Arcanus could already hear the soft clinking coming from the kitchen to announce the twin's completion of their breakfasts. Why they insisted on eating the colorful chunks of nothing but sugar called Blast-Os still eludes him, but he might just be able to use that energy for today's training session. They may be only seven in Earthen years - Earth being their birthplace and, thus, easiest means of calculation - but Garrus has already begun to teach them how to shoot and their mother has begun biotics lessons.
While skilled in the matter of harnessing biotic power into a destructive force, Jane doesn't have quite the amount of experience in teaching her children to hold a barrier. If Arcanus is to let Cassia and Damocles onto the field, he will make sure they can form the strongest barrier within their capabilities. It's also less of a struggle with their parents when Jane herself admits any of her training involves offensive biotics and happily agrees to his own training.
Looping the last of his robes' closures into place, Arcanus smooths the black fabrics before turning to return to the twins before they can become restless in his absence. Admittedly, he is not suited to tend to children of any age without Elyse's aid, but she seems to have left the house in search of something to do instead of watching the training. Just as well, he considers, as she's apt to disprove of his planned incentive, even if it holds no possibility of harming either child. She is much more comfortable tending to the energetic children than he is. He despises admitting any sort of inability after so many years of needing to remain at his best or risk being assassinated for his position, but these two Vakarian children have managed one thing even a Thresher Maw was unable to do.
These two children, small as they are at their age, leave him completely unprepared more times than he cares to admit. Yet, he realizes, the feeling doesn't create as much discomfort as he would have previously imagined.
He finds Cassia and Damocles sitting at the small kitchen table. Arcanus wishes he knew exactly what Elyse told them for them to get dressed with only a single request, but he'll just have to accept that it's apparently possible. Innocent as they pretend to be, he has a deep suspicion they can sense his lack of knowledge in their care and take advantage out of jest. It is often disconcerting to consider such little beings could possess such an ability.
Seeing his approach, Cassia finishes her glass of some levo excretion the twins also use in their breakfast cereal. Even if it provides protein, Arcanus still finds the color and consistency unappealing, but it seems to be a common substance to humans as Elyse, too, uses it on occasion in her tea.
"We put our dishes up," Damocles says as he looks up and points at the automatic washer. The tone in his voice speaks of pride and he rumbles in a way that Arcanus feels is expecting a response.
"Very good." He gives a curt nod and watches as Cassia hops down from her seat and places the last dirty dish in the washer before looking to him with a smile. Neither of them know how to activate the washer, which seems the best decision on all of the adults' parts given the amount of damage the twins could make if they did, so Arcanus presses the commands to start a wash cycle. "I am pleased that we all do not have to perform the usual routine of the mornings you stay here for a time."
Damocles merely grins, knowing entirely too much of the difficulties he and his sister bring when they insist on being slightly petulant when he wakes them - and apparently taking great pleasure in it - as Cassia giggles, both of their vocals chirping in obvious jovial triumph. Normally, Arcanus wouldn't stand for such insubordination, but the twins seem to have a otherworldly ability to assuage any irritation.
He admits he sometimes enjoys the challenge unlike any other he can find in his work.
Cassia rumbles questionly and looks him over with her large, pale blue eyes as if trying to decipher some perceived puzzle. The child is much too observant in the physical changes of someone's person and Arcanus realizes he's currently collecting his biotic energy in preparation for the lesson - a natural, unconscious action after so many years.
She draws his attention when she lifts onto the tips of her toes before lowering again. "What're we gonna do today?"
"I will teach you how to harness your biotics for a more defensive use." He motions them towards the back doors where he's already prepared their training kits while they were still asleep this morning. "While your mother is perfectly capable of teaching you the damage biotics can cause, you will also need to be able to protect yourself should you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation."
Damocles grunts and scowls. "Why?"
Glancing down to Damocles, Arcanus flicks his mandibles in anticipation for a long day of questions. "Without the knowledge of how to form a barrier, you will not be allowed into any combat situation. Your parents and I are in agreement in that matter."
