Fendros, Ahnasha, and Najirra's scene will go into a timeskip in my next post. I'd like Ahnasha and Fendros to get proper counselling from him, but I'm not a qualified counsellor. I can only give the jist of what's most likely to happen.
Muttonhawk Member
Let Slip the Corgis of War
- Last Seen: 4 mos ago
- Old Guild Username: Muttonhawk, probably.
- Joined: 12 yrs ago
- Posts: 7613 (1.67 / day)
- VMs: 0
-
Username history
- Muttonhawk 12 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
StarfrostedFox,
Scrawl Banditta,
Lord Zee,
SkyeOfStars,
Vec,
corneredbliss,
abc,
LaserGunPewPew,
EliteCommander
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
Dear Mr Curly,
I have done little travelling lately because I have been so dreadfully weary. Can it be true as the old Ecclesiastes said; that all things lead to weariness? Surely not. Perhaps the opposite is true: that all nothings lead to weariness. I have a peculiar feeling, Curly, that I am worn out from something I haven't yet done and the more I don't do it, the more exhausted I become. How strange. Could it be something I haven't realised? Perhaps it's something I haven't said? Something I haven't finished! It must be very large and true whatever it is and a lively struggle in the doing but I look forward to it immensely. I know I need it. First, however, I must curl up in my chair and sleep deeply with the duck. Perhaps I'll dream of this thing and wake up refreshed and do it. My fond wishes to you Mr. Curly, and to all Curly Flat.
Yours sleepily,
Vasco Pyjama
xxx
P.S. Not having breakfast can make you weary. That's for sure!
Most Recent Posts
Most of Sabine's friends stepped forward to coo and aww at Leaps while giving him little rubs. Leaps chirped happily with all of the attention. Rikki watched on from behind them, still dubious.
Thyme looked up, "So Leaps came all the way from Black Marsh? That's a long way. What's it like there, anyway?"
Sabine had joined in petting Leaps when she became distracted and began to cringe a little. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled her hand away. She lifted her hand out of the water to reveal a small scratch. It wasn't bleeding, save for the tiniest of red beads. "Sorry," Sabine said, as if an apology was owed at all, "I wasn't being careful."
Angela and Frieda were paying close enough attention that they glanced over to what had caught Sabine's attention. They looked at one another knowingly and let out a small giggle.
Sabine's cheeks flushed slightly. She knew that she had been caught out. Over on the floor above the pool, the Redguard orphan boy, Caleb, was preparing to wash himself in preparation for bathing in the pool. His expression seemed neutral. If anything he looked tired from recent manual labour. He hadn't apparently noticed the group across the pool looking in his direction.
Fendros silently placed his teacup forward to be refilled. He didn't think he could drink very much of it without feeling sick, but he had to admit that it was soothing in a way.
There was a nod from Najirra to Ahnasha as he refilled both cups Fendros and her had put forward. "There is much to helping your mind that comes from teachings of lycan control, but there are a few fundamental differences. While a beast spirit grows in power and becomes apparent after infection or during adolescence, your minds have been with you all of your lives. There are many different behaviours that are so natural to you that you hardly notice them until you are taught to recognise them. That is a large part of helping yourself, you see; simply learning to recognise how you think and feel. Another fact to know is that your minds cannot be sated and tamed so easily by simply carrying out instincts of hunting and eating. Do not mistake, if you are starving, your instincts will hold more sway no matter who you are, but we are here in regards to a mind that has been wounded by a horrible experience, not one that is simply starved. In essence, the limits of your personal instincts have been overloaded to a breaking point."
Reluctantly, Fendros spoke, "Is there a way to fix us, then? To heal it?"
"Yes," Najirra said with reservation, "But you will be left with a scar. A very sore scar."
Fendros looked into his teacup. Despite his previous suspicions, he was now convinced that Najirra was their best hope. He looked up, "I don't care. As long as we heal."
"I am glad that you are so willing. But before we begin with what I have in mind next," Najirra offered a palm, "I want you to understand that you may ask me of this information at any point, to make clear and explain my reasoning."
Kaleeth's intentions clicked in Janius' mind as soon as she laid her head on his shoulder. He began to slow his walk then, both to think and so that he didn't bump Kaleeth's head uncomfortably in his gait. His mind was washed with a familiar apprehension, but he managed to smile and glance at Kaleeth. "You really are set on becoming a mother, aren't you," he said quietly. Given that Janius assumed that Kaleeth knew where she was going, their aimless walk appeared to take them towards some storage chambers. Whatever Kaleeth wanted to pick up from there was becoming more ephemeral, replaced by Janius' hope that it would be private enough to have a proper conversation about the issue.
To a lesser extent, a jest came up in the back of Janius' mind: If they did agree to have children, he hoped that Kaleeth would not be too enthusiastic. The cold stone floors would not be very comfortable.
Thyme looked up, "So Leaps came all the way from Black Marsh? That's a long way. What's it like there, anyway?"
Sabine had joined in petting Leaps when she became distracted and began to cringe a little. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled her hand away. She lifted her hand out of the water to reveal a small scratch. It wasn't bleeding, save for the tiniest of red beads. "Sorry," Sabine said, as if an apology was owed at all, "I wasn't being careful."
Angela and Frieda were paying close enough attention that they glanced over to what had caught Sabine's attention. They looked at one another knowingly and let out a small giggle.
Sabine's cheeks flushed slightly. She knew that she had been caught out. Over on the floor above the pool, the Redguard orphan boy, Caleb, was preparing to wash himself in preparation for bathing in the pool. His expression seemed neutral. If anything he looked tired from recent manual labour. He hadn't apparently noticed the group across the pool looking in his direction.
Fendros silently placed his teacup forward to be refilled. He didn't think he could drink very much of it without feeling sick, but he had to admit that it was soothing in a way.
There was a nod from Najirra to Ahnasha as he refilled both cups Fendros and her had put forward. "There is much to helping your mind that comes from teachings of lycan control, but there are a few fundamental differences. While a beast spirit grows in power and becomes apparent after infection or during adolescence, your minds have been with you all of your lives. There are many different behaviours that are so natural to you that you hardly notice them until you are taught to recognise them. That is a large part of helping yourself, you see; simply learning to recognise how you think and feel. Another fact to know is that your minds cannot be sated and tamed so easily by simply carrying out instincts of hunting and eating. Do not mistake, if you are starving, your instincts will hold more sway no matter who you are, but we are here in regards to a mind that has been wounded by a horrible experience, not one that is simply starved. In essence, the limits of your personal instincts have been overloaded to a breaking point."
