"I'm not sure I understand," Nala said, carefully trying to sift through all of that information. "Can you explain again what these incarnate things are?"
"I can sure try.
Incarnates are the embodiment of a concept...like Deception...some of the others are Time, Death, Creation, Knowledge...etc. Imagine if something, an idea, had so much strength, that simply by existing it gained a personality and form, a physical manifestation of that idea, that governs that idea...beyond the power of a god, and not dependant on worshippers for power, if you believe that sort of thing.
That better?"
"Yes. That's much clearer. Okay. So these powerful ideas appoint what was it you called it? Champions? I'm not entirely clear on what it is that a champion is supposed to do exactly. There was something about balance and duty and I got a bit lost."
"Wow, ok. Well, all of these incarnates have champions. Apparently, they used to butt heads alot or something so they all decided that the gods could handle the course of the universe and mortal interaction, and left it to them to worry about stuff on that level, that they would not interfere with anything to avoid stepping on each other's toes. For the things that did need direct intervention, they decided to appoint mortal champions and give them a smidgen of power to take care of things for them, a kind of loophole, if you will, but still better than the incarnates duking it out amongst themselves.
Well, I dunno how long this has been going on, but one incarnate was having it's champion go around and kill all of the other champions.
He made his move this morning, and the champions were all called up to go handle it. I never knew or understood why he was killing off the other champions, but hey, I didn't really need to know."
"Okay. So...you're like some kind of divinely appointed referee...or is it a pawn? BothA? In some sort of power game between things that are more than gods....and you can be called away on a moment's notice?"
"And this is why you weren't worried about my mother being able to take you over?"
He smirks
"You make it sound so glamorous." He said teasingly.
"Yes, that's why I'm not worried. I don't think that's an enemy she'd want to make.
He looks a little worried
So, what do you think? Too much? Sorry if I just ended up being way too complicated..."
Nala snickered. "The Winter Queen angering Deception. That's a laugh a minute right there."
"Look I'm not going to pretend that I'm thrilled here. It's hard to trust someone who is admittedly an agent of Deception. You had to know that, and it would have been a lot easier for you not to tell me any of this. And after the lycan revolt, I think I'm starting to see how it doesn't have to be used in bad ways."
"I like that my abilities can't effect you. It removed the temptation. I don't know, Ryuzo. I think I'll need time to process all of this. What I know for sure is that I like you, and I'm willing to take a chance on seeing if that can go anywhere."
"So stop looking so worried," she said, reaching out and touching the tip of his nose playfully and then pulling her hand back abruptly and blushing.
Phaeze returns the hug with enthusiasm, By being my friend, Vai, You have already done so much for me. Not many people are willing to not attack me, much less willing to be a friend. I cannot express to you what your friendship means to me.
Nala snickered. "The Winter Queen angering Deception. That's a laugh a minute right there."
"Look I'm not going to pretend that I'm thrilled here. It's hard to trust someone who is admittedly an agent of Deception. You had to know that, and it would have been a lot easier for you not to tell me any of this. And after the lycan revolt, I think I'm starting to see how it doesn't have to be used in bad ways."
"I like that my abilities can't effect you. It removed the temptation. I don't know, Ryuzo. I think I'll need time to process all of this. What I know for sure is that I like you, and I'm willing to take a chance on seeing if that can go anywhere."
"So stop looking so worried," she said, reaching out and touching the tip of his nose playfully and then pulling her hand back abruptly and blushing.
He smiles and turns beet red along with her, then chuckles.
"Yeah it would have been easier, but, you deserve better than that.
I may be an agent of deception, but I come from a culture of honor and respect. I wasn't exactly given much of a choice about being It's champion, either. I was kind of tricked into it, go figure. I have to find a way to balance the two...It's already made it plain that resignation is not an option..."
He sighs...
"Now that's a frustration I can understand. I'd resign from being the Winter Princess in a heartbeat if it were an option. And as long as I'm alive there can't be another Winter Princess either, which certainly doesn't make her royal majesty particularly pleased with my current existence."
She shrugged. "We'll figure it out. Somehow."
He smiles
"We will. I'm sure of it."
Phaeze returns the hug with enthusiasm, By being my friend, Vai, You have already done so much for me. Not many people are willing to not attack me, much less willing to be a friend. I cannot express to you what your friendship means to me.
Vai blushes a deep red, "It's no more than I would hope to be treated myself. How many people would stay their weapons if they saw a dragon? Well, the ones who didn't run away anyway." [i]Vai says sadly, then her flush deepens as she says: "To be completely honest Phaez, when I first saw you, I didn't even recognize you as a fiend. There's so many strange people here, my first thought wasn't that you would hurt me."
With a sly smile and a wink, Phaezeriel says, Well I guess we are even then, because I did not recognize that you were a dragon either.
"A dragon who doesn't even know how to control her magic properly." Vai said sheepishly, her flush fading a little at Phaez's joke.
