Completed Luscinia's Nesting

[Dmitri Saratov]

13th of Winter, 514 AV 'Been a while...Wonder if I'll even meet him again; Petcher's never there when I am!' Dmitri had left his place at the Sunset Quarters, yet again, with the intention of finding Vaccan at the Night Eyes' hidden den. So far all attempts at meeting, let alone finding him, resulted in the same annoying and negative manner. No trace was found of him, at all, even amongst the few Night Eyes members who he has come across at the hide-out. None of them were able to answer any questions about him at all, elusive and mysterious to the extreme...Not to mention severely frustrating for Dmitri! Today would prove to be different, however, maybe it was Lady Fortuna that had blessed him today...Or Misfortune that had befallen him; Only time would tell! But after he had managed to gain entry to one of the Watchtowers in Sunberth's outskirts and enter the large underground maze of damp, dark corridors...There was something that felt so 'off' this time, as if someone was glaring at him from somewhere, a place he couldn't see or reach, only feel. It gave him a queezy, anxious feeling that he could be ambushed at any given time. As he came closer and closer to the main chambers, the sensations that he shouldn't go further grew stronger, that something dangerous lurked nearby, waiting to strike him down...They became so vivid even that he found himself stopping in his tracks just around the corner of entering the main vestibule. Catching himself breathless and with a racing heart, he mentally stabilized himself after some time, brushing it all off as paranoide thoughts without any solid foundation to even be there! 'Shyke, what's wrong with me today?!' Eventually he was able to turn the corner and enter the room where there were 2 cloaked figures present, quite a distance apart from one another. One of them seemed to be going over the mission board before he had heard Dmitri and almost jumped up in surprise, Dmitri figured him to be a rookie like himself and didn't pay much attention to him. The other figure however, calm and composed, not even raising his head from the book he was reading to see who had come in. This one did grab his interest, Dmitri couldn't really see who he was or how he looked like considering he was seated in a bench facing the other way, in the direction of the lit fireplace. He was already contemplating how to approach him or figure out who he was when the same type of thoughts befell him, just as the man turned his face slightly to look at Dmitri from under his cloak...The same as when we he met Vaccan the 1st time...Thoughts that did not belong to him! "Do not say my name! Come and take a seat, silently!"

[Dmitri Saratov]

While the thought that had sprung up in his mind was in his own voice, it was clear as day to Dmitri that it was Vaccan that was nestled there cozily near the fireplace and had inserted those words in his mind after noticing it was Dmitri who had entered the place. As to why he didn't want anyone to know his name, was yet another vague thing that remained shrouded for the time being. When Dmitri moved towards the man seemingly reading a book casually near the fireplace, he tried to keep his mind blank for any other thoughts Vaccan wanted to plant in his mind, but even after he took a seat before him, nothing happened. He didn't want to make a sound before it was certain it was clear to do so, as it was understood by Dmitri it wasn't the case just yet. So he stood back up and grabbed a book from the cabinet near them before planting himself on the couch again. Glancing at Vaccan, it almost made him ask if he was alright, eyes glazed and staring over the book he was holding, as if he was drifting far away on the thoughtstrain. Then it occured to him that Vaccan might be doing just that, just not on his own train. And soon after he suspected him of using his magic on the poor lad near the message board, it just so happened the rookie suddenly left in a hurry without even looking in their direction. Dmitri was staring suspiciously at Vaccan who lost the stare and looked right back at Dmitr now. His eyes had something cold about them, even with the corners of his eyes hinting that he was amused. He seemed to remember it being the same in the past, but it was vague. Regardless, the coast appeared to be clear by now as Vaccan started to speak. "So...I heard from here and there that there was a certain man looking for someone called 'Vaccan'? Don't, ever, let me hear that again...There is no Vaccan, there is no man, and there is no me to look for...Next time I hear that there won't be a you either, catching my drift, Dmitri?" Dmitri gulped as if he had just been caught redhanded stealing from a candy from a store, but he doubted the consequences of those 2 scenarios were the same...He replied that he didn't know it was an issue and that it won't happen again. Oddly and frighteningly enough, the look in Vaccan's eyes didn't sway from its cold amusement during his threatening speech. As if he was just stating a fun fact, Dmitri would wind up dead somewhere..Or worse...If he happened to hear those rumors again, nothing more and nothing less. It scared Dmitri more than being manhandled by the best trashtalker in town. "Good. Just want you to realize that when we are bound to meet, we'll meet. No point in grasping at straws and creating an avalanche..But I guess I'm partly to blame, shouldn't have left you hungering for more with so little to go on, so I got a little gift for you this time!"