Tilting his chin towards the sets of weighted suits for the twins that will simulate a set of armor, he rumbles in a wordless completion to the conversation. The two huff in a juvenile form of irritation, but they proceed to the laid out equipment and look at it curiously. Damocles lifts up the upper half of the suit with a trill of confusion as Cassia flutters her mandibles and looks to Arcanus as he approaches to pick up the only practice weapon, a pistol armed with harmless foam projectiles.
"What's that?" she asks, pointing to the weapon in his hand as he picks up a small canister of the practice ammunition.
"Incentive."
"Huh?" She tilts her head and frowns in bewilderment.
Looking down to her and her brother, whose attention he now has as well, Arcanus slips the canister of ammunition into a hidden pocket on his robes. "It is not enough to simply form a barrier. It must withstand the force of weapons fire." His flicks his mandible once, considering just how long it will take them before they will be able to move onto the task of deflecting live rounds. "We will begin with a situation more suited for the beginning of your lessons. It will not harm you." Out of habit, he begins to look over the faux pistol. "You should both put on the custom suits that will replicate the weight and fit of your future armor kits."
Cassia nods and starts to examine the suit for only a moment before Arcanus hears a grunt, presumably of surprise as she also looks up to him with a frown of pulled in mandibles and drawn brow plates. It is Damocles, however, that speaks a protest heavy with a sulkiness that reminds Arcanus of just how young the two are. Any other turian wouldn't yet be in the midst of training for any sort of combat, but these two are, as in every other way, the exception.
"But they're so heavy, Kunkle." The young boy groans aloud, his shoulders slumped in a way belying the true weight of the suit in his hands. If his posture were to be believed, one would expect the kits to weigh as much as actual heavy armor, but that is far from the case. Even an adult's light armor would have more weight in comparison.
"They are no such thing," Arcanus reponds, humming in a gentle command. "No more arguments."
"Why are they so heavy?" Cassia, despite her question, still starts to pull on the loose pants meant to weigh down her legs in a way very similar to the armor it is an imitation for.
"They are meant to simulate the heavy armor you will be wearing."
"But what if we don't want to wear heavy armor?"
Arcanus stops on the bottom step of the deck and looks over his shoulder to the the two sets of eyes on his back. "Your parents and I have deemed it most appropriate."
Both twins look to each other and Arcanus turns away to let them silently hold a conversation that seems possible only between a shared and invisible connection between the two. No true scientific explanation exists to support his suspicions, but experience over the years of witnessing their interactions speaks to the contrary. It is one of the few seemingly supernatural instances that Arcanus is willing to accept.
He walks away from his home and towards the smooth sands of that lies in the expanse between the first of the buildings of the compound and the edge of the sea. It will provide a forgiving ground should their lessons lead to either of the twins falling. While not as a result of his own actions, he suspects that one way of testing his own barrier in their teachings will lead to one or the other trying to charge through. Learning that brute force will not break through the strength of offensive biotics will be one of today's teachings.
Now ready to begin, the twins drag their feet in the silky sand as they approach him to stand before him. He clears his throat once to direct their attentions to himself and rumbles quietly at the fact that, despite their upset over his chosen equipment they must wear, they stand taller and focus. He nods in approval and praise before crossing his hands behind his back, the pistol still in one palm as he sees no reason to holster it when he's sure of the amount of times it will be needed.
"Very well," he starts, his voice steady and golden eyes scanning over their forms. "We will begin with creating a barrier. Then we shall test their strength before learning how to break another's."
"But…" Cassia stops and looks aside, where in her brother apparently finishes the thought.
"How are we supposed to make one as strong as yours? Isn't yours supposed to be unbreakable?"
Arcanus purrs softly at their understanding and nods once. "It is. However, for your lessons, I will decrease its strength in relation to your current capabilities. It would not do to train you both against odds not in your favor as you would not learn appropriately."
The young girl hums as she seems to examine Arcanus with eyes he has always believed belong to a much older, much wiser individual. "But we'll never be as good. What if someone else is like that?"
Arcanus glances between the two, his mandibles lifting before lowering in consideration of how to quiet such thoughts. It won't do to have them not expressing their full potential because they do not have the will to make the attempt because they believe they will do nothing but fail. In his life, he hasn't been in a position to teach another in any way that didn't involve dealing with punishment for a failure by a subordinate, but these two are not his subordinates.
