The Reality of Reverie (Tiarela, Apprentice Mysticism/Private)

[Peach]

One could not have called it a classroom, in the traditional sense... Tiarela's assigned room was far from the usual simplicity of such a place, hardly a desk or an ink well among its cluttered expanse. The first thing to be seen, when one wandered into it, was the book shelves. Made of rich mahogany, and loaded with tomes of varying lengths and breadths, their majesty extended half way to the high ceilings. One could not say, at a single glance, how many there were... Lined up in rows, one hefty weight of knowledge after the other, it was impossible to tell. The hallways that extended between the shelves were not lined with soft carpet of a cream colored hue, muffling the already quiet sounds of elven footfalls. Its comfort felt familiar to Rae'nia's bare feet as she walked slowly towards the center of the library, silver-tinted robes that declared her as a Priestess of Orod whisking gently behind her. Some may have said that it was not the safest place to teach a beginning student... But the pale elven woman believed the contrary.

Amongst the tomes, a mortal to their far-extending insight, she could almost feel their undying presence. This was information in its truest, most concentrated from, lending its contents only temporarily to the reader... And what greater enlightenment could be achieved? Everything ended, eventually. Some elves and other long-lived races had a difficult time believing such a thing. Even the lines of wisdom, passed from one generation to another through spoken word, would eventually die and disintegrate into nothing. Such an idea had become acceptable, to the Mystic... Telath traveled on an irreversible cycle, and they could only take part in its twists and turns of fate. To deny it would be folly, to accept it was cognition beyond simple patterns. A powder-white hand reached out to trace its way along the smooth wood, sensitive fingertips feeling the power that it so secretly held. Rae'nia closed her eyes and sighed, letting her feet retrace the familiar steps on their own.

No more than a few moments later, Rae'nia entered a small clearing in the forest of texts. A low table, with flat cushions for its chairs, was the focal point. Almost as if the place knew what she had come for, a text on Mysticism lay in its center. The dark elf breathed deeply of the still, musty air as she sunk onto her knees, allowing for the pillow to cushion her slow decent. It was not any small wonder, that the spirits of the Library knew her so well... How many candlemarks, how many brightenings had been spent inside of its solid marble walls? None of them seemed to be a waste. As long as she was in there, furthering herself and her understanding of Orod's ways, the comparatively ancient woman was content. The heavy bag whose straps had rested upon her sharp shoulder blade fell with a small thud to the cushioned floor as she turned her twilight gaze upwards, towards the ceiling that had become so familiar to her sight and her mind.

A dome of stained glass, in muted and pale colors, allowed for the rays of Telath's suns to brighten the room. They danced with motes of dust, shone in a way that seemed more gentle than possible. Its symmetric design of triangles was reflected upon the woman waiting below, turning her alabaster skin pastel colors of cream and blue. Would her newest student appreciate the place as much as she did? Surely, any practitioner of Mysticism would... Freshly out of her rank as an Initiate, Tiarela had much to learn, and the potential with her youth to gain said astuteness. But would she appreciate the sphere for something beyond touchable, controllable Ara and Vis? Many made the dire mistake of believing themselves to be completely in control... For, no matter how well one knew their inner weave, it would inescapably be claimed once more. The priestess smiled, and shook her head in a reprimanding way. Such morbid thoughts would not be fitting for one so new to the world of Magic... Tiarela would have plenty of time to figure out such things on her own. For now, Rae'nia waited, soaking in the holiness of formulated words and free-flowing ideology.

[Tiarela Iceglitter]

It was an interesting place, this room that had been dubbed '3A'. Tiarela was unaccsutomed to classrooms and the mundaneness of them, so it quite took her by suprise to notice that this room she was slowly and delicately approaching the inside of.. was not a typical classroom. Nor, noteably, was it mundane in the least. Tiarela's dark eyes were drawn up, up and onward at the tomes of knowledge, the plethora of books and the abundance of shelving space to even house all of these.. these.. mammoths, these forests of pages and texts. Tiarela nearly forgot to continue flying as her eyes wandered the room.

The next thing she was drawn to was not the floor and the focal point of the room - Tiarela had never been one to go where people naturally went. In fact, the poor faerie actually questioned what lots of people took for granted, and well was just quite the divergent thinker to boot. So it wouldn'tve been a shock to anyone that knew her that she was drawn to the dome structure next. The muted colors facsinated her, and she half wanted to go up and touch the panes and just look at the colors up close. They reminded her of faerie wings. Of her wings, especially, when she noticed the blue and creme colors. She had unconciously flying closer to it as it was the focal thought in her sometimes simplistic brain. But sensing that she was not alone or had not beaten the instructor here, Tiarela tore her gaze and looked down. There, on the pillow with a book she saw whom she only assumed was Mistress Rae'nia. Tiarela shot up into the air and then downward like a bullet or an arrow, into a sharp descent that would bring her closer to the place she was supposed to be in as streamlined as she could.

Grinding to a halt a few feet from the instructor and Priestess of Orod, Tiarela cleared her throat and bowed mid-flight. "Serale, Madam Rae'nia. I apologize for my tardiness, but the room is very eye-catching and I found myself distracted from my path a bit to admire it..." A sheepish grin split Tiarela's face as she announced, "Tiarela Iceglitter, your lowly student of Mysticism." It never really occured to the faerie to question whether or not this really was Rae'nia or not. But nevermind that, why should she question it? She was told she would be here, correct? Yes. So why question something you were given to be true? There had been no evidence to support anything contrary, afterall. Not that she took it for granted, she just assumed that Rae'nia would be waiting for her.. instead of vice versa.

