Vivienne

-Fuck- Brian said to himself and found a comfy rock to sit down on.  Stretching his arms across his chest until he felt his muscles loosen up, the big man leaned over and picked up a few rocks and flicked them one at a time over the water watching the stones skip until they finally dropped into the depths of the quarry. -Why am I doing this?-  

“You can’t rest now, Brian.” Denise offered and walked up.

“I can’t go in coach.”  Brian tried to laugh and looked at the short woman. “I feel like I have been wrung dry.”  Brian rubbed his arms, “My arms feel like rubber, this is worse than any workout I have done in a while.”

“Magic drains us all, novitiate.”  Denise raised her devilish eyebrow, “I have a feeling you are thinking of Casey and not of the lessons.”

-I really don’t want to discuss this.- Brian thought back to the short lived phone call he and Casey shared earlier in the day. “Yeah, I am.”  He confessed.

Denise sat down beside the big man, sharing the very large quarry rock. “Let’s try and take your mind off the obvious.”  She waved her hand in front of his face. “Look around you, Brian.  We are in the middle of a quiet set of pines, A light snowfall, the big maples and oaks sleeping for the winter.”  Denise pointed to the rocks and the ledge overlooking the water. “This part is an old quarry.  We dug a huge hole in the ground and took what we needed and the earth took it back after we’d stopped and created new life here.”

Brian rolled his eyes and waved his hand as well. “I don’t see what this quarry has to do with anything.”  He frowned and looked over to his teacher, “Why did you choose this place anyway?”

Patting him on the shoulder, Denise got up and walked to the woodline and picked up a basket. “Lucky for you I brought food.”  She handed Brian a big sandwich wrapped in brown wax paper. “The rest of us will be here later this evening after the sun sets.  There is an event happening tonight that I want you to witness.”

-Just get up and go home.  You can just use the weights and work this all out somehow.-  Brian opened the brown paper and saw his favorite sandwich. “How did you know I liked roast beef with hot mustard?” Brian looked up in the sky and saw the gray snow laden clouds. “Wall. Decision. Forget.”  He blinked a few times and took a bite of the sandwich.

“I see Gaia is talking to you again.”  Denise looked at the clouds and smiled. “It means something to you, not me.  I can see the runes as well, Brian.”  Denise shrugged, “I will take the time while you eat to explain why you have rubber for arms.”  Seeing her big yellow lab come sprinting over a hill in the distance, Denise waited until Dusty was circling her legs and barking playfully before saying anything.  She looked down at the lovable eyes, “You are a happy boy, did you find rabbits to play with or something?”  Denise patted the dog's wet fur coat and scratched his ears gently. “Yes you did.”  Denise let Dusty lick her face for a few seconds before pointing at the small fire. “Go get warmed up, boy.”  Dusty barked once and ran to the campfire. “As I was saying.”  Denise shook her head smiling, “I didn’t get into the specifics of magic use in the beginning, as I thought you would be excited to just use it.”  She saw Dusty lay down and keep a careful eye on the couple. “As far as I can tell, it has always been here.  We’ve just moved away from its use with the advent of technology.  There is no mystical energy or way you can see it, you just have to know it's there and find the means to channel it.”  The Darla pointed to the sky and the trees. “You have had the benefit of seeing the signals that Gaia wanted you to see.  Since you were born with the mark, this should come natural to you.”

“I’ve seen the silly things in the sky since I could remember.” Brian finally confessed to Denise. “I always thought it was my imagination just making shapes from clouds..”  Brian took another bite and pointed to a gnarled branch, “...Li..like that.  It is telling me to eat.”  He chuckled.

The Darla looked at the same branch and nodded, “So it is.”  She watched his green eyes shimmer for a moment, “I know you have seen all the odd ways that people claim to use magic.  The supposed tomes of magic and the elegant finger gestures, down to the symbols on the ground and even speaking in strange tongues.”  Denise snapped her fingers and walked over to where the campfire was burning and picked up a small bag then walked back to Brian. “As you learned today, you simply have to focus enough that you know what you want to do.”  She pulled out a small lump of clay and started molding it with her palms. “The more you use the more fuel you use.  Fuel..”  She poked at Brian’s shoulder, “..You are the fuel.”  Whistling as she kept shaping the small lump of clay, Denise continued. “If you do not eat enough while you are using your skills, it will take fat then move on from there.”

“Like Captain Jonah?”  Brian queried.

“Very good, Brian.  Yes.”  The Darla pressed her palm to the clay in her hand, sending lime green strands across the smooth putty. “He doesn’t like to eat.  It has taken all of his fat and part of his muscle, now it is working on his melanin.”  She perked an eyebrow. “You have eaten a little now, do me a favor and make a rock table for me.”  She pointed to the stone in front of her. 

“Careless use of magic, isn’t it?  Besides, I have only been making rocks come out of the ground and make little lines all day.”  Brian took the last bite and swallowed. “You have anything in that basket to drink?”

Denise frowned and handed Brian her clay ball.  Outstretching her hand and focusing on the water in the quarry, The Darla pulled a basketball sized puddle of water into the air.  The green light emanating from her palm coursed its way through the water bubble and the murky brown color disappeared and was replaced with a shimmering crystal of blue that reflected the sky.  Once more waving her hand, the water floated over to where Brian was sitting. “Drink.  Just dip your hand in like you would from a creek.”

“Telekinesis?”  Brian stuttered and did as asked, gulping down the water. “Amazing.  I have never had water this pure.”

Denise took a deep breath and let Brian get his fill before sending the remaining water back into the quarry. “Part of that was telekinesis, yes.  The rest of it was purifying it.”  She shrugged, “Simple spell really.  The earth can purify water with moss.  So asking the magic to do it is simple.”  

