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Post by Ty on Jun 22, 2021 15:01:18 GMT -8
Tiger Lily observed that Arashi had become quiet, the glint in his eyes was evidence that he was processing everything in his mind secretly, it was the same look Cayle had in his eyes in the midst of battle; specifically when they encountered Tuffles who were highly intelligent among living beings. Despite the newborn dragon’s troublesome first meeting, Lilith was nice to Tiger Lily and Rosemary, which would have been significant for Arashi to notice the differences in attitude towards the talented witch.
Rosemary nodded at the dragon boy, “It’s okay! If Lady Nevermore teaches you how to hone your skills then you can make a false winter for next year’s harvest. It is valuable knowledge that I am not capable of teaching, so I believe in you Arashi~”
By this point Lilith agreed to half the harvest as compensation for her tutoring, she was quick to utilize more magic, summoning a fish bowl? The expression on Tiger Lily’s was perplexing, she was unfamiliar with magic, and magic materialization was not an ability she could replicate in her lifetime because she did not understand the arcane. However, anything that utilized ki was something she could intimidate, because she understood the flow of ki within the body to her advantage to perform the same technique in a fight.
“Show us what you got, kid.” Ty smiled offering a thumbs up, then stepped over to protect Rosemary, as an extra precaution for the unforeseen magic.
The lesson required refinement, something the teenage redhead was not capable of with her own ki abilities, she applied strength to her prowess because she was raised by her father that way. Cayle only furthered Tiger Lily’s physical strength by training within the scope of a saiyan utilizing White fangs warrior training; otherwise renamed Cadejos style per King Taco standards.
[302] [2,905] Lilith Nevermore Arashi
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Post by Arashi on Jul 7, 2021 8:35:22 GMT -8
Arashi took the ice bowl and considered it, humming to himself as he wondered how he could fill the bowl with the snowflakes she wanted in the amount she wanted it. They had to be the finest he could make, which he assumed meant that he needed to try to make them as small as he could.
If he could just make a small cloud to make the flakes she wanted that would have been nice. But clouds were trickery than one might have thought, they were slippery, and insubstantial to him, like trying to control smoke, it might slip through your fingers if you didn't do it the right way. Or so his mother's memories told him.
In spite of his lack of power, he did have good control. Just not enough to manage to harness the clouds the way he would have liked. As a result, he had to look to alternative methods, something outside the box that even his mother would not have been likely to consider.
The trail of thought was simple though. Snow was just a sort of soft ice. Thus he could make snow from the ice, or frozen water droplets.
With that line of thought in mind, he held the bowl in one hand, before conjuring a solid block of ice in his other hand. Lifting the block of ice over the bowl he focused, shifting his magical energy as he considered the rest of the task. He had to make sure the bowl did not overfill, and that the flakes did not melt.
Holding the ice over the bowl, his eyes slit with focus as he watched the ice with an almost trance-like stare, flakes of snow began to fall, each one smaller than a pinky nail, though he knew it was possible to make even smaller ones. While the snowflakes fell from the ice like small bits of sand in an hourglass, he also made sure that the air inside the bowl was kept cold. One hand used to focus and shape the ice into snow, the other hand projecting cold energy into the bowl to keep what fell inside cold.
The world around him faded, his mind totally focused on the task at hand. His eyes barely shifted, he didn't blink, his breathing slow, shallow, controlled. His energy shifting inside him like a honed scalpel. Small, but sharp.
He forgot about the time limit and simply focused on the task. Lilith may be harsh with him if he did not complete the task in the time she set for him. But he figured that while the time limit was important, it was more important to do the task well. In that sense, the time limit was likely to be his failure in this task, rather than the task itself. He was confident he could do as she asked, but less sure if he could do it in a timely manner.