Reluctantly, Fendros spoke, "Is there a way to fix us, then? To heal it?"
"Yes," Najirra said with reservation, "But you will be left with a scar. A very sore scar."
Fendros looked into his teacup. Despite his previous suspicions, he was now convinced that Najirra was their best hope. He looked up, "I don't care. As long as we heal."
"I am glad that you are so willing. But before we begin with what I have in mind next," Najirra offered a palm, "I want you to understand that you may ask me of this information at any point, to make clear and explain my reasoning."
Kaleeth's intentions clicked in Janius' mind as soon as she laid her head on his shoulder. He began to slow his walk then, both to think and so that he didn't bump Kaleeth's head uncomfortably in his gait. His mind was washed with a familiar apprehension, but he managed to smile and glance at Kaleeth. "You really are set on becoming a mother, aren't you," he said quietly. Given that Janius assumed that Kaleeth knew where she was going, their aimless walk appeared to take them towards some storage chambers. Whatever Kaleeth wanted to pick up from there was becoming more ephemeral, replaced by Janius' hope that it would be private enough to have a proper conversation about the issue.
To a lesser extent, a jest came up in the back of Janius' mind: If they did agree to have children, he hoped that Kaleeth would not be too enthusiastic. The cold stone floors would not be very comfortable.
It was just as Sabine was beginning to wonder where Leaps had wandered off to that Roland screamed and skidded straight into the water. She was concerned for a moment, but as Roland's head burst to the surface again, she began to join in with the laughter.
Angela tried to feign indifference as she stroked over to Roland, but given that she was the only one who seemed to be moving to help, no amount of acting would protect her. "Are you okay, Roland? It was just a lizard."
After the laughter died down, Freida turned to Sabine. "Is that the baby wamasu you told us about, Sabine? It's so cute!"
Sabine was still to amused to answer with anything more than a nod.
"I would trust you to think it's cute, Freida." Rikki commented, "It looks slimy to me."
"Leaps isn't slimy, he is just shiny," Sabine said, "Would you like to meet him? Careful, he likes jumping on people."
"Never would have guessed with a name like that," Freida said.
"Roland, would you like to meet Meesei and Leaps?" Sabine called out, though not quite as clearly as Thyme did.
"I can assure you, if it were Vaermina herself that cursed you with nightmares, her job would be much easier with what you have been through." Najirra didn't quite laugh, even though he looked as though he might. He paused instead as his expression brought concern. "Just to make sure, you have not done anything to offend Vaermina or any other Daedra, have you? Apart from Clavicus Vile, of course."
"I don't think so," Fendros answered slowly. "The only one I could think that we have particularly offended would be Vile."
"Well," Najirra shrugged, "We shall keep Daedric influence in mind. But, back to explaining. Where to begin...where to begin..." Najirra itched at the underside of his chin for a moment. "All minds of creatures that resemble us enough have similar ways of working. Animals, people, even some smarter fish, we all have fear in a way, and we all have memories. The greater beings that created us all decided to use a simple way to make sure that we wouldn't keep falling into danger; when we are in danger, we panic. If you ever remember panicking in your lives, I guarantee that you either thoughtlessly lashed out and stood your ground, ran as fast and as far away as you could, or froze in place and barely even dared to breathe until the danger passed. This is natural if a greater predator is hunting you. Anyone who decides to stop and consider the situation..." Najirra clapped his hands together from above and below, curling his fingers to look like teeth, "...is eaten! Your best chance, most of the time, is to act instinctively." Najirra waved a hand, "But this is what you already know. There is another reaction in your mind that is barely noticed." Najirra pointed to his forehead, "A strong memory of the danger. You will find that the easiest memories to recall are the ones where you felt in danger. This is natural, as anyone who does not recall how to anticipate danger is eaten as well! And dreams! They are influenced by your worries, your memories, all manner of things that roil in the mind. You might see now where this leads." Najirra grinned slightly.
Fendros was starting to connect the dots. This was all a new level of understanding for him, so it was somewhat hard to keep up with. At least most of it lead on from common sense. Still, it felt too simple. He wondered whether he should trust Najirra's explanation at all. It could be a trick, but then again, if it helps...
"Greater kinds of danger and fear imprint stronger memories." Najirra continued, a little less proud of himself this time. "Our minds were never meant to survive such ordeals as prolonged near-death experiences or horrors above and beyond the wilderness. What happens when we are witnesses to such things, anyway? Well, the memory becomes so strong that being reminded is unnaturally easy and often involuntary. It appears in nightmares more easily than anything a beast spirit imparts onto the mind. The memory becomes so strong that even recalling a part of it flows into our bodies, making panic and flooding our senses with how it was in the first place. This is why you become distressed with opened living flesh, and this is why the nightmares are so common." Najirra stopped to clear his throat and lifted the tea set onto the small table again. "There is more to it, but that it the basic explanation," Najirra poured himself another cup of the sweet tea, "Do you both understand so far? Is there anything you wish to clarify?" Najirra's tone became lighter as he gestured with the teapot, "More tea?"
Janius returned Kaleeth's smile. It was nice to see her react with happiness after transforming for a change. Her question was at first something he didn't think hard about. He glanced back at the children and then to Kaleeth neutrally. "Sure, I don't mind them. They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm," Janius responded, apparently oblivious, at least for the moment.
Angela tried to feign indifference as she stroked over to Roland, but given that she was the only one who seemed to be moving to help, no amount of acting would protect her. "Are you okay, Roland? It was just a lizard."
After the laughter died down, Freida turned to Sabine. "Is that the baby wamasu you told us about, Sabine? It's so cute!"
Sabine was still to amused to answer with anything more than a nod.
"I would trust you to think it's cute, Freida." Rikki commented, "It looks slimy to me."
"Leaps isn't slimy, he is just shiny," Sabine said, "Would you like to meet him? Careful, he likes jumping on people."
"Never would have guessed with a name like that," Freida said.
"Roland, would you like to meet Meesei and Leaps?" Sabine called out, though not quite as clearly as Thyme did.
"I can assure you, if it were Vaermina herself that cursed you with nightmares, her job would be much easier with what you have been through." Najirra didn't quite laugh, even though he looked as though he might. He paused instead as his expression brought concern. "Just to make sure, you have not done anything to offend Vaermina or any other Daedra, have you? Apart from Clavicus Vile, of course."
"I don't think so," Fendros answered slowly. "The only one I could think that we have particularly offended would be Vile."
