Just Why?

[Claude Saint-Clair]

There was something protective in Nox's nature. He didn't really understand much besides that Sky was likely the AI. Claude had no idea what Wicked referred to, but based on what Nox said, he was trying to keep his channeling off the Atharim radar. That was good for both him and Nora. He felt himself grateful for that. It was then he decided that he'd actually try this despite his apathy to the power.

Nox began to eat like this was just a normal day in his life, and it probably was. For Claude this was all still fresh. It felt almost like a wound that needed to be healed that couldn't. Shame was still a big part of it, even though it wasn't his fault. He had never asked for it.

Claude turned his mind towards the situation at hand. "Alright - I'll give it a go," he said, looking inside as Nox suggested. Looking for a dark side within. He wasn't sure what that meant. He wasn't even really sure where to look, but he tried. He found nothing.

"Not really sure how to find it," he said, his voice calm and even. He was no stranger to failures and wouldn't give up this soon. Had Nox not shown his earlier attempts to keep his channeling hidden from the hunters. "Not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not. I'll try again."

This time he focused more, using techniques he had learned to do so - mostly breath control. Searching within wasn't an odd experience. He had learned meditation from Phillipe and through prayer. Perhaps he couldn't find it because he was mentally and emotionally distracted. Then it was there. A dark spot like Nox had said hidden amongst his other emotions. He tried to grab it, but failed. "It's there, but can't grasp it yet."

[Nox]

Nox wasn't surprised he couldn't find it the first time. And again not surprised he couldn't grab it either. He remembered the power slipping through his fingers. It wasn't too long you that he felt it slip away forever. Except here he was back with the power.

"Okay let's try it a different way. What were you thinking and feeling when the earth started to shake? Emotions often play a part in that first touch."

[Claude Saint-Clair]

Emotions. There certainly had been emotions when he had channeled - mostly worry and anxiety. Thinking of that brought Nora to mind. It had been the first time they had seen each other in months, and Nora had been distracted and upset. Of course Claude knew why now. Back then he hadn't. Claude didn't want to go much into detail on this with a man he barely knew, even if he seemed to actually care enough to keep them out of view of the more conservative of the Atharim.

Thinking of Nora, he wondered how she was doing right now. She had headed straight into the lion's den of crazy. Her mission was to infiltrate the Brotherhood of the Ascendant Flame - a cult that worshiped the Ascendancy. Nora was finally getting to do field work. She'd wanted to her whole life. She was incredibly qualified for it too, but because of an accident and overprotective parents, she hadn't been able to. Despite her qualifications, he couldn't help but feel nervous about her going there.

Claude came back to the present. "Mostly felt anxious and worried when I...you know," he said. He was feeling a little of that now, so he tried again. Finding that dark spot was a bit easier now, but as he reached, it still slipped through his fingers. He could almost feel it, but couldn't do much more than that. "I think I can feel it - bull in a china shop makes sense, but it keeps slipping through my fingers."

[Nox]

Nox finished the last bit of his omelet and put the dishes in the dishwasher before he turned back to Claude. "Well first of all you need to accept that you can channel. That you are a godling. You aren't going to change it, so you might as well say it. You can try all you want, but if you think it's wrong, or avoid it, it's only going to get worse." Nox thought about Raffe. Thought about why he didn't want to touch the power. Sadness passed over his face but Nox pushed it away. Raffe was gone now. Not part of his life -- he wanted none of it so he needed to let it go. It was still difficult, but he let it go.

"I grew up hating what I am now. Killed a few in my early days before I was what I am now. I know what you feel. But you are what we were taught to hate. You gotta get over it."

Nox stood up and nodded towards to stairs down. "Come with me." Nox didn't wait to see if followed. He either wanted to live or he would die. It was his choice.

Nox took the stairs down to the lobby and then around the elevator to the stairs back down to the basement. He didn't need to punch the entry code, Sky had already unlocked it before they got close. The lights to the basement stairs flicked on as he walked down and the dojo lights turned on shortly there after. "Anxiety and protectivness are often things that get in the way. Sometimes you need to find that place you used then to get to the power.

Nox walked into the center of the dojo, the ball throwing machines were all powered off. The kids were out of the house for the most part -- at least Arabella was. Though he wouldn't mind a few random balls being thrown at him, it would be nice to get back into his regular routine of things.

Nox reached through the slime and pulled upon the power. It raged through him. "It takes practice and you have to control it. You can't just think about it, you have to do it. It's not easy. It's like trying to swim against a raging river. Or to walk in hurricane force winds. It's your will agains it. You have to beleive you can do it, or you'll keep missing it." Nox moved in one smooth martial motion, arms sweeping wide, legs going low and one out and the aurora borealis fluttered along the walls of the dojo. "It's percision, and grace, but inside I'm fighting a storm."

[Claude Saint-Clair]

Nox was blunt. It was a good thing. Claude needed blunt right now. Nora bluntly telling him he had to do this had got him to do the research to find Nox. It had got him out of the door. Now Nox's bluntness brought more of what he needed. He couldn't change this and he had to learn how to live with it. Claude had said something similar to to Nora when she had told him she was a godling. Claude stood up and followed.

Nox led him to a gym of sorts. Mats and weights were scattered about and of all things, ball machines. He wondered what those were for only briefly. Nox channeled then, moving in a dance. Graceful he said - but the inside was a fight. Claude didn't respond or say anything, but he was digesting the words. He couldn't seize the power simply because he didn't want to. He didn't believe he should, and therefore didn't believe he could.

"Okay," he said, the timbre in his voice becoming more confident. "I'll try again."

