Yes, yes indeed, I could get used to this very much for a few reasons. The first one and most enjoyable one was that because of how his body sank into the bed, I rolled closer to him and if I was awake I could roll up and down. A second reason would be that he was so large and firm in body that there was no chance of me ever falling off of the bed! One of the final reasons was also related to his size, there was just so much to cuddle up to!
"Wakey-wakey, low-tide!" I told him as his eyes slowly opened up before his head slowly turned down to face me. His reaction being rather mild as he quickly became more awake and just stared at me from then on out.
"Who are you...?" he asked me slowly and cautiously before he looked up and over at the wide-open door. The door I brought him through last night when I had found out he fell asleep in the basement of our dorm! And seen as he looked like he was having a rough time, I thought I would sleep with him to help him out.
"I, low-tide, am Larishazza Sl'Ayiysab! But you..." I began to say before tapping a golden caramel-skinned finger against his nose, "Can call me Lari!"
"Hello..." he yawned out to which I giggled at as it gave me a full view of his mouth, "Larishazza... Go away..." he then said which left me pouting up at him.
"I said you could call me Lari!" I said to him with joking anger and a wide smile as I began to fiddle with his mouth and my hair. Giving him various forms of facial hair with my dull blue hair.
"Go away..." he moaned as he tried to retreat underneath the blanket. His attempt failed, however, as he was so big that I was able to get covered by the blanket as well and light it up with my bodily features. The light glow my hair had and the same glow my eyes had. A pair of beautiful eyes he seemed to lose himself in before he just got out of the bed.
"Oh... Come back here, it's cold out there." I told him as I wrapped myself up like a newborn Thunder God being coddled by a yet to be named Goddess of Mothers.
"Why is it quiet...?" he said with uncertainty as he began to bash at his head with his hands.
"Oh, there was this noise I kept hearing so I used some magic to block it out!" I said without showing him the magic as I did not want the noise to come back. Instead, I just manipulated the magic I used to let some sound through. But not as it was being produced, only as how I wanted it. Little joyful bubbles going pop!
"Can you go now please?" he then said as he nervously took a few steps back, accidentally hitting the desk he was in front of. A giggle left me before I unwrapped myself and spun up to my feet, making a pose before then shaking as I faced the cold. His face looking away as I rubbed my formerly smooth and now bumpy skin to deal with the cold.
"Can you come here? Or I will go to you!" I tell him as I move over to him while swinging side to side before pressing myself up against him. Smiling softly as I felt the warmth his body had on it and soon rolling along it so all of my sides got the warmth. It was like I was playing a game about being food, a kebab in particular!
"Please stop..."
"Okay!" I cheerfully respond with as I spun away and then held my arm. Bouncing between my tippy-toes and the very back of my feet while looking on at him.
"I don't have any of your clothes, do I...?" he asked in confusion after a brief quiet between us, his arms digging into all the places he kept clothes looking for mine.
"Nope! Mine are all accounted for! I just like sleeping without any on!" I tell him as I tap my foot a few times before wrapping myself up again. Smiling happily as I felt warmth return to my body with greater haste than it was before.
"Then why are you here...? Have I been bothering you in some way...?"
"Nope! I just found you looking a bit down so I am here to cheer you up!" I told him to which he immediately became defensive. Not in an overtly aggressive way, but, he was defensive nonetheless. Something I did not like in the slightest so I was going to change it!
"I don't need cheering up... I am fine..."
"I do not like liars, so come on, I am starving!" I tell him as I grab his hand and begin to guide him towards the kitchen. Much to his surprise as he was trying to fight back against me but I would not let him go. I found that particularly funny, a little woman like me was tugging along a big man like him. And I doubt he did not find amusing.
"H-Hey... Let go..." he said as he tried to grab various items to halt my advance through the dorm. But he would not have his way as while I danced along the path to the kitchen, I left patches of magical water that would not let him grip. And soon we were both in the kitchen surrounded by the others who were all looking on at who I brought.
"Hello!" I greeted cheerfully with a wave at the quiet group of people sitting at the main table while I kept a firm grip on my breakfast partner's hand.
"Lars, why are you...?" my just slightly older sister asked as she got up and walked over to me. Her short hair contrasting a lot with mine, especially given how she also had hints of frost in hers. A consequence of her hanging out with our resident pillow-man!
"Why am I what?" I asked back cautiously as I watched one of her hands approach, but, it became clear she was pointing at my new friend.
"HE-!" I then screeched out when she suddenly changed course and used some ice magic on me! Me! Her precious, sweet little sister! And this cold was the lingering type so I was now bouncing around trying to ignore it.
"Put some clothes on, Lars." my sister said.