Slowly, the faerie set herself down on the cushion opposite of the Mistress and quite suddenly realized that this would not do, given the table effectively blocked her view and made communication rather funny. So, fluttering once more, Tiarela then decided to land herself on the table, which proved a much better vantage and practical point. So much for sitting on the proper furniture. But then, when was she ever able to, really? She was a faerie, and they were little. But hey, little was fun. At least she wasn't a giant. Tiarela quite imagined that that would be troublesome. Smiling up at Rae'nia, Tiarela hoped that she wasn't the super serious type. Otherwise, well, she was going to have problems dealing with Miss Iceglitter, now wasn't she...

[Peach]

It was so easy for one's mind to become lost in such a place. Even Rae'nia's consciousness, steadfast and practiced from the patterns of her long life, was beginning to drift. Nor did it flutter to useful matters, such as religion or politics. The woman simply thought about how pleasant it was being there, allowing for her pale skin to soak up the muted sunshine. Spending so long indoors certainly could put unnecessary weight upon one's physical health... Although the library was far from being a place immersed in nature, at the very least she was able to see some of the sky. Stretching her arms over her head, the Priestess straightened the kinks in her back with a satisfied exhale of comfort. The advisor of house Yeranthas had not spent this much time alone since her youthful days as a soldier. She was slender as most elves were, without an ounce of extra weight upon her body, but still it was hard to believe that Rae'nia had ever served her time in the citizen levy.

Then again, she had never been a particularly good guard. The priestess was the sort to be caught reading a book on duty, or staring off into space during a combat exercise. Rae'nia chuckled, remembering the day that she had been given the permission to leave early. 'Honorably Discharged,' they said. Well, fired or no, it had certainly been a relief both to her and the military. Gray eyes closed against the warm, multi-colored light, she almost missed the sight of a small winged woman darting towards her. So this was Tiarela... The Orodite smiled, pleased with Iceglitter's obvious exuberance. Fae were naturally inclined towards the magical arts, and when they had an interest in it, they could truly be powerful beings. Quite ironic, when one looked at how petite they were... It would be quite a blow to the pride of a parochial individual to be beaten by one a hundredth of their size. Then again, that was life, and it often worked with strange twists and turns.

"Well, Serale! And don't worry, Miss Tiarela, that has happened to me many a time." Inclining her alabaster head in greeting, the woman picked up a smaller cushion from underneath the table and set it upon the surface. There was no need for her students to be uncomfortable, no matter how tiny they were. And, come to think of it, the one before her was actually one of the tallest Fae that Rae'nia had ever seen. Perhaps it was the region that she was from that produced such a genetic advantage, or simply the luck of her parentage. Physical properties did not matter... The Esh'laheir already respected Tiarela for who she was. Anyone so interested in literature, or the beauty that a library could provide, was intelligent enough to be favorable. Indeed, a place of learning could be more lovely than the most gilded and bejeweled of shrines. Fondly, the Priestess looked upon the spines of the books that surrounded her, active mind remembering what each one of them held. Stories of lost and forgotten races, herbal lore, the diaries of great war lords... None of them escaped her interest.

Rae'nia laughed softly at her pupil's next statement, a sound of mirth without a hint of any harder feelings. It was clear that Rae'nia was not looking to patronize the Faerie in any way. On the contrary, the dark elf's gaiety made her seem all the more amicable. "Do not underestimate yourself, there. An Initiate has just as much power as a Master... Their strength simply lies in potential, and all of the myriad paths that they can take. Do not begrudge this time of beginning, for you will only find it once." For a moment, the Mistress was silent, allowing time for the blue-winged girl to ponder her fresh state. It was a precious one, oftentimes insulted where it only should have been praised. Initiates needed such encouragement to grow, and while Tiarela was within the care of an Orodite, she would not find it lacking. "We will start soon, for if you are anything like me you are probably quite eager, but would you care to tell me something about yourself first? Where you are from, what things you enjoy, why you chose to study Mysticism..."

[Tiarela Iceglitter]

The fae silently thanked Rae'nia for the production of a small cushion for her to sit upon atop the table. Adjusting herself once more, Tiarela positioned herself ontop of said cushion, and was glad for it. She couldn't help but continue to notice that she was sitting amdist a forest of books that surrounded them on all sides. But slowly, her attention was drawn back to the Master at hand, who was speaking to her again. There was quite an amount of wisdom in the Orodite's words. Tiarela smiled at her a bit sheepishly, for the faerie did not intend the statement quite as the Esh'lahier had took it. Not that Tiarela was going to go back and correct it, but she merely nodded along as Rae'nia spoke volumes of wisdom and then waited to speak until she was finished asking her questions.

