"Well; after some of the stuff I've witnessed and heard, honestly, magic isn't too out of my depths of what I'm willing to accept.", Preston chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to run and get a mob to tie you to a stake and burn you.".
"Good luck on that one.", the woman smirked with a small laugh. "I could easily escape that without even a second's thought.".
Preston liked the sound of her laugh, and somehow, he wanted to hear it again and again, but he knew he is not going to be rude or indecent to this increasingly amazing woman by pushing her to her limits or her comfort level.
He smiled warmly, "I somehow can believe that due to the intricate movements of your magic...If you aren't a street magician or a witch, what may I call you then?", with a curious nod as he worked a spoonful of cream into his black tea, after taking out the tea bag.
The woman exhaled deeply and slowly, "I'm a sorcerer of the Mystic Arts which is the name of my magic.", as she twirled softly, taking out the tea bag, and sipped her chamomile tea carefully before cradling it in her hands.
"That actually fits your magic, as the way you do it, it's mystifying in an enchanting way...And a sorcerer...shouldn't that make you a sorceress since you're a woman and all?", Preston chuckled as he sipped his tea, still noticing that their energies are still latching into each other, chittering and purring in their language, being old friends, giving their wearers some sort of privacy.
The woman felt something she never thought she'd feel in centuries again, for she's blushing lightly at the compliment, and she looked at him with an amused smile, "And I thought in these days now, well-dressed men like you prefer Earl Grey tea, if not coffee, when you drink black tea with a spoonful of cream.".
Somehow, she isn't able to see the present and future with this polite and increasingly charming man, and it terrifies her on the inside, yet it brings something she never thought to have again which is unpredictably of excitement, as honestly, she has seen so much various paths of different timelines and such within people she is with, of the past, the present, and the future, and it admittedly has become a tad boring at times for her as she practically knows everything, and today, she is...what was that phrase in the future? Ah, yes, faced with the unexpected.
"Well; I tend to just drink mostly what I've settled on these days with my age and all.", Preston told her. "Hard to truly try new things at times; of course, with my life, pretty much I can have on hand fairly anything I would want as opposed to those who might find their options fairly limited.".
The woman nodded, "True...The Great Depression was quite a hit to the city and the nation. When I could, I did give soups and such to the people, but luckily, those soups lasted a bit longer than the normal version, for the herbs and vegetables aren't from around here.", with a careful smile.
"Oh, you grew a garden of exotics? That must have been something, through the winters, you'd have to watch it, unless you have a greenhouse.", Preston looked impressed, and the woman chuckled, "Not exactly shipped, or even grown outside of a greenhouse on the rooftop...".
Preston blinked for a moment before exhaling in understanding, "Ah, right, sorceress.", with a sheepish smile, before looking curious, "Is it hard?".
"Like I said, only the best has more magic if they know how to use it. It takes months, years, even decades to train up to be the best. Yes, everyone has a bit of magic in themselves, but to find it, you'd have to be patient with meditation and such, which most people doesn't exactly have the time for it.", the woman explained.
Preston smiled, "Well, good thing I have time on my side. I may be a billionaire, but I prefer my privacy, and I do a lot of mingling, yes, but being in my mansion, it is certainly quiet for me to practice my yoga and meditation.".
The woman looked intrigued yet cautious, "How exactly would you say for your levels in yoga and meditation?", and Preston replied, "Expert in yoga, and novice in meditation...I'm not exactly patient all the time, as I am...ah, eccentric and I get excited at times when I get motivated to make a dent in my money to do good deeds for the people in Washington, this city, and of course, the children, and helping some of my dear friends transform my mansion into a bed and breakfast in the near future.", with a fond smile as he remembered Brookyln who brought some life into the mansion when she and her parents visited in the summer of leave time before meeting up with Roosevelt and then headed for England.
"What about the women of your life, like your sister or such? How do they think of a bed and breakfast from their own home?", the woman asked curiously as she indeed noticed that he has no rings anywhere, but doesn't mean that he wouldn't have been married once or twice, since he would possibly wear it on a necklace under his shirt or tucked back in somewhere of his home in a treasure box, as it's also a possibility that he's in a forbidden relationship with a Black woman or something of the sort, and of course, knowing the future, possibly bisexual or gay as well.
"I... um, don't really have family; at least in the conventional sense. Close friends and quite a group of companions that have basically become a family in a way, but there's not really much of my bloodline.", Preston told her.
The woman nodded softly, "I see. Oh, before I forget, I better remind you to call for a tow.", using her hand, glowing of golden magic once again, bringing over a phone book as the little table with the phone came closer to Preston.
