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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 17:19:09 GMT -6
"Are you sure?" Catherine asked. Her way was vastly different from his, but then again she had learned different methods to the madness. To empty one's own mind was a task in of itself, but to remain calm and not grab at each fleeting thought was even more difficult; especially for a novice like Tyrus. "But if your so sure, then we'll do this together." She decided. That was the way you did it with beginners wasn't it? Catherine couldn't recall as it had been so long since she'd had to teach Brandon the same thing.
"First have a seat, you can use one of the chairs or sit on the floor. Whichever is most comfortable for you." She instructed. Catherine could see that he was eager and excited, but tried to encourage calm to start with. "Then we'll start."
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 17:24:55 GMT -6
"I'm sure. You're the expert." He was going to listen. Tyrus took a seat on one of the chairs, not much wanting to sit on the ground, heated room or not. The chair was at least more comfortable than the floor. He was determined to do this. They'd be doing it together too, which meant he'd have a template for how it was supposed to be done. Tyrus got comfortable, and tried to calm down some. He needed to be calm and empty his mind. That was going to be the first step.
It was also probably going to be the hardest step.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 18:00:20 GMT -6
Catherine chuckled softly to herself, it wasn't often if ever that she had been called an expert in something. Even as a warden, which was supposed to have been the top and premier end of what MCU trained her skills and knowledge were called into question. It had more so been after they had reinstated her with the agency after her time in Broadmoore, there had always been the voice at the back of her mind telling her that if she failed it would be worse this time. "Expert? No, not in the least." She disagreed. Maybe compared to him, but surely there were others who knew more than she did.
"Alright, let's get started. I want you to sit with your feet flat and your hands resting lightly in your lap with your palms up." Catherine demonstrated, assuming a similar position. "This is a mindfulness exercise, but also useful for telepaths." She explained to the other. It helped on the especially bad days when she had been around too many people and as a result found her own shielding in tatters. "I learned this while I was still somewhat human.. so it may seem odd," Especially the breathing part, but that was just how she knew it. "I want you to take a deep breath and begin to feel the weight of your body on the chair. With each breath, allow yourself to sink deeper and deeper into the cushion." Catherine instructed. Her voice had taken on a calm and soothing tone as she led an excited Tyrus through the beginning of the exercise. It was vastly different from the technique he had demanded of her.
"Now, become aware of the sensation of your breath, your body, the chair. When you're ready, begin to move that awareness slowly up through your feet," It was an easy exercise, but it also required that he be still the entire time. Something that not everyone was always capable of. But, Catherine if necessary could be a slow and patient teacher, drawing her pupil down into a sea of calm with her. "Now expand this awareness and once more when ready begin to shift it around. Allow your mind to slowly empty itself, pay no mind to any thoughts coming to the surface."
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 18:16:13 GMT -6
That sounded easier said than done. Tyrus did his best, letting his body slowly relax into the chair, breathing slightly. It wasn't really required anymore, unless he wanted to speak at least. That had taken getting used to. He took time to get there, struggling to keep his body still. That had always been his problem as a child too, but he was better now, mostly managing stillness. He breathed slowly, and expanded his awareness.
Slowly, he let the awareness move up from his feet. It took him time, but he eventually reached where she had wanted, his mind mostly empty. He caught and discarded thoughts, acknowledging them and letting them go. It was as close as he was able to get to paying no mind to his thoughts.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 18:30:42 GMT -6
"When you reach the bottom, where it is still and quiet," Catherine continued having already emptied her own mind. "I want you to reach out and try to read the surface of my thoughts." She let a few thoughts bubble to the surface of her mind, laying atop the thicker and more impenetrable shields keeping the rest of her mind private. They were really just boring thoughts, a list of what still needed to be restocked for Brandon's shop, what she had to eat earlier in the evening, and whether or not it was going to rain. "Take your time, and do not rush."
Patience along with trial and error would be the key to his success.
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 18:35:49 GMT -6
It took him a long time to reach what could generously be called the bottom. Hesitating, he reached out with his mind for her mind. He had done it before, had knocked on her shields. He kind of knew how to find another mind. It was keeping his mind clear that was the hardest part. He found he had to keep restarting before he could try again. He reached out with his mind, brushing across her thoughts.
They were mundane. He got the impression that she was letting him see only what she wanted him to. His mental touch was barely there at all, but he caught impressions of her thoughts at least.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 18:42:44 GMT -6
"Good. Keep trying." Catherine coaxed. She could sense that he was having some amount of difficulty, but wasn't about to do things for him. The mundane and unimportant thoughts were necessary, it gave him something to reach for but also not be overwhelmed by. Newcomers to Catherine's specific kind of magic often grew overwhelmed and frustrated easily. She had listened to his concerns and tried to remember her own struggles and Brandon's. "Three more times and then we'll move on." She encouraged him. Tackling the telepathy would be the hardest, as many often found.