The small flakes continued to fall from the block of ice, steadily filling the bowl. Within a minute he had an inch thick layer of snow coating the bottom of the bowl. At this rate, by the time they hit five minutes, he would have five inches of the finest snowflakes he could hope to make. Which meant he would only fill the bowl about halfway by the time the task was supposed to have been completed. If he made the flakes larger, the bowl would fill faster, but the flakes would be far from the finest he could make, and thus likely be considered sloppy.
If he was going to be criticized for his failure concerning the task, then it would at least not be for the quality of his work, because even if his best was trash by the woman's estimation, he could have some pride in the fact that he had done his absolute best concerning the quality of his attempt.
WC: 654/2,832
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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Jul 8, 2021 0:20:37 GMT -8
While the challenger began his task, the witch clicked her fingers. In a puff of smoke, an hourglass appeared in her grasp. She tapped the runic carvings on it and flipped it around. Gently, the sand started glowing and flowing. She had never trusted these newfangled clocks. Too noisy, in her opinion. All that ticking was maddening. Lilith watched closely, curiously, as the beginner took his... unorthodox approach. Not only did the boy avoid brute force, he also showed the ability to think outside of the box... Her brow furrowed and lips tightened into a little pout, as she caught those troubling thoughts. Tch, so this mutt, not boy, mutt had good instincts. Nothing more, nothing less. Seconds slipped away in the steady stream of sand... As Arashi had surmised, he didn’t have enough time to complete the challenge. Once the five minutes were up, the magical hourglass started chiming a cold, oppressive melody. Like an alarm clock on Monday mornings. And he had barely gotten the bowl halfway full... “Your time is up.”The noblewoman dismissed the magical alarm in another puff of smoke. She stepped closer to observe the results. Her keen, judging gaze focused on every tiny detail. That crimson pupil was glowing softly, seeing things beyond mortal eyes. Quantity, quality, magical concentration... Everything was judged. Harshly. After long deliberation, the wicked witch clicked her fingers again. Another small item manifested in her grasp. A bottle of... honey? She idly poured the sweet liquid into the bowl and summoned a tiny spoon to stir it. Without a word, she brought the shaved, honeyed ice to her mouth for a taste. Only a ponderous hum left her lips. Finally, Lilith turned her cold gaze onto the dragon boy. “Congratulations. You are miserably mediocre.” Flat and blunt, like a bop from a rolled up newspaper. She added some more honey, before dismissing the bottle and taking the bowl into her hand. “In the Nevermore clan, this is considered child’s play. Quite literally. The clan’s youngest perform this magic to create a frozen dessert.” To prove her point, she took another bite of the frigid treat. Eh, it wasn’t... terrible, she silently supposed. The cold woman offered the bowl towards Ty, along with an idle suggestion. “Care for some shaved ice, your highness?” She would even summon another spoon, should it please the Queen. Yet behind the friendly gesture was venom... In the form of a question... “Honestly, what do you even see in this boy?” Why was she so keen on helping him? What possibly could she gain from all this? Speaking of questions, the wicked witch had intentionally avoided answering one herself. In all honesty, she wasn’t even sure about the final answer. “Before you ask, yes, you have failed your task. Pitiful, really. You truly are a child.” She glanced at the dragon boy, wondering why she even acknowledged him at all... “However... You do have potential... And I do hate seeing potential go to waste.” Had he truly been a hopeless case, rejecting him would have been laughably easy. After another moment of deliberation, the young noble silently cursed the sunshine girl’s influence. “I can agree to teach you... Under one condition. I do not train students, I train servants. A small, but important distinction.” ...Was it, though? What was even the difference, considering her general, snooty attitude? She leaned closer, trying to tower over the boy mentally, if not physically. “Do you believe you can handle it, boy?” Her tone darkened and eyes gleamed with ominous intentions. “Are you prepared to go through true Hell?”Words: 600 | 2,745 Natural PL at start: 12,251 Tags: Ty Arashi
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Post by Ty on Jul 8, 2021 23:54:38 GMT -8
Tiger Lily and Rosemary were both quietly observing Arashi’s abilities with great difficulty. It was impressive that a boy who recently hatched was so talented that they were afraid to interrupt with any sound of excitement. In the end Arashi did his best, focusing on the refinement of the task, rather than haphazardly beating the clock. Lilith then offered her assessment, it was a critical analysis to her own personal standards as a witch, if it was the truth or not it was between the two devotees of the arcane arts.
