Closed To know the beginning (Aoren)

[S'Essy]

She gave a nod and weak smile to Aoren. Though she still wasn't really convinced that she could handle the gift of Sight. She was afraid of it. Seeing things she shouldn't see or if she even see what she wanted to, what will she do with that information? Knowing that much things. Avalis was right when she didn't mark her.

For a moment Aoren was again silent but for S'Essy's relief he could help her. She was smiling at him and could hug the man but she stopped herself as they needed to focus. "Thank you!" She said and let the man took her hands. Even if he just tried she was very grateful for it. She didn't believe her mother will tell her anytime soon and she didn't know why but she had to know.

"I'll try..." Going back that far, she hardly remembered anything. Not even a face. She closed her eyes and started to meditate. Her deep breath was slower she was focusing to go back as far as she could. It was hard, only little memory fragments came to mind, but nothing else. A smile, somebody's smile. She tried to go futher or focus on it more but she wasn't really succesful.

OOCSorry... I know this is awfully short! >.<

[Aoren]

“Breathe easy. Breathe steady. Do not strain yourself. Let the memories, what you have, let them flow.” Aoren focused on the connection born from holding S’Essy’s hands gently. Seers didn’t require objects related to those whom they sought within the Chavi. Aoren knew this from experience. With time and meditation he could explore the Chavena eventually finding that which he searched for without much difficulty. Such things as personal items, locks of hair or even physically touching the person in question though helped immensely in that regard. That was why he held the Konti woman’s hands. Through that link he would be able to find her chavi that much quicker and then his real work would begin.

As the woman closed her eyes beginning her meditations Aoren began his own. He let zeroed in on S’Essy. Aoren purposefully worked on conditioning his mind to tune out everything around him with the exception of those things immediately related to her. He watched the rise and fall of her chest. He listened to her intake of breath. He was lulled by the steady exhales she released.

“Goddess guide me.”

With that prayerful invocation of Avalis’ grace he tapped into the gift she had bestowed upon him. Calling upon the powers of Divination was always much like diving into the deep blue sea to Aoren. The world stilled around him. The rhythm of both his and S’Essy’s breathing became the only sounds echoing in Aoren’s ears. That too faded. All was silence. In that silence another sound began to rise into Aoren’s hearing. It was slow but steady, a pounding thump like the beating of a drum that thudded in his ears in rising clarity. Her heart beat. Finally that sound faded too until with a blink…the world was no longer what it appeared to be.

The mundane fell away giving rise to the realms between the mortal and the divine. Light and wonder filled Aoren’s vision nearly carrying him away in its terrible beauty. It was only the connection that he shared with S’Essy through her hands that kept him grounded. Before he could wander far off into the depths of the Chavena he turned his gaze to the woman directly in front of him. Spiraling around her were tendrils of light so majestic in their complexity that he could scarcely describe it. To view the chavi was always a wonder to behold but it was in those constructs of awe and light that he could find the answers he sought.

Girding himself with the burden of purpose Aoren focused his mind. He steeled himself against the allure of the mystifying world that he had entered and with that…he peered into the world of what was.

What would he find there?

NoteAoren is now divining S'Essy's Chavi! I don't think he should find what he's looking for right away. To that end I leave it up to you what memory he encounters the first time around. It can be a memory from her most recent past or something a little further back but I think we should progress further and further with each look. Hope that makes sense!

[S'Essy]

She was focusing what Aoren said, trying to make his work easier. Her breath slowed down, tried to not focus on it too much. She had to calm her body down then she could clear her mind a bit. Her muscles didn't strain anymore. Took a deep breath and blew out while she imagined that she blew out all of her stress with the air. She relaxed her body. Her hands were still holding his, but didn't squeeze them anymore. Her body was ready, she was only hearing the talkings and speeches from the students in the Forum. Slowly those sounds were fading away.

She heard only her and Aoren's breathing. It was the only thing she could hear. She tried to clear her mind then. Let her memories flow. She tried to go back through her memories as far as she could, but didn't keep them in her head, images were flashing up in her head. Even memories she thought she forgot about. Now it was all up to Aoren. She openned her eyes and looked at him. Her breathing was still steady.

For her suprise his eyes were open. And he was staring at her... but not exactly. His gaze lost focus, he looked like he was somewhere else and not with her anymore. He must have been looking at her Chavi. She wondered what he would find there. He could see everything. Again amazed how he could take such a burden for him. She didn't want to lost focus though, she closed her eyes again and let her memories go through her mind.

