[University of Zeltiva] A New Aspiration [Tabarnac]

[Iasc]

Iasc swallowed nervously and tried to calm himself down. He took in a deep breath and let another out. He looked at the woman sitting across from him. She definitely did have a motherly look about her, a soothing smile and understanding eyes. Iasc missed his mother. He missed her so much that every thought of her felt to be the emotional equivalent to having a rusty, dull blade thrust into his back. It was all he could to make sure the tears didn’t flow.

He tried to clear his mind. It was hard but he was able to think straight, or as straight as was possible in this situation. Upon the professor’s commands he tensed and let go his toes, feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, fingers, face and whatever other parts of his body it was possible to tense. As his face began to return to it’s normal, less ugly state he felt a distinct lack embarrassment. It seemed to be replaced by relaxation. The silence of the room and calmness of Professor Oslie’s voice helped a great deal with this. He took advantage of his current state, slowly slumping back in his chair and concentrating on the woman’s voice.

He let his eyelids drop as far as they would, stopping under their own steam and giving him a small slit with which to look out of. His eyesight lingered, focused on nothing in particular. The edges of his vision were blurred, yet he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing moved, nothing changed. He didn’t know what was supposed to happen and he didn’t care. He felt a relaxed feeling that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Even though he didn’t see anything he did sense something. It was completely contrary to the loneliness and helplessness he had been feeling recently. It was a happy feeling that seemed to penetrate his being, and a small smile crept across his face.

[Tabarnac]

If she read anything of his loss and longing in his aura, she didn't speak of it, but her voice was compassionate as any mother's, and calm, sure, and soothing as she helped him open himself to the impressions around him and to senses long atrophied. Her sip of tea was nearly inaudible, but with his soft focus, he could hear it, soft and unobtrusive. "Turn your focus inward now," she said. "Can you hear your heartbeat? Can you feel it tapping at the inside of your chest? What do your toes feel? Can you feel the inside of your shoes? Your heart pumps the blood through you, rich with air and your own particular magic. Your feet support you and link you to the ground beneath you, and the particular magic of Mizahar. "Many people see auras. Some of the better Aurists do not, but sense them. I know one musically gifted Aurist who hears magic and can tell its quality, sensing disease from the discordant notes a person's aura makes. He can also sense particular people coming into a room, noting how their own personal instrument adds to the environment's orchestra. "Take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, and then release it. Energy comes in, energy goes out. If you get something, do not hold onto it, but tell me. We are exercising long unused senses. We are returning you to your infancy when your other senses did not compete so with this one. An infant knows its mother before it can see, before it truly understands what smells and sounds are. It will recognize its mother's voice and the smell of her skin, but that isn't all." She continued to gently challenge his mind to relax and let go, but it would be up to his own self as to when or if he had a breakthrough. Some of the best Aurists did not manage a thing on their first try. Some students, relaxing for the first time in memory, released pent up emotions and other blockages that prevented them from progressing in their work. Some cried. Some fled. One had given her a black eye. People were strange creatures.