"Indeed, harlot." the extremely dressed Quinshuu commented as he took another swill from his glass of raw milk.
"It's a good thing my sister is here, otherwise you'd boil alive like a lobster!" I joked to him as I danced on over to the man so easily bothered by my lack of clothes.
"It would be even better if you wore clothes." he said before he left to finish his meal elsewhere, leaving just me, my sister and my new friend in the kitchen. A new friend who seemed to be uncomfortable with my sister's presence.
"Don't worry, she won't stick her hands on you!" I told him in an effort to comfort him before weaving out of my sister's way when she tried it on me. And thankfully, she missed this time but she was truly relentless. It got so bad I was soon taking cover behind my new friend as his frame was so big that my sister was unable to reach around with both arms. He even intervened on my behalf and moved my sister away.
Something he seemed to worry about but she ignored the action and just returned to her meal before looking at him, "So who's this?"
"I don't know..." I muttered sheepishly as I had not asked for his name.
"Well, ask then, and remember to actually introduce yourself properly in future." my sister commented as she made some ice cubes in her drink. Drinking it all up and letting out a refreshed sigh shortly after.
"I did! I introduced myself fully as Larishazza Sl'Ayiysad!"
"Introductions need both parties or people to introduce themselves! Like this!" she said before she got up, "Hello, I am Tiyanat Sl'Ayiysad, sister of Moron Sl'Ayiysad, who are you?" pouting at her the entire time before pointing a finger at her to shoot some water at her. Water she then froze and powdered up before it even got to her...
It then became quiet as my new friend looked on at her cautiously, "Nin..." he then mumbled, an adorable nervousness overtaking him when he let out a loud click afterwards.
"See? That's how you do it, Lars." my sister then said smugly as she went back to her meal while I maintained a hard stare at my sister. Soon letting out a huff before going towards the kitchen sides so I could make me and Nin something.
"Is there anything in particular you want...? Hey! Get back here!" I began to say before skipping over to him to bring him back into the kitchen. Letting him sit down before doing anything else after that point.
"Please leave me alone..." he muttered as I kept a firm hand on his back, preventing him from leaving.
"Not until you have eaten!" I say to him as I drummed his belly before going back towards where all the food in our dorm was kept. Singing a lyricless tune as I went through everything while pondering what I might have wanted to eat for my morning meal.
"I'm not hungry..." he said just before his stomach then shook with greater force than the guns of an old battleship from more ancient times.
I tapped his head, "No lying!" I gently scold him with before putting some things I knew how to cook before him, "Anything?"
One of his fingers then slowly and reluctantly raised itself and poked the thin meat slices, then the veg, then the eggs, then the fruits that go well with savoury. He pretty much wanted everything which left me in a precarious situation as I did not know of any meals that consisted of all I had set out. I looked at my sister for help but she did not seem to have an answer or was just lost in thought over something else.
"Tiya." I then said which led to her looking over at me, an expression on her face that awaited an answer.
"Hm?"
"Any ideas?" I asked her while gesturing to all the food.
"I forget the name of the territory, but why not make them a Full Whatever Breakfast?" she suggested which left me happy. And, it was a good suggestion, that meal she was on about did indeed involve most if not all of this depending on the eater.
"Excellent! I shall start cooking immediately and you can make sure he stays to eat it!" I tell her before I go back to singing my lyricless tune. Completely ignoring her protests and likely leaving her sighing as she went along with what I asked of her. Using my magic every now and then to either keep the food moist and flavourful or because I was too lazy to turn the tap knob. It did not take me long from then on out to be spinning my wrist about with mechanical speed that spilt nothing as I got the rest ready.
And soon, the room smelt absolutely divine as now all one could smell was frying meats, veg and fruit and all sorts! My finger soon bounced about as I predicted where a bubble of fat would burst, something I kept up before a bit of scolding fat flicked itself at me. Yet, even with my retreat from the snapping and popping, I was still involved with it all. An involvement I kept to the very end when I presented the food to Nin.
"Here you go!" I say to him as I take a fork and quickly nab a deflating, red-in-colour fruit before popping it into my mouth. Letting out a drawn-out noise as in my attempt to taste my efforts I had burnt my mouth on the juices. Juices that were now being washed all about my mouth and scolding more of it. It was like I was putting out a fire by sending it to the rest of the village!
"Heh..." Nin barely let out as he watched me jump about before my sister held me still and placed cool mist into my mouth. Largely negating the pain I was feeling with my happiness at Nin's brief and quiet laugh dealing with the rest?