"Well," Najirra shrugged, "We shall keep Daedric influence in mind. But, back to explaining. Where to begin...where to begin..." Najirra itched at the underside of his chin for a moment. "All minds of creatures that resemble us enough have similar ways of working. Animals, people, even some smarter fish, we all have fear in a way, and we all have memories. The greater beings that created us all decided to use a simple way to make sure that we wouldn't keep falling into danger; when we are in danger, we panic. If you ever remember panicking in your lives, I guarantee that you either thoughtlessly lashed out and stood your ground, ran as fast and as far away as you could, or froze in place and barely even dared to breathe until the danger passed. This is natural if a greater predator is hunting you. Anyone who decides to stop and consider the situation..." Najirra clapped his hands together from above and below, curling his fingers to look like teeth, "...is eaten! Your best chance, most of the time, is to act instinctively." Najirra waved a hand, "But this is what you already know. There is another reaction in your mind that is barely noticed." Najirra pointed to his forehead, "A strong memory of the danger. You will find that the easiest memories to recall are the ones where you felt in danger. This is natural, as anyone who does not recall how to anticipate danger is eaten as well! And dreams! They are influenced by your worries, your memories, all manner of things that roil in the mind. You might see now where this leads." Najirra grinned slightly.
Fendros was starting to connect the dots. This was all a new level of understanding for him, so it was somewhat hard to keep up with. At least most of it lead on from common sense. Still, it felt too simple. He wondered whether he should trust Najirra's explanation at all. It could be a trick, but then again, if it helps...
"Greater kinds of danger and fear imprint stronger memories." Najirra continued, a little less proud of himself this time. "Our minds were never meant to survive such ordeals as prolonged near-death experiences or horrors above and beyond the wilderness. What happens when we are witnesses to such things, anyway? Well, the memory becomes so strong that being reminded is unnaturally easy and often involuntary. It appears in nightmares more easily than anything a beast spirit imparts onto the mind. The memory becomes so strong that even recalling a part of it flows into our bodies, making panic and flooding our senses with how it was in the first place. This is why you become distressed with opened living flesh, and this is why the nightmares are so common." Najirra stopped to clear his throat and lifted the tea set onto the small table again. "There is more to it, but that it the basic explanation," Najirra poured himself another cup of the sweet tea, "Do you both understand so far? Is there anything you wish to clarify?" Najirra's tone became lighter as he gestured with the teapot, "More tea?"
Janius returned Kaleeth's smile. It was nice to see her react with happiness after transforming for a change. Her question was at first something he didn't think hard about. He glanced back at the children and then to Kaleeth neutrally. "Sure, I don't mind them. They have a lot of energy and enthusiasm," Janius responded, apparently oblivious, at least for the moment.
You can go ahead and release Leaps. Also, Sabine's friends are fairly simple characters thusfar. You can take control of them for the sake of quick responses if you like. The only quirk to really keep in mind is Angela's behaviour, but that's not too difficult, I should think.
"It's only been recently that he's been hiding," Freida answered, "A week or two, maybe. We should call him over."
Angela opened her mouth to speak, perhaps to protest, but didn't follow through.
Instead, Thyme spoke out. She did so with gusto. "Roland! Come into the pool! Why are you hiding?!"
For a short while, Sabine wanted to mention that perhaps Roland was afraid of her, but she didn't want to leave her friends just because another friend was hiding from her. It was an on-the-spot theory anyway. She was curious to ask him. That, and it was enough fun to watch Angela's strange behaviour around him. It was Angela's own small comeuppance where Sabine was otherwise too shy to do much teasing herself.
"Not necessarily," Najirra replied, "The body is a reflection of the emotional mind. When you are relaxed, with nothing to do or think about, it relaxes and deteriorates. When you are in a routine, it aligns with the routine. When you are working, it flows through with energy. When you are overstressed, there is so much energy that it tightens up and overcompensates. The energy can take many forms; tension, heartbeats, cramps, headaches. But this is not the only direction it flows." Najirra swept his hands up in a movement from the front of his stomach to his forehead, "The mind is informed by the body, through our senses and our pains. If we calm our bodies, all it takes is a little focus and we may calm our minds. Though temporary, this is what we accomplished with the breathing." Najirra leaned forward slightly, "You may attempt this breathing technique whenever you like, but it is not the only way to calm yourselves. Each time you come to my abode, we will always start with a different calming technique or practice a previous one. Eventually, we may find those which work best for each of you, and you will know the best way to calm yourselves."
Najirra gathered up the parchment and began to roll it all up, gesturing to collect the charcoal as well. "But, learning to calm oneself is not the complete answer to your predicament. It is only a part of it. I shall also teach you to recognise your thoughts and behaviours in order to treat them accordingly. This will involve looking into what happened and finding associations. Additionally, if you are interested, I may teach you exactly the nature of terrible memories. How they work in the mind is very similar from person to person, and understanding your own mind to that extent may be useful to you. It may give reason to your suffering." Najirra placed his hands on his knees and spoke genially despite the subject matter, "So, with which would you like to start? With thoughts and behaviours or understanding your minds?"
Fendros stayed quiet and decided to let Ahnasha decide. He wasn't sure what to expect from either of the topics. The idea of using a breathing technique to help solve the problems they were facing seemed too easy and quick, but at least he didn't suspect that he was being led astray by Najirra any more.
Janius' eyes followed Kaleeth's to the children. He thought for a moment that he should step in and arbitrate where they were fighting over the larger pieces, but they didn't fight for long. It wasn't as if they couldn't go to their friend to see the shield fragment whenever they wanted. It was just a little memento after all. Still, it was quaint to watch.
"Heh, yeah. It's been a while since I saw kids awed like that. Adorable is the right word for these little scamps." Janius turned his back to the children and faced Meesei, "You aren't thinking of making shield biting a regular entertainment, are you?"
Angela opened her mouth to speak, perhaps to protest, but didn't follow through.
Instead, Thyme spoke out. She did so with gusto. "Roland! Come into the pool! Why are you hiding?!"
For a short while, Sabine wanted to mention that perhaps Roland was afraid of her, but she didn't want to leave her friends just because another friend was hiding from her. It was an on-the-spot theory anyway. She was curious to ask him. That, and it was enough fun to watch Angela's strange behaviour around him. It was Angela's own small comeuppance where Sabine was otherwise too shy to do much teasing herself.