They are his family.
When he feels he has taken too long to respond, he relaxes and lays his free hand on her head. "Do not compare yourself to the ability of others, but to who you were the day before. Always strive to be better than your past self and you will become strong in your own way." He moves his hand to Damocles, adding, "Do not expect to excel in what someone else can accomplish, but pave your own way to success."
This silences them and Arcanus is left to wonder just how his words are taken by the two, but he cannot go back and rethink the possible ways they can be left to interpret them. It is already said and will prove to be a learning experience for all three of them should his teachings lead to more disastrous outcomes because he hasn't considered the ways a child's mind can disect a statement to suit their own thoughts. Sometimes, much like now, leave him thinking of just how far out of his comfort zone the two put him because Elyse, Jane, and Garrus all seem to have taken to training the youth as if ingrained.
Humming at that thought, Arcanus steps back from the twins and focuses his attention on their expectant expressions. He takes a moment to consider how to put the act of creating a barrier into an understandable concept, not imagining he'd have the need to do so for something as natural as breathing. Reluctantly, he admits that he should have paid more attention and taken note of how he was taught by his asari biotics instructor in his own youth. Once he feels he has an ampt means of putting the concept to words, he flicks his mandibles with a twinkle of the gold rings in his mandibles and begins.
"Creating a barrier is less of an outward force of energy and more a inward concentration before manifesting it around your person. We will start with drawing the energy surrounding every biotic into yourself. Close your eyes…take a deep, steady breath." He waits for them to follow his commands, watching their chests expanding in their inhale. "Release while maintaining the same steady control. Continue."
Arcanus starts to circle them, watching as they focus solely on the action, but mostly to determine if his hypothesis of how to describe the sensations so natural to him is working. With the feeling of the ever present energy flowing from the twin's bodies gradually calming from a static sensation much like the air of a building storm, he can assume he's on the right train of thought. Though they don't possess the firm hold of control of their biotic energies, he believes he can begin to show them how to develop a barrier on which they can improve.
"Very good," he says as he steps back in front of them both. Their eyes are still closed, but Arcanus has to rumble to continue to do so when he sees them clenching their eyes in a child-like attempt to keep them sealed as if eyes opened on their own accord. "Keep them closed. Relax." Dropping his vocals to a soothing purr, he takes a moment to match his steady breathing to theirs. "On this next inhale, pull your energy inwards." They do so at his command and he gathers his own biotics around his form, the static in the air teasing his plates. "On the exhale, push outward and hold before the energy dissipates or manifests into a offensive attack."
Damocles frowns in confusion and Arcanus can feel the pressures of their collected biotic wane, but Cassia seems to understand enough to ask, "Like a bubble?"
"Like…" Arcanus stops and hums in consideration. "Yes, like a 'bubble'. Create one around yourself when you release your tight grasp of your energy, no longer radiating it once you visualize a 'bubble'."
In true form for the young boy, his impatience seems to take hold as he forces his collected energy outward with no control or focus. As a result, Arcanus feels the wave of charged air roll across his own barrier before Damocles physically slumps from overexertion. His sister seemed to have a greater control, but her own barrier collapses in a matter of seconds.
"Try again. Damocles, do not use the entirety of your biotics. You will not be able to maintain a strong enough barrier so soon in your training without it draining you, delaying your development." Walking towards Cassia, Arcanus taps a finger under her chin. "Breathe, Cassia. Holding your breath as you materialize a barrier will cause you to pass out. You will have a stronger grasp if you treat a barrier similar to your father's lessons on long range shooting."
Understanding flashes in her eyes and Cassia nods, taking a few deep breaths. Looking to Damocles, Arcanus waves to step closer and drops his own barrier in order to create it in unison with the twins. When the young boy steps before him, his breaths slowing to a more steady tempo, Arcanus silently praises Jane and Garrus' lessons in endurance through their own training sessions - both physical in the form of sparring and biotic.
