The Price and Profit of Shielding

[Shausha]

3 Summer 513
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Shausha looked around her living quarters with a hand on her chin. Since she had arrived, she wondered about these individual lobes that seemed so isolated. Used to sleeping in piles with her family and friends, the emptiness of what would be a neat little apartment to a Symenestra left her with a melancholy that stuck in her heart like a splinter.

Within the first few days of her arrival, Shausha had flown silently from stalactite to stalactite, peeking into other peoples cocoons, gleaning instruction on how to use the oddly specific tools that her quarters had come furnished with; Where she would have just organized her belongings in piles, the status quo here suggested she store them in chests and drawers. She had even tried to spend nights laying flat on the beds like she had seen the Symenestra do.

Frustration welled up in Shausha. She tore the bedding out of the niche in the wall and threw them in the middle of the room. She went around, unhooking the curtain room separators and threw them in the pile too. Sleeping like that was so... stupid! Gathering the cloth around her, Shausha pushed and pulled them into a nest-like circle.

After a few more minutes of tucking ruffling the folds of the cloth, she belly flopped onto the nest. As the boredom settled in, Shausha became more and more cross. She thought longingly for Xy and the constant social stimulation. She remembered, with a longing smile, the times her and her friends would spend the night brawling over food rights. Grin widening, she remembered how, when rutting season would come around, men that would fight over her.

She sighed, rolling on her belly. Shausha guessed it was about midnight based on how quiet it was. Symenestra were not nocturnal, so she slept through what little activity there was in the daytime and was left awake during the dormant (and very boring) night. I wonder if I ought to sleep in the night, she began, but she realized that would mean less time with her mistress, Akajia. Ughhhh maybe I should just wake in the afternoon and sleep right at dawn. That would mean a very short sleep, but she barely did anything that actually drained her energy.

She stood up and stretched a bit, guessing that she’d try to sleep right at dawn and see how it would go. Shausha bounced a couple times before jumping into the air and flying up to the entrance near the top of the ceiling. Perching on the rounded top of her abode for a moment, she contemplated what to do.

A familiar scent drifted to her nose. Oscar? Her toes lifted from the roof. Persuing the scent, she swooped above and below the city that dripped from the ceiling. Finally, her ears picked up a foreign sound. It was not quite crackling, nor was it ripping. The magical sound came from a building in the near distance. She alit upon the roof of the Public House and peeked into the opening above. Using her past experience in sneaking around the dark, she silently folded herself into the entrance and swooped into a dark corner that Oscar had his back to.

She watched, listened, and smelled closely as he began a strange type of ritual.

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[Oscar]