"Not necessarily," Najirra replied, "The body is a reflection of the emotional mind. When you are relaxed, with nothing to do or think about, it relaxes and deteriorates. When you are in a routine, it aligns with the routine. When you are working, it flows through with energy. When you are overstressed, there is so much energy that it tightens up and overcompensates. The energy can take many forms; tension, heartbeats, cramps, headaches. But this is not the only direction it flows." Najirra swept his hands up in a movement from the front of his stomach to his forehead, "The mind is informed by the body, through our senses and our pains. If we calm our bodies, all it takes is a little focus and we may calm our minds. Though temporary, this is what we accomplished with the breathing." Najirra leaned forward slightly, "You may attempt this breathing technique whenever you like, but it is not the only way to calm yourselves. Each time you come to my abode, we will always start with a different calming technique or practice a previous one. Eventually, we may find those which work best for each of you, and you will know the best way to calm yourselves."
Najirra gathered up the parchment and began to roll it all up, gesturing to collect the charcoal as well. "But, learning to calm oneself is not the complete answer to your predicament. It is only a part of it. I shall also teach you to recognise your thoughts and behaviours in order to treat them accordingly. This will involve looking into what happened and finding associations. Additionally, if you are interested, I may teach you exactly the nature of terrible memories. How they work in the mind is very similar from person to person, and understanding your own mind to that extent may be useful to you. It may give reason to your suffering." Najirra placed his hands on his knees and spoke genially despite the subject matter, "So, with which would you like to start? With thoughts and behaviours or understanding your minds?"
Fendros stayed quiet and decided to let Ahnasha decide. He wasn't sure what to expect from either of the topics. The idea of using a breathing technique to help solve the problems they were facing seemed too easy and quick, but at least he didn't suspect that he was being led astray by Najirra any more.
Janius' eyes followed Kaleeth's to the children. He thought for a moment that he should step in and arbitrate where they were fighting over the larger pieces, but they didn't fight for long. It wasn't as if they couldn't go to their friend to see the shield fragment whenever they wanted. It was just a little memento after all. Still, it was quaint to watch.
"Heh, yeah. It's been a while since I saw kids awed like that. Adorable is the right word for these little scamps." Janius turned his back to the children and faced Meesei, "You aren't thinking of making shield biting a regular entertainment, are you?"
We was with Sabine and Meesei. He might have followed them into the pool.
Caleb is around Sabine's age, I'm pretty sure.
Caleb is around Sabine's age, I'm pretty sure.
"Surprise!" The Altmer girl erupted from the water behind Sabine and placed her hands on Sabine's shoulders. Sabine shrieked with fright. The Altmer girl's upward momentum turned down while she was above Sabine, effectively dunking Sabine under the water. The Altmer began laughing with good nature as Sabine surfaced again with flattened wet hair. Sabine began to giggle along with the Altmer and threw a splash of water in revenge.
"Good one, Rikki," Primus said over his own laughter.
Now that Sabine was in the centre of the group, she realised with Meesei's face that she should perhaps introduce everyone else properly, rather than vaguely pointing. Not everyone was as up front as Freida. "Meesei, this is Rikki, Primus, Angela, and Thyme."
"You are a magic user, right?" The Bosmer girl, Thyme, was perhaps the one with the clearest voice, but she was the smallest of them all, "What kind of magic are you good at?"
Off to one side, Sabine approached Rikki and murmured. "Where's Caleb?"
"I think he's helping the woodworkers to build extra things for the front gate, why?" Rikki gained a mischeivious grin, "Finally brought up the courage to confess?"
"No!" Sabine reacted immediately, beginning to cringe again, "I told you, I don't..."
"Sabine, we can all tell. You ask after him too much." Angela matter-of-factly noted.
Primus looked sideways at Angela, "By that logic, sis, you would have feelings for Roland over there."
Angela instinctively looked around, "What? He's here!? Uh-" she stopped herself and looked angrily back at Roland, "I don't like like Roland, okay? He's just..." Angela trailed off.
"He runs off and hides at the weirdest times," Rikki finished Angela's sentence.
The breathing exercise went on for as long as Fendros expected, and then five more. By about the middle of the exercise, he had to admit that he didn't realise how tense his neck and shoulders were until it all seemed to drain off him like warm water. Eventually, his heart became less noticeable in his chest. He had all but forgotten about it by the time Najirra asked them to open their eyes again. What Fendros found in front of him was another blank sheet of parchment on the table.
"Now that we have finished the breathing, we shall count our heartbeats again." Najirra lifted the hourglass and turned it once they were both ready, "Begin."
The counting was easier this time, much easier. Fendros' heart was beating far slower, not to mention he was much more relaxed. The time passed more quickly. Soon enough Najirra signalled them to stop and put the hourglass aside. He retrieved the previous scroll of parchment and laid it out such that Fendros and Ahnasha could compare the heartbeats they counted. In both cases, both of them had marked fewer heartbeats.
"Describe to this one now, how do you feel compared to before the breathing? In body and mind?" Najirra asked.
Fendros' patience hadn't improved, but it wasn't any thinner than before either. "Er...relaxed, loose. Calmer, I think? Before, I was tense, of course, but...how is this meant to help exactly?"
Najirra raised the fingers of one hand, "I shall explain after you answer as well, Ahnasha."
Janius' smile widened as Kaleeth answered. At first he was concerned when she took a closer look at the children, but that quickly diminished as she transformed back. Janius quickly stepped forward to catch her properly. "If it didn't hurt, you wouldn't know that it was happening," Janius offered, he kissed her on the cheek, "Good show."
After a moment, Janius attempted to prop Kaleeth back onto her feet and addressed the gathered children. "That's all there is to see, children! Any questions?" Janius' eyes glanced over to the discarded pieces of shield, "Whoever touches a piece of shield first gets to keep it."
Immediately, a number of the children charged for the splintered pieces of wood, still with the tell tale tooth marks that Kaleeth had inflicted. It wasn't as if the shield was useful to anyone now.
"Good one, Rikki," Primus said over his own laughter.
Now that Sabine was in the centre of the group, she realised with Meesei's face that she should perhaps introduce everyone else properly, rather than vaguely pointing. Not everyone was as up front as Freida. "Meesei, this is Rikki, Primus, Angela, and Thyme."
"You are a magic user, right?" The Bosmer girl, Thyme, was perhaps the one with the clearest voice, but she was the smallest of them all, "What kind of magic are you good at?"
Off to one side, Sabine approached Rikki and murmured. "Where's Caleb?"
"I think he's helping the woodworkers to build extra things for the front gate, why?" Rikki gained a mischeivious grin, "Finally brought up the courage to confess?"
"No!" Sabine reacted immediately, beginning to cringe again, "I told you, I don't..."
"Sabine, we can all tell. You ask after him too much." Angela matter-of-factly noted.
