Wax On, Wax Off

Arik smiled at each student who walked through the entrance of his keep. Each smile was genuine, and each smile conveyed how much he appreciated them being there, and on time nonetheless. Some of them had taken to showing up a little late at times, but at least they showed up eventually. He nodded as he watched them come in, each had their own way of coming in. Some had a cocky walk and a barely audible grunt. Those are the ones that made him laugh. Then, of course, the ones who were "bright eyed and bushy tailed", which were the ones that were the most pleasant at the "butt crack of dawn" as one of his students had pointed out, was the time that they were there. "Please please come in come in, and have something to eat. We have a long day planned and you will need your strength." He reminded cheerfully and gently.

He smiled as a group of them entered together. "Oh yes! I made tofu-bacon for you this morning." He said to one of his students. She had casually mentioned that she was a vegetarian, and he did his best to accommodate everyone. It was the silver dragon in him. Kind and benevolent, and he loved the taste of tofu anyway. He smiled as he floated a carafe of fresh orange juice onto the table. It landed gently and without a sound. The food did smell incredibly good, and it wasn't like he was going to have room for a lot of left overs. He smiled and pulled up a chair to eat with his students.

He listened to them chat with each other, it was good to see that they all seemed to get along for the most part, or at least at the table they did. Not all his students were like that. He, in the past, had two students who had to come on separate days which was a pain in his draconian butt. He filled his plate up, and thought carefully about a fork and conjured one directly next to his plate, and began to dig in. Eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, croissants, doughnuts, sausages, waffles, bagels, and even mini quiches graced his table. The strudels had been long gone. He ate contently with a smile on his face. He loved human food!

He ate rather quickly and placed his dishes in the sink. He would clean them later. "I'm going to prepare each of your lessons for today. I ask, as I always ask, that you scrape your plates before you put them in my sink." He said politely as he scurried off to prepare each of their lessons. They did individual studies first, and then practical study, lunch, and then a collective practical study. Arik thought it was very important to see the other students each others magic and learn from each others mistakes.

3am in Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center was as calm as the morgue. The most the ER typically saw this late was kids who stuck match box cars up their noses and minor car accident victims. Most of the work could be done by the nurses on duty, which left the singular doctor on call the opportunity to catch up on much needed sleep. The on call room was covered in shadow and deserted save for the single cot that Gideon rested in his. Fully dressed in his typical blue medical scrubs and white sneakers his remained wide open with a disorienting fog resting upon them. 3am, he realized looking back to his watch, he was on call for another half an hour and then he wasn't even done. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he looked around at the still room for a moment. Two months since he transferred to UCLA from UCSF medical center and he was still being given the worst times to be on call, and on top of his current scheduling issues he had to get off duty and transverse the three plus hour drive to Mt. Whitney for Arik's magic lessons. He almost laughed out loud in the darkness as he thought about it, he had to go for magic practice after working a shift over 24 hours long. The impending practice weighed heavily upon him. He felt his lungs and heart almost slow to a stop as he wished he could stop time, slow things down and finally get over 3 hours of continuous sleep, alas for now that was an impossibility.

His eyes would open and close over the course of the next twenty minutes as he struggled to return to sleep, but he was up and thinking too much already and had begun to stress himself out over the future; never mind the horde of demonic gorillas coming after him. Finally he’d realize there was no hope for returning to bed and he sat up leaning over the bed to grab his backpack to collect his belongings and make a B-line for the exit once his shift was over and the next doctor arrived to relieve him.

3:28 he had been relieved two minutes ahead of schedule and had plenty of time to make it over to the mountain that was until he heard his name reverberating off of the linoleum.

“Doctor Shaw Doctor Shaw”

He’d turn to see the nurse running after him his heart sunk and he knew he was going to be late.

“Two gun shot wound victims, multiple points of entry, it was a drive by.”

Technically he was off duty, and someone else would be there to take care of them, but it was too much for one doctor even with the help of the nurses and he couldn’t sit back and do nothing. He had a choice to make and he knew what it had to be.

“Vitals!?” He called after the nurse turning to run and follow her back to the ER.

