RP:No Rest for the Wicked
This is a Mage's Guild RP.
Snowy Bridge
Satoshi sits alone on the edge of the bridge, cross-legged and close-eyed, meditating in the face of the snow-laden winds. Although the better part of her focus is turned inward, the kit isn't completely oblivious of her surroundings, with vulpine ears twisting toward various sounds and whiskers quivering upon sensing invisible shifts in the air's tension. For the most part, however, Satoshi's content to simply listen to the winds, feel the snowfall, and let her thoughts organize themselves in steady fashion, a brief respite from the chaos of maintaining a city prepared for war.
Ezekiel trudged exhaustedly along the now-covered path, the man making no effort to muffle and hide his existance. He couldn't even remember the last time he actually slept, the bags under his eyes turning to circles- could have been related to a racoon at this point. His hair rustled carelessly in the wind, and the five o'clock stuble was slowly becoming a beard. Satoshi would be proud of the devotion he gave to practice.. or quite contrary; she'd scold him for being so careless about his own health. He was only human afterall, and too much of this could actually kill them. Damn squishies. So it came as no surprise when he not only walked right past her, but leaned up against the oposite bit of railing.. not even paying attention; his back to hers.
Satoshi doesn't outwardly show awareness to Ezekiel's presence, at least not until a number of moments have passed. Eventually she tweaks an ear toward him and says in tones so distant and casual, you'd think she was talking to the air, "How has your practicing gone, Rabbit? Not brought a building down, I hope? You've not managed to kill yourself, which es a plus." Obviously, she hasn't seen Ezekiel's face, or she'd rethink those last words.
Ezekiel felt his heart stop. Every hair on the mans neck stood up, while his stomach sank; it was that sudden gut wrenching fear one felt.. when say.. the noise in their closet WASN'T the person in the next room over, banging against the wall. Around he spun, pressing his back to the bridge's railing, and slowly he'd slide down.. till his rump was sitting in the snow. Could someone just kill him now? "H-how long were you there..?" He blinked up at the woman's back, red.. squinty eyes fighting against the cold to make out the woman's blurry image. He'd answer and show her the product of his hard work, but damn it all.. he needed to get his heart pumping again.
Satoshi still doesn't move, although her ears follow the man's downward progression toward the bridge floor, coaxing a slight grin onto her face. "Awhile. I've been here for hours, en fait." Satoshi takes a breath--however unnecessary, for an undead creature--and settles herself to lean back upon her arms, to better look toward the skies above. "Listening to the snow's song is my way of sorting and refreshing my magic, when sleep can't be obtained in the immediate." Tipping her head back, Satoshi looks at Ezekiel in an upside down fashion, and frowns at his bedraggled appearance. Apparently sleep is not something either of them require?
Ezekiel felt the pains in his stomach tug, the ulcers getting worse with each passing day. Eventually they'd be a serious issue, and even life threatening. For now.. they were just annoying. "I wish.. I could understand and feel it the same way you did. It sounds peaceful." With more effort going into lifting his hand, rather the actual spell, he went through his training step by step. His mind was clear, his focus strong- all distractions pushed away for the time being. He sat there, alone and quiet in his own little world of creation, complex thoughts and tinkered memories coming into play. Although he was slow, and none to subtle.. Ezekiel actually managed to conjure up the blue, hazey image of a ferret. Slightly smaller then his original. With the last of his energy he sent it war-dancing across the bridge, only to fizzle out underneath Satoshi's perch. "Forgive me. That's.. That's all I have for now." He looked dejected, as if he just failed a test.
Satoshi looks slightly disappointed when the ferret image disappears before it can reach her. She'd been curious what contact with it would be like, made of molded magic as it was, but alas, she'll have to wait for another chance. Another chance that isn't looking too likely, judging by Ezekiel's present state. "Rabbit... when exactly was it you last rested?" If he says, 'before our last lesson', she's half-tempted to dangle him off the bridge until he passes out from fear. ...the gesture might be moreso out of frustration that a desire to force him to rest, but it's still a valid means to the end. Nonetheless, she carries on in scolding tones--or as scolding as one can manage when still looking at another from upside down angles, "Rest is vital, you know, as much for spellweavers as warriors. Using our magic taxes our bodies in the same way phsyical work does. If you don't give it a chance to recover, you'll begin eating into your own lifeforce, and eventually cause your body to give out completely. There are methods to prolong and temporarily boost the effectiveness of your magic, but I'm not sure I should teach you those, considering how you look presently. By the gods, Rabbit, you look like a half-starved vampire that's been kissing up an anti-mage." That is to say, 'dead on your feet, like warmed over roadkill'.
Ezekiel wouldn't be too far off if actually did say, 'before the last lesson'. Truth was, he was pushing on four days of no sleep, this being the third and a half. This was counting no sleep exact, no half-assed naps, minutes of dozing off.. he was truckin' hard and it showed. "I can't.. I try, but.. something won't let me." That of course being a plethora of mental illnesses and bad habbits. Obsessive compulsive tendencies.. which led to insomnia.. which in time led to manic depression. Between borderline personality issues, and all of the above, it was a wonder he didn't break down in every conversation. Truth be told, there were times he -did- break down, always a sobbing ball of frustration; he'd kill himself if ever did that in front of the Queen. "I will try harder, of course." Little by little he'd make his way back to his feet, using the bridge as support.
