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Post by demikara on Nov 11, 2019 16:23:55 GMT -6
"I doubt you found it tricky." He said simply. "You're old and powerful. And you're talented." He highly doubted it had been tricky. But she didn't exactly tell him the truth very often. That was part the problem with the Unseen. No one really told the truth. "Then again, I don't expect you to tell me anything. I'm a challenging child after all." And that had rankled when she had said it, but he held his tongue. She was right in some ways. He was so much younger than her that he might as well be a child.
The problem with vampires was they would view him as a child for the rest of his existence now. Oh that had been true before hand, but at least there would have been an end to that. "Maybe I should go work on my skills. Never mind that I've mastered eight types of magic. I don't have any practical skills." That one had hurt more than he like to admit. They had worked together long enough that she knew he was talented. He handled a little bit of everything and didn't just do magic.
Communication was a two-way street and neither of them was great at it, he could tell.
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Post by Circe on Nov 11, 2019 18:16:32 GMT -6
For a moment an uneasy silence fell between the vampire and her fledgling. Catherine stood just a few steps off, with her back to Tyrus and drew her coat closer around herself. "Old and powerful only by luck, talented no." She conceded. It wasn't a lie this time, Catherine truly believed herself without talent.
He was right though, it had been the work of a thought or maybe less to deal with the explosive cocktail.
"It's great you've mastered that many kinds of magic, now you'll have time to do even more." Catherine added, unsure what to even say. But clearly she had done something wrong, or said something wrong yet again.
"I apologise for calling you challenging and without skill." Was that what he wanted? Relationships had always been difficult for her, especially after Izaak. He had done everything possible to isolate her, and she had foolishly let him.
"I'm also sorry for putting you in this whole entire situation Tyrus. I never should have."
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Post by demikara on Nov 11, 2019 18:26:10 GMT -6
Great, now he felt like a heel. "You're talented, Catherine. You and I just have the same hangups there." He was self aware to know that he got in his own way sometimes. "I've seen you work. We were together for a year and the only other people there were perfectly content herding sheep. Somehow." He still didn't understand how that could be a thing. "And its not your fault I'm a vampire now. It's my own damn fault." It should have been the perfect night to do it. There was minimal magic and it should have worked out just fine.
He still didn't know where he screwed up, but he was definitely humbled by the experience. "And now I've burdened you with a fledgling. And neither of us knows how to handle it." It was, as far as he could tell, the vampire version of an unwanted pregnancy, skipping over the pregnancy entirely and just being saddled with the kid. He tugged at his hair. "We need to sit down and actually talk about this. I screwed up majorly, and we haven't even discussed the consequences yet."
It had just been 'handle it'. This is how you put up shields. Yes, that's how you communicate with shields up. Don't worry you'll figure the rest out on your own. And now he was telekinetic too and had no clue how to handle that and the telepathy that apparently came with the family line. And he was trying to make time, trying to pull away from his other responsibilities, but something had to break sometime soon and he was worried it was him.
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Post by Circe on Nov 11, 2019 19:02:34 GMT -6
"Making an effort and doing what's necessary do not require talent." She reminded him. That's what she had always been told, just because she happened to show up, be present, and go the extra mile did not ever mean she was talented. Much of her adult life had been spent being tossed from one group to the next, each promising to recognize her for skill or talent; they never did.
"It my fault for even asking for your help and risking you in that ritual." Catherine protested. If she hadn't been so determined to look for a solution to what most said was an imaginary problem, this never would have happened. "What's done is done, and I'm serious when I say I don't know how to teach you." She stressed.
She had raised two nephews and helped Brandon with his friend Laura; she had no idea how to help Tyrus. The Unseen often made their own families, especially those who came to the world later in age or were disowned by family.
"How am I supposed to teach something to someone who knows so much already? I have absolutely nothing to offer you!" He had been raised in the court after all, and if anyone was the fledgling she felt that it was her. "We can talk about it all day and night and still not get anywhere."
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Post by demikara on Nov 11, 2019 19:13:05 GMT -6
"Talent is honed through practice." He rebutted. "Through an effort and through doing what's necessary. And it's not your fault at all. We had done a trial run on Brandon and I wanted to help you out. I could have said no. I'm the expert on magic here. The fault is mine." He should have looked closer, should have accounted better for all the variables. He should have thought through all the variables. He had known she'd need more blood because the damage was older, but he didn't realize that her magic would react like that and hadn't accounted for her attachment to the veil. Had he done so, things would have been different.