"Well, go on, try it!" I say to him as I dance closer to him, leaning against him with a wide smile as he moved on to the food. Something he took a long time to do as he was extremely paranoid about it all which left me bothered. So bothered that I borrowed his utensils, hopped up onto the table and began to feed it to him. Taking little bites here and there to show him it was good food.
From crispy and juicy meats that bled tasty fat into the juices of the fruit and veg and their oily coverings. To the dry slices of bread and carbohydrates that soaked it all up into one yummy package that would fill him up no doubt. I even fed him pieces of it all mixed together as filling for these slices of bread, little bite-sized sandwiches that would let him eat it differently. And as the plate emptied, it could be cleaned thoroughly with those same pieces of bread.
"Full?" I asked him as I suckled on a spoon that I had previously used to scoop beans onto his plate. But I got no answer from him, only silent crying before a loud bang as his head struck the table.
"What do you want!?" he asked through his tears as his body began to move into a more protective posture. One that worried me and left my sister feeling uncomfortable as she was too far to really do anything and she was never one to get involved.
"To make sure you have a wonderful day!" I tell him while stroking his head, moving my arms back in each time he swatted them away.
"No you don't..." he said through gritted teeth, "You're just going to set me up for... Something..." a gentle hand soon moving on top of his shortly after. A softer smile coming into place on my face as I slowly stroked my thumb along the back of his hand. Not letting it go until those fists of his uncurled themselves.
"Yes I do and I will prove it to you!" I tell him just before he sits back up, his face hardening in an attempt to make it look like he was uncaring.
"Fine..." he muttered just before his stomach rumbled again leading to me open my mouth in shock so another laugh could leave it.
"So I guess I know the answer to my previous question!" I tell him as I began to make even more food. Fruity porridge, dried out fruits and plain flatbreads, lots of sweet stuff. I even just covered some nuts in honey and let them cook for a bit to make the honey a lot thicker and seemingly butter-like. And as the dishes were done, I fed them to him until he just refused to open his mouth anymore.
Then, he burped as one of his hands rubbed his belly affectionately while the other tried to clean away anything stuck in his teeth. I had tried to clean it for him but he just lashed out at me so I redirected the water towards a plate to clean it slightly. From that point onwards, I just waited while humming another, different tune which involved a bit of noise from my nostrils as well. Soon watching as he began to swill water around his mouth sloppily to clean the rest to no avail.
A glare in his eyes as he turned to me, "Can you help me clean my teeth please..." he said before looking away in anger. Clearly frustrated by the idea of having to rely on another or at least some emotional mixture including it.
"Certainly!" I say as I take his hand and begin the return journey back upstairs.
"Take that damn blanket off!" my sister said to me loudly just as I went through the doorway. Carefully and precisely hopping up the stairs to make a specific tune once we got to them and lingering a few steps ahead of Nin as we went up. Doing that until we finally got back upstairs to which I then threw the blanket off back onto his bed, leaving me exposed in the process. Grinning at him after I spotted his eyes looking at my naked body before slipping away into the room I used.
And, having left the door wide open, he followed me through before he occupied himself with my various pieces of memorabilia from home. Going over to him to see what had him curious once I had put on barely anything in the eyes of Quinshuu. But, he was just full of himself, we were in a bright and warm land with cool breezes and lots of open space to dance in! So my traditional dancer's attire was more than covering enough!
"That's a model of the walker-city me and my sister come from." I inform him as I watched his fingers carefully move the legs about. Briefly taking it off of him so I could turn it on and let him watch it move.
"You come from a walking city?" he asked quietly while tilting his head at the toy as its dozens of legs moved up and down in a mesmerizing pattern. A pattern that was caused by how many layers to each side there was and the various pieces of decoration. Something I found myself lost in until his hand stopped it from walking off my desk.
"Why thank you!" I say to him as I turn it off and put it back, "And yes, I do, specifically the Walking-City of Ayiy."
"Your name comes from the city?"
"Only some of it, the rest is to do with the role of my family and the generation it is from. The first bit being that we own the city while the last part has to do with it being rather young in the grand scheme of things."
"How peculiar..."
"What is?"
"Most of the girls I know to any degree come from fancy backgrounds..." he muttered before he moved to leave. Only to stop when he saw the little shrine I had dedicated to the centre of my people.
"Is that a slug...?"
"It is indeed, one that ate a whole mountain!" I giggled out to him as we moved towards one of the smaller washing rooms. A washing room intended for the more private individuals living here. Which, admittedly, was practically just Nin here if I was to make any guesses. All the better anyhow as it meant we were pretty much always guaranteed a room as this dorm was very big.
"Thank you..." he mumbled as moved his tongue about his mouth after I had finished washing it. He was cautious around me using my magic to do it, but, I got it done regardless of his concerns. Something I could tell he did not mind as now his mouth had stopped moving about. Unlike before where it kept moving in order to get rid of various stuck foodstuffs.
