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 Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 8:20 am
Jacline held her books tightly to her chest. Her starry gray eyes scanned the building before her with skepticism. On the one hand, Master Tallart said it had been highly recommended by one of her tutors as a distinguished clinic with long experienced staff, and that with her connections she would surely be assigned to one of their most senior physicians. She did need the training, and she did want to learn her art well.
On the other hand, she had heard other rumors about the place as well. In particular, they accepted outsiders as patients. Mainland foreigners. Surely it was only a rumor, but a rather disquieting one regardless, and further, something she was almost beside herself to believe: they accepted healers not of the faith.
It couldn’t be true.
She felt it simply couldn’t be. What place of any reputation could survive in Pajore without some standards as to who they accepted into their staff and walls? It was disreputable no doubt, but also dangerous so far as she was concerned. But here she stood. At Master Tallart’s instruction, she was present and to present herself for study, dressed strictly in one of her nicer gowns, her short hair pulled firmly back and learning materials on hand. With a little faith, all would go well.
So, shutting her eyes for a moment of silent prayer, she released a breath, and stepped up and in, peering about in silence for sign of who she might speak to to learn who it was she was to be tutoring under.
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Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2017 4:41 pm
Approaching the inquisitive looking young lady, an older gentleman with his hair in an elaborate but tidy braid and a string of prayer beads at his hip gave a polite nod of his head. "Judging by your books and fresh face, may I presume that you are young Jacline? Tallart has spoken well of you to us. Welcome. If you will follow me, I will take you to your tutor." The gentleman was graceful and poised, and received nods from those who passed by. "I apologize that I am unable to work with you today. As much as I enjoy teaching the trade, I grow weary far to quickly these days. Instead, you will be with one of my top pupils from when I taught." Stopping at a door, he gave it a light knock and stepped inside.
It was Tacrith's office the door opened into. It was a small room with the tidiest bookshelves and desk, and otherwise barren of decoration. Behind the desk sat the healer, and he looked up with a rather distracted expression from the papers under his nose. Seeing his old teacher, he grabbed his cane and pulled himself up to stand while at the same time smoothing back his hair from his face where it had fallen. "May I help you?"
The older man grinned, but the smile held a sharp, almost twisted amusement within. "Tacrith, this young lady is Jacline. She will be your understudy for as long as she wishes." His old eyes crinkled with delight. "I leave her in your capable hands." Giving Jacline a bow, he promptly headed back out the door.
Meanwhile, Tac stared at the old man with shock. He started to shake his head, but the old man was gone. The empty doorway earned a sharp glare, and he reached down to slap his file shut. Gaze turning to Jacline, he shifted uncomfortably before reaching his hand out. "Forgive my unpreparedness. The board does enjoy its surprises..." Giving the doorway another glare, he sighed on took on his usual professional tone. As you may have heard, my name is Tacrith. You are here to learn about being a healer then?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 12:17 pm
When she was first approached, Jacline felt a small knot of unease dissipate. This put-together older gentleman looked as proper as could be hope for, and seemed to dispel some of her prior concerns, or at least temporarily quiet them. He gave off an air of respectability, and it seemed in that moment that the prior rumors could not be true. At his greeting, she gave a bit of a nod, feeling her cheeks warm at the compliment, though her brow pinched at being told that he wouldn’t be the one she’d be working with. She wasn’t certain how she felt about being referred to a pupil to learn from, but she was in no place to argue, so she followed quietly after him.
She noted with satisfaction that the room at least was nearabouts as neat as she kept her own things. Though she wasn’t privy to seeing the desks or living spaces of many her age or older, she had the impression it was a rarity. Another seed of uncertainty dropped in her at the next revelation, though: this young man was not even prepared for this. But, at least, by no fault of his own, apparently.
