Learning to dance with the Rain(Complete)

[Era]

[Continued from: Alluring Illusions (Frosted Flame)]

It was like a soft musical static, beating across the world. The rain calmly hummed its existence, and all draw silent to listen: that was part of the magic of the rain.

The girl closed her frost blue eyes and drew in a breath of cool, damp air. It was a comforting moment where she found herself unwinding, despite the mess that had gone on in the bar only moments ago.

She saw the rain as both a rival, and a friend. It followed her everywhere, finding a way to slow her down, or distract her. On the other hand, it was so very beautiful. Today, it sure did put a halt to her priorities - like finding someone with an operable Gummi Ship to take her and Vapor to another world. In all reality, she just wanted to come to a point where she could continue her search for Rook.

With her eyes closed, Era envisioned the vibrant redhead hugging her before being pulled away by the Dark Twelve, and a sting of worry and sadness bit her heart. Oh how she missed him. With her face tilted slightly upward to enjoy the calm downpour, a gentle breeze softly kissed her olive cheeks. With another lung of wet, fresh-smelling air, she whispered:

"I'll find you soon."

[Vapor]

The rain bouncing off his face was a refreshing feeling after the experience in the bar just earlier. Vapor looked to the sky as he walked over to where Era was standing.

He was unsure as to what they were going to do now. There's a good chance Hero won't have the money to fix his ship, and even if he did then it would probably be quite some time before it's in full working condition. However, there was always a chance they could find someone else with a working Gummi Ship to lend, or even just provide a taxi service to somewhere. To be honest, right now he was just happy that something was happening and he wasn't stuck wandering aimlessly around Radiant Garden looking for something of any vague interest to cure his boredom.

Vapor looked back to where he was going, and it was good he did. He was only a few steps from walking into Era, which wouldn't have been very good. He manoeuvred himself next her, and returned his gaze to the sky. "Soo.."

[Era]

Frost blue eyes popped open at the sound of someone approaching, her head turning simultaneously in Vapor's direction. It wasn't long before a smirk had comfortably found its way back onto Era's face. Despite the torrential storm of worry, frustration, and perhaps even anger that lapped unrelentingly at her insides, she still found a way to keep the Darkness at bay, and focus on the Light - and perhaps that was the same thing that drew her to Rook in the first place - the fact that she could see his Light.

Another blink, and the dainty female shrugged, sticking her arm out from under the small overhang outside the bar, and letting the rain tap across her gloves, soothing the bare skin of her fingers. "I'm not sure. I doubt anyone would be flying a Ship in this weather." Her gaze shifted from her covered arm back to Vapor. "I know! Let's find a way to pass the time until the storm lets up!" Contentment resounded in her chipper voice, but the happiness was squelched shortly thereafter by the beast of curiosity. Her eyes stared at Vapor - a pure innocence somehow still able to stare deeply into him - perhaps uncomfortably so. Who ever knew curiosity could run so deep? "What do you do when it rains?"

[Vapor]

"When it rains.. Hmm.." He thought about Era's question for a moment or two, and came to the conclusion that he didn't really do much whether it was raining or not. Vapor just enjoyed wandering the streets of Radiant Garden more in the rain. There was one small thing that popped into his mind though; "I guess.." He put his hand out in front of him, with his palm facing towards the sky. Slowly, the rainwater began to gather in the palm of his hand, and eventually formed a nice sphere, around ten centimetres in diameter, floating about an inch away from his skin. "..This." He finished, as he started manipulating the water into different shapes.

"How about you?" Vapor asked as he turned his head to face Era, dispersing the water from his palm whilst doing so. He figured she'd do something at least a slight bit more interesting than him, seeing as the storms followed her wherever she went, or maybe she had an idea already and was waiting to see what he does before sharing it.

[Era]

"Wow!" Her grin grew from ear to ear as she watched Vapor manipulate the liquid into different shapes, frosty-blue eyes sparkling with childlike fascination. The Water morphed into several different things: a rabbit, a flower, a Gummi Ship -- her interest steadily grew with each.