"And you know far more about psionics than I do. Books can't tell me how to control this. Books can't tell me if I'm doing the shielding correctly or possibly fucking myself over entirely. They can't test my shielding to make certain that I'm not going to drop it when I get distracted." That had happened a few times already. He had no clue how she kept her mind on shielding and on doing anything that required her full attention. Half the time at work, he gave in and just dealt with the headache.
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Post by Circe on Nov 11, 2019 19:25:52 GMT -6
For the moment, Catherine held her opinions to herself. Tyrus still didn't understand that the majority of her life had really been pure chance. It wasn't a knack for being there at the right place or time, just that the universe thought her it's lovely little play thing to torture and annoy. "Tyrus... I still have problems myself. I didn't have anyone to teach me how to manage." Sir William had given her some sort of tea as a child to help negate and suppress the abilities. Catherine suspected that it had been done out of the desire to not draw unwanted attention.
"If you want me to teach you, I'll try to... but it won't be easy."
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Post by demikara on Nov 11, 2019 19:35:23 GMT -6
"I don't expect it to be easy. All I ask is that you not use a whip when I fail." That had been his motivation growing up. He was to learn all eight forms of magic whether he wanted to or not. And failure was not an option. He couldn't see Catherine whipping him for not managing to do something successfully, but it had to be said. Just in case. "And I don't expect you to be perfect. You have so much power its unreal. Expecting perfect control is insanity. I don't have it and I'm weaker than you by far."
And he was not exactly hurting in the magic department. Even being turned hadn't diminished it, which may honestly be a product of how he was turned. "I want your help. I'm certain of it. And I don't care how hard it is." The headaches going away would be worth it.
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Post by Circe on Nov 11, 2019 19:46:32 GMT -6
Catherine looked shocked and horrified at the idea of treating failure in such a way. "I would never do that!" She protested. Junior and Brandon had been difficult, and there were times when both had warranted being spanked but never beat.
"I might have power, but it's not something I'm terribly willing to advertise." Catherine explained. That way lead to madness, even more than she already was. It also risked calling attention to herself more than she was comfortable with.
"Block out early mornings before the sun rises... I'll help you then. We'll use your ranch."
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Post by demikara on Nov 11, 2019 19:53:18 GMT -6
"Consider them blocked out." He'd get through it with coffee. "And you'll already be a kinder teacher than my parents." Which was a relief. He hadn't thought she would. "And I look forward to the lack of scars." He had enough already. "How long should I block off?" The early morning hours, before sunrise. The question was only how much. He'd have to shift his schedule a bit, but he could do that. He had been shifting his schedule a lot lately, making more room for himself. He had even been cutting back hours at Broadmoor, letting his deputy take more control so that the handoff between the two of them would go smoothly.
He'd need coffee regardless, given the early hour. And to eat fully for his blood lust. He'd probably also have some human food, just to be sure that all his hungers were fed. Training was an exhausting endeavor. If he was going to be training more than he already was then he'd need to eat more and actually get a good night's sleep. Which meant cutting back hours elsewhere as well. He'd figure it out. He needed to cut back on everything regardless. He couldn't manage meals and continue at the pace he had been.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 13:07:59 GMT -6
"Don't go singing my praises yet mage," Catherine disagreed. "Block off three hours, from two till five."
~
She could promise no physical scars, but could not and would not promise the safety of his mind. Psionic magics were inherited, passed down through family lines and their subsequent generations. Commonly the magic was weak and but could still be amplified by the use of a focus or amulet, but even then there was no promise that it would work. Telepathy was the rare one, and telekinesis was the more common of the two, but the two together was nearly unheard of outside of ancient families. Still though, it often wasn't seen much above a class 3 ranking and instead was a minor magic indicative of potential other magics. To the unseen these often weak talents were no good for anything other than mundane magic tricks and fortune telling, as a psionics particular capacity for their brand of magic allowed them to more freely open themselves up more freely to the local magic and psychic environment.
The Unseen Council took careful note of these family lines, making note of the strength or capabilities they had. This was how the Council had been able to assume plausiblity that Catherine and Scottlyn were potentially related, as they had both possessed the same strengths and capabilities; although the younger was much more diminished that the elder. This system had also allowed the Council to identify future potential as officers with MCU or other members of importance to them. Due to this however, many families choose to hide their gifts and concentrate on other forms of magic to avoid catching unwanted and often dangerous attention. Then there were the families who reveled in it and saw it as their ticket to fame or riches, it was that way that led these individuals to early graves.
