FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

A false sun bore down on Connor's eyes and he sat up and looked out over the lagoon, his mind still felt partially numb, and left him dizzy as he tried to stand; he wobbled on his feet and steadied his vision before looking around. Though the beach remained mostly the same it had changed, there was a small sitting area, lounge chairs left out and partially covered by a purple umbrella. One lounge chair was occupied by a familiar catfish who was lounging in the sun with a strange book in her hand. The cover of the book changed with every blink, even the size and shape warped with every sideways glance, it was if she held an entire library in her hands and was reading every single book all at once. The page turned with the motion of her eyes, while her free hand rotated a coconut containing a spiral galaxy, spiked with a straw, and topped with a multicolored umbrella.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself." Connor chuckled, earning him only a soft breath of annoyance, before the female sipped on the universe. “What are you doing here? You're normally under the water?" Connor asked, and the Quartermaster turned her cold tired gaze onto him.

“We are bound together, we are sharing a soul, I'm just enjoying the other half. Every soul is different, and this is one of the few that has a really nice atmosphere. Honestly it surprises me that this is even your soulscape. With such a depraved mind like yours I'm surprised were not in some sleezy topless bar… or in a mundane diner." The Quartermaster countered watching Connor sit down on the woven lounge chair.

“I'm guessing I can sit here, or are you expecting a cabana boy?" Connor joked before crossing his legs to watch the waves.

“I'd rather not watch you suck his dick while he pours me a drink." She countered with a soft sip before putting down her drink and laying the book out on her calf. “So, why is this your soulscape? It's not a real place it's a fantasy in your mind, your ideal place."

“Actually it is… I saw this place in a post card when I was a kid… I was in Hawaii one of the few vacations I had while everyone was still happy. Before everyone started dying because of the soul bursts and magical beings. It was in this small tiki shack selling souvenirs, I remember picking up and wishing I could build a home there. Off in the tree line, just off to the side so all I had to do is walk to the beach." Connor explained pointing out the location only to realize that there was a home there. With natural brown walls and modern geometric design, with a raised porch that entered the living room through giant sliding windows that let in the salted breeze of the ocean. Seeing the structure Connor balked at it's beauty, “that was never there before."

“Yes it was, you just never needed it till now." The quartermaster corrected as she leaned back on her arm to watch as Banavi exited the house with a glass water bottle, wearing jogging shorts and nothing else, but he was different, he was taller an average, a lean rabbit Mincridarn. He leaned on the railing and just took a moment to feel the breeze roll through his fur. “What's Banavi doing here?" Connor asked looking back at the Quartermaster.

“The soulscape reflects your life, it grows and changes with the major events the define who you are as a being. So the meaning is clear if you think about it, your heart finally feels like it can settle down, and live your greatest life with your mate." The Quartermaster brushed off as she watched with Connor as Banavi left the bottle on the porch and jogged down the steps and along the shoreline. He waved to Connor as he passed, “Dinner is at six." He ordered with fleeting words and Connor nodded with a smile waving back, “Of Course sir."

“Why is he tall?" Connor questioned quietly to keep the words between themselves.

“It's probably because of the brand, your souls are connected in a simple way. You're seeing his ideal self, the part of his soul that is bound to you. You know, the bond you share goes both ways, you can feel his emotions just as much as he can feel yours, you just have to open yourself up to it." The Quartermaster continued watching Banavi run away, “Nice ass, it's so small and solid."

“Eyes off, he's my mate." Connor chastised making the quartermaster roll her eyes.

“I can admire, in this tiny expression of my true self, I'm part mortal I feel the same emotions and 'tensions' as you do." She emphasized with a sweep of her fingers spreading up between her legs.

“How do I feel his emotions?" Connor asked as he picked up the coconut.

“Don't drink that, not unless you want to commit existential suicide." The Quartermaster corrected as she forced Connor to put the cup down on the side table between them. “What is it?"