An hour later Dr. Gideon Shaw was driving down I-405N in his Midnight Black 2006 Pontiac GTO. He was frustrated he had to get called back to the hospital just as he was about to escape and now had to somehow explain his tardiness to his new dragon mentor, but he knew Arik could be kind and compassionate he’d of done the same thing in Gideon’s position. So he thought at least. Gideon only had enough time to change the top of his scrubs to one less bloody and with the weather still cold he hoped the teleporter was still active at the base of the mountain or he’d be freezing outside.

At least for the time being he had the chance to clear his mind of all his frustrations and exhaustions. Being able to see a sunrise as you drive along the country in California was a rare opportunity for most people and he didn’t take that much for granted. He’d find a way to keep himself up and focused on the task at hand. Magical training was never an easy thing and he still was waiting to wake up from this Alice in Wonderlandesque dream of his.

Finally he’d arrived down at the spot where he often parked and walked to the teleporter he noticed a few familiar cars namely the red Dodge Caliber, which seemed to stand out. But there was no time to admire machinery right now it was freezing and he was wearing very little to be out. He moved to the teleporter quickly hoping Arik wouldn’t be aware of his tardiness and that he’d be able to sneak in and blend in with those who already arrived.

Once he made it into the warmth of Arik’s keep he was able to calm himself and warm himself away from the frigid morning air. He looked around to find the other members of his “class” enjoying their customary breakfast courtesy of their teacher. He wasn’t terribly late yet, and luckily the essentian was missing in action for the moment. Gideon wasn’t exactly as starving as some of the others were. He helped himself to simply a buttered croissant and a small quiche. Rather than breakfast this was more along the lines of the fourth meal in a 48 hour long day. He quickly looked around the table nodding at a few familiar faces. A small wave of embarrassment washed over him as he felt he was dressed rather bizarrely in his scrubs compared to most of the others who seemed to have time to get ready this morning.

Mount Whitney, CA -- Arik's Keep

Just as quickly as the warm air rushed over his body and he moved deeper within the keep he heard the enchanter’s words pass over him as well.

“Late again, Doc?”

Gideon didn’t realize what those words meant until he stopped for a moment to evaluate his own attendance record. He had his spells of tardiness over the past few weeks. Moving to a new city and a new hospital essentially reset his status toward the bottom rung just about the new medical interns when it came to on call hours. It was bound to happen a number of times, he’d be forced to put his priorities to the test and risk missing the important lessons Arik had prepared for them or risk losing the more immediate life of an innocent person caught up in life. Pushing the idea of being late out of his mind he turned back to Price as he moved around collecting his food before sitting down.

“Well someone’s got to put food on the table can’t depend on a dragon to cook all my meals.” He quickly retorted as he took his seat looking over the small selection of food he decided to have to tie him over through the lesson.

It wasn’t that Gideon didn’t care for the people he now seemed to be working with in Arik’s keep it was just that he never knew where he fit in with them coming from different backgrounds and now different domains from them. He wasn’t sure how to relate to them at all even to convey his own personal life of juggling responsibility and life.

He watched Price go up to clean his dishes giving him a moment’s quiet to taste the light flaky pastries he selected for his morning meal. Blue eyes were cast around the table, Arik was nowhere to be seen, which for the moment was a good sign.

Once Price returned asking for Shaw’s where abouts, the doctor simply assumed he was making polite conversation and would indulge the enchanter’s interest.

“There was a drive by, a girl and her brother were caught up in the middle of it. She had four wounds and he had two. When I left they were stabilized enough to go into surgery and that was it.”

He let out a deep sigh before looking back to his quiche. It was half eaten and he really didn’t have much interest in finishing it. He rose up to clean off the plate and washed it in the sink as Price did only to return to his spot a few moments later.

"You are late again, good doctor." Arik said as he poked his head around a corner with a smile. "I trust they are keeping you busy at the hospital?" He said with a good natured grin as he tossed a book back into the room he peeked out of. "Late or not though, I am glad you made it. Take your time and eat your fill, I'm going to need a few minutes to finish my preparations." He said as he hummed a tune to himself, and returned to the other room, and continued to place books at the many tables he had placed around the room. "One for you, one for you, and one for you too!" He said excitedly as he placed different books at each table. They were old ancient books about magic and proper procedure, and things that any magic user should know before they get into the "heavy stuff" as he liked to call it.

