Tirian had fallen into a lazy and comfortable rest, his body wobbling to the sides with each clop of the oxen. His face portrayed a stationary smile, almost referencing the soldier having peace in his dreams for the first time in what seemed like eons. The peaceful man’s eyes opened as the caravan came to a slow stop, revealing beautiful eyes of Tirian gazing deep into the afternoon’s sky. He continued to look around to each individual member of the group that had been fortified in blood and bonded together by danger and comradery. Vordan was the last person he looked at, simply smiling and hopping off of the cart with a quick breath of the fresh air. The world was quite, with only the sounds of distanced animals and then Elirthos jogging off into the shrubbery with the young warrior in training, Setna. Tirian distanced himself from the carts, finding a comfortable spot upon the ground to sprawl his body out. The air was cool, and carried a wondrous aroma of varying ingredients from the pot Serna chose to cook from. It wasn’t long before a steaming bowl of perfection rested in his hands, his stomach rumbled with anticipation as the soldier quickly began to devour the bowl and all of its occupants whole. Tirian finished his share of the magnificent food in no time, and simply waited. After some long minutes, Tirian turned towards Serna with a warm smile. “If you’re ready, we can continue the training. Your call. -Serna lit up at that and she immediately tried to finish her food as fast at the soldier. But it didn't end well as she stuck her now burnt tongue out and whined. "Hot..." Setna laughed beside her and waved his hand like a fan to cool her. "Calm down Serie, I think he can wait for you to finish."- Tirian let out a miniscule chuckle, standing his rested body to a full stretch and then turned his azure eyes to Serna’s counterpart. “You’re more than welcome to join us. The next part is a bit tricky with just two people.” -Setna raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Sure! I'm doing weapons training with Elrithos, but if it doesn't take long I don't think he'll mind."- Tirian nodded to the boy, turning to Serna with a patient smile upon his face. “It could take a while, why don’t you keep your plans with Elrithos, then when that’s over, come join us.” -"Got it!" Setna gave a thumbs up and Serna smiled as she finally finished her dinner and set her bowl down. She practically hopped up on her feet and looked at Tirian with large eyes."Ready!" she said eagerly- Tirian nodded, allowing Serna to take his side and then began to walk forward into the thinned tree line. The sun warned of descent, however they still had some sunlight to fiddle with for this training session. The paired duo did not walk far, stopping in a slight clearing. Tirian inspected the surroundings, knocking on each tree before picking out the perfect tree for this next project. “First things first. Come to me, and let’s practice that frequency. If you can find it in less than ten second we can move on to the next step.” -Serna paused a moment before looking back at the campsite. She supposed they were far enough away. With two newcomers joining the group, the young girl felt a bit uneasy about using magic so freely. But she looked back at Tirian and held a determined look. "Right!" She came up close to him and gently touched his hand as she closed her eyes and focused. Serna had been practicing a bit on her own, and she opened her eyes to look up at the red head, as she found the frequency much more quickly than last time. "Got it."- Tirian felt warmth to his face as the innocent hands of a determined Syndarean touched his own. He counted out the time in his head. One… Two… Three… then suddenly she spoke, impressive. Tirian dropped his hands for a moment, then raised them to the tree. This next part wouldn’t hold relevance to the training, but it would give Tirian the right idea of how strong Serna’s magic is and even further to how much it could be molded. “Every living thing has a frequency. Magical or not. Try to find the frequency of this tree.” -Serna's face turned blank and she looked at the red head a bit incredulously. "R-Really?- “Yes, really.” -The girl paused and bit her lip as she looked at the tree. How exactly was she supposed to find the frequency of a plant? She looked at Tirian a bit dubiously before closing her eyes, and placing her hand on the firm bark. She had to at least try. But as she concentrated and her own frequency filled her ears, she decided to try something. Perhaps if she tried to interact with it, maybe she'd be able to hear it. She focused on the magic residing within her, on the gentle hum that hid underneath her skin and she followed it. She followed the frequency as it traveled across her body, swam down her arms and circled her fingers. As her frequency entered the sensitive palms of her hand she focused more, her eyebrows furrowing as the hum met the hardness of the bark. That's when she heard it, or rather felt it, it was dull and monotonous. At first she had overlooked it, but concentrating further she felt the dull thrum that seemed to come from the tree itself. Serna opened her dark eyes and looked up at Tirian in wonder.