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 Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:48 am
Abacus perked up at the praise, then took on a look of puzzlement at Grave's actions. As he spoke, Abacus watched and listened attentively, memorizing his words as best as he could. There was... something about the connection they made with their hands, but... Abacus looked up to Grave's face, his head tilted to one side as he worked it out. "This... It feels like a kiai," he replied softly, "But at the same time it's... different."
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:13 am
"You've got it half-right." Grave responded with a smile. "The 'ki' is Essence, whenever you connect with another person, your Essence melds with theirs. It's not just within us," Grave emphasized. "It fills a certain amount of space without us as well, like a haze that floats above and permeates the skin. When our fingers tough, our Essence is mingling, and when it flows back into us, it brings impressions from the other person with it, emotions, memories, intentions, energy... It can be a great power when one learns how to weild it fully. Someday I hope to be so proficient. Did you know," Grave added suddenly, much amused, "that there are those who are so skilled at their Essence manipulations that they can strike as if with a weapon with naught but their bare hands?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:17 am
"I... think I see," he replied slowly, filtering this bit of information away for later. "These impressions -- do they have to be strong in order to pick up on them? In truth," he laughed, somewhat embarrassed, "I'm not feeling anything... unless I'm overlooking it, as this is my first, er, attempt."
The journeyman looked at Grave in surprise, awe on his features. "Seriously? That's amazing! Who can do it? Is it difficult to learn?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:37 am
Grave smiled humbly and with a great deal of reverence. "I've seen Melonia do some pretty amazing things. And Orrys of course can pack quite the punch. It takes a long time to really get the hang of, develope, and master. But the results are astounding. It's the conversion and perfect application of measured energy. And in that method, someone like you or I, who aren't as innately strong as a Kinesthetic can still hold our ground." Grave smiled Graciously and stepped back, letting the connection drop between their hands. He shrugged for a moment and let his Essence adjust to the absence of Abacus' lifeforce. After a moment Grave indicated their connection of hands and arched an eyebrow. "But if you can't feel anything during acts like that, you should practise on drawing on your Essence or the Mudras won't do you anygood without that flow of energy."
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:24 am
He slowly nodded, committing those names to memory. Melonia -- didn't she have a lovely pi-- er, didn't she raise moral earlier this year? Abacus blushed faintly at the memory, recalling that he too was caught on film and had his own picture distributed. But Orrys... That was a name he hadn't heard before. "Er, Orrys? Is he a professor?"
"Whoa, that's amazing!" Abacus added, blinking in surprise as Grave stepped back. There -- something felt... different. But what? He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then paused before nodding. "I see, I think," He said, "Then again, I might be able to feel it, but not know what to look for. Er, do you have any suggestions for practicing? Techniques, exercises, that sort of thing...?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:00 am
Grave quirked a quick grin. "Orrys is the P.E. Professor. I take it you tutored Physical Education, then? Who taught you?" Grave asked curiously, and a little nosily.
Though Abacus said he couldn't feel the flow of Essence, he did seem eager to learn. Grave had to smile. "Well," he began thoughtfully. "There are two exercises I used to do, when I began learning energy work. The first is to concentrate on letting your energy pool between your hands." Grave held his hands up, fingers spread but relaxed, palms facing each other about three inches apart and held them there. "The key is never to force. Allow the energy to flow into the centres of your palms. It is with the hands that we do such great works; know that your spirit is involved in this work. Open your senses and feel it there. Your skin may tingle, or grow hot or cold, or you may feel a magnetic pressure build - like when you try to put same-ended magnets together."
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 4:56 pm
Abacus bobbed his head in acknowledgment. "Yep! Kallisto was kind enough to show me the basics and spar with me. She's taught me a lot, though I'll need to practice more before my next rematch." He laughed, then shrugged. "When P.E. comes up as part of classes, though, I think I'll drop by just to see if there's anything new I can learn."
When Grave began the channeling exercise, Abacus watched him carefully and mimicked his movement. "How do you direct it without forcing it?" He asked curiously, looking from his hands to Grave. "Is it... Ah, how do I explain this? It it like guiding water into a new stream channel?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:04 pm
Grave pondered how to explain it properly. "Well, if you try to -make- essence flow, it tends to stagnate it. Think of trying to squish mercury droplets...they just roll away and reform of their own accord. Essence is a constantly flowing substance, always in motion. So, you need only think of the location you'd like it to pool, coax it to join your palms, for instance. It will move there, and you are simply concentrating it in one area rather than all over." Grave had built up a good amount of energy between his upheld hands. "Here, I can feel the pressure..." Grave nodded towards his hands. "Put your hand in between mine, see if you can't feel that crackling icy feeling...that's my Melancholic essence pooling..."
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Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:25 pm
Abacus lowered his hands, his head tilted to one side in thought. "In... motion? Haha! No wonder it's not working," he laughed. "I thought of it as, er, a hovering pool or mist of sorts that surrounds you... I see now. Er, not literally," he added, catching himself, "But I get it, er."
He looked at Grave's hands, feeling a moment of doubt. What if he was pulling his leg? He couldn't see anything! But if it can be felt... He threw caution to the winds and raised his hand, moving it between his hands.
Immediately he snatched his hand back, his eyes wide. "Whoa! That was cold!" He looked at Grave for conformation, then slowly stuck his hand back in before jerking it back. "Are all Melancholic essences as... cold like this?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:37 am
Grave pondered, thinking over the Melancholics he knew. "There's always a cold element to it, but it varies from person to person... I know a guy whose feels like poison seeping through your skin, another whose feels like curling smoke... Professora Bellona's feels like dry ice." Grave paused and flickered a quick smile before breaking his hands apart and shaking the essence off them with a deft flick of his wricsts. "Sanguines, conversely, feel like fire, or heat, or sparks. Phlegmatics feel like lapping waves, or bubbles, or raindrops. Cholerics feel like gravity, or hard and impenetrable, or enveloping like velvet. There are general similarities, but each individual Essence is like a fingerprint - unique to one Empyrean." Grave shrugged lightly and swished his tail behind him.
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Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 9:47 am
"Since each Essence is unique to each Empryean, then it's possible to identify another Empyrean without looking by feeling their Essence," Abacus mused, then stopped to blink in surprise as something just occurred to him. "Wait, wait -- did you just say someone's Essence felt like poison? Wouldn't that be painful, or leave any side-effects?"
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