5 min read
The Poisonous Touch - Part 2
June 16, 2017
It was that night of the week, the night that Calista and Reuben had their "Weekly Whine" as Reuben called it. Calista would come over and the two would get drunk on the couch while she whined and complained about her life, her work, or whatever else it was that bothered her. Ryder considered it to be her therapy sessions with Reuben. Reuben didn't disagree.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
There it was, the infamous three knock from aunt Cali. Ryder, at this point, would typically be frantically trying to lock himself in his room as to avoid the entire night, at least until Calista barged in drunk off her ass trying to make conversation with the poor boy; but this time was different.
Ryder knew that Calista, in her free time, was a real life witch that studied illusion magic. She had powers from birth and was the only other person that Ryder knew — and was comfortable with — that had innate magic. Just over a month prior, she had taught him how to use some alteration magic and had told him that she would be here for him if he had any questions, so it didn’t hurt to discuss this issue with her, right?
As Calista entered the home and declared her presence, a bottle of red wine in her arms, Ryder floated to the center of the living room. Reuben was in the kitchen opening the first bottle, but before she could even make her way in there, Ryder called, "Hey, aunt Cali?"
Calista smiled and walked over to Ryder, setting her own bottle of wine on the coffee table before standing in front of the frei and picking lint off of his jacket. "Hey kid," she began with a smile, only to have her face fall into slight annoyance with each piece of lint picked off. "I don't get why you insist on wearing such heavy clothing in the summer. It's just too much."
With a quick breath, Ryder ignored her comment. "I have a question for you."
"Shoot."
"Can you help me with my magic?"
Calista's face lit up with excitement. "I thought you'd never ask after our last lesson! What's up, kid?"
"My skin...you know how it's poisonous or whatever, right?" he said, folding his own hands together in front of him.
Calista nodded, her expression turning concerned as she stopped picking at the lint and stepped back to give the frei some space. She understood how much it troubled him after what had happened during their first meeting as well as what happened with Reuben.
"Well, someone I met thought I may be able to actually change the potency of its effect. But...I just don't know how. She said to will it to happen. But it didn't work."
A smile began to grow on Calista’s face. "Well, magic is just a mix of will, intent, and a ton of practice. She's probably on the right track, though."
"So...what can I do? Do you have any advice?" the frei asked curiously.
Calista’s eyes narrowed and she pondered a moment before speaking, "Well, you said it didn’t work when you tried lessening its power, did you try making it more powerful?"
Ryder's face scrunched. Why on earth would he want to make his skin more poisonous?
Seeing the raevan's reaction, Calista simply chuckled. "If you figure out how to make it stronger, like you were saying — by willing it to happen — you'll know what it feels like when the power increases. Once you know that, you can work on dialing it back. You’ll be able to recognize how it feels at its normal level compared to when it’s enhanced, and from there, you might find a way to control or reduce its effects."
That somewhat made sense. If he could power it up, maybe it would enable him to turn it down. "Thanks aunt Cali! I'll try that," Ryder said with a determined face, turning around to float off towards his room.
Calista smiled, “Oh, also, always remember that your emotions are linked to magic. Magic in any form requires calmness and a clear mind. Without that, it could get very messy. I would suggest meditating first to clear your head, I always do and it has helped my magic immensely”
“Emotions are linked to magic, got it. Thanks again!” Ryder said excitedly, turning back to his aunt with a bright smile. With a quick nod, the mushroom frei floated back into his room, shut the door, and focused on his aunt’s advice — meditating first, then practicing.
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
There it was, the infamous three knock from aunt Cali. Ryder, at this point, would typically be frantically trying to lock himself in his room as to avoid the entire night, at least until Calista barged in drunk off her ass trying to make conversation with the poor boy; but this time was different.
Ryder knew that Calista, in her free time, was a real life witch that studied illusion magic. She had powers from birth and was the only other person that Ryder knew — and was comfortable with — that had innate magic. Just over a month prior, she had taught him how to use some alteration magic and had told him that she would be here for him if he had any questions, so it didn’t hurt to discuss this issue with her, right?
As Calista entered the home and declared her presence, a bottle of red wine in her arms, Ryder floated to the center of the living room. Reuben was in the kitchen opening the first bottle, but before she could even make her way in there, Ryder called, "Hey, aunt Cali?"
Calista smiled and walked over to Ryder, setting her own bottle of wine on the coffee table before standing in front of the frei and picking lint off of his jacket. "Hey kid," she began with a smile, only to have her face fall into slight annoyance with each piece of lint picked off. "I don't get why you insist on wearing such heavy clothing in the summer. It's just too much."
With a quick breath, Ryder ignored her comment. "I have a question for you."
"Shoot."
"Can you help me with my magic?"
Calista's face lit up with excitement. "I thought you'd never ask after our last lesson! What's up, kid?"
"My skin...you know how it's poisonous or whatever, right?" he said, folding his own hands together in front of him.
Calista nodded, her expression turning concerned as she stopped picking at the lint and stepped back to give the frei some space. She understood how much it troubled him after what had happened during their first meeting as well as what happened with Reuben.
"Well, someone I met thought I may be able to actually change the potency of its effect. But...I just don't know how. She said to will it to happen. But it didn't work."
A smile began to grow on Calista’s face. "Well, magic is just a mix of will, intent, and a ton of practice. She's probably on the right track, though."
"So...what can I do? Do you have any advice?" the frei asked curiously.
Calista’s eyes narrowed and she pondered a moment before speaking, "Well, you said it didn’t work when you tried lessening its power, did you try making it more powerful?"
Ryder's face scrunched. Why on earth would he want to make his skin more poisonous?
Seeing the raevan's reaction, Calista simply chuckled. "If you figure out how to make it stronger, like you were saying — by willing it to happen — you'll know what it feels like when the power increases. Once you know that, you can work on dialing it back. You’ll be able to recognize how it feels at its normal level compared to when it’s enhanced, and from there, you might find a way to control or reduce its effects."
That somewhat made sense. If he could power it up, maybe it would enable him to turn it down. "Thanks aunt Cali! I'll try that," Ryder said with a determined face, turning around to float off towards his room.
Calista smiled, “Oh, also, always remember that your emotions are linked to magic. Magic in any form requires calmness and a clear mind. Without that, it could get very messy. I would suggest meditating first to clear your head, I always do and it has helped my magic immensely”
“Emotions are linked to magic, got it. Thanks again!” Ryder said excitedly, turning back to his aunt with a bright smile. With a quick nod, the mushroom frei floated back into his room, shut the door, and focused on his aunt’s advice — meditating first, then practicing.