Present...

Kiara quickly found herself strolling beside the ever enigmatic creek that snaked its way to Aria's home. Every time she passed it her bewilderment grew — a creek on the back of a giant turtle?! Logistically it made no sense, where does the water even come from? Kiara had tried many times to find the source of the water much to the amusement of Aria who merely watched, following the girl to make sure she kept herself out of trouble. One day she thought. One day she would find where that water was coming from and publicize her findings for all to see. Or more accurately just tell a mirthful Aria about the mundane explanation for the great mysterious creek of Chelenki.

Upon reaching Aria's home, Kiara quickly smoothed out her dress which had become ruffled on the journey and from her brief excursion into despair at the words of her father. She knocked gently on the door, a series of five reps Aria told her, to indicate that it was her at the door and not a customer seeking her talents. "Good afternoon Ma'am" she said, stepping in and pulling the door closed behind her.

The warm aromatic environment flooded Kiara's senses. The home has long since become a place of comfort for her, finding joy from the Speaker's home. One of Kiara's favorite aspect of the chaotic home was the animal skin rug which lay carefully under the loft. Kiara hadn't recognized the pelt as any animal native to Chelenki. Aria had informed her that it was what people referred to as a bear, and it was one of Aria's most prized possessions. Claiming it was the first animal she ever killed. It pained her to have to kill the creature so she vowed to use its sacrifice well and cherish the gifts its body provided.

"Ah Kiara! I wasn't expecting you so soon today. The soup isn't ready yet so you'll have to wait. Hopefully you are not too hungry. Though given your slightly disheveled appearance it would not surprise me. What did you get up to? And in such a nice outfit too. tchh". She sat upon a stool near the fire pit where upon it a large pot with resting flooding the home with warmth and the joy of potatoes and spices.

"No worries my mom had made some tarts last night and there were extra so I had some this morning, they were quite filling. As for my sorry state of affairs that can be chalked up to its usual offenders" Kiara curled her mouth about wistfully dropping herself back into her mind.

"Well then enough about that. Let's clean you up..." Aria snapped, coincidentally snapping Kiara out of her funk. Aria shot up from her seat and made her way over to Kiara placing her hand on her chin, her fingers splayed across her mouth. Sighing deeply and shaking her head slightly "...because this simply will not do".

"Honestly it's a wonder I have not taught you how to do this yourself yet. Mud has its purposes: good for the skin, good for the plants, and strangely also good for the scalp, but as décor for my home, 'good for' it most certainly is not". Aria waved her hands around dramatically to emphasize her point before flicking her wrist towards Kiara's dress, speaking the all too familiar words for the spell, washing the mud from her clothes into well, wherever it is things went when they were magically vanished from thin air. Kiara liked to imagine that it teleported above the head of someone she disliked. The thought appeased her and brightened her mood the rest of the way. Fighting off the dysphoric thoughts for another day.

Aria made her way back to the pot grabbing the ladle that was poking out from the savory liquid and gave the soup a good stir.

"So" Kiara clapped her hands together eagerly "what mystical hi-jinks will we be undertaking today". The girl patrolled the edge of the home sliding her fingers across the many shelves of books and exotic plants.

"Well that depends, how are you feeling about the warding enchantment? You've been stuck on that now for months". Aria smirked as she lifted her head towards the direction of Kiara.

"It's only confusing because I have nothing to prove it works with! If there was a threat I'm sure it would work itself out". Kiara playfully groaned.

"I only fear that more advanced concepts will muddy the waters and further prevent you from properly understanding why the magic works. But perhaps a minor change of direction could prove worthwhile." Aria sighed gently and reached over to three nicely sized wooden bowls. "But first, some food. Because unlike you I am quite hungry".

