Master Class for Cyndon

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

Though the room was empty, there was a sense of waiting presence. It was an airy place, with a high beamed ceiling and a huge open-air window with a stylish arch. A breeze floated dust motes across the air, and one could hear leaves rustling in the forest far below.

[Cyndon]

Cyndon smiled wryly as he made his way into the room. He had been anticipating this class for quite some time now, and had wondered how they were going to teach him more control over his skills. He also wondered if it was one on one or with others as well.

'I would think that if the teacher had other people to escort in the shipyards, they would also show up here... but how many other's could he have taken? He didn't even seem too enthused to be escorting me as it is!' he thought to himself as he looked around the tall room in his own little world.

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

"Hello there elfy!" a voice exclaimed with a casual ease. A rather short young man had appeared there, resembling a rather demonic type of house plant at first glance. Slick curls of lime greenish coloring threatened to engulf his head, with thin eyebrows just visible under its mass, and just visible under it were the tips of his ears, also a bit curled. His complexion was a fragile paper-white, with vibrant eyes full of mischief and the color of cherries.

His clothes, a loose assortment of either red or green garments, were at least of a more neutral hue, and delicate silver bells were tied to his wrists, ankles, and neck with white ribbon.

"I have to admit," he continued amiably, "I was hoping you were that half and half girl that they were talking about, but I don't mind. Sorry about your teacher though. Terrible accident, terrible, but the healers have grafted heads back on before, so it's nothing new to them. So, what's your name?" The cadence of his speech was a mixture of quick sentences and exaggerated slowness of phrase, completing the eccentricity.

(Sorry about the delay, Cyndon, we had some problems... And to further insult you, I can't go on again tonight because of an overload of work. But I promise to reply as promptly as possible and fit your student needs as I am able. ^^' TMA offers its deepest apologies.)

[Cyndon]

(don't worry too much about it, though if it continues with others you can start worrying. XD)

Cyndon looked at the new addition to the room with a very piqued interest. He was always interested in things that were out of the normal, and with this teacher, he had a lot to mull over. The green hair and red eyes were enough, but the way this person spoke was another matter all together! It was almost tough to catch what he was saying at times, though he seemed to put emphasis on certain things, making it seem more like he was trying to entertain more than teach.

"So Greg was in an accident...? No wonder it took a while for a teacher to arrive... Anyway, my name is Cyndon Kouvindao. Most of my friends call me 'Kou' for short." He bowed a little to the person that was his new teacher, and straightened out his robes a little as he came back up.

"So; this is a class to learn more about my abilities, correct? I had kinda been wondering that for a while now, but i forgot to ask when i was first starting out..." Cyndon chuckled after he asked the question. He was kind of nervous about being alone in a class.

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

"Yeah, nice to meet you, Kou," he said with a wave of his hand (and a jingle of his bells), completely at ease. "So, you're a lighty-darky, right? Does that ever cause you any trouble. Any odd mind possession problems or spastic violent outbursts?" The man shrugged with a laugh. "And no need to be embarrassed if you do. It's actually quite common."

[Cyndon]

Cyndon looked at his teacher with an intrigued look on his face.

"Yeah, my mother was a light elf, my father a dark elf. They weren't entirely supported by their families for their decisions, but they were definitely in love. I've never had any - " He cut off at the last second, as he began to remember the reason he had gotten the scar on his cheek. He was about to say that he had never had anything happen that he couldn't explain, but that wasn't exactly the truth. His hand reached up and brushed against it, and he resumed what he was going to say, with a "minor" change.

"I don't normally have a bad temper, but if something hits me just right; if my nerves are toyed with in just the right way, something happens to me. Its as if I don't exist for that second, an entirely new person is there... and when I'm back, I'm normally in a lot of pain, and whatever set me off is gone. It doesn't happen often, but whenever it does, it seems like every muscle in my body is torn." He was truthful with what he had said. He had never been one to lie unless the situation called for it.

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

"That's not too bad. I mean, Zet, he always gets the drow students, and personally I'd rather be a counselor to the morbidly ill. No offense, but your dark race isn't made up of the most pleasant dinner conversationalists..." Gerro cocked his head to the side with a laugh. "So why don't you show me some of your power, huh? Send a bolt of ice at me or something. I find it's easier to teach as we go."

[Cyndon]

"True. Dad was always the one to be afraid of if i did something wrong..." Cyndon chuckled wryly as he took in what the teacher had said. He thought for a second before calling in some moisture from the air to form a sphere in his hand.

"Something i picked up from magic class-" He explained briefly as he formed it into ice while thinning it out into a makeshift javelin. He hurled the ice bolt through the air, hoping and confident that the teacher could easily counter it.

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

Though he seemed confident and ready to move, the teacher's apple red eyes widened and he froze like a deer in front of a sixteen wheeler. The javelin slid in between his fifth and sixth rib smoothly, just missing his heart. Those eyes then glazed with pain as he stumbled against the wall, blood melting and then spurting around the projectile onto the floor. Cyndon's teacher did not seem to be able to speak, still in shock and pain and losing blood quickly.

[Cyndon]

Cyndon's face dropped immediately as the attack connected. He had not expected the teacher to freeze up at the last second... His mind was reeling trying to think of something to do while also stopping to think 'what just happened?'. The blood was coming out pretty quickly... and that's when it hit him. Blood was liquid. It had water in it.

