Razhiel inwardly sighed, she had a feeling that unless she flat out said what she thought Larke to be the girl was going to dismiss any concern towards herself. What gave her the right to destroy the bubble her current guardian had made? But Razhiel did not believe living in ignorance. No matter the situation. No matter the age.
At Larke’s next outburst, Razhiels violet eyes widened, an incredulous expression crossed her features. “Wait. What? … Me? I…” Razhiel could not remember a time where she had actually stuttered. This time she sighed out loud. A side glance at Larke, had Razhiel almost groaning. A kid smiling with hope in her eyes. She did not miss the fangs accompanied by that overly large, hopeful grin. Her suspicion practically confirmed as she inhaled again. The question now was what was she going to do about it? And how did it come about? How was it even possible? Damn Nox. Damn him to hell and back.
“Did your dad not assign someone to teach you?” Her thumb rubbed the tattoo on her inner wrist absent mindedly. “My magic resides in lightning, mostly. I have never taught someone before and I am more suited to an offensive style of fighting.” Even to her own ears, her excuses sounded feeble. The formidable Princess Razhiel Takashi subdued by a... little girl and her big eyes full of hope.
"Uh huh." Larke nodded, growing more excited at the thought. "You're pretty and strong... and a princess..." The princess part was what stuck with Larke, and not just because she randomly knew exactly who she was at first sight. She was one of those little girls who liked princess related things a little too much, and inserted them into her imagination even where they didn't really have a logical place. "Those are all good things for teachers. Well, maybe you don't *need* all of them, but it would make it more fun!" she insisted.
The insistence only grew more intense when Raz stammered and came up with other excuses, though more on her face than in her words. Well, her face and the way her small arms swung up into a hopeful begging position as she hopped up and down excitedly. "I'm sure you'd do a great job!" she countered, not bothering with facts so much as feelings. "I believe in you!"
It was hillarious how much she was giving away without even knowing it. Everything about her was simply a part of her, and frankly her father had done a terrible job teaching her to keep any of it a secret in his attempt to make sure she felt normal. It had worked, but now a member of the former royal family - possibly some of the last people her father would have wanted to find out - knew more than Larke had ever imagined.
Razhiel didn’t know whether to groan out loud or just palm her face. The princess part seemed to be the winning factor here and besides the fact that she was Princess of no one currently, it was not something that made a good teacher. She was talking to a… “How old are you?” She was not the person for this. Opting for the face palm, she rubbed her face with her open palm before exhaling and letting her hand lay in her lap.
Razhiel showed weakness and that was all it took. She was a goner. Little kids were great hunters when they wanted something. A moment of weakness and they zeroed in on it. They were like little land sharks that smelled blood. “Okay okay. I will help you with some stuff. But you will need training from someone who has similar abilities. ”
Pointing to the part of the bench beside her that Larke had vacated, Razhiel said “Sit down.” She waited until the girl was once more seated. “Now close your eyes and take a deep breath. Inhale with your nose and tell me what you smell.” She could only imagine what Larke's father and those who watch her would do if they knew Larke was not only talking but taking advice from her.
"I'm um... Nine I think." Well, actually Larke was three, but her father had opted to give her the age she was supposed to be rather than her actual age; she'd stopped growing so quickly once they took her out of the lab. "That's what Dad says, but I don't remember before I was seven." She shrugged. She didn't feel nine, but she supposed anyone without memories to populate the years wouldn't feel their age either.
The young girl flinched when Raz facepalmed, though this time no ice came up to defend the child from stray attacks. She lit up yet again when told that Raz would help Larke with her magic, even if only a little. She quickly sat down as directed, glancing around for a moment before making a 'meep' noise as she realized she'd lost focus. She quickly closed her eye and took a deep breath.
"I smell..." she took another breath. "There's a man behind us... he has a bag full of fruit..." she opened one eye to peak at Raz to see what she thought. "Oh!" she closed them yet again. "He has... chicken too." She should really focus on other things. But food was so distracting! "Um... I smell... you, and you don't smell like the other people... and there's the oak tree by the bench... am I doing good?"