The Quartermaster took a weary breath, “You know how infants have umbilical cords that feed nutrients to the offspring?"

“Yeah." Connor nodded as he watched the universe get rotated in the Quartermaster's hand.

“Well, in this form Imagine myself as a child, and this is the nutrients from my real body that sustain me, and the connection we share. Without this, our connection would break and you'd most likely die." The Quartermaster explained before sipping on the drink, though the idea left Connor confused for different reasons.

“You told me that I died and that you broke me back by birthing me… and that I can die, but I might not.. I'm just a little confused how our connection really works?" Connor questioned as his mind became frayed as he tried to contemplate it all.

“Connor you did die that day on the pier, you drowned after falling unconscious. However, I needed a vessel because of all this soul sword business here on Earth so I chose you. I took you into my body and tied your soul back into your body with part of mine. I'm the rope that keeps your soul from passing on and being judged by the gray god. So, you died and, in a way, I rebirthed you and gave you a new life." The Quartermaster explained and Connor nodded in understanding, before turning to face her.

“Are you some kind of god?" Connor asked but the Quartermaster only shook her head, “I can see why you'd think that but no, I'm not a god, I'm just one of the few true Immortals in existence."

“True Immortal?"

“I'm not a god, but I was born of their blood. I'm immortal because they allow me to be, the fates don't touch me and they allow me to live my life as I please. There is no cost, no downside just endless life." The Quartermaster explained as she put down her coconut.

“I understand what your talking about but what I don't understand is how the fates play into it." Connor asked as he rubbed the back of his head, pulling down his hair to correct the messy hairstyle.

“The fates govern the path all beings take in their life, from start to end. They make sure that nothing interferes or causes a drastic change that would alter the nature of the universe, such as immortality. Though the fates normally can't directly interfere in a mortal's life, prevent them from taking the steps to achieve immortality in this case; they can be torturous monsters. They will grant you your immortality but at a cost equivalent to the destruction you create by resisting your true path. They will rob you of your greatest desires or what make the benefits of immortality useless. You can become immortal to study the universe an all that it contains but the fates will make it so that you go mad from the knowledge. One might become immortal to escape death, so they will give you a living underworld where you will be tortured till the day you give it all up. That's the difference between a true immortal and other immortals, I have no consequences, I am essentially a mortal with no life span."

Connor nodded in understanding, “Yeah, ok, that makes sense." His own words making him smile, “It's crazy, I never thought that this would have ever been possible."

“Most mortals I choose react much the same way." The Quartermaster waved off as she flipped the book back over.

“Hey… Sorry about cutting in once again, but I am still curious about what you said earlier… How can I feel what Banavi feels?" Connor asked and the Quartermaster glanced at him.

“It's not a thing I recommend doing, but if you want to do it, you have to find the place in your soul that you both share, or reflects the other half. Sometimes it can be something as simple as a phone, or a room in a house." The Quartermaster distinctly finished before glancing at the new addition to the soul scape, before going back to her book. “Yeah… Ok… one last thing."

“I told you before Connor I'm not helping you leave your own soul scape, you're going to have to learn how to do that yourself eventually." The Quartermaster finished, waving Connor off with a finger, after picking up her drink again.

“Well can you at least tell me how?" Connor sighed, begging softly, and the quartermaster threw her head back as she groaned in annoyance. “I was just trying to read my book… Fine, if you want to leave you have to find what tethers you to the real world, it can be a thought, an object or a place. You just need to find it and you'll go back to reality."

“Any-."

“Connor so help me, if you don't leave, I will give a spanking so hard you'll wish you were dead. Go and leave me alone, I came here to relax and enjoy my book. This is your soul scape figure. it. out." The Quartermaster interjected fiercely, daring Connor to say so much as another word with a dangerous sideways stare that stabbed at his chest like a blade running through him.

“Yes Ma'am." Connor sighed before rolling off the chair and looking around wondering where to start, until he settled on the home, it might have been new but at least it was somewhere.