"Well," Tiarela began, "I'm originally from a southern region of the Fae-folk realm, Kel'rondar. No doubt you have heard of the place." she added with a small grin. "But as many faerie are, I was victim to a summoning by a mage who.. was.. well, shall we say, not the most upstanding citizen in the world. I refused to help him; but he refused to help me, and I eventually became too much for him to deal with apparently, and he gave me what I'd need and left me in the Centripaxian forests of this Empire." Ah, the memories of that still made her want to giggle and then cry at some points. She was so incorrigable to that man, it was so much fun! In all actuality, that might have actually led towards her long for Mysticism. She loved to be into everything and a nuisance, a sneaky faerie that everyone found either hillarious and lovable or annoying and incorrigable.

As for what she enjoyed.. hmm...
"Well.. Uhm.. What do I enjoy? Seeing new things, trying new things, new experiences and learning about people and places I've never met or seen before. I love to explore, and that's quite honestly what got me here in the first place. I like adventure and things that can't be explained, and laughter... Especially laughter." Both from herself and others, to be honest. Mysticism had the biggest potential to make her laugh, and ah, laughter was medicine for a soul. She liked to help, but not in the way that many would think she would. She did not love to help 'Nature', she loved to help people. One of the things, actually, that Tiarela wanted to help in had occured to her on her way over to Ethgan'tor. "I like to help people see the truths in things too, because to me, the general populace of the Empire seems to be.. well... under a delusion about a lot of things." She decided to continue on from there..

Mysticism, why did she choose Mysticism... It took Tiarela awhile to respond. Dene had never asked, to be honest. Well..
"Everything else is so violent." She finally responded outloud, rather than to her own mind. That was not entirely intentional, but nevertheless it served its purpose. "I don't want to 'heal' people; and I'm kind of turned off Thau.. whatever it is called because of how I wound up here in the first place, you understand. And all the other magics, 'sides song -- I've never been musically inclinded either by the way -- are so violent. Everything is based around hurting and blowing up and causing pain. I don't want to do that. I love the smell and the feel and the beautiful sight of the essences I see all the time. I even like the sounds they make, sometimes -- when they aren't being used for violent purposes. Sometimes Ara makes a sound like a babbling brook, and it helps me sleep. It's soothing. But what people use it for, besides Mystics, is not." Tiarela paused, thinking about it. Faeries, after all, were so magically inclined that they could feel, see, smell, taste, hear.. Arcana. They could even identify what sphere of magic it came from and if, Atheria forbid, something that was not of the mortal realm was doing the casting.

"And hey," she added at the end of her explanation with a little laugh, "I'm a faerie. We're so closely tied to magic that if we didn't take something up for study, we might as well go on and become Sprites." Tiarela didn't like Sprites. For one, they were inclined for that Thaumaturgy stuff. For another, they were violent -- and they were all too tall. Taller than her! And any Fae-folk taller than Miss Tiarela Iceglitter was definately not a fae you could trust.

[Peach]

Rae'nia frowned as the small winged being began the short explanation of her life. She had, even as a Mistress in her own sphere, been unclear upon how the Fae were called to Thaumaturgists... Was it out of their own free will, their destiny, or were they simply selected at random? Apparently, Tiarela had no intention of helping the man, and likely did not have that much of a good time in his company. Then again, a troublemaker had the ability to sacrifice their own comforts to cause mayhem. The Esh'laheir was glad that her new student had decided to make things difficult for the one who wished to control her in such a mean spirited way... To comply to every one of his wishes would simply, and unquestionably, been slavery. The girl did appear to have a notably high reserve of life and energy within her. Just being around the faerie, who was not a child herself, reminded the advisor of her younger and more carefree brightenings.

Hopefully, Tiarela had not lost faith in all Thaumaturgists through her poor experiences. There were many Priests and Priestesses who found it in their hearts to help the injured and weary, whether of mind or body. The temple in Ethgan'tor, the most adverse in the Empire, housed so many helpful mages that not even Rae'nia had met them all. Perhaps a trip there would help Iceglitter to heal old wounds, and replace stereotypes with more open-mindedness. Even so, the pale elf was glad that Tiarela had decided upon Mysticism as her sphere... With so many people following the will of their Gods, there needed to be a few that equally worshipped the capabilities of the mind. It was the thing that gave them the capacity for faith, and held just as much sway in Telath as any immortal ever could. Much under appreciated, the sentient mind bestowed many gifts of knowledge and power upon those who chased its true purpose. But, it did not seem that the Fae was studying merely to make her small body stronger by enhancing her natural abilities.

True, the Psionic sphere focused less upon blatant attacks, but one could say that it was more dangerous than any other realm of the Arcane. Changing the very thoughts of an individual's mind, making them to turn sword upon friend or walk into the camp of a foe, had the possibility to cause more damage than any burning orb of fire or ice. Well, that was all a possibility, but the beauty of the sphere was also easy to pinpoint. As a Mystic, Tiarela had the capability to use her powers completely without insult or injury, a thing that many disciplines could not boast. Some mages said that they used their capabilities for the greater good, but lives were still lost when storms of energy descended from the sky... It was a thing that Rae'nia, with all her patterns, still had a difficult time understanding. Perhaps it was best to accept whatever the world sent their way without question. Over analyzing things certainly could cause a rather dishabilitating headache.

