EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Um, well...sort of." She answered with some uncertainty. "You did act like a lot of boys do when they are attracted to Ma'tanza. Looking at her for a bit longer than usual, getting nervous speaking to her. But, you also acted like that around other people, and for reasons that weren't about Ma'tanza. You, um, seem to get nervous more than most people, so this one never really knew what caused it. Was it all about Ma'tanza, or were you nervous about other things too?" She asked.

---

Meesei simply chuckled and gave a wave along with Sabine when she pointed out the people observing them. She was not sure exactly when they had arrived, so she did not know how much they had seen. She was not one to intentionally show off her abilities, but she did not mind that some members of the clan had happened to see at least the results of her demonstration.

After stepping away from the frozen ground, Meesei nodded, then charged another simple restoration spell. "Certainly. Raise your ward, and concentrate." She instructed.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza followed suit and sat down beside Tzirret. Mimicking his posture, she also put her arm over his shoulder, as well as wrapping her tail around his waist. Following all of the discomfort and confusion, Ma'tanza had lost much of what she had been thinking about before. Instead, they were replaced by thoughts of the future, and what might happen between herself and Tzirret over the following weeks. As such, she did not have anything to say until Tzirret spoke up.

Cocking her head to the side somewhat, Ma'tanza, once more, appeared confused. "Yes, Ma'tanza remembers the chapel, but...she isn't sure what exactly you're talking about. She remembers looking at all of the beautiful windows and carvings, and talking about the Imperial gods. She does remember that you were going to tell her something before we had to go, but you didn't bring it up again. Were you going to give Ma'tanza the pendant then?"

---

Meesei took in a few deep breaths as she stepped away from the center of what remained of the frost storm. Since her magic had passed, the slick sheet of ice on the ground was starting to feel cold to her as well. Briefly, she paused and looked back when she heard a loud cracking sound coming from the tree behind her. The whole base of its trunk was frozen in ice, and it looked to be rather unstable. However, it seemed to settle after a few moments.

"That...was more power than I would normally use, yes. That frost spell takes much more out of me than a comparable lightning spell. It is not something I would use in combat unless I had a very good reason, certainly." Meesei answered. She walked up to Sabine, then turned around and stood alongside her to join in looking over the spell's effects. "I gained that power the same way you are gaining yours. Training, experience, and perhaps some talent. It may seem unimaginable now, but power like that is within your grasp. Another ten years or so, and I could see you casting a frost spell more intricate and powerful than that."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza still kept her arms around Tzirret as well, lightly scratching the fur on his lower back. She was just as uncertain as before, though for different reasons. She looked at the water briefly, somewhat wanting to swim, but not entirely. "Um, well, we could swim more, if you wanted. We could also just go back to camp, find the others or just stay with each other. Uh, none of that was really helpful, was it?"

Closing her eyes and lowering her head, Ma'tanza let out a brief sigh. "We could do anything you want. Ma'tanza doesn't really know what she wants to do. Like she said, there isn't much we can do now that we couldn't before."

---

"Yes, just...stand back a bit farther. Roughly twice as far, actually." Meesei warned, moving herself even farther away to the base of the tree Sabine had used as a target. She took in a few deep breaths as she started pouring magicka through herself in preparation.

"As you know, my specialization is lightning, and that is the type of magic for which I can create the most powerful spells and most impressive displays. But, I do not believe this would be the best place to demonstrate those abilities. I would not want to accidentally start a forest fire that I could not extinguish. Since you have an affinity for frost, I will show you something of that element. It may not be my specialization, but my general aptitude in destruction still allows me to cast magic normally considered to be at the master level, regardless of the element. I just know more techniques for lightning. Just do not step close until the effect has completely ended." Meesei warned.

With the end of her explanation, the air around Meesei grew very cold, though she did not perceive it. An aura of destruction magic formed around her, which quickly coalesced into concentrated, swirling frost around her hands. The trained eye could see easily that the frost around her hands was exceptionally intense for as long as she charged the magic, but it was not until she unleashed the spell that the extent of its power became readily apparent.

In only a brief moment, Meesei went from charging the spell close to her chest, to thrusting her hands out to either side of her, pushing the magicka along with it. The air around her quickly went from calm and pleasant, to a raging whirlwind of frost about forty feet in all directions around her. Everything from the ground, to the grass, to the trees themselves were not only whitened by the ice on their surface, but frozen to the very core. With the thickness of the cloud of frost, Meesei was not even visible at its center.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza reached down once the pendant was tied and took the carved piece of horn gently in her hand, examining it once more. "Thank you, Tzirret." She answered with a smile, albeit a nervous one.