The stained wood steps softly creaked under his feet, the banister baked in the sun and was warm to the touch and was a smooth as satin; it was almost a sensual experience all on it's own. The Wooden deck was decorated with bent black metal furniture, tan canvas lounge chair, glass top tables reinforced with baked metal, a stone kitchen and marble fire pit. The Glass bottle still sat on the railing facing the ocean and dripped with a chilled sweat, it was filled with an ice tea, mixed with mint and lemon. Connor left the bottle with a fleeting touch before moving into the living room, the sand magically left at the door as he stepped on auburn floors, the red stained wood blended in with the furniture that had more of an organic modern art nature to it, with clean lines and beveled corners. Connor wasn't fond of white, it stained to easily but it countered the dark reds and blended with the black metal accents like the stools by the kitchens bar, and the knickknacks that dotted the surfaces.

The pale seafoam blue walls were dotted with pictures, moments, real memories with Banavi. The moment they first met, the afterglow they shared after mating, and simple sweet moments of just living. There were even pictures of Dagia, and Lilen mixed in with everything, the Tribunal, Ravinith…His family, Aron. The pictures almost didn't feel real but when he looked into them his memories played out like a movie, that made their appearances impossible to dispute.

Connor walked through the kitchen dragging his fingers over the black granite counters and white wood cabinets, spotless and cleanly organized. The only thing out of place being a cookbook, the page marked by a simple bookmark. A Greek pasta salad with an herbal dressing, it was probably what Banavi wanted for dinner, maybe a message or a wish left behind through the bond they shared. Connor noted the page number, he had the cookbook at home; and he might as well try it; no reason why he shouldn't. Walking through the hallway that led down to the rest of the house, Connor peaked behind doors one by one to see what they contained.

The Bathroom just across from the kitchen was a deeper shade of blue, with white heavenly tones, and pictures of the sea and lakes, memories of Hawaii. The greens in the pictures blended in with the potted plants that decorated the surfaces. One surface they didn't touch however was the changing table big enough to fit a full-grown adult. The baby blue cloth diapers were left exposed, and one was left out on top, ready to be used, but more than that there was a pacifier on top, and a green onesie beneath. Connor couldn't help but wonder if this was a subconscious message to himself, or if Banavi was subtly twisting his own fantasies into his soulscape. Connor couldn't stop himself from picking up the crinkling plastic backed padding and smelling the fresh cotton smell, still warm, just recently dried.

The onesie beneath was another dirty joke from Banavi, “Deflower me", a printed piece with a flower that was leaking white liquid out of the center. Connor chuckled at the joke, a clear message from Banavi, he had to be horny, they hadn't had decent sex in a while, and he was probably horny. Staking everything back up, Connor left to go continue his walk through a shared fantasy.

The next room down the hall was a Laundry room, surprisingly accurate for a fantasy, that had nothing to ornate or fancy, but it was a nice room with a granite folding table and thick auburn shelves lined with his favorite cleaning products and scents. On the other side of the Laundry room was a two car garage, one half of the garage turned into a in house gym the other side was clean, but some kind of vehicle was shrouded by a dusted sheet, the only unclean thing in the entire house. From the shape and size of the cloaked vehicle it was probably some kind of car, it seemed too small to be an SUV or van which was Connor's preferred choice; space, comfort, and versatility were always more important than looks to him. Sweeping the sheet off the car Connor was met with something he had never seen before.

He was right, it was a car, but a luxury one, clean black lines smooth round edges for an aerodynamic flow from grill to tail. However, that was it, other than the tires which were thin, made for city streets, there was nothing inside the car or the engine compartment, it was a shell of what it should be, an incomplete idea. But it wasn't his, Connor had never designed a car in his life, weapons, tools maybe for his online roleplaying, but never a luxury car; out of everything in the house this was the one thing that had to have been Banavi's. Flipping the tarp back over the car, Connor left the strange idea alone, and went back to the hallway.

