CHAPTER SIX
That night, after they got settled, none of them seemed to be able to fall asleep. "What are we going to do?" Ness voiced the question on everyone's mind. After along silence, caused by Ness's inquiry, Adi asked, "Do you think our parents will miss us?" "Of course!" Ness replied, almost scoldingly. "But my brother on the other hand. . ." Lutra muttered. Adi laughed. She knew Lutra's brother, Martin.
They spent the rest of the night exchanging sibling horror stories. It wasn't until Adi and Lutra fell asleep that Ness realized her question had never been answered.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They all slept late the next morning, and would have slept longer if the sun's rays hadn't shown directly on their faces. Ness groaned and rolled over, accidentally kicking Adi in the process. "What was that for?" Adi demanded, annoyed. "I was having a really good dream!" Ness ignored her, caught up in the zombie-like trance that happens to those who aren't morning people. Adi shrugged, and turned over to try and fall back to sleep. Unfortunately, as she was trying to get in a comfortable position, she rolled over and hit Lutra in the head.
"Hey!" Lutra exclaimed, irritated at being awoken so suddenly. "I'm in colorguard, I get hit on the head enough!" Lutra grabbed her pillow and whacked Adi in the head with it. Adi responded with a thrown pillow in Lutra's face. Pretty soon, the girls had a full blown pillow fight going.
"Could you keep it down? You're giving me a headache," Said Ness, who had just woken up out of her daze.
Adi and Lutra exchanged glances, and with an unspoken agreement, each swung a pillow at Ness.
~*~
Downstairs, Sandry and Daja were cleaning up the breakfast dishes. "I think they're up by now," Commended Daja, listening to the muffled sounds coming from upstairs. "I think they're having a war up there," Remarked Briar, walking into the kitchen. "Do you have any more food?" "I think you've had enough." Replied Daja, remembering how much food he ate that morning.
"It's not for me, it's for the kids upstairs. They'll probably be hungry." Explained Briar. Sandry looked at him, surprised. "That's very considerate of you."
"Oh no, he's not being considerate, he just wants an excuse to go join them," Commented Tris dryly, poking her head in the kitchen.
Suddenly, the muffled sounds of fighting stopped. "Do you think they've killed each other?" Asked Briar with an interested look on his face. Sandry smiled and then went upstairs to tell the girls to come down for breakfast. She opened the door and saw the three girls rolling on the floor, shaking with barely contained mirth, amidst three pillows looking very flat. "Anyone hungry?" Asked Sandry as soon as she got her own laughter under control. A chorus of "Yes, please!" Was heard. "So, what's to eat?" Asked Adi. "Come down and you'll see." Replied Sandry with a smile. All three rushed down the stairs, fighting to be the first one down.
"Hey, they're worse than we are." Commended Briar. "I thought you guys had all killed yourselves by now, from what it sounded." "Yeah, almost killed ~me~." Ness muttered, causing Adi and Lutra to go into muffled giggles.
Breakfast was definitely different from what the three of them were used to. It was a lot more than the cold cereal Lutra ate every day, and even more than Ness who hardly even ate breakfast. While the three of them were eating, Sandry and Daja finished cleaning up.
"So, what are we going to do about their meditation?" Briar asked. "I was thinking that we'd do it after they-" Sandry was interrupted by Adi choking on a piece of toast. "~Meditation?! ~" Adi exclaimed, getting her coughing under control. "Why the heck do we have to ~meditate?~" I don't need to ~meditate!~" Adi sat back, crossing her arms. Lutra and Ness sighed simultaneously. "You have to ~meditate~ to learn how to control your magic." Daja said. Naturally, Adi opened her mouth to argue. "Magic? There's no such thing as. . ." Tris turned to glare furiously at her. "IF YOU SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME I'LL. . ." "TRIS!" Three voices shouted at once, causing Tris to snap her mouth shut and resort to just glaring at the girls, her gray eyes flashing. "Adi," Sandry said, even her patience wearing thin. "I know things might be different from where you're from, but here magic ~is~ real and it ~is~ possible and moreover ~you three have it.~" Adi sighed, looking resigned. Her strong doubts were starting to leave her-she was starting to actually believe magic ~was~ possible.
After breakfast was over, Sandry ushered the three girls into the living room, while Tris muttered something about "finding other teachers."
"I think it would be best if Briar and I taught them today." Sandry said. Briar's mouth opened and closed several times in argument, but Sandry looked very decisive. "No argument there." Tris said, turning and going up the stairs nearby. "If you need me, I'll be in the forge." Daja added, then left for her forge.