Psh. That will come with time. Think you that I mastered the magic I have in a week? Worry not about not knowing. It is there for you to learn the control of, yes? We will all help you as much as possible. You will have control of it in due time.
Ryleh could hear the sound of children laughing as she walked across the garden. She followed the sound until she found the group, Ephebe laughing and covered in goo and the children all clamoring to have a turn riding in a bubble. She shook her head. This was bound to end in tears, but they'd certainly only remember later how much fun it was. She hung back, just watching for now.
"Hey, Uncle Ryo, you got a minute?" he asked, poking his head through the door.
He smiles
"We will. I'm sure of it."
"I....I've started bringing Vasya with me when I go out. It's only a matter of time before people find out about her. But ....I'm not going to let them hurt her. Not like what happened to...Anyways, not like that. They had their revenge and that should be the end of it."
"She's your familiar. People should understand that you will fight to protect her. I would, she's adorable!" He says slipping Vasya the scraps of meat he snuck out of the kitchen.
Nala smiled as Vasya daintily ate her treat. "Well, you certainly know how to win her over," she laughed.
"Vasya is a clever girl, so hopefully even if trouble comes up she'll know how to get away. I've told her to run to you in case of trouble. I hope that's alright."
"Of course it is! I'm glad you can trust me with her."
Nala smiled. "I'm new to this whole trust business, but you haven't let me down yet, so I'll keep giving it a try."
He smiles back
"It's very nice to see you smile and to hear you laugh more often. I will definately try to keep that trend going."
Krays watches Ephebe and the kids play...and smiles.
::You're going to be a great mom.::
Phaezeriel turns to Ananda, Lady Ananda, I am not as familiar with the magic of dragons as I am with the magic of the young races, do you know if there is anything that a wizard can do to aid Vai in mastering her draconic magic?
"Hey, Uncle Ryo, you got a minute?" he asked, poking his head through the door.
"Yes, come on in." Ryo says as he looks over a list and writes down names. "I'm nearly finished with this."
Once they are all in their bubbles, the kids start rolling around and bouncing off of each other. Gwenne is the first down the hill after bouncing off Matthias' bubble, and she's soon, spinning around the inside of the bubble like a hamster caught in it's wheel. Her screams of laughter are slightly muffled by resilient bubble, but they are no less happy for it.
Matthias and Tal roll down the hill after her, racing to see who gets to the bottom first and bouncing solidly off their sister's bubble. The keep ramming each other and bouncing every which way until their bubbles pop mid-bounce and vines reach up to cushion their fall. They all run back up the hill to Ephebe and Krays.
"More bubbles please!"
Krays watches Ephebe and the kids play...and smiles.
::You're going to be a great mom.::
He can feel happiness and love through their link.
::Well, I'm pretty sure you're going to be a great dad, so I guess these little ones are going to be in a pretty good situation.::
"Okay, okay," she said, laughing. "More bubbles!"
She gets all three of them set with new bubbles to race around in.
Phaezeriel turns to Ananda, Lady Ananda, I am not as familiar with the magic of dragons as I am with the magic of the young races, do you know if there is anything that a wizard can do to aid Vai in mastering her draconic magic?
"Uh...well, actually you might be a great help. I know about the draconic stuff, like transformation, and flight and how to suppress the fear aura and all that, but magic...I'm not really so great with magic."
Vai nods when Phaez said that mastering her magic would take time. She knew this, she knew she would understand it occasionally. She should just have patience.
"Fear aura?" Vai intones, intensely interested in the conversation.
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"Hey, Uncle Ryo, you got a minute?" he asked, poking his head through the door."Yes, come on in." Ryo says as he looks over a list and writes down names. "I'm nearly finished with this."
"Okay. I just wanted to let you know about some stuff. With the village. I just handed them some plans for building a factory. After much negotiating and a reminder that the reason there's nothing in the immediate vicinity of the school is to keep others out of the blast radius, what with the building being full of kids with unstable powers and all, they agreed on a spot near the village to build it. I already gave them money for materials."
"There is a slight possibility that I might be using my abilities to steal funds from the Imperial treasuries to fun this project. There is also a slight possibility that the townsfolk think the money is coming from Avalon. I figured you should know," he said with a shrug.
Vai nods when Phaez said that mastering her magic would take time. She knew this, she knew she would understand it occasionally. She should just have patience.
"Fear aura?" Vai intones, intensely interested in the conversation.
"Well, at a certain age, dragons develop an aura of fear that affects others. You can suppress it once you learn how. I'm not sure if you have it yet or not. I don't really know that much about blue dragons. The triplets don't have it yet, and honestly I haven't for very long, so you might not. But you might. It's something we can work on the next time we practice your transformation."
"Wonderful! That should make us look better in their eyes, and that is going to helpful once word gets out about the dragons in this school. What is the factory going to be producing, and have you made sure it won't effect the environment? Ormarr and Adsila have put a lot of effort into keeping the surrounding lands in pristine condition."
