[PQ] {Magic Training} In Brittle and Briny Depths

Hotaru

My ghost was lost to the grownup gallows

Hotaru had been grateful for the time with Hadama to more easily pinpoint a date for their proposed training in Halo. While she'd been a little concerned about the cold of the ocean in Halo, the Academy's blessing should take care of most of the chill - an extra boon for the mer as a student. It had been tricky to navigate Hadama's travel with Evie's Warden schedule, but as Hotaru stands on the black sand beach with the Evergreen beside her, she feels satisfied that all the pieces have come together sufficiently.

Waiting for her last student to arrive, Hotaru works diligently on securing the temporary floating dock she'd had installed. It had been a bit of a pain to organize to be certain but nothing that some trading and debts couldn't account for. It would help put Evie out on the water with Hadama for what the Valkyrie had in mind.

- - -

Welcome to the Flowerbirth 316 Magic Training! There are only two students eligible for this training, but you must still claim your spot with a post. This training can only be held once per IC year, and is meant for turning Upgraded magic to Mastered.

Please list what magic you are upgrading in your posts. While weapons and items are allowed and can be listed in your post summary, remember this training is for your magic and should heavily involve it.

1. Evie
2. Hadama

So I find my spirit in the bottle

Evie

Admittedly there's a little old trauma to contend with for her first magic training. Her last - and only - had been beneath Zariah and with Morgan at her side, which means a huge knot of emotions that have no real beginning or end. Still, Deimos trusts Hotaru more than anyone else she knows, and while she only has a working relationship with the Valkyrie she has yet to have her own betrayed so she is hesitantly optimistic about forging new memories as a student.

Standing idly on the beach and stretching with the same routine she uses for her daily morning jogs, Evie occasionally flicks her eyes out to the dark waters to try and catch a glimpse of Hadama's arrival. There isn't really a way to 'warm up' her magic, and the Academy blessing means she doesn't need the physical warmth, so it leaves her little else to do while she waits for her fellow student and dear friend. While she's sure the Valkyrie wouldn't snub any attempt at conversation, Evie doesn't feel the need for it in that moment, and instead focuses on limbering up in preparation for whatever Hotaru plans to throw at them.

- - -

Evie arrives with the following items, and begins stretching and limbering up. She will be upgrading her Earth Manipulation.

Type: Light | Style: Defensive | Level: Basic
Longtooth Shield | A fang-shaped shield crafted from the tooth of a gigantic landshark and mysterious shards of bone. It is adorned with ebony flecks of volcanic rock. This item blocks physical damage at Evie's Basic level and requires a 2 post cool-down between uses.

if this love does not call itself a wildfire
then I don't want it at all

One moment the Bay was quiet, it's blue-slate waters broken only by the low white caps of small waves. The next, it was still quiet - but now a dark head crowned in steel-silver hair broke the surface as Hadama used his aquaportation magic to arrive directly from Torchline. He took a moment to look around, drinking in the sight of Evie's land and acclimating to the chill of the water (not nearly so cold as it might have been, thanks to the Academy's blessing) before approaching the dock.

He inclined his head in greeting, giving Hotaru a respectful nod and Evie a flicker of a warmer smile, one eyelid dropping in a brief wink. The mermanta carried his trident slung over his back and a ring on his hand, but he had brought nothing else as he gave the headmistress his full attention. "I am ready," he stated simply, prepared to get down to business.

Afterwards, hopefully, there would be time for pleasantries and seeing more of Halo. Or at least, more of the Bay.

---

Hadama will be upgrading his Water Manipulation.

He has brought the following items:

Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Basic
StAer Ring | A ring that allows any within 10ft of it to breathe underwater. When in use, the wearer will create subtle constellations in their wake.

Type: Light | Style: Offensive | Level: Basic
Startide Trident | A trident formed from coral and starlight. Can be used below or above the water. Shoots a blast of arclight water that's infused with starlight up to 10ft.