Seeing Larke flinch, she mumbled "I apologize." The kid was jumpy that was for sure. If Razhiel was able to get the kid to not be as jumpy, she would consider herself successful as a teacher.
Razhiel waited patiently for Larke to settle down. Surprising herself with her own focus that she was putting into this conversation. As Larke began to list what she could smell, Razhiel had to recall exactly what she was aiming for with this 'exercise.' Teacher... Right. cone here with the intent to recon the government and fall upon their secret... When the girl peaked, she raised an eyebrow and gave a half smile but said nothing and let Larke continue.
When asked if she was doing good Razhiel replied, "Very." She turned towards the girl, "Keep your eyes closed. Now focus on my smell. You said I smell different from others. Focus on the smell of each person within reach then come back to me." She waited a bit, allowing Larke to attempt what she asked. "This is important." How to explain something to a child that which she knew instinctively.
Food. Fruit bag. A food analogy. "Apples, oranges, and bananas all smell different. It's just like people. I smell different because I am not exactly like them. They are apples and I am an orange. I have a little bit of 'other.' Most often those that smell different are more powerful or they have special abilities... Just like there are different types of oranges, There are others like me but won't smell exactly like me. No two people should smell alike." Though there were exceptions to the rule, one being in front of her. Hopefully she wasn't scaring the kid.
"If you have questions, ask. If you already know what I am talking about tell me... Now, can you smell yourself?" Kind of hard but it was worth a shot.
Larke focused as best she could, just as asked. With the absence of sight, her keen nose easily picked up where her eyes left off. Still, the absence of sight also left her mind to wander more easily, and she was fighting off her imagination which wanted to turn this into some sort of game. No! It was too important to be some kid game. This was adult wizard stuff.
"You're an orange... the others are apples..." she repeated, trying to grasp what was going on. Fortunately, she was a very bright girl, and she quickly caught on to the meaning of the difference. "That means... I'm an orange too. Or... maybe a banana... but... not an apple," she concluded. "Normal people don't have super smell," she distracted herself with the facts she knew about her magic; things she'd learned more from trial and error than anything she'd actually been told... though things like this had been clarified after an accidental discovery.
She clamped her hands over her mouth, wide-eyed. "Sorry!" she scrunched her eyes shut again. "Smell... myself?" she asked. She had to concentrate for a moment. "I... guess?" she was grasping a little. "I smell different from everyone else in the whole world, but I'm so... used to it... it's hard to tell..." she struggled to explain. She opened her eyes, deflating a bit. "I don't knoooow," she whined, frustrated tears coming to her eyes despite it being a minor failure in her eyes. "I might be able to, but I just can't tell..."
Razhiel nodded. Larke caught on quickly. And it did not help that Razhiel did not think to ask what Larke already knew. She assumed the bare minimum since the girl was kept in the dark about her origins. Though after her last question, frustration set in and tears were soon to fall.
Placing her fingers gently under Larke's chin, "No crying love. You had it right the first time. Your a banana. My point is you are different and very special. There are other bananas out there but you are exceptional." She gently wiped away any escaping tears. Razhiel had a feeling that it was not just her natural protective instincts that had her being exceptional kind, even if Larke was a child. "You will fail at times or make mistakes. Just keep moving forward. That is what matters. Never give up. I believe in you." Her hands cupped the little girl's face by her last sentence as she repeated what Larke had told her moments before.
With an encouraging smile, her hands went back to her lap and she clasped them together. "You know you have super smell." She started, using Larke's words. "That includes your other senses, like hearing. Practice. When your alone, in a crowd, whenever and wherever. Closing your eyes helps to bring out those senses more. Use them all the time. Practice on your smell another time."
Deciding to move on, Razhiel began to talk of magic. There was no structure to what she was 'teaching,' if you could even call it that. It was more what she thought Larke should know if she did not already. She knew she was different, that was a start. "Magic... There are two places that are important in regards to magic. Your mind... Razhiel touched her own temple lightly with a finger. "And your heart." She placed the same finger on her chest over her heart.
