Taming the Beast [China]

[Nox]

Nox did his best to meditate on the bus back to Beijing. He had tried to occupy his mind with work but that failed. His little plants reminded him of Raffe and that sent him down a spiral. And he was too tired to wield the power of the gods to even attempt to practice inverting weaves. So lost in the sounds on his wallet, the music played, and Nox focused on his breathing.

In, two, three, four.

Hold, two, three, four.

Out, two, three, four.

Hold, two, three, four.

The same ad nauseum until his mind was calm, his body relaxed and the horde was pushed to the outer edges of the void inside. The power hovered on the outside of his vision, ever present, ever guiding. The slick shine of the horde was a reminder that he had to fight them every day of his life so he ignored its call too. Just focus on his breathing.

The bus arrived and Nox climbed off grabbing his things. The streets were busy and he was starving. His work could wait while he fed the beasts inside -- all of them. He was getting pretty good at finding what he wanted with a limited vocabulary. It was easy once he knew what to look for. Things weren't all that different from Moscow or back home.