It had been long day today, tending to the surrogates had a way of wearing on both the body and spirit and Oscar honestly wished for nothing more than to rest. However there was something he had been putting off for far too long, practicing his magic. It had been a long time since he had properly tested his magical skills and felt the thrill of casting as he enveloped an item with a protective aura. While he didn't exactly miss the exertion of casting and the weariness it was important to increase his knowledge about the subject. The young healer had retreated to his room to meditate and seek an inner peace, he sat cross legged on his small bed, five gold mizas before him. His room was a humble affair, small and made for one person clearly. It was perfect considering that he did not need much, the supplies he needed were all at the Purging. At the moment his eyes were closed but his mind was on the shaping of the shield around the mizas. It was best start small with expending Djed and to perfect a shield than to create a large one that possessed a number of flaws. His shields were far from perfect on the small scale but they were definitely far improved since his journey had begun. His normally serene face was now creased in concentration and his long hair was push back far from his face. He wanted zero distractions as the process of shielding required intense focus on his part. He needed utmost concentration so that he could clear his mind of worries and doubts, his casting needed to be calm and focused. Oscar started with his breathing, breathing in deeply through his nose and out slowly from his mouth. He focused on the cycling of breath, allowing it clear the distractions from his mind. He continued cycling through his breathing feeling an intense feeling of calm begin to wash over him, his breath was all that mattered. The doubts and worries normally present held less and less sway as clarity enveloped ever aspect of his troubled mind. For now, all that mattered was the desire to protect and to give shape to something that could halt harm. He fostered the desire as he opened his eyes and picked up the first miza, ready to begin crafting his first shield of the day. He breathed out heavily, a small gaseous cloud of his own Djed taking form and enveloping the single miza in his hand. Oscar quickly started up a rough incantation in the Ancient tongue, his inflection hardly perfect but it was merely a repetition of a few phrases to assist in his concentration. He moved the miza between his fingers, focusing on tasking the Djed onto it. The urge to cast more was of course there, manifesting as the desire to just be sure that it was being created correctly, that maybe a little more Djed might help the process. Oscar pushed it back and continued crafting a small shield around the miza. The miza shimmered slighting as Djed was layered over it, Oscars fingers working the Djed into a weave around it. The goal at this stage was simply to get reacquainted with casting a shield onto an item, later he would attempt one to block the senses. He continued layering the djed onto the Miza, weaving it on with diligence as his materialized Djed was becoming smaller and smaller. Oscar felt the weariness hit him slightly as he worked the shield, it was manageable but it would likely increase as he continued further. Finally the small cloud of his own djed was depleted and every bit of it had been applied to the miza, shimmering in his vision as he looked upon his own creation. He examined it carefully and sighed as he noted a couple of small holes that were a weakness to the whole. The young healer breathed out another small amount of his djed, his expression extremely focused as he continued to work the shield, closing up the gaps. Shielding was a slow discipline an was certainly not suited for one with no patience. Oscar had plenty of time at the moment to work on his shields, ensuring that their were no gaps or holes in the design.

[Shausha]

Gasp
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Shausha watched Oscar as he preformed. His back was straight with concentration and effort as he leaned over a single coin. She watched as a breath from his lungs became a shimmering bubble that, wobbling, enveloped the coin. Shausha crept carefully and silently toward Oscar; She balanced her weight on her fingertips and balls of her feet. Enthralled, her eyes were wide and sparkling in the low candlelight. His fingers danced over the glistening coin, working the invisible threads of a fabric she had never seen. Shausha waited, breathlessly as he continued to work on his late-night secret.

Completely forgetting to hide herself due to excitement, she let out a little gasp of surprise. She leaned over and snatched the coin of the table. Shausha turned it over and over, examining it closely in her claws.

Not taking her eyes off the coin she asked, "How did you do that?". It would have been in a demanding voice, but due to her current fascination, it merely came out as a hoarse whisper. Shausha tore her eyes from the coin and climbed onto Oscar's bed, pinning him down, and looming over him. She brandished the coin in front of his nose, "What was that? Tell me! Was that your god Rakkly?"
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[Oscar]

Oscar had barely finished the small shield and put it down before a shadowy and winged creature burst into his room and snatched it up from the table. The young healer fell back with a cry, surprised and frightened by this unknown intruder, his eyes were wide as they looked over the creature for a better look. He did in fact know this person, it was all coming back to him like a battering ram. The creature was a zith and none other than Kalinor's resident winged hunter of the caverns, Shausha. Oscar had met the Zith on a single occasion which was not exactly one easy to forget, especially considering that he had spent a bit of the time fearing for his dear life. The healer struggled to straighten himself out, eyeing the zith wearily as he processed her questions. Her words indicated that she had seen him working with his shield, something that most certainly did not bode well for him. How was he going to explain something so theoretical and complex to a person that seemed to lack the patience to understand? Well there was always the option to lie, if he played it off as Rak'keli's blessings she would likely lose interest. At the moment he was in a rather undesirable position, with Shausha pinning him to the bed he had very few options here. She was much more strong than he was and in this rather precarious position he got the feeling that his lies might be a bit off, who knew what the unpredictable creature might do if he lied? He squirmed uncomfortably beneath the weight of the Zith, this was not exactly a good way to explain the finer points of magic. He forced a friendly smile on his face, might as well at least observe some level of politeness here. "Erm, hello to you as Shausha. I would very much appreciate it if you would release me from this... rather awkward position, it is quite uncomfortable." He said with a nervous laugh. "To answer one of your questions, no I was not calling upon the power of Rak'keli. That power came from me." He said, figuring that a show of good faith was in order to give the zith incentive to release him.