"No problem, I am here to help! Now, anything you want to do here or do you want to go outside?" I told him before I then asked about his plans for the day. Something he immediately showed allergies to as he backed away and shook his head without saying a word. A finger soon began to pat my chin as I looked outside. The weather was wonderful so it couldn't have been that.
Was it perhaps linked to the noise I had to deal with back in his room? Would we have to deal with more of these noises? That was very fine by me, I knew many places we could go that were quiet. I could even be louder than these noises!
He stood there quietly and uncomfortably before he then spoke, "I need to get back to my studies..."
"Then we go to a lovely meadow outside!"
"No, I can do it here."
"Nope! You do it with me!" I say as I began to drag him about again with no resistance coming from him other than sounds and whines full of pleading. But, as we got closer to the door he began to fight back as his breathing became much, much louder.
"NO!" he shouted at me before snapping his jaws near my face, an unfazed tilt of the head being my response to his sudden panic that followed.
"Hey... It's alright." I tell him as I let him sit down and return to rubbing his body affectionately while maintaining a smile. Once again pondering how I might be able to help before his head came out again.
"There's no point... The guards will just keep going after me even though I haven't done anything wrong." he explained nervously while I tilted my head further and further until he was done.
"Then how about this, we make a game of avoiding them?"
"A game...?" he repeated with a confused tone.
"Yeah, you get points for every guard avoided and the more stylish it is, the better and I will be sure to be near you the whole time to help out if you get stuck!"
"Running fine..." he mumbled but it seemed to be that he was recounting what was said to him prior.
"So how about this? We go back upstairs, and sneak out through a window and then we can move about on the rooftops until we are forced to get down?"
"Forced?" he repeated with uncertainty.
"By our lack of roofs to move on, not by guards." I clarified for him as I began to move around a lot more. Impatient and excited for this game that would surely put some adrenaline into my veins.
"Okay..." he muttered as he got up, greeting him once he was done with a toothy grin before guiding him back up the stairs. Dancing along the area before finding a window that we could safely get through.
"I'll go on first and help you up." I tell him as I put my hands on to the upper part of the window frame and then swing through it. Using the momentum I had put into my swing to get my feet all the way up to the roof. All before then using my arms to snatch him up with a bit of my internal-magic being used to get us up the rest of the way. A quiet snigger coming from me as Nin looked about cluelessly, having not been mentally prepared for the swing.
I helped him up after I was done laughing, "Over there..." he mumbled with a raised finger. Going up onto the tips of my toes so I could then see where he was pointing and nodding happily before I got off his back. Returning to being in front of him and putting some distance between us before I then left to another roof with a splash of magic water wetting where I formerly was. Waving him over and dancing backwards and forwards while I waited, bouncing my hips up and down as he checked his path.
And then, when he overshot my position, I jumped up after applying some magic to a nearby chimney and caught him. Landing back down on the roof I had leapt to just moments before by sliding down a magical slide made of water. Placing him firmly down before I went on for a greater distance. Laughing in joy as I spun about as a mess of wet lines appeared behind me.
"Hmm... I can't give you many points for that as I had to come and get you." I told him as he looked down at his feet and held his hands together.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"I can't do it..."
"Jump? You just did, silly."
"No... Jump without jumping too high..." he said to me before performing light hops. My head bobbing up and down as I watched him jump a little before he came to a stop.
"Alright, give me your hand for a moment."
"Claw..." he muttered in an effort to correct me, but I ignored it and held his hand.
"Now firmly grip my hand." I say to him, hoping this would give me a good understanding about how good the control of his internal-magic is. And, lucky for him, I would be here to help him out as I had now found out about how good he was with it.
Soon walking away and pondering with a finger to my lips while sliding around a little, "Quit thinking of a way to say it softly and just say I am bad at it..." he bitterly said to me before I went back to him.
"What place were we going to go to?" I then ask him as I now had an idea of what we could do today. We could go to one of the magical training facilities near the dorm and have him practise!
"The library so I can-"
"Nope! We are going right over there instead!" I say to him suddenly before spinning around him and turning him to face the building in question. A blocky building compared to the rest of the buildings within the Academy but it was by no means ugly either. It pulsated with magic all about it and one could see all the pretty patterns carved into the stone slabs and metal plates!
"I have never been there before and there are no rooftops near it!" he pointed out with worry in his voice. Worry I responded to by gently tapping his cheeks before then leaping back over that which we had just jumped over with him by my side.