Hotaru

My ghost was lost to the grownup gallows

Evie limbering up is given an eye of approval, and as Hadama arrives shortly after Hotaru heads closer to the shoreline to not have to shout over the winds that often traveled over the bay. "I hope the travel wasn't too bad," she says in greeting as she and Evie approach. If so, they would have to find time to get the Warden out of Halo to meet in calmer, closer waters next time.

"Since the magic you're working to strengthen is already above the basic level, this training is going to be both harder and more complex. I'd like you to prioritize your magic over all other items, but since higher level magic can be more dangerous I want to ensure you won't be truly harmed so use them if you must." Of course she and Evie both have healing abilities, but avoiding it entirely would be better for everyone involved and would allow for fewer interruptions.

"Our training will be split into two parts. For the first half, I will be utilizing my compulsion magic to try and give you commands that I want you to fight. It will be uncomfortable, but it is the fastest, most targeted way to increase your endurance against magical attacks and mental fortitude in one go." She'd spoken with Evie in private about this beforehand given the Grounder's past with Zariah, but Hotaru eyes Hadama patiently to await any objections. "After, we will be pitting elemental magic against one another. Fire and air against water, lightning and ice against earth, so on and so forth. If that sounds agreeable, I will start with Evie first." Gesturing the redhead closer to the water's edge, Hotaru turns to face her Warden.

"For simplicity and strength, I will be commanding you to do a singular thing. We'll do this one at a time not only for myself, but so that one of you as a fellow student can watch me and protect the other by witnessing what I command so I cannot do anything untoward." While she never would as Headmistress, it would hopefully comfort both individuals to have their friend witnessing the training as their backup. "Since my magic requires physical contact to work, it also means I can go from one student to the other swiftly and not lose any training time. Evie, may I have your hand?" Waiting for the redhead to acquiesce, and using the motion to further show consent had been given, Hotaru looks into the woman's blue eyes and begins without further delay.

"Sleep."

Then she motions for Hadama to give his hand next after 90 seconds had elapsed and Evie was capable of watching in turn. Unwilling to contend with sleep and water - even if presumably the king would not drown in the same way - she chooses a different command.

"Sing."

- - -

Welcome to the Flowerbirth 316 Magic Training! This training can only be held once per IC year, and is meant for turning Upgraded magic to Mastered.

This training will be split into two approaches. For your first round, you must fight off commands from Hotaru's compulsion magic to work on expanding your magical endurance and mental fortitude. Her magic is listed below. Since all three have the same END stat, it is assured to work, but you are at liberty to choose how well and which side effects your character experiences.

Magic: Compulsion | Must be making physical contact at all times. The success of the compulsion is based on a combination of endurance stats and the extent of the order being compelled. A difference of 4 or more is ineffective. 2 or more is weakly effective. And below 1 is effective. Lasts 90 seconds. ( Compulsions should be in the form of planting the seed of an idea that the magic makes seem more plausible. Restrictions: At this level, cannot force someone to kill, harm, or go against their core-nature/character properties (i.e., could not make a pious character abandon the gods, could not make a lover turn against the other.). When these compulsions are made, to ignore/fight them causes pain on the victim (headaches, nausea, temporary blindness while within 5ft of Hotaru).)
Type: Dark | Rank: Upgraded

So I find my spirit in the bottle

You know how sometimes you step outside and the cold just catches your lungs? And you cough and gasp and desperately try to inhale more oxygen?

Congratulations! You probably just wandered into a breath snatch!

Yeah, that glittering cloud of glittering frost wasn’t friendly either. Who knew?

---

You’ve encountered a Breath Snatch. This counts as an uncommon creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements. (You may not kill this creature without admin permission. )

Breath Snatch (uncommon) - A minor Halo nuisance, the Breath Snatch is a small elemental spirit that lingers in open areas on cold days. They're easiest to notice on bright days, a concentrated cloud of glittering frost lingering in the air, but if not noticed and walked into, the elemental will disperse in a puff of freezing air, often freezing the breath in the lungs of whomever was unlucky enough to come across it. It doesn't seem to possess enough sentience to be truly malevolent. Large groups of the spirits are rare, but potentially deadly if walked into unknowingly.

