To Stand A Chance

[demikara]

The problem, of course, with having made up their minds to put Tyrus on the throne was that while Catherine could certainly stand up to Grigore, Tyrus most certainly could not. Oh, he had the basics down, and a weak telepath would have stood no chance. But Grigore was not weak at all, and Tyrus knew it. Which meant that Tyrus would need to get up to snuff and quickly. Catherine seemed know somewhere they could go for training though, and they would be taking advantage of the time dilation between the two planes again, for more training, again. The difference being who was being trained of course.  On the bright side, by the end of all of this, he would probably be able to read at a decent level in fae. If only because there was nothing else to read. And there was nothing like total immersion for actually learning a language, so he wouldn't be needing to rely on a translation spell constantly. That was good.

He had decided to look on the bright side. Training to a point where he could take on Grigore, especially in a short amount of time, would be absolutely brutal. Something would have to give, and he had no doubt he'd have very little free time to do more than read, maybe, a chapter a day of a book, if there were even books he was allowed to read where they were going. He did, however, anticipate a near constant headache from using his psionic abilities as they trained.

Hopefully they would be able to get him to where he needed to be. He knew he had the potential to be a level 5 psionic, but didn't have the training. And they were aiming for as high a level 5 as possible. Grigore was an ancient vampire, something pre-human and dangerous as hell. But hopefully he would have become complacent and hopefully they'd be able to surprise him. Between Catherine's training and his training, they should be able to take him on, though he had no doubt that there would be serious injuries.

Still, right now, he was more concerned with them getting where they were going, even if he wasn't sure exactly where they were at all. He had looked over a map and gotten Catherine to show him where they were going, but that didn't actually help all that much. He wasn't exactly used to going at horse speed anywhere. Cars were much faster and the mirror system was faster still. At least this time they were packed for the journey. And someone had found better fitting clothes they had been willing to trade for a few spells. Given he didn't exactly know the value of his magic here, he had no clue if he had been taken for a ride, but he did rather suspect that was exactly what had happened.

Oh well. Wearing clothes that fit properly, given the weather, was much preferred.

[Circe]

Catherine had made the decision that they would stay as long as it took for Tyrus not to just be proficient, but at least capable of defending himself without help. She knew she was asking him to make up 1500+ years in the span of possibly one or one and a half years. She also knew that he truly didn't even begin to understand the depth and breadth of the psionic power that the line carried. Their line, for better or worse, was a direct link back to some of the first vampires. Creatures that no one truly knew the extent of their abilities or powers, but it did seem that the vampires of the present day were a shadow of what had been.

The time dilation between the two planes meanwhile had been carefully calculated and checked again by Molly and Xiaolian, the only two individuals who knew the full extent of what was going on and would be their bridge between the two worlds. Summoning the gate was a risk that Catherine wasn't keen on taking, given what had happened at the solstice.

Though with careful plans in place, and Tyrus finally attired properly for once in clothes of his own, instead of borrowed ones from Catherine, they set off.

This wouldn't be a mad dash out of enemy territory, but instead an expedition deep into the wild reaches that neither crown could touch. It was no man's land and had required them to cross through the rough terrain of the foothills of the Cammagne Mountains.

[demikara]

The trip was mostly silent, Tyrus quietly working on making certain his shields were as solid as they could be. There wasn't much more he could do on horseback after all. But there was the occasional bit of conversation. "Can you tell me more about our hosts? Assuming they agree, of course." He was rather hoping they would. He didn't want to know how much worse it would be if they didn't agree and didn't know of any alternatives.

At least his magic had settled, even if the plan had changed from return to Dallas and face the music to train for the battle of their lives. That would no doubt help, though somehow, he suspected he wouldn't be able to use his magic for more than the basic hygiene tasks he tended to use it for. He wasn't going to learn magic after all, but to learn how to best use his psychic abilities. And to somehow catch up to someone literally centuries older than him in skill. That was going to be very intense.