His blonde hair bounced as he bounced around the room pulling books off the shelves, placing artifacts on the tables, and rearranging said tables, as he continued to hum his tune. His red dragonscale ring caught the light as his hand danced around and he rearranged the room...again. "There is coffee in the kitchen good doctor." He called out, as he realized that he forgot to put it out at the table. "You look like you could use a cup." He finished with that room and moved onto the next.

This room was larger and it had a few "dummies" in it. That would be for later. It was his favorite part seeing how his students learned to control their powers. With the practical studies, he could walk around and help them each individually, why they could watch each other learn. He was no "certified" teacher, but he was pretty good in his own opinion.

Mount Whitney, CA -- Arik's Keep

Gideon couldn’t help but feel that sinking feeling when he heard his mentor’s words creep up from behind him around that corner. His body seemed to tense and sit up and his eyes closed as he realized his tardiness hadn’t been missed. He felt like the kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar by daddy. He offered only a roll of his eyes as Arik’s comments, a gesture only Price or the others looking ahead to him would see. Nonetheless he felt the need to explain himself.

Raising himself up from his chair he turned to see the mortal form of Arik and offered a quick and polite smile to him trying to smooth things over while calming his nerves.

“There was an emergency just before I left. Some people got caught up in gang violence and they needed another doctor there to help out. I got here as soon as I could, and even tried to save time by not changing out of my scrubs after work.”

Arik’s kind grin and words seemed to but Gideon to rest he was glad that he always had a good excuse to be late, though always justified in his mind it never was a good thing he had these emergencies. Then finally came the best idea he had heard all morning, coffee. He seemed to smile to no one in particular at the very mention of beverage as if it would restore some sense of normalcy back into his day.

Moving from his chair, the doctor would help himself to the kitchen to find a fresh pot brewing in there. Knowing the side of Arik that loved food and all of its decadent pleasures he had to imagine that this brew was something fancy and delicious, but at this point he would have drank mud if it was high in caffeine. Grabbing two mugs he found his way back to the table pushing one out across from him while sipping the warm dark beverage from his mug.

“Anyone want a mug?” He quickly offered to the table, though he seemed to strategically place it practically in front of Price giving him dibs over the others. He looked up for a moment at the enchanter, finally speaking again hoping to make the morning less tense by breaking the silence.

“How was your night?” It was simple enough, but he never knew the response he’d get from this crowd.

Mount Whitney, CA -- Arik's Keep

Not one second after releasing the piping hot mug of coffee did Gideon turn away from Price toward the entranceway of Arik’s keep. He focused on the familiar sound of the teleporter ward going off passing another student through the threshold of Arik’s keep. As fate would have it he wouldn’t be the only one to be late, which was somewhat surprising to him. Typically the other archanist newbies had been always eager and dedicated to arriving for lessons on time, of course Gideon had his own reasons to be late.

The fact that it was Tobias coming through the door was mildly surprising, as Gideon never knew him to be tardy in the few months they had been coming to Mt. Whitney.

“Looks like I’m not the only tardy one for a change.”

He quietly remarked looking to Price and the others around the table unsure if anyone else placed much stock in these morning meals before training. He’d look down the table to see Tobias take his place. It was funny watching him scramble in as only moments before he was doing the same thing hoping to avoid the scorn of the resident dragon of the mountain.

“You don’t have to worry too much Tobias . . . “ He started to say just before leaning forward to look down the table and make eye contact with the illusionist.
“Arik is in the other room preparing everything for us, you just missed the very full spread he put out for everyone before lessons begin. He probably doesn’t mind you’re a little late. He seems to be in a fairly good mood, didn’t mind me coming in after the bulk of the crew.”

