Half-Baked? (Jaren)

[Sunny]

Jaryd

Smart. Very smart. Jaryd tapped his lips thoughtfully as he stared at his student. Regardless of whether the soldier had a true Talent for Warding (the Altaran had to stop his mind from spinning wildly at the things that could be accomplished if Jaren did), his observations and questions were refreshingly direct.

“Although I can ...and have,” he added, “created Wards that cause pain, a normal Ward is less about discomfort and more about simply...repelling...the thing in question on an existential level. Have you ever tried to mix oil and water? They don’t like each other; the oil eventually floats to the top and can be skimmed off, no matter how hard you shake them up. That is the kind of disconnect a Ward creates between the space within the flows and the things that you want to be protected from. Of course, if the target is intelligent and aware of the Ward, it can choose to push past it. For this reason they are useful against physical intrusion or Shadowspawn, but not entirely fail safe.”

He paused, considering Jaren’s next question. “The answer is yes,” he said slowly, his reluctance apparent in his speech. “It is possible to invert a Ward to attract a target. In considering this question, it is important to understand the moral quandary present in influencing another creature's decision making." The Asha’man looked down at his hands, searching for words.

"When you create a Ward, you are preventing your target from entering (or observing) a certain area. That target still has the freedom to go anywhere else it pleases and thus overall autonomy and choice are maintained. With inverted weaves, however-” The Red drew a fist-sized circle in the dirt, and channeled, gossamer strands of Spirit, Air, and Earth forming over the spot. It was the Ward against insects that he had shown earlier, but the knots were odd, mirrored in a way that made the eye hurt to look at. “Watch the flies,” Jaryd said, nodding to the bugs that buzzed about them.

When he tied off the flows, every insect within five spans stopped abruptly and turned to fly toward the Ward he had created. Moments later a dense knot of crawling, buzzing insects had grown against the dirt. “They have no choice but to go to that spot,” Jaryd said, his voice soft. “It is not quite Compulsion as recorded in the annals of the war with the Shadow; the more intelligent and aware your target, the less effective the Ward will be, after all. However it is extremely unethical to exert such total control over anything at all.”

He released the flows and let the insects fly away, but his eyes remained distant. “Just because we have the capability to do a thing does not mean we should use it,” he said finally. “Does that answer your question?”

[Elan]

Jaren

The explanation about oil and water made sense, though Jaren was still curious about what exactly it was like in practice. Discomfort and pain were easy to understand, but some ephemeral non-feeling telling you to avoid an area for no good reason? Though he could understand and accept it on an intellectual level, it was more difficult to imagine. He was half tempted to ask Jaryd to Ward an area against humans — or just him in specific, if that was possible — so that he could see what it felt like.

…Perhaps not now, though. He wanted to appear interested, not like a complete weirdo.

Jaryd’s answer to the next question — or rather the serious tone of it — caught Jaren off guard. He hadn’t even considered the implications of what he was asking; it had merely been a matter of academic interest. Nor had it ever crossed his mind that a Ward of attraction might restrict the target’s freedom more than a repellent Ward, though of course he could see the truth of Jaryd’s words. He didn’t regret asking, precisely; it had been a logical enough question… but he did regret the sudden sobering of the mood.

“Yes, sir,” he said, nodding slowly. “I understand.”

[Sunny]

Jaryd

The silence after Jaren’s affirmative was heavier than Jaryd had intended. After several breaths of feeling the sun on his face between the leaves of the tree they rested beneath, the Asha’man flicked a coin in the air, grinning as it thumped back into his palm. “Enough of that,” he said. “For all bad, there is good. I’ll show you another of the more common Wards. This one can be made a number of different ways.”

He put the coin on the ground in front of him, then channeled once more. This time his flows were Spirit only; first the basic dome of a Ward, and then another layer of knots. “This is a Ward against intrusion,” he said. “On its own it does absolutely nothing to the person who breaks it.” He reached through the weave and touched the coin; as he did, a chime sounded in the air. “It does, however, make noise if triggered...and the more Spirit you put into it, the louder the alarm. It’s useful to scare would be intruders off, or to alert you to whether someone is prying in your abode while you are away.”

The Red added another thin flow of Spirit, and looked at the result. “With this variation, the only one who will hear your warning is….you. So long as you are within a certain range, you will know immediately if someone enters a space you have Warded.” He paused, giving the soldier a sideways glance. “This Ward is infinitely useful in ascertaining privacy,” he commented in a sly tone. “I should hate to hear of it being…misused.” He didn't bother hiding his smile as he gestured for the Andoran to give it a try.

OOC: Things MoS Jaryd will regret teaching Learning Ranks: How to make sure they never get in trouble for late night shenanigans.

Also, you've more than hit the req for 2 points in Wards. I'm game to keep going as long as you like (and in whatever direction you like, it doesn't have to stay lesson-y XD), but figured I'd let you know.

[Elan]

Jaren

The change of topic was a relief, though Jaren was not about to forget anything Jaryd had said, or the way he’d said it. Jaren didn’t consider himself a bad person — if not a flawless one, either — but some of the implications of his question, fairly obvious ones even, had simply never crossed his mind and he felt like there was a lesson there that he’d do well to remember.

