives Ookami a nod, then fades away.
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:06 pm
Reeve nods, staying where he is, for now. He relaxes, stretching out and clasping his hands behind his head. In true Reeve fashion, he pays slightly undue close attention to Iri's walking away.
"Good to be home."
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 5:33 pm
Osi never thought she was one that was easily surprised or that jumpy, but this place was proving that wrong. Again Iri had startled her with the outburst and touching once more. She didnt know that Nins touched that often without long term familiarity but then again Kwubara and her had touched often as well. Osi let it skip her mind for the time as Iri ranted about her obvious dislike of status. Such an odd woman to be so aware of her status. Most of the high ups where she lived paid little attention to it or so much that they didnt involve themselves with lessers, but it always seemed just a natural thing. Not something that made you rant when it was brought up. Osi couldnt help it, she laughed.
"Ms. Feathers?" She asked, knowing that probably had an interesting story attached to it. But all too soon Iri was leaving and Osi was standing there, unsure of where to go. Her eyes were losing their focus which she didnt mind for the time being. Taking a place in some shade casted by the building and ship, she laid down in the grass, hands crossed behind her head.
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 11:55 pm
Ookamimaru did as he was told.
He would practice new things and would keep going until he would eventually run out of energy.
After he had mastered to grow and schrink the little tornado at will, he though he should try it out in the open fields of the kaze dojo, where a constant wind would blow on it.
He came out of the bushes edging on the forest end with the tornado still in his hand.
He was now 40 yards away from the dojo.
Immediately the wind blew the tornado out of balance and it dissipated, no matter how hard he tried to keep it straight.
A little dissapointed, he looked at his now empty hand and pouted.
He didn't let it discourage him though, and immediately started to try and make a new one.
It was extremely difficult, also, because, other than he thought, the wind changed direction all the time, so that if he bowed the tornado to one side to keep it from collapsing, the wind suddenly turned the other way, and what he tried to prevent happened.
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:07 pm
Dawn nudges her mother's arm with a wing elbow. Adrianne looks back at her with a raised brow.
"Do ya think... How much longer, do ya reckon, we have until we need to take care of our ancestors? We've all accessed them. And we're all starting to see them in the mirrors. What did the scrolls say?"
Adrianne looks away from her oldest daughter to stare up at the sky. Her brow creases as she thinks.
"Soon. It won't be difficult for us, as recently as we've accessed the ancestors. For Irianna, though, it may be difficult. Judging by what the author wrote, the longer one consciously co-exists with them, the harder it is to separate. I don't know what he meant by 'harder', though. He didn't elaborate. Dawn, Lenora, your father and I won't stay here long. The two of you, though, need to stay here and support your sister. Agreed?"
Dawn nods her head in agreement. She doesn't seem overly excited, though. Something isn't sitting right with her. Lenore doesn't notice her sister's mood, though. She grins and lovingly hugs the shaft of her scythe. The strange young woman is just excited about spending time with her rarely seen sister. And then there's the possibility of a little combat getting thrown in. After all, she is in a ninja academy.
Xavier looks at the oldest Gale sister and clears his throat to catch her attention. "Dawn, do keep in mind, you will need to keep a close eye on Lenora. You know she can't be trusted on her own."
Lenore stops grinning and begins to pout in the direction of her father. Dawn looks a little scared.
"I assume your sister will be back before long. Dawn, Lenora, find the things that are to go to your sister. You know what I'm talking about."
The sisters snap to attention and make their way to the hatch. They've got a lot of heavy lifting to do. Adrianne doesn't watch them go. She's still staring up at the sky. Xavier gives her a rare smile.
"It's gonna be alright."
"You only say that when you know we're in deep s**t."
The male Siren sighs and shakes his head. The raven on his shoulder makes a few calls that sound suspiciously like a laugh.
"And you wonder where Irianna gets her mouth."
Adrianne only sticks her tongue out of the corner of her mouth at the man. Xavier quietly chuckles.
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 8:36 pm
Months of operating on his own keeps Reeve from being a very good conversationalist. He keeps to himself, crossing his arms.