Hopefully their hosts would feed them well, given what they'd be doing. Tyrus knew perfectly well that he didn't have the weight to lose if they didn't get enough food for some reason. More, he was at least a little worried about what they'd do for blood. Animal blood would work in the short term, but in the long term, he was well aware it was incredibly unhealthy. It didn't contain quite the same magic as the blood of a human, much less a fae or other sentient being.

Not that he would dream of drinking from a fae without their clear consent. For one, Catherine would absolutely slaughter him. For another, they were much more intensely magical naturally. He would probably need less blood, at least, if he ever got that chance.

[Circe]

"Hm? Our hosts?" Catherine replied, clearly having been paying attention to something else instead of Tyrus's questions. "The Novori are a.. race.. that have links to the veil, and are known to possess exceptional mental fortitude." She answered after a moment. They were a rather reclusive group, often finding it best to stick to their own kind, rather than go traveling. "They're not fae, but one of the other groups that call this place home."

Catherine hoped that they could do a better job of training Tyrus than she had, and perhaps also help her sort out her mind in the meantime. Their plans would not be successful if they allowed themselves to continue along the current path. Tyrus as far as she was concerned, wasn't terribly comfortable or capable with his newest skill set. It didn't matter how often she tried to walk him through the necessary steps to manage, he still resisted and relied on trinkets and baubles enchanted to aid him.

"They're one of the few groups of psions in this realm."

[demikara]

The Novori. That would be interesting. Not fae, but something else. And he had never thought about the fae realm having more than just fae in it before. He supposed it made sense. It was meant to be analagous to Earth, wasn't it? Having only two kingdom rule over the entire thing would be entirely too much for anyone. But he had never really thought of it before. "I suppose psions with a link to the veil are rather exactly what we need right now. Is there anything I need to know to not offend them?" Other than the not saying thank you thing, which he had been doing alright at for this visit to the fae realm.

Was it the fae realm? It was obviously the realm where the fae lived, but there were more than just fae here. He had always assumed the fae realm was a little like a pocket dimension, but that was clearly wrong. Could it be another plane? That would explain how difficult the travel had been for Catherine. Inter-planar travel wasn't something lightly done, and was very rarely done at that. He didn't actually know much about it other that it was difficult and there was very little point in doing so, when there was plenty in the human realm to keep him busy and content.

There would soon enough be even more. He'd be taking on a court on his own, with no close allies he could trust. Some people he had in mind for various positions at least, people his parents had trusted and his brother had trusted. They knew the positions. But he'd have to watch carefully all the same. They were his family's people, not necessarily his.

[Circe]

"They're not terribly interested in confrontation, and have a history of prejudice from others in the realm. They are rather spectral in nature, their abilities more mediumship than anything else. They might not be able to teach you much about telepathy and telekinesis, but fortitude and shielding they can." Catherine answered, twisting around in her saddle to look at Tyrus. As always, he seemed to her to be so uncomfortable on a horse, and impatient with the slow pace at which things evolved in the realm.

[demikara]

Tyrus pulled his horse up so she wouldn't have to twist quite so much. "I can probably manage to attack portion myself if I need to." Though he'd have to practice on his own. And he'd not really know if it would work, would he? "I'd rather not use you as a practice dummy for any attacks. And I'm not going to ask people not interested in any sort of confrontation either." It wouldn't be polite, if they as a race weren't the sorts who fought. And he was polite, for the most part, even if his manners were sometimes that of another culture. "But fortitude and shielding are more important for this anyway."

His horse decided to take umbrage with walking next to Catherines and shied to the side. Tyrus huffed in displeasure and didn't let it go far. Animals weren't something he had much experience with and it showed. "I can practice the telekinesis on my own at least." The telepathy required a willing partner, at least, and he was trying to avoid relying on Catherine for everything. It was bad enough that he had to rely on her for funding this little trip. He wasn't used to relying on anyone at all.

Though he supposed he had as a child and young adult, given his trust fund. "Spectral abilities sound interesting though."