- Tirian smiled, taking in the cuteness of Serna and her disbelief in the world. She was so innocent, unknowing of the real beauty this world held. Serna, compared to the red-haired warrior she was completely different. They were so vast in difference this training would be almost impossible. Tirian would never be able to show Serna the brutal side, he would never do that. Tirian held a smile even in the deep thoughts he was having. “Not many people can do that. Okay, the next part is going to be a bit different. Sit down with me and try to place a barrier around my hand.” -Serna sat down and she shifted a bit nervously. "I'm not that great at shaping it..." She mumbled quietly. She hovered her hands over Tirian's and took a deep breath. Her hands focused entirely on his hand as her magic suddenly lit up between them. The barrier glowed with a light purple iridescence, and she tried to shape it to the best of her ability. Right now it was like a flat surface and she tampered with the shape a bit, trying to mold it the way she wanted it. It ended up being flat on top with curved drooping edges that were close to wrapping around his hand but not entirely. The girl squinted and suddenly the magic was gone as her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "I don't know how they do it..." She looked up at Tirian with sad eyes. "Other Syndareans are able to mold it perfectly to any shape or size. I can only make flat surfaces..."- Tirian watched, observing the difference between the barriers of the man he fought and the girl he was training. She struggled to form a perfect barrier but Tirian could see her problem. He had the same problem, in fact it was an identical problem. Tirian couldn’t form flames even resembling shapes. “It’s okay. You’re trying to force it. Close your eyes and imagine the shape. Ease the shape out and let it take a natural course.” -Serna nodded, although the defeat hadn't left her shoulders. She closed her eyes and attempted to do it again. This time she tried to focus on the shape instead, and she was a bit more successful, it looked a bit more curved, yet it was still imperfect. It was still too flat in certain areas, as if she were attempting to bend hardened glass.- “You’re focusing too hard on the shape still. Take a deep breath, and just let the magic flow. Guide it rather than force it.” -The barrier disappeared and Serna opened her eyes to look at him. She took a deep breath and tried to hold down her watery eyes. It was harder to say than do. She was trying her best not to force it, but she couldn't get around to doing it naturally. Mostly because she had spent 18 years of her life trying to keep it pent up and unwilling to release it. Now it felt as if her body was betraying itself when she let the magic go. Either way it required pushing, and Serna wasn't entirely sure what was natural or what was forced. She wiped her eyes and took another breath as she closed her eyes and tired again. The barrier still came out lumpy and less smooth, but there was slight improvement.- “Good job. Take a break. The magic kickback will start biting if we aren’t careful.” -The barrier disappeared and Serna opened her eyes as she leaned her back against the tree trunk. She nodded softly to Tirian's words, she could already feel the slight hum of a headache in the back of her skull. But there wasn't a nosebleed yet, so that had to be a good sign.- Tirian scooted across the ground and sat against the tree with Serna, his legs touching her own. Tirian stretched his arms out in front of him, turning his head towards Serna with a disappointed frown. He wasn’t disappointed with Serna herself, but rather the situation. Explaining magic to someone who spent their life concealing that magic is nearly impossible and incredibly agitating. “How are you feeling?” -Serna looked up at Tirian for a moment before looking down at her hands. Her fingers curled and uncurled before she finally answered. "Frustrated..." She mumbled softly. "W-When the executioner c-came.....I w-wanted so badly to help...There were t-times I could h-have helped myself or Miss Aaerynn....I have the c-capability t-to do it...Yet...at the same time I don't. It makes me mad."- “I know that pain. Just find that courage and dig for that strength. Over time you’ll see improvements. If you want you can rest your head on mine. You’ve earned the break.” Serna's face turned red as she looked up at him with surprise. She then looked away but eventually her head slowly rested against his shoulder. "Is-is..th-this o-ook?" “Of course it is.” Tirian lowered his head to touch her own, closing his eyes and allowing his mind to rest for the moment. -Serna's face turned a brighter red and she felt her heart leap into her throat. She closed her eyes though, feeling the heat in her face.- “What motivates you to keep going forward?” -Serna jolted slightly as Tirian suddenly spoke. She tensed a bit as she thought over what he was asking. What motivated her? She bit her lip a bit as she continued thinking. "I-I suppose it's my b-brother..." Her stutter was lost as the meaning of her words became more powerful. "He's trying so hard to save me. It would be a waste to give everything up. Especially since everyone has gone out of their way to help us...I want to help everyone else too."- Tirian smiled listening to the words spoken. Serna found confidence and spoke with meaning, without that stutter he had grown accustomed to. Tirian hesitated for a moment before answering himself. “My mother was a beautiful person. I think without her motivation I wouldn’t be able to keep pushing forward. I would’ve been gone a long, long time ago.” -Serna finally turned her head to look up at him. She looked down at her lap as she thought of her own mother. "Do you miss her?" Serna asked softly.- “More than anything.” -Serna nodded. "I miss my mother too. I haven't gotten to see her in years, since the night I was taken from my family." The girl rubbed her eyes quietly. "It's sad to know that I'll never get to see her again or know if she's ok."- “You’ll see her again one day, don’t worry.” -Serna looked at him and smiled lightly, knowing it wasn't true. But the thought was nice and she was grateful for it. "I hope so."-