"Of course ~you~ had to pick ~me~ to help teach them." Briar said. Sandry smiled innocently at him, then turned back to the three girls. "Alright, the three of you sit down." The girls obeyed. Sandry made her protective circle around the three girls, her, and Briar. "What's that?" Adi asked, curious. "A protective circle. It keeps magic from leaking out." Sandry explained. Lutra, knowing what Adi was going to say ahead of time, elbowed her.
Sandry and Briar sat down, facing the girls, who also sat down. "Meditation," Sandry began, "Helps you to control your magic. It keeps it from getting away from you, accidentally losing control." They nodded-so far, so good. "Now, to meditate, first you must close your eyes." Sandry told them.
Adi, Lutra, and Ness blinked at her.
"First you must ~close your eyes,~" Sandry repeated. This time, they did. "Now, clear your mind of everything. Leave it blank, empty, open." Adi opened her eyes. "But it's impossible to have your mind clear of-" "Adi!" Briar sounded exasperated. "For once, just STICK WITH THE HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION!"
Adi stopped arguing. Of course she did--~Briar~ was telling her something.
"Anyway, try to clear your mind." Sandry repeated, trying to get everyone back on the topic of meditation.
Adi closed her eyes, but random thoughts kept popping into her head. ~I can't do this. I think that Briar is. . .hot. Hehe. My nose itches. I didn't do my English homework.~ Adi could not concentrate. She opened one eye to look at Lutra, who was faring no better. Random thoughts came into Lutra's mind as well. ~I was late for colorguard three days ago,~ She thought ponderously. ~I hate being late, even for practice. And I think one of my oboe reeds are broken, darn it! I have to buy a new one. And. . .and. . .and I left my book open on my bed! Martin's going to get at it, the fiend. . .~ Lutra's eye opened and she saw Adi staring one-eyed at her. A small giggle came from Lutra. Adi giggled, too. Ness was actually ~trying~ to clear her mind and meditate, but it wasn't working. Her nose itched, her leg cramped, and she just could not concentrate.
Ness opened her eyes and looked at Adi and Lutra. They had now totally abandoned all concentration and were now squinting one eye shut and going "Arrrrr!" like pirates.
Briar, noticing no change in the girl's magic, opened his eyes to look at them. Adi and Lutra seemed to be acting like pirates, and Ness was just shaking her head at them Briar sighed, trying really hard to keep his temper in check. Adi and Lutra, noticing Briar's eyes on them, stopped the pirate act and tried to look like they were meditating. Ness grinned inwardly, thinking about how funny they acted around Briar.
And hour went by, then two, then two and a half, and still no progress was made.
Finally, Briar got fed up with it. "Alright!" He said. Adi and Lutra jumped; Ness blinked. "This is not working. We've tried everything, first clearing your mind and then even counting. . . you three aren't doing anything!" He shook his head. Evvy popped into the room, grinning at her exasperated teacher. "I didn't get it the first time, either." Evvy said to Adi, Lutra, and Ness. Briar scowled at her.
"I think that's enough meditation for now." Sandry announced. Adi looked relieved. Briar looked at Sandry. The two of them stared at each other for a long time, looking like they were talking but not saying anything. Adi, Lutra, and Ness all exchanged glances. What ~were~ they doing?
"~I'm~ going out to my garden." Briar said out loud. "If you want anything more to do with them, be my guest." Briar waved his hand, got up, and went outside to the garden. Sandry sighed. "Don't worry." She told the three of them reassuringly. "Most people don't do it right the first time."
There was a loud knock on the door. Raising an eyebrow, Sandry turned to look. "Hello? Is Tris there? I need to talk to Tris!" the voice sounded like it belonged to an older person. Sandry walked over and opened the door. "Ok, Kethlun, welcome." She said. The man-Kethlun-looked toward them. ((a/n: I'm not describing Keth because I really don't know what he looks like))
Kethlun nodded politely at Sandry. "Where's Tris?" he asked again. "I need to talk to her." Sandry nodded, then seemingly did that odd thing she did with Briar before.
Tris came down from the stairs. "What did you do ~this~ time, Keth?" She asked, shaking her head. "I leave you for ~five minutes~. . ." Lutra didn't say anything about that. Keth, while being older than Tris, still seemed to "do what she said."
Well, Tris ~did~ have that affect on people.
Tris came into the living room, indicating for her student to come outside with her. "Who is that?" Adi asked Sandry after Tris and Keth went outside. "That's Kethlun, or Keth as most people call him. He's Tris's student, a glass/lightning mage." Sandry explained. "You haven't met Pasco yet, either. He's my student, a dancing mage." "Where's he?" Asked Ness. "Pasco is away for awhile at his dance school. He'll be back in a few days."
"So, do we ~have~ to try meditation again? Inquired Adi, changing the topic and hoping Sandry would say no.
"Yes." Sandry replied. "You'll have to do it until you can control your magic and use it." The three girls looked at each other.
"Oh, lovely." Adi replied.