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Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 6:59 pm
Osis poor vision still tracks the movements by the airship if not by vision but by the movement of energy. She couldnt see the energy lines without pulling she second sight but she could still feel them twist their way in some what human fashion. The only issue was the emotions attached to the energies. They were quickly switching from one thing to the other. Something had changed with the few up there since Irianna left and she was betting to guess it wasnt good since most of the energies felt darkened now. Sighing, Osi was again tempted to throw up her second sight, at least it would be more pleasant but she didnt. She needed to get back to disciplining herself when it came to that because the more she gave in the more she would hint to her disability. Sighing, Osi turned her attention away from the feathery family and to who she thought was the student. At least while he worked she would mentally study and see if shed pick it up a little.
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Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 8:48 pm
There's a crack, and the top of a crate comes open. Dawn pushes the crow bar down with a swift axe kick. The leverage sends the lid flying across the deck of the ship. Adrianne nods to her daughter, then moves to the crate. The old Fury takes a knee, reaches into the crate, and pulls out something wrapped in dingy white cotton. She pulls away the cloth and stares at an amethyst half the size of her fist.
"That's one big rock. Psyche is gonna drool like a hound dog with a steak when she sees that thing."
Lenore cackles in response to her sister's comment. Xavier rolls his eyes. Dawn certainly is an eloquently spoken woman. He had hoped she would grow out of that sort of talk. Adrianne doesn't respond. She just keeps pulling objects out of the crate. When she removes an object, she unwraps it and inspects it for damage. Then she replaces the thing and moves on to another piece. The amethyst isn't the only jewel present. In the crate are also a sapphire, a ruby, and a diamond, all of them the exact same size and cut as the amethyst. The jewels have strange, intricate carvings in every facet of their surfaces. There's a scroll which is kept locked in a box made of cedar. The smallest piece is a vial of dark liquid that is actually centuries old blood, as creepy as that seems. Then there's the stuff the smaller objects were laying on top of: Sand. Lots and lots of sand. The sand is strange, though. It's very, very fine and white as snow. And it sparkles. This is the result of finely ground, perfectly clear quartz. To someone with a sense for energy, one might notice that there seems to be power emitting from each grain. More specifically, the sand is imbued with life energy.
"Looks as though everything made it here just fine. The lining in the crate even held up. We didn't spill any of the alchemist's sand. And the other crates are in the same shape?"
"Yes, ma'am. My crate and Lenore's crate are both on deck, too, ready to be unloaded. Your's and dad's are still below. I checked them while I was down there. As wild as our ride was, we didn't seem to lose anything. We got damn lucky, Momma. As soon as Iri gets back, as soon as she's ready, we can get this party started."
"Good. Seal this up for now. I don't want the wind to blow away any of it. After that, get some sleep. You'll need it."
The girls nod in response, then set about to do as their told.
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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 1:28 pm
after trying for at least an hour to make a tornado in such an inpredictable wind, Ookamimaru started to get discouraged.
He just didn't know in advance where the wind would come from, so he couldn't adapt the direction of the tornado on it.
He stopped his attempts, stood staight up and closed his eyes.
He felt the wind pounding and caressing him as he though of a way to do it.
It was then that he got his epiphany: maybe he should try and control the wind around him first, so that he could simply create a windstill spot. It wasn’t his original intention to do right now, but it might come in handy if he knew how to do it.
He tried to pour in energy into the surrounding air with the only result that he felt it being carried away by the wind. He was almost going to give up and get back into the woods to practice without the hard wind, as he noticed he could still feel the energy that had left his body. Up until now he had only steered air that has been very close to him, but he now realised that air maybe can be controlled from a distance too.
How else would Iri-sensei be able to create these floating balls that speak with her voice?
He tried to steer the air that had absorbed his energy closer to him, making wavy movements with his hands as if he was performing some ritual dance. In the process he was able to take back some of the air that had flown away, and make some controlled gusts of wind. He was now able to conserve some of his released energy into the air and steer with it without releasing a constant stream of energy like before. Several times a hard gust of wind simply blew away his energy too far, and he lost it, but he was able to keep controlling his energy in a radius of 2 yards.
To someone who could be watching, it would look as ik he was waving in thin air, but he had just discovered something that filled him with joy.