"With me," he commands softly, exaggerating his breathing so that the twins can follow in his tempo. "Breathe in. Hold. Push outward into a physical barrier around yourself." It's only a moment between when he brings up his own barrier and when the sensation of highly charged ozone brushes against him. "Very good. Hold it and we can test its strength."
He unholsters the pistol and rounds the twins, proud to feel their barriers the same strength all around their form instead of just in front. He remembers from his own training long ago that some would need further training to be able to develop an all encompassing barrier when the mind tends to focus on what is directly before the wielder. That the twins are already capable of it will ensure more time to focus on strengthening said barriers.
"Very good." Making a full circle around them, he stops before Damocles. "Are you sure of your barrier?" Damocles grins and nods, rumbling seemingly in challenge. "Enough to test it?" Arcanus asks as he lifts the faux pistol into the boy's sight.
When he receives yet another rumbling growl, Arcanus lifts the pistol and fires. There is much that can be said of Damocles not wincing at the sight of the barrel of a gun, harmless or not. That only seems, however, to emphasize the complete surprise at the foam, round 'bullet' bounces off the center of his forehead plate, completely unaffected by the barrier around him. Blinking in stunned silence, mouth and mandibles hanging open, Damocles' vocals stop completely as he slowly looks down at the foam between his feet.
"Barriers are more than manifesting energy in an outward form," Arcanus explains as he moves to a snickering Cassia and does the same to her, the projectile bouncing off her own forehead. She yelps and he shakes his head with a reprimanding click to his vocals. "Your amusement in his attempt is unnecessary." He turns from them and walks into the clearing. "Let us have a demonstration." Crossing his hands behind his back, he lifts his chin and hums. "I will maintain a weaker barrier and I want you both to attempt to break it."
Damocles grins as his sister bends down to pick up the two foam pieces. "Then will we get to shoot you?"
"We don't have guns." Cassia looks to her brother, hand closing around the two foam cylinders.
Arcanus chuckles softly, finding himself once again amused by the innocent minds they possess in their youth, even if he'd never once accept it from any one else. Like stone being worn smooth after many decades under the flow of water, he has found that this new life has softened him from the many forms of affection he's been lucky enough to be given.
Looking at the two as they seem to be conspiring with hushed tones and glances his way, Arcanus clears his throat to get their attention. Once they do, he concedes, "If you can manage to break through my barrier, then I will hand you my weapon and you can 'shoot' me."
Where Damocles seems to become rejuvenated by such a simple reward at the end of this lesson, his sister seems suspicious. Perhaps, with the two of them working together in life, the twins will be more unstoppable than their parents ever were. With Cassia's forgiving nature and brilliant mind and Damocles' emotional control and brute power, the two will be able to do what none of the Normandy family could do combined.
Whatever Cassia seems to be thinking, Damocles will hear none of it as he starts to run towards Arcanus. His body engulfs with a violet, roaring flame as the boy charges his approach with his already powerful for his age biotics. It seems that, in little time, the boy will be strong enough for practice and a real, fully protected opponent. Arcanus is sure that any lesser man or woman would be questioning their survival when in the boy's path.
Today, however, is not one of the days for Arcanus to be worried as Damocles rams into his barrier without breaking through. The force against the barrier does slow him down enough that he doesn't ricochet off of Arcanus' barrier and cause greater damage, but it does completely stop him in his tracks and knocks him into a sit on the ground with a grunt. Surprise flashes over his face, but it's soon replaced by frustration.
He does get more aggravated when Arcanus lifts his pistol and nonchalantly fires another soft projectile off of Damocles' forehead. The boy growls just as the foam lands in his lap and Arcanus is sure he's moments away from pouting, but the twins are at an age where their outward expressions are subdued compared to when they were still too young to begin this kind of training.
"Knuckle?" Cassia steps beside her brother and looks up at Arcanus. "What happens if we get through? Wouldn't you still shoot us because we don't know how to make our own barrier yet?"
Arcanus lowers the pistol to his hip and looks down to her, humming in consideration. "I will not punish you for accomplishing the task I give, but you are right. Even if you manage to break through an enemy's barrier, you will still be unprotected." He won't admit that, in this instance, he hadn't thought the issue would need to be taught today, but Cassia has always been observant.