[Dmitri Saratov]

The riddled tongue Vaccan spoke in left Dmitri feel much the same way as he did after first meeting him, in Vaccan's words that would be 'hungering for more with so little to go on...' Even so, Dmitri did his best not to get carried away and fall in the presumed question-trap Vaccan was laying out for him, doing his best to act aloof and ignore the supposed present he was holding for Dmitri, he went as far as to read a bit in the book he was holding, all as a means to seem as independant as possible and not reliant of Vaccan in any which way. Apparently the book he had picked out was about the very thing he was trying to do, acting. Granted, it was about a play and not the amateuristic way Dmitri was doing it, which didn't seem to be effective in any way or form as Vaccan simply scoffed and laughed a bit as if he had just heard a joke that had been told a million times to him already. "Come on now, Dmitri, stop it with the silly games and pay attention, you won't regret it. We both know you're not fooling anyone and that you'd piss yourself if you had to go and I happened to started talking about 'It'." Dmitri frowned but, as usual, wasn't able to really argue with this person..He slapped the book shut and put it on the low rectangular table between them, Smirking sheepishly, Dmitri knew he couldn't get away with his shennanigans when dealing with Vaccan, but it was stronger than him. He couldn't help lie and play a role that would lead to his own benefit, it was natural for him, but that was of no importance right now. Vaccan hit the nail on the head, with a petching sledgehammer, he was here for It and only for It; Hypnotism! "Hmpfh, try me then, lets talk about 'It'..." "Sure, would you also like me to make you feel like you need to go for a leak during?" "Nah, I'll pass on that..." Vaccan shuffled over the couch's seat slightly in order to reposition his small frame and lean in slightly towards Dmitri, with his everpresent light smile on the lips and the cold yet amused look in his eyes. He seemed to have forgotten about the present for the time being, or it might have simply been a ruse, either way Vaccan started his speech about Hypnotism, less abstract than before. Almost made Dmitri wish he had brought pen and paper with him... "Alright, look, the magic branch of Hypnotism is not often taught by a mentor, mainly because hypnotists do not easily, or at all, share that they even 'heard' about the magic. Let alone know how to use it. That is for two main reasons, the magic is highly distrusted and so are the wielders...Which is only natural, who would ever trust a person able to intrude and manipulate your mind, feelings and emotions. Anyone would keep their distance from such a person. The other reason is that the magic loses almost all of its power if their target, or group of targets, found out that there was a hypnotist amongst them...It is THAT delicate! But for all its flaws, and dangers, it has an extensive amount of use and power in the right person's hands...NEVER let anyone know that you're a hypnotist, not family, closest friends; Anyone!" Of course the first, burning, question Dmitri had popping in his mind was about what could possibly have been the reason as to why Vaccan shared such a dangerous secret with Dmitri, the question ran through his mind at high speed but he knew, with certainty, that if he asked Vaccan...He would get no satisfying answer, just riddles and more question marks.

[Dmitri Saratov]

[/color]

"I understand, it's more difficult to manipulate someone's inner thoughts and such when they are aware that someone, who is capable of doing so, is nearby...But honestly, what I want to know is more about the actual use and know-how of Hypnotism than anything else..." Again with the smirk, it started to annoy Dmitri a bit, it made him feel like a child asking his parents Why this, Why that, ... He had no choice but to suck it up, while he didn't know much about Vaccan, something told him he wasn't the type to try to and push in the direction Dmitri wanted, scratch that...Everything, told him he wasn't that type. But Dmitri wasn't the type to beat around the bush either, not when it didn't convene him anyway. "I know, but if I did so, without informing and warning you about its fundamental dangers...It would be like throwing you in a bottomless pit after giving you a ladder. It'd be completely meaningless and you'd wind up dead, something we don't want to happen eh!" Dmitri grunted but again there was no point in argueing, since all that came out of Vaccan's mouth was truth, in the loosest sense of the word, but still truth. And so Dmitri continued to hear him out about the dangers of Hypnotism, eventually the word Overgiving surfaced and while the word in itself is quite obvious in its meaning, the results of doing so were perplexing. "Wait, wait, you're telling me if I use it carelessly, too much or too reckless, I could lose my mind?" "...Not 'could'...You would! Beginning to understand why this is so important to know before learning more?! They say it's all about participation and not winning, well the naive ones do anyway...It's a load of shyke in most contexts and situations, there's no point in doing something with that mindset, you could think it's adequate to learn something and not master it...But then what was the point in learning it to begin with? To enlighten yourself and feel good about yourself? Please, enlightenment is useless if you're not going to do something with it! Anyhow, you heard enough about its dangers and limitations, we're going to get to the part you are dying to hear, how to use it!"

