The Beginner [Closed/Sylvia]

Wed 01 Jan 2020, 6:14 pm

Among the many well-dressed members of the Vandereich roaming the Stadt des Lichts, there was one that broke from the mold one would expect from a Quincy. Instead of a well-tailored military uniform, the man wore a heavy black trenchcoat, his hands shoved into it’s deep pockets. Similarly colored black boots and pants clothed the rest of the man’s form, while a lit cigarette dangled from his lips.

Jonathan sighed, retrieving a map from an interior pocket of his coat and checking it for what seemed like the umpteenth time. For all of it’s sprawling majesty, the so-called “City of Light” sometimes just felt like a giant maze. He had been walking for at least an hour, and yet he was only just now approaching his goal. Of course, if he was a normal Quincy, he doubted this would be a problem. If one can break the sound barrier after all, it would probably take little time to navigate this place correctly.

Jonathan wasn’t a normal Quincy however.

The German soldier grunted as his cigarette sputtered out, flicking it absently into a nearby trash receptacle and shoving the map back into the depths of his cloak. Cyrus had sent him to learn from one of the Vandereich’s other members, perhaps presuming that he would learn quicker if the gulf between his and his teacher’s abilities wasn’t so mind-bogglingly immense. To that end, Jonathan had been handed a map and told to go find Sylvia Brauer and learn what he could.

The soldier perked up as he arrived outside the woman’s quarters, checking the nameplate besides the doorway before raising a hand and rapping on the door three times. “Sylvia Brauer? Mr. Cyrus zent me to meet vu if vu are not too puzy. Zomezing apout teaching me zee pazics?”

Thu 02 Jan 2020, 12:56 pm

Sylvia Brauer

Most enjoyed a nice, quiet day to themselves. A time to relax. A time to unwind. A time to reflect on recent events, and think about all the good that has happened. Sylvia was no exception to this rule, but...

Today was anything but quiet.

Freshly returned to the Stadt des Lichts from her postponed date, Sylvia had spent the last few hours lounging, going over reports and listening to music, both hers and bands that Vicky had recommended to her. She was enjoying it a great deal, if not the reports themselves.

However, her day in was interrupted by a slow rapping at her door, and turning down the music with an errant string of reishi, the woman rose from her bed and left the many papers she had been perusing strewn about the blankets. Lest she answer the door in naught but a t-shirt, glove and her panties; she conjured her himmlischer anzug in the form of a casual robe that reached nearly to her ankles, colored in the white and blue of the Quincy and bordered with her own gold.

She answered the door with her long hair hanging loose down her back, and a little unkempt from her time spent lying in bed.

"Ja?" Sylvia hadn't heard all of what the man had said through the door, and it took her a moment after seeing him for the first time to place where she had seen his face before. "Ah. Herr Weber!" She stepped back behind the door again, and held out a single digit to gesture.

"Einen moment bitte." With that, she closed the door again. The music was turned off almost immediately, and her papers gathered and set in a pile on the desk. A mere few minutes later, she emerged from the home again, dressed in fine business casual-style; button-front blouse, pencil skirt and leggings leading down to booties with a raised heel. Over it all was her newly remade long coat, in the Quincy's traditional white, with blue accents and gold borders.

Her hair had also been done into a braid by the time she had reappeared.

"Zorry. Zee day got avay from me." She smiled genuinely and sweetly, and closed the door behind her. It was clear she didn't intend to waste the man's time inviting him inside. "Grandmaster ast-Auramazda says vu are haffing trouble vith some zings?"

Fri 10 Jan 2020, 9:14 pm

Jonathan gave a lazy wave in greeting as the more experienced Quincy creaked open the door, looking a lot more disheveled than he expected.“Zorry Frau Prauer. I didn't mean to catch vu at ein pad time.” He apologized hurriedly, uncomfortably scratching the back of his neck. “I can come pack later if zat is petder.” He attempted, not wanting to cause an issue within the Vandereich mere days after he had first acquired his abilities.

Thankfully Sylvia seemed to take the situation in stride, quickly disappearing back into her quarters. Jonathan, not knowing what else to do, waited, unconsciously falling into a stance that was very obviously “parade-rest”. The newly born Quincy tapped his foot on the ground, examining his surroundings and listening as the faint drum of music faded.

Jonathan didn’t have to wait long, as Sylvia burst back out the door fully dressed mere minutes after she had closed the door. He smiled warmly, “Nein broblem, vu vere kind enough to agree to help me zo I am more zan villing to vait.” He said cheerfully, inclining his head to the other Quincy. “Put ja, I am haffing ein lot of trouple vith mein powers. I chust managed to get mein Reischi Manipulation dovn vell enough zo zat I could zummon mein Sbirit Veapon, und I am haffing trouple moving beyond zat. Grandmaster Cyrus zaid vu could giffe me zome pointers?” He trailed off, his eyes questioning.

