A Discovery of Some Significance

[Parin d'Aulaire]

Parin was glad to get away from that weird man that had made her so afraid. Unfortunately she'd gone away so fast into the back alleys she'd gotten a little lost.

"Let's see," she say pausing at a fork in the alleyway, "The Mage's house was this way . . . I think." She walked down the right hand fork only to come to a main road.

"Oh dear, this isn't the way," she said. How ever just as she was about to turn and go back, a word happened to catch her eye.

"Wait, did that say what I think it did?" She turned back and read the whole sign over the gate. "Academy of Magic." Parin stood dumbfounded for a long moment. This was a dream, it had to be! Or had she passed over into a magic land like Aesir, somehow? Did it matter? Parin dropped her signboard ran across the street, though the gate and up the stone steps. She pushed the door (it was quiet heavy) of the main building open, went in and shut it behind her. No one had stopped her, no one had told her she shouldn't go in there.

"Home, home at last!" And she sat down on the stone steps inside the door. She was about to breath a sigh of relief and put her head in her hands when she paused. Her hands, they were lined and hard from years of work. As she looked she remembered the delicate soft hand she'd had when she first awoke. Tears filled her eyes. How long had it been since she'd practiced making things float around? What if she no longer could? Her hands were so rough, what if they didn't make graceful signs anymore?

Parin began to cry. It couldn't be! How cruel was this world of Avaren that it would let her go home just as her hands were to ugly to do magic! It wasn't fair, and their dumb philosophy of work hard for what you wanted was just stupid!

[Kojo]

Kojo had been sitting in the 'Nature Room' as it was called now for hours upon hours, Finding new animals he had only dreamed of One animal had had wanted to try was on that he had seen people riding all over the place. Shadow said it was called a horse. And after examining one he realized just ho beautiful a creature it was. He would have to try becoming one some time.

As he sat there he felt his stomach rumbling, and decided to go get something to eat. He made his way to the Kitchens and found some fruit. Seeing as there where no bananas He grabbed an apple. He looked ouside and noticed that the sun was out. "Great it seems the son is already back up." He said to himself when he had entered the Nature Room it had just gotten dark. He figured he should probably go get some rest.

So he headed out of the kitchens. Just as he threw away the core of his apple he heard an odd sound. it was the sound of crying. He felt very sorry for who ever it was and decided to try and find who ever it was. He Morphed into a white tiger. A for that people hear seemed to find exotic and beautiful. He hoped that beauty would help sooth who ever it was that was so sad.

He followed the sound of the sobbing to a young girl. His padded paws where silent against the stone floor. As he approached her. He didn't know if it would work but tried using his animal empathy to convey the message that he felt sorry for her and wanted to help.

[Parin d'Aulaire]

As Parin wept, a strange chill went up her back causing her to turn and look up. There standing behind her was the largest cat she'd ever seen. It was huge! Must be some kind of giant's cat! For a moment, Parin remembered how cats sometimes brought their owners tidbits from their hunting, and her eyes grew wide as she realized she was tidbit sized to this enormous creature.

However before she could panic something inside her made her calm down. She looked into the cat's eyes and saw he was not hungry looking but looked more comforting and concerned. Perhaps he was a mage's familiar or other magical creature come to help her. Parin's pain came back to her and she put her arms around the cats neck.

"Oh Kitty, I hate Avaren," she cried into his shoulder. "All of their stupid rules about no magic and hard work! They and their work ruined my pretty hands! What if I can't do magic anymore, Kitty? I don't want to keep working if I can't make things float about! I don't want to work if there is no hope of learning more magic someday! Kitty, what can I do?"

[Kojo]

Kojo let the worried girl hug him. Ha sat on his Haunches, and let her weep into his thick fur. He could smell the fear and sadness and it only made him want to help even more. When she finished speaking he got back up on all fours and pulled himself out of her grip. seeing as it had worked before he turned and with the power of empathy, conveyed that he wanted her to follow him as he walked down the hall towards the room he had been practicing his magic in.

Assuming she followed him, he moved faster than her on purpose but he made sure he was keep up. As soon as he got to the room he dashed in and out of sight. and he quickly morphed back into his human form. When she rounded the corner she wouldn't see a tiger, but a tall black man. He stood in the middle of a big room., that looked nothing like a room. Walking you would think you where walking right into the middle of a tropical rain forest. Not only did it look like a jungle it felt like it the instant you entered the room the temperature was noticeably warmer, and the air was thicker, and far more humid.

Not only that but up in the tress that seemed to vanish it the mist you could hear thousands of different animals from birds that where brighter than a rainbow, that flutter in and out of sight. To monkeys high in the trees and out of site to the roars of tigers. Speaking of tigers one walked out of the mist and appeared next to Kojo. it was a white tiger, identical to the one he had just been moments before. The only difference was that if she tried to hug this tiger it might actually attack her but that would only be if some dark spirit had found its way in to the sanctuary, if not her arms would go right through the tiger as if it weren't even there. "Well you can start by practicing your magic in the safety of these walls. I don't believe the gods would abandon those they blessed with magic just for not using their gift."

[Parin d'Aulaire]

Parin followed the big cat wondering where he was taking her. He soon disappeared around a corner. Parin stopped in the hall wondering what was going to happen next. Would a mage of great renown step out of the weird looking room before her or was the tiger distracted from her plight?

Parin waited and soon a voice issued forth from the misty room.
"I would like to practice magic here," she told the room's voice, which she imagined might be coming from the tiger or his master. "Who is the Headmistress or Headmaster here? I think I must speak with them if I am to be aloud to stay."

[Kojo]

He nodded. and then remembered how he had been when he came into the academy about a week or so ago. "I'm not quite sure where Izlin is, but He's going to want a demonstration. He's not going to just let you in off the street you have to have a reason to be here." Kojo said. Kojo was standing right in front of her. The mist wasn't that thick. she should be able to see him very clearly. The tiger next to him walked off and vanished like a phantom into the jungle.

[Parin d'Aulaire]

"Oh," said Parin, looking down at he hands. Perhaps they were less smooth than they had been but maybe if she practiced now they might still work enough to show this Headmaster Izlin she was worth spending time on. Parin looked around on the ground for something to lift and saw a small stone at her new friends feet.

Rolling up her sleeves, she concentrated then threw her hands out at the stone, intending to make it float before them. However, she had misjudged a few things. Firstly the rock was not a small stone but a large slab, one that Kojo currently seemed to be standing on. Secondly, the state of ones hands had little to do with the magic she knew, levitation and transportation, and that unless she were severely wounded or in pain, nothing that happened to her hands would stop her magic from flowing. Lastly it was only in the last few weeks that she had not found an opportunity to use her powers, they had grown quiet strong in the six months she's spent working for Lord Ryanald. Still a young child, and with a rather spotty past of anyone taking care of her, she was not only over worrying herself but also exaggerating - without meaning to, of course.

The results were predicable to say the least. With a overly might effort Parin d'Aulaire forced the stone up out of the ground with great speed, ripping the ground beneath Kojo's feet asunder. the Stone shot up to the height intended and came to a stop, just in front of Parin's nose. The size of the stone greatly shocked Parin, as it was quiet a bit larger than her head and longer than her legs. She lost concentration and dropped the large rock onto the flagstones of the hall with a resounding BOOM.

"I - I'm sorry," she stammered, looking very embarrassed. "Are you ok, Sir?"