She withheld a dissatisfied huff. It wouldn’t be polite. Master Tallart had arranged for these people and had warned her to take it seriously. So, she would. She certainly hoped, however, that the elder man’s emerging mischief had its origins in reason. She hadn’t much patience for games, but so long as this young man was as capable as he seemed to think…
And as quickly as that, he was gone.
It was certainly a test of her composure not to show indignation then. She had hoped at the very least he might stay a few minutes to help get this pupil off the ground with her-
But no, it clearly wasn’t to be the case, and so she stood, staring for a moment with awkward uncertainty at the young man she’d been set with. She ought to be appreciative, she reminded herself. There was no doubt Master Tallart had put some work into arranging for this and it was what she had. Besides, starting with little to no knowledge, there was bound to be much even a student could teach her. It was also, she reminded herself again with stiff internal severity, no more this man’s choice than hers, putting them in a relatively similar position of unfamiliarity.
She gave a nod and kept her hands behind her. She wasn’t to touch boys after all, and she didn’t suspect this one was any exception. Then, because he was so ill informed of her positioning, she made herself speak in quick introduction. “Jacline Tallart. I have never studied formal healing before, and I’ve only read of magic in a beginner’s academic sense. Master Tallart-” She paused. “My caretaker, Mr. Theodall Tallart, thought it best I begin with a foundational education in the basics of history, arithmetic, and literature that I might have time to choose an area of preference when I grew. I should like to take a scholar’s path and master the healer’s art. I am ready to learn everything you have to teach me.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 6:17 pm
Though it was subtle, Tac got the impression that the girl was a little miffed about the situation. Understandably so though, since he wasn't exactly pleased with this development either. It was bad enough to be given the odd jobs that others didn't want. What would they gain from dropping some sort of student on him though?
Letting his unanswered hand drop back to his side, he was surprised by the girl's prompt and forward speech. It was not unpleasant though. Finally, another professional with some sense of discipline... "Okay then, Jacline Tallart, that fellow who just left is Dr. Nelroot. I request you not mind his.. abruptness. I am certain that he will be back to check on you later. We are almost always kept busy here, be it with paperwork or clients." Paperwork... He had been planning to use today to catch up on his stack.
Right then, he realized how stuck he really was. He had shown people through the clinic before, and guided a few fresh graduates, but this girl had been brought to him to learn. How should he start this? Was he actually her teacher now, or was he just showing her around? How long was she going to be around?! He had never intended to be a teacher back when he had completed his studies... "I suppose we should start by figuring out what it is you do know. Come along then." He had no beginner books in his room, so he led the way to the clinic education center. The room looked like a library with shelves of reference books lining the walls and tables for sitting at. Searching through, he pulled a sturdy folder down and set it on the table. "These are some anatomy charts, and these are medical terms and descriptions," he said, pulling out a section of the papers from the folder. "If you would, look these over and tell me how familiar you are with it all."
Was this a good way to start? .......he didn't know. He felt as though ages had passed since he had started learning the trade, so trying to apply that to another-! He let out a slow breath and leaned slightly against the table, watching to see how the girl reacted to the papers. He hoped there was familiarity, but who could tell?
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Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 4:31 am
Jacline listened. At the first commentary regarding this Dr. Nelroot, she kept her thoughts to herself. Despite his ‘abruptness’ as this young man was putting it, he had at least given off a generally knowledgeable air, and though she was initially miffed at being passed off to an unprepared student, this one at least immediately struck her as an organized and serious sort. Sparing though she was with her approval of people, he was starting off in a promising direction, and she felt hope for a civil and productive engagement between them.
When he started off out of the office, she followed, trailing some two steps behind until they arrived at an impressive internal library. She found her eyes wandering of their own volition, unspoken voraciousness in their eager observation of all the shelves.
Her attention was distracted from the display, though, when the young doctor reached and fetched down a large folder of papers and charts. Anatomy and medical terms, he said. Her eyes scanned the topmost text before she reached herself, narrow fingers dissecting out the stack into piles she could review. Her gaze flit to Tacrith, though, when he leaned against the table, fingers pausing where they were.