Sat 11 Jan 2020, 12:52 pm

Sylvia Brauer

Sylvia took idle note of the man's way of holding himself. She had read that he was ex-military, but it was entirely different to imagine and to see for herself. It reminded her of when she'd first joined only last year, and had put on the very same air to hide her nervousness.

"We don't need to speak English," she offered in their shared tongue. Her smile relaxed some, and with that, the warmth of her inner flame reached out to help the man to do the same; without her intention to do so, actually. If he was at all receptive to the power of another, then a more relaxed and joyful attitude might go a long way for the both of them.

She was still struggling a little to remember how tied to her emotions that power was in reality.

"Of course I can." She finally answered his half-asked question, and gestured for the man to follow her. Though the walk would take a few minutes without using Hirenkyaku, she had some questions of her own to ask before any help could be given. "Most of us spend our childhoods just learning the basics, and practicing until our powers become second nature to us.

"It'd be impressive if you had already mastered them." A faint giggle accented her words.

"Could you tell me how you... think of your powers?" Curiosity hung int he air between them, but it was an important question, as well. "And, how you call to them?"

Sat 18 Jan 2020, 2:12 pm

Jonathan smiled, his expression rueful. “Yes that would be better. English is a confusing tongue.” He responded in the same language. There was something about the woman that made him relaxed in her presence, making him even more open than he was normally, especially with all the mistakes he had made in the past few minutes. A more sensitive man than Jonathan might have picked up on the fact that these emotions were being externally generated, but the newborn Quincy was just happy to meet someone that wasn’t some sort of spiritual god.

He would walk alongside Sylvia as she departed, shoving his hands in his coat pockets as they progressed down the hall. “I imagine it would be easier to do this kind of thing when you learned it from childhood, yeah. It is a little embarrassing when I apparently have the power level of a five year old though.” He said self-deprecatingly, lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head. “So….how long have you been doing this kind of thing then? You are one of the strongest Quincies I’ve met other than Mr. Cyrus.” Genuine curiosity laced his tone, his eyes questioning.

“Think of my powers? I’ve never really considered it in that way.” He said slowly, tapping a hand against the side of his leg. “Although if I had to put it to words, I guess I try to rip the Reishi from the air to get enough to solidify into my Spirit Weapon. Nothing else seems to work.”

Sun 19 Jan 2020, 1:00 pm

Sylvia Brauer

"A soldier at heart, then." Sylvia remarked on the man's personal method of using his powers. She wondered for a moment whether he had been taught that way, or if it was something he'd come up with himself, but either way wasn't truly important to the conversation, or to the training.

"I've been able to use my powers since I was a girl," she told. "I mastered the leiden hant as a teenager; killed my first Hollow shortly thereafter." She weighed her next few words carefully on her tongue, but ultimately decided against them. They weren't pertinent to the lesson. "And, I came to the Wandenreich at the end of spring, last year."

As they walked, several men and women of the Vandenreich threw glances their way, which Sylvia was finding quite enjoyable. It was nice to be... noticed.

"Making one's spiritual weapon isn't easy, the first time. You should be proud to have accomplished so much in just a few weeks." She smiled up at the new soldat, and gestured towards a smaller path that split off from the main road.

"This way, Herr Weber." As they continued, she reached out with her soul around them, and a gentle breeze blew the soothing sea air from just a short distance further. She did enjoy that smell.

"It's fine to brute force your powers at first, but if you're going to be effective at any more than killing the weakest of Hollow, you should understand that we're more than that. Like the breeze or tides, we and our powers are a part of nature, and work the best when everything is in sync with one another."

Sylvia looked up at Jonathan again, and asked, "What do you feel right now? With your senses, and your powers."

Sat 25 Jan 2020, 1:32 pm

Jonathan grinned, “Hard not to be sometimes. Despite all the crazy shit you people get up to, a lot of the skills transfer.” He explained, his eyes roving the beautiful city surrounding them. There was also the fact that such a brute force method was the only way he could manage to command the Reishi that formed the foundations of his powers, but the newborn Quincy felt that was too whiny to explain to such an experienced Quincy.

The German soldier listened carefully to Sylvia’s story, blinking as she mentioned that she had killed her fist Hollow as a mere girl. “Impressive, it really is. I have one question however, what is the Leiden Haunt? I heard a few Quincy mention it in passing but I never got a really good idea of it’s function. It’s some kind of training device correct?” The soldier asked, his expression openly questioning. Jonathan was determined to play catch up as fast as he possibly could, and the easiest method of doing so was to ask questions, no matter how stupid they made him sound.