[Circe]

"How would you attack portion yourself? That makes no sense, Tyrus." Catherine asked shaking her head. She had always been lucky enough to have a tutor or at least someone willing and able to take the physical blows she could deal. "I don't mind being the dummy so much. I'm out of practice anyway." Unless it was related to MCU and the day to day training required for her role as Warden. She had largely shifted her practice and expertise over the decades to focus solely on that, finding little if any practical use for many of her skills. It had been a hard transition at one time, given that when she had made it, women were seen more as someone under the guardianship of their father or husbands or even later sons if they had children.

"And I didn't say that they weren't capable of defending themselves, that they don't go seeking fights. Unlike your mage type, the Novori are peaceful." But that wasn't if they hadn't been provoked first. But that was like any sane and magical creature who had taken exception to something.
"I will mention that their appearance is.. unusual. Well, you'll see."

[demikara]

"I meant come up with ideas on my own. Practicing...well, I'll need your help for that." He'd just have to be careful, though he doubted he'd be able to do much to her. "I suppose we'll both need the practice." They both needed to be able to handle this. She was better prepared than he for the mental aspect, but it had been a while before either of them had taken on someone who could give them a run for their money. "And I don't go seeking fights. They tend to come to me." That came from being a public member of the sun court. He wasn't particularly surprised with assassination attempts. The last one that had caught him off guard had been the one from Grigore's goons, and they had all died. Painfully even.

"Maybe I'll find someone there to spar with then. That way we don't get too used to each other's styles." That could cause serious issues in the fight with Grigore.

[Circe]

Catherine hoped that whatever fight they were willingly walking into with Grigore wasn't more than they had bargained for, but it was increasingly likely that it would be. She also hoped that banking on shoring up Tyrus's flagging psionic skills would help. Because as far as she knew, and as far as she could tell, Grigore knew little to nothing of her magical potential. But at the same time, she suspected that that was asking entirely too much.

The vampire when he had finally caught up to her and ultimately overpowered her, had rifled through her mind like it was child's play. She had never been on the receiving end of such an attack, as rarely if ever, were there psions in the same sphere as she. Humans and their need to categorize and sort everything, the Council especially, had ranked her at a 5. A 5 was the top of the scale, but that didn't even begin to remotely apply to someone with so much raw power at their disposal.

"Fights only find you if you let them." But then again, Catherine had limited experience in this realm. The target on her was political, but rarely if ever amounted to any attempts of violence or assassinations. The worst that had happened recently was the Cedar Ridge pack alpha, O'Hara, trying to start a fight with her. One that she would have quickly ended given half a chance and her hatred for the other. It was his fault that she had lost one daughter to the unseen in such a way as what had happened.

[demikara]

"Which is why the ranch's wards were so drastically improved." He was rather pleased with that still. "The weak point being the damn mirror. It's convenient, but I'm heavily tempted to move the entire thing outside the wards entirely." It was still a drive between the shed he had it set up in and the house, to give him time to react, but he wasn't too pleased with having that 'hole' in the wards to allow for the mirror. Moving it to the edge of his property would mean an almost thirty minute drive to get to the mirror, which may well be worth it. He made a note to go ahead and do that, once they eventually returned.

"I've also contracted out to MCU for some skirmishes. Those are interesting. But they find me to ask me. I don't go looking." And he had turned them down on some occasions as well. Sometimes, as much as he'd love to help, he didn't actually have the time to fight some specialists battle for them. He'd send them on their way with some charms to help them out, but that was about all he could do. He also quite cheerfully charged through the nose for the pleasure of his company. For his friends, he was willing to consult for free. For the rest of MCU, well. The Council could damn well pay him for his expertise.

Violence had been part of his life since he was very small. He had seen his first kill as a toddler, someone out to kill him and thinking they could actually make it past Milo, who had been a rather protective older brother. Distant at times, less playful than Balto, but very protective all the same. There was a reason Milo got stuck with babysitting a young Tyrus more than Balto had.