Brian looked in the basket and pulled out another homemade sandwich from it, “If you don’t mind?”

Denise shook her head and smiled, “Be my guest.  There is plenty out here we can hunt if we need to.”  She pointed to Dusty, “Dusty is a great hunter.  He likes it when I let him get squirrels or rabbits for me.”  Dusty barked lightly when his name was used. “Yes, boy.  I was talking about you.”  Denise giggled. “The earth will provide.”  Denise took back her small clay ball. “My table please?  An artist needs to work.”

-I really don’t want to do this right now.- Brian sighed and put down the brown paper. “Alright, a rock table.  Is there anything specific I should ask for?  I mean I am thinking of Stonehenge right now.”

Letting out a quick snort, Denise shook her head. “You are funny.  Nothing that big, Brian.  How about something where I can finish this clay doll I am making.”  She winked. “I am making something fun.  So it should have a place to work strings as well.”  Denise cackled lightly.

A shiver went down Brian’s spine, spotting the black outline once more emanating from Denise. -I really don’t like this.-  He refrained from saying anything to his teacher and stood up. “Oh wow.  You were right.  I feel like my legs have strength again.”  When Denise winked and pointed to the rock, he nodded. “Okay, right.  Focus.  Rock table, to mold clay and a place for strings.”  When Denise nodded, Brian stepped away from the big rock and looked at the ground.  Opening his palm, the rune on his hand glowed pine green and sent out dozens of weblike strands into the cracks within the rocks.  A sound like nails scraping on a chalkboard echoed across the quarry and the stone started rising.  The ground shook and chunks of ore popped and broke away, sending rapid shards of shale in all directions.  Brian kept his focus and glanced over at his mentor who’d had a shield in place making the shards bounce off an unseen wall.  When the earth started making sounds similar to bones snapping and the subsequent screeching as if the land were in pain, Brian nearly stopped. -No. It is just doing something against what it wants. Focus, shape.- Brian reassured himself and sent more webs to cocoon the granite that had been pulled from the ground.

“Impressive, Brian.  Granite is not in this quarry, you are pulling it from somewhere else.”  Denise coached. “You are doing great.”

Seeing that the height of his project was in place, Brian concentrated on shaping what he’d summoned from the ground.  The green strands pulsed and chiseled until a work table formed with a three prong fork curved above and a small bowl for water to the side.  Tilting his head to the side, Brian looked at the rough workstation. -Oak would look nice there.-  He felt the magic flow through him like a deep and smooth river, allowing him to navigate its waters on his own terms.  Wood planks appeared on the tabletop and molded itself into the rock lining up perfectly.  “Oh shit.”  Brian commented when the magical deep green cocoon faded away to reveal the visage of Casey carved into the base.

“Well.”  The Darla raised one of her eyebrows. “I think there is something on your mind that we need to honestly discuss, Brian.”  She pointed to the carving. “Focused and distracted.  If that spell was against a real vampire, you might not be here.”  The Loved one opened her bag and pulled out four more mounds of clay. “Come over here, eat your second sandwich and let’s get Casey out in the open.”

Nodding defeatedly, Brian trudged back to where he’d been sitting.  “Hang on a second.  Since I need practice...”  Summoning his magic once more, Brian opened his runed hand and used the magic to shape the boulder into more of a chair so he could sit somewhat comfortably. “There we go.”  Brian smiled to himself and started to sit down, when Denise stopped him.

“You could make it more cozy for me as well.”  She put down one of the smaller pieces of clay that she’d been stretching. “System of trades.”  Taking a deep breath and flicking her palm open, her light green rune pulsed.  Feathers seemed to come from all directions and from the upper reaches of the trees.  Denise lifted both her hands and started weaving them in circles, causing the plumage to separate into twin piles. “When you know what you want and are clear about it, Gaia responds.”  The Darla coached as she let the magic travel the length of her body. “I wanted us to have pillows.  Let’s see what we can do about a pillow case.”  The Darla pointed to the abundance of ivy twisting its way up the pines. “That will do great.”  Closing one first tightly and weaving her other hand to imitate pulling, Denise commanded the thick strands of flexible ivy to braid itself so it took the shape of the casing she wanted.  Moving as fluid as a conductor instructing an orchestra,  Denise combined all the parts as one. “There we go.  Let’s remove any pesky bugs from them and that should do it.”  Denise winked at Brian and cleansed in much the same way she’d done with the water minutes before, then set a pillow gently beside Brian.

Eyeing the pillow and raising one eyebrow, Brian contemplated how to make the section of rock more comfy for Denise since she hadn’t moved to allow him to carve it like he’d done for himself. “Loved One, trust me.”  Brian tilted his head and thought clearly about what he wanted to do.  Using what he’d practiced earlier in the morning, Brian summoned an earthen hand and scooped Denise into its palm.  Following the way his teacher used both of her hands, Brian swiveled his other hand and wrist and the magic carved out a seat much like his own.  When the chiseling and shaping stopped, The earth hand set the smaller woman back in front of her work table.  Brian nodded to himself and tossed the pillow in his seat and sank into the rock-chair.  Hearing his stomach rumble, Brian picked up the second sandwich and started eating.

Denise resumed working the small piece of putty, “Thank you.”  Denise offered and began molding fingers one at a time. “Good, but you need to be faster.”  She wet her hands and shaped a palm with a hole in the center. “Vampires are blindingly fast.  They can turn to a cloud on a whim and change shape from animal with a thought.”  She pointed to Brian’s fading glow in his palm. “I tend to have a few things that are in the forefront of my mind to have just in case.”  She put the gray-white clay hand down and half twisted to look at her student. “More of that later.”  She thumbed over her shoulder to the ‘Casey’ table. “Casey, tell me what is going on.”