Satoshi is sorely, sorely tempted to knock Ezekiel unconscious, but she refrains. For now. This is, after all, something he'll have to learn to manage, much like blocking out the distractions of his peers' snide remarks and jeers. Satoshi shakes her head, the gesture odd at her current angle. "No, no, don't try -harder-. Harder is going to kill you, by the looks of it." She did, after all, notice the decent detail on the ferret conjuration despite Ezekiel's severe exhaustion. "If sleep eludes you, meditate. Although it won't quite be as effective as sleep in restoring your strengths, it helps, allows you to sort your mind and magic, and lets you get a feel for the various channels you have access to. Hellfire, sometimes just sitting still and silent for long enough will lead into sleep." With this flectomancer? Maybe not so much. But gods know how vital sleep is to Satoshi, as her magic and her innate regeneration don't kick into recovery mode until she's fallen asleep. "Try it. As well as other means of relaxing, such as the hot springs. You can use these methods to try and find the elements that best recharge you, in the way that snows and cold waters help me. It varies from mage to mage depending upon what they're best attuned to."
Ezekiel wondered if it was normal to hear a faint echo trailing at the end of each word. Probably not. With a blank stare, he nodded in compliance to her suggestion, and almost order.. figuring now would be as good a time as ever to try and hunt down that odd feline.. the one with all the herbal remedies. "It's not like that.. Not that simple. I.. I can't keep my mind quiet. Always a noise, always a voice.. several. Suggesting, yelling, threatening.. apologizing. It's like I- I can't shut my brain off. It's always thinking, always worrying." He was almost rambling at this point, voicing out his frustration in an almost metaphorical sense. "I envy you. Clearing your mind.. sitting there and resting like you do. I can't, I try." Pulling down his goggles, he'd at least have an excuse to hide red, glossy eyes. Ezekiel was pretty sure she didn't know the frustration he felt, no one did.
Satoshi said to Ezekiel, "Try hearing the voices of every living being in the borders of Frostmaw, feel their heartbeats as some race in the thrill of the hunt and some flutter and stop when made prey, share their every worry, sorrow, and rage as if it were your own, feel their every footstep as if it were made across your very core." It had damn near driven her insane, when Satoshi had woven her essence into Frostmaw's nervous system, effectively becoming part of the land and threatening to lose herself in its overpowering current. Yes, it had been essential to aid her in the destruction of the wraith Bozrah, but at an almost disasterous cost, and she's since only dared to partially connect with the channels since, enough to be aware of her immediate surroundings through the snow, but no further out of fear. "It might not be the same as whatever ails you, but I might be able to fathom it more than most. Empaths too would understand, perhaps. In fact... try speaking with one of them? I've heard of some being able to drain a person of certain negative emotions, in the same way a healer bleeds a wound of impurities. I'd suggest the aid of a psion, but the one I'd trust with such things is..." Satoshi frowns a moment, "out of commission." The frown softens as she once more looks at the weary flectomancer. "I suggest these as means of helping you, Rabbit. Your mind is a dangerous weapon now, you're expected to keep it safe, sound, and honed. To leave it in states like this could prove fatal to yourself and anyone around. ...And if my apprentice is going to die, it'll be at my hands through a lesson, not because he didn't get enough sleep, dammit."
Satoshi rambles at the sleepy Ezekiel.
Ezekiel experiences high school all over again.
Ezekiel was a bright man. A damn bright man, but trying to comprehend and keep up with the echoing Satoshi was a little more then he could manage. He made sure, above all else, to simply remember her words.. later he could think back on them when need be. "I'll do my best.. there was a feline- too touchy for my liking- helped me sleep. A tea.. I might have to find it again." With a little effort, he pushed off the edge of the bridge, and stuffed both hands into his coat pockets. "I should probably be going anyways, getting cold.. er." Again, the whole human thing.. hard to believe those were still around, fighting against such mundane conditions. "When.. is our next lesson?"
Satoshi says simply, "When you've slept." And she means it, she won't be giving another lesson until the man has rested. Have you seen what happens when you overtax a mage? It isn't pretty. Ever.
Ezekiel dug his fingers into that tangled mess he called hair, scratched his scalp and nodded. All he offered was a simple nod, before turning back to the path he just came from. While he walked away, the ends of his burnt, and tattered longcoat danced in the wind, perhaps the only life to him. It would be a long walk back to the arena, but if he was going to force some sleep, he wanted to be in the safest place he knew. The Battery room. Despite the accidental mishap weeks ago.. it was the only place he could be at ease, given the intensity of its secrecy.
Satoshi hopes, for Ezekiel's sake, that Delain doesn't drop by the workshop any time soon then.