Looking up towards the house, Arcanus sees Elyse step out onto the porch with a smile and wave. He can't hold the slight purr in his chest as he holsters his weapon and glances to the twins. "Lesson is complete for now." He offers a hand for Damocles to climb to his feet. "We will continue this after you have eaten to replenish your energy."
The twins are energized by the prospect and they run towards the house, dropping pieces of their makeshift armor as they go. Arcanus calls out for them to pick up their mess, but he goes unheard as Elyse crouches down to receive crushing hugs before the twins disappear into the house.
As he approaches, Elyse grins and cocks a hip against the porch railing. "Beating up on my poor babies, I see."
"I am not 'beating up on' them," he admonishes as he steps close to her and ducks his head when she lifts onto her toes to give him a human kiss. He cups her elbows to help her balance as he ghosts a mandible against her cheek just a moment before standing straight. "Learning to control their biotics is necessary."
"Uh huh. Got to be prepared for a battle to break out in the schoolyard." One corner of her lips quirk. "Just… go easy on them, okay?"
Arcanus hums and exhales a puff of breath. "I am not hurting them." She gives him an incredulous look and crosses her arms, jerking her chin towards his hip. "The pistol is only loaded with harmless foam projectiles. The only injury they can acquire would come from a projectile coming into contact with their eyes." When her eyes widen in shock, he knows he's said something wrong and flicks his mandibles. "I would never target their eyes, Elyse."
"You better not! Could you imagine what Jane and Garrus would do?" She laughs, but it sounds a bit drained as if she were truly imagining that ever being a possibility. Arcanus hopes she is only being overly protective and not actually questioning his aim. "They'd tan our hides."
"There is no need to fear whatever that is. You know my aim is true."
Elyse snorts and smiles, soon chuckling. "Of course it is." She lays a hand on his arm, sliding it down to take his hand and squeezes. "I trust you, but you know me. I can't help but worry-"
"That you are doing something wrong in your duty to help raise them," he finishes for her, exasperated that she thinks so low of herself. "That possibility is unfounded, Elyse. You are something for the twins that neither their parents nor myself can be." He rumbles and cups her cheek, tilting his head to look as he looks down to her. "You accomplish that which I am unable to."
Her voice is tender as she leans into his palm. "You give yourself too little credit. They love you."
"Spirits know why-"
"And I know the perfect way to show you." Grinning, she lays her hand in the crook of his elbow and leads him into the house. "Jane and Garrus invited us to dinner tonight. And who am I to deny Jane's amazing cooking?"
"Why did I not know of this?"
"Because you'd try to find an excuse not to go." She chuckles and he hums, not openly denying her. He has no problem with the Vakarians, but sometimes he finds their large gatherings tiring. "And don't worry, it's just us and them." The idea of just the six of them confuses him and he stops to look down at her, simply rumbling in question. Elyse shrugs and smiles. "I guess they like us more." Nudging a piece of one of the twin's weighted suit aside with her foot, she adds, "Plus, I don't have to cook. I love not having to cook. Well, attempt to cook."
"I enjoy your cooking."
She scoffs and makes an exaggerated face of disbelief. "Please… I can make sandwiches and that's about it."
"That is a falsehood. You can make plenty of meals."
"Name one," she says with a smirk and brow over her intact eye raised.
He hums, trying to think up the names of the human food she seems so skilled at. He can't taste them, but the twins tend to give them high praise. Admittedly, Elyse needs some improvement in terms of turian cuisine. Apparently, his silence speaks enough for Elyse to snort and laugh.
"Speechless, I see!" She smiles, the gesture so tender Arcanus believes he can even feel the warmth of the expression. He sees it often on her features when she is around her proclaimed family, even if none of them are genetically related. It never fails to make him purr a sound he has used too infrequently in his life.
"Alright, Elyse." Lowering his voice and flicking a small smile, Arcanus gives in. "We will join them in dinner tonight," he stops when she makes a soft sound of excitement before continuing, "but I will continue the twin's biotic training before we must attend."