“Yay.”
A spoon was offered to Tiger Lily, she took the extra utensil to taste Arashi’s creation combined with the honey, and she grinned happily as it was the fluffiest ice treat comparable to frozen cotton candy with how airy it was. A second scoop was quickly followed up to allow Rosemary to try, she immediately bounced, wagging her tail delightfully.
“Eh?” Ty returned from cloud nine and smiled widely in response to Lilith’s question, “Arashi? Cayle and I found him alone in the woods and he suspects that he was sent through that weird temple with the mirror on the island near the coast of Pilaf Land. We decided to be his surrogate parents since they are not here, so he is living in the tree house with Rosemary, who is tutoring him on geography so he can learn earth’s history. I only want the best for Arashi so that he can be happy living on our home planet.”
The red headed teen’s face turned into a deep blush tint, while she was not exactly motherly to Arashi, she was more than willing to be considered family by teaching him everything she knew. A third scoop from the bowl was then offered to Arashi to taste, Ty handed the dragon boy the entire spoon to hold, and gently ruffled his blue hair with her free hand in response to his efforts. When she turned around to face Lilith, she was practically glowing, curling her fingers together tightly and gesturing a cheerful metronome dance with just her hands.
“I am confident that you are going to push him to excel Lady Nevermore. By being his tutor in magic he will have the opportunity to protect himself and others from dangerous situations when they turn up.”
While Tiger Lily was familiar with Lilith’s past, she knew it was painful to the teenage witch, so she withheld any specifics, but the subtlety would have been obvious with her last statement. Deep down this was the witch’s opportunity to heal from her own traumatic past by giving another child a chance to master magic to protect the people they loved. After all, it took a village to raise a child, Arashi was still vulnerable at his young age, and this situation was precisely what he needed as part of his erudition.
“Cayle has a different training regiment planned for Arashi despite the fact that he is only a few days old---”
“Really?” Rosemary chimed in bewilderment not realizing his age before, “Ah right, he must have the legacy of his ancestors, fox beastmen also have this ability for survival except it takes two years time for kits to learn from it, which is when humans typically learn to speak. You’re so cool Arashi! A real dragon prince!”
The vixen was referring to one of the several fables in an illustrated story book Arashi kept in his room that he learned to read on his own rather quickly.
[574] [3,479]
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Post by Arashi on Aug 27, 2021 9:31:27 GMT -8
Arashi sighed when the time was called, waiting to hear the witch's judgment. And honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd been expecting it to be. Although it did make him wonder about the children of her village and if they were like him as far as demeanor and intelligence went. He had plenty of childlike tendencies for the moment, but there were refined and intelligent thoughts and knowledge there. Certainly well beyond the age, his body would appear to have.
And then moments later he actually received some praise. Though the woman tried to curtail it, trimming it down as much as she could so that it did not seem so grandiose. He was unsure how to reply, still feeling like speaking would ruin the moment when it came to Lilith, and yet even that smallest bit of praise from this intense woman, this perfectionist lit a fire in his chest that made him yearn for more. Her approval, her praise.
Ty was an amazing person to be able to put up with such characters. Her personality never faltering an inch during the entire trial, regardless of how odd or stressful it all was. At this point, he was confident that she had absolutely no doubted that Lilith would accept him, as she seemed to have done. Although he did wonder what it was in the end. Was he talented enough for Lilith, or was it because Ty meant so much to her that even if Lilith disliked him she could hardly refuse Ty.
