The next morning, I wake up with a wide yawn.
All in all, I feel very rested.
I gather my things and meet the group downstairs for a quick breakfast.
When we step out of the inn, I get a mental message. The boy from yesterday calls for me.
"Umm, guys? Go on a bit without me. I forgot to take care of something."

Leanna looks at me enquiring.
"Oh, uhm, alright… Are you sure you'll find us again?"

I smile.
"Positive. Well, see you later."

Before the others can say anything, I turn on my heels and go back into the inn and up the stairs. Once I'm sure no one is around I Phase Walk to the boy.
I find myself in the basement of that run-down house again. Five faces of young children look up at me in utter awe.
I smile at them.
"Hello there. You called for me, so here I am, as I promised. What's up?"

The oldest boy, the one who called for me, finds his voice the fastest.
"You- you really came… and just out of thin air!"

I chuckle.
"More or less, yes. I can instantly travel to marks such as the ones I gave you on those stones. So, do you need help with something?"

"Oh, no! Not at all! We, um, we just wanted to test if this works. That you didn't scam us."

I nod.
"I understand."

"You- you're not mad at us?"

"Why should I be? I can see where you're coming from. But please, just call me when you need me, in the future. I am somewhat busy, and my group is waiting for me."

"We're sorry we disturbed you, then."

I sigh.
"You didn't. I mean what I said. You can call me any time. Just within reason, is all I ask. If it's not urgent, take into consideration what time of the day it is. If it is urgent, don't hesitate. I will be there."

"Thank you, Xerath."

""Yes, thank you very much.""

I smile again.
"You're very welcome. But if that was all...?"

"Yes, it was..."

"Then I'll be on my way. Take care, you guys."

The boy gives a crooked grin.
"You too."

I close my eyes and focus on the presences of my party members. Seems like they're a bit past the gates already. I sharpen my focus on the mark I left on the plushie I gave to Leanna and Phase Walk there.
I plop up behind Leanna, in the middle of the group.
They are quite startled, to say the least.

"Good god, Xerath! Where did you come from?!"

"Well, I Phase Walked here. You remember the stone I sent to Elder Issim? Same principle."

Everyone calmed down again, then we begin our journey to Hearthpoint.

After travelling all morning, we decide to stop and rest for a while.
The sun shines overhead in the sky and there's a soft breeze to balance out the warmth of the day.
Zack claims a spot in the shade of a tree where he cleans out his dischargers and Amelia and Kara rummage through the packs to pass around water.
Leanna approaches me.
"Since we're taking a break, would you be up for some magic training? We can go into the clearing so you aren't just on the open road."

I nod with a grin.
The faster I learn to cast, the faster I master this strange usage of the Force.
Plus, more time spent with Leanna is time well spent.
"Let's do it!"

Leanna smiles.
I follow her to a little alcove off of the path. We're far enough that passers by won't get a good view of us, but not far enough that we loose sight of the rest of the team.

"Well, I don't know how you use that powers of yours, so I'll start at the beginning."

I nod.

"The actual process is a bit tricky. You have to channel the energy out of the crystal, then concentrate on the process of shaping it, refining the energy into something you can use. So, to do that, you need to concentrate on the crystal's form and use your mind to alter it."

"Hmm…"
I think her words over for a moment.
I look down at the manipulator at my wrist.

"So I should focus on the energy within the manipulator instead of the energy within me? I can channel the energy from this crystal?"

"Exactly! Like this."
Leanna holds out her manipulator.
It pulses softly with a blue light, and then a small burst of wind erupts from the manipulator.

"Alright, I'll give it a go."

I stare at the manipulator. I keep my breathing calm and steady, focusing on the different energy signature of the elemental sphere within the manipulator.
Unlike the last try to reach the absorbed energy within me, I can actually feel the energy in the manipulator, but it still eludes me.

"Just concentrate on the energy. Let go of your distractions."

I take a deep breath and close my eyes.
I sharpen my focus, but it doesn't work.
Altough I supress my powers outwardly, I still feel my whole power. The resulting problem is that my power more or less overshadows the energy of the manipulator.
The same problem I had at my last try to cast. My focus is always drawn back to my own energy.
I exhale.
"It's not working."

"That's okay. Keep trying! It's always hardest your first time."

I think through Leanna's explanation again. Is there something I've missed?
Trying again, I concentrate, focusing on the energy...
...But nothing happens.
"...This isn't working..."

"Don't give up! Try again. Just focus on that energy and use the manipulator to channel it."

"I know you've said that before, but it's not that. I feel the energy, as small as it is, I just can't seem to grasp it. It elludes me."

Leanna looks at me suprised.

"The principle is quite similar to my method of casting, but it seems my own power doesn't want me to use something else, my focus keeps on gravitating back to it."

Leanna runs her hand through her hair as she frowns.

In a quick burst of anger I leash out and send a telekinetic blast at a random stone on the side.
I sigh heavily.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm not used to this."

She looks puzzled.

"Not used to what?"

"To fail. As soon as my connection to the Force awoke, I was more or less a natural with it.
At first only instinctively, but all the teachings I learned, I mastered them more or less on the first try.
Now I have such a skilled mage before me and I fail."

I turn my gaze to the ground.
"It feels like I've let you down. I hate this feeling."

"That's not true! You haven't let me down. I know casting is complicated, and I haven't heard of anybody succeeding on their first tries. You just have to continue trying."

I look back up at her.
She smiles at me hearteningly.
"But how about we take a break for now?"

I nod and smile appreciatieely in return.
"That might be a good idea."

We return to the group.
Kara, Zack and Amelia are ready for us when we get back.
After Leanna and I have a chance to rehydrate and grab a quick bite to eat, we continue on our way.

The rest of the journey goes far more smoothly than my training.