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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 9:20 pm
Jin is beginning to descend now. At first, his body glides over the tops of trees, his claws dangling just inches above branches and leaves. The forest suddenly ends, and he adjusts his height so his claws brush against the tall grass that surrounds the giant wind turbines. Smoothly and quickly, Jin weaves his way through the giant structures and aims for the big turbine in the middle. It'll be good to be home.
Iri is still sitting just behind the dragon's head, riding in a side saddle fashion. A sort of bubble still surrounds her and Dalcon. As far as she can tell, the boy is still sleeping or unconscious. He hasn't shown any signs of being aware of her presence. And he hasn't tried to attack her. That's a plus.
An air spy suddenly brings itself to Iri's attention. She closes her eyes as she listens to it. Then she smiles. Ookami's been training. And he's learned something new all on his own. Certainly shows that the kid has promise. It also tells her of activity on the deck of the Radiance. Her parents have already set up. They're ready. Is she, though? Is she ready to split off from her ancestors? She knows the theories behind this act, but the results may not be as promised. If it works right, though, it'll be worth the headache. But there is the problem of rebellion... Iri puts it out of her mind. For now, she has to worry about other matters.
The dragon slows, then comes to a halt. Gently, he alights on the ground in front of the Kaze Dojo door and lowers his head. As soon as Iri slips off and steps away, he shimmers with energy and returns to his humanoid form. Jin waits for the usual dizzy spell from the energy drain, but finds that it never comes. For once, he feels pretty good. He's definitely taken a blow to his energy level, but not the kind of drain that he normally experiences. He must be getting used to the transformation. Shrugging, Jin looks to Iri.
"Orders? Whatcha be wantin' me ta start wit'?"
At first, Iri doesn't respond. She looks in the direction of the Radiance, a distant expression on her face. After a moment of contemplation, she turns and looks at Jin.
"Keep practicing with air bombs. Find a secure place in which to practice them. Start with one. Then I want you to double your numbers each time you attempt to detonate. Be careful. You know what they can do."
Jin grimly nods. He remembers the time Iri used them on Daedalus. Not only was there a gaping hole in the chest cavity, but that crazy b***h also lost her head. Air bombs are dangerous.
"Yes, ma'am. Ah'll be off, then."
The dragon man gives a nod to his teacher, then starts walking in the direction of the trees, making sure he doesn't approach anyone. Not that he's feeling anti-social. He just wants the walking time to think about the task at hand.
Iri nods back to her student, then turns to the door. The dojo door opens up, seemingly of its own accord, and Iri walks in. The door shuts in the same fashion. The Fury takes the spiral staircase into the basement, then locates the room Dalcon had used. She places him on the twin sized bed and pulls the blanket up to keep him warm. The Kaze Dojo basement isn't exactly toasty. Satisfied that her student has been taken care of, Iri grabs a folding metal chair from next to the door, sets it next to Dalcon's bed, and takes a seat. Considering Dalcon's current situation, it's really best that she stick close. That doesn't mean she can't keep herself busy, though.
Outside, an air spy is approaching Ookami. Iri makes sure her scent reaches the boy before it speaks, so as not to surprise him again. When the Fury's voice emits from the spy, the pride is evident in her tone.
"Very, very good, Ookami! Taking the initiative like that, coming up with new ways to solve a problem, that is brilliance! To be taught a technique and perfect it is good. To think of one and perfect it is excellent! You figured out how to project your energy and control the air from a distance, yes? What do you think you should do next?"
The air spy is working with Ookami, but that does not mean Iri herself is off limits. She raises the level of her energy a little, making her location easier to find. It's a sort of greeting to anyone who wishes to find her.
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Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 2:49 pm
Ookamimaru felt himself swelling with pride by the air spies praiseful words.
As was Iris plan, he had smelt her first, and wasn’t taken by surprise.
At her question he frowned though. He tried to think what could be the next step. His first intention was to make a tornado in more windy conditions. Because he had failed to do so, he had tried to come up with a way to predict where the wind was coming from, so that he could adapt his tornado on it, so that it wouldn’t be knocked out of balance. While trying to do that, he had infused the surrounding air with his energy, and noticed that he could steer the air a little from a distance. A possible next step could be to try and push the air away to create a windless place and then create a tornado in his hands, which would be a very troublesome thing to do… or…
“Maibe… maik torrnaido on ground?”