Down the hallway, was the front door, sitting in an down step cove made of cemented stone, with shoe shelves of auburn wood, plants decorated the area and gave it a secondary life as the flowers that bloomed were distinctly floral, sweet and soft smelling. Though as Connor looked at the door in front of him there was a pull forward in his gut, something that tugged him forward, making him wonder if his mind was being that redundant, was reality just beyond the door? It was the best bet, however his attention was dragged down the hall to his right, to what had to be the bedrooms.

He could always leave when he wanted to, but it felt wrong to leave the house unexplored. So Connor walked down the hall instead, the windows facing the front yard were nothing but bright white voids that filled the hall with stained light, each one looking like a distinct modern piece, with solid geometric quadrilaterals. Though the panes were mostly voids of white, gray panels were mixed in to offset the colors, and break up the patterns of white rectangles and squares. The fact that there was only a white void beyond the glass only proved Connor's first idea, that the front door was also the primary exit.

Turning towards the first door on the right, Connor found a locked door, the handle didn't budge, or rather it wiggled but never unlatched. As much as Connor wanted to know what was on the other side he already had an idea, it was probably the direct bond he shared with Banavi. What ever was beyond the Door led to Banavi's soul, or to their connection. This point was only proven as Banavi's black brand appeared briefly on the surface of the gray door. Connor was just about to leave when the lock on the door clicked, just as the brand disappeared. The door handle creaked, pulled down on it's own, and the door opened partially to expose an unkempt office.

Papers were stacked roughly in piles on what looked like a workbench, books and magical tomes were open and expose, magical tools were used as bookmarks. Connor pushed open the door and felt no resistance, and looked around the well lit office and felt an oppressive isolation, an overwhelming pressure and anxiety, the heavy emotions sat in his lungs and stifled his breath. Though the office had hidden sense of beauty, with how it was laid out and organized it was stifled behind the unkempt nature of the paperwork, files, books, and tools laid out everywhere. Makeshift, broken ideas were left out on shelves collecting dust, and trapped behind a desk, a transparent expression of Banavi's true self just looked defeated, his head slumped on his keyboard. If it wasn't for the heavy emotions Connor felt Banavi would have almost looked funny, but Connor could feel how completely overwhelmed and stressed he was, and it hurt.

Connor crept closer to the illusion and looked at the computer screen, filled with cascading letters and pages and pages of exhaustion. He reached out, and his hands glided through Banavi's body. Kneeling down, Connor cocked his head to the side so their eyes met, “I love you Banavi," Connor whispered, before reaching out to stroke his head, but instead of just letting his hand slide through he let it hover over Banavi's fur and pet him as if he could touch him. He just wanted to let Banavi feel something, to let him know that he was there with him. Connor had never seen this side of Banavi, and it was depressing, he just wanted to do something to try and help, but for as much as he tried nothing seemed to work.

He knew their connection allowed them to share feelings, but maybe he was doing it the wrong way… was there a right way? Connor shook his head, he had to try and do something, so he got up and looked at the paperwork around him, the mess around the office and smiled. He could touch it, feel it, that meant he could manage it, so he did what a slave did best and tidied up. If the office represented Banavi's mind helping him organize everything seemed like the best way to make him feel less overwhelmed, and as Connor worked, he spoke to Banavi as if he could hear. Telling him about his training, what he was feeling, and sweet perverted nothings to tease and play.

The hardest part of organizing was trying to figure a filing system, all the documents that seemed stacked around the office seemed to have a purpose on them, those such things were hidden. Papers were redacted, written in Enos and Dragon Dialect, even english. Mathematical formulas, engineering schematics, it was all a mess, nothing seemed to belong where it was supposed to… at least from what he could understand, but he still tried and hopefully that would be enough.