What she had in mind for the telekinesis would require them to go outside however.
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 18:50:31 GMT -6
It took time, but he managed it three more times, each time with a feather light, barely there touch. But he managed it, even if he was mentally exhausted after it all. This shouldn't be so hard. But it was a muscle, he reminded himself. It was a muscle and he was learning how to flex it. It took time to do that. He had to be kind to himself, even if his parents would have been cruel. He decided to treat himself like he would one of the kids who came to his class. Kindly and with compassion and understanding. He didn't need to be perfect. He was still learning.
Once done, he pulled away entirely and stretched. "Okay. I think that went okay?" It had taken awhile. That was his main concern, that he had maybe taken too long to learn how to flex this magical muscle.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 19:28:53 GMT -6
"You did just fine, I can tell you've been practicing." Catherine answered, trying to offer encouragement. He was expecting himself to master a skill that had taken her years if not centuries to even remotely master. "You're still willing to learn, which is important." If he wasn't then Catherine would have had serious concerns about Tyrus as a fledgling. She already had concerns, if only because of the madness carried in her line.
"Alright, are you ready to work on something else?"
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 19:37:51 GMT -6
"Yeah." He was grinning though. A little praise went a long way for him. It was going well. Besides, he had all the time in the world to master this skill. He stood and stretched. "What next?" Whatever it was must be the reason she had brought the backpack along. Though he supposed she could also be using it as a purse. He had done something similar enough times that it was perfectly possible.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 19:48:40 GMT -6
"Good." Catherine nodded as she stood from her seat. Walking over to her backpack, she knelt down and began pulling her boots back on. Standing back up, she grabbed her coat and backpack. It was easy to forget just how tall she really was, considering that she usually went to great lengths to draw as little attention as possible to herself.
"We're going to head outside now, and hopefully you'll enjoy this next exercise."
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 19:59:58 GMT -6
Tyrus pulled his shoes back on and pulled his coat on as well. "Hopefully." It looked interesting. Or at least, that it could possibly be interesting and that caught his attention more than he'd like to admit. He was easily distracted by new magic though and he knew it. He led the way outside and glanced around. "What will we be doing?" The real question was what magic would it be exercising. They had already practiced telepathy. Were they going to do telekinesis now?
He hadn't been able to lift something larger than an apple, and that had taken more effort than he thought it would. It was a muscle, he reminded himself. It was a muscle and he was learning to us it.
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Post by Circe on Nov 12, 2019 20:08:18 GMT -6
Once they got some distance away from the barn, Catherine set the backpack down and turned to Tyrus. "You were so enamored with the trick with the molotov the other day, so you're going to learn how to do that. I'm going assume you know a basic levitation spell, so we'll use that as a starting point." She explained as she started to unzip her bag. Pulling out several wine and liquor bottles, she set them each on the ground.
It had been easy enough to get them, especially since several of the fledglings unrelated to the royal family had decided to try going on a bender a few days earlier. They had promptly made themselves sick, and gotten in themselves in some serious trouble as well.
"Are you ok with that?" Catherine asked looking at Tyrus.
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Post by demikara on Nov 12, 2019 20:21:25 GMT -6
"I can do a levitation spell." He confirmed. He was going to be knocking a bottle back? Was she serious? That sounded a lot more complicated than he wanted it to be. He definitely hadn't expected her to pull out a bunch of bottles from her backpack. "Where did you get so many bottles? I didn't think you drank." And definitely not that much. The occasional drink for a social occasion sure, but he was pretty sure that was the extent of her drinking. He was the alcoholic here, even if he was in recovery. She was the sober one of the two. Though he hadn't touched a drink in while, other than that one tiny sip at the gala. Did blood spiked wine even count as alcohol? Probably. Idly, he wondered if it would taste better, now that he was a vampire and actually needed the blood.
It took him a moment before he answered her question. "I'm okay with that." He hoped he'd be able to actually do it though. He'd never knocked anything back with his telekinesis before. He had been able to pick up an apple with it, but so far that was about it.
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Post by Circe on Nov 13, 2019 16:46:35 GMT -6
"Excellent." Catherine said as she finished emptying the backpack. In her opinion, a bottle was ideal because of the weight and strength of the glass. It took quite a bit of force to actually break one, but it could be done. Besides, she didn't have a better idea of what to give him to focus on, given that most of the objects on the ranch were either ritual based or farming implements. "How observant, I don't. But there are other courtiers who do." She stated dryly as she grouped some of the thinner walled bottles together. Getting the bottles had been easy, and they made a good object of focus for Tyrus.
"So the object of the game here is to levitate the bottle and hold it, then release it slowly," Catherine explained. "Like so." She gestured at a bottle making it rise up off the ground and hang mid air before letting it back down.
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