As the sun dips low, we decide to rest for the night. After securing a well-covered area, we get to work setting up camp.
Leanna disappears to gather firewood while Zack rummages through the supplies, preparing for dinner. Kara secures our perimeter.
I roll out my sleeping roll and Amelia does the same.
As she sets down her things, the pango plushie from before falls onto the grass.
Amelia carefully rights it, then continues to unpack.

The pango jiggles up to the plushie and greets it exitedly.
"Poi poi!"

The plushie makes no reaction, but the pango is undeterred.
"Poi! Poi poi?"

Again, the plushie doesn't respond. The pango deflates and his face falls.
"Poi?"

Amelia furrows her brow, then subtly touches her manipulator.
The pango plushie suddenly bobs to life as a thin layer of water pools underneath.

"Poi?!"

Amelia tries not to move her lips.
"Poi!"

The pangos eyes grow wide and he beams.
"Poi poi!"

"Poi!"
The plushie bobs again and the pango squishes it as if in a hug.

"Awww."
Amelia cracks a small smile, which disappears when she meets my amused gaze.
She clears her throat and returns to fiddling with things.
My heart warms as I watch her. She's not as cold as she would have people believe! Altough I have guessed so already.

I chuckle.
"You know, you don't have to stop because of me. Continue to play with the pango, I go help Leanna collect some wood."

"I wasn't playing with him, I was merely… observing his behaviour in a social setting."

"Amelia, it's alright. You have nothing to prove to us, to me. I am well aware of your high intellect. We will respect you just the same, even if you show your other, softer sides more often. I am completely content being who I am with you guys, and I wish the same for you. But for now, this is our secret, alright?"
I finish with a wink and pat her head before I start to walk away.
Once I'm a bit away, I look back and notice the plushie bobbing again.

I continue to help Leanna finding kindle with a smile on my lips. When we return with the firewood, we get a fire started. Zack pulls out a simple pot and a few basic ingredients. Then he gets to work.
Soon, the fragrance of cooked meat makes my mouth water.
Kara wanders over to the fire.
"That smells amazing! What is it?"

She reaches for one of the skewers, but Zack's expression makes her pause.

"It's not done yet."

She pouts, and continues to eye the food.

After some time, a very appetizing aroma fills the air.
Zack removes the skewers from the fire and scoops porridge into bowls.
"Alright, it's done."

He hands a bowl to each of us, then settles down as we dig in.
I bite into the juicy meat and let the taste linger on my tongue. It's smokey and tender, a perfect barbeque!

Kara savours the bite.
"I didn't know camp food could taste this good."

Zack shrugs.
"It's nothing special."

"We've been doing this all wrong. No more rotating cooking duty. I vote we have Zack cook for us every night."

Zack turns his head away and lets his hair fall over his face.
"You don't have to make a big deal out of this."

I speak up.
"I second that vote! This is seriously among the best meals I have ever had."
I nod sagely.
"You are a man of many talents."

Kara looks at Zack with a soft smile on her face. I think she's impressed.

"That's weird, man."

I shrug.
"I just give credit where credit is due."

I stare at Zack who's entirely focused on me and completely unaware of Kara.
Okay, maybe this guy is pretty dense, after all.

Kara speaks up again.
"I wonder what other talents you're hiding."

He shrugs.

"It's okay, I'll find them all out sooner or later."

Zack doesn't respond but begins to gather the empty bowls.

"Seriously though, nobody's cooking can compare.
…Especially not mine."

Zack pauses.
"I enjoyed it."

Kara blinks.
"Really?"

He offers a short nod.
"It's nod bad."

Zack looks up and meets her gaze. Kara's grins widens and a small blush creeps into her cheeks.

Yes! It's finally happening. This is my cue to leave. Seems like he doesn't need my help after all.

I quietly slip away and sit down at the edge of the campsite.
Leanna sits down beside me with a small smile. I feel her hesitate before she speaks.
"So, magic training today…"

"...Yeah."

"I know today wasn't quite what you expected but after more practice you'll get it."

I know she's trying to be encouraging, and I appreciate that, but this is really the last thing I currently want to talk about. The thought of feeling that useless again fills me with dread.
"When do you think the next practice should be?"

"Honestly? Every day."

I swallow the groan that threatens to come out, but I can't hold back my dismay.
"Everyday?! …Yeah, makes sense, but still..."

Leanna forces a smile.
"Casting is not easy and it really takes as much practice as possible. With us traveling to the next temple, this is the best way to get you to learn quickly.

She looks away and I see her smile drop. Leanna's clearly as excited about this as I am, but she tries hard to pretend like that's not the case.
I can respect that and I appreciate that she's trying.
"Alright, I won't give up after such a minor setback. I hope next time will be more productive."

Leanna tries to sound more chipper than she is.
"Like I said, nobody can cast their first time. It's something I had to work on for weeks before I was able to even manipulate a light breeze!"

Actually, hearing that even Leanna had trouble is more comforting than I thought. She's such a talented caster now that it gives me a bit of hope.
I smile genuinely.
"You're right. I'm sure with practice I'll get it."

Leanna's mood lifts and she returns my smile.
"That's the spirit."

Leanna looks up at the sky.
"We should probably get some rest. It's another early start tomorrow."

As Leanna says that, I feel a yawn coming on.
"That sounds like a good idea."

The others are winding down, too. Zack stays up to take the first watch.
As Leanna heads over to her bedroll, I crawl into mine and try to ignore the hardness of the ground.
Eventually, I fall asleep.

A/N:
Happy new year guys! This is a quite short chapter, but as it is a full day, I saw no reason to combine it with the next.
Feel free to tell me what you think. Or don't, your decision. I just hope you enjoyed reading.
Until next time!