"This one is sorry, this is all just so sudden. It is not what Ma'tanza expected today. But...she is glad to be together with you. There isn't much we can do that we couldn't already, but she is looking forward to spending time with you. Just...don't listen to everything Bheja says when he learns about it. He likes to play jokes, and if you ask him about this one, he will probably trick you into playing a joke on Ma'tanza. He did that to Qa'habi. Oh, and don't take S'nishi too seriously. She is very protective of Ma'tanza and M'ibasa. She might start watching you more often, threaten to eat you, that kind of thing." She explained before suddenly giving Tzirret a hug.

---

Meesei laughed rather loudly at Sabine's sudden fears. She supposed she could understand the misunderstanding, given the context of what they had just been talking about, but nevertheless, the thought of Sabine trying to ward against one of the lightning storms or blizzards she could unleash caused her to chuckle.

"No, that is not quite what I had in mind. I merely meant as an example; a demonstration. I want to show you a taste of what you might achieve with diligent practice." Meesei clarified.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ma'tanza nodded, reaching out and grabbing Tzirret's hand. "This one does not want to stop seeing you, no. Maybe...Ma'tanza used to be with Qa'habi, you remember, but she didn't love him. She really liked him, and was with him to get to know him. This one might have loved him eventually, if he hadn't called it all off. Is that what you want to do? To be with Ma'tanza like Qa'habi used to be?"

Overall, Ma'tanza seemed frightened, and confused on what she wanted. It was clear that she had not thought of Tzirret in the same way as he had thought of her, but at the same time, she was not unwilling to try. It was possible she could come to see Tzirret in the same light, or she might cause him an even greater disappointment in the future.

---

Meesei was giving Sabine a brief moment to rest when she was questioned about her own learning experience. "Well, to perfect the technique, I would say that I have not yet done so after almost twenty years of practice. No matter how much I learn, or how advanced my skills become, there always seems to be an improvement to be made. I can always make my technique a bit more magicka efficient, or a bit more powerful. But just to do it reliably? I believe it was about a week or so. We have not placed that much focus on this technique, so I would not be discouraged. It helps if you do not try to predict it with your eyes. You cannot always see the spells being fired at you, and something like lightning travels so quickly that you could not possibly predict it. You want to make it a reaction to a spell hitting your ward, almost like muscle memory. There is enough time that, if you start performing the technique as soon as you feel the impact, you should be able to absorb plenty of the energy."

For a few moments, Meesei was silent before another thought came to her mind. "Say, would you like to see an example of some of the...highest level destruction spells?"

Star Wars: Coruscant Underworld [Always accepting!]

Say, @HHShetland, do you think you're going to have Dyno end up stopping by Tir's place in your next one? I need to figure out what I intend to do with her at the moment.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"No, no, it's just..." Ma'tanza began quickly, though she too was having a difficult time finding the right words. "Ma'tanza likes you, Tzirret, she does. But...love is a very big thing to her. It is something you're supposed to build over months, or years. It's supposed to be something you're so certain of that it would seem insane to question it. Ma'tanza, she likes you, but she doesn't know if she feels that...strongly about you. Please, don't be upset, this one still really likes you, she just...is so unsure."

Ma'tanza lowered her head, then walked up alongside Tzirret just as he turned away. She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, then turned him back towards her. "Maybe...maybe love isn't quite the same where you're from. Maybe it isn't as strong as Ma'tanza sees it. You weren't completely wrong with your judgement of Ma'tanza. You're not like other boys; you're so nice and...interesting. She can't say she loves you, but there is...something."

---

Meesei nodded. "I can give you a minute or two to allow you to recharge somewhat, but the point of this exercise is to use my spells to sustain your ward. For obvious reasons, it is a skill that can save your life."

Just as she said, Meesei allowed Sabine a few minutes to rest, but she did not intend to allow her to regenerate too much of her magicka. She allowed her only enough time to be able to create a simple ward before she once again readies a restoration spell in her hand. "Remember your lessons. The magicka in my spell is no different from the magicka in yours, so once it hits your ward, it is yours to manipulate. You need to be quick, but you can redirect the burst of energy back into yourself. Now, let us try again."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I forgot to mention that I was going to be home very late today. I'll respond when I'm able.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Hearing the emotion in his voice, Tzirret had Ma’tanza’s full attention throughout his explanation. Knowing how he had obtained it, and what he had been through, told her what it meant to him. He said that she deserved to have it, which, given the context, was flattering enough to briefly bring a smile to her face. However, there was one word which he said that gave her pause. Her expression became nervous, almost frightened.