Time probably meant nothing in the void, but after what felt like hours of cleaning and organizing Banavi's presence started to change. He still looked stressed and tired, but he at least had enough energy to lift his head and look around at the office, he looked confused but smiled as he rubbed his head. Connor felt a soft throb in his head, Banavi had headache, it was strange feeling his pain, it felt like his own but like a ghost of real sensation. He couldn't tell it wasn't his but only if he concentrated on it, which in this case only seemed to aggravate it.

Banavi looked at his computer, and rubbed his eyes, his stress quickly returns but this time Connor could feel a subtle difference. He was having a writer's block; Connor could feel that Banavi need to write something, create something, he just couldn't figure out what. The problem was Connor didn't know enough, the best thing he could do was take down one of the newly dusted trinkets from the shelf and lay it on the desk between Banavi and the keyboard.

When Banavi's arm brushed along the surface of the item his body physically collided with it, it moved, and Banavi must have felt it too because he looked at it in confusion and picked it up in bewilderment. He closed his eyes in pain and breathed heavily as he leaned on his desk, before opening them to examine the item in his hand with a more scholarly attention. Connor waited like a dog by the desk, squatting and watching with enthusiasm because he wanted to see what would happen, it was like a puzzle trying to figure out how to interact with him, and he just loved playing, hoping his little antics would do something worth while to ease Banavi's mood.

After another long heavy breath Banavi started typing into his computer, examining the device every now and then as he worked. Feeling accomplished Connor left, thankful to see Banavi working again, but just before he left he was cut short, “Thanks Connor… I know you're there." Banavi called out with a hollow echo of his real voice. “But you shouldn't be in here," His verdant eyes met Connor's he wasn't mad, he smiled weakly but there was a subtle disappointment mixed in.

“I was just trying to help."

“I know." Banavi answered back, and Connor blinked in shock, he hadn't expected a response, “You can hear me?"

“I can now, but Connor, this is my soul, please don't go distorting it. Rearranging anything in here, even if it looks innocuous, is dangers. Much of this place is made of my memories, or how you interpret them. If you damaged anything in here, removed or misplaced it, I could very well forget the idea entirely. That's why I locked the door, I didn't feel you were ready to share my emotions, and because you don't understand the rules of interacting in a soulscape. But were going to be mates, and I branded you, I put myself into this position, if you want to explore, I won't stop you… I have no right. We can talk about this later, ok?"

“Ok… Sorry, you just looked upset sir." Connor apologized and Banavi smiled and nodded. “I was, still am little, but I'm at work now. I need to go, can you set out some Motrin before I get home?"

“Of course, Love you Banavi."

“Love you too Connor." Banavi finished before he retracted back into reality and went back to work, Connor soon shutting the door to the office, thankful that it seemed to partially work out. But he looked down the hall and at the rest of the house he had yet explored, two more rooms… But he didn't have the energy or the heart to finish, all the cleaning and the oppressive emotions left him feeling drained and it was about time to leave.

Looking at the front door and taking a breath Connor dared to open the door and greet life.

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Connor woke up to the murky water of the tent, the dancing lights blinded him, though dulled, he was still required to rub the strain from his eyes before sitting up and dragging his body out of the tent and sleeping bag; something he remembered he didn't pack. Preforming a downward dog in the soft sand he stretched his limbs and took a deep breath, before spitting up the sand that burned his nose. Cleaning his chin, Connor looked around for Lilen.

“You shouldn't eat the sand Connor." Lilen's voice echoed from behind, glancing over his shoulder to find Lilen sitting at the clay table working on papers, and computer. “It's not like I meant too sir," Connor disputed before getting to his feet, stretching his arms above his head as he walked back to the table. “I passed out again didn't I?"

Lilen glanced up at Connor, “It's to be expected; How are you feeling?"

“Fine sir." Connor answered, before sitting down and leaning on the table.

“I got you something to eat." Lilen continued, dragging a brown paper bag out from underneath the table before pushing it forward, “It's a little cold." Lilen added before going back to his computer.