Claude found the spot again, once again, faster than he had. It was easier to find something when you knew where it was to begin with. He had to believe he could. He was a godling - nothing would change that. He had to accept it. He didn't have a choice. Learning how to use it would save his life. He reached for that power, felt it try to pull. When it pulled, he pushed, and when it pushed, he pulled. And then it was there. He felt it, briefly before it escaped his grasp. He reached again, grasping it and bending it to his will. Forcing it to obey him.

Claude felt power flood through him. His limbs felt stronger. Everything around him seemed brighter. He dropped the power. He learned what he needed. He could leave, never touch it again. At least he wouldn't die. He almost turned. Almost whispered his thanks to the man who had essentially saved his life and left, never to speak of this moment again. But his training came back. You didn't throw a tool away because you didn't like it. You kept it and knew how to truly use it. He tried to tell himself that was the reason why he didn't turn and leave, but in truth, it had surprised him how much he had liked the strength it had given him. Claude wasn't sure what to think of it. He seized the power again.

"Thank you," he said, his voice genuine. "What can I do with it now? If you're willing to show me that is."

[Nox]

Nox felt the power course through Claude he smiled. It was a proud moment. A moment that was fleeting for him, but he quickly recovered and tried again, this time it came and held and then was gone again. But the third time he seized the power, this time asking for more information. The power was addicting. "Careful how much you draw, it's just as dangerous too draw to little as it is to surrender to the power. It will kill you just the same."

Nox steadied himself in the middle of the dojo taking up a stance. He wanted to know what he can do with it now. Why not show him all that was possible. The Aurora borealis flickered along the walls. Nox drew upon the elements and the wind picked up with a separate flow, a caphony of colors spun around him as he spoke through the emptiness of the power "Sky, Level 2 as a demostration." His initial was a Level 3 but he was a bit rusty and being beaned in the head didn't sound fun. The ball machines reved up and the distinct thunk of one of the machines loosing a tennis ball sounded and Nox moved with ease his hand moving towards the sound but it was a third weave of air that flung the ball from his body.

Two more from either side went off and Nox barely caught one before it beamed him in the arm. The third and forth he flung to the side but the fifth caught him with three balls and one beamed him in the back. Like he thought -- rusty. "Sky, power down. Took me years to master this. But it is the possiblity."

Nox smiled at Claude and gave a slight bow to the machine that had pegged him and he steppd off the mat. "First you need to learn to separate the threads. Fire. Water. Earth. Air and Spirit. Each are a distinct color. And each have their own feel and flavor. You'll need to remember them as much as the weaves." Nox showed Claude each thread and how to pry it from the source.

"A ball of light -- air and fire is easiest to weave" Nox demonstrated slowly. It was precise and practiced and he could do it with his eyes shut, if he could actually weave that way -- he couldn't he tried. Had to see the light to do it. Odd feeling knowing he could but couldn't do it.

[Claude Saint-Clair]

Claude watched. Some might think of his show as just Nox showing off, and that was definitely part of it, but there was a practical nature to it as well. Speed training. Utilizing your skills faster - particularly in the area of defense. He was engaging his senses. So it was showing off in a practical way. Claude could appreciate that, even if showing off wasn't his thing.

The man himself seemed very personable, and Claude found himself relaxing more now. This guy wasn't going to hunt him down in the very least. He still had questions unrelated to using the power directly, but those could wait until the end. He turned his attention to the threads he pulled from the source, and practiced as he did, noting that earth came the easiest followed by fire, spirit, air and water. It was good information to know, but he was able to successfully able to pull them all.

The light came next. Fire and air weaved together to form a ball of light. Claude saw how it came together. He made the attempt, making the weaves bigger so he could see them better and then tightening it together. He had a ball of light in front of him them. He found himself giving a slight smile at that. "Neat."

Claude turned serious again. "What I did at Artskaf...making the earth move. How did I do that - so I can avoid doing it again. Don't want anyone to inadvertently get hurt due to carelessness. That is if there is a way to show it without endangering people." He had access to power and he needed to use it responsibly.

[Nox]

Nox grinned. It was a good question. "Good things you shouldn't access to power again by accident. That's part of learning how to control it. But I can show you what not to do."

Nox wove earth into a not so complex weave and sent it down into the earth. He didn't release it. "If I bring the ends together the earth would shake. But we don't want to do that. Sky project the drawing program into the dojo."

Nox drew the same weave in the air and finished it this time. "Sending the weave into the ground and it would shake. The size matters. But do does the faults in the ground. We can delve the earth." Nox showed Claude the weave he learned from watching the Ascendancy. It alerted someone to sorta see what was on the earth.

[Claude Saint-Clair]

Claude watched with rapt attention. He found that if he was shown the weave, he could remember it. Then he brought up a drawing program and showed him what he meant. Nox was a good teacher it seemed. Claude considered himself an apt pupil, but even good students would have trouble learning from a poor teacher. He not only knew what he was talking about, but when Claude struggled, he offered alternatives. When he needed more blunt guidance he gave it. He even had tools to teach better. He was well equipped. He seemed excited about it too. It was more in the way he moved than his words. That contributed to it. Sending him here had been a good move from Eliot. It also helped that Nox admitted he didn't trust Eliot. Claude felt the same. He had a feeling that he saw them as tools.

Nox's enthusiasm was infectious. Claude found himself wanting to learn more, but there were other things that had to come first before he learned more tricks. "What other things should I know. Not weaves..." an apt name as that was how they formed. "But...security things. What should I do to keep the more...zealous members of our order from digging their noses into things. Like - I can feel when you're using it. I'm assuming that's a pretty universal thing." It was a question not only for him, but for Nora as well.