When Lilith asked him if he was ready to do as she asked, he didn't need to think much before nodding. "Yes. Hell or not, I wish to be trained. Ty has full confidence in your abilities, and while I have many of the memories my mother gave to me to assist in my growth, I suppose I should not rely on only her knowledge for magic. You are a master of your craft after all, are you not?" He asked looking up into her eyes. "If I am just a dog or mongrel in your eyes, then I suppose it must be for a reason. I'll do what I can to become something more. Perhaps in time, I can be promoted to loyal hound." He mused with a sharp-toothed grin into a chuckle.
Then taking the honey snow spoon from Ty he happily stuck it into his mouth with a sigh, nodding. "Thank you, Ty~," He said happily snacking on the cold spoon before looking to Rosemary with a hum. "I'm glad you think I am amazing. Being a prince would be nice, though I think royalty should be earned. In my blood mother's memories it was easy to see that often those given power without earning it would abuse it. Many considered my parent's monsters, yet nothing they did could compare to the evil actions that humans could commit, whether it was against a monster or other humans." Arashi considered thoughtfully scanning through some of the memories before offering the clean spoon back to Ty. "At least you are a good person! Though I guess not fully human. Still, I think it's a good sign."
Then he looked to Lilith. "I can't tell if you are a good person or not, but you are someone that Ty seems to care for very much. I'll do my best to learn from you and to respect your authority." He said bowing his head to the icy woman, he didn't mean any insult. The woman had admitted she was far from the most innocent person, so he figured that his words were at least charitable. Perhaps she did bad things for a good reason? Perhaps if she did bad things the ends justified the means. Time would tell.
WC: 634/3,466
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Post by Lilith Nevermore on Aug 27, 2021 22:58:32 GMT -8
Questions were sometimes tricky in that receiving answers made more of them. Lilith’s gaze narrowed and lips tightened. If King Cayle and Queen Ty had decided, in their infinite wisdom, to become surrogate parents... Was she to consider this boy as their son then...? Thus the heir to the throne...? Preposterous. She refused to even humor the idea. Nobility and royalty were rights earned by birth or marriage, not by adoption. In fact, this child was merely- Before the witch could comment anything venomous, the living sunshine burned the shadows away with her words. At first came the sense of superiority, to which the arrogant lady responded well. “But of course. I am a prodigy in my field.” However, her smug smile wavered when the topic brushed a little too close... to certain memories... “To protect himself...” She repeated softly, getting lost in thought. Her gaze trailed onto the boy. For a brief moment, she saw a reflection of a young girl, lost, scared and crying, standing in his place... After an awkward pause, the young noble snapped out of it and shook her head. Silently she cursed her vivid imagination. Without it, sleeping at night would have been so much easier. Bah, no matter... Rest was for mortals. Clinging to that thought, she swept all the troublesome thoughts into a tidy pile, bottled them up and chucked said bottles deep into the depths of her mind. When Arashi dared to question Lilith’s morality, there was an immediate chill in the air. Like the temperature had suddenly dropped several degrees... Or maybe that was just the noblewoman’s icy glare and the temperature was the social kind. “Then allow me to clarify that for you, boy.” She made a point of casting a sharp glance at the real royalty in their presence. “Despite this fairytale nonsense her highness tries to feed you, I am not some kind Fairy Godmother who helps the poor and the helpless.” Her fearsome reputation had been going downhill lately thanks to the bright-eyed girl. The young lady puffed her petite chest proudly. “I am a wicked witch. The evil that men do is nothing compared to the evil that I do.” She held no illusions about her true nature and wouldn’t allow that for anyone else either. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed her forced, pompous posture. “Those memories you speak of reflect the true face of this cold and cruel world. Good souls, like her highness, are a rare exception.” Few were the souls who wouldn’t abuse any modicum of power given to them. With the issue -hopefully- clarified, the witch beckoned her broom to her side. She offered Ty a polite nod, forcing herself not to bow. Naturally, she had taken note that the Queen did not like being bowed to for some odd reason... “Now if you will please excuse me... Other matters require my attention.” She sat on her peculiar vehicle and drifted higher. Her crimson eye locked onto the dragon boy. “As for you... I expect to see you tomorrow at noon down at the beach.” Of course she meant the closest one. As for why noon and not, say dawn or sunrise... Well, she wasn’t a morning person. “We shall begin your lessons.”Turning the broom, Lilith took off. Her grim figure soon disappeared behind the treeline. Thus a very strange sort of mentorship was formed, where neither side really liked the arrangement... Or so both might claim at least. At any rate, the witch would certainly teach the dragon the harsh truths of the world. How he interpreted them, however, would be entirely up to him. ((Exit Lilith stage left.))Words: 607 | 3,352 Natural PL at start: 12,251 Tags: Ty Arashi
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Post by Ty on Aug 28, 2021 23:32:05 GMT -8
While Arashi did not pass the initial test, Lady Nevermore was more than willing to accept him as a disciple in the arcane arts, which was very important for his development. In the end, the dragon boy understood that he loved magic and wanted to master it, so it pleased Ty to know that he focused on his passion rather than focus on the treatment from a confident witch who knew her craft. It was important for Tiger Lily to help Arashi become independent, albeit strong enough to someday return to his family if he developed his magic, and despite being very young in appearance she felt that they were similar in age mentally.
Earth had several hidden dangers, training to be able to fight unexpected enemies was part of the reason Ty trained, she was raised this way by her saiyan father so she was applying the same level of parenting on Arashi. A soft chuckle escaped her lips when the dragon boy referred to himself as a loyal hound.
“You’re not a loyal hound silly~ I am sure Lady Nevermore will appreciate your loyalty. It is rare to come by.”
When Arashi mentioned evil humans, she tilted her head, this was the first time she heard him describe his parent’s own past, which ironically sounded similar to Lilith’s own past. It was not her place to mention the witch’s background without permission but she offered a side glance in response to the mauve haired teenager. Lilith was lost in thought at that exact moment, which forced Ty to straighten up, and look back at the blue haired boy.
“I may not be fully human but I like to believe I am in possession of humanity. At least that's what I think it should be, sometimes we have to set an example for others, and overcome all obstacles, Arashi.”
Lilith further explained she was evil but she made an exception for Tiger Lily which meant she was not entirely frozen hearted. A quick spell summoned a broom and the teenage witch was off after excusing herself.
“Take care, Lady Nevermore!” Ty shouted gleefully and loud enough to be heard with powerful lungs.
“It was nice to meet you Lady Nevermore!” Rosemary chimed in, with a softer voice, she was not comfortable enough to shout at the witch as Ty had done. However, her large fennec fox tail wagged, as she was rather pleased that the mandrakes were forced to become dormant without shattering the glass greenhouse from their whaling cries.
The red headed teen turned over to Arashi and pulled out something from her pocket handing it over for him to take.
“This is a Capsule Case, it wirelessly connects to a satellite orbiting the earth, you can browse for items you might need for tomorrow. Anything you can think of, will be put inside this tiny capsule here, you click the top and throw it, and it will materialize instantly. You can even buy a refrigerator full of food to download into the capsule for example. You should take the time to practice using this today so you’re better prepared. Got it?” [524] [4,003] Starting PL at the start of this thread: 18,845
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Post by Arashi on Aug 31, 2021 1:31:06 GMT -8
Arashi smiled to Ty as she said that he wasn't a hound. "I know you don't think of me like that, but it seems to make her happier to think of me as one." He whispered to Ty shrugged lightly watching the ice witch as she flew away, humming to himself.
When Ty showed him the capsule case he took it carefully, nodding slowly with obvious curiosity sparkling in his eyes. "So interesting~" He said happily as he got to work testing the thing out. Starting by ordering a pencil, pen, and notebook. Which he thought he might need to Lilith and studying with her later. He was unsure what else he might need after that, looking to Ty. "I think I have everything I need, but what else do you think I might need?"
