Solo [Suvan Shore] Lesson Number 2

[Katelyn Marks]

19th, Spring, 515 AV

The squire was alone this time. Her patron had guided her through her first encounter with Djed and Auristics, but she was feeling hungry for more. Katelyn wanted to try to do it herself. So she found herself in the same place she had discovered it all with Ser Moore prior. The way he'd introduced her to meditation that day was a surprisingly easy tactic, and she planned on using the same technique now.

Garrison was tied to a nearby fallen tree, unsaddled and searching the edge of the shore for grass as the sand transitioned upward into forest. Beneath her was a spare blanket from her trunk in her dorm, and she sat on the soft wool with her legs crossed comfortably. In front of her was a tiny feast to keep her energy up. The first experience she had with Auristics, water and food had helped immensely. Her patron had said that Djed was replenished by eating and absorbing the energy of what was ingested. She hoped this process might help with overgiving. If not--well, the food would be delicious regardless.

Since everything was ready, Kate wanted to waste no time proceeding into her practice. She closed her eyes and narrowed her focus on the sound of waves rolling up the sand. Their dull roar was a constant rhythm. A completely uninterrupted tempo to follow, slow and easy like the beating heart. It took her several ticks to regulate her breathing in time with the crash and sigh of sea water. As a wave crested and curled, crashing against the wet sand, it climbed up the shore as far as it could fight before reluctantly being pulled back in again.

Katelyn took a slow, deep breath as the foaming surf lapped up, and exhaled as it hissed its retreat. Ever vigilant, another wave rolled up, and the squire breathed in. Down, out, up, in. It was a simple repetition, and she fell into the lull more easily than her first attempts before. Several chimes of regulated breathing and focus on the groan of the ocean drowned out most of her distracting thoughts. Silly things like wondering what she would have for dinner down to the sounds of birds in the forest behind her. The lull made her almost sleepy, but a small voice from the fog reminded her what she was doing and gave a little push.

She remembered where to go and what to search for. The sensations were something not soon forgotten, but as the memory of Overgiving surfaced, she balked and her concentration suddenly snapped. Her smooth breathing hitched, and her eyes opened in a burst of frustration. Gritting her teeth with a quiet snarl, a fist smacked her knee, and a silent curse echoed in her head.

[Katelyn Marks]

Last time Katelyn had had her patron to push her along, helping her focus and battle the distractions that tantalized her attention. She needed to concentrate if this was going to work, and dismiss the rather ridiculous doubts that plagued her. The squire had experienced Overgiving already in the form of a terrible migraine, and it was because she'd pushed herself a little too hard during her first encounter with auras. Kate had tried to focus on too many things at once, and suffocated on the overwhelming information and sensations. It had been a smear of colors and white noise, and left her feeling battered. If she could pace herself this time and narrow it down to one aura at a time, according to Ser Moore she should be fine.

With the reassuring thought in her head, she closed her eyes once more and allowed the sound of the ocean to drown all else out. The tension in her body eased gradually with each crash of water on sand, and she slowly adjusted her breathing to follow the steady rhythm once more. Roll up the beach--inhale through nose, retreat back--exhale through mouth. The repetitious process created a lull in her mind, and helped to relax the tense muscles along her spine and in her shoulders. She drew in each breath deeply, letting the salty air fill her lungs and expand her diaphragm. Like a cleanse, the hum of the Suvan washed the doubts from her mind once more, emptying her head of distractions.

Worst case scenario, Katelyn could tolerate another headache, and so she turned her focus inward, seeking the place inside her that lead to the connection with her djed. Confidence aided her, making the squire more sure in her search through the murky darkness, and she found the door far quicker than her first foray into the black. It gave easily at her push, and suddenly she was aware of the warmth filling her--the essence that was the building blocks of her existence. As awareness filled her, she opened her eyes and let the world in once more. Now that the connection was made, and she had her djed by the tail, she didn't have to focus so acutely--at least not inwardly.

Instead, she needed to change the way her djed was working. The first time it had been a clumsy attempt--successful yet sloppy. She'd ended up with a terrible migraine and not much else to show for it. This time, she was prepared for the sensations that would come over her. Hopefully that was enough to stop the tide.

[Katelyn Marks]

The food that she had would provide sufficient practice for someone of her skill, which was very little to none. There wasn't a wealth of information to be garnered from fruit, and all of it in theory would be straightforward--at least she hoped--so Katelyn plucked up a piece of dried apple, and held it flat on her palm. Her focus narrowed, and with some concentration centered her attention in seeing through her djed. The sensation that itched behind her eyes was still alien and unfamiliar, but not so terrifying now that she understood what it was. Katelyn allowed it build slowly, not wanting to rush her progress for fear of having to restart.