However, remembering something and learning from it didn’t have to mean getting stuck on it for the rest of the day. He smiled again as he leaned forward slightly to watch as Jaryd demonstrated the new Ward. This one was again more complex than the previous ones for all that it used only Spirit. At least Spirit was fairly easy to work with.

And, well. Yes. He could definitely see how such Wards might come in handy… Especially the second variation. He idly wondered if Johan would consent to being taught to dance within the Tower grounds if Jaren could assure him that they’d be warned of any intruders. Then he blinked and mentally shook himself; that was probably not the kind of thing he was meant to be considering. But it would make life a lot simpler—

“I should hate to hear of it being… misused,” Jaryd finished.

Jaren looked up from the Ward, meeting the Asha’man’s eyes with a disarming smile. “Misused, sir?” he said, laughter in his voice, blue eyes twinkling. “I was going to say I wouldn’t dream of it, but in all honesty, I probably will. Dream of it, that is.” Then he shook his head slightly and muttered, “Though if I thought I could Ward my roommate out of our room, I confess I’d be sorely tempted.”

He seized saidin again and wove the dome of Spirit that was the base of the Ward, then began to place the knots the way Jaryd had shown. It was a Ward that made sense, he found as he worked; there was a symmetry to the construction and the way everything fit together was… corny as it sounded, he could only describe it as beautiful. When it was done, he poked through the Ward. The chime was louder than he’d intended, making him wince a little.

“How do you come up with new Wards?” he asked, looking up at Jaryd again. “I don’t mean in general this time. Or, well, that too I guess. But I was curious since you said you’ve developed Wards of your own. How do you… Do you just think of something you need a Ward for and then find a way to make it happen?” He hesitated a bit before the last part. “Have you ever… failed?” That might be crossing a line, but then, Jaryd didn’t have to answer.

[Sunny]

Jaryd

Much to Jaryd’s satisfaction, the formality of master and student melted, if only for a moment. His eyes danced in response to the Andoran’s laughter. When Jaren mentioned his roommate the Red almost opened his mouth...almost showed the younger man how to make the Ward with such a whisper-thin thread of saidin that it would be difficult for even a fully trained Asha’man to see it. It would be worth the potential for trouble to see the man smile again... Light, no! The Red closed his eyes and common sense reasserted itself.

The soldier had a good grasp of the basic weave now, and it showed in the assurance with which he began to channel. Jaryd watched quietly, head tilted slightly to the side and a small smile teasing at the corners of his lips. His student had an expression on his face -fascination or joy, perhaps- as he channeled that struck a chord deep within the Red. The perfect symmetry of the Ward Jaren created clearly reflected whatever had been going through his mind, and Jaryd did not hold back on his wide smile of approval.

He started to respond to Jaren’s questions, but found the answers did not come as easily as he had expected. Or rather...the answer that came to mind would not be remotely useful. “Sometimes it just … happens,” he said finally. “A need will arise for a particular kind of Ward and the flows practically weave themselves. I realize that’s not very helpful,” he added with a chuckle. “Other times I have to work it out logically, and that can take months of experimentation to perfect, and years of practice to find true comfort using.”

The last question was the hardest, because he had failed in so many different ways over the years, yet did not want to cast another pall on the pleasant afternoon. “I…” He let his weight rest against the tree root behind him as he contemplated what to say. Finally he looked up and met Jaren’s eyes. “Yes, I have failed,” he said. “Sometimes drastically. However, not all mistakes are cataclysmic. That coin I shocked you with earlier was technically a failure; when I discovered that weave I was supposed to make something that exploded. Instead, I made an Asha’man’s hair stand on end for a week. He was not best pleased, let me tell you, but I think the look suited him."

Jaryd winked, then stretched lazily as he looked up at the sun. “Light, we’ve been here for hours,” he said, surprised despite himself. “Is there anything else I can share with you before we adjourn for the day? My door is always open, too.”

[Elan]

Jaren

What Jaryd said about some Wards just happening did make sense. It sounded similar to what Jaren had learnt about Wilders; people who started channelling on their own didn’t consciously try to make things happen, their channelling was based on raw need or desire. Why couldn’t that still happen to one who knew what they were doing?

The story about a failed Ward was light-hearted an entertaining, as it was meant to be, and Jaren had to chuckle at the mental image it evoked. He was glad that was the route Jaryd had decided to take; though he didn’t shy away from serious topics, and it would have been his own fault for asking, he enjoyed the relaxed mood too much to want to spoil it again.

Especially since he suddenly realised how late the afternoon was getting when Jaryd looked up at the sky. He tried to recall when he’d last heard the bell ring, or where he was supposed to be next — or more likely, already — but he couldn’t bring himself to regret the time spent here. He smiled at Jaryd. “I can always think of more questions, sir, but I’ve already taken up enough of your time for today,” he said lightly. “Thank you for— everything.”

[subtitle]- Fin -[/subtitle]