“They are unfamiliar to me, but I will make myself familiar with them. If your leg gives you pain there is no need for you to stand and watch to my awareness. Does magic come after the memorization of these?”
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Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2017 6:08 pm
Tac's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. She knew none of the words or images? Nelroot had honest to goodness thrown a brand-new student at him?! What was that man thinking? He gripped his cane a little tighter and shook his head. "There will be plenty of time for sitting later. Your concern is unnecessary.. but appreciated. I will need to take the papers to put them into a more organized fashion for you to study with."
Shaking his head again, he pushed off from the table to finger along a couple book spines. "The magic is a separate entity, for beginning. A person could memorize every word in those pages and be unable to utilize them if they did not have the magical ability. Familiarity and magic grow together, so long as the magic is already within you." Pulling down another book, he cocked his head slightly. "Have you felt evidence of magic within you, or is that something you seek to learn about as well?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 7:13 am
Jacline watched with attention. So he didn’t wish for her to memorize them? Or not yet? She had to remind herself that he knew no more about her, apparently, than she about him, and it was likely only natural therefore that they would have to do some communicating to put themselves on the same page to proceed forward from. She folded her hands before her, watching his fingers trace the spines.
“It is what I’ve come to learn about,” she said, “with whatever else should be taught alongside it. I’ve not practiced magic, and I am not aware of how much or little of it may be in me, if any, but…”
She hesitated. The medicine woman that she had worked with so briefly recently, just before Theodall had decided to introduce her to this field, had said something regarding her magical capacity to Theodall, she knew. What exactly that was, however, she hadn’t been privy to, and to her face the older woman had only ‘strongly suggested’ that she consider further pursuing the art.
Jacline had never herself intentionally or accidentally accessed magic to her awareness, though there had been moments where, in retrospect, she realized it was possible such a thing had come into play without her consciously doing so. Little scrapes and bruises that healed over in a matter of hours or minutes even, when her distress was high, such that sometimes she had come to Theodall crying as a young girl only to find almost no evidence of damage to her skin where blood was. Such occurrences had been so rare, she had never paid them heed, and she had always before assumed that she would take up Theodall’s business, not learned magic. Further, Theodall himself had no magical capacity to her knowledge, so it was not something she had been exposed to.
How much of this to tell Tacrith?
“I think that I should like to know if I have it in me, as my caretaker thinks I should only pursue the path if I do.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:20 pm
Well, at least the girl seemed eager to learn. ..Or, at the least, determined to do so.
Tac nodded more, flipping through the pages of the book he had pulled down. He only glanced up when the silence seemed to stretch, the girl apparently deep in thought. Soon enough though, she was back in the present and he gave her another nod. "When I first started, there was a master healer who would allow the students to practice on him. Seeing as how I am not a master yet, and the old man- Dr. Nelroot has decided to leave us with little else to work with..." Most who came, as far as he knew, discovered their magic by accident. Such was his own case, anyway.
"I suppose we'll start with finding out if you have any innate ability. Every magic user has a basic attack that most simply call 'flare.' Its appearance seems to vary based on the user, but no matter what form it takes, it will inflict damage. Before you ask; no, it is not something healers often use. It is simply a starting point for beginners such as yourself." With the book tucked under his arm, he pointed to the door they had come in through. "We will go to the walking grounds next to the building for this test. The last thing you need is to start a fire in the library. On we go." He had almost offered to have the test done in the privacy of his office, but the last time magic had been used there had been a nerve-wracking experience. Outside, there would be safe targets.. like the ground.
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Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:33 pm
Jacline looked up, listening as he explained, though her brow pinched at his eventual conclusion. A damaging flare? She was aware in a limited sense of such a spell, a small outburst of magic that anyone capable could call upon no matter their field, but given that she had never intentionally — or even unintentionally to her knowledge — accessed magic within her, she wasn’t certain how he expected her to bring such a spell into motion. If it were so simple as deciding to, wouldn’t she have discovered earlier whether or not she had such a capacity in her?