"Don't worry, I will help you out!" I say to him as we repeated the process of jumping until we had reached the final rooftop before the building in question. Myself proudly standing in the open while he hid behind the various extensions on the building roof such as chimney pipes. My hand soon waving him over so we could get over the final distance.
"No! I'll break the roof if I jump that far!"
"Then only jump as far as you want!" I tell him cheerfully as a ball of water formed at the edge of the roof. A ball that soon popped with a splash as my straightened out toes punctured it. The pop of the water orb having sent me flying across the field before I then landed in the grass. Much to the surprise of nearby students who were confused as to why I just landed here.
My arm once again waving at Nin who had not left the rooftop yet and with this crowd here it seems like he wasn't going to. Yet, he still seemed to work up the courage to move and had soon just hopped down from the building, quietly waiting by a bush. And while he likely wanted to remain out of sight, I had to bring him into the view of others so I went up to him and brought him out.
"Hey, focus on me, listen to me." I say to him before I began to gently sing what I had been singing earlier. And while I was not able to manipulate my voice like some of the singers of this land due to my water magic not being particularly compatible with it. I could compensate by just singing louder or moving closer to his ears so he could focus on me. Something I helped further with by keeping his eyes focused on mine.
So, as we walked into the building, his face was entirely on me and he was able to somewhat ignore what others were saying. And once we were in the door, the guards that were coming over to see what was going on had to stop. Which I found to be most interesting as it meant that I could steadily quieten down. A smile on my face as we once again found ourselves on our own.
"Now what...?" he asked as his arm was coddled by one of his hands while his head refused to stay focused on one spot. I said nothing and just smiled before then bringing him through the building so he could at least look at it all. It was a very interesting sight this building was so I wanted him to enjoy what seemed to be his first time through it. Even going so far as to use my magic to block the paths of others so I could get him through uninterrupted.
And when I brought my magic barriers down, I snuck a wink in at the people I had bothered before catching up to Nin again with a grin. Once that was all sorted, I left him on his own a short distance away from me so I could register a room for us. Them once that was sorted, I went back to him and brought him to the door to the room. Or rather, the portal, something I was very much looking forward to.
"Okay, so push that button, then that one, then that, then that one, that one and that one!" I tell him, barely controlling my excitement before the sounds of machines filled my ears. Soon taking a step back so I could get a more complete view of the way these portals worked and letting him enjoy it to. So I did not speak as a result, I just kept looking at his face then the machine and back again. It was very sweet to see his eyes light up upon seeing the portal work.
"What... What is this...?" he asked me with amazement in his voice as he cautiously approached the portal. Then, with a laugh escaping me, I shoved him straight through it and followed him through. Letting the laugh out fully once I had reappeared with him in the magic training room. The laugh dying off when I saw his frightened form on the ground, completely unsure of what just happened.
"It's alright, Nin, it was just a magic portal that brought us to a pocket dimension where they keep all the magic training equipment." I explained to him, keeping it all simple so he could understand it well. Only, that failed as he seemed to have no grasp of any of it.
"Portal... Dimension... Just like the ship..." he mumbled, it being clear he had once again just recounted memories.
"Ship?" I questioned him as it seemed he did understand it all.
"Special ship." was all I got out of him before he wandered off slightly. His voice soon echoing throughout the room as we had set up nothing to fill it out.
"Alright, let me see." I said to myself as I began to fiddle around with the various consoles that dictated what you got in your training room. Moving my tongue about as I breathed out to make many noises as I did so. Running off to bring Nin back and then guiding his finger to the various activation buttons and switches. Grinning widely at him as amazement once again filled him as various things formed suddenly.
The equipment I had set up was nothing fancy, it was all very basic and very unmagical given how fancy the room was. Just some basic brick walls, climbing sets, weights, all the sort of things one expected from a gymnasium or other forms of basic physical development. He then looked at me expectingly, standing aside slightly so I could then guide him through it all. Which I was very happy to do.
"So, going by what I have learned, I feel like it is best right now for you to go through some basic physicals right now. Just to see what we can improve on and then we can start working on that."
"But I already know how to control my strength!" he said as he pushed a summoned brick wall over by sending it flying. Its shattered remains sprinkling all over the place with one piece even harmlessly pinging off of my forehead. He then pushed against another and did nothing to it.
"Now just push it over." I say to him in order for him to understand my point better. But, he couldn't do it, he always sent it flying away with a little jump.
"You better not laugh..." he nearly growled out after he tried again on several other brick walls, failing each time to just simply push it over.
"I was never going to, I will just show you something first." I tell him as I go up to a brick wall and lean on it with my arm holding all my weight, it did not move. I then went to the next wall over and did the same, only to slip up with a laugh as I had sent it flying away. I then got up and did it again, this time falling on top of the wall and chipping it because it was not stronger than my body.