Which memory was he investigating first?

The first memory Aoren saw was not from long ago. It was her time in Riverfall, at the Gilia Medical Center. S'Essy was working there as a healer. She was standing in front of a woman and a child. They both looked shocked and their eyes were filled with tears. S'Essy felt like she had failed. She turned her gaze at her colleague, who was also a healer. His expression was serious, it wasn't the first time he saw such thing. Nor for S'Essy.

They couldn't save a man. He was attacked by a Glassbeak. S'Essy knew they did their best. But his injuries were too great and they couldn't keep him alive. The family experessions were heartbreaking for the Konti. But she toughened herself up a bit, at least tried. A tragic day.

[Aoren]

Searching the Chavi was a unique experience every time it was undertaken. It was a lesson that Aoren had learned a long time ago during his adolescent years. No matter how familiar he was with the Chavi of whomever he was divining there were always surprises to be found the further one delved into it. And the further one delved into the Chavi, the more risk there was in losing oneself to it. As Aoren watched the events of one of S’Essy’s most recent memories play out he was struck with how raw the memory was.

It was obviously something that stuck out in S’Essy’s mind quite heavily. That was only to be expected. Aoren had learned in his years as a Seer that the more traumatic, more joyful, more poignant the memory, the easier it was to find in the stream of the Chavi. In his time he had seen acts of great tenderness and care. He had bared witness to the dregs of humanity. He had seen violence and he had seen peace. There was an abstract beauty in all of it that had eventually weighed down so heavily on Aoren’s soul that he thought he might break under the pressure. It had taken some time before he’d been brave enough to wade back into the waters of Divination after that. Slowly, Aoren withdrew back into himself. The physical world once again flooded his vision. He was forced to blink a few times before he could regain his bearings.

“I saw a you tending to a wounded man in a city far away. It was not very deep into your Chavi which suggests it is a recent event in your past.” He released S’Essy’s hands. Running a hand through his hair he pondered for a moment or two on how better to assist the Konti woman in achieving her goal.

“I have an idea, if you will permit it?” He awaited her signal to allow him to pose his suggestion.

“I have been studying the magic of Auristics. If you will allow me, may I use it to study your aura? I might be able to better understand you as a person. By doing so I may find it easier to delve into your past.” Aoren understood all too well how sensitive people could get when magic was involved. Divine gifts were one thing, he knew very few people who refused the gifts of the gods, but personal magic? There were a great many people who had reservations about it. Given the rather complex and intimate nature of what Aoren was trying to do he didn’t feel right just peering into S’Essy’s aura on such a deep level without her permission.

[S'Essy]

Memories were just passing by in her head, good and bad ones alike. Through meditation she could remember thing she thought she had long forgotten. Intriguing, if nothing else, she could finally meditate after a long time again. But it was imperfect. Noises from the forum got the attention in her head, distracting her. She tried to block it out and focus, but it was hard as the noises got louder and louder. She mustn't pay attention to it. She was squeezing Aoren's hand a bit more again.

But she also heard his voice. He was speaking to her? Did he stop divining? His hands left hers and she openned her eyes. Aoren's blue eyes were looking at her, they gained their focus back. He paused. She was wondering if he gave up or was it because of S'Essy loosing control. But he saw something indeed, a city far away, where she was taking car a wounded man. It was also a recent memory of hers. "Must be my time as a healer in Riverfall, I was there last season." she clarified as he started to think.

She wanted to apologize because she thought she stopped him but Aoren was speaking first. An idea. S'Essy just nodded at him.

He wanted to use Auristics on her, to read her aura. S'Essy didn't know that magic. But also not looking at her Chavi but checking her aura. S'Essy didn't answer immediately because it was a bit disturbing thought. But what was she afraid of? He wouldn't see anything she would be so ashamed of... at least she couldn't recall any. But on the other side, knowing that much about her while she didn't about him. These two opposite thoughts were in her head.

He was a healer, he was also favored by Avalis. And what could she lose? She wanted to know the answer. She often listenned to her instincts anyway, easily trusting people who she thoughts are friendly. Why would stop now? She looked into Aoren's eyes. Surely there was something in there, which calmed her, he really wanted just to help. She let out a sigh, then a weak smile appeared on her face. If Avalis and Rak'keli trusted in him, she should as well. "Yes, you can use it, just first tell me what Auristics is. I'm not familiar with magic as I said before. The only magic I can do is Shielding." She put her hands together, squeezing them. She was still a bit nervous about this. Or more nervous about if she could get the answer.... and what it held.