"I have never been able to sense the Ara quite like your race can... It must be a special experience, indeed." Combined with her predilection towards the more humorous sides of life, Tiarela would make a very wise mage. Some took their art too seriously, tried to master it instead of becoming one with the Essence. If the Faerie understood this, and how mortal she was in the end of it all, then she had the capability to surpass most beings who could teach her. Although the elves were inclined towards Arcana, it still remained distant to them... It was not a part of their lives, something that they tasted in the air and the water. She laughed at the fey creature's last comment, noting that no individual could be without some sort of fault. Rae'nia doubted that the sprites had ever directly done anything to Tiarela, but such minor racism was expected in a society with so many different kinds. She, herself, had oftentimes looked down upon a light elf before knowing anything of their personality or past. "Your reasons are sound, I believe. It is wonderful to hear a different opinion... Many start their studies to prove themselves, or because they believe their bodies to be too weak."

The Mistress shrugged, showing that it was not her place to decide the student's reasons for them. Even if some reasons seemed foolish to her, they may have heralded a great sense of practicality to another. "Here, I'd like for you to meet your training partner." Smiling, she reached into the bag that rested by her side, and pulled out a strangely realistic doll. Its eyes were made of black glass, hair from fine strands of silk, and patch-work skin from the same smooth material. In some lights, it looked simply to be an almost-perfect representation of a little girl, and all but translucent and living in others. "Although you will be able to practice some spells on me, others have a more dynamic nature... It will be more educational to see their actual effect than to have them only explained. I just made her a few brightenings ago... As of now, she is called only the Poppet. Would you like to provide a more sufficient name?"

After Tiarela had finished introducing herself to the inanimate object, Rae'nia continued with her monologue. "The first step to becoming an Apprentice Mystic is the Promotion. It is like the Unbinding, in a way, but this time I am only expanding your affinity towards the Sphere. Do you believe yourself to be ready?" Her description had, in a way, undermined the importance of the enlightenment ahead... Though it was not as mentally shocking as the Unbinding, Promotion was quite as important. Without it, no one would ever be able to advance, forever being stuck in a stage of beginning. How Tiarela wished to deal with it, was up to her alone.

[Tiarela Iceglitter]

She had never considered that people used even this sphere to better themselves or enhance themselves. It was a horrid practice, as Tiarela felt that this was merely a false way of trying to make up for something they wished they had but never could quite get. Why did everyone have to be better than everyone else? Tiarela just wanted to extend her knowledge and play with all the wonderful things around her. Well, that and a few other good reasons, but still, playing, not intimidating or beating down, was her goal and nothing more. Faeries were simple-minded folk one second, and yet so brilliantly intelligent another moment. Perhaps that was what made them, or at least Miss Iceglitter, so intricately candor, such a simplistic complexity.

All the while, Tiarela was quite content. The setting was relaxing, as it should be, and the instructor was rather nice. Quite a welcomed change from Dene. Although the man was quite wonderful, Tiarela had often felt agitated around him due to his sheer amount of energy. He was not as serious as he could have been. It matched Iceglitter's own personality somewhat, but then she tired of it so. The quite opposite here was found in Rae'nia, and the little faerie was glad for it.

Tiarela's eyes widened as she was introduced to her 'training partner', Poppet. Or well, Tiarela was allowed to name her differently if she wished, apparently. The faerie sat there and thought for a moment's time, her hand positioned on her face where her index finger reached her temple and, with the help of her thumb, cradeled her head. Tiarela thought and thought, and finally the faerie replied.
"I would like to give her a full name, if you don't mind. Her nickname can be Poppet, but I would like to call her Alalia Tarlimaigne." Nodding to reassure this fact, Tiarela then turned to the lifelike doll and curtsied, a small grin on her face. "Serale, Alalia, or shall I say.. Poppet! Tiarela Iceglitter, your partner for the lessons."

After adaquetly becoming aquainted with the little doll (which mind you, probably would have looked quite weird to much anyone else -- and hopefully not Mistress Rae'nia), Tiarela took her seat once more and let out a long sigh of a breath. Promotion. Tiarela had never heard or learned of such a term, but deemed that Rae'nia definately knew what she was doing, and therefore could be trusted. It took little to earn her trust, to be honest though. The faerie affirmed her instructor's words and worked on calming her mind and body down so that it did not prove an obstruction to the master -- or, somehow, herself.
"I believe I am, Mistress." Tiarela answered softly. It was time to break yet another barrier in the little determined faerie's arcanically inclined mind. This one, would sort of open a door again, but not something totally irrational and bewildering just like the last one. Tiarela did not exactly know what to expect, but she was sure it wasn't going to be anything as harsh as the unbinding. Barriers had to be broken, and the strength of a Master was enough to do for this one, just like the last. Broaden the horizons, open the doors, take a new persepective on what she was. Soon enough, she'd be an apprentice.. In mind, but not skill.. No, that was to come, that was the actual learning part that would be the difficult, grueling part. But it would be fun, just like the last spells were. And Tiarela looked forward to it indeed.

[Peach]

The Mistress’ velveteen words stumbled slightly as she attempted to repeat the complex name, flowing like the language that Tiarela had first learned. It, unlike so many things in the dark elven language seemed to others, was a lovely name… Feminine, full of vowels, and as smooth as honey-sweetened cream. Rae’nia was glad that she had put this enjoyable task upon her student… Although she was open-minded and creative, language barriers had caused a slight stoppage in her poetic self. Yes, she knew more than a few tongues, but only on a superficial and practical level; Arcana was her art, not the flow of words from eloquent lips. The faerie girl, however, seemed to have both talents resting upon her midnight head. An impressive feat, seeing as so many became too involved in a single part of life, allowing for the rest of their interests to slip away into oblivion.