While he had been thinking, he had lost focus on the air around him, and the energy had been blown away by the wind.
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:42 pm
The spy bobs up and down, looking a little like a nodding head.
"Exactly. Start with making the tornado around yourself. It's a good defensive technique, and it's close enough to what you were doing to be a good first step. After that, let the tornado die and try one that is separate from your location. You'll find that a larger tornado is easier to keep going in these high winds than a palm-sized one."
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 4:10 pm
While the air spy trains Ookami, Iri is busying herself with another task. There's a technique she's been working on. Well, thinking about, anyway. It's a derivitive of the technique she uses to sort of make things disappear in thin air or how she takes on her air form. In theory, if she can make herself disappear or make objects disappear, she should be able to alter her appearance in small ways. Maybe she can give herself a temporary hair cut or hide her wings? But, there is the chance that this will not turn out well. If she gives herself a new hair style, it can always grow back out. If she chops of her wings, though... One who loses a wing can't grow it back, and usually bleeds to death very quickly. If she tries to hide her wings, she'll have to find a way to deal with the blood veins that lead to the appendages.
Iri reaches up and behind herself and gathers her hair. She brings the mane of red to the front and gently finger combs it. With the exception of trimming dead ends, she has never cut her hair. She just loves the feeling of how the air rushes through it and how it flows through the water of a lake or a creek. If she cuts it, it will grow back, but she has to admit that she will be a little heartbroken until its length returns.
The Fury sighs and thinks of how she should begin. Though she cannot sense energy in other people, she can sense energy in herself. She can feel where the energy in her own body flows. And so she knows that energy flows through everything, even the dead cells that make up hair. Iri lets her energy bleed into every corner of her existence, then takes on her air form. For a few moments, she looks like a ghost sitting in a chair. She tosses her hair back over the chair, letting it pile on the ground, then runs her ethereal fingers through the fiery locks. She thinks of a particular hair style. The back is boyishly short, but she leaves some chin-length locks in the front, along with bangs just over her eyes. Once the visualization is complete, she begins to take on her physical form again, but leaves her hair behind to become like the items that secretly float around her wherever she goes.
Nervously closing her eyes as she does so, Iri summons a mirror to her hand. She blinks as she looks into the reflection. Actually, short hair doesn't look bad on her.
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 5:14 pm
The results of her first try make Iri a little bolder. She sends the mirror away, then reassumes her air form. This time, she tries for a change of clothes. Out of her unseen wardrobe, she picks a kimono. The kimono has a low front and back, accomodating for her wings, and is white with a few black stripes criss-crossing in a simple pattern across the cloth. The sleeves are just short enough to show her hands. The lower half of the kimono is made to show off one leg up to the top of the thigh and forms a short train in the back. The obi is black with a few red spots. She old trades out her heels for geta with black straps. She does retain her fishnet stockings and black gloves.
When she becomes solid again, the transformation is flawless. It seems as though she can alter her appearance easily and painlessly, as long as she has the visualization right.
Now, it's time for the real challenge. Iri takes on her air form again. She thinks of her anatomy, of how the veins flow into the wings and let blood come back into her body and back to her heart. She also knows the anatomy of a human. This is something she's been preparing for. She's been studying medical texts in her free time, trying to figure out how to safely do this. Carefully visualizing her body going from that of a Fury to that of a human, she detaches her wings. Then she lets go of the technique.
The first thing Iri notices is how light her back feels. Then she stands up... And promptly falls to the floor. Iri sort of growls under her breath as she picks herself up and dusts off the front of her kimono. Then she blinks. She's learned something. She never knew how much she leaned herself forward to balance herself with the wings on her back. Rather, she never realized how much effort she put into keeping herself upright instead of falling back. She walks around the room for a few moments, getting used to the lack of weight on her back. Then she thinks of her wings and hair. One hand reaches back and waves around. She can actually feel them each time her hand passes through her hair or wings. They are there, just not totally there. And her skin is unscarred. The alterations are perfect. She's got a new way of disguising herself. For the first time, Iri has developed a real genjutsu!
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