[Aoren]

“What is Auristics?” That was an excellent question. What was it? It was a discipline of magic obviously but beyond that, what could it do? Aoren did not yet know the full extent of what one was capable of with the magic. He was still very new to it in general. On a fundamental level though he knew how it was supposed to work.

“My professor once referred to it as the Discipline of Insight. Auristics, as it was explained to me, is capable of peering into the outer most layer of one’s soul. With this magic you can see the emotions of a person, you can learn about the nature of inanimate objects, you can even see if something is magical. There are probably more things that Auristics is capable of doing but I have yet to learn about them.” He considered that for a moment. How much was he ignorant of in the matter of Auristics? It was one thing to wield a magic that was relatively straightforward in its function and purpose as Reimancy but Auristics was a far subtler beast. He made a mental note to bring it up to Professor Memry during his next lesson.

“Essentially, the magic will allow me to get to know you a little better.” He noted that S’Essy practiced Shielding. Aoren was a minor practitioner of that magic himself but he was growing in his capabilities with it. In regards to Shielding he felt as though he were on the verge of a breakthrough as if both a question and its answer were on the cusps of his thoughts. Setting those thoughts aside he turned to the task at hand. Aoren gave S’Essy a polite nod of his head before reaching for the backbone of his being willing the powers of Auristics to the forefront of his vision.

He furrowed his brow concentrating on the woman in front of him willing his djed to extend to the outer most senses of his body. Slowly, the wisps of S’Essy’s aura came into view. Like the woman in front of him it was a very beautiful thing to behold. Aoren had yet to perceive an aura in a negative or garish light. All of those he had been able to perceive had been pleasing to the senses on some level, even if for curiosity’s sake. He studied the pattern of the aura in front of him with a critical eye. He did not want to miss possible minute details.

Quietly he worked on focusing his powers so that they were in harmony with the nuances of S’Essy’s aura. It was a little time consuming on his part. He was forced to concentrate. Already the strain of using his Auristic perception to such a degree was making itself evident. It wasn’t a huge concern. He would not study her aura for such a period of time as to endanger himself. With the assistance of his djed he searched for S’Essy’s most prevalent emotions at that point in time. He peered into the folds of the aura and got the distinct feeling of the Sea. He could almost feel the winds of the Suvan on his face. He could nearly smell the salt that was inherent to S’Essy’s scent. Such observations made sense to him given the Konti women’s connection to Laviku through his beloved Avalis.

Aoren would only be able to perceive the most superficial of things. As he concentrated though, a thought occurred to him. He spoke softly as he continued to sift through the layers of S’Essy’s aura to the best of his ability.

“Think about your father. Think about the idea of him. It might give me something to go by in the weave of your aura.”

[S'Essy]

He repeated his question, it immediately made S'Essy think that she asked something so obvious. Or he wasn't sure himself? She didn't know.

Auristics, discipline of Insight. Can see the outer most layer of one's soul. He can see her emotions and learn about the nature of inanimate object. And that wasn't even all of them. S'Essy knew this magic was just as scary for her just like Avalis' gift of sight. Seeing people's emotion, people's past was not her job as a healer. It would be too distracting. She had to act quickly and make them happy or feel better. Yet he is a healer too... she was more impressed by every moment. She had a lot to learn.

He will see some of her aspects. At least her emotions about this whole thing. Though she was scared of this magic, she was also curious. What was it like seeing that? What would he sense? Was it like her own Konti gift? Maybe he could feel things about her like how she felt bonds like her own by touching people. One thing she knew about him. He didn't have any bond.

S'Essy was just sitting in front of him and was silent. Didn't move, she was still breathing though. Aoren was focusing she could tell. His eyes didn't lose focus this time, unlike when he was divining her Chavi. Although it still looked like he wasn't looking at her but at something else. He obviously was examining her aura. She was nervous again that what he could see.

His request was one of the hardest. Think about the idea of him? S'Essy really wondered. Truly what she felt for his father? Did she feel anything other than nothing? She always condisered Laviku as her father. He was always there for her to cheer up. Even if Laviku didn't care she did. But her mortal father. Curiosity and she trully wanted to meet with him. Why was it so common among her race that they grow up without a father?

She had raw feelings, she was confused. She hated the fact that his father left her and her mother. If it was the case. He didn't care? He didn't want her as a daughter? But in the same case she would feel happiness if she could meet him. She didn't know what was the strongest emotion in her. All of them mixed together. If nothing else she always had the Sea God. He 'raised her up' so to speak.