But she was not about to argue with the man. She had come here to learn and been taught better than to quibble over every detail, particularly from those doing her favors. Instead, she followed in silence, dusting her hands over her skirts as she stood and trailed in his wake toward the outside of the building.
As the stepped out, however, she eyed the path and surrounding area with uncertainty. Her fingers clasped behind her. Her silver eyes flit to the young doctor. She hardly wanted to ask how to proceed, for the options only seemed to be that either she would sound foolishly naive herself, or rude, and neither option was favorable. Finally, in lieu of either she said:
“I’m ready.” Cornetified OOC heads up, it is my thought that the medicine woman who Jacline worked with for a short period recently noticed that Jacline was seeping a little magical enhancement unawares into the herbal remedies she had been instructed to prepare, and this is how the woman noted that she had magic capabilities even if they hadn't been tapped into fully or brought to the girl's knowledge yet. She may not be able to call on a flare (or she may, depending on how Tacrith handles it), but I wanted you to OOCly know what was going on and not feel any pressure to immediately get results out of her as it might be just as fun for her to think at first that she has no ability until they end up wheedling it out of her. c:
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Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:46 pm
Taking a few steps away once Jacline gave the clear, Tac paused to observe the girl. She seemed uncertain... but heck, so was he! Mentally cursing the old doctor again, he held the book he had brought up to his chest to focus. "We'll start with something very simple. I'll throw a water attack at you. At the worst, you get a little wet, and at best you manage to defend yourself with the flare."
Exhaling slowly, he managed to give the girl an encouraging nod. "Focus on the energy around you, and in your own body. Everything has its own energy, and tapping into that is where the magic comes from. ..That is a very simplified explanation, but will do for now. The magic that is in your body has its own flow. If you can, encourage it to gather at your hands, and release it from there. If you are able to accomplish that, we will take another day to go over the available tools for utilizing the more complex spells."
He looked up at the sky and found a point to focus on. There, a fist-sized bubble of clear water grew. "Okay... Have at it." With that, the ball of water sailed toward Jacline, Tac watching with mild curiosity.
LucidStreaming No pressure from me, either! The only expectation I ever have, unless otherwise discussed beforehand, is for your characters to do what feels right to them. <3 Tac is taking this one post/step at a time, since he never intended such a role, so he never really paid attention to how his teacher taught him when he was a student. X3 ....and Tac is Corny's first magic user, so Corny is wingin' it as well ^^;;
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Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 11:00 am
I'll throw a water attack at you.
Jacline’s eyes darted to Tacrith, wide in disbelief. He was going to attack-?
“A little wet?” she repeated in a half squeak.
She hadn’t come to get wet, but apparently there was no arguing with him as, despite her rapid miffed head shaking, he continued on with his instructions. The energy around you… Well, she certainly felt energy. She would no more have identified it as magic than the air itself, but as her attention locked on the growing accumulation of water Tacrith was pulling from above, there was an anxious vibrancy in her. When he slung, she hopped, skirting to the side as her hands raised in instinctive defense.
“Don’t-”
Had she been thinking on it, she may have noticed the subliminal stirring sensation just beneath her skin that came with her rising nerves. This prickling, though, had been such an innate part of her growing experience at such times that she did not notice it or the way the water was partly diverted in a subtle pulse of energy, instead sputtering irritably in the aftermath and focusing a peeved, pursed-lipped glower on the young doctor.