Evie

The breath snatch comes in the middle of Hotaru's explanations, making Evie's eyes water with the need to cough but refusal to do so. It's a common enough sensation for a Halovian, but it never ceases to take her by surprise. While she has no fire magic to warm up the air in her lungs to chase it away, once she has waited it out in silence she can use her healing to take the edge off it all.

When Hotaru had approached her with her plan for the training, Evie had quietly informed her of the negative experiences she'd had in the past, and the Valkyrie had comforted her with her plans for full disclosure and utilization. It makes it easier to extend her hand in a moment of trust - grateful that it had been reiterated in Hadama's presence. No matter how much she trusts Hotaru through Deimos and the woman's own dedication to the Academy, this would always remain a sore spot for the Evergreen.

She isn't sure what to expect in terms of command; Hotaru had listed quite a few options when they'd spoken about it. Sleep is not what she is prepared to hear. She plummets into it immediately, mentally too startled to fight it with how it forcefully dims her consciousness too. Evie catches herself at the very last second, like a leg jerking beneath the covers when you fall asleep too quickly, and she clings to her awareness with something more akin to desperation than true strength. Already she can tell her body has buckled down to her knees in the sand, head lolling on her chest and arm extended above with her hand in Hotaru's. Fighting to keep that much is a painful endeavor, ears ringing worse than the algae she and Hadama had found and head throbbing down into her neck. But fight she does, even though it's more of a stall than a battle won. Because next she knows she's blinking awake in the sand, pain gone (because the magic was gone, or had Hotaru healed her? Curious.) and very disoriented.

The Valkyrie helps her up, the Evergreen grimacing sheepishly at her half-failure but forcing herself to pay attention as Hadama is given his own command.

if this love does not call itself a wildfire
then I don't want it at all

Hadama started to nod at Hotaru's courteous question, but then the air was suddenly far colder than he had experienced since enrolling at the Academy and gaining its resistance. He had never encountered a breath snatch before, and he found the experience extremely unpleasant. Stoically, the mermanta lowered himself in the waves so that his nose and mouth were protected and 'breathed' in the chill water of the bay to soothe his need for oxygen while he listened to the explanations and instructions of their teacher.

He turned his head to regard Evie with a wordless question in emerald eyes at the proposed compelling, discomforted at the thought but trusting his friend to know how far to trust the headmistress. When she acquiesced he made no protest - but he watched Hotaru with silent intensity as the battle of wills commenced to ensure no harm would come to the red haired lady.

He watched Evie's fight against the command, silently lending her his support as she tried her best. It was disquieting to see her slow collapse, but once the challenge was over she recovered quickly and he was reassured. When Hotaru stepped over to the dock he considered her hand for a moment before rising far enough out of the water to take it, gently but firmly in his own webbed fingers.

It was not a command that he had expected, but he was not normally inclined towards song and that made the compulsion easier to resist at first. His jaw clenched, teeth locking stubbornly against the urge to open his mouth and let the first few notes escape. The headache came on swiftly, and though his expression remained dignified a deep furrow of pain appeared between his brows as the pain worsened and his vision grew dark.

In the end he couldn't entirely withstand the force of Hotaru's magic, and a deep basso note emerged from his closed lips as he hummed the first few bars of a melancholy slow jig through the pain of his resistance.

Hotaru

My ghost was lost to the grownup gallows

She had given Evie an intentionally unfair hand, but the Warden fights the command as hard as she really can with her consciousness itself taken from her. Hotaru waits patiently until her magic runs its course, and when Evie reawakens she helps her back to her feet before doing the same to Hadama. She is impressed that he is able to resist enough to hum instead of sing, but it gives her the perfect opening after her magic has timed out on him as well to turn it into a teaching moment.

"Perfect. So as you saw, having your consciousness is very important for fighting these commands - it also works less effectively when I command you to do something you wouldn't normally do, so I suppose you must not sing much Hadama." A slight quirk of her lips is aimed his way, hoping to keep the positive mood about despite the trials she's putting them through. "But since we sleep everyday, it's far more difficult to resist, and most people are neutral about the act itself. It is also a command with little morality, creating a perfect storm of lowered resistance. So if I were fighting someone, I would choose to command them to sleep for that exact reason to end the fight faster." An additional lesson about the importance of choosing how to wield your magic for them to take home.