Aria poured a ladle full of stew into a bowl and passed it over to Kiara who graciously took it, grabbing a spoon that was resting nearby. Aria scooped another ladle full of stew, steam billowing up out of the pot filling Kiara's senses full of warmth and flavor. The final third bowl was filled with the remnants of the stew, it being divided evenly among the three bowls. Aria stood up and carefully walked the bowl over to an altar and placed it in the center. It was an offering to the spirits. Around the altar were various other gifts and offerings ranging from flowers to poems. Aria did this with every meal portioning out a hefty amount for those not corporeally present. Kiara didn't fully understand it at first, to those unaware it seems like a terrible waste of good food and there were plenty of hungry people that would be more than thankful for it. But without fail after some time the bowl's contents would vanish. Aria told Kiara that it helped her maintain good relations with the spirits she communed with regularly, and without their support she would be much less effective at her role in the city. The spirits hold useful knowledge and if one wants access to that knowledge it helps to befriend them as much as possible.

"mhhm, I think you've outdone yourself this is incredible", the stew went down Kiara's throat smoothly waves of heat pulsing outwards warming her as it burrowed deeper. Its dense rich earthy flavor of beans, nuts, and potatoes carefully balanced with the gentle lightness of mixed leafy greens. A masterful cultivation of Aria's simple garden she tends to out back.

"Well that's strange I don't recall having done anything differently. But it is good to know that some people appreciate my cooking. I was helping a friend out who's been ghastly sick as of late. Figured I would cook for him for a while so they could recover. Brought over an immaculate stuffed bread, it was perhaps a little overdone but he claimed he could hardly even chew it at all and that it was the worst brick he'd ever had!" Kiara had heard Aria go on about how much everyone else hated her cooking and it was a strange thing to behold because almost everything Kiara has had from her was almost always quite delicious. Perhaps she just had low standards when it comes to food? Or perhaps Aria's friends have too snobby of tastes that can't handle such simplistic flavors? Either way the two women were quickly finishing through their respective bowls of soup which meant it was now time for Kiara's favorite time of the week, magic.

The art of spell-casting as Kiara had been taught had been vastly different and more complex than she ever could have imagined. When she first heard about magic in offhand remarks or texts she always saw it as a simple affair where one just thinks something and wills it to happen. As it turns out, to even be able to perform "basic" magical effects one must be well versed in practically everything; matters of the mystical variety, that of plants, animals, and minerals. And on top of all that a deep understanding of oneself.

The magic she knew of as a young child growing up, that people casually performed for utility was almost always from using a curio of some sort, imbued with ethereal energies that allowed someone to circumvent the great difficulty of learning how to do it themselves. To take control of the magic that flows through the world takes incredible luck, skill, and most importantly time.

Despite her now many years of learning and Aria's claim that Kiara is quite the quick study, Kiara feels she has barely progressed at all, her talents seemingly better suited for theory rather than real casting. Up until only a few months ago Kiara had struggled to even produce a simple glow of light. To which Aria attributed to the quite lengthy amount of time Kiara had to spend on the "understanding oneself" aspect; once that was figured out Kiara began to progress quite nicely in the more practical applications.

"Alright, I believe I have a suitable alternative for you since you seem so insistent on doing almost anything else" Aria stood and walked over to one of her many, many bookshelves and retrieved a rather thick book. Kiara could only barely make out the title inscribed on the spine as she tilted her head, Basics of Elemental Theory by Dorian Jib?

"Elemental magic?! Why the sudden change of heart? You've steered me pretty far away from elemental magic" Kiara stared bewilderingly at the book. Aria dragged Kiara over towards a table resting below one of the other bookshelves, placing the book down and sitting in a chair on the end of the table.

"Well why not? Perhaps you're just not suited for the more spiritual aspects of magic that I practice. I think for the time being it might be wise to find your niche. Every mage has one whether it be spiritual, elemental, or material" Aria crossed her legs twirling her right hand in vague circles. "I might not be an expert on the subject, but I certainly know enough to get you started".

Kiara opened the book, a slight frown growing on her face as she skimmed through its pages, past the many diagrams and descriptions. "So what, you're just going to sit there and watch as I read this book? That hardly seems like a good use of our time".

"Of course not my dear girl! I'm assigning homework." Aria said matter-of-factly as she leapt up from the table and waltzed across her floor towards the door with precision, as if on a tightrope. "Tonight, we're going on a brief field trip". Aria swung the door open and gestured towards the opening.