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That night, after they got settled, none of them seemed to be able to fall asleep. "What are we going to do?" Ness voiced the question on everyone's mind. After along silence, caused by Ness's inquiry, Adi asked, "Do you think our parents will miss us?" "Of course!" Ness replied, almost scoldingly. "But my brother on the other hand. . ." Lutra muttered. Adi laughed. She knew Lutra's brother, Martin.
They spent the rest of the night exchanging sibling horror stories. It wasn't until Adi and Lutra fell asleep that Ness realized her question had never been answered.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They all slept late the next morning, and would have slept longer if the sun's rays hadn't shown directly on their faces. Ness groaned and rolled over, accidentally kicking Adi in the process. "What was that for?" Adi demanded, annoyed. "I was having a really good dream!" Ness ignored her, caught up in the zombie-like trance that happens to those who aren't morning people. Adi shrugged, and turned over to try and fall back to sleep. Unfortunately, as she was trying to get in a comfortable position, she rolled over and hit Lutra in the head.
"Hey!" Lutra exclaimed, irritated at being awoken so suddenly. "I'm in colorguard, I get hit on the head enough!" Lutra grabbed her pillow and whacked Adi in the head with it. Adi responded with a thrown pillow in Lutra's face. Pretty soon, the girls had a full blown pillow fight going.
"Could you keep it down? You're giving me a headache," Said Ness, who had just woken up out of her daze.
Adi and Lutra exchanged glances, and with an unspoken agreement, each swung a pillow at Ness.
~*~
Downstairs, Sandry and Daja were cleaning up the breakfast dishes. "I think they're up by now," Commended Daja, listening to the muffled sounds coming from upstairs. "I think they're having a war up there," Remarked Briar, walking into the kitchen. "Do you have any more food?" "I think you've had enough." Replied Daja, remembering how much food he ate that morning.
"It's not for me, it's for the kids upstairs. They'll probably be hungry." Explained Briar. Sandry looked at him, surprised. "That's very considerate of you."
"Oh no, he's not being considerate, he just wants an excuse to go join them," Commented Tris dryly, poking her head in the kitchen.
Suddenly, the muffled sounds of fighting stopped. "Do you think they've killed each other?" Asked Briar with an interested look on his face. Sandry smiled and then went upstairs to tell the girls to come down for breakfast. She opened the door and saw the three girls rolling on the floor, shaking with barely contained mirth, amidst three pillows looking very flat. "Anyone hungry?" Asked Sandry as soon as she got her own laughter under control. A chorus of "Yes, please!" Was heard. "So, what's to eat?" Asked Adi. "Come down and you'll see." Replied Sandry with a smile. All three rushed down the stairs, fighting to be the first one down.
"Hey, they're worse than we are." Commended Briar. "I thought you guys had all killed yourselves by now, from what it sounded." "Yeah, almost killed ~me~." Ness muttered, causing Adi and Lutra to go into muffled giggles.
Breakfast was definitely different from what the three of them were used to. It was a lot more than the cold cereal Lutra ate every day, and even more than Ness who hardly even ate breakfast. While the three of them were eating, Sandry and Daja finished cleaning up.
"So, what are we going to do about their meditation?" Briar asked. "I was thinking that we'd do it after they-" Sandry was interrupted by Adi choking on a piece of toast. "~Meditation?! ~" Adi exclaimed, getting her coughing under control. "Why the heck do we have to ~meditate?~" I don't need to ~meditate!~" Adi sat back, crossing her arms. Lutra and Ness sighed simultaneously. "You have to ~meditate~ to learn how to control your magic." Daja said. Naturally, Adi opened her mouth to argue. "Magic? There's no such thing as. . ." Tris turned to glare furiously at her. "IF YOU SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME I'LL. . ." "TRIS!" Three voices shouted at once, causing Tris to snap her mouth shut and resort to just glaring at the girls, her gray eyes flashing. "Adi," Sandry said, even her patience wearing thin. "I know things might be different from where you're from, but here magic ~is~ real and it ~is~ possible and moreover ~you three have it.~" Adi sighed, looking resigned. Her strong doubts were starting to leave her-she was starting to actually believe magic ~was~ possible.
After breakfast was over, Sandry ushered the three girls into the living room, while Tris muttered something about "finding other teachers."
"I think it would be best if Briar and I taught them today." Sandry said. Briar's mouth opened and closed several times in argument, but Sandry looked very decisive. "No argument there." Tris said, turning and going up the stairs nearby. "If you need me, I'll be in the forge." Daja added, then left for her forge.
"Of course ~you~ had to pick ~me~ to help teach them." Briar said. Sandry smiled innocently at him, then turned back to the three girls. "Alright, the three of you sit down." The girls obeyed. Sandry made her protective circle around the three girls, her, and Briar. "What's that?" Adi asked, curious. "A protective circle. It keeps magic from leaking out." Sandry explained. Lutra, knowing what Adi was going to say ahead of time, elbowed her.
