Arc 721, 17 Ymiden
Black Rock.
Within the cove Elisabeth enjoyed spending time in, was a rock. There was nothing remarkable about it, other than her own fascination with it.
Over time spent in what the young mage considered her quiet place, cerulean eyes had watched the rock. Set out a bit in the water, when the tide was high, one could just make out the top part of it. When the tide was low, however, it stood out in the orange sand. Truth be told, Elisabeth was unsure why she was captivated with it, simply accepting she was and giving it a name – Black Rock.
Well, the rock was black, but more specifically, she named it for Balthazar. A way to keep him with her when he was traveling, perhaps. Elisabeth really didn’t know but the name felt right and that was good enough for her.
That trial, however, she decided that an introduction was in order. Waiting until the tide started moving out, away from the rock, exposing it, the young mage walked out, sizing it up, and yet as always, she wasn’t alone.
Storm was unsure what had gotten into his girl, but she was walking out towards that awful wet stuff that had offended him so horribly one time. Of all the atrocious things to do, water had gotten him….wet. It possibly had been the single most awful thing to ever happen to him, and he had made a solemn kitten vow to never allow it to happen again. Keeping a close eye on the waves, he stayed close to Elisabeth, having decided if they came anywhere near him, he could simply claw his way up her. It was a good plan - she didn't mind when he did that. Much. It was an honor, really.
“Hello, Black Rock. Good to finally meet you. Did you know that you are named after someone that means the world to me? Probably not, but it is what it is. Now you know. Perhaps I'll bring him to visit sometrial, but maybe not. I'm not sure he'd quite understand. It will just be our secret then, yes?” Lowering, Elisabeth placed her hand on the base of the rock, closing her eyes, letting herself become familiar with it. There was a process she went through the elements, wishing them to know of her, and her them. That trial, however, she had a thought, and an idea - the top of the rock was a little too sharp to allow one to easily stand upon it, which she wanted to do.
While she was dealing with the rock, Storm had gotten a bit too full of himself, stalking out to the edge of the waves, eyeing them with a bit of interest suspicion. Furrowing his furry brows, the water crept towards him, inching at a pace he could anticipate. Gently, the feline stuck his paw out, batting at the water, as if that would intimidate it into retreating.
What Storm didn’t see, however, was the sneaker wave coming, which managed to get his paws and a good portion of his lower body wet as he frantically ran away, howling.
Arching her eyebrow, Elisabeth glanced over at the yowls, chuckling softly as she noted the situation he had gotten himself into. Had he been in real danger, she would have been right there but the wave was already receding back into the sea. "Well, I see you showed that nasty water who it was messing with, didn't you?" Mewling pathetically, he came over to her, which allowed her to gently use the bottom of her skirts to dry him off a bit and set him loose in the sand again. "Now, settle down and behave. I have work to do."
A few indigent chirps, and violent swishing of the tail were Storm's response, but in the end, he simply sauntered back up to the dry sand and plopped down to commence bathing himself, putting everything back where it belonged.
Returning to the rock, she gently laid her hand at the base again and closed her eyes. Elisabeth was attempting something she never had before – asking the rock to change its shape. It wasn’t a huge rock, and she was only asking for a slight modification. Praetorum had urged her to work on things that didn’t come as easily to her, and earth was certainly one of those.
Feeling that familiar jumping feeling in the pit of her stomach when she engaged her spark, the young mage focused on visualizing the rock, watching it reshape in her mind, flattening the top just a bit to allow someone to stand easily upon it.
Once she had that image in her mind, she reached out to the rock, gently teasing the form and minerals to melt down, just a bit, on the top of the structure, easing the sharp little jags and points, erasing them, and after several bits of concentration, being left with a surface that she could easily stand upon, facing the sea.
Rising, Elisabeth gently slipped her hands along the surface and the rock, which was now approximately shoulder height, grinning at the result. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. She would have to work with earth a bit more to feel more confident with the element, but what she had done, the young mage was satisfied with.
Patting the rock gently, she scrambled up onto the top of it, noting the semi-slippery surface, balancing as she moved. The sun hadn’t the chance to dry the surface and while she could have with magic, it was sturdy enough for what she needed to do.
Rising as she stood on the rock, she surveyed the area. The height allowed her to see the cove in its entirety, which was just about perfect for her needs. Water was an element she hadn’t worked extensively with, yet the settlement was perched on the edge of a body of water. It seemed reasonable, prudent even, that some time should be devoted to learning how to defend Haven from the shore, and that meant working with water.
The edges of the waves were just in front of the rock, tide moving out, giving Elisabeth room to work as she tried to figure out how to accomplish what she wished – a wall of water.
Closing her eyes, she gently reached out to the waves, calling them. The young mage had never tried what she was attempting before, so she was aware that going slow would be best.
In addition to using ‘dancing’ with the water, Elisabeth was well aware that she needed to work on her endurance with Defiance. She could do a lot of things quickly, but sustaining them was more of an issue, and the only solution to that was continuous work with the elements.
Raising her hands gently, she focused carefully, using her mind’s eye to visualize a small wall of water directly in front of her. Starting small was always a wise idea, so she did, pushing up the water from the sand. Inch by inch, and by no means easy, but Elisabeth kept with it, pushing the element higher and higher.
Once it was as tall as she was, the young mage held it there. What she hadn’t anticipated was the additional stress of working against the other waves and tide, which was straining her just a bit. Luckily, her focus and discipline held, allowing Elisabeth to push herself just a bit further and hold the form as best she could until she was satisfied.
Lowering her hands, the wall dropped back into the sea, permitting the water to return to its normal rhythm. Taking a deep breath, and then another, she briefly considered what she had learned in the last few bits. The waves were already in motion, and asking them to divert in an upward motion and hold there was much more complicated, and difficult, than Elisabeth had anticipated. And yet, it was gratifying that it seemed easier each time she called to the elements that her 'conversations' with them felt easier, more fluid. She and the elements were learning about each other to a deeper degree, and the young mage loved working with them.
Another deep breath, and it was time to push things a bit more. The brief break had allowed her to regain a bit of energy and focus, but she needed to keep going to learn endurance. Raising her hands again, Elisabeth captured the surface of the waves, familiar with the feel of them, the tug of the tide, and drug them up into the wall once again. It didn't take as long as the first time, but she wasn't content to simply recreate the wall a second time.
Pushing further, Elisabeth pushed her hands out, grabbing more water and widening the wall, inch by inch, until it was double the size of the first wall. The element didn't fight the young mage, but something else jumped into the fray - a sensation Elisabeth had never felt to such a strong degree.
Her spark.
Normally, her spark simply fluttered inside of her, but pushing as she was, expanding the boundaries of her abilities, seemed to be causing her spark to excite, wanting her to go further. Groaning a bit, Elisabeth closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she attempted to push back against the spark as she called up a vision of the rock she was standing on. Black Rock, named after Balthazar, who in many ways was the 'rock' in her life - steady and unwavering. Minding her breathing, in and out, slow and sure, she successfully battled back against her over-excited spark, getting it back under control without losing focus on the water wall.
After the unexpected sensation however, Elisabeth held the wall for only a bit more before lowering it back into the sea. The contest of wills against her spark had taken more out of her than she expected, and to be on the safe side, she released the element with a few more deep breaths, and questions. Prae had told her that sparks were unpredictable, but never had hers tried to push her that hard before, and it was concerning. Thankfully, Balthazar and Prae had been clear on the merits of practicing meditation to help control sparks, and Elisabeth had listened.
Hopping down off the rock, Elisabeth gave it a soft pat, smiling softly. "Until next time..."