"Don't know if this is going to work, but;" He pulled some of the javelin away, making the blood flow a little more quickly and then concentrated on stopping the blood flow. It was a massive strain on his mind, both for keeping it in place and for mentally beating himself up for hurting his teacher.

"Hope you're a fast healer... or at least that we can get you to one well enough." He though about future classes having a nurse standing by, just in case. He shook the though from his mind; there was no time to think about the future now.

((i've gotta remember that there is more that can be done besides fighting... XD))

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

Then the teacher sat up, his eyes bright and laughing once again. The wound in his side healed up as though the wound was absorbed by time. "Hey, not bad," he congratulated Cyndon. "You took that pretty well, compared to some of my previous students. "And you showed a nice bit of ingenuity. It was quick thinking to stop my bleeding, considering you've never done it before."

"Before you hit me," he warned with an apologetic laugh, "there was a lesson in that. People get hurt in battles, and it isn't always your enemies. Most warriors cannot heal, and those who can often lose touch with all other magic as a sacrifice. What will you do if you are hurt, or your comrades. Your solution was a useful one, so don't forget it. And don't forget that things don't always turn out the way you expect them too," Gerro added impishly.

"So that's lesson one, but this isn't practice hour, so I really don't care what else you already know. But what are you interested in learning personally?"

[Cyndon]

Cyndon was more than relieved that he hadn't killed his teacher. He also felt like clocking him on the side of the head for the scare, but realized what the teacher was trying to illustrate. The Ice abilities of his were indeed rather destructive, and he hadn't really thought of what he would do if things went wrong when it came to their use. His mind put ideas on the back burner as he addressed his teacher.

"That was a lesson i really had to learn... I suppose i'll take the fact that i took that so well as a compliment, and i'll add one of my own: you're a really good actor." He laughed a little at the remark he made.

"Like i said i never tried stopping a person's bleeding with water control before..." and during his speeches he began to think even more.

"If i can control blood outside of the body... i would think that given time i would be able to control blood inside the body. Sometimes i scare myself when i start thinking..." He sheepishly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"As for things to learn, honestly, whatever you have to teach... Though i like to keep a good balance of offense and defense. Keep the enemies away while keeping myself covered, flexible for whatever need arises... that sort of thing."

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

Gerro nodded pleasantly and gave a small bow for the compliment. At Cyndon's word for controlling water inside the body, however, his eyes took a more serious cast, though it didn't chase his smile away.

"You have to be careful with that," he said, withdrawing an ornate flute from a long pocket on one leg. It was made of blue and silvery metal and had a flowing look, like it was all one convoluted piece. "Any element can effect the inside of a body, since bodies use all elements to live. With water, you could control someone like a puppet, or simply rip out all the water from them in an instant, leaving a dessicated shell. With fire, it would be a simple thing to hitch up the central temperature a few deadly degrees, or once again, draw it away and watch them shut down. Earth, all the metals and minerals in a body could be concentrated to crush apart a person from the inside. Air, strangulation, a bubble in the blood for brain stroke. Lightning, synapses in the brain with which a person thinks use electricity, and could be destroyed beyond repair with it." He took a breath and shook his head, and then his smile became more cheerful again. It seemed hard for Gerro to remain sad or even serious for more than a minute or two.

"I could go on, but it's not very uplifting. Such cruelty isn't seen often on the battlefield, for two reasons. One, because using such deplorable means invites a counteract of something similar, and two, because it isn't that easy. Whenever you try to control elements that belong to someone else, such as their body, there will be large amount of resistance. Even people that have very little magic can subconsciously prevent being used in that way, so it would take a lot more out of you. Not practical when you can just stick an ice sword through their heart, hm?"

"I work with illusions, myself, and anything imagined is possible." He lifted the flute to his lips and began to play a majestic, slow tune, punctuated by sharp darts of high notes now and then before going back to a steady melody. Though he didn't stop playing, his voice could still be heard as if he was just talking normally.

"Why do think water is the element most associated with illusion, Cyndon?"

[Cyndon]

Cyndon thought for a second before he replied to the question.

"Water is most tied with illusion because of many different things. Sand can look really quite safe to step in before people realize that there's water in it, making it quicksand. Ice can look very sturdy before it shatters and swallows people up into the freezing waters below. Water reflects what is being cast at it, almost like a mirror, making it great at hiding things." He hoped he was at least making sense with what he was saying. He hadn't used water as an illusion very often, he had taken more to defending and attacking with water more than sneaking. Though by talking with his teacher he had already learned much more than he had thought.

((eh... kinda short...))

[Ladd Russo of the Russo Family]

(I value quality over quantity. Don't even worry about things like that. ^^)

"That's true, it's very deceptive, and I like your reasoning," the teacher replied, still playing his flute. "Battle is a very straightforward thing. Not knowing the truth of things quickly and without mistake can kill you. So it always surprises me how underused illusion is in fights. True, it takes a lot out of you, but it's worth it." His red eyes wrinkled a bit in a smile. "Don't think I'm not that sadistic, though. I'm not fond of fighting, but we're supposed to teach you guys how to kill each other and stuff."

"See, the good thing with you, you have the best of both worlds. So do you have any idea how you'd best use all that water to bend reality? Don't feel bad if you don't, I certainly don't care."