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Feyrahl, FurAffinity Edition

The Kingdom of Feyrahl, Ch 1.5

Kenzie couldn't help but smirk when she was challenged by Gregor. How much time was she going to spend with him? Placing her hands on her hips, she shot right back. "I suppose that depends on how good of a teacher you are, Baron Gregor."

She was earnestly surprised when he responded with a polite chuckle and a smirk. The large, genteel beast spread an arm wide, the opposite paw going to his chest as he offered a theatrical courtly bow. "Well then, Lady Fuller, I would propose we get started. It has honestly been quite some time since I had a student interested in the mystical arts, and we shall discover together whether or not I am a capable mentor."

Despite having known Cecil for less than a day, something about the Ferret was comforting and she glanced back over her shoulder to be certain that her bodyguard was close at hand; he was. She smiled to him. "I hope you don't get bored, Sir Cecil."

The Ferret inclined his head in deference. "Your safety is my job, Lady Fuller. Where you are, I shall be too."

Kenzie didn't miss the way that Cecil had changed his form of address to match that of Gregor's; it reminded her again just how critical Cecil was when it came to appearances. Turning back to Baron Gregor, she nodded. "Ready when you are, Baron Gregor."

The Manticore seemed bemused more than anything, stepping back and returning to the large armchair behind him. He took a seat, his wings unfurling for a moment, so that they could settle behind the backing of the chair before folding over his shoulders once again. He gestured across to the small lounging sofa across from him. "Please, Lady Fuller... do feel free to make yourself comfortable."

Keeping her eyes on him, Kenzie took a seat on the offered furniture, eyes never leaving him. "Thank you."

Once she had taken a seat, her host gestured to the side; a serving cart rolled across the floor to them; it had a tea kettle and several tea serving sets upon it. As the Human woman watched the tea kettle, it began to steam, even without being exposed to fire; moments later it whistled, announcing that it had reached it's boiling point. Gregor gestured again and a small satchel of herbs loaded themselves into three tea cups. The kettle then poured hot water into each cup. The Mystic's paws returned to his lap as he gazed across the distance to Kenzie, his blank, glowing red eyes regarding her. "How do you take your tea, Lady Fuller?"

She paused a moment, thinking it wouldn't be polite to say she didn't usually drink tea. In the end, she responded as honestly as she could. "Sweet, I think."

Gregor raised a paw and a cup on a saucer floated from the cart, coming to a rest in front of her on the small table set between the armchair and the sofa, along with a small clear jar of honey with a wooden honey wand sticking out of it. A second cup came to rest in front of the Manticore, along with a small carafe. Although the focus of the Mystic's eyes didn't seem to change, Kenzie realized he was addressing Cecil without the Manticore specifically indicating. "And you?"

Cecil remained beside Kenzie and slightly beside her; she couldn't see his expression but the tone of his voice was politely dismissive. "None for me, thank you, Baron. I do not drink while on duty."

Gregor chuckled. "It is tea, Sir Cecil, not alcohol... but I will not press the issue."

The Mystic waved a paw and the trolly with the third cup rolled away from them. He then picked up the saucer in front of him with the teacup on it, as well as the carafe, and poured some of its contents into his cup. Kenzie didn't get a good look at it and, at first, thought it might have been cream, but the color of the Manticore's tea turned darker and ruddy rather than lighter. She let her curiosity get the better of her. "May I ask what that is?"

Her host smiled, revealing his sharp fangs-- for a moment she thought they looked almost vampire-y before she realised that he WAS Leonine, so pronounced canine teeth made sense. When he answered her, his response was vague. "Nothing of interest to you, Lady Fuller... Mythics have different needs than most other Feyrahlians... you may think of it as..." he paused, whether in consideration or effect, Kenzie didn't know. "...medicine."

Kenzie had no trouble countering Gregor's dismissive statement. "It is very much of interest to me in that case, Baron Gregor. I am a... healer of sorts, so if it's medicine then I would have a professional desire to learn more."