"We will do it one more time in reverse so that you can both experience one you can fight, and one you cannot." Extending her hand towards Evie once more, she waits for the woman to once again put her hand in the Valkyrie's, and though it's unnecessary for her magic Hotaru looks into her eyes and gives a small encouraging smile.

"Sing."

And, once again, she waits until Evie can safely watch over the proceedings before turning to Hadama and reaching for his hand as well. She keeps her hands on them each time, so he is in no danger of being swept away, but she has Evie come closer just in case.

"Sleep."

- - -

Second round of exercising your endurance to fight Hotaru's compulsion. We have swapped commands to experience fighting a command with less effect versus one with great effect.

Just like last time, you can exercise your creativity with what negative effects your character experiences, how quickly they succumb, etc.

So I find my spirit in the bottle

The Tidebreaker tilted his head in agreement with Hotaru's guess; indeed, he wasn't the singing type of merfolk. There was a glint of humor in his eyes though his expression had fallen back into serene stoicism as they continued the serious lessons. The headmistress was very much a master of magic and tactics both and he nodded as her point was made and explained.

He watched Evie's fight with sympathy in emerald eyes, intimately familiar with the pain she likely felt while she fought the compulsion. It was a relief when the time limit was up and Hotaru stepped over to him. Sensing some of the concern the humans seemed to have he gave them a reassuring nod. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he met Evie's gaze. "I am in no danger here. Even asleep," he assured her - and Hotaru, too. It was perfectly normal for him to sleep underwater, after all.

His hand closed over Hotaru's petite one and this time the force of the compulsion was far more seductive and difficult to resist. He tried, of course. His body tensed, tail lashing through the dark, cold waters. But in an effort to focus his defense he closed his eyes and then it was so, so hard to open them again. The pain and nausea of his resistance provided an unlikely lifeline against the command, but even that discomfort began to fade as the King succumbed to the compulsion.

He blinked awake once the time limit was up, surging back up out of the waves that he had slipped down into without needing to pull on Hotaru's hand to do so. "Unpleasant," he rumbled, shaking the sleep from his eyes, lips tight at the memory of his failure to stay awake.

Evie

Admittedly she’s a little relieved to have Hotaru explain why she’d sucked so badly at resisting her command. Not that it makes her envy Hadama at all for what he is about to experience, but it gives her a renewed bit of determination for the next round. She’s slightly more confident in her ability to resist because much like Hadama she isn’t much of a singer. She hums every time she works with plants, but they’re wordless little things, and only ever indulged in in private.

Sure enough as the headmistress takes her hand and commands her to sing, Evie manages to hum for the first few seconds. Well, it’s more like just clamping her lips shut around words, but she’ll consider it a win even with the dizziness and ringing that starts up in her ears. Eventually even that resistance falters, until she’s singing into open air. Objectively pretty and in tune, but Evie feels her face go hot with embarrassment anyway. Enough so to clap her free hand over her moving lips to muffle it, feeling victorious when it works slightly without introducing any pain. Clearly there are loopholes to Hotaru’s magic just as she’d implied.

Luckily it is over quickly enough, and Evie has a chance to wince with sympathy in turn as Hadama struggles in vain against the pull to sleep. Evie claps anyway, because it makes everything feel a bit more lighthearted, and his attempts had been quite valiant. “Good attempt!” It’s Hotaru’s job to praise them and Evie is certain she will, but she won’t pretend she’s not friends with Hadama just because they’re currently in their student roles.

if this love does not call itself a wildfire
then I don't want it at all

Hotaru

My ghost was lost to the grownup gallows

The reassurance is appreciated, though it does not stop her from keeping her hand on his a little firmer just in case. They both do quite well, and once both are conscious once more Hotaru takes a moment to settle herself and refocus on theoretical teaching instead of active experience. "So as Evie figured out, you can also choose to obey my commands while implementing external factors that subvert it, such as singing but doing it quietly, or putting a hand over your mouth to muffle it." She turns an approving smile towards the Warden. "Of course, the point of the Academy is also to provide you a safe place to encounter these types of magic, so that you are more educated on tactics if and when you encounter them in a more hostile environment."