“L-loves?” Ma’tanza repeated. She looked down at the pendant, clutching it tightly in her hands as she went over again in her mind what he had just explained to her. “Give it to someone you…love? Ma’tanza likes the pendant; it is beautiful. And…she likes you. Tzirret is kind, and treats Ma’tanza differently from a lot of boys. But…love?”

Ma’tanza was now breathing almost as heavily as Tzirret himself, though her fear was of a slightly different source than his. “Ma’tanza…cannot say she loves Tzirret. She doesn’t know you that well. It has only been a few…weeks since we met. She…she doesn’t want to disappoint you, Tzirret. Ma’tanza doesn’t want to hurt you. It’s just…love is a lot, Tzirret. This one likes you, a lot, but she doesn’t want to say she loves you if she doesn’t know that it’s true.”

---

Meesei observed the wave of ice Sabine produced without any particular reaction, until it had dissipated. At that point, Meesei gave her an encouraging smile. “Exciting, is it not? To push yourself to your fullest limits, just to test your potential. Though, despite the…theatrics of such spells, they are far from the most impressive displays of magic possible, at least in my opinion. Adding more raw power to a spell is something that any mage can do. However, it is good for providing a good visual demonstration of where you are in your training. You have accomplished much in the past three or four years, likely more than you give yourself credit for. With enough time, I have no doubt you will become a mage to surpass even me.”

After giving Sabine a few moments to take in her words, Meesei’s smile turned to more of a grin. “Now, you have likely just drained most of your magicka, and have not had much time at all to restore it, so…put up a ward.” She instructed as her hand began to glow with the light of a restore stamina spell. It was not a damaging spell, but a ward would still block it all the same.

“While it is something you should do your best to avoid, it is inevitable that you will find yourself in combat while low on magicka. Wards are great defensive spells, but can be draining on your magicka reserves. You recall the previous lessons I have given you on how to make your wards absorb some of the energy of the spells they block, yes? Now, we are going to practice that technique. You will need to use the energy of my spells to sustain your ward.” Meesei explained.

Mass Effect: The Face of Injustice

The Human woman was still angry, and overall distressed, but Voira’s response had at least served to validate her anger towards the AI enough that she was content seething in silence. For most of the passengers on the shuttle, any stress created by the brief shouting match was eclipsed by worry over the approaching craft, even more so when the entirety of their convoy on the ground and in the air suddenly stopped. Fortunately, when the gunships came into what would have been attack range, they did not fire, nor show other signs of hostility. Instead, half of the gunships, which seemed to have been outfitted for cargo transport, landed next to their ground vehicles. Turian soldiers emerged from the transports and, from what Avatar could gather through the external cameras, seemed to be moving the supplies and people from the ground transports onto the gunships. It was a process that took half an hour to complete, during which time no information was given to any of the civilians aboard the other shuttles.

After the gunships were loaded, the shuttles and their gunship escort took off at as high of a speed and as low of an altitude as they could sustain, leaving all of the now-empty ground transports behind. Presumably, they were evacuating to safety, but Avatar could not any prediction with reasonable certainty as to their destination. There were no official allied military bases on record on the planet, and indeed, no settlements at all along their current bearing. They had two full hours of low altitude flight above largely unexplored sections of the planet before their aerial convoy finally slowed its pace to an approach velocity over a thick, tropical jungle.

For those that could see of the windows, their destination finally became clear. The Turian cruiser Intrepid was before them, sitting atop the fallen trees it had crushed in its emergency landing. However, even a cursory visual observation revealed that its structural integrity was nothing short of critical. On just the side of the ship facing the shuttle, Avatar counted fourteen hull breaches of sufficient size to cause the loss of pressurization in multiple compartments, and an indeterminate number of smaller breaches. If the other side of the ship possessed a similar level of damage, then the ship’s energy shielding system would not have been sufficient to completely retain atmosphere. The largest of the breaches which were visible cut the lettering of the word Intrepid written across the side of the vessel in half, and stretched across multiple decks. Avatar could not accurately estimate the extent of the ship’s internal damage, but the probability of the vessel still being capable of operation within a vacuum was less than 0.5%.

On their approach, their shuttle’s pilot finally spoke up over the shuttle’s speakers to address his passengers. “Okay…I’m being told that we’re going to land in the ship’s hanger, but that we should all stay put in the shuttle until one of their people can get to us and take us where we need to go.”