Primus looked sideways at Angela, "By that logic, sis, you would have feelings for Roland over there."
Angela instinctively looked around, "What? He's here!? Uh-" she stopped herself and looked angrily back at Roland, "I don't like like Roland, okay? He's just..." Angela trailed off.
"He runs off and hides at the weirdest times," Rikki finished Angela's sentence.
The breathing exercise went on for as long as Fendros expected, and then five more. By about the middle of the exercise, he had to admit that he didn't realise how tense his neck and shoulders were until it all seemed to drain off him like warm water. Eventually, his heart became less noticeable in his chest. He had all but forgotten about it by the time Najirra asked them to open their eyes again. What Fendros found in front of him was another blank sheet of parchment on the table.
"Now that we have finished the breathing, we shall count our heartbeats again." Najirra lifted the hourglass and turned it once they were both ready, "Begin."
The counting was easier this time, much easier. Fendros' heart was beating far slower, not to mention he was much more relaxed. The time passed more quickly. Soon enough Najirra signalled them to stop and put the hourglass aside. He retrieved the previous scroll of parchment and laid it out such that Fendros and Ahnasha could compare the heartbeats they counted. In both cases, both of them had marked fewer heartbeats.
"Describe to this one now, how do you feel compared to before the breathing? In body and mind?" Najirra asked.
Fendros' patience hadn't improved, but it wasn't any thinner than before either. "Er...relaxed, loose. Calmer, I think? Before, I was tense, of course, but...how is this meant to help exactly?"
Najirra raised the fingers of one hand, "I shall explain after you answer as well, Ahnasha."
Janius' smile widened as Kaleeth answered. At first he was concerned when she took a closer look at the children, but that quickly diminished as she transformed back. Janius quickly stepped forward to catch her properly. "If it didn't hurt, you wouldn't know that it was happening," Janius offered, he kissed her on the cheek, "Good show."
After a moment, Janius attempted to prop Kaleeth back onto her feet and addressed the gathered children. "That's all there is to see, children! Any questions?" Janius' eyes glanced over to the discarded pieces of shield, "Whoever touches a piece of shield first gets to keep it."
Immediately, a number of the children charged for the splintered pieces of wood, still with the tell tale tooth marks that Kaleeth had inflicted. It wasn't as if the shield was useful to anyone now.
"Oh," Sabine's face showed apprehension all of a sudden, "Well, you can meet them if you want to, but...they might act differently. You're the Champion. It's different with their parents-"
"Hey Sabine! Over here!" An overexcited Altmer girl jumped up in the water and waved in Sabine and Meesei's direction. The entire group that Sabine had pointed out had their eyes on them now.
Sabine frowned and looked to the pool, then back to Meesei, and then to the pool again. Finally, she took Meesei's hand and lead her to the steps. "Meet them, then go and relax," Sabine dictated.
The water was pleasant and refreshing, as expected. Sabine's eyes seemed to be locked wide open, as if she was hoping the meeting would go well. The laughing and chatting from Sabine's friends died down as they approached. It went to silence once everyone realised who was alongside Sabine.
"Hello. This is Meesei," Sabine managed a smile, "She's my alpha, and my m-...my teacher."
There was a pause. An awkward one.
The one boy in the group, the younger black-haired Imperial named Primus, had his jaw hanging open. "Your alpha is the Champion of Hircine? Why didn't you tell us?" He said, breaking the silence.
The similar looking, yet older girl next to Primus in the water, the one named Angela, put on an annoyed face and looked to Primus. "We all knew, brother!" Angela splashed some water at Primus' head, "You never pay attention to anything!"
Everyone chuckled at the exchange. The apparently bravest one in the group, the Nord girl named Freida, paddled forward. "Hi, I'm Freida! My uncle says that you saved his life in the battle a couple of weeks ago. Thank you."
The entire atmosphere relaxed, and with it so did Sabine's involuntarily tensed shoulders. She had wanted to introduce Meesei as her mother, but she knew that wasn't true. With the mothers of the friends she had met, Meesei was the closest equivalent that Sabine had. She was just glad that she had caught herself before making the situation embarrassing. Hopefully Meesei wouldn't do that for her.
"I see, I see," Najirra closed his eyes solemnly, "This one has not heard of such drawn-out of cruelty in some time. Now, this one shall instruct you to do something simple, but its purpose will become apparent." Najirra turned his body and reached out for a large scroll of parchment and two sticks of charcoal. He lifted the tea set on its tray, put it aside, then laid the parchment out on the small table and handed the charcoal each to Fendros and Ahnasha. He weighted the parchment flat with empty teacups.
Fendros took the charcoal and looked at it, still confused by the old Khajiit's methods.
"With one hand, you will find your heartbeat. An easy place to find it is between one of the two cords of your neck, your jaw, and the apple of your throat." Najirra demonstrated by placing a finger high on the side of his neck, "Your other hand will hold the charcoal."
Without much trouble, Fendros found his pulse with his left hand. His heart was beating fast due to the previous topic.
"When I tell you to start, you will both put a mark on the parchment for every heartbeat you have. Mark every one of them until I tell you to stop." Najirra pulled a small hourglass out from under the table, "Ready? Start." There was a clack as the top end of the hourglass was set on the table.
Fendros began to scratch the parchment for every throb he felt on his neck. It was difficult enough to keep up that he closed his eyes partway through. He had suspicions as to what this was for, but he didn't say. He just did as Najirra asked.
"That will do, stop now."
The hourglass had all of its sand in the lower globe when Fendros opened his eyes. He wasn't keeping track of the seconds, but his heartbeat made the time seem longer than the hourglass suggested. It couldn't have enough sand for more than half a minute.
Najirra carefully pulled the parchment off the table and laid it to one side. It curled up on its own when he set it on the floor. "We will go back to that later. Now we shall do as monks do, without lurking into spirits and gods. We need only be at peace. You may both seat yourselves comfortably, keep your backs straight, close your eyes if you wish. Breathe as this one instructs..."
This was a simple trick to Fendros. Deep breaths? It's what everyone did to calm themselves. Whenever Fendros tried, it was because he was angry about something, and it often didn't work. He would lose patience. The only thing that had Fendros humour the old man further was the assumption that he would perform some kind of magic with this exercise.
"Fill your belly with air, slowly in now." Najirra breathed along with them, "Now fill your chest with air, but not fully...now fill your neck with air."
Fendros wondered how he was supposed to store breath above his lungs, but upon filling the remainder of his chest, he did feel a pressure on the base of this throat. Perhaps that's what the old man meant.