With a smile, she idly stroked the hair of recently-named Alalia, feeling the fine silken hair of platinum beneath her fingertips. The Poppet, in a short period of time, had become one of her most prized possessions, almost like a favorite doll would be to a child.

In response to Tiarela’s greeting, the man-made item blinked her shiny black eyes and turned her head, looking curiously at the small being that stood before her. Rae’nia chuckled, surprised that the enchantment that she had lain upon the model had gone so far… The Poppet had been meant to be receptive to spells, and that she was; the low amounts of artificial intelligence must have been a side effect to psionic tinkering. “Well, it seems that she can do a few more things than I had previously thought. Perhaps naming her did the trick.”

Not a horribly out of place philosophy… When things had a special title to call their own, they felt free and intelligent, worthy to defend even the lowest of surnames and syllables. Hopefully, it would not go too far. Rae’nia had no desire to destroy the creation, she had already become attached to it and proud of its actions. It seemed apparent, to the small woman, that her teacher was hardly phased by courteous actions, even to one that did not draw air to fuel their forms. And why should she? To the Esh’laheir, it was perfectly normal to introduce oneself to the thing that they would be practicing a favored skill with.

She nodded as Tiarela declared her state of acceptance, more than the usually low amount of seriousness entering her steely orbs. This was not a time for amusement or laughter, but a solemn rite of passage that all progressing mages faced. A time to mourn her previous state as an Initiate, and move on to more fluid and bendable things. Her period as an Apprentice would be one of discovery, even more so than when she had first become introduced to Arcana, when Tiarela would finally be able to put her signature upon the spells that she cast and the Mana that was formed.

This would be her test, measuring whether she was ready to tread the path to Mastery or not. Rae’nia had no doubts towards her student’s ability… The Priestess could feel the strength of her Vis, the capability of the tendrils that her mind could send out. Even better was her sense of humor: Tiarela, unlike so many, could laugh with the Arcane, become friends with it as if it were sentient and alive like her. Closing her eyes, Rae’nia slipped into the tranquil lake of the Clara, feeling its cool waters closing over her alabaster hair.

Tiarela’s Vis shone like a beacon in the night, the fluttering of an infant’s heart to pump life-giving blood. Soon, the beat would be slowed, made to be the controlled tempo of an adolescent… Only spinning out of control when circumstances made it inevitable. The Mistress went slowly about her work, expanding Tiarela’s capability with the Ara that surrounded her and carefully deteriorating barriers in her mind. This was not the rapid, jarring change of the Unbinding… No, it was subtler than that, a simple yet elaborate expansion of capability. Then, after what had seemed like both a moment and an eternity, Rae’nia withdrew herself from the Fae’s conciousness.

Her metamorphosis was complete, emerging from a cocoon to spread colorful wings. The light returned to the Orodite’s eyes once more, causing them to appear like sunlight on a pool of crystalline water. “There, Tiarela… You are now an Apprentice of Mysticism.” She waited for a moment to allow the reality to sink in, for the Faerie to play with it and make her own. “Would you like to test your newfound skill? One of the most important techniques of the Apprentice, Reshape Mana, should do so. In it, you take an existing spell that you have already learned, and change it to fit the circumstances. In essence, reshaping its Mana. Of course, you may rest first… There is no hurry.”

[Tiarela Iceglitter]

So that was it? Somehow, Tiarela had imagined the transcending of the mind into a new definition of what she was 'ranked', so to speak, in her Arcanic abilities to be slightly more... dramatic? Awe inspiring? Lengthy? Any one of those would have worked. Not that she was complaining, it was just... not what she had expected by a long shot.
Tiarela's eyes had shut as the Mistress tinkered with her biological settings and opened new doors and passages for a deeper understanding, and access, to the matter she loved to play with so much. When it was all complete though, Tiarela's eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked around for a second. The Poppet, Alalia, was still there, as was the Orodite instructor, Rae'nia. An apprentice of Mysticism. Well, she didn't feel much different, and she definately didn't feel like she was an Apprentice of anything yet. But perhaps this proposition, the reshaping to fit the circumstances, would help her slowly understand what her expanded mind could now accomplish.

What spell to pick, though. That was quite a question. Tiarela's favorite happened to be based on fooling people.. or well, she enjoyed spells that didn't cause physical harm or scare people. So, Tiarela picked the spell 'Objectify'. Illusions being near perfect were important, and trying this out would definately be very important. Tiarela had once used this spell to save not only her own wings, but the tail of a friendly lycanthrope. Wow, that sounded like quite the oxymoron. Anyway, she was going to attempt being a lit candle this time, because for one, they were common, and for two, she didn't believe as an initiate, she was able to imitate a temperature change in the vicinity of the illusion. To create a successful guise involving fire -- which created heat -- Tiarela would need to imitate the rise in temperature around the candle's area. This was going to be fun.

"I've been wondering for awhile if there was a way to do something like that. Awesome! I know what I'm gonna try." Most people probably picked the easy one -- reshaping the psionic orb. That was no fun, though. Trying something different, practical and useful under supervision was much more beneficial. Not to mention, entertaining for both parties.