Connor dug into the bag shaking his head, “I don't mind, thank you sir." He accepted unwrapping the burger before digging in with a large bite, chewing barely he swallowed, “How long was I out?"

“Six hours, I extended the distortion to compensate, it's about twelve-forty in the mortal realm. So, you're free to leave when your done eating. But if you want to continue training and finish up the lesson, we can do that… your choice." Lilen nudged, subtly pushing for more training, trying to act inconspicuous as he worked. Connor exhaled through his nose, “I have to be back home by three."

“Connor time is relative here, we can stay as long as you wish, and you'll still get back home in time." Lilen pushed, and Connor nodded, “I know sir," he stressed as he ate a fry. “I'm just saying you might need to alter time more, because I don't want to be late. I want time to set up a little event for Banavi before he gets home."

Lilen's smile burned, his anxiety softened, “Trying to polish Banavi's blade with a little bit of spit?" Lilen joked with a crude thumb in cheek gesture. Connor just rolled his eyes, “That's between me and Banavi, sir."

“Of course, promise to tell me about it on Thursday?" Lilen asked and Connor nodded, “Great, make it exotic, I love hearing wild stories."

“It might not be that crazy, Banavi's been a little stressed lately, I think he just needs some time to relax." Connor countered and Lilen nodded, but got up from the table, “I think I know a little magic that might help, do you want to try a small alchemy lesson? Before we get back to training?"

“Alchemy?" Connor questioned, watching Lilen walk away to pick up some of the residual supplies tucked away behind the tent.

“It's nothing fancy, it's more like just some practice." Lilen assured, as he brought over a mortar and pestle and a small handful of ingredients. Strange multi-colored mushrooms, and a pair of purple and pink leaves. “IF you think Banavi needs to relax this will help, these ingredients make an excellent massaging oil; I learned this from Hyderia, two Mylural petals, and a green, blue and purple cave-cap mushroom, we'll go over what the ingredients do during the actual lesson, but just cut and crush these." Lilen directed and Connor clapped his hands clean before taking the ingredients and adding them to the mortar and pestle, collecting the water from the air he formed liquid knives that diced everything. Crushing everything into a fine paste, checking with Lilen to make sure he was doing everything right, he eventually handed everything over and Lilen spun a ball of water into the mix to clean the bowl and dissolve the paste, even the largest particles spun away until the water had turned into a murky yellow oil, as he spoke a quiet spell to himself.

Summoning a nearby glass flask from the pile of tools, he drained the oil and capped the flask with a cork before handing it over. “Here, use this, but before you use it, shake it hard, and I mean hard. It should glow green when it's ready to use. It might take about thirty seconds to a minute, but after you shake it, the oil will only work for an hour. If you have any left over, you can save it and shake it whenever you want to use it again." Lilen explained and Connor nodded looking at the liquid and watching it slosh around before putting it down on the table.

“But what does it actually do?" Connor asked just trying to be careful.

“It's a massage oil, but it changes to suit who ever it's being applied to, scents, sensations. Whenever I used it on Hyderia it would smell like flowers, and wet wood, whenever she used it on me, it smells and feels like an ocean breeze." Lilen explained and Connor nodded, before going back to his meal.

“How much of it should I use?" Connor questioned and Lilen waved his hand.

“As much as you want, it's not a medicinal salve, and I know fur tends to absorb the liquid, but you should try and apply this with magic, so it doesn't seep into the fur, just the skin. After your done using it you should probably just take a shower to rinse it off… But if things change, I've learned it's an excellent replacement for 'polishing' oils." Lilen quietly added with a penetrating gesture.

Connor rolled his eyes, “Of course, I'll keep that in mind."

“I can show you how it works if you want." Lilen offered with a flirtatious smirk.

“I'm going to save myself for Banavi, just in case." Connor turned down and Lilen smiled, “Of course, 'just in case'." He air quoted, his gesture only making Connor roll his eyes, and let the conversation die there until he was finished eating. Where soon after they picked back up with their training.