"You can do anything with your magic if you can imagine it. The power behind your magic comes from your heart. You have to feel it, to want it. Say you build a bridge of ice, the design comes from your mind. But you dont really want to build a bridge, when you do build it, the structure will be weak." Razhiel only knew magic for two purposes: survival and offense. It was hard to think of what a nine year old, three mentally, would need to know. It probably did not help that Larke was the first child she has ever had an in depth conversation with.
Tiny fists shot up to wipe at her tears as Larke nodded, newly encouraged by Raz. She wasn't the hardest person to frustrate, but she wasn't that hard to cheer up either. She smiled a bit, nodding to the young woman in front of her. "I promise I'll practice all the time!" Larke nodded energetically. She hopped up, but remained standing in front of Razhiel, paying as much attention as she could. When Larke was idle, her posture tended to be more defensive and unsure.She was hardly the confident woman Razhiel was.
"I can... make ice to protect myself..." Larke answered. "And I can freeze things so much they break really easy. Even when they normally don't. But... I don't have very good control yet. And... and I'm stronger than other kids, so I keep breaking things on accident..." she had a ton of power, but Larke used it completely instincitively. She could do a few minor things when she tried, but even her defensive walls were a reaction to being surprised or scared rather than a conscious effort. "That's all I... I really know," she shrugged, almost apologetically.
A half grin, “I know you will.” Gotta love the girl’s enthusiasm. As Larke jumped up, she realized they had been sitting at the bench for awhile. Running a hand through her hair, she listened as Larke listed off what she was able to do magically. When she finished Razhiel replied, “That is real good for being so young.” She had a feeling that most of it Larke did instinctually. Which, while this meant she had great instincts it was quite different to do consciously.
Razhiel held out her hand, palm facing up. Energy gathered, tiny sparks appeared. Soon there was a miniature horse made of pure lightning within the palm of her hand. Violet orbs focused entirely on her palm, the horse reared, and rather than a neigh there was a quiet clap of thunder. After a few seconds it vanished. Lightning did not enjoy being in one place, nor being formed into objects. She found that she could do more with her magic since the merge. “What I would like for you to do is create something, anything out of ice, in the palm of your hand. If you can master that, I would like for you to move it whether it be hovering or similar to what I did.” About to wait for the girl to go ahead and try, she decided to add, “If it proves to be hard, no apologies, no frustrated whining. This is just an exercise and there is no wrong.”
"It is?" No, Larke was being stupid. Of course it was good for her age. Just because she didn't feel talented didn't mean she wasn't. She'd been informed on numerous occasions that while she didn't stand up to older mages, she was leagues ahead of anyone her age, possibly the best 9 year old wizard in the world. "Er, I mean, thank you," she told her teacher with a small, polite bow.
Then came the hard part. Larke was being told to shape her magic. She immediately looked nervous and unsure of herself again. "But um... I don't know how to shape my magic..." she stammered. "I can just focus it a little, or when I get scared it just happens..." She shrugged, fiddling with the pendant she wore around her neck.
"But... I'll try..." she decided, looking up at the young woman in front of her. The look on her face said she was afraid of not pleasing her more than failing. Larke cupped her hands and closed her eyes. In her hands a small ball-shaped ice crystal formed, about the size of a ping pong ball. She opened her eyes when she was finished. "Aw... It was supposed to be a snowflake..."
The girl's bow had Razhiel smiling despite herself. "Your welcome." Then frowned. Of course... she probably should have explained a bit more on the how. Though, how she would have explained it... Definitely not teacher material. It was odd, how she felt right at that moment. People used to bow to her all the time but for an extremely different reason, not all motivated by positive reasoning.
When Larke looked up at her, she deciphered the look quite easily. She wondered if as a child she were this open. Probably not. Different upbringings. Different... everything. "Remember confidence. You can do anything you put your mind to and apply with practice." She was quite sure she was the least qualified for this.
Gaze focused on Larke's cupped hands. At her exclamation, Razhiel chuckled. "The fact that you got a decent sized ice ball says a lot. With practice you will be able to make anything you wish. Try again, this time remember to picture it in your mind and feel it in your heart. You need to want to make a snowflake. If it helps, you can use your feelings to help. Like when you get scared... After, I'll treat you to another snow cone." She added for incentive.