[Aoren]

Aoren knew precisely the moment S’Essy’s thoughts turned to her unknown father. Her aura rippled with curiosity, doubt, frustration and confusion as far as Aoren could tell. The feelings that rose up from her were potent enough that he could feel them radiating to the upper layers of her soul. As he studied the ripples in her aura he got a feel for how she thought on the unknown man. It was interesting to see. A missing father was something Aoren understood on a very deep level. He had felt many of the emotions surging through S’Essy at one point in time or another. He released his hold on the magic after a few moments to consider what he’d seen.

“Thank you. I understand a little better now.” Aoren rubbed his eyes working out the dryness he felt was there. With a deep intake of breath and a heavy exhale he prepared himself to enter the Chavena once again. Placing the tips of his fingers on his forehead he kept his eyes closed as he focused on not just the emotions that S’Essy had felt but what he had witnessed briefly in her Chavi previously. Nodding to himself he dropped his hand straightening his shoulders facing S’Essy.

“I am ready. As before, think on your earliest memories. Think on your father. It will help guide me.” With those words Aoren called upon the Gift of Avalis once more and the mundane world fell away. His cobalt blue eyes lost focus. He peered through the veil of the world around him and the realm where beauty took on a whole new meaning. His senses were filled with the divine magnificence of the Chavena and the stories they told. For the moment however, his attention was quite clearly focused on S’Essy.

He saw her Chavi. He saw the record of her tenure as a Healer at the medical center in Riverfall. He saw the breathtaking city carved into the cliff. He saw the towering Akalak men who lived there and how she interacted with them. As he studied her Chavi though, he found himself drawn to the further recesses of her past like a moth drawn to a flame. No doubt he was being aided by S’Essy’s focus on what lay behind her to which he was thankful. He saw the Konti woman as a young girl learning with who Aoren could only assume was her mother given their resemblance.

And then he was drawn to another scene.

He could hear a low humming. The tone suggested it was a man who hummed the soft melody. What he saw from there were but brief glimpses that surfaced from the corners of S’Essy’s Chavi. These were memories that even she did not fully recall which made them slightly more difficult to interpret. S’Essy herself did not understand them thus it would be hard for Aoren to as well.

He found himself staring through what must have been the infantile eyes of a newborn S’Essy. The room was softly lit suggesting it was in either an enclosed space or nearing evening. The gentle humming filled his ears. It was soothing, bringing a smile to his face. He became aware of the fact that he was being held securely in strong arms against a sturdy frame.

No, not himself. S’Essy was being cradled.

And then Aoren saw them, a man’s eyes. He was certain he was staring into the face of a man because he could make out slight facial hair. The details of the rest of his face were obscured by the dim lighting but he could see his eyes.

They were captivating.

The eyes he stared into shifted from a royal blue that shimmered with care and affection to the glowing embers of a joyful orange.

And then the vision ceased.

Aoren blinked as the world returned to normal. He shook his head back and forth gently as a shiver trickled down his spine. As he regained his footing in the here and now he furrowed his brow reflecting on what he’d seen. Running a hand through his hair he spoke softly almost as if he were speaking to himself.

“Eyes like gems that shine in the night. A song to soothe the troubled heart…” His eyes fell upon S’Essy. They were still slightly distant. It was a moment before his gaze came into focus and he registered that she was there waiting for him to speak. He gave her a smile.

“I saw him. Not…all of him though. Just a glimpse. I saw his eyes and I heard his voice.” Aoren could still hear parts of the melody that the man hummed in his vision. He wasn’t much of a singer but he tried to emulate it, humming softly the notes that he could recall.

“Your father is a Vantha and from that brief glimpse…he loved you. The whole time you were in his arms he sang to you. He cradled you like a precious gift.” It was a comforting thought. Resting a hand in his lap, he ran the fingers of his other hand through the fur on Isikai’s head. The dog leaned into his touch.

“That is all I could gather. I hope it is helpful.”

[S'Essy]

As her emotions were flowing through her, Aoren was very quick to read aura. It was somehow still a scary thought for her that he knew what she felt. But by looking at her chavi... it would be the least thing she should worry about. They were so close, she felt it. The answer was right there in her Chavi.

She nodded when he thanked her. She was curious if that could really help him through her Chavenna. She trusted what the man could do. She depended on his gift of Sight. He placed his finger on his forehead. Like he was trying to remember something. S'Essy didn't bother, they were close and that was in her head only. They were close. He nodded and was looking at her again. S'Essy also nodded.