[Shausha]

Really?
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"You hold this power?" she repeated, glancing at the coin then back to Oscar. "You are less disposable than I thought." Shausha scrambled off of him and sank to a kneel, sitting on her heels. Her plane of thought shifted palpably as Oscar ascended from food to a respected position in her mind's hierarchy of value.

She stared unblinkingly at Oscar. Could she hold this power as well? No... Maybe she could at least learn it? The sudden realization that she had no idea what it was or what it could be used for made her hackles prickle. Were some other person who was less meek and harmless than Oscar to wield it against her, she would have no defense. She needed to know about it: its limits, its requirements, its results. And she would sit here, listening, until her empty cup was filled.

"What is it then? How did you come by this power? How do you use it?" She flicked the coin back at Oscar saying, "Do it again."
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[Oscar]

Oscar nodded when she asked for confirmation as to whether or not it was his power, though considering that Shausha did not seem to have any formal education it wasn't exactly surprising that this had startled her. His eyebrows rose as she mentioned the word 'Disposable', a rather odd and uncomfortable choice of words. Whatever it meant to be disposable, Oscar was somewhat relieved he was no longer in that category. Especially considering some of the more unsavory rumors regarding the Zith. Oscar was grateful that Shausha was quick to remove herself from him and the young healer was quick to adopt a sitting position, facing the Zith quickly and recovering his composure. The Zith seemed to have a habit of ignoring personal space, one that was quite frankly a little unsettling. He was not normally a judgmental person by any stretch of the imagination. He tried to remain impartial to all conflicts and situations, a peaceful mediator who negotiated between two parties. A voice of reason in chaos, it was his place. So he kept to himself exactly how rude he thought she had been and instead fixed her with an indulgent smile. He caught the coin reflexively as she tossed it to him, fumbling with it slightly and causing the shield to shimmer slightly. Oscar knew that the shield on the miza, while complete, would not last long and would likely dissolve soon due to how weak his current skills were. So he calmly placed it to the side but did not pick up another one, instead he regarded her seriously upon hearing her request. His normal genial expression was gone, his eyes were hard and his jaw set. "Magic is a rather serious thing, miss Shausha, I am not certain it is wise to be practicing it with an audience. I am also only really knowledgeable of the bare basics myself." The young healer said. It was a more gentle way of saying that he had serious reservations with teaching Shausha anything regarding magic. Oscar liked to see the best in every person, but after hearing that until a moment ago he had been considered disposable he liked to think that he was right to hold such reservations. Shausha had proven herself so far to be blunt and rather unpredictable, he was not certain it was wise to introduce her to magic.

[Shausha]

~~~~
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So this was 'magic'. Oscar had not said much, but she extracted a couple details from his vague explanation: Magic was serious and practicing with people around caused him to hesitate (perhaps it is dangerous? Perhaps that is why it was serious?).

Very few of the slaves in Xy knew about magic, and when they had told stories, their explanations were very confusing. She watched at the coin in Oscar's hand. Its shimmering shield sang a strange tune as it vibrated and slowly dimmed. When she had touched it, the energy that it emitted made her fur prickle. She needed an explanation.

Shausha sat, plain-faced and unbudging as he finished speaking. He had not said "yes", but he had not said "no" either. For quite a while, she waited for him to continue speaking for he had made no definitive point. As she sat expectantly, she tried to exhibit her attentiveness by staring very hard at him. She stared and stared. Certainly this would convince him that she would be a good student.

"Hello?" she asked suddenly, "Why do you not continue?"
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[Poison]

Oscar

Skills:

Meditation 2
Shielding 2

Lores: -

Notes: It's a pity that the thread ended so soon, and Shausha left. The first couple of posts were really enjoyable.

I gave you XP in Meditation and Shielding. I didn't find anything else that warranted XP.

If there are any issues with the way I graded the thread, let me know!

Shausha, if you ever come back, send me a PM, and I'll give you XP as well!

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