"Now, we go back, empty your neck of air..." Najirra exhaled much slower than he inhaled, "...now empty your chest..." Fendros could feel his heart thudding still, but he just focussed on following Najirra's instructions, "...and empty your belly. In order for this to work, we must repeat this cycle for a short time."
Somehow, Fendros had not given up yet, but he wondered how Ahnasha's patience was faring in comparison.
A cheer went up from the children as tiny splinters from the shield flew. Janius gave a smile; Kaleeth was doing well.
"Alright, and that is a werecrocodile, children!" Janius announced to the audience, "The biggest lycan you'll ever see if you're lucky!" Janius looked to Kaleeth again, now more confident that she was in control. "Kaleeth, I don't know for sure if you can talk in that form, but if you can understand me, nod your head. Do you want to go and hunt, or would you like to transform back now?"
"Hey Sabine! Over here!" An overexcited Altmer girl jumped up in the water and waved in Sabine and Meesei's direction. The entire group that Sabine had pointed out had their eyes on them now.
Sabine frowned and looked to the pool, then back to Meesei, and then to the pool again. Finally, she took Meesei's hand and lead her to the steps. "Meet them, then go and relax," Sabine dictated.
The water was pleasant and refreshing, as expected. Sabine's eyes seemed to be locked wide open, as if she was hoping the meeting would go well. The laughing and chatting from Sabine's friends died down as they approached. It went to silence once everyone realised who was alongside Sabine.
"Hello. This is Meesei," Sabine managed a smile, "She's my alpha, and my m-...my teacher."
There was a pause. An awkward one.
The one boy in the group, the younger black-haired Imperial named Primus, had his jaw hanging open. "Your alpha is the Champion of Hircine? Why didn't you tell us?" He said, breaking the silence.
The similar looking, yet older girl next to Primus in the water, the one named Angela, put on an annoyed face and looked to Primus. "We all knew, brother!" Angela splashed some water at Primus' head, "You never pay attention to anything!"
Everyone chuckled at the exchange. The apparently bravest one in the group, the Nord girl named Freida, paddled forward. "Hi, I'm Freida! My uncle says that you saved his life in the battle a couple of weeks ago. Thank you."
The entire atmosphere relaxed, and with it so did Sabine's involuntarily tensed shoulders. She had wanted to introduce Meesei as her mother, but she knew that wasn't true. With the mothers of the friends she had met, Meesei was the closest equivalent that Sabine had. She was just glad that she had caught herself before making the situation embarrassing. Hopefully Meesei wouldn't do that for her.
"I see, I see," Najirra closed his eyes solemnly, "This one has not heard of such drawn-out of cruelty in some time. Now, this one shall instruct you to do something simple, but its purpose will become apparent." Najirra turned his body and reached out for a large scroll of parchment and two sticks of charcoal. He lifted the tea set on its tray, put it aside, then laid the parchment out on the small table and handed the charcoal each to Fendros and Ahnasha. He weighted the parchment flat with empty teacups.
Fendros took the charcoal and looked at it, still confused by the old Khajiit's methods.
"With one hand, you will find your heartbeat. An easy place to find it is between one of the two cords of your neck, your jaw, and the apple of your throat." Najirra demonstrated by placing a finger high on the side of his neck, "Your other hand will hold the charcoal."
Without much trouble, Fendros found his pulse with his left hand. His heart was beating fast due to the previous topic.
"When I tell you to start, you will both put a mark on the parchment for every heartbeat you have. Mark every one of them until I tell you to stop." Najirra pulled a small hourglass out from under the table, "Ready? Start." There was a clack as the top end of the hourglass was set on the table.
Fendros began to scratch the parchment for every throb he felt on his neck. It was difficult enough to keep up that he closed his eyes partway through. He had suspicions as to what this was for, but he didn't say. He just did as Najirra asked.
"That will do, stop now."
The hourglass had all of its sand in the lower globe when Fendros opened his eyes. He wasn't keeping track of the seconds, but his heartbeat made the time seem longer than the hourglass suggested. It couldn't have enough sand for more than half a minute.
Najirra carefully pulled the parchment off the table and laid it to one side. It curled up on its own when he set it on the floor. "We will go back to that later. Now we shall do as monks do, without lurking into spirits and gods. We need only be at peace. You may both seat yourselves comfortably, keep your backs straight, close your eyes if you wish. Breathe as this one instructs..."
This was a simple trick to Fendros. Deep breaths? It's what everyone did to calm themselves. Whenever Fendros tried, it was because he was angry about something, and it often didn't work. He would lose patience. The only thing that had Fendros humour the old man further was the assumption that he would perform some kind of magic with this exercise.
"Fill your belly with air, slowly in now." Najirra breathed along with them, "Now fill your chest with air, but not fully...now fill your neck with air."
Fendros wondered how he was supposed to store breath above his lungs, but upon filling the remainder of his chest, he did feel a pressure on the base of this throat. Perhaps that's what the old man meant.
"Now, we go back, empty your neck of air..." Najirra exhaled much slower than he inhaled, "...now empty your chest..." Fendros could feel his heart thudding still, but he just focussed on following Najirra's instructions, "...and empty your belly. In order for this to work, we must repeat this cycle for a short time."
Somehow, Fendros had not given up yet, but he wondered how Ahnasha's patience was faring in comparison.
A cheer went up from the children as tiny splinters from the shield flew. Janius gave a smile; Kaleeth was doing well.
"Alright, and that is a werecrocodile, children!" Janius announced to the audience, "The biggest lycan you'll ever see if you're lucky!" Janius looked to Kaleeth again, now more confident that she was in control. "Kaleeth, I don't know for sure if you can talk in that form, but if you can understand me, nod your head. Do you want to go and hunt, or would you like to transform back now?"
The advice that Meesei offered made sense to Sabine. Beforehand, she had been more broadly observing the behaviour of the one she liked, but she didn't know what to look for, and more often than not she would just lose focus. The points that Meesei provided helped things be more concise.
Sabine put down her shoulder bag and undressed nearby Meesei. Her eyes were drawn to where Meesei was looking and her face lit up a little. "Yes," Sabine said enthusiastically. She pointed towards a group of people around her age, "Over there is Freida, Primus, Angela, Thyme, and Rikki. Caleb sometimes accompanies us, but he is probably with Najirra right now." Sabine looked around for a moment, "There is also Peiter, but he must be doing something else, I cannot see him." Sabine's gaze stopped on the low wall near the back and stopped, "Oh, there is also Roland. I think he is afraid of me. I don't know why."