Then, just like that, he let the Gummi Ship collapse, letting it melt away as nothing more than old runoff. Her gaze turned from the spot where the image had drained off back to Vapor, intrigue still bubbling over. "How do you do that?" Perhaps he was a Magician? Her eyes searched his hands for some reagent, but they found no evidence.

[Vapor]

A quick glance at Era's face proved Vapor's suspicions: she was amazed by his ability to control water. He could hear it in her voice too. She was truly fascinated and rather curious about it, asking "How do you do that?" It was the first time anyone had taken and real interest in his powers or asked how he does it, as far as he could remember, but Vapor sort of took it in his stride and answered with a pretty vague answer "I'm not sure.." He started, still thinking of a decent way to explain, "I've been able to do it for as long as I can remember.

"It just sorta.. happens." Vapor raised his hand out into the rain once again, bringing together more rainwater in the palm of his hand. Another sphere formed from it. This time, however, he threw the sphere into the air and let it disperse in mid air, causing it to disappear into the rain as if it had never been touched. Vapor turned to Era, still unsatisfied with his bad explanation but unsure what he could add to it. He opened his mouth to say something and his unanswered question from before passed his mind, but Vapor chose to continue to current subject of conversation by asking "Good enough explanation for you?"

[Era]

Enamored eyes focused on the orb of water, watching it draw upward, defying gravity as the reflected light shimmered from its surface. It didn't take long for it to break apart, camouflaging into the rest of the rain as it fell to the ground below.

Era's frost blue gaze shifted back to the origin of these magic tricks, listening to his explanation. She shook her head. It just didn't quite click. It wasn't long before a new spark lit in her mind: the idea fired up her expression as a whole. "Do you think you could teach me?" Era wasn't quite sure she had what it took, but anything was worth a shot... even if it turned out to a be a flop. At least then, at the end of the day, she could hold her head high and say she tried.

[Vapor]

((Holy poot, almost a month. Sorry~))[/b]


"Teach her..?" The thought flew through Vapor's mind and he answered before he'd even thought about whether or not he was actually capable of teaching Era. "Sure, I'll try."

After he had time to realize he'd just accepted to teach Era how to control water, he began thinking of a way to actually teach her. He figured starting with the very basics would make sense. He pulled out one of daggers, and handed it to Era. "This should help you to start with." He started explaining "The blue crystal amplifies your control over water."

Vapor held out his hand and formed a perfect sphere of water floating a couple centimetres above his palm, just as he'd done before. "Start by trying this. Just focus on bringing the water to your hand. It should be easier as there is a lot of rainwater around, instead of having to pull it out of the air.." He explained, "Don't expect much to begin with, though."

[Era]

The girl carefully took the blade Vapor had so generously offered her, eyes lingering on the Crystal that was only a few shades darker than her eyes. She admired the shine of the glimmering gem for a moment, then decided to give the weapon a few controlled slashes. The empty slices cut through the air, pointed away from the Water Wielding Teacher she'd just acquired.

"Start by trying this. Just focus on bringing the water to your hand. It should be easier as there is a lot of rainwater around, instead of having to pull it out of the air.."

As Era focussed on the falling rain, her eyebrows scrunched up, concentration playing its part in her learning process. With one hand tightly clenching Vapor's Dagger, she held up her other, close to the gem, as though the gem's proximity to her open, training hand had some sort of affect on the outcome... And perhaps it did.

A few droplets of water faltered, slowing down in place and shuddering before exploding, their remnants dropping to the pavement below.

She poised her hand, and tried again, and again... but she could hardly make her hands do what Vapor had so effortlessly accomplished less than a minute ago. With a grunt of dissatisfaction toward her shortcoming, her eyes drifted back to Vapor. "Is there anything I should be thinking about?" She didn't know for sure, but maybe it was kind of like Martial Arts, and channeled focus was the key? Perhaps she just didn't have a knack for it... Or maybe it was something else entirely. Something she wasn't thinking about.