"You just pushed it, though...?" he mumbled in confusion.
"Yes, that is the point, Nin, you just got to push it, if it helps, try thinking of how you want the object to react when you push it. It's what I did when I was younger."
He then stopped and looked over at me, "How old are you...?"
"Forty-two." I say to him with a smile as I was quite proud of what I had accomplished at my age. But him? He seemed to be bothered by it, "What about you?"
"Around twenty..." he mumbled, something I was surprised by as the average age for this school was about thirty for the newest students. And I was only so much older because I had spent most of my time back home doing my magic training. Along with various other things that interested me or were expected of me as the daughter of a noble house.
"You are twenty and were accepted here? That is amazing!" I said in awe to him but no embarrassment came from him like I was expecting. Just his hands suddenly clawing at his head.
"I wasn't accepted here because I am good with magic..." he nearly cried out while trembling, his body soon collapsing to the floor as he sniffled for a short while. A short while I cut even shorter by coming over to him and comforting him.
"Then we will make sure you stay because you are!" I say to him with a smile before pulling him back to his feet so we could carry on with the little training session. Letting him cheer up by watching the brick walls reassemble themselves thanks to the guiding hands of the magical systems this room and the portal-linked building had. Bringing him back over to the walls so we could do a little more practise with them before I tried doing it with other pieces of gear. And a few smashed walls later, we were ready for another piece of equipment.
"I just want you to run and jump for this one, like this." I explained while removing the more flappy and wind-catching parts of my outfit before then running along the designated path. Not using any water magic to jump this time and doing a flip in the air just because I enjoyed doing them and landing on my feet. A little hop coming from me just before my final stop. Waving him along as I moved out the way.
Soon sitting down on a solid construct made by me so I could watch Nin as he had a go at it. Somewhat seriously nodding at what I saw as he began to run down the strip, but he was extremely awkward in doing so. Constantly slowing down whenever he reached a certain point with it ending with him jumping from a standing point rather than a running point. He was able to do a normal jump, however.
"If you don't mind me asking, Nin, where did you learn to control your magic?" I asked him before looking on in concern as he suddenly soured in mood. A lot more than previous issues we had encountered.
"I couldn't do magic until I woke up in a nest filled with..." he began to explain before he started gesturing at himself.
"You couldn't do magic until you were born...?" I said in confusion, the answer I had come to not making much sense. Turns out, it was wrong too as he was now shaking his head side-to-side with a grimace on his face. Clearly, he was having trouble with how to think of an answer so I found myself going towards him. Intent on making it clear he did not have to explain if he did not want to.
"I was not always a bug, you know..." he mumbled, tilting my head before backing up slightly so I could listen, "I was once just a normal man working the usual time to feed himself and then one day I met this little thing that shot me and then I woke up in a cave where something tried to eat me and then BOOM!" he explained before roaring out the last word.
"I think I understand." I softly said to him as he suddenly went quiet and began to get tearful.
"No you don't... How could you!? How could you understand what it means to know something bad happened, to have your body slowly turn into a monster to the point your friend has to kill you so you don't hurt others. Only to then be brought back as this because of some nonsense with gods..." he quickly said before crying in full.
"Don't worry, I won't laugh at you or insult you." I say to him with a soft smile as I pull him close to hug him and rock him back and forth. And once I felt like he had gotten enough of it out, I squirted some water in his face which caused him to smile just a little before he walked away.
"So... Uh, Lari... Why do you keep being so nice to me...? Surely you must have heard about what I was before this morning? I have been here for more than a month at the very least!" he said as he threw his arms up into the air in frustration.
"Because I don't like the idea of living so close to someone I could help but did not." I said to him, something that seemed to set him off.
"Then were you all the other days!? HM!? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS BEING TOLD TO KILL MYSELF!? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS BEING SHOT AT!? WHERE WERE YOU!?" he roared into my face after he worked himself up into a rage. A rage I intended to bring him out of by just holding his hand.
"I had been busy, but, now, I will only be busy with you." I told him with an honest smile accompanying it. But that on its own was not enough to get past his growling exterior and I had to keep the smile up as his eyes stared intensely into my own. The click of his jaw being ever so close as I got a full view of all those teeth he had. Thin, plentiful and very sharp, clearly intended for shredding someone bloody.
"Can we get back to the training...?" he then asked with a sigh as he suddenly switched moods.
"Don't do that." I told him firmly.
"Don't do what?" he asked in agitation.
"Don't just suddenly switch your moods like that, don't tighten it close like a pot full of boiling water. Leave the lid open, let the water out." I elaborated to him as I rubbed his cheek while he maintained a glare. A snort leaving him before he put some distance between us.
