Fluidity and Grace (Open)

Wanderer

Member
Inactive
Mar 26, 2014
10
The lake. It had many aspects to it. For the students, it was equal part rollick site, escape from civilisation and secret garden; secret probably wasn't the most accurate word, as it was known by all, but there were very rarely more than a few people there outside glorious summers. The waters were an ambient temperature, too cold to swim in but not cold enough to bite into the flesh of those who came into contact with it. There were very few souls visiting the lake at present, the sun concealed behind a shroud of light, empty clouds but its rays still prevailing onto the earth, projecting a light warmth upon the blades of grass.

It was at the edge of the lake that Khross sat, the quill of a gryphon in his favoured right hand, one of his many parchment tomes resting upon the lap of his robe. His eyes peered at his own reflection, admiring the slightly clouded yet serenely lucid image of himself. Yes, he was no oil painting, the prime of his youth long passed, but the way his mirror image danced with the gentle ripples of the wind, the truth of a natural mirror such as a lake that seems to take a personality outside of the faithful, true reflection of glass...there was just something so breathtaking about the symbolism. Khross had learned much, and yet, Mother Nature always had another lesson for even those who had walked the paths he had already travelled. His runic stave laid at his side, Khross allowed himself to be lost in a trance, his quill painting with his words, capturing his fleeting thoughts:

"The veil between is clouded and obscure,
Entombed in mists beyond our knowledge scape,
But if you train your eyes to see the pure,
Your vision pierces through the liar's drape

And through the dancing ripples of a lake,
You'll find the truth meandering in kind;
Never pursue knowledge for it's own sake,
Instead pursue it for good of mankind,

For water is the mirror of the soul,
Great Mother Earth's own lucid looking glass;
For when at times the world seems oh so cold
Just look upon the lake, and woes will pass

A lake is more than just a fluid pool,
Just as a power is more than a tool"


Khross had not registered just how much time had passed since he had been writing, nor did he notice if he was being watched, his mind completely lost in his thoughts. But for his trance, he had created more words, lovingly crafted with care and great wisdom, that he may share one day with the younger.

Maybe sooner than he thought.
 

Lalilulelo

Waifus of Liberty
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Mar 7, 2014
377
Australia
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Bubbles would begin to break the mirror-like reflection on the lake as something, or rather someone, surfaced to disturb the peace and tranquility of the water. Like a dolphin rising out of the ocean or a whale breaching, Khross would spot a flash of red hair wearing a dark floral halter bikini. A woman diving.

"I caught the yabby!"
She held up her catch as though it was a prize. It was not a yabby, but it was a crayfish, so it was at least of the same species. She held it by the back so its pincers would not reach her.

"... It's not blue." She examined the creature sadly. It was a muddy olive-brown colour. She supposed that she could still cook it, or keep it as a pet, but she really wanted a blue yabby. She released it back into the lake so that it would continue to prey on the fish.

Cold lake water would have been uncomfortable for some, but not for Nerina. Even in her human person form, she still had gill slits and remained as a strong swimmer with a good cold shock response to water, and could stay submerged for some time before breaching. During the long winter months, she had to stay within the cold embrace of the waves during the long nights.

"Sorry, did I disturb you...? Oh."

She realised who this person was. She sometimes snuck into his class to attend his philosophy lectures. She was hard to not recognise, but it was obvious she wasn't a student or part of the University. Nerina submerged her body back in the water, but her head was still above the water. Now she looked like a waiting crocodile, one that was brightly coloured, at least.
 

Wanderer

Member
Inactive
Mar 26, 2014
10
Alas, Khross' musings were brought to a close. At least for the time being.

As the young lady emerged from the lake, tarnishing the clear pool with a million ripples, the sage couldn't help but smile a soft smile, his eyes drawn to her rather vibrant hair. He did indeed recognise this one; she attended his lectures in secret, for she was not a student of the Academy, but she at least seemed attentive and intrigued by the lessons he taught, something that endeared her to him. He stifled a laugh at her carefree, triumphant actions on capturing the crayfish, but he also noted her natural affinity with both the water and the crustacean. Her disappointment at the colour of the creature caused his smile to fade ever so slightly, but it was still there. Every failure a triumph in other aspects he thought to himself, his soft eyes fixated on Nerina. As she spoke, he felt the magical tug of her voice, despite the slight pangs of guilt that laced it. Chuckling slightly, Khross waved a hand slightly in dismissal. "No no, I was just finishing my piece. You haven't disturbed me."

When she submerged again save for her head, his own tilted to the side slightly, but it didn't take him long to read the subtext, speaking again in his soothing, reassuring tone. "It is a pleasure to finally speak with you outside of my classroom. Though it would appear that you are more than you appear to be." He gently placed the gryphon's quill back into his satchel, his now free right hand gently taking the wooden staff from his side in a non threatening way. "Rest assured, no façade is required around me. Although to trust is a deep commitment, to disguise is even more draining." He nodded his head sagely, glancing down at the poem on his lap; placing it at his side, he was still seated at the edge of the lake, his thumb smoothing over a rune of power on his stave.

As the rune gently glowed into life, Khross opened his left palm, an illusion of a blue Yabby materializing within his opened palm. It seemed to remain still for a moment, then it scuttled into the lake, seeking out the real specimen of its kind, hidden within the easternmost fringe of the water's body. "You are kind and gentle, but seem to bear a determined devotion to the element of water. So, I'd like you to have this." With that reassuring, kindly smile, he handed Nerina the poem, a gentle breeze sweeping his long white hair ever so slightly to the right of his face.