Sandry and Briar sat down, facing the girls, who also sat down. "Meditation," Sandry began, "Helps you to control your magic. It keeps it from getting away from you, accidentally losing control." They nodded-so far, so good. "Now, to meditate, first you must close your eyes." Sandry told them.
Adi, Lutra, and Ness blinked at her.
"First you must ~close your eyes,~" Sandry repeated. This time, they did. "Now, clear your mind of everything. Leave it blank, empty, open." Adi opened her eyes. "But it's impossible to have your mind clear of-" "Adi!" Briar sounded exasperated. "For once, just STICK WITH THE HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION!"
Adi stopped arguing. Of course she did--~Briar~ was telling her something.
"Anyway, try to clear your mind." Sandry repeated, trying to get everyone back on the topic of meditation.
Adi closed her eyes, but random thoughts kept popping into her head. ~I can't do this. I think that Briar is. . .hot. Hehe. My nose itches. I didn't do my English homework.~ Adi could not concentrate. She opened one eye to look at Lutra, who was faring no better. Random thoughts came into Lutra's mind as well. ~I was late for colorguard three days ago,~ She thought ponderously. ~I hate being late, even for practice. And I think one of my oboe reeds are broken, darn it! I have to buy a new one. And. . .and. . .and I left my book open on my bed! Martin's going to get at it, the fiend. . .~ Lutra's eye opened and she saw Adi staring one-eyed at her. A small giggle came from Lutra. Adi giggled, too. Ness was actually ~trying~ to clear her mind and meditate, but it wasn't working. Her nose itched, her leg cramped, and she just could not concentrate.
Ness opened her eyes and looked at Adi and Lutra. They had now totally abandoned all concentration and were now squinting one eye shut and going "Arrrrr!" like pirates.
Briar, noticing no change in the girl's magic, opened his eyes to look at them. Adi and Lutra seemed to be acting like pirates, and Ness was just shaking her head at them Briar sighed, trying really hard to keep his temper in check. Adi and Lutra, noticing Briar's eyes on them, stopped the pirate act and tried to look like they were meditating. Ness grinned inwardly, thinking about how funny they acted around Briar.
And hour went by, then two, then two and a half, and still no progress was made.
Finally, Briar got fed up with it. "Alright!" He said. Adi and Lutra jumped; Ness blinked. "This is not working. We've tried everything, first clearing your mind and then even counting. . . you three aren't doing anything!" He shook his head. Evvy popped into the room, grinning at her exasperated teacher. "I didn't get it the first time, either." Evvy said to Adi, Lutra, and Ness. Briar scowled at her.
"I think that's enough meditation for now." Sandry announced. Adi looked relieved. Briar looked at Sandry. The two of them stared at each other for a long time, looking like they were talking but not saying anything. Adi, Lutra, and Ness all exchanged glances. What ~were~ they doing?
"~I'm~ going out to my garden." Briar said out loud. "If you want anything more to do with them, be my guest." Briar waved his hand, got up, and went outside to the garden. Sandry sighed. "Don't worry." She told the three of them reassuringly. "Most people don't do it right the first time."
There was a loud knock on the door. Raising an eyebrow, Sandry turned to look. "Hello? Is Tris there? I need to talk to Tris!" the voice sounded like it belonged to an older person. Sandry walked over and opened the door. "Ok, Kethlun, welcome." She said. The man-Kethlun-looked toward them. ((a/n: I'm not describing Keth because I really don't know what he looks like))
Kethlun nodded politely at Sandry. "Where's Tris?" he asked again. "I need to talk to her." Sandry nodded, then seemingly did that odd thing she did with Briar before.
Tris came down from the stairs. "What did you do ~this~ time, Keth?" She asked, shaking her head. "I leave you for ~five minutes~. . ." Lutra didn't say anything about that. Keth, while being older than Tris, still seemed to "do what she said."
Well, Tris ~did~ have that affect on people.
Tris came into the living room, indicating for her student to come outside with her. "Who is that?" Adi asked Sandry after Tris and Keth went outside. "That's Kethlun, or Keth as most people call him. He's Tris's student, a glass/lightning mage." Sandry explained. "You haven't met Pasco yet, either. He's my student, a dancing mage." "Where's he?" Asked Ness. "Pasco is away for awhile at his dance school. He'll be back in a few days."
"So, do we ~have~ to try meditation again? Inquired Adi, changing the topic and hoping Sandry would say no.
"Yes." Sandry replied. "You'll have to do it until you can control your magic and use it." The three girls looked at each other.
"Oh, lovely." Adi replied.
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