[quote=@Hammerman]
Hearing Catherine praising her for having raw talent, and that she did much better than most of the other new students, Kanako couldn't help but brighten up. She was proud on her ability, and being praised like this made her even prouder. She would make sure that she would develop that talent properly so that she could make Catherine even prouder of her.

Kanako immediately did as she was told. She first examined the stance Catherine was making, before attempting to imitate it as best as she could. The first training would be some breathing exercise, and the point of the training was to make her more attuned with her element. So Kanako concentrated herself at every breath she took and released. She felt the flow of the air coming in from her nose into her lungs and then coming back out.

Thanks to Catherine's tact, Kanako was able to focus entirely on the lesson, since she still didn't realize that her skirt was gone.
[/quote]

[color=f49ac2]"Good, now that you've got a rhythm going, try taking longer breaths than normal, or very short breaths, like you're hyperventilating.
You'll notice yourself start to shake or otherwise lose control. This is perfectly normal, but it reminds us that losing control of our powers is not so unusual since it's just as easy to lose control of our bodies if we push the limits, even if we're just breathing. If anything, when you notice the shaking, learn how to stay calm and pull back,"[/color] Catherine explained.

[quote=@Zelosse]
Kano chuckled to himself politely at the first few attempts ShiZhen tried at attempting to repel the water. Indeed it was harder than it looked which was why he chuckled. So many students wanted to master everything quickly.

[color=004b80]"The trick is directing the water. Not forcing it."[/color]

Fingers closed in a fist the headmaster pointed his hand at ShiZhen, taking his time to spread his influence across a large area around the young pupil. The change of the water would not be very obvious but under his command it became almost motionless, until Kano extended his fingers.
The water around ShiZhen, including the water on her outfit and hair, flowed out steadily until she sat on the smooth stones. All the water in the pool near her had receeded as if a sheet of glass had surrounded her.

[color=004b80]"Perhaps repelling water might not be a good start for you just yet. Close your eyes and focus on the water around you, flowing free, until you can hear it in your mind. When that happens just imagine it collecting over your hands instead of away from them."[/color]
[/quote]

ShiZhen stared in amazement as the water parted, leaving her completely dry. She listened intently as Kano instructed her. As the water came back, she did as told and closed her eyes. She tried to focus on the water but intrusive thoughts clouded her mind, thoughts like, "I can't hear anything," and, "this is silly." She was having a hard time concentrating and became agitated, worried that the headmaster might be judging her as inept. As her nervousness mounted, her ability triggered, only instead of drawing moisture from the air and drenching herself, sheets of water flowed over to cover her body. Realizing what had just happened, ShiZhen gasped, inhaling a good portion of water. Her control broken by her inevitable sudden coughing fit, the water fell away from her body in a noisy splash. Had she had the right presence of mind, she would have noticed that in that exact instance, she was calm. Water calmed her, so she draws it from her surroundings when nervous. Her annoyance at becoming wet has gotten in the way of her realizing that, and right now, her trying not to drown also got in the way of that realization.