***

"So where exactly are we going?" Kiara asked rather anxiously the two had been wandering around the forest for what felt like hours, the anticipation, and confusion around the sudden trip prolonging the most likely quick trip into an eternity.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. With the sudden change of plans I haven't exactly had the most time to think of a new one. Lesson planning on the fly." Aria spun around to look at Kiara as she spoke, meticulously evading every exposed root as she walked backwards. "If it makes you feel better I do have the concept of a plan" Aria grinned wildly and spun back around.

Kiara continuously scanned her surroundings curiously as they marched further into what Kiara believed to be the direction of the rear left flipper. Not far ahead of them could the girl now spot what seemed to be a clearing that was rapidly approaching. The trees parted revealing a vast field of flowers, ferns, and shrubs. A bizarre prairie that Kiara was entirely unaware existed until now.

"Hmmm, they should be around here somewhere" Aria began to furiously investigate all the various flora that spread across the field. It was quite evident that unlike Kiara Aria knew precisely what they were doing out here.

"Would you care to clue me in to whatever it is you're looking for? I may be able to help" Kiara inquired, trying to get Aria's attention that had been stuck on a pair of clearly quite compelling blue flowers.

"Flowering Blue Dragons. A bell flower, the petals are mostly white with bold streaks of blue that resemble a dragon, makes some incredible tea like you wouldn't believe." Aria stated, still meticulously examining the flowers in front of her. "No, these aren't quite it" she whispered before scurrying over to a different crop of blue flowers.

"All this for tea, you have tea back at your house, don't you? We could have just made some of that. You know I'm not picky" Kiara reluctantly began to scan the fields for the flower Aria had described to her, gliding her hands through the petals of the various plants.

"Well, we're not looking for it for the tea little one. Well hmmm, actually I guess we are. But not because of its tea if that makes sense" It most certainly did not. Aria's ramblings were as common as the sun rising and to this day the abstract way her mind worked never became any clearer. "The tea helps enhance the flowers innate magical abilities, specifically elemental magical abilities, the flower is practically pure blue ether". Kiara had never become too familiar with the different subcategories of ether. When discussing the mechanism for magic with Aria she tended to generalize and either just say "ether" or the ever generic "magic".

"Is this it?" Kiara shouted over to Aria, who practically jumped over to where the girl was.

"Yes, perfect, Good eye. I should bring you along on more of my gathering sprees, It always takes me hours to find what I need". Aria's hand slipped onto the strap of a small sheath she had strapped to her belt and pulled out a beautifully ornate dagger. Bracing the plant's stem with her other hand she gently dragged the blade across the plant, removing the flower clean off. She did this a few times collecting a handful of the flowers which she placed inside a pouch on the other side of her belt. "Well we've got what we require. Back to the house, for the fun to begin!".

The trip back was surprisingly fast given how long it felt to get out to the field in the first place. Aria removed the flowers from the pouch, placing them in a mortar. The fire pit which had been extinguished before they left was reignited by a quick snap of Aria's fingers. She placed a small pot onto the flames.

"Drava," Aria waved her hand above the pot swirling the air down, as if grabbing something out of the air and into the pot, slowly filling it with water. "Kiara, could you grind up those flowers and then mix it with a spoonful of Ishra powder, it will help stabilize it. There should be a jar of it on one of those shelves".

After thoroughly crushing the petals into a pale blue paste, Kiara found the rather small jar labeled Ishra and gently dosed out the amount into the mortar. As she mixed the compounds together they began to glow a dark blue hue, and was letting off an almost uncomfortable amount of heat.

"Alright, when you're done with that, bring it over so it can start steeping" Aria waved over Kiara, maintaining an unwavering gaze at the now boiling pot.

Kiara scraped the paste out of the mortar and into the pot, to a light splash of hot water. Aria disperses the paste as it partially dissolves. After several minutes of steeping Aria concludes that the tea is finished and produces two cups from a cabinet. The cups were dunked into the pot filling it with the warm magical liquid. The tea had taken on a slight blue color, like that of the sea but much darker.