“Alright, for the most part, you've got the orb down, it tends to have a uniform shape and density." Lilen complimented as he got into a combat stance, something Connor mimicked. “Summon the orb." Lilen commanded rolling his wrist to summon his transparent sphere, Connor rolled a blanket of water around his hand, it felt heavy, like a boxing glove which was probably why using a veil of water was so advantageous.

“Alright, now this is important, keep your hand closed at all times. I've seen young mages try this spell and break their fingers because they couldn't control the forward projection. Some have even lost their fingers. Now have you ever seen what an explosive looks like, how it travels through the air and across the ground? Through water?" Lilen asked and Connor nodded.

“Good, that'll help. This spell is essentially a directed explosive force. So when you imagine attacking with it think about how you want it to move, the spreading wave of force not the initial explosion…. Or else you might just lose your hand." Lilen mumbled towards the end, making it nearly impossible to hear what he said, but Connor ignored the curiosity that begged him to ask and instead took a breath and steadied himself.

Lilen looked Connor up and down, “Good… Good, your stance is perfect, now remember. Don't ever fully extend your arm when your punching, just a good rule to remember; but in this case it's very, very important that you never lock your elbow. Because the blast is going to have a recoil that spreads up your arm, if you lock your elbow, you're going to break it.." Connor nodded in understanding, as Lilen slowly demonstrated the motion. “Finally, you're still a learning mage so don't feel ashamed to say the spell; once you get better at it you can lose the verbal command." Lilen assured before taking a step back.

“Qivas…" Lilen pat, a nervous assurance on Connor's back.

Connor didn't dismiss Lilen's fear, he knew the consequences of bad casting, and the dangers of magic; it's ability to wound and maim wasn't disputable, it was just a fact. So he took a breath and steadied himself, before pulling back his arm for a punch, his target was just straight a head, “Qivas!" Connor commanded as he threw his arm forward, punching the air, he felt the shockwave ripple up his arm, as it ejected from the opposite end in a linear blast across the water. The ice pillar cracked under the strain but didn't shatter, it's unstable chunk collapsing into the water with a dense sploosh."

Connor's heart raced from restrained excitement and he breathed to contain his energy, after all snipers didn't jump in glee when they hit a target. They stayed low, quiet and out sight. “How's your arm?" Lilen asked as Connor rubbed the funny feeling from his skin.

“It's fine, I think my explosion is a little unstable, I think it partially went up my arm." Connor admitted and Lilen nodded with a beaming smile before stepping forward to cup Connor's shoulder and rub it vigorously, proud. “That was an amazing first try, better than most mages I've seen. You really do have a talent for magic." His praise made Connor blush and smile, “Thank you sir."

“Do you think you can go again?" Lilen asked, and Connor nodded, “Yes sir."

“Then get back into position and try to shatter the Column." Lilen waved forward, Connor obeyed and lined up his second shot, before throwing the second punch, “Qivas!"

The Command detonated forward and struck the column, it cracked, and it did break, but as an afterthought, it broke under the strain not his impact. Lilen breathed a soft disappointment but still smiled, “It's alright," He pat, “It's your second time, just try to break all the targets," his fatherly assurance felt familiar, and in a way it hurt because it reminded him of his dad, of the days they were down at the gun range together hanging out, shooting targets and training together. Just talking and enjoying the smell of gun powder and the roaring gunshots.

“Qivas!" Connor cried out again, but this time the detonation was different, it was wide, spread to quickly, the power dissipating down to nothing more than a heavy puff by the time it reached the next column. “Sorry." Connor apologized, almost expecting a lecture, but Lilen put a soft hand on his shoulder.

“Connor, it's ok, is something wrong?"

“I just… you remind me of my dad Lilen." Connor breathed, his voice quiet as he shrugged in defeat there was no point in lying. “I would feel insulted if I hadn't heard what you thought of him." Lilen assured as he came into view summoning a small stool of ice to sit on. “Do you want to talk about it?"