He leaned back letting out a deep sigh, he was thankful for Arik’s calm demeanor he could imagine how some other dragons or essentians could react to the tardiness of a pupil so to speak. It seemed that no one was getting good sleep lately, only making the coffee Arik prepared that much more necessary for them to have around. He almost wanted to grab another mug for himself even though he was only half way done with his current one. He felt the same as the others, today was going to be a long day and he didn’t want to have to face it as exhausted as he looked.

Adjusting the top of his blue medical scrubs he leaned back in his chair turning to Tobias again, the guy was stressed slightly from being late and rushing to the mountain, and would probably be just as thankful for some coffee relief as he was.

“If you’d like Tobias, Arik left some coffee in the kitchen if you’d like to help yourself. Its good and you look like you’d do well to have some.” He smirked and laughed at himself realizing how quickly history repeats itself.

Mount Whitney, CA –Arik’s Keep

Gabrielle had been out late the night before working one of the many jobs she had managed to accumulate the short two months that she was present for classes. She wasn’t one to over sleep but today seemed to be the exception to the rule as she was still sound asleep until a bird chirping out the window woke her. That was when she realized it was daylight and looked at the alarm that was perched on the night stand next to her bed. Groaning she saw that she was late and just flopped back into the pillow throwing her arm over her forehead.

It took her a good few moments to decide to throw the blankets off of herself and climb out of bed, but she did grudgingly do it. Walking over to the closet she picked out some light colored washed looking jeans, a white beater and a light colored washed looking jacket that matched her jeans. Not bothering with her hair she threw it back into a pony tying it off with a black ribbon. She then went about preparing herself to meeting the others for the day. Not bothering with a shower once she was sure that she looked presentable she made her way out of her bedroom and to her way to Mt. Whitney.

******

Sighing as she materialized she prepared herself for the gauntlet of teasing that would come her way as she was running unusually late. This was the first morning that she was pretty sure would draw attention to herself. Looking around the dining room she didn’t see their teacher so that was a relief to her as she didn’t want to anger him this soon into things. It was difficult enough coping with the change she didn’t need to worry about disappointing someone who she respected.

Seeing that the morning meal was well on its way she took up a seat amongst the others at the table and smiled politely at those who she sat between or looked in her direction. Not saying much she spoke her greeting to them all, “Hope my late arrival hasn’t spoiled anyone’s apatite?” She didn’t want to go into what made her late as that might stir up things for the morning and she wasn’t really in the mood to endure the questioning or teasing or any combination of the two.

Mount Whitney, CA –Arik’s Keep

Seconds ticked by in minutes between Jason and Gideon. The Enchanter would peer up when the good doctor offered him a mug of hot, steaming coffee. A large grin morphing across his full lips. "Thanks, man." Thick fingers would coil securely around the handle of the mug to pull the hot liquid to him. The scent invigorating his senses and some what awakening the sleepy enchanter.

"My night wasn't too bad. Not as exciting as your night or morning." His thoughts lingering to the wet dream he had had of Daphne Fuller. For some reason his mind had wandered to her last night. Jason hadn't seen her in a year. While their one night stand had been brief it definitely had been memorable for him. A devilish grin growing on his lips at the explicit details of this morning's dream.

The familiar sound of Tobias' voice would reverberate in his mind snapping him out of his reverie. Coffee eyes would peer up to see the other man. A grin offered, "You did. You gotta get here at a decent hour when the food's hot and plentiful." Turning to Gideon, Jason would chuckle, "Seems like you weren't the only one running late." Jason's chest would erupt with laughter as the good doctor mirrored the same sentiments. "Here I thought I was the only non morning person."

Just then the teleporter would alert of another arrival, this time it would be Gabrielle. Jason watched her closely as she walked in. Something about her demeanor offered him an inkling that she wasn't in the mood to be teased. "Spoil an appetite?" His raspy voice greeted Gabrielle's ears. "Hardly, besides I already finished eating."

Jason quietly watched each of the other students interact and sipping their coffee. Each one starkly different than the other yet brought together by their powers. It slightly amused the enchanter who reached for his mug and took a few thirsty gulps.