It was because of this that Catherine had done as much as she could to keep the extent of her capabilities to herself, she had already found herself indentured to the Council as one of their dogs for the next two centuries once and didn't care to go down that road again.
All these thoughts swirled around her head as she stepped through the mirror in the Court and stepped out into the cold of Tyrus's ranch. Catherine had said to meet her between two and five in the morning, the smallest and quietest hours of the day when few persons would be awake. Those that were would likely be quickly discredited if they saw anything out of the ordinary.
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 13:21:14 GMT -6
Tyrus had set up the mirror at the edge of the property, but was there to greet her, keys to a fourwheeler in hand so they could actually get a bit more on the property. Sleep, apparently, was for the weak. He'd catch a cat nap after this for a few hours, then be in the office at ten am, very reluctantly. Days were a serious drag now, but he could manage them, if crankily. He wasn't cranky now though, having freshly fed and woken up from a brief nap himself. The fact that he was having to split his sleeping hours in two was interesting, but necessary.
He still didn't know what class psionic he was going to be. He was still struggling with the skills that came with it and didn't know how to rate himself. He could read minds yes, but was stymied by shields and had promptly provided an amulet to shield the thoughts of his PA and his alcoholic familiar. He was an inch from requiring them for every worker than came in the door too, if only to get some peace without a constant low-grade headache from people thinking too loudly.
He yawned and gave his teacher and sire a smile. "I figured we could move out to a more deserted section of the ranch if we need to. Though I admit, I'd rather do this inside if possible. I have a ritual room." And for smaller things it worked out well. Best of all though, it had heat. He could keep up a spell to keep him warm of course, but it was probably best to focus on one kind of magic at a time.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 14:41:27 GMT -6
Catherine didn't return Tyrus's smile, her expression unreadable as she considered the suggestion. Clearly she was there to work and not muck about, even though it was tempting. "We'll start there and then move outside." She informed the other. Getting his mind cleared, settled, and ready to work would be better in a familiar environment for the mage. Catherine however had learned to not rely on a special place or room to adjust in, as it hadn't always been available.
"I won't be too terribly cruel, but you will have to learn not to use cheats."
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 15:07:21 GMT -6
"I look forward to it." One less charm to wear. He gave a set of four-wheeler keys to Catherine and led the way, stopping in front of the house and leading the way towards the barn. The ritual room was there, underground, though it had a skylight for needed rituals. He wanted to be done with cheats, and manage his own mind without help. The charm let him get through the day, but he needed to be able to handle this on his own.
The ritual room was sparse and large, made of heavy stones. The only visible supplies were a shelf with chalk and candles on it, though there was overhead lighting as well. It was kept warm, if not quite comfortable. There was a ritual robe hanging up on a hook and two older wooden chairs with cushions on them. He had purified the room after his last ritual, so there was no haze of magic despite it's heavy use here. He was careful about that, and tended to be more careful after accidents like the one that had re-made him.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 15:44:15 GMT -6
For any psion, their magic could be a cruel and capricious mistress. Often times things were unintentionally heard by friends, family, and neighbors that did more damage than if it had been said. Shielding was important, but so was no going and looking for things as well. Given the rarity of the ability, few if any could shield against even the weakest true telepaths. Sure there were empaths and sensitives, but neither of those could truly read a mind.
Once down into the room, Catherine divested herself of her heavy parka and boots at the doorway. Setting a small backpack down, she then walked further into the room, surveying it to see if it would truly fit her purposes. Reaching out briefly with her senses, it felt as if it had been washed and scrubbed clean for the ages of all magic. "Hmm..." Catherine mused thoughtfully. She hadn't been expecting the space to feel like it had, but it was a pleasant change from the heavy magic that often surrounded the other.
"Good job, even I can't find a trace of magic here." She remarked, trying to remember to focus on what was right instead of what was wrong. It was a difficult mindset to adopt, as often MCU had been focused on the wrong instead of anything else. "So we can do this one of two ways, your way or my way to empty and calm."
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 16:53:43 GMT -6
"Thanks!" He tried hard to keep it magic free as possible. It wasn't always doable, and sometimes it took a few goes, but for the most part he did okay. "We can try your way? Empty and calm is...difficult for me." But he was willing to try and had a feeling that it would be necessary. Calm he could do, mostly. Empty was...he had never quite understood what people meant by empty. It was weird and unusual and he wasn't a fan or trying. But this was important, so he would manage it.
Or at least, he would do his best.
Tyrus was rather excited to be doing this. It had been some time since he was the student. He looked forward to it all. He forced himself to calm down though. "How should I get started?" How was she planning on him emptying his mind.
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