"So if you don't mind me asking what exactly will this do?" Kiara asked, staring down at her cup.

"Well elemental magic is very tricky to do, it is chaotic and requires a lot of focus. It helps to use some sort of conduit to channel the raw magic through, the tea will be your conduit. It essentially serves the same purpose as my necklace. The tea will allow you to feel the magic much more intensely than normal, and thus bend it to your will easier." Ari reached up and tugged on her necklace slightly to help her point.

"Done the hatch now, it's best piping hot" Aria told Kiara, chugging the still quite hot tea all at once. A visible wave of blue energy pulsed through Aria as the tea went down. And reluctantly Kiara downed the tea as fast she could, trying to ignore the pain from the heat. Kiara could feel the tea immediately as a similar wave shot through her, revitalizing her. Her heart beat faster as all her senses sharpened, her veins glowing ever so slightly. She could feel a slight static through the air as she moved, it was all so overwhelming. "We now have about fifteen-ish minutes before this wears off, so let's work quickly. Fire was the first I learned how to manipulate and create, and for you, I believe that it will likely be the easiest. Now I'm sure you are currently being overtaken by a lot of new feelings right now, like you're all wound up ready to explode. I want you to focus that feeling into the fire here. Push all that heat and energy building up towards it. Make it grow".

Kiara steeled herself for a moment trying to regain composure over her body. She felt like she was going to pass out at any second, but she pushed through, reaching her hand out towards the fire. The heat from the flames tickled her fingertips ever so slightly, the electric sensation in her body reacting to it ever so slightly. She held onto that, urging the electricity to react more, to flow into the flames.

"Efra," Kiara spoke the ancient Visharvan word for fire as she propelled the blue energy out of her. A shiver shot through her body as the magic rushed out of her into the flames, invisibly colliding with it. The tongues of flame lashed out violently in front of her, enveloping the pot and burning white-hot. Both of them shielded their eyes from the brilliance of the fire, stepping back to get out of the hellish warmth. The flames continued to grow more and more potent, still feeding on Kiara's energy, she grew weak, all her energy being ripped away.

"Kiara! You need to focus! Bring the fire back into control" Aria yelled across the room, her voice distorting as it passed through the heat. Kiara could barely focus on standing let alone the danger in front of her. And before she could even think of restricting her magic, her vision went white, and she collapsed on the ground.

***

She was woken up by Aria who was sitting next to her, a wet rag in one hand, a cup in the other.

"Here drink this, it's just water". Aria, urging Kiara to sit up, gave her the cup to drink, which she did, taking small sips. "Clearly magically amp-ing you up and turning you loose, was maybe not my best idea. On the bright side in terms of progress that was the most impressive magical feat you've ever done. So congratulations!" Aria's words were cautiously optimistic, clearly trying her best to tone down the dangers of what transpired. "I have never seen somebody have such a violent reaction to that tea before, but I still should have prepared you a little better. That's what I get for trying to improvise". She let out an exasperated sigh.

"What happened exactly?" Kiara's head was foggy, her whole body was aching and all she could recall was that she nearly burnt Aria's house down, before evidently passing out.

"Nothing that I'm sure you haven't already pieced together. You encouraged the fire a little too much, you became essentially the fuel source for the fire, and it was burning through you fast. Luckily once you passed out the connection was severed and I was able to get it under control. Minor damage to the roof but nothing I won't be able to fix". Aria reassured Kiara, to which the girl made vague mumbling noises. "You were out for quite a while and this is normally around the time you head home, I'll walk you back when you're ready"

"No," Kiara was plagued by the magic induced fatigue as well as the re-surging emotions around her encounter with her father earlier. "I don't want to go back, not now. Besides I feel like my whole body is betraying me, I can hardly move. Can I just stay here for the night?" Kiara coughed.

"Of course, whatever you need" Aria pulled the girl into a gentle hug. "You can sleep in my bed, I'll figure something else out". Aria helped Kiara up onto her feet and slowly walked her over and up the steps to the loft. Kiara laid herself back down as Aria pulled over the blanket for her. Only seconds had passed before Kiara drifted off back to a this time willing sleep.