Mount Whitney, CA –Arik’s Keep

Shaking the last bits of his recent exhaustion, Gideon attempted to summon the strength of his 3rd or 4th wind. His eyes looked to Jason as the enchanter spoke about his night. He wanted to do his best to pay attention and nod along with his colleague as he spoke. It was an odd setup being swept up in all of this. Aside from the magical powers bestowed upon them by immortal gods to fight a horde of hellish demons it was still crazy the diversity of the group they were caught up in. Gideon normally wouldn’t have anything to say to these people, he couldn’t connect to them by any means, but by fate’s roll of the dice they were united in what seemed to be one of the biggest ways for people to be brought together, destiny.

“I envy you if your night was dull.” He smirked rolling his head trying to get the stiffness out. It was true, at the hospital no news was usually the best news and Gideon quickly learned the value of having a slow night in the ER.

Before he even realized what was going on he saw the ceramic mug lift up from in front of him, he still had a splash or two left in there and was about to protest when he saw Tobias walk away. But he knew the southern gentleman was doing him a bigger favor than clearing the dishes. But little did he realize the generosity Tobias was capable of. No sooner did he disappear did Gideon notice Gabrielle one of the few others he knew in the group who had similar powers to his own.

He’d offer her a quick light wave and smile she never was one to call much attention to herself and never had the tolerance to deal with some of the louder members of their group. He assumed he’d be doing her a much bigger favor by leaving the greetings and comments to a minimum.

“You’re fine Gabrielle. Nothing began yet; I think Arik is still trying to get everything together. You know him, just enjoy yourself for a bit before the real fun begins.”

By the time he noticed a slow moving Tobias come out of the kitchen, his eyes widened. The kindhearted Illusionist seemed to want to please everyone with his or her own mug. Gideon quickly rose from the table to help lighten his load and carrying the cream/sugar and spare mug to the table for himself. He smiled at the superior demonstration of hospitality only to jest quickly.

“Don’t knock yourself out cowboy she won’t be impressed if you drop hot coffee all over yourself and floor.” He smirked taking his own mug back to his chair.

“I can drink coffee anyway, they have it all over the place in the hospital. Its complete crap so I’m use to having to tolerate it any which way, and the stuff Arik has is of course top shelf.” He said sitting back in his chair sipping coffee quietly looking on to the others with a smile. It was an odd families like dynamic of unlikely participants, most unwilling, but that’s what they had now.

Mount Whitney, CA –Arik’s Keep

Jason had quietly inspected his surroundings, it had become a habit of his. Most would even argue he was the observant one. Yet, something within his nerves tingled and the miniscule hairs on the back of his neck fell erect. A frown encasing his handsome, clean shaven face. Arik had been gone a long time and he hadn't noticed until now. Usually the Silver Dragon offered the recruits a wonderful breakfast and then their training resumed. It wasn't unlike the blonde to be delayed. Peering to his right, Jason couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He had efficiently memorized the whole layout and perimeter of Arik's Keep should something dangerous happen. Growing up in the Bronx and being on the streets had taught him to be street smart and street savvy, always know your surroundings, always. The same thing had applied for him here and the Enchanter didn't trust easily. He was mindful to keep his weaknesses to himself despite his amicable nature.

While the others jested and chatted Jason glanced around the room again. He would push his chair back, causing the chair to creak with age. Standing up, the 6'3 Enchanter would immediately turn to the frigid, authoritative voice that echoed in the kitchen. A quick pivot of his heel and he had turned in the direction of the voice. That was what he had sensed and he had suspected. His thoughts only confirming what he knew, Arik was gone. Stepping back and away from the table, Jason wanted ample time and time to fight this stranger not be enclosed or trapped by the wooden table. Both thick fists clenching tightly as the male spoke in a condescending tone, a stark contrast to the warm and encouraging voice of Arik.

Finally, shadows would loom and the stranger's face was now fully revealed having been enshrouded in darkness. A thick brow would cock across Jason's forehead. He wasn't impressed and his own clever mind was silently turning its wheels with a plan and a strategy. Coffee eyes stared deeply and intensely towards the pair of azure eyes that peered at them all with disgust. This guy was sizing them all up. It had occurred to the Enchanter that this guy could have killed Arik. Emotion swelling up inside and providing a driving force for Jason who quickly back flipped away from the blazing table. "Gideon, use your ability to channel wind to extinguish the fire." His voice quickly barked trying to get the flames extinguished before the fire would spread to the rest of the keep.