[Circe]

"Of course." Catherine replied, knowing full well that a good set of wards was what separated the unseen from the mundane many times. Wards to not be seen and wards to not be heard. In many ways the community still lived in secrecy, scared of what might happen if more about them was known. They had already experienced the human desire to control or destroy what they didn't understand several times over. "So get rid of the mirror, they're nasty and inconvenient things anyway." She suggested. Catherine had never deigned to have a mirror in her home or office, never knowing who might have figured out a way to use it for less than honest means. Keeping a mirror far away from her since their invention, and her wards tight was the only defense she knew; everything else was a nasty offense for when the defense failed.

"MCU's own skirmishes were not what I was talking about. That is an entirely different matter." She pointed out. As far as she was concerned the skirmishes that MCU got into were few and far between thankfully. Loosing an officer was generally the worst day on the job for all involved, never mind the paperwork, it was about a person. "Besides, those are not the norm for us. Day to day operations is more boring than anything." It was largely ninety percent boredom and ten percent crazy why the hell did I sign up for this job. The ten percent was rarely every day, unless someone had really decided to watch the world burn.

As the pair continued along the road over a hill and towards yet another high mountain pass, a village started to come into view. A few welcome signs of civilization since their last stop at a small tavern along the road, started to materialize. A small, but tidy stone house here or there, with fences and stone walls cropping up beside the road.

[demikara]

Getting rid of the mirror sounded like a wonderful idea. It also secured his ranch better than it currently was which he appreciated. He'd have to do so once they ended up back in the human realm. Tyrus admired the view for now. There was some sort of simple beauty about the fae realm. He had to admit that he'd miss it once he was gone. "This place is so beautiful." He noted. "Much...hmm...more natural than what I'm used to." The ranch was his version of living in the country side. And while he did live in the countryside, it didn't change the fact that he spent all his time in the city, to the point that he technically had an apartment there as well as his quarters in the court. He maintained multiple residences for good reasons though. The ranch was the most private of the residences he owned. The most public was the court, and right in the middle was what amounted to a well appointed crash house for when he was too exhausted to make the trip home and didn't want to go to the court for some reason.

Politely, he shored up his shields before they got much closer. He watched as they passed by a child with turquoise skin, lighter colors lines carved into their skin. Curiously, when the child chased after their ball having kicked it down the road some, there were spectral steps on the ground behind him. Ah. That was going to be interesting, assuming it was normal. It was almost as if an image of the child followed after them. Almost ghost like.

This was definitely going to be interesting. "Is that normal here? The ah, after image?" This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

[Circe]

"Given that you spend the majority of your time in the city, I'm not surprised." Catherine remarked. She would have given anything to spend more of her time back home in the fae realm, but she was in many ways duty bound to the human realm and had given up on it being much more than an infrequently visited place than anything. She couldn't cross back and forth without the key, and the key took entirely too much energy than she was comfortable with.

"But yes, it's beautiful, but it can also be quite dangerous. I think the humans call it a primeval world." She added off hand. There were still things in this world that had long since been forgotten by humans, but those things hadn't forgotten the humans and often looked for any opportunity to find and take advantage of one.

Pulling her horse up, Catherine watched as the child ran after the ball and as a spectral duplicate followed close behind. "Yes, the Novori are a spectral race of psions. I told you that."

[demikara]

"Seeing it in action is very different than hearing about it." This was definitely going to be interesting. His horse, restless then, decided to spin in a circle in protest of the after image and he worked to get her under control again. "I know this horse was gotten in interesting ways," he was riding the same horse he had stolen from the unseelie village, "but you would think she'd be a bit better trained." Though he didn't discount that he was part of the problem. "I think I'll call her Nemo. After the fish."

That was all he'd say on that subject. He had just been referring to her as Horse, though at one point he deemed her 'Her Royal Highness, Princess High Hoofs.' But she had been rather prissy at that moment and the name suited as far as he was concerned. "Stop off in the tavern for a meal before we find wherever we're going in this lovely village?" There would be a tavern and it would be the hub of the village when it came down to it and they both knew that much. This wasn't a very big village after all.

But he was hungry and this was a chance to handle the hunger other than trail rations which had gotten old very quickly.