All Era knew was that she remained unimpressed with the measly fruits of her efforts.

[Vapor]

Vapor watched Era hold our her hand before attempting to imitate his previous example. He saw the droplets of rain slow to a stop, just above her hand, before exploding into tiny showers of water before falling to the ground.

After a couple more attempts, Era turned to Vapor, asking for advice on what thoughts she should be having. He looked to the grey, cloudy sky, not flinching at the rain falling on his face, and starting thinking back to his own training his mother had given him all those years ago. Maybe she'd told him something that had just become second nature now. It took him a few minutes, but Vapor eventually faced Era and answered "Try strong memories.They can be of anything you want." At least, that's what his mother had told him. He wasn't quite sure if it mattered or not, but it's worth a shot.

"It's mostly just practice. It's taken me years to get to where I am now. But you'll get there eventually." He said, while waiting for Era to try again with the newest piece of advice he gave her. He wasn't sure if she'd manage it or not, but maybe a strong memory is all she needs to keep the water suspended..

[Era]

She listened intently, taking Vapor's instruction to mind.

"Strong memories, huh?" Taking in a new breath of focus, her eyes closed, and she honed in on her mind's eye.

Several things unveiled there in the span of a few seconds:

The crawling insecurity of the Third District. Bright lights made for deep shadows... An uneasy stillness. Sudden stirring in the darkness. "What's the matter Era, too coward to challenge me by yourself?

The rise of the Black Dragon.

Blackness.

Nightmare.

Powerlessness.


"Rook...."


Adrenaline.

"Rook.. Rook, you've gotta fight through this! I'll fight for you, I promise. But only if you fight for me!"

Fear.

A looming threat: Golden eyes. White hair. Separation.

"You..."

"...Will not..."

"...Take her!"

A n g e r

.

In the moment those frost blue eyes opened, they were frigid, filled with a deep-seeded, determined fury and highly contrary to anything Vapor would've seen in her before.

The rain was suddenly falling more furiously, wailing onto the ground in sheets of sleet-like slurry. The orb she was trying to create between her palms had compressed, and shortly thereafter, it violently exploded, awakening the girl to the present time.

Era blinked, having profusely soaked her instructor, if it could be measured in the weather. The cold sleet around them had scratched at her face, luckily still soft enough not to leave any permanent damage.

When her gaze returned to her azure-haired teacher, her eyes were gentle. The young female couldn't help but scratch the back of her head. "I guess that one was a little too strong," it was all just a guess, because Era still wasn't positive about how all of this worked, but the assumption was her best attempt at a well-deduced guess.

[Vapor]

The concentration the showed on Era's face was great. Vapor watched her as she focused in on her memories as he just instructed. He wondered how much of a difference it would make to her ability, just thinking of a strong memory. Also, what sort of memory would she think of? Vapor had no clue, but was eager to see the outcome.

Suddenly, Era's eyes opened. But what Vapor saw appeared to be a different person. The anger and fury Vapor could see on her face was unlike Era's usual self. He quickly realised his focus shouldn't be on her face though, and turned his attention to the orb she had formed in the palm of her hands, and not a moment too soon. The orb compressed. "Oh, shi-" He was cut off by the sudden explosion of the compressed water, but Vapor had managed to shield his face with his arm just in time.

After removing his arm from his view, Vapor looked at Era, who seemed somewhat shocked, but back to her normal self. The look in her eyes had returned to the same calm and gentle look Vapor was used to seeing. "I guess that one was a little too strong." Vapor just looked at her for a second. "Actually, that was perfect." He said, "You just need to learn how to keep it under control a bit more, and you'll be fine." He wasn't quite sure just how she was going to accomplish this, but he'd do what he could to help her.