Connor sighed and just broke his stance, “This… this is just kind of what me and my dad did. We'd shoot targets together and talk… Just the two of us, and I was happy. It's how we vented stress, I'd talk about Karen's that were horrible customers, or about funny things that happened on shift while I was still working at the restaurant… He'd tell me war stories about him and his squad, two hundred and thirty second… stupid things they did at camp, weird things that happened on watch… Never sign up to be a security guard, it's an 'outstanding' job." Connor joked with a heavy breath that ruined his smile. “I miss him." Connor finished, putting down his fists and just letting the water drain off his hand.

“You know Connor… I'd love to learn how to use a rifle." Lilen added and Connor looked at Lilen to see if he was serious. “You want me to train you?"

“Well, a Master who doesn't learn from his students learns nothing. If you ever want to meet up at the gun range, or maybe do some training out at the gun range here… You could teach me some things, we could talk about magic, and stuff. Maybe we could do it after training you know as a way to relax talk, about things that could change or if you had any problems with the lessons." Lilen offered as he got up to hold Connor's shoulders and comfort him with a smile.

“I don't have the money to pay for it." Connor admitted, and Lilen nodded, before tapping his thumbs on Connor's shoulders, “I'll pay for it, it's my lessons, you're my trainer; it's the least I can do."

“Ok… if you're going to cover it… sure, I guess." Connor breathed and Lilen leaned down and put a soft kiss on his head. “I can't wait to hear about your life at the cavern."

“I'm not allowed to talk about clients… sorry Lilen." Connor countered, and Lilen smiled, nodding, “Alright, well we can always talk about something else."

“Magic is fine Lilen, or maybe we could talk about Ecorein… I'd love to know more about your world."

Lilen exhaled, “Great… I'll have to open up my geography books again." He laughed, before taking a breath and nodding, “Yeah that sounds fun Connor… Do you think you can still continue with your training?"

Connor rubbed his sore heart, “Yeah, I feel a little bit better now, sir."

Lilen stepped back and gestured forward, “Then don't let me stop you, just take a deep breath and relax, and focus." He instructed before sitting down on the stool to watch.

Connor turned his attention back to the targets, and inhaled, before pushing another punch forward, “Qivas!" He called out, and he smiled under the strain of the detonation, because for a moment, it felt like he was at home again… or that he had found his home again.

An hour, maybe two passed before all the targets were destroyed, not because they were being reformed but because the spell in consecutive bursts was exhausting, he'd have to sit down after every fifteen minutes or so to recover, meditate with Lilen before continuing his training. When he finally finished it was like a breath of fresh air, and he finally felt relieved that the entire lesson was over. Lilen scooped him up in a hug when it was completed and coddled him like a small cub till Connor struggled enough to wriggle himself free from the shark's fatherly praise. Though Lilen did drag Connor back to his lap, so they could sit and just watch the sea for a moment and relax.

“You really did a great job today Connor." Lilen complimented as he spanked Connor's inner thigh making him jump under the painful strike, that made the shark smile, “But… as much as I'd love to keep you here, I really should get you home. It's almost three." Lilen breathed before pushing Connor up off his lap, and then kicking his butt to make Connor jump to his feet.

“So we'll meet Thursday?" Connor asked rubbing his tail bone, Lilen nodded brushing the sand off his ass before going back to the clay table to pick up the massage oil, “Were going to start breaking up physical and magical training, so you don't stagnate. A little before lessons and during lessons, you know to break up the different parts, and then once it's all over we'll go to the gun range for a bit. Shoot a couple of clips, talk, then you get to go home. Alright?" Lilen explained before offering Connor the oil.

The mere mention of going to the gun range was a subtle relief that made Connor smile and nod, “Sounds good sir. I can't wait."

Lilen nodded, before gesturing Connor towards the doorway, “After you."