Her eyes watered with the effort much like before, but as the first few tears leaked down her cheeks a swirl of soft green bloomed around the edges of the apple slice in her hand. A hysteric giggle bubbled from her lips, and a broad smile spread across her face. Triumph swelled inside her breast, and she looked around wildly, seeing the thin fringe of auras swirling in the trees by the shore.

Focus, she told herself firmly after a few giddy ticks, lest she become overwhelmed like before. Katelyn sighed resolutely and turned her attention back on the apple. Its aura was very small--nothing like a sentient person's. Her own was visible in the background of her focus, bright like a beacon in comparison. She was very aware of it in her mind, and could even faintly smell the odor it carried--wet grass and earth, like springtime after rain. Because it was her own, she wasn't nearly as tantaled to read as the others around her, and it was not nearly as distracting.

The apple on the other hand was simple. As she looked into the aura, she first searched for a smell. It seemed to be the easiest characteristic for her to discover so far, as it was the case with her own and her patron's. Katelyn inhales slowly, searching for anything. After a few quick breaths, a slightly sour smell touched her senses. Not a rotten sour, but the sweetly sour smell of green apple juices. It followed quickly along to the sister sense of taste, and suddenly the flavor was in her mouth, making it water, taking her slightly off guard. If Kate's observations were correct, she now knew exactly what this little piece of fruit would taste like.

Since there was only one way to find out, she popped the fruit into her mouth. The dry skin popped against her teeth, and when the preserved juices were released, she smiled. For the most part she'd been correct, but the squire had over-exaggerated her reading. The flavor was more subtle--possibly because of the age of the fruit itself. Still, the squire's observations hadn't been terribly off. She was still proud of the effort.

[Katelyn Marks]

After a short break of finishing off the last of her fruit, Katelyn turned her attention to another type of food. She had a thick slice of flaky bread and some soft cheese to go with it. The bread was freshly baked this morning, and the subtle scent it carried was amplified tenfold by its aura, with a hint of warm butter. Unable to resist, the squire took a large bite, tearing a mouthful off and chewing contently. This time around it tasted just as she'd thought, though of course the smells she'd observed were far stronger than they physically were.

The cheese posed a different problem altogether. It had a strange looking aura. Sickly looking almost--a slimy green. Her nose curled just at the sight of it, and when she investigated further, gagged on the rancid smell. The cheese itself was soft and looked completely fine, with no real odor, but she couldn't get past the aura's rotten aroma. Katelyn didn't even want to investigate the possible taste. Somehow, there was something wrong with this specific piece of cheese. It wasn't surface level, and it could easily be something microscopic. Katelyn assumed it could be molding. It was the easiest answer, and so she tossed the cheese altogether.

The interesting turn amused her, and had her wondering what else could really be garnered from auras. While her patron had explains that all sorts of information could be learned, it would be hard to cover everything down to specifics. Luckily, Kate had the ability now--with practice--to figure it all out.

When she finally severed the connection and the colors faded, she was left with a sore head and surprisingly severe fatigue. It felt like she'd ran five miles taken a beating, not simply sit on the beach and look at colors. She slowly finished the last of her bread and took a few long droughts from her waterskin, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. She was thankful to not have a debilitating migraine, but she wasn't quite sure which was better. It was an enormous effort to pack up her things and tack Garrison, and the ride back to the city was arduous. Though her bed was as welcome as the open arms of a lover, the rest she needed to recover seemed to be less than before.

[Dravite]

Katelyn Marks

XP Award:

• Auristics: 3
• Meditation: 4
• Planning: 1
• Logic: 1
• Investigation: 2
• Endurance: 1
• Observation: 4
• Riding, Horse: 1

Lore:

• Djed can be replenished by eating
• Meditation is easy when you're relaxed
• Overgiving has serious consequences
• Auristics: sights, scents, and sensations
• Auristics: Investigation different tastes and smells
• The cure for Overgiving is rest

Penalties:
Katelyn with have a dull but persistent headache for the next three days; food and rest will see that she recovers fully.

Notes: Well its official, you're in my top three for 'favourite people to read about'! Maybe it’s something to do with magic as my other favourite seems to be into that too (and yet magic does nothing for me). I didn't award any SP because you weren't slinging a weapon or helping an old lady down the steps, but if you feel you deserve them please PM and explain what I have overlooked! Let me know if you think I have missed anything here and be sure to edit your grading request!

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