“I have never called on magic before, I don’t know the spell or even if I have the ability to cast one, and I won’t instantly know it by way of you trying to wet me all over!” Her usually palid cheeks were flush with color, the bottom hem of her skirt stirring with a ‘breeze’ confined entirely to the space immediately about them, and she made a quick symbol of the gods over her chest to keep her fingers from bunching in frustration. “I do not-” She drew a stiff breath, working to quell the small flare of her temper. Good girls did not become angry so easily. They minded themselves, and though Master Tallart was not about, the gods were always watching. It was no excuse to not be on her best behavior. Breathing out, she lowered her gaze with a frown and tucked her fingers back behind herself, her voice more muted when she spoke again. “Might I learn some other way than being attacked?”
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Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 8:24 pm
Seeing the soaked and quite irritated girl, Tac only sighed slowly. He waited for Jacline to say her piece and walked toward her. "It was merely one way to try testing your ability. Many, such as myself, discover they have magic based on instinctive impulse, usually in self defense." Raising his hand, a ring of fire rose around Jacline to warm and dry the young lady off.
"Of course, your life was in no danger, and you knew it; but it is not for me to take such a risk with you. Then it will have to be a conscious effort. It could happen right away, or it could take days." The fire dissipated, and tac walked over to one of the benches to take a seat. "It is essentially the same as what I said before. Feel the energy of your own body, and try shifting the focus of it to your hands. Perhaps just sit quietly with that for a little while, and see how you feel after." The elders were really testing his patience now. He'd never given much thought to how others learned their own magic.
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 8:49 am
Entirely unbeknownst to her, Jacline must have looked something like a bedraggled and temperamental feline: wet and cross. She hopped though in momentary surprise at the ring of fire when it appeared, and watched it leerily even as it dried her. As it petered away, she rubbed her arms, huffing softly, but followed along to sit primly some safe distance away from but still beside her new ‘teacher’ when he moved to the bench.
Feel the flow of energy, he said, and she couldn’t know what he was referring to precisely, but she could sit quietly. So, she did. She shut her eyes. She folded her hands in her lap and breathed.
There was a certain energy in her she supposed, though she had never thought specifically on it, and though she didn’t know what to do with it, as she held her posture, eyes closed, she found she could at least tune it to her breathing, a sort of peaceful calm enveloping her a rippling tickled beneath her skin. All in her head, she imagined, but in that moment at least there was no reason to overthink it. Instead, she mentally tracked it, drawing in a breath, and then releasing it in a paced sigh as she felt the undercurrent stir and gradually gather low towards her hands as instructed.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 11:50 am
This was the difficulty of magic. Not everyone felt it the same way, harnessed it the same way, or used it the same way. However, there were some basic principles that could be applied to all, and then tweaked to adjust to the individual. Figuring out what tweaks to make though...
He watched Jacline sit for a while, eyes narrowing when he noticed the girl's attention seem to shift. Was she feeling something? Allowing her the space she desired, Tac started flipping through the pages of the book he had brought out to pass the time.
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Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 4:13 am
In his quiet, Jacline all but forgot Tacrith’s existence entirely. She was accustomed to sitting still for long periods, for study or prayer or simply waiting as in travel. This, however, was different, though she did not immediately discern it as so. More of her focus than she realized was honed inward, erasing the outer world to her as her fingers warmed and the fine hairs on her arms prickled.
She could feel her pulse, like a soft quick drumbeat determining the rhythm of the energy.
‘Dafiel and Lurin, if ever I have been a good and obedient servant of your will, guide me in my direction now…’ Quite without thinking about it, she began to murmur:
“Gods of our world, here I sharpen the sword of my spirit, anoint the shield of faith, gather manna from your Word and am strengthened in the face of uncertainty. Help your faithful come to answer, in the light of your heavenly favor, impress upon my mind the work to be engaged in, the nearness of eternity, and the fearful sin of forgetting our place beneath your Holy Oversight. May I never forget that your eyes always see, your ears always listen, your recording hand always writes the history of heaven and beneath and my soul not rest until yours is the pulse of my heart, the spokesman of my lips, and the light beneath my feet…”
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