"Actually, I'm in no rush to get back to my hotel, and I have no prior arrangements...That is, if you don't mind some company for the afternoon, and we definitely don't want to expose our crystal and stone to the tow guy and all, since the energies are still chatting like old friends?", Preston smiled warmly, asking politely.
The woman widened her eyes, and she then smiled kindly, "No, I wouldn't mind company...", and Preston smiled bigger before widening his eyes, "Dash my manners! I'm Preston B. Whitmore, ma'am.", freeing a hand from his teacup to shake and such as a gentleman, patiently waiting.
She looked tentative for a moment before reaching out, "Everyone calls me Sorcerer Supreme or the Ancient One because of my long-lived years of teaching and being in charge of the disciples who follow the Mystic Arts. Please excuse me if I'm still tentative of sharing my birth name.".
Preston smiled kindly, "I understand. But I'll not call you by your titles there, but I will call you Sorceress, if you are okay with that.", and she smiled warmly, "I'm happy with that...".
"Then I'm honored to meet you, Sorceress.", Preston held her hand, kissing the air slightly above her hand as he bowed slightly, as he can't out beat his habits of society in high class, and Sorceress blushed a bit more than the first time, smiling, "Thank you, Preston.", liking the sound of his name.
{From that afternoon, our friendship began, and even after towing the car back to the hotel before evening, I couldn't stay back longer and longer as I came back almost every day, explaining my life, Atlantis, and learning of any snippets of her life or how the Sanctum, her home is made of magic, anything I would get...She was somehow the light of the day, someone I couldn't feel lonely around...It was perhaps a one and half week later before I was given a proposal; a proposal of I becoming her student and her being the teacher, and then there, I then gained a whole new world...and her birth name.}
Preston widened his eyes in shock as he barely got into the building when she popped the proposal out of nowhere, "Wait, you...you want to teach me? But...But I'm not exactly young, and you said that it would take even years or decades, if not months!".
Sorceress chuckled warmly, "Why not? You have said that it's hard to truly try new things out there, but in here, as you've proved that you are open-minded, you could try...And it really depends on the disciple, Preston. Some disciples pass quickly through months, some for years, and a few for decades, and... rarely centuries.", and Preston was quiet for a moment before clicking the dots as his eyes widened.
"Yes, Preston, there is a reason why I'm called the Ancient One and the Supreme Sorcerer. I'm not exactly like the Atlanteans, yet similar but relatively younger. I was born in 1316.", Sorceress explained carefully.
"And here I thought I was old.", Preston cracked a little joke. "Yes, well, your connection with the Atlanteans, we both are practically infants to almost all of them.", Sorceress said.
Preston chuckled, "True enough.", before exhaling slowly as he looked at her, and then around the Sanctum...Cookie and Packard truly seemed to be handling things at their own pace for making the mansion into a bed and breakfast, and so far, from traveling back and forth, they haven't been having trouble, just their usual friendly arguments and banter, and it wasn't like society needs him to show up most of the time, only when it's necessary like charities, the voting polls for the president and such.
He then looked back at Sorceress and quirked a grin, "Where do I get my robes?", and Sorceress smiled warmly as she replied, "Time and patience first, Preston. Come, let's get you in your disciple uniform.".
And so, Preston went to take up his disciple clothes, and went to train under his teacher whom he found out to be firm, strict, yet kind and honorable in her way of teaching, starting with meditation and yoga where he advanced easily through a week, until he had difficulty of finding his astral body, taking up another week.
"Dang it!", Preston coughed lightly as he was sprawled back on the floor, and Sorceress replied, "You're trying too hard, Preston...Perhaps a change of place.", as she got up, and gave a hand to Preston where they are in the illusion room of the Sanctum.
Preston took her hand, and sighed as he stretched his back, "Where? On the rooftop? Would that be loud with the cars and all?", and Sorceress shook her head, "Not the rooftop. If I recall correctly, you were born and raised on Tennessee Avenue, near Gilmore's Spring, in Washington D.C., yes?".
"Yep. I often went to Gilmore's, for some fishing and all...It sure was serene and wonderful...Hence why I built the mansion on the border of North Carolina Avenue and Tennessee Avenue altogether for the acres and such, and of course, being inside of the state border as well for the mansion's address.", Preston chuckled.
Sorceress smiled softly, "Should be dark there by now...Fancy a trip to Gilmore's Spring, Preston?", and Preston widened his eyes, "Wait, don't tell me...Are we going by sling ring?!", with an excited smile as he had glimpses of different places within Sorceress showing portals of her sling ring movements.
"Yes, but you take it from here...", Sorceress nodded, "Remember how I did it, and you must clear your mind but only with one place, focusing on it. Use your memories.", with a patient smile.
"Alright...", Preston sighed as he tried to clear his mind, though that was fairly difficult. How does one truly clear their mind at times when sometimes it feels like it's running the speed of one of those new Me-262 jets or Gloster Meteors?
