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Training (Feos)
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Post by Feos on Apr 3, 2016 13:24:59 GMT -5
Jones nodded in agreement, a faint smile showing up in his face, before nodding goodbye and vanishing from the roof top, in a manner similar but not quite identical to the one Jax had used upon his arrival. At least, this made two of them.
The following three days, Jax was asked to visit the infirmary once a day. There, the nurse took just a drop of the boy's blood, preserving it in a small vial. These drops were needed for Jones to acquire a copy of the power. On the fourth day, Jones appeared once more on the roof top. He was wearing a brown sweater and black jeans, and he wasn't in a very good shape. His sandy hair was a bit messy, his face was very pale, and there were dark circles underneath his eyes as if he hadn't slept for days.
Furthermore, the pupils of his eyes had been diluted, his cheeks were thinner and more gaunt, and his hands were shaking just a bit from time to time. Upon arriving, he coughed a few times, covering his mouth with his hand, and it was obvious that the entire process was taking a toll on him. His weary eyes scanned the roof top quickly, to see if Jax had already arrived.
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Post by Amethyst Rain on Apr 3, 2016 13:51:43 GMT -5
The past four days had been hell for Jax, waiting to meet Jones again. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so excited for a class--there'd been a reason he'd dropped out of regular high school in the first place, after all, and it wasn't entirely because of his classmates. Though school was something that came naturally to him, it rarely interested him enough to take an interest or put in the work, but this was different. He'd popped up to the roof almost half an hour before their agreed upon time, waiting. As usual, he snacked--not chocolate this time, but candy corn, just for variety. Sometimes it seemed hard to believe such a skinny guy ate sweets so regularly.
When Jones appeared Jax realized that however much he'll he'd been in waiting for today to arrive, the professor had been in worse. The guy looked close to death, exhausted beyond belief, and Jax couldn't help but wonder if he was even up for a lesson. "Damn," he commented when he caught sight of Jones, one dark eyebrow raised. "You aren't gonna die on me, are you?"
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Post by Feos on Apr 3, 2016 13:57:51 GMT -5
Upon hearing that remark, Jones couldn't but chuckle weakly and shake his head. "Most likely no. Now, be very careful with your words for a bit, Jax. I don't have a lamp of my own yet, and while I'm not tapping into the power, it's still a bit...unstable." he explained, another burst of coughing stopping him.
Slowly, he walked closer, his body shifting a bit from side to side and his knees feeling weak. Acquiring a new power was always a very dangerous and painful process, even more so considering how intense and potent Jax's full power was. Jones had been trying to keep a balance on a razor, or so had those last three days felt.
"It's time, Jax. I'll need to make a wish, to wish for a lamp attuned to my power. This will help greatly in reigning it in and exploring it in a better, safer way." Jones said, his voice a bit hoarse because of his condition, his eyes on the student's. A part of him was wondering if Jax had changed his mind during those three days, but he did his best to not show any concerns in his expression.
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Post by Amethyst Rain on Apr 3, 2016 14:09:32 GMT -5
He'd done it before, he could do it again. Jax didn't hesitate this time, figuring that the ripping-off-the-Band-Aid approach was better, and pulled his pendant over his head and held it put to Jones. All the while he thought, choosing his words carefully. He knew phrasing something the wrong way could set the professor off, and it felt strange to be on the other side of the magic. Good, but strange. He knew exactly what Jones felt, the feeling that the magic could go off any second and anything could happen, and he wasn't used to it. Nobody had ever felt that but him, at least as far as he knew.
"Be careful, 'cause you'll have one shot," he told him in reference to the wish. "If it goes wrong the first time I don't know what I can do about it."
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Post by Feos on Apr 3, 2016 14:14:42 GMT -5
Jones reached out with a lightly shaking hand and took the pendant, nodding in agreement. His expression was serious and focused, very much aware of the gravity of the situation. Upon making contact with it, he felt a burst of power flowing into him for a moment, and understood it was his connection with Jax's power. A part of him recorded that sensation for later, thinking it could serve as a clue for further understanding of Jax's mysterious abilities.
After thinking of his wording carefully, he nodded. "I want you to create and give me a pendant that serves and functions like the one I'm holding now, but is attuned to the power I acquired from you." Jones finally spoke, his tone clear and even, and he could feel his tension emanating from every pore in his body, for it would be the first time witnessing a more complete demonstration of Jax's true power.