WC: 135/3,601
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Post by Ty on Sept 3, 2021 11:02:16 GMT -8
“Well, if you need somewhere to sleep, you can order a temporary house, through the catalogue. If you need to travel far, you can order a vehicle, to help you conserve ki. I am not sure what Lady Nevermore’s training might entail, if you get hurt, you can also purchase a first aid kit to treat your wounds just in case.”
Ty watched as Arashi picked it up fairly quickly, he was able to read the instructions, and use the search function to find a notebook and two types of writing tools.
“Ah yeah when you’re done using them, just take an empty capsule, to store your things in. You can tell a capsule is empty if the top is clicked down, it pops up when you order something through the satellite link, and all you have to do is throw it and the capsule will recognize it automatically as Capsule Corp made. It is rare to find defective capsules that capture non-brand items by accident, so you do not have to worry about trapping anyone or anything inside of one.”
The red headed teen then patted Arashi on his head gently, she was a little worried about sending the boy alone, but she trusted Lilith would protect him from real danger.
“Good luck on your training Arashi~” Rosemary chimed in while wagging her fluffy fennec fox tail, “I am sure you will be able to summon winter inside the greenhouse next year. I believe in you.” [247] [4,250]
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Post by Arashi on Sept 6, 2021 8:47:30 GMT -8
"You think I'll get hurt while training with Lilith? Have you ever trained with her yourself?" He asked curiously as he continued to look through items on the device. It was interesting, he'd never seen anything like it, but he did learn quickly since, in spite of its technically complex nature, the device itself was very easy to use. It had an easy access feeling to it, making it feel simple, almost intuitive to Arashi who was impressed by the device.
"You trust her a lot. I really hope she returns your trust. She calls you her queen, but it seemed like she was pretty willing to walk the line and make threats in your presence among other things. She says she's killed people, or at the very least had people killed by her command. You don't believe she's done those sorts of things at all?" He asks, Arashi being at least a little cautious could not just dismiss the woman who seemed ill-tempered and like she would be happy to destroy anyone who might bother her who didn't have the power to resist her.
"But also... I'm not sure if I got to say this at all yet, but thank you." He said looking up at her before moving to hug against Ty's leg. "You and Cayle were both kind enough to bring me into your home... There was nothing about me, no reason to think that I would be anything good to the two of you... But even though I was alone and wild in the woods you decided to be kind to me and take me into your home, feed me, clothe me, read me stories, and care for me..." He said a slight shiver running through him. "I didn't know I wanted something like that... Maybe even needed it... Right now, I'm happy, and the feeling is so strong I don't even know how to handle it..." His shaking grew harder, and much to his shame and relief tears started to fall from his eyes, hitting the ground with soft glassy pings as they froze into pearl-like shapes.
"I'm so grateful... I hope that I can continue to live like this with you, and I hope I never forget the value of your kindness... I feel like it's changed everything for me." He sniffled softly. "I expected to live in a world with far more cruelty, and far less forgiveness than the one you have shown me so far. I struggled in those woods for a while, fighting a bear to feed myself, and then suddenly you came as suddenly as a bolt of lightning into my world, bringing your kindness, your gentleness..." The tears fell all the harder, gripping her leg. "I hope I can be worthy of your kindness! I don't want to hurt you or disappoint you. The thought alone makes my insides ache with so many unbearable feelings..." He huffed and choked slightly at the thought as if the thought physically hurt him to consider any world, any scenario where she might look at him with disapproval and abandon him. He could not imagine she ever would, and never wanted her to. Though he was incredibly smart for a kid, he was still a kid. New to the world, experiencing life. He had no idea what he wanted, no easy path to follow, so many choices left to make, ideals to form. And people like Ty would help him shape his values and beliefs. How strongly those values played in his life depended on people like her, and her impact on his life. It was obvious that at least for right now, she was having a major impact on him.
WC: 619/4,220
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