"Very good," Najirra gave a slow, seated bow, "This one thanks you both for being patient. Now, do you both know why you are here?"
Fendros glanced at Ahnasha with confusion, and then answered. "A few months ago, we both fell into the hands of an Argonian noble in Black Marsh who hated lycans. He tortured us by cutting Ahnasha open in front of me and keeping her alive and awake during the process." Perhaps it was the abridged version, perhaps it was Fendros' anger suppressing his fear and sadness, or perhaps it was simply the time that had passed, but Fendros was surprisingly contained and monotonous in his recount. "Later on the day we escaped, we found out that our complacency put Rhazii, our child, in danger, and he was caught in a fire. You can see how he was scarred."
Najirra listened attentively, nodding every now and then. He waited for Fendros to finish before speaking, "So this was the event that has caused such painful memories. We shall detail it further, but first I need to know how exactly it has affected you both. I take it the event changed you."
"Yes, of course it did," Fendros kept his eyes on the teapot while he spoke. He was less angry at Najirra now that it appeared he was getting to the crux of the matter. "We both get nightmares, but not like lycan nightmares, these are...recurring, they go back to the chains and...there are many nights that we cannot sleep properly. A friend gave us a medicine to suppress the memories from entering our dreams, but we have all but run out of that. I've foregone my doses so that Ahnasha may sleep." Fendros wiped one eye, though he wasn't outwardly emotional yet, "Even when I'm awake, the memories come back in visions, like they're real. I panic, I can't think straight, it once made me transform against my will. Any smell, sound, or sight that is similar brings me back there. Sometimes I don't even see the memories, but I panic when I smell viscera and hear screams." Fendros tightened his jaw and closed his eyes.
Although interested, Najirra was visually unaffected by the impact of Fendros' story. He waited until he could be sure that Fendros' pause was actually the end of his explanation before looking to Ahnasha. "If you would tell this one how it has affected you, now. If you feel comfortable expanding upon the event, you may do so."
"You'll be fine," Janius gave an encouraging smile before they headed into the main chamber.
With all the children gathered around haphazardly, Janius made sure to keep things safe in case the worst happened. "Alright, all of you stay here, you will not get any closer to Kaleeth than where I am pointing! She isn't like a werewolf, she needs the space around her and is very..." Janius was about to say nervous, but he decided to exaggerate a bit, "...easy to anger!"
The children seemed compliant enough and all stood where directed.
Janius went to grab an old and battered round shield from the racks of practice weapons and held it by the rim next to the children. Janius had made sure that they all gave Kaleeth a wide berth as she transformed. Kaleeth's shifting was what the children expected at first, but as her physiology began to resemble a werewolf less and less, there were gasps of excitement and astonished remarks.
Once Kaleeth was fully transformed, he carefully rolled the old shield in her direction. It spiralled to a stop next to her with a series of scrapes on the floor. Janius kept a close eye on Kaleeth, ready for anything. "Just bite the shield and turn back, Kaleeth. You can keep in charge."
Sabine put down her shoulder bag and undressed nearby Meesei. Her eyes were drawn to where Meesei was looking and her face lit up a little. "Yes," Sabine said enthusiastically. She pointed towards a group of people around her age, "Over there is Freida, Primus, Angela, Thyme, and Rikki. Caleb sometimes accompanies us, but he is probably with Najirra right now." Sabine looked around for a moment, "There is also Peiter, but he must be doing something else, I cannot see him." Sabine's gaze stopped on the low wall near the back and stopped, "Oh, there is also Roland. I think he is afraid of me. I don't know why."
"Very good," Najirra gave a slow, seated bow, "This one thanks you both for being patient. Now, do you both know why you are here?"
Fendros glanced at Ahnasha with confusion, and then answered. "A few months ago, we both fell into the hands of an Argonian noble in Black Marsh who hated lycans. He tortured us by cutting Ahnasha open in front of me and keeping her alive and awake during the process." Perhaps it was the abridged version, perhaps it was Fendros' anger suppressing his fear and sadness, or perhaps it was simply the time that had passed, but Fendros was surprisingly contained and monotonous in his recount. "Later on the day we escaped, we found out that our complacency put Rhazii, our child, in danger, and he was caught in a fire. You can see how he was scarred."
Najirra listened attentively, nodding every now and then. He waited for Fendros to finish before speaking, "So this was the event that has caused such painful memories. We shall detail it further, but first I need to know how exactly it has affected you both. I take it the event changed you."
"Yes, of course it did," Fendros kept his eyes on the teapot while he spoke. He was less angry at Najirra now that it appeared he was getting to the crux of the matter. "We both get nightmares, but not like lycan nightmares, these are...recurring, they go back to the chains and...there are many nights that we cannot sleep properly. A friend gave us a medicine to suppress the memories from entering our dreams, but we have all but run out of that. I've foregone my doses so that Ahnasha may sleep." Fendros wiped one eye, though he wasn't outwardly emotional yet, "Even when I'm awake, the memories come back in visions, like they're real. I panic, I can't think straight, it once made me transform against my will. Any smell, sound, or sight that is similar brings me back there. Sometimes I don't even see the memories, but I panic when I smell viscera and hear screams." Fendros tightened his jaw and closed his eyes.
Although interested, Najirra was visually unaffected by the impact of Fendros' story. He waited until he could be sure that Fendros' pause was actually the end of his explanation before looking to Ahnasha. "If you would tell this one how it has affected you, now. If you feel comfortable expanding upon the event, you may do so."
"You'll be fine," Janius gave an encouraging smile before they headed into the main chamber.
With all the children gathered around haphazardly, Janius made sure to keep things safe in case the worst happened. "Alright, all of you stay here, you will not get any closer to Kaleeth than where I am pointing! She isn't like a werewolf, she needs the space around her and is very..." Janius was about to say nervous, but he decided to exaggerate a bit, "...easy to anger!"
The children seemed compliant enough and all stood where directed.
Janius went to grab an old and battered round shield from the racks of practice weapons and held it by the rim next to the children. Janius had made sure that they all gave Kaleeth a wide berth as she transformed. Kaleeth's shifting was what the children expected at first, but as her physiology began to resemble a werewolf less and less, there were gasps of excitement and astonished remarks.
Once Kaleeth was fully transformed, he carefully rolled the old shield in her direction. It spiralled to a stop next to her with a series of scrapes on the floor. Janius kept a close eye on Kaleeth, ready for anything. "Just bite the shield and turn back, Kaleeth. You can keep in charge."