Closing her eyes, the little faerie adjusted in her seat and began to work on slipping into the state of Clara. It felt extremely easy this time, and she was sure it wasn't because of practice. Whatever Miss Rae'nia had tinkered with had done something good. She had no idea how long it was actually taking, but just that it felt seriously sped up. If and when Tiarela reached the astral plane, the faerie would begin to set herself to work. First, she focused on the psionic essence and began to channel it so that she could create mana by mixing it with her own Vis. The amount of mana she could store also felt like it'd increased. Probably another effect of whatever Rae'nia had tinkered with.

With the newly created mana, Tiarela began to shape it into a candle, just slightly shorter than she was. The flame would top it off and needed to be about her height. She imagined it being an ivory color, with the wax slightly melted at the top and frozen in time as it had ran down the sides. It was a cylindical shape, shy the wax-drip imperfections. The base, where her feet would be, was the simple brass candle holder. She imagined it being slightly worn and dulled by use, with a little handle to be picked up by on the side -- a candle someone might use to find a book in the library during the night. The metal was not too thick either, as it was not something expensive or ornate. It served it's purpose, and nothing more.
The fire would be the hard part, but she shaped it in a teardrop shape atop the wick, imagining it dancing to and fro with the still oxygen in the room. It was not overly animated, because there was no gusts of wind to be had in the forests of books that surrounded them. Tiarela thought back over everything one more time before she attempted a reshaping.

Honing her mind in on the fire aspect, Tiarela would employ a second technique -- alteration. Carefully reshaping that piece of the already shaped mana, Tiarela added a little to spread it out in a semi circular field around the illusion -- thicker around the actual light-giving portion. This alteration was intended to give the illusion of a temperature altercation around the object. That would create the perfect illusion. Warmth and heat coursed through her mind. The light from her illusion-ed candle would not have changed much of the lighting in the room, seeing the overhead glass let in a portion of the suns' light, so a light illusion was not necessary. Besides, the sight illusion would probably be sufficient for the light difference around the object. Maybe. Hopefully.

When all of this was finally complete, Tiarela used the techniques to expunge the mana from herself, thus allowing it to be redirected into the material plane through her own Vis. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at her instructor after a glance to the Poppet. Hopefully, it worked, and Rae'nia was close enough to feel the temperature change -- if it had indeed succeeded at all.

[Peach]

Rae’nia inclined her head as Tiarela spoke, seeing past the strange and foreign words to the basis of her point. The Mistress could easily imagine that her student had not been completely satisfied with the Initiate level, mainly because it did not give her room for creativity and mischief. She did not have to see the Fae actually cast a spell to know that she was a talented one, and would make a better mage than many higher-level ones could ever hope to be. As long as one stuck to the spell list, or simple alterations of their appearances, then they were limited beyond belief… Arcana was much more than a group of castings set in stone, with only one way to bring forth each manifestation.

If that were true, then the sphere would not even exist; someone had to be there to shape the mana for the very first time, going beyond what they had learned before the Aetherfracture. No, Mysticism was much more than that, carrying subtlety along with usefulness, calling for the talents of the mind along with the extension of the vis. What other criteria would the psionic sphere have? This was not elementalism, a simple gathering of the essences and throwing them about with abandon. The sentient mind was a complex thing, calling for the masters of intellect alone to tamper with its inner workings. Tiarela, so content and comfortable when toying with other people’s beliefs, showed potential indeed.

The Faerie was lucky to have started her training after the great magical stone had broken, thus altering the course of magic forever. Before that monumental event, Arcana had been more instinctual, the realm of inheritance instead of skill. Rae’nia, who had been born into a gem blooded family, never felt the frustration of one who was not allowed to practice what they desired. Had Tiarela been one of those individuals who finally was allowed to seize the opportunity and do what they loved? It would not have surprised the advisor, seeing how long the tiny beings could live… As many patterns as any Esh’laheir could claim. Suddenly, Rae’nia began to wonder what the petite being would have been like if she had been born a pale elf. Perhaps she would not enjoy playing pranks so much, or maybe the dark side of her nature would only have augmented the tendency. The elven woman sighed, wishing that she could have an interesting being like Tiarela on the Yeranthas council beside her.

The Esh’laheir truly could be blind at times, turning away from the value of intermingling between the races. No longer, was the world so pure as to have completely different cities and customs for every variety of humanoid… If they accepted the Fae into their gates, then why couldn’t the nobles allow for the winged ones to sit beside their thrones?

Readying herself for the wait as Tiarela entered clara, Rae’nia removed a few white strings and crystals from the folds of her robes. With practiced speed, her sensitive and delicate fingers began to weave the strands together, creating a solid and intricate cord that could be the basis of a tiny necklace… One for an individual of Tiarela’s size, perhaps. Only a Faerie, with their keen eyes and relative size, would be able to pinpoint any of the subtle flaws that gave the cord character. The Orodite gave a small start as her pupil’s form began to change, although the reaction was not from the transformation itself; such a thing had been expected. It was the speed and efficiency in which the dark-haired woman executed her spell, a full ten seconds under what the most talented of apprentices could manage.

Blinking her twilight orbs a few times to assist in regaining her composure, Rae’nia set her work into her lap and began to test the illusion. To her trained eyes, it did not take long to detect the changed that Tiarela had made to the initiate spell… A smile forming upon her angular features, the advisor waved her hand about the circumference of the flame to make sure. A gentle heat was radiating from the flickering ‘fire’, completing an image that would have been lacking when simply made stationary.