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Post by Amethyst Rain on Apr 3, 2016 14:35:27 GMT -5
The instant Jones touched the pendant a shudder ran through Jax, a sensation he expected every time but that still surprised him. Though the stronger part of his power was always there, just out of reach, it seemed to double in strength, a feeling that was somehow both painful and wonderful. He hands began to tremble as Jones spoke the words and the power in him spiked. The candy disappeared and Jax wiped his palms on his jeans, taking in a sharp, unsteady breath at the rising pain. This was how it was if he hesitated--if he even considered resisting, it grew so agonizing so quickly, a feeling he couldn't quite put into words, that he had no choice but to let the magic go. He didn't try to resist any further this time. Smoke seemed to appear from nowhere, almost invisible at first until it picked up around his feet. Snow-white like always, odorless, but in some strange way stronger than what was produced when Jax popped in and out of places. From seemingly nowhere a pendant identical to Jax's appeared, dropping into his hand. As soon as it did the tension seemed to leave him and he sighed, eyes closed and breathing heavily. "I think that did it," he said, trying hide the slight unsteadiness in his voice.
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Post by Feos on Apr 3, 2016 14:44:40 GMT -5
Jones watched as the smoke seemed to form and rise, and could feel the pulsating, powerful energy that Jax was emanating. He could feel it, powerful magic at play, with Jax creating something he probably couldn't even understand, its structure and how it worked, simply because the lamp holder wished for it. And then, he spotted the pendant and nodded.
"Good work. Have this back, Jax. Be careful with wishes and words around me for a bit now." Jones said simply, and in an absolute display of his honest intentions, of him being devoid of any wish to exploit Jax, he simply handed Jax's lamp back, as if it wasn't an artifact that held incredible wish-granting power. Then, he closed his eyes and focused, tapping into Jax's power that he had acquired. Immediately, he felt the pull from the lamp Jax was holding, the one that responded to Jonse's power.
"It worked." he confirmed and distanced himself from the power, to cease the lamp's pull before holding a now empty hand out, to be given his own lamp. "You did very well, Jax." he praised his student once more, and even smiled faintly.
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Post by Amethyst Rain on Apr 3, 2016 15:09:33 GMT -5
Jax just nodded in response, still catching his breath. Working magic like that wasn't easy, and though it was perfectly within his abilities it was exhausting. He knew it wouldn't take more than fifteen or twenty minutes to recover, but at the moment he felt as if he'd just run a marathon. He passed Jones the conjured pendant before taking his own back and slipping it over his head. A part of him was still amazed that Jones had no desire to make any more wishes. He knew there were few people in the world who would give up that, and he doubted the professor had any idea how much Jax was in awe of it Jax was.
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Post by Feos on Apr 4, 2016 14:50:17 GMT -5
Jones was a very peculiar individual, because of his background. And while he appeared rather normal in most aspects, only very few could suspect the man's background. Created in a lab, a premium result who had successfully manifested the power the commissioner had requested: power copying. From that point on, Jones had been raised in very controlled, and rather well planned circumstances, and it had been imprinted into him that his destiny, goal and path in life would be to serve the purpose he had been created for.
Thus, even if he appeared normal, Jones had suppressed most of the desires that had been trying to come to the surface as he was growing up, instead focusing in his designated mission. There was nothing for him outside of Foresta, and nothing that he wished for other than to constantly learn, understand and improve powers and all kinds of knowledge. Thus, why the allure of Jax's pendant was little.
Upon taking his own, he weighted it a bit in his palm, and then put it on, hanging it around his neck and tucking it under his sweater. "Rest a bit now, Jax. I believe that the first aspect of your power that we should focus on, is how you can resist when someone has your lamp. I think it's a priority, do you agree?" he asked, rubbing his chin and fixing his glasses a bit. "Normally, I'd start with technique and execution of skills, but your power seems rather straightforward in this aspect. I feel it doesn't require practice or technique from you to actually realize a wish, it simply happens, and there's other fields we need to focus on instead."
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Post by Amethyst Rain on Apr 4, 2016 15:06:04 GMT -5
"Definitely a priority," he answered, nodding. "Granting a wish doesn't take skill or anything, at least it never has before. The only thing I do is either resist it or not, and resisting it has yet to work out well for me." Every attempt he'd made in the past had gone horribly wrong, but he knew that it was the key to controlling his power. If he couldn't get rid of the whole master thing entirely, then being able to actually resist and lock out masters and wishes he didn't want was the best he could get. His heart sank as he realized what Jones's words really meant: practicing resisting. That was not going to be fun for either of them, he knew. But hopefully the end results would be worth it.