[Era]

The rain was letting up now, coming down gentler as Era exhaled. She may not have been doing all that well with it, but perhaps, with time, she could master this element, too. Her mind had contemplated several things over the course of the past few seconds; how she should probably apologize to Vapor for soaking him, and the concept of hydromancy by way of strong memories. While she'd never really thought of linking the two before, and it sounded quite ludicrous, it seemed to work the first time. She just had to hone the failing talent she'd so loosely grasped a few seconds ago.

If they had to be strong memories, that didn't necessarily mean they had to be bad, right?

And what about the ones that grew fonder with time?

She still had so much curiosity going on on the inside. Her brain was like a big bucket of pasta, over, under and through with so many different concepts swirling around each other all at once.

There was one thing Era was certain of: to be any sort of accurate with this practice, she had a long ways to go yet. Her acquaintance's kind words had helped a little, but there was still a lot of practicing yet to do!

She tried again, taking in a breath as she focused on another memory; in this one, she had merely reflected on being alone; the streets of Traverse Town, the bright lights of its quiet little shops flickering overhead. And a kind owner of his own flower kiosk. That kind gesture had made her day; she could still remember the Fire Lily that he gave her to cheer her up. The simple gesture had made her day.

And, as she tried again to compress the softening rain, it had seemed, ever-so-uneasily, to wobbly comply. Another small, shaky sphere of water shook under her novice command, and she made an attempt to toss it. It seemed to go a few feet before anticlimactically falling to the ground in a splash.

A few shafts of sunlight pierced the grey clouds somewhere far away. At this distance, all that could be seen was the soft white reflective glow, coating Radiant Garden with a peaceful dull glow. "Aww..." her frost blue eyes shifted up toward the sky. The rain had dissipated into little more than a mist -- the storm, her new training ground, was passing.

Her focus returned to Vapor. "Well, what do you want to do now?"

[Vapor]

Era’s attempts at learning to control water brought back memories of when Vapor was just starting to learn, back on his home planet. From when he first manipulated water into a sphere, just as shaky and uneven as the ones Era was making now. To when he first tried tossing one through the air, which ended in exactly the same way Era’s did: a disappointing splash a few feet forward.

His nostalgic moment didn't last long, as Era asked about what to do next. Looking around, he noticed that the sky was bright and the storm had ceased. The sun was beginning to shine down through the gaps in the clouds, creating a lovely looking glow. He began an answer without knowing what he was actually going to say. ”Well..” Vapor noticed that she still had a hold of his dagger, and he pointed to it, finishing his sentence. ”I’d like that back.”

Aside from that, Vapor couldn't really think of anything. Except returning to their original plan of hunting for a way to travel to another world, which would likely end up being a gummi ship. Seeing as there was nothing that came to mind, and they were unable to continue Era’s training due to the lack of a storm, Vapor decided that was a good a thing as any. ”Why don’t we search some more?”

[Era]

"Good idea," the assured response was sent rather quickly back to Vapor, an acknowledgement of their new direction.

Era's eyes traced the dagger in her firm grip, gaze staring for a short second on the cyan orb above the hand guard. Just looking at the little gem seemed to strike a chord deep within her; it was like the gem and its mystical water-amplifying powers had somehow quietly resonated with her soul. It was fascinating. Vapor was very lucky to have this weapon.

She smiled with satisfaction, using a quick flip of the wrist to spin the dagger around. Her fingers carefully gripped the blade and she presented Vapor with its hilt. "Does it have a name?" after a safe transaction, Era took another chipper breath, eyes wandering around the town. Inwardly she had already set her sights on a direction (even if the exact route had yet to be determined), and it was time to look for a Gummi Ship.

And, just like that, the young female began to scamper away, assuming Vapor would follow, and respond to her question. She may not have been sure of her direction, but she knew that eventually, she'd be able to find her way to the ship yard.

And who knew? Maybe they could sneak aboard someone's vessel? And if that plan fell through, well, perhaps someone might be willing to them a lift in exchange for a little help, or munny?

Well, it's worth a shot. She thought, whimsically adventuring, at an easy pace, to her next destination.