Gradually, her concentration melted away, as did the mana through the filter of her vis. The apprentice was accepted back into the physical realm by a jovial-looking Rae’nia, her expression telling Tiarela that she had succeeded. “Very good, Tiarela, and creative at that! I especially enjoyed the concentration that you put into the flame… Beautifully executed. Anyway, our next technique is called the Circle of Magic.” From the same bag that she had carried the Poppet in, Rae’nia removed a small piece of chalk and offered it to the aspiring Mystic.

“As you draw the circle around yourself, concentrate upon pouring Mana into the line, along with your intentions as always. If done correctly, a warding barrier should rise from the circle and protect you, or others, from harm while you cast. A circle done clockwise will keep magic from entering, while counterclockwise will have the exact opposite effect. Two circles can be drawn to allow both events to occur.”

[Tiarela Iceglitter]

Tiarela's eyes glimmered with satisfaction and excitement. She'd done it, and it was good! Praise from an instructor was always a good thing, but Tiarela took this one even closer to heart -- Rae'nia did not seem like a person readily open to tell everyone just how good or bad they were doing. Probably that Orodite thing about her. She grinned as Rae'nia dug out and handed her the chalk. This learning experience was definately going to be fun. Tiarela thought idly about how other spheres had spells that did this sort of thing as initiates and wondered why they even had such things if apprentices learned a way to do it without needing a specific sphere... Oh well, perhaps it wasn't totally practical, but it was helpful to them nonetheless. She could understand. People like Sorcerers and somesuch were likely more engaged in the actual pain inflicting ideas of Arcana instead of the fun and manipulative part that Mystics found themselves enthralled with.

Accepting the chalk, Tiarela thought about this for a moment. Draw a circle around herself and pour mana into it while she did it. Okay, that didn't sound too hard. Tiarela also noted that the direction in which she drew this circle around her would effect just what it did too. Seeing no reason to imprison herself, Tiarela decided that she would draw this circle clockwise to effectively prevent things from entering, instead of preventing things from leaving. Taking the piece of chalk to the surface Tiarela was currently on, she began to slowly draw the circle about herself in a clockwise fashion. She started near the tips of her toes -- only, a few inches further out -- she didn't want to feel like she was enclosed. From there, Tiarela moved to her right and slowly spun in a circle as she was bent over from the waist. When she connected the line back to the tip of the beginning portion of it, effectively making it a never-ending loop, Tiarela then worked on channelling mana into it -- but first, she would have to get back into the Astral Plane and work from there.

Closing her eyes, Tiarela embraced her newfound speed and began to work quickly on clearing her mind. It was amusing how much easier the actual task was by now, as she could still recall the first few times where it took her nearly ten minutes to get there. Once in Clara, Tiarela would begin to use her stored mana, if she still had any left over, to effectively redraw the circle in the second plane. She hadn't attempted to draw them together, because Tiarela was new to the technique and was afraid that a dual attempt at concentration at something she'd never done before would effectively cause a failed attempt in her persuits. Cautious to a point, even though she didn't seem like it. Tiarela strived for success and frowned upon failure -- especially if it was her own.

She channeled the mana through her own Vis, already deciding what technique would be used. She would evoke the mana. At the moment, she was creating the milky circle in the Astral plane with as much delicacy as she could. Arcana reminded her of thin strands... seperated, it was nothing, but with the right hold and other strings to reinforce it, Arcana could be a thick rope that no one could break. Right now, she was effectively creating such rope from a substance she already held. Tiarela's mind concentrated on making sure the circle was complete, because a gap would likely cause a flaw in the circle and it would have a point that wouldn't protect her, which she didn't like the idea of at all. When it was complete atop the physically manifested circle on the tabletop, Tiarela employed the technique of evocation to bring the attempted effects of her circle into the Material Plane. She wasn't sure if there would be any indication when she was looking about around herself that the thing actually worked, or if she would just have to have Rae'nia chuck a spell or an object (did it even work on objects? She didn't say, but Tiarela had suspected it might've.) at her and see if it went through the area it definately shouldn'tve.

Slowly, when it was complete as it was going to get for this attempt at it, Tiarela allowed herself to become fully aware in the Material plane once more. She sniffed a few times as a test to see if the circle had worked. She also allowed herself to quit thinking so much, so that she had the ability to feel it if it was there. Her eyes scanned about her, looking for an indication that she had succeeded in her work. Rae'nia would be able to tell her, but it would be nice if Tiarela could find it for herself too. There would be times when no one would be there to tell her what she did wrong, or what she could've done differently, so it was important to be independent. Tiarela Iceglitter though, was obnoxiously yet tactfully independent -- something everyone could ususally see.

[Peach]

Some of those following the god of logic may have become overly critical. Verily, his worship all but required it, as it was asked of his followers to learn everything that was possible, never relenting scholarly days. The Orodites could seem cold at times, separated from the rest of Telath as they were immersed into their own separate world of books and lists. Rae’nia knew some priests who had not left the library in weeks, eating and drinking what little they did in secrecy among the isles. It was only practical to assume that once someone had acquired such unquenchable stores of knowledge, then they would find it difficult to celebrate mediocrity… In the advisor’s case, however, this general concept was not true.