Jason boldly would move into a forward roll towards their new target. He would appear beside the stranger only to drop down before a punch or kick had been landed. Extending his leg to trip the blue-eyed villain from underneath him. They would all need to attack him at once. Unlike Tobias, Jason wasn't willing to offer twenty questions. This fella attacked them and as such, deserved retribution for it. A swing of his own fist would curl and cut through the air towards Xakiel. Jason was prepared to fight this punk especially with the knowledge he had attacked him and his fellow students.

A quick back peddle would enable Jason to twist his body away, once again regaining his footing. If Tobias wanted to interrogate the guy Jason had no problem with it. But one way or another they would have their answers to who and what this guy was and why he was here, and more importantly where Arik was.

Mount Whitney, CA –Arik’s Keep

And then it happened all within the span of a few seconds. What had been a groggy morning trying to dodge the omnipotence of Arik, navigate pleasant conversation with Price, all while getting back his strength and sense of normalcy over coffee with Tobias had faded in the instant that voiced boomed through the keep’s dining room. The hairs on the back of Gideon’s neck went straight up as he processed the ethereal tone of the stranger’s voice. His shoulders tensed and his breathing came to an impromptu stop as he turned around to view the man come out of what seemed to be no where. And then he felt his body kick back in and prepare for the worse. He knew what every feeling was the slight euphoria of adrenalin pumping, the sudden warmth of his capillaries constricting, and the quiet beating of his chest rising as he stood to confront the intruder.

Gideon found himself next to Tobias, his stance shifted to balance his weight pausing to see what the man would do if anything. He didn’t resemble any kreelock, horde member or shadowkind, but of course looks were deceiving, it didn’t take an illusionist and transmuter to know that much. The man was cold, his stare was unsettling it felt like he was seizing them all up, staring into their souls and plucking out little nuggets of information for his own personal use. He didn’t like this guy’s attitude any more than the others did, but that’d have to wait. They had a new problem to deal with, namely the flames that erupted from the man’s hand toasting the dinning room table.

Gideon dove underneath the stream of fire to get away from it. Luckily he was done eating for the most part or he may have actually been aggravated on top of scared for his life. So the man was an arcanist or something that had similar powers to an evoker. Beads of sweat seemed to move down Gideon’s neck down the top of his scrubs as he rolled to the side of the table moving away from the inferno that consumed Arik’s table. This guy seemed to want to pick a fight and he seemed to be filled with confidence to be taking on a room filled with arcanists. They may have only had a few months of training, but sheer numbers and diversity of powers had to mean something. Either way if they were going to be picking a fight the burning table would most likely be something that’d only get in the way. Jason seemed to recognize it as a hazard as well calling to Gideon. They were aware of one another's powers and their talents it was what would make them a formidable force against this new comer. Taking a quick deep breath, Gideon’s hand reached out to the flames rolling over the table he felt an extension of himself reach out to grip the flames. His body came alive with the surge of mana rushing through him letting him know he was commanding his newfound powers correctly. He tightened his hand and with a much more solid grasp the flames seemed to respond constricting themselves, limiting the space that they burned, growing smaller and fainter until the last ember extinguished itself out on the table leaving it a heap of ash and broken wood.

Turning his gaze back to the stranger, Gideon’s reflective blue eyes narrowed onto the stranger. He looked between Tobias and himself. It would only be a matter of time before the others took their place around them ready to strike back with whatever spells had become their bread and butter. If it was a fight he wanted, he’d get it, and they weren’t ready to back down yet.

“I believe he asked you a question, where’s Arik?”

“For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.”
The Keep

Morning had come. Another day, another dime. Colby had made something of a routine out of his mornings. Wake far earlier than he ever had, train. Force himself to eat the food provided by his captors, pretend to listen to what the others, the willing slaves, had to say. Say nothing.