Sorceress replied, "Mediate on your breath. In and out, slow and easy...Listen to my voice. In and out, focus...Slow and easy...", as Preston closed his eyes, exhaling and inhaling slowly, listening to her voice, focusing on Gilmore's Spring, bringing out memories one by one as he inhaled and exhaled.
He brought up his hands and opened his eyes as golden energy showed up in his hands, instinctively using his fingers to gesture in a circle, clearly speaking, "Gilmore's Spring! Show me Gilmore's Spring!", and suddenly, slowly yet getting bigger and stronger, a portal formed of golden sparking energy, revealing lush, old woods with a serene pond that feeds from Spring River that is off the main river that borders Washington.
His eyes widened, and Sorceress smiled proudly, "Very good for a first timer! Come quickly before the portal closes. I'll return us back here later.", before taking his arm, "Keep it up as we enter through.".
"I don't know if I can!", Preston argued as she chuckled. "Just five seconds, that's all!", Sorceress told him as they hurried through.
Indeed, it was five seconds before Preston dropped his hands, and panted deeply as they stood by the pond, with the portal vanishing behind them.
Sorceress took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling, "Yes, this is good...Are you alright, Preston?", and Preston nodded lightly, "Yes...That was hard.".
"With plenty of practice, it will be muscle memory, Preston, and soon, it won't feel hard.", Sorceress smiled reassuringly before taking her meditation pose, "Come sit...", as she gazed upon the pond.
Preston sat next to her in his meditation pose, smiling, "Pretty serene, huh?", and Sorceress nodded, "Yes, it is...Now, let's see if this is better for you to get your astral form. Breathe in and out...Listen to a single sound...Slow and steady...", as Preston listened to the gentle rippling water.
They sat there for a half hour before Preston felt something, and he steadily reached for it, keeping down his excitement as he inhaled and exhaled, and then something clicked like a switch, and before he knew it, he was floating and flying in his astral form, seeing Sorceress's astral form smiling at him very proudly, "Excellent, Preston.".
Preston grinned, "Wow...I feel so weightless...I feel like I'm young again, though I still look old...", and Sorceress chuckled, "All earthy burdens are removed on the astral plane...See if you can fly to the tip of that tree right there. Just don't overthink...Just do.".
Nodding, Preston looked up at the tree up ahead of him, and moved like water, not heavy, and reached the tip of the pine tree, and widened his eyes as he saw the distant lights of his home city of Washington, D.C, smiling, and then felt a pull, and before he knew it, he was zooming back fast into his mortal body, panting as he looked at Sorcerer who is back in her mortal body, "That...was incredible...It was like...a whole new world...But what was that pull?".
"Lack of energy. You see, at first, it lasts shortly because when disciples like you don't know the astral plane at first, but with practice and muscle memory, it will eventually get longer and much easier. The pull is when your mortal body tells you to go back, and the limit of the tree there is the range of the pull for now.", Sorceress explained knowingly.
"It felt... painful...", Preston admitted to her as she nodded. "It is upon the first times you try that. They get less painful the more you get used to it and able to go longer.", Sorceress explained.
Sorceress then smiled warmly, "Now, I believe that's enough training for meditation and the astral plane. We will have to repeat every day until you get used to it, but to add to it, we will keep training you with other things. Now, let's take a stroll around the pond...", with a nod.
Preston bowed warmly, "Of course.", offering his arm, and she took it, and they strolled around the pond, having a comfortable silence as they enjoyed the fresh air and the sounds of the pond and the woods, destressing from it all for a while before Sorceress saw that it was really getting dark, and took them back home to the Sanctum.
Preston learned a couple of new things like Tao Mandalas and Runes on a beginner level, and it was quite incredible as they then finished training for the day, returning to their usual teatime between dinner and such.
"I'm very impressed...You truly have more magic in yourself than the norm for someone of training, but I'm afraid that all I have taught you would be required for practice more before I can advance you to become a novice, and the harder spells will have to be then shown to you.", Sorceress sipped her tea.
Preston chuckled, "Hey, if astral projection, sling rings, Tao Mandalas, and Runes is what I got for my level, due to my age and all, I'll get what I can take, and besides, I think I can stay on four classes of training...Still, wow, a novice... That's the next level, isn't it?", as he sipped his tea.
Sorceress smiled, "Indeed. Disciple, novice, apprentice, master, and of course, sorcerer supreme...And when you reach the end of novice level, bordering apprentice level, that's when I would be able to take you to Kamar-Taj.", with a chuckle as Preston's eyes widened, "I'd see Tibet?! I promise I'll do my best, Sorceress.", looking excited yet determined.