This one was intriguing. And while she had no affiliation with the University, knowledge was a bounty for all to share.
 

Lalilulelo

Waifus of Liberty
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Mar 7, 2014
377
Australia
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"Piece?" Nerina exited out of the water. There was a nearby towel that she borrowed from Eric's dorm, which she used to dry herself off. She patted her hair delicately, leaving it mostly wet, but not dripping. She loved the feeling of wet hair, but she wrapped the towel around her body. Eric explained that it was not exactly socially acceptable to walk around in little clothing to her, at least in public spaces.

"I'm so sorry sir," Nerina apologised profusely when Khross realised she was never part of the student body. "I know I'm not part of this school, but I just really want to learn more about this world." She did not know what he meant by she was more than what she appeared to be, but she was hoping he was referring to her swimming skill than her mermaid condition. He must have sensed her freeze up, because he reassured her straight away.

Nerina sat down beside him and peeked over to see what exactly this 'piece' was. Now the poem was by his side, and she could read the words more carefully. Then, there was a blue yabby in his hand! It was such a bright blue, almost electric blue. Nerina suddenly became very alert. She saw the crayfish scuttle away, and she reached out to grab it, but the illusion already slipped away into the lake.

She wiped her hands on Eric's towel before she handled the poem. Nerina read it carefully, but she was already a pretty slow reader to begin with. The poem seemed to strike a chord within Nerina, very strongly.

"The ocean is dying. Coral reefs are disappearing, and back in my home country, there is no effort any more to preserve nature's wonders, or so I've read. The environment is being overtaken by the greed of humans. I feel so powerless, so far away from home."
 

Wanderer

Member
Inactive
Mar 26, 2014
10
As Nerina apologised, Khross waved a hand dismissively, shaking his head gently. "You needn't apologise. The path of learning is a communal one; I would never turn away someone seeking knowledge when they are clearly honest of heart and nature." Khross seemed to give off an otherworldly aura, and that wasn't just his subliminal illusory power at work; Khross was a spiritual master, able to peer into the very souls of those he came across. To those of good intention, there was absolutely nothing to fear from the old man, and his own spirit would offer its ethereal radiance, almost bathing his peers in its hidden radiance.

As she spoke of the destruction of the natural world, the smile on the teacher's face waned slightly; everything she spoke of was true. The wonderful natures of the world were dying out, industrialization taking priority over the natural order. It was for the good of mankind, yes, with the best intentions, but Mother Earth did not look so kindly upon the matter. "It grieves me to hear that there is no effort to preserve. Surely the people of your country marvel at the wonders of the sea, and wish for their children to marvel at it too?" He tilted his head to the side in slight confusion before he continued. "Humanity is not so much greedy as it is selfish. We are very generous, but only to our own. After all, we have been given the superiority to populate the world all over; such superiority is hard pressed to find in other creatures."

His thumb smoothed over another rune of power. In his open palm, there was the image of an oil rig amidst the sea, its smoke and oil polluting the diorama in his hand. "But the oceans must be revered. While we may call this land ours, most of it is ocean. And while we merely look upon water as hydrogen and oxygen, it is teeming with souls, older than all of us combined. To neglect the needs of the seas is to spit in the face of a god." The water in both the lake and his hand began to stir. "I understand your plight. And I will do all I can to assist you, if not for my love of the natural world, then for the good of all those who live upon land. For when the oceans tire of our folly?" A massive (for the illusion) wave in the shape of a skull swept up, consuming the rig whole, demolishing it completely. He needed no more words to explain his point.

Khross nodded his head, smiling slightly as he looked back towards the buildings of the school. "I will be able to teach you more of this world, if you so wish. It all depends on what subject you would like to learn." He smiled, feeling the gentle breeze as he ran a hand through his long, well-kept beard. "You wished to learn more about this world, you said. This implies you are not entirely human. This poses no problem; I am a specialist in the ways of humanity, and would have much to teach you." Khross wouldn't get in trouble for teaching somebody without a scholarship; his judgement, among the teachers, was considered clear enough to make good decisions. In his classrooms, there was always room for one more.
 

Lalilulelo

Waifus of Liberty
Inactive
Mar 7, 2014
377
Australia
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Posting Status
Weekly
Nerina was mesmerised by the small, life-like illusionistic dioramas that appeared from the power runes in Khross' palms. She never realized the philosophy teacher could do such beautiful stuff like this, yet the sight she saw was a horrific one. The oil drilling rigs, the release of a trade route through the great barrier reef... Nerina looked upon this with eyes filled with sadness, perhaps even feeling anger as her other people did over human greed.

"You're a really great speaker, Mr. Khross." Nerina smiled faintly. Khross was always an engaging speaker. She wrote down as much of his lectures down as possible to at least commit his wisdom to memory. "I am glad somebody else understands the suffering of the ocean."

Though, her state of being not entirely human was brought up, and she squeaked, huddling under the towel in embarrassment. "H-How do you know?" Nerina stuttered. Though it was pretty plain to see. She wasn't just some environmentalist. The way she phrased it made it sound like she had a stronger connection with water. "I really can't hide anything from you," she gave a little sigh, smiling tenderly.

"I haven't attended high school, at all. I don't know if I can reach higher education if I don't get any help or tutoring. That's why I haven't come to this school. I thought at first, you needed to pay money to get in, but then when I read more about Starlight Academy, it's scholarship-based, I think."

"I'm not sure if my non-human state will let me attend. Is this a power?"
 
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