She closed her eyes, again trying to meditate a bit. Her breathing slowed down again and was steady. Sounds around her again became silent by every moment. She just focused on her breathing. She let it again and let the memories flow in her head. Trying to get the earliest memory she had. Again just a smile. Nothing else, but it was the only memory she could recall and could never register.

She tired to help Aoren, she hoped he could see through her Chavi and get to it. She was focusing on that, all of those memories, she pushed aside, trying to imagine like she gave a path to him. It was all up to him. She was nervous and excited at the same time. She took breath more frequently, her heart started to beat faster. "Cmon Aoren, you can see it... I know you can. Find my father." Kept saying in her head, though she knew Aoren probably didn't hear them.

She opened her eyes as Aoren started to speak. It was not to her.. more like to himself. Eye like gems that shine in the night. A song to soothe the troubled heart. She raised her eyebrows and looked confused. But she saw his eyes were not focusing, he must have found something. She couldn't meditate anymore, her breath was fast just like her heartbeating. She was keep staring at him. When his eyes gain his focus, she took a deep breath. He was smiling.

And her heart skipped a beat. He found him! He saw him! S'Essy was excited and for some reason feared the answer. He saw his eyes and even heard his voice. It was impressive. Then she was shocked, her eyes widened. The Seer was humming a melody she heard all the time from her mother. She didn't hear it since she left Mura. She loved it, for some reason it always calmed her down.

A vantha. "Who are they? The Vanthas." She asked right away. And her chest became hard after what he said. He loved her. She was cardled by him like a precious gift. She started humming the song herself. She closed her eyes. The smile.. now she could see eyes too, their colors changed. Still her memory was foggy, she felt that there was something she could grab and hold. She was loved, her father didn't not want her.

She openned her eyes, looked at Aoren. She couldn't be more happy than she was at that moment. Her chest didn't feel that hard anymore. She was smiling at him, though her eyes were filled with tears. Her arms went around Aoren's neck, she placed her chin on his right shoulder, pulled him into a hug. She was crying. "Thank you, I can't trully express my gratitude. I know, it might seem a little thing but you gave me something back that I have lost. Now I have it once more to cradle myself and find more answers. How can I ever repay you this, Aoren? How can I help you?"

[Aoren]

“I do not know very much about the Vantha. They are the only people I know of with eyes that change color though.” Aoren had only met a sparse few Vantha in his life. They had always been pleasant people ever curious and happy to share a story or two. He knew nothing of their origins however. Where they came from or how they lived their lives. In truth their ways were as foreign to him as the ways of his own people.

It was a point of strong regret for Aoren. He longed to meet his people. The few times he did the meeting had only been brief. The last time he had been graced with any Drykas contact had been the day he received his mark from Rak’keli. In the effort to stop an abduction he had fought against a strong Drykas warrior only to end up fighting alongside the raiders against a vicious beast.

“I know not where to point you. The Vantha are very much a mystery to me. All I can tell you is to go looking for them. Perhaps one will have the answers for you that I do not.” He felt bad that he could not offer S’Essy any more in depth information. Her sudden hug surprised the Drykas man. He stiffened in shock for a moment but gradually warmed up to the hug. Gently he wrapped his arms around S’Essy giving her a light embrace.

“You are welcome. May you find the peace you are searching for, S’Essy.” He gave the Konti woman a gentle squeeze before politely untangling himself from her arms. He gave her offer due consideration but shook his head.

“You needn’t trouble yourself. I am happy just to have been able to help in the small way that I could.” Some might have considered him mad for refusing any sort of payment. He had been told on a number of occasions that with his gifts he could have made a considerable fortune. Money did not interest Aoren though. He made wages enough to live comfortably and pursue what leisurely interests captured his attention. He had neither need or want for more. Quietly he rose to his feet wincing slightly as his leg gave him a sharp pain. He wondered how long he would suffer the repercussions of that nefarious ghost.

“Isikai, say good-bye.” The large black dog barked and whined looking up at Aoren. The Drykas man nodded toward S’Essy. Isikai padded up to the Konti woman gently nudging one of her legs with his nose. He gave her a nuzzle and would allow himself to be pet before returning to Aoren’s side.

“Goddess bless you, S’Essy.” Giving her a slight bow Aoren departed intent on going to the library. He had a few things to learn himself and the day was not yet over.