"The training?" he impatiently asked.
"Yes, so, from what I have heard you say, it seems to be that you learned to handle your magic in a very particular way. You were scared and confused and as such your body learned to handle it two ways, when it was active to let it all out, to keep it all in when you were calmer and so on." I began to explain.
"I've jumped high plenty of times when I was not scared..." he said as he crossed his arms.
"I never said you only used magic when you were scared, I said that is how you learned to use it. So, I believe the best thing to do is to get you more used to casually using it, so you can knock a brick wall down without breaking it." giggling towards the end to lighten the mood even if he did not take kindly to it.
"And what if there is no way for me to learn it like that?"
"Then we try and add in an additional step to your body, think of it like this, you have your calm state where you can run normally and then we have your in-use state which is what you use when doing magic. What I want to try and do, at worst, is to make it so you can only use some of your magic rather than lots at once or more."
"I think I understand... When I got here, I had to put a lot more effort in than usual because I had to keep... Someone... Alive through the cold."
"Good! So we have a point of where we can work from, do you think you can explain it or is showing it likely going to be better?"
"Probably showing it."
"Got it!" I said to him before I skipped back over to the controls for this place. Messing around with it some more and increasing the magic within pieces of equipment I felt would work best. With this increase of magic, they'd be heavier, stronger and all-around upgraded compared to what they were before. But, before I went back to it, I made sure the safeties were engaged as the magic I put into it all was tougher than even I could do.
"Nothing happened...?" he commented with a scratch of his neck.
"Another ability for us to work on as well, but, yes, it has been changed, try knocking those walls over again." I explained to him before sitting back to watch him. Smiling in response when he began to nervously chuckle before getting frustrated at his inability to even budge the wall. And then he did what I told him not to do.
"What did I tell you?" I questioned him as I got back up.
"No, it's not that... I'm just, remembering something." he explained as he began to replicate some kind of memory through his actions. It seemed to be that he had carried something heavy and was forced to drop it.
"You are familiar with this aspect of internal-magic?"
"I guess I am..." he said before he went back to the wall, soon shaking his head with a light growl, "No, I can't move it."
"Alright..." I say to him as I went over to the wall and began to tug on it until it had begun to move again. Slightly, ever so slightly, but these movements quickly built up into transferring enough force to bring it down. Only, he managed to stop it from crushing either me or him, even if he was swearing out his breaths and trembling. And without missing a beat, I dashed to the console and lowered the magic settings so he could then toss it away.
"Good enough for you?" he groaned as he collapsed while moaning in pain. His body likely having gone into overdrive to support it all.
"Have you ever done something like that before?"
"What... Do you... Mean...?"
"Lifting up a weight your body normally can't handle." I clarified to him before his expression fouled.
"I did, once. Back when I was still somewhat human... I was in this tournament that ended with me going unconscious because of how much I had to lift."
"How much did you lift?"
He sat up with my assistance and panted before gesturing, "Probably a set of weights made of full trunks and giant iron bands and spikes that probably could fill out this place?"
My eyes widened, "Impressive, well, now that I have heard that, I think I have a good idea of how I can help you."
"How?"
"We just have you go gently through the motions as it seems you are just so used to going above and beyond for it all."
"Didn't you already point that out?"
I smiled, "I suppose I have, now, come one, we'll go for a jog." I say to him as I pull him up to his feet. Giggling as I dangled from his arm as his vastly greater height meant I could reliably swing from it. At least, until I fell to the floor because he yanked his arm out of my loose and relaxed grip. Yet my giggling did not turn to pain when I hit the floor with a thud, I just giggled some more before getting up.
Once again returning to the console so we could modify the room with all of it disappearing shortly after in favour of a marked out course. I felt like we would be best in just having him doing basic exercise rather than anything me and my sister did. He needed to develop a nuance in his ability to regulate his magic and a simple jog might be best for it. After all, he struggled to run, so if we can figure out the means to get him moving fast without overapplying, we can then move on.
"How long will we be doing this?" he then asked me once we had reached the start line of the course. My eyes initially focusing on his stomach before I looked up and grinned at him.
"Until you are starved!" I say before then running off ahead of him, quickly putting the distance between us. Something that led to him chasing after me with explosive force so he could question me about my statement. But, every time he got close to grabbing me so he could get down to it, I avoided him and tutted at him with a smile. He was supposed to be jogging, not lancing through the air and jumping!
"Hey! Wait! I am trying to speak to you!"
"Catch up to me by doing as you are told then!" I say to him joyfully as I reversed course and spun around him before going ahead again. Soon getting a lot of distance when he came to a stop before slowly going again. Slowing down myself and running sideways as I was now opposite him. I was not a teacher at all, but, keeping him along what I thought was best seemed like the best action to take.