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Post by Feos on Apr 4, 2016 15:23:13 GMT -5
Jones nodded at that, and proceeded to sit down on the roof top, cross legged, motioning Jax to also sit down if he so wished. It was hardly likely that they'd be doing anything physical, and since both were weak and might get weaker, Jones thought it would be best to at least be seated.
He had picked up the change of expression at his student's face when he mentioned resistance, and he could understand the reason and thoughts behind it. "Perhaps it might be easier than you imagine." he said, rubbing his chin deep in thought. "I'm not very strong, Jax. Rarely could I prevail in something that requires physical or mental fortitude. But you see, perhaps a clever idea can spare one of immense effort. Let's start like that, shall we?" he proposed.
"What if I made two wishes with your pendant?" he suggested. "My first wish would be for some sort of unreachable space to be created. It could be a pocket very close to the core of the earth, perhaps made of diamond to not shatter under the pressure. Or, it could even be a pocket dimension of sorts. Something unreachable that we can think of. My third wish would be for your pendant to be teleported there. This way, none could ever get their hands on it, and you wouldn't have someone trying to control you. If needed, you could conjure it back to you, I believe. How does that sound, do you think that could work?" he said, trying with a simple solution at first.
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Post by Amethyst Rain on Apr 4, 2016 15:46:47 GMT -5
"I honestly have no clue," he said, shrugging. He had no idea if something like that could work--he's never even thought of it, actually, which just went to show that he needed somebody like Jones to help work around a problem like the one his powers caused. Jax was smart, yes, always had been, but in the past his problem-solving had generally involved alcohol and avoidance. "It could work," he continued, sitting down across from Jones. "It could go horribly wrong and I could be locked out of my real power forever, but it's worth a shot." His tone was completely casual, no trace of worry in it.
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Post by Feos on Apr 4, 2016 15:53:55 GMT -5
Jones nodded. "This can be an extreme solution. If you ever need it again, and you can't conjure it, I'll give you my pendant, and you will wish for me to bring it for you." he explained, covering the base of not being able to retrieve it. "Then, there's less drastic methods as well." he continued, his mind thinking of the possibilities.
"We can try this. First of all, when we train resistance against unwelcome wishes, we'll wish for small things that won't fatigue much. For example, to create a small rock. Now, what if, when someone unwelcome takes hold of your pendant, you conjure a pair of very effective ear plugs for you, making it entirely impossible to hear the person's wish? Have you tried something similar, or should we try it out?" he offered.
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Post by Amethyst Rain on Apr 4, 2016 18:55:14 GMT -5
Jax shook his head. "Tried it. It makes it worse." It had been one of the many things he'd tried, desperate attempts to block out the various masters he'd unwillingly had, and like all the others it had only made resisting harder, more painful. "So does pretty much every attempt to block it out. Music, earplugs, anything. As far as I can tell the only thing that has any effect is if they're too far away from me." That, of course, didn't make things any easier for him, it just pushed the wish off to a later date. "But by all means let's do the resisting stuff." His tone made it clear he wasn't particularly eager for the work, but determined to get the results he wanted.
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Post by Feos on Apr 6, 2016 10:07:54 GMT -5
Jones heard Jax's tone, and he found himself wondering just what had this boy gone through, to have already tried as much as he had said. He sighed a bit and then nodded. "Alright. I'll be the one doing the resisting for the time being, trying to come up with a trick or two if possible. If that's successful, we can spare us from pure resistance training, which I expect will be much tougher." Jones explained. "And perhaps not even effective." he added in his mind, but he didn't want to discourage his new student before having tried his best first.
Jones then proceeded to take out his pendant again and hand it over to Jax, his hand not even shaking. Of course, he knew he was having it easy compared to the boy, since he could stop activating the power he had acquired and thus be made immune to wish-granting. "As we said, you'll wish for me to create a small rock. Small wish, little energy required. I need to ask though, if I give you the pendant again and again, will you have three new wishes each time, or is it three wishes per person, during their entire lifetime?" Jones asked, since this would greatly determine the way they trained.
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