"Another?!" Larke's eyes lit up. Yeah, she totally needed more sugar. The ice was fine; she could technically even live off of it with her dragon slayer abilities. But the sugar was... well, she was a kid. Ah well, it was neither Larke's concern nor Razhiel's problem. At any rate, it certainly seemed to charge her up again. If she could make even a rudimentary snowflake...
The simple excitement of getting her favorite treat again was enough to give her fuel for another try. "Okay... her goes... I can do anything with enough practice..." she repeated. He stared at her hands for a long moment before cupping them completely together. She closed her eyes, sighed a deep sigh, and waited for a moment, as if taking more time to visualize.
After a moment, the familiar look and feel of magic being used emanated from her hands. As she concentrated, she slowly spread her hands outward, the trail of magic following each one like a tesla ball, only much, much colder. When she opened her eyes this time... well, it wasn't a perfect snowflake. It was more like a coin with a snowflake-like pattern on it. "Wow... that was a lot better." she commented to herself under her breath. Her eyes turned upward to Razhiel, a look of pride on her face. "I did better! I bet if I practice more I could have a snowflake really fast!"
Razhiel knew next to nothing about children and what they should not have. Plus she needed to give the kid motivation, so why not? The closest she had ever been to children was while she was in the town Banish. Even than, the children were wary of her because of her status. After the merge, everyone avoided her. She had been given vague an incomplete information as to what all happened after the ceremony. Whatever had happened was enough to make the whole town wary of her.
As Larke repeated, ‘With enough practice I can do anything,’ Razhiel’s eyes lit up. She made note of the girl taking her time. The right motivation seemed to do the trick. As Larke progressed, Razhiel could see the effort she put into making a snowflake. Razhiel heard the girl’s whispered mutter to herself. She rewarded the girl with a smile as Larke turned her eyes to her. ”That you did! I know you will. I am proud, great job.” Snowflakes are intricate in shape, the fact that she choose it and had made a lot of progress with just two attempts. ”Alright let’s go get another snow cone. Than we can walk around the courtyard while you eat it and you can ask questions.” She turned towards the snow cone maker.
"Yay!" Razhiel had successfully both raised Larke's spirit, and made her feel like she knew at least a little more about her magic. Sure, she was a sensitive child who could be easily manipulated, but she was at least being manipulated into a rather happy and more self-assured mood, even if it was only for the time being. She trotted back to the snowcone man and even took the initiative to order herself. "I'm getting a reward for doing so well with my magic!" she told the man, who had been there when she'd made a shield when Razhiel had surprised the young girl earlier. "Cherry please!"
Within a couple of minutes, they were walking away from the snowcone man again; he'd made a decent chunk of change off of the two of them, at least by volume. Plus after two visits he wasn't nearly as scary. "What kinds of questions should I ask?" she asked Razhiel. "Should I ask what it's like to be a princess? I've always thought it would be fun, like in the stories."
Razhiel wondered how Larke would react if she had to approach a man not selling her favorite treat. She placed the jewels on the man’s cart after Larke had received her treat. Absently, she began walking beside the girl with her hands in her pockets. “What?” Again it was back to the princess thing. “I had merely meant if you have any questions about Valland, Nox, your differences from other people, your magic. I guess I meant any questions you may have, if you did have any.”
A quiet sighed escaped before she answered Larke’s question. “It depends on what you are a princess of I suppose. I was a Princess in an empire, the heir to a very ambitious man. So for me, it was full of responsibilities. Everyone was watching my every move. So while you may dress in dresses and be well set, a lot of people look up to you and expect certain things. When I was older, because of my abilities, I was sent as representative of the crown on military missions.” Razhiel was quiet a moment. Sure that was not what the girl wanted to hear. She knew the theme of the stories Larke was talking about. In those stories everyone was happy, bright, there were dresses and balls and parades. “There were parades and celebrations and even fancy balls sometimes.” Razhiel acquiesced. Though the balls were more of a show of which nobles were loyal to the crown. The parades were a way to keep the people happy and for the crown to make money. Razhiel continued to walk around the courtyard to keep the girl moving since keeping still was not in her nature.