Speaking of hostile environments however...

"Now I know you may be a bit tired now, mentally if nothing else. But that is for the best. Evie, head out onto the dock so you can be alongside Hadama. It's shallow enough for you to still reach the soil below." She waits for the two to make their way back out into the water, and turns to station herself directly in the middle of the two. "I want you two to remain physically close because you will be operating as a duo. Your goal is defense, but offense is allowed. The purpose is to learn how to combine your magical abilities under pressure effectively, as well as how to extend it to protect yourself." Stretching her arms loosely, she readjusts her hair and plants her feet into the sand. "Furthermore, you must be able to swiftly determine when to know your own magic is not suited for defense, and to trust in your partner to protect you both if theirs is." Water and earth could be paired together very well, and as the two were already friends, Hotaru had reserved this particular training for them.

"I will not be announcing anything, this will be as close to a battle as can be managed without lethal results. Prepare yourselves - I will begin now." And so saying, the fire from the lanterns explodes outward to her call, streaking in an arc towards both of her students.

- - -

We've begun the first round of magical attacks! Your goal is defense, pairing magics, and coordination with your partner. There will be a variety of elemental attacks used, so get creative!

So I find my spirit in the bottle

Hadama inclined his head in gratitude to Evie's support. Though he wasn't proud of succumbing to the compulsion he had done his best to fight it. It hadn't been enough this time, but he had nothing to regret in his attempt, and his friend's praise was welcome - especially since she had undergone the same trial and knew what he had faced.

The lesson continued and it was well that he and Evie were both capable of great endurance. He remained beside the dock as she joined him and he nodded in understanding of what the headmistress proposed. As he had done in their previous training he lifted himself up on a small column of water so he could better stand - or rather, swim - beside his friend as the challenge began.

Fire. His unnatural fascination with the element made the decision for whether to go with offense or defense an easy one. "I will protect," he rumbled to Evie as the ocean swirled up around them. The water spun swiftly so that they were in the calm, dry eye of a vortex. Even if the fire struck one area the moving water would immediately cover any hole it turned to steam, reinforcing itself. The barrier was clear enough that they could still see Hotaru and her fireballs through it, albeit blurred.

---

Hadama defends with a water vortex

Evie

The lesson continues, and though Evie is a little more tired than she had expected to be after such a mental battle, she feels like she's walking on air as she walks out onto the floating dock to join Hadama. They're doing well, and this has been a far better Academy training than her last had been. It lends her the spirit she needs to be optimistic as they are paired together in a defensive array; they've got this!

As the fire comes towards them, Evie has to clamp down on her instinctive reaction to summon the soil from below or pull her shield. No. She has to trust in Hadama. His deep voice reassures her that he intends do so, but the Evergreen had already been prepared for his aid, trusting in his abilities.

Hotaru had said offense was not the key, but she'd also emphasized working as a fighting pair, so Evie commands the thick sand beneath the Valkyrie to buckle and quake to try and throw off her aim with the fire in an attempt to have Hadama utilize his shield less.

- - -

Evie uses her earth magic to try and throw off Hotaru's aim.

if this love does not call itself a wildfire
then I don't want it at all

Hotaru

My ghost was lost to the grownup gallows

They respond wonderfully, better than Hotaru could have anticipated. This was exactly why she'd reserved this training for two students she knew to be friends, because it takes a great amount of trust in your partner to stand down from the instinctive reaction to defend against something as volatile as fire. Hadama's water repels her fire easily, though the steam is thick and cloying. Not enough to impede their vision it seems, because Hotaru's knees buckle as Evie's magic wreaks havoc beneath her feet, throwing her off-balance.

Regaining her footing, the Valkyrie calls on her oldest and most trusted magic, shooting lightning forward from the small bit of static between her palms. If she were trying to take them out she would have had it come down from above, making it harder to defend against, but she wants Evie to be forced to take the reigns this time with how dangerous electricity and water were when paired together.

So I find my spirit in the bottle