The Mystic took a long sip from his cup and, as he pulled it away from his muzzle Kenzie saw that the dark grey whiskers at the end of his muzzle had a red sheen to them but, a split second later his tongue washed across them, disposing of any hint as to its composition. He set his cup down, leaning back with a contented sigh, one corner of his muzzle quirking up in mirth. "You truly are voracious when it comes to learning then... I thought you were here to learn about magic."

She readily acknowledged that he had her on that point; even in her university classes, she often got off on tangents during classes; it drove her professors crazy. "True. In that case we can have a discussion on medicines another day, perhaps."

Her host acknowledged the statement with a nod and he reached toward a bookcase on the opposite side of the room; Kenzie began drizzling honey into her cup as she watched a large tome float across the distance, answering to Gregor's unspoken call. It slid into his grasp, at which point he set it in his lap before stating "The elements."

The large book flipped open and the pages began glowing; before she knew it, Kenzie was looking at a swirling ball of light rising up from within the tome and it took the shape of a large, slowly swirling-and-rotating ring comprised of several colors. She slowly lifted her tea cup, murmuring "Wow."

Gregor inclined his head at her response, chuckling again. "Simple Illusion Magic, Lady Fuller... something a trained practitioner of Water magic, familiar with Illusion, can accomplish with only minor effort."

Kenzie stared at Gregor for several seconds, trying to determine if he was just being modest. A moment later a small flickering figure comprised of golden light danced through the air in front of her. The tiny specter was shaped like a Human woman with long hair and a flowing gown, spiraling in circles and step-step-stepping as if dancing in a ballroom. She looked back to Gregor, but she noticed that he didn't seem to be doing anything, and his head was raised and facing slightly to her right; turning, she saw Cecil with a paw half-extended, his index finger making slow, lazy circles as if directing the figure's dance.

The moment he saw her looking at him he lowered his paw. The glimmering figure disappeared and he lowered his eyes, ears falling as he took a step back, blushing. Gregor, however, pulled her attention back to him. "You see? Guardsman Cecil here has an affinity for Water magic... though his talents with Illusion crafting is not something he often shows off."

The Ferret cleared his throat and resumed his passive-but-ready stance. Kenzie smiled at him, and she saw a faint break in the expressionless mask he'd put on, as his lips flickered into a return smile for just a moment. She then looked back to her host. "SO different Feyrahlians have a different aptitude for different kinds of magic?"

Gregor's lips pulled back into a reserved smile, showing just the tips of his fangs. "Yes, and no, Lady Fuller. In truth, most Feyrahlian commoners can scarcely manage even the simplest of spells with their Affinity magic and no other. Nobles, and the occasionally skilled commoner such as Sir Cecil can develop their aptitudes further, but few can use magics outside their affinity. Among those, even fewer can utilize more than two elements, and never their oppositional element."

Kenzie thought of that statement for a moment. "What is an oppositional element?"

The Manticore raised one paw, sharp claws of fingers and thumb all pressed together; he slowly drew his digit apart and a small, whirling ball of water filled the space between. "Water, is one such element... the one to which Guardsman Cecil is aligned..." Gregor raised his other paw similarly to his first but, as he drew his fingers apart, a small, slowly rotating ball of fire formed between his claws. "...he will never be able to use even the simplest Fire spell... not even with the assistance of incantations or gestures."

The Human woman digested what she'd heard, analyzing the information he'd imparted, as she sought to logically figure out an answer to a question she hadn't spoken. If Baron Gregor could use both Fire and Water magic, that meant that he was able to use three elements, and that Fire and Water were oppositional elements. "What is your affinity, Baron Gregor? Is it Earth or Air?"

The Mystic closed both of his paws, an almost sinister grin replacing his casual smile. His eerie, glowing red eyes stared, as he opened his digits again; a slowly rotating clod of earth appeared in his left, while a swirling mass of air formed in his right. "Neither."