It wasn’t her god that demanded such high standards, but her lineage itself. For a pale elf to be noticed, accepted in society, then they were made to be more than great, surpassing even the most perfect of humans or light elves. Anything else would have been scorned, put off as lackadaisical and slovenly. Looking back on how hard she had trained herself, Rae’nia could not help but feel slightly humbled. How foolish she had been to rush, giving into the darker side of her bloodline and allowing for emotion to overcome patience. What had been the hurry? Now that so many patterns had passed, such a long time in which she could have progressed at a less grueling pace, she was hard put to see the benefit of it all. Perhaps she had saved a few years of her life, but had that been worth spending so many in almost constant study? Yes, she was the most powerful Mystic in Ethgan’tor, but what did that amount to?

When Rae’nia looked carefully at her youthful days, she realized that the most enjoyable time was in the garrison, where she fit in the least and did an equal amount of work. Now, she had the more notable respect of the nobles and citizens in the holy city, but back then a different kind of hierarchy had been enjoyed. Her peers looked up to her for being the only one who would blatantly stand up to officers, yawning as they spoke and laughing when they turned their backs. Somehow, even with her experience in life, the Esh’laheir could not tell which kind of notoriety had been better.

Sighing, she put one elbow on the low table and rested her chin in a skeletal hand, unfinished braiding work dangling from the other. Rae’nia knew that she would not get much time to work on it during the brief moments that elapsed while Tiarela speedily entered clara, arcanic Fae reflexes and a bit of something else working towards her success. The woman smiled in amazement when, about forty-five seconds later, the fey creature’s conciousness emerged into the state that allowed her to see the earth’s energies. Maybe in time, the young one before her would surpass Rae’nia, herself… No, it would not have been good to ruin the small one’s soul by throwing her into the cutthroat realm of politics, but the image wasn’t hard to entertain nonetheless. In a few hundred years, perhaps, when she had become tired of being a spry prankster. If that ever happened at all. Could even age and creaking bones defeat Tiarela’s indomitably indifferent spirit?

Her expression slipping into one of thought, Rae’nia set eyes upon the circle that her student had so recently drawn, thus encapsulating herself with such a thin line of powdered stone. It did not seem like much, but the pale elf knew what the simple drawing symbolized. It was the never-ending protection that mages threw about themselves to vanish from society, their drug and their cure. This circle was Arcana, itself. The advisor watched from a state of clara as the starry substance poured in an almost viscous way down Tiarela’s arm, through the chalk and on top of the circle that she had previously marked out.

There was no need for special tests to see if her creation had worked… The sense of sight was enough to gather that, seeing as an almost-translucent wall of glowing blue light had sprung from her circle and up towards the heavens. It smelled like Arcana when Tiarela breathed of the air, and would even taste like it if she sampled a bit of the stillness with her tongue. Yes, she had been able to make something… But how effective would it be?

Still in her state of meditation, Rae’nia quickly gathered up enough mana for a Suggestion spell, which she aimed immediately into the artificial mind of the Poppet. Test the circle. At her creator’s bidding, the doll-like creature quickly sprang to life, small feet shod in pastel pink slippers swinging over the side of the desk to come in contact with the floor. A few ambling strides, her legs looking almost as if puppet strings were controlling them, brought the small being to Tiarela’s circle. Entirely black eyes peering through the magic at the diminutive Fae that rested beyond, the Poppet leaned her small peach colored hands against the wall, their outline showing clearly through the screen. Some may have found it eerie to watch as the animated form stared emotionlessly at them, straining meekly against the barrier. The thought never crossed Rae’nia’s mind that her doll may have caused some discomfort… All that she could concentrate on was its usefulness.

Having effectively transferred its unsuccessful weight to the circle, the Poppet took a few steps back, awaiting her mistress’ next command. Sending streams of her own conciousness forward, the advisor possessed its body, transferring her own sentient mind into the doll’s body. Just outside the barrier, she began to cast a simple psionic orb spell, keeping it small enough to only provide a small shock if Tiarela’s barrier failed. Rae’nia sighed with relief as she saw the transpiring scene through eyes of black glass, her spell sizzling and dying upon the azure surface.

Glad to be finished with the slightly uncomfortable situation, Rae’nia darted back into her own body, this time using physical force to pick up the Poppet and place it back on the table. “Again, Miss Iceglitter, rather flawless. The next, and final Apprentice technique is called…” The pale elf bit her lip softly, trying to remember the rather elusive name. She hardly had use for the practice, aside from the few times that she was required to extract visual and telepathic messages from marbles and stones. Kyetrih was rather fond of those.

“Activation, I think. I apologize if I am wrong, but the name does not matter so much if you can use the technique correctly.” Rae’nia grimaced apologetically as she picked up one of the stray crystals that she had brought out for her bead work, Imbuing it casually with a Psionic Orb spell. This she gave to Tiarela, motioning to it afterwards to imply that it was the topic of discussion. “I have enchanted this crystal with a simple Psionic Orb spell. Concentrate upon pulling it out of the stone with your own Vis, or Ara if you so desire, and complete the weave. Simple, no? Aim the spell at the Poppet if you would, she certainly will not mind. Now that you are an Apprentice, you may feel free to experiment with the shape of the orb. I am sure that you can think of something more fun than a sphere.”