"Well no wonder people hate dragons!" Vai pouts, and turns away from the conversation briefly, walking away before turning and walking back. "If we have abilities that make people afraid that just being in our presence, it's no wonder where all the stories about dragons come from."
::Ephebe?:: Lysander sends. ::How are our little cousins liking the garden?::
"Wonderful! That should make us look better in their eyes, and that is going to helpful once word gets out about the dragons in this school. What is the factory going to be producing, and have you made sure it won't effect the environment? Ormarr and Adsila have put a lot of effort into keeping the surrounding lands in pristine condition."
"Well, there are a number of things that it will be producing when all is said and done, but it'll be starting with transports. Hovercars and shuttles mostly. And I've included a nanite recycling system in the plans, so there shouldn't be much if any waste. The townsfolk like the idea of something that helps with quick evacuations, and I figured it was safer not to start them with munitions."
"Well no wonder people hate dragons!" Vai pouts, and turns away from the conversation briefly, walking away before turning and walking back. "If we have abilities that make people afraid that just being in our presence, it's no wonder where all the stories about dragons come from."
"Well, it also makes a nice deterrent when people tend to think of you as very large target practice," Aananda said dryly.
"But that's why you learn to control it, so that you don't spread fear to those who you don't want to be afraid of you."
"Definitely not safe to start off with munitions. You've become quite the responsible little genius, haven't you?" Ryo asks with a grin. "Feiri is an amazing influence on you. Have you considered a teaching job here at Avalon?"
::Ephebe?:: Lysander sends. ::How are our little cousins liking the garden?::
::Oh, they're having a blast. Krays summoned some skeletons so they could play skeleton bowling and then there was hide-and-seek and tag. And now they're rolling around in bubbles. They do have an awful lot of energy.::
"Definitely not safe to start off with munitions. You've become quite the responsible little genius, haven't you?" Ryo asks with a grin. "Feiri is an amazing influence on you. Have you considered a teaching job here at Avalon?"
"Well, yeah, actually, I have considered it," he admitted sheepishly. "But it would have to be part time, since re-establishing industry on this planet is probably going to take a decent amount of time and attention." He shrugged. "Besides, Fi would be good at teaching music and stuff. And she'd go stir crazy with nothing to do if we relocated somewhere else....but all of that is for after graduation."
::Wait until after their nap. They may sleep like bears in winter, but they can move almost as fast as you when the wake. This is them tired.::
::Look around the garden, will you? I think I've arranged a surprise.::
"I don't want anyone to fear me. People hate what they fear." Vai says, trying to ignore what Aananda had said about target practice.
::This is tired? Oh, dear, we're doomed.:: she thought as she looked around the garden.
"Grandma?" she asked, rather surprised to see Ryleh outside, although she noticed that her grandmother was staying carefully under a tree and not looking at the sky too much.
"After Raz and his intentional mutation of the students, I have no fear for those you would end up teaching."
"Anyway, if you have the spare time, Miss Jones suggested we try and get rid of the 'us and them' mentality the lycanthropes have by making them participate in school events with non-lycan students. I thought helping making advertisements for a talent show and helping build a stage would be a good start. If you could pop in once and a while and make sure things are going smoothly, it would be appreciated. Just whenever you have a spare moment."
"I don't want anyone to fear me. People hate what they fear." Vai says, trying to ignore what Aananda had said about target practice.
"The fear aura is a natural part of you, but it's your choice whether or not to use it. We'll practice during our next session. I bet you'll get the hang of suppressing it quite quickly."
"After Raz and his intentional mutation of the students, I have no fear for those you would end up teaching."
"Anyway, if you have the spare time, Miss Jones suggested we try and get rid of the 'us and them' mentality the lycanthropes have by making them participate in school events with non-lycan students. I thought helping making advertisements for a talent show and helping build a stage would be a good start. If you could pop in once and a while and make sure things are going smoothly, it would be appreciated. Just whenever you have a spare moment."
"Yeah, sure, it's not a problem. And well worth it to not have to worry about meals being disturbed by raging idiots trying to 'prove themselves'...at least not more than once a week. Anything more than that gets excessive,' he said with a wink.
"Anyways, I'll let you get back to your work. I should get back to the lab before Mom notices I'm gone."
"See you later then. Tell Vai I'll see about getting her a collor for Phaeze's present."
Vai takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. Aananda was right. It was part of her, and if she could learn how to turn it off, it would just be another tool for her. Like her magic. She nods in agreement. "You're right, of course. We need to learn how to use our abilities, not try to deny them."
::This is tired? Oh, dear, we're doomed.:: she thought as she looked around the garden.
::I have it on good authority that you and your brothers were a much bigger handful. I'm off to enjoy the piece and quiet I've earned now.::
"I am not sure that I will ever get used to so much....open. I find that I am suddenly possessed of an urge to get underground quickly. Being under the tree helps. I can't see quite as much...up."
"The children seem to be enjoying themselves."