Kenzie couldn't deny that the display was impressive, but more because she was witnessing magic, than because the Mystic seemed to be betraying the laws of magic that he'd just told her. She focused on that. "Then what haven't you told me? According to the rules you just stated, Feyrahlians can't use magic aligned with their oppositional element. Does that mean there's another affinity you're--"

She didn't have to finish her statement as the sinister nature of Gregor's smirk turned instead much more passively impish. Closing both of his paws, the Manticore nodded, bringing both arms together. Kenzie hadn't realized until that moment that she hadn't seen Gregor blink even once since she'd first arrived; he closed his eyes and, when he did so, all of the candles that had lit the room simultaneously went out. Embraced in darkness for several seconds, Kenzie jumped when a deep purple light replaced the candlelight and she saw a small, slowly swirling, glowing ball of fog fill the space between Gregor's paws.

The eerie light gave his already sinister visage an even more foreboding appearance and, as the Manticore brought his paws further and further apart he opened his eyes again, red glow even more visible with the near-darkness of the room. "The fifth affinity, rare among even Mythics is Spirit. Those who are imbued with an affinity for Spirit are not restricted from using any magics though, as with any other Feyrahlian, few do."

Kenzie didn't have to think too hard to connect the dots. "You can use all forms of magic, which explains the reason why you're the court Mystic."

Chuckling softly, Gregor brought his paws back together and the oppressive atmosphere disappeared as quickly as the light. "One reason, Lady Fuller. One of many." She heard the snapping of fingers, and all of the candles immediately lit, returning the room's lighting to its former level. "Now... I presume with my applied demonstration complete, you would be more interested in a more formal scholastic discussion on the study of magic?"

Gregor was not wrong, and Kenzie, having weathered his more dramatic displays, was not disappointed when the Manticore finally got down to the 'what's, 'why's and 'how's of Thaumaturgy and other such magical pursuits. She completely lost track of time as he spoke on and on about any number of magical theories and an understanding of the ebb and flow of 'mana', the energy used to form and shape magical spells. He continued by talking about incantations and hand gestures, tools used by less skilled practitioners and those who found it difficult to control mana.

Their discussion bounced around topics as quickly as she asked questions; no question seemed to be off limits for the Mystic and he had no trouble keeping up with her numerous topic-shifts or change in her 'interest of the moment'. In the end, she was no closer to understanding the complex specifics of magic, but at least she felt like she'd found a source of information she could freely tap. She would have stayed longer, but she could feel the tell-tale signs of exhaustion rapidly approaching. Gregor seemed to notice as well. "You've done remarkably well in your studies tonight, Lady Fuller... it's been quite some time since I've had such a... voracious student."

Cecil spoke up for the first time since the lesson had started. "You've studied all night, Lady Fuller, and we're into the morning hours. Perhaps you could continue this discussion on another occasion? Surely you must be fatigued after such a long day."

It was when her Bodyguard said it aloud, her brain finally gave her permission to feel the exhaustion that had been building up. Nodding slowly, Kenzie set down the empty cup of tea she'd been holding for however-many-hours. "Mmngh... yeah. I think maybe it's bed time."

The Manticore across from her leaned back in his armchair. "It is no weakness to understand one's limits, Lady Fuller. I commend you both on your dedication and your prudence. Seek me out any time... I have very much enjoyed this exchange."

Kenzie nodded to him, wondering to herself what he meant by 'exchange'-- usually that implied both parties getting something from it, but she couldn't imagine what she'd provided to the Manticore. Things started getting fuzzy after that as all of her fatigue began catching up with her. She remembered saying farewell to the Baron and starting the long walk back to her room. At some point Cecil had moved to carry her instead and things grew even more vague; she was fairly sure she was fading in and out of consciousness as her body rebelled against its awakened state.

She blinked, and she was suddenly in her room; Cecil had been talking softly to her, but she'd missed almost everything. He slowly laid her onto a bed that felt like it was made for her, and his "Goodnight, MacKenzie." barely broke through her mist of sleep.

Rolling onto her side, she giggled. "Only my dad calls me MacKenzie... my friends call me Kenzie, Cecil."

A gentle paw pressed down on her shoulder, and she fell into a long restful sleep at the Ferret's farewell. "Goodnight... Kenzie."