There was mild frustration in Sabine when the topic turned to her magical training, but she was not in so bad a mood as to be especially reactive. There was relief when Meesei made it clear that it would not be happening on the spot. In fact, having a swim was an appealing idea. Sabine gained a wide smile and nodded, "That would be fun."
Sabine stood up enthusiastically and went to scoop up Leaps from where he was napping. The undersized wamasu wriggled and chirped in surprise. "We'll take Leaps with us. He gets lonely here." Leaps protested for a short time, but was eventually caught up in the excitement enough to start wanting to lead the way himself. Sabine took Meesei's hand and accompanied her to the pool chamber.
The first half of the walk to the pool chamber was fairly quiet from Sabine, but the walk brought back the feelings she was left with at lunch. Her smile began to fade. A long enough time passed until she decided to try and bring it up again. She looked up at Meesei, considered for a moment whether asking would just cause more stress, then spoke up anyway. If it was not now, it was not ever. "Meesei, how do you know if a boy likes you?" Sabine asked quietly, checking around her for others listening.
Najirra angled his head back slightly at Ahnasha's final statement. "A...waking vivisection? This happened before you turned?"
"No," Fendros corrected, "But it has caused us both...pain. We can't forget it. We thought you could help."
"Ah..." Najirra looked into his tea and wiped his lips, thinking. Or was he observing something? He looked up again and smiled, "We shall get to that shortly."
What? Fendros lowered his eyebrows. He couldn't fathom what reasons it should be left for later. It was the entire reason that they were here! Fendros kept himself from protesting, but his patience was wearing thin already.
Najirra's posture became rather professional, then. His tone was official and serious. "Now, there are a few conditions if I am to help you with your problems. The first thing you must know is that what will not happen is you leaving my presence with no memory of your experiences." He put a hand on his chest, "What I do is strive to allow people such as yourselves to live your lives without the pain, to have you learn to manage it on your own. Whatever happens, you will carry this for the rest of your lives, but it need not cause you pain. The next thing to know is that it will not be a swift process. Your mind may change, but you will not leave here with all your problems nullified in an instant. It may take months, even years for you to overcome the wounds you both suffer. Next, my methods may not give you an immediate relief, such as a potion to numb your minds, but I promise you, however long it will take, I will not stop meeting you until you force yourselves away from me or I am confident that your scars will not hinder your lives. Finally, I cannot help you unless you put your trust in me. If you have any questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability. In turn, you must not lie to me or hold back something where I insist that you share it." With that, Najirra's demeanour softened again, "I know it is much information, but you must understand, I have been treating wounds of the mind for many years, and this is what is required for me to help you. Do you agree?"
Fendros was going to interrupt Najirra halfway through his verbal contract to say yes and that he didn't care about the conditions. He was annoyed that this would not help them in the immediate short term, but he supposed that should have expected as much. "Yes, I agree." Fendros said impatiently, "I want to heal this."
"Good," Najirra gave his smile again, "With your permission, Ahnasha, I shall begin to explore further."
Janius was not oblivious to Kaleeth's nervousness. He gestured for all the children to go towards the exit of the dining hall, "Alright everyone, gather in the main chamber, we'll see a werecrocodile there!" While the children ran out, Janius took the opportunity to take both of Kaleeth's hands and ask confirmation. "Hey, if you don't feel confident doing this, just say so now. It might just be good practice while your beast will be at its tamest. Don't worry, I'll keep the children well away from you."
Sabine stood up enthusiastically and went to scoop up Leaps from where he was napping. The undersized wamasu wriggled and chirped in surprise. "We'll take Leaps with us. He gets lonely here." Leaps protested for a short time, but was eventually caught up in the excitement enough to start wanting to lead the way himself. Sabine took Meesei's hand and accompanied her to the pool chamber.
The first half of the walk to the pool chamber was fairly quiet from Sabine, but the walk brought back the feelings she was left with at lunch. Her smile began to fade. A long enough time passed until she decided to try and bring it up again. She looked up at Meesei, considered for a moment whether asking would just cause more stress, then spoke up anyway. If it was not now, it was not ever. "Meesei, how do you know if a boy likes you?" Sabine asked quietly, checking around her for others listening.
Najirra angled his head back slightly at Ahnasha's final statement. "A...waking vivisection? This happened before you turned?"
"No," Fendros corrected, "But it has caused us both...pain. We can't forget it. We thought you could help."
"Ah..." Najirra looked into his tea and wiped his lips, thinking. Or was he observing something? He looked up again and smiled, "We shall get to that shortly."
What? Fendros lowered his eyebrows. He couldn't fathom what reasons it should be left for later. It was the entire reason that they were here! Fendros kept himself from protesting, but his patience was wearing thin already.
Najirra's posture became rather professional, then. His tone was official and serious. "Now, there are a few conditions if I am to help you with your problems. The first thing you must know is that what will not happen is you leaving my presence with no memory of your experiences." He put a hand on his chest, "What I do is strive to allow people such as yourselves to live your lives without the pain, to have you learn to manage it on your own. Whatever happens, you will carry this for the rest of your lives, but it need not cause you pain. The next thing to know is that it will not be a swift process. Your mind may change, but you will not leave here with all your problems nullified in an instant. It may take months, even years for you to overcome the wounds you both suffer. Next, my methods may not give you an immediate relief, such as a potion to numb your minds, but I promise you, however long it will take, I will not stop meeting you until you force yourselves away from me or I am confident that your scars will not hinder your lives. Finally, I cannot help you unless you put your trust in me. If you have any questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability. In turn, you must not lie to me or hold back something where I insist that you share it." With that, Najirra's demeanour softened again, "I know it is much information, but you must understand, I have been treating wounds of the mind for many years, and this is what is required for me to help you. Do you agree?"
Fendros was going to interrupt Najirra halfway through his verbal contract to say yes and that he didn't care about the conditions. He was annoyed that this would not help them in the immediate short term, but he supposed that should have expected as much. "Yes, I agree." Fendros said impatiently, "I want to heal this."
"Good," Najirra gave his smile again, "With your permission, Ahnasha, I shall begin to explore further."
Janius was not oblivious to Kaleeth's nervousness. He gestured for all the children to go towards the exit of the dining hall, "Alright everyone, gather in the main chamber, we'll see a werecrocodile there!" While the children ran out, Janius took the opportunity to take both of Kaleeth's hands and ask confirmation. "Hey, if you don't feel confident doing this, just say so now. It might just be good practice while your beast will be at its tamest. Don't worry, I'll keep the children well away from you."
© 2007-2026