Two months, and if Colby Miller had said two words, had even mentioned his name to anyone of the smiling and diverse faces of his brainwashed companions, then it would have been a shock to him. Not even Arik, the Essentian deemed both guardian, trainer and hunter of 'Arcanist' had gotten anything more than weary gazes and looks of defiance that shined right out from those dark green eyes of his.

Twice he had attempted escape, only to find that Arik saw all. Knew All. Two days, that was the utter most limits of his freedom from this lush cage. Often, with his nose poked into some tome or ancient volumes, Colby had begun to wonder if the others even realized they were slaves. That these oh so gracious Ancients, had given them no choice, and had deemed them to be killers of killers.

For Colby, this morning had been no different, and as he sipped at the hot mug of tea in his hand, lean and taut frame using the counter for support, he couldn't help but feel the shock of the words that sounded through the Keep. Arik was gone. Slender brown brow had risen with curiosity. This was surely a difference. But the man that showed up next, gave him little confidence that it meant they were free. In fact, he could feel his own throat tightening... could almost smell in the air arcane magic... almost taste it on his tongue.

An abhorrence of violence, or perhaps a grand fear for his mortal body, had made those green pools as large as saucers, when this being started to cast a spell of fire. For him, the events seemed to slow down. A table catching blaze, the one known as Jason leaping to attack... the Doctor Shaw, containing the flame... The Southern Gent trying to ask questions.... and the cup of tea still being raised to his lips.

He was assessing. This clearly wasn't a safe situation, but the being had had a chance to attack them well before any of them would have been able to react. And Xakiel's pride clearly was that he had them all at a disadvantage. Either this was some sort of test, in which case perhaps they'd all fail and be allowed to go/killed. Or they'd all pass, and be allowed to go/ go get themselves killed. Of those options, none of them seemed too thrilling. His free hand had already reached behind him, had already grasped hold of a knife... Unlike the others, he had no intention of trying to find Arik... if the sodding Essentian was dead and gone, even better.

A snap of his wrist, mana flooding through his body from the gifts he had begrudgingly had learned to control(If only to later be able to use them to truly escape), and the knife darted from his grasp. His eyes focusing on Xakiel's body, using a telekinetic grip to hurl the knife at his throat... his hand making the motion of slicing, intent on that stainless steel blade cutting apart their newly arrived attacker.

Bloody hell to not using violence on anyone who'd be so rude as to ruin morning tea.

Mount Whitney, CA – Arik’s Keep

Gabrielle was getting ready to react to the offer of coffee and the gestures of friendship that normally came with the morning when all the sudden she heard a voice come out of what seemed to be no were. The voice echoed off the walls and made her eyes change to a surprised golden color as she flew out of her chair to face him. Standing on her two feet away from the table she heard the words he spoke and almost came right at him if not for the fact that he wasn’t alone and she was still curious as to who he was.

Seeing him step out of the shadows and into the light he didn’t have the appearance of anything that indicated to her that he would be a threat, but his face was unreadable. His eyes however, lingered on her more then she would have liked them to and that is when she knew that a part of him wanted to talk to her. Now wasn’t the time though for he just stood there tensely and looked at the others breaking the trance that lasted only a moment. She caught his eye that much was certain why and how she didn’t have time to ask for fire erupted out of his hands and scorched the table that everyone was momentarily at.

The table in flames and the rest of her classmates reacting to it she prepared herself for him to approach physically since he already approached spell wise towards them. If he was going to threaten her she was going to be ready and she was going to defend herself but she wasn’t going to outright attack him because he was demonstrating his powers and skill. For all that she knew he was another instructor just a different type and she didn’t want to make a bad impression on him. In fact she wanted to make no impression at all but that wasn’t an option right now.

Two of her classmates decided to attack him and two decided to ask him questions she hung back some trying to blend into the shadows of the room. She didn’t want a fight and she wanted to hear the answer to the questions as well. If he was a new instructor or even one they had before just coming back he had a funny way of introducing himself, but then again she had become accustom to unusual happenings happening in the keep. The weird, unusual and downright impossible had become a part of her life now she was getting comfortable with that fact and doing her best to try and hold onto her own person while traveling into it all.