[Dmitri Saratov]

Dmitri almost clapped his hands in excitement, in the back of his mind there was a tiny voice begging him to walk away now, that it wasn't worth it. That he'd go insane, wind up dead or worse. Not to mention the danger of being in Vaccan's debt, a danger which was literally immeasurable at the moment. The excitement and enticement has grown too strong for the voice to be heard clearly though, and Dmitri was all but lost already... "There's no painful iniciation, but there isn't an easy way to become a hypnotist either. Don't try to take a shortcut or fool yourself that you're any smarter than all the others who have delved into this ancient magic. To become one you have to train, you have to work, or it'll all just be a waste of time. I'm sure you'll manage though, if you keep your head straight on your shoulders that is!" "I will." Dmitri replied, a blatant lie, something Vaccan undoubtedly knew but oddly enough he didn't comment on it. Ignoring Dmitri's arrogance and placeless confidence, he carried on with his introduction speech that would guide him into becoming a full fledged hypnotist. Oh how Dmitri couldn't wait to be able to use it! The fool. "Alright then, before you'll be able to even train yourself, you need to know what and how to train. First of all, hypnotism isn't something you do just by willing it, it's the use of your very essence, in combination with knowledge and other keys such as manipulation and intelligence, to influence your target's being. It's something everyone and everything possesses, something arcane users and arcane arts all have in common, the use of their Djed." "Djed?" "Djed is the term of the essence, you already have it within you, you simply didn't know. Consider it an invisible limb of your body if you want, a limb we need to start using before we can do anything else involving magic. So before we proceed any further, we'll activate that in a way we'll be able to touch and slither our way into other people's djed. Because once you're able to do that, basicly, you can start training how to do that more effectively and inconspicuously!" "I guess I understand, it's basicly a latent part of us that we need to activate to be able to use magic. In the case of hypnotism, we use that part to mold someone else's part, their Djed, and as a result mold their mind in the way we want?" "Crude definition, but not incorrect. You're fairly apt in processing all of this! I'm impressed!"

[Dmitri Saratov]

Quite satisfied with himself for grasping, barely, at the roots of what he's actually talking and hearing about, Dmitri grinned and felt a stinging itch in his foot because of the breath- and motionless attention he was giving Vaccan. His foot had fallen asleep and caused annoying tingling to shoot through it, causing him to groan and shake his foot around harder than a dog with an itch. Eventually it faded as he kept on rotating his ankle and moving his toes to counter the prickling sensation. "So...How do I awaken this...limb, the Djed?" "For this magic, the best way is to meditate and clear your mind completely. By that I don't mean stare or have a blank mind for 10 seconds though. You really need to be devoid of all thoughts, desires and actions 'till you reach the point in where you practicly lose touch with your own body, sort of like an self-induced state of escaping your own body and becoming 'serene'. It's not easy to explain, that is why I'm giving you this gift!" Vaccan handed Dmitri a beige'ish book, very thin and light. It could almost be a harbound pamflet. But as Dmitri took hold of it from Vaccan and tried to take it, Vaccan didn't let go. "First, promise me you won't open it until you're home and ready to begin your meditation, for as long as it will take! Don't bullshyke me, Dmitri, if you don't do this...I will know next time we meet and cut off all ties...and loose ends...Get what I'm saying?" Dmitri had no problem understanding the meaning behind what Vaccan was saying, if he didn't obey, Dmitri's spark of life would be covered in the bullshyke he had planned on saying. Of course that had just changed, he knew..and didn't know..how dangerous this person really was. Dmitri would obey. "I promise you. When will we meet again?" "When we will meet. Don't forget a word I said today; Not..A...Word!"

[Matthew]

Dmitri

Experience Points:

• +2 Acting
• +1 Hypnotism
• +1 Intelligence
• +1 Interrogation
• +1 Intimidation
• +4 Observation
• +4 Socialization

Lores:

• Acting: Hiding Your Fear
• Hypnotism: The Basics of Training
• Hypnotism: Must Be Kept Secret
• Meditation: Basic Concepts
• Observation: Instinctively Sensing Danger
• Potential Dangers of Using Hypnotism

Additional Notes :

You can go ahead and add the book to your inventory, unless it is already there and I am just blind. Thanks for your patience!

If you have any questions or concerns relevant to your grade, don't be afraid to send me a private message so that we can work it all out! Please remember to mark your Grading Request as Graded.

A shout-out to Ollic Rimesage, who was kind enough to make this template for me.