As Jonathan turned over the possibilities of more questions in his mind, he noticed several Quincy glaring at the pair from the restaurants and stores they passed in their walk. The soldier gave them a cheery wave, pretending to not notice the hostile questioning in their looks. It was not every day that Grandmaster Cyrus imparted a fragment of his divinity onto someone however, and Jonathan would have to be blind deaf and stupid to avoid noticing this attitude.

He was still playing ignorance to his knowledge when Sylvia complimented him on his achievement. He flipped his wrist at her negligently, “Bah, it’s not that impressive. If you all could accomplish it as children it’s no small wonder I can accomplish it so fast, especially with all the help Herr Cyrus gave me. Besides, it’s not like it was a true Spirit Weapon anyhow.” The soldier finished mysteriously, then coughing as he realized he had revealed more than intended.

Jonathan was a bit surprised by Sylvia’s abrupt change in topic, listening as she explained her view on the Quincies’ powers. It wasn’t all that different from the talk Cyrus had gave him, but something about this viewpoint just….failed to register with Jonathan. It felt like their was some disconnect between how Jonathan perceived Reishi and how everyone else saw it.

The soldier focused, closing his eyes, bending every atom of his being towards perceiving the spiritual plane. Blue light flickered like a ephemeral dream, dancing just beyond Jonathan’s ability to see. He sighed, opening his eyes, “I see flashes of Reishi Frau Sylvia, but that’s about it. I just can’t seem to release myself into the Reishi flow as you can.”

Sun 26 Jan 2020, 1:11 pm

Sylvia Brauer

Sylvia hummed and gave an understanding nod towards the man's admitted handicap. He could brute force his powers, but he wasn't yet at the level that they came naturally to him; at least, not to the point he could perceive spiritual influence.

She ceased to bend the reishi around them to her will, and the winds stopped abruptly before returning to their natural level and direction. "It'll come, in time. Once you've learned to use your powers as easily as breathing, then we can talk about the leiden hant. At your current level, it might rob you of your powers entirely, if not simply kill you."

It didn't take much longer for the pair to reach their destination, and a favorite spot of Sylvia's. Here they came to a stop, atop a small cliff that overlooked the ocean. If one tried, they could see for miles without obstruction, and a trained Quincy could see even further.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed, and stepped aside for Jonathan to take his place in the middle of the small area. "Could you show me your spiritual weapon?"

Sun 26 Jan 2020, 3:38 pm

“Fair enough I suppose, you people are the experts in this sort of thing.”

The Quincy was a tad annoyed at having his question dodged so blatantly, but his expression was schooled in a lazy smile, betraying none of his inner flash of disquiet. He was aware that his words were the truth of the matter, and that one such as Sylvia likely knew far better than him about the consequences of such an action, but an emotional part of him was really getting tired of being treated like a ignorant child all of the time.

With the skill of long practice, Jonathan shoved down the childish feeling, and instead gazed out across the endless ocean vista, shading his eyes with one hand and letting loose a low whistle. “Pretty scenery around here. I can see why the Quincy decided to claim this hunk of rock, even though it’s in the middle of nowhere.” Jonathan said, kicking a rock of the edge of the cliff and watching it bounce slowly downward until it was no longer visible.

“Sure I guess. Fair warning though, it seems to be a tad…..deviant.” Jonathan warned her, before concentrating hard. Bluish light erupted around the novice Quincy, swirling around him in visible eddies and currents. The soldier gritted his teeth, gripping the Reishi in the air with an iron grip, brutalizing it and forcing it to compress and take form. The air around Jonathan noticeably heated up as the Quincy barely managed to keep the energy from destabilizing, then cooled as he finally accomplished his goal: a heavy pistol falling into his outstretched hand.

“So here it is, my Spirit Weapon. Not exactly like the fancy bows everyone else seems to have.”

Mon 27 Jan 2020, 2:07 pm

Sylvia Brauer

She watched with quiet intent as Jonathan conjured his weapon. On an unseen level, however, she was worried over the amount of effort such a simple task had required, and the sheer brutality that the man showed in how he gathered reishi.

Obviously, she was going to have her work cut out for her, if she was to even help him improve at the most basic of their skills.

"Fewer Quincy use bows nowadays." Sylvia commented on his final admission, and held her gloved hand aloft. In an instant, the reishi around them coalesced nigh effortlessly into a grand, white bow with golden accents that was longer than she was tall. In the process, she had also cannibalized his weapon to make her own. "Myself not included."

With a motion in the air alike to breathing, she relinquished her grip on the reishi again, though her himmelsbogen remained. "Do it again, please. I'll be your training partner, until you can conjure your weapon despite my efforts to prevent it."

The Beginner [Closed/Sylvia]

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