And as I passed his uncertain form again, I smiled at him and gave him praise as he was getting better at it. This then kept on going and going until I then had to avoid his sudden attempt to catch me. Something I intended to enjoy, even if he was deviating from what he should have been doing. Yet, apparently, this was actually going to work as this addition of a visible goal was helping him!
"Yes, just like that Nin! Keep it up and you might actually catch me!" I told him in order to cheer him on. Tapping his body every now and then when he got close in order to provoke a little more effort from him. The less he thought about it might have been better as this was meant to be a natural response the body did. Like flexing a finger, ideally, you should not be thinking about it as you did it, you just did.
"Got you!" he exclaimed just as his hands were about to grab me before I slid away from him, causing his body to overexert and launch away. Standing still with a smile as I watched him carelessly get back to his feet before he looked at me.
"Got who?" I said to him with a grin before he started chasing me again.
.
.
.
"So how long is it going to take to get me used to all this?" he asked me with worry in his words as I cleared out the room for we had been here for quite a while. I may have not been exerting myself heavily, but I was a little stretched thin for energy just because we had been doing it non-stop throughout the day. Very impressive as he did not even look tired or exhausted and he was the one putting the effort into it!
"A few weeks maybe? We might be able to get some other stuff into it but magical control tends to come naturally for most while you seem like you never learned it."
"Because I haven't..." he moaned before he began to mumble some numbers before nodding as he looked about in a panic.
"You are very concerned about the time it takes, are you near your entrance exam deadline?"
"No... Still have a lot of time... I am just not sure if I can get it all done as I have to do so much in what is actually so little time. I thought I might be able to stay focused and just do work, work, work... But, I don't think that actually is possible even with my circumstances."
"Circumstances?"
"If I... I... If I fail I will be execut-" he stuttered out on the brink of tears before I interrupted him.
"But you won't fail." I say to him seriously with a determined gaze.
"You don't know tha-"
"You will not fail!" I say to him, having interrupted him again before I stepped closer to him. Staring intently into his eyes before he starts looking away nervously.
His finger then tapped his leg, "Can I turn it off?" he then asked in an effort to change the subject.
"Sure!" I tell him as I step aside so he could properly tidy up the room before we left the training facility. Where to next, however, I did not know, as there was still much I wanted to do today. Then again, I always did find excuses to stay away from homes and places of stay just because I liked doing things, not within such a small space.
"How do I do it...?" he then asked sheepishly after cluelessly staring at the console.
"See that one?"
"I would if your finger wasn't in the way..."
"Just flick it."
"Your finger or the switch?"
"Why not both at once?" I said to him with a smile as I lightly giggled at his joke before my finger was then flicked up by his hand.
"Don't push me through it this time..." he then warned me as the portal out opened up as we moved back towards it.
"No promises!" was all I had to say before I pushed him through it. Chasing after him and grinning at his body that was slowly getting back up before it got up just as the portal closed. The reflection his body made when it came into contact with the light of the portal also disappearing. Much to my disappointment as it was nice seeing how the magic looked on his polished form.
"Is it alright if I go back to the dorm?" Nin then asked me as he looked away from the shutdown portal. A long and fearful sigh dotted with stutters having just left him as he looked that way.
"Do you want to carry on our game then?" I ask as I got close to him, trying to egg him on with little gestures and motions.
"How are we going to get to a roof from here?" he replied back with a little smile to which I just smirked at him.
"Easy, we barge into another room and go through that one."
He stepped back a little, "Anyway without getting seen?"
"We barge into and go through an empty room." I said, expanding upon what I had said just before. Something he reluctantly agreed to with a nod before I then took him somewhere else. Peaking through every hole I saw on the way to find an empty room and smiling in joy when I found the room we would be using. Quickly entering it and opening the window up fully before going through it.
Holding my arms down so I could then pull Nin up to the roof with him, in turn, picking me up off the floor, or roof, rather. And soon, I was at the edge of the building trying to find our dorm amongst all the identical-looking buildings. Imagining myself as walking on the ground before figuring out what one it was. Then, I used my magic to solve the prior issue we had.
"Take my hand!" I say to him with building excitement that worried him. A tightrope made of magical water having just appeared by my feet. And, with reluctance, he grabbed my hand and we zipped off to another building with him making loud noises when we started. Then, when we reached the other roof, I slid to a halt while he carried on until he had a gentle crash.
"Don't do that again..." he complained as he got up and shook his head clear of powdered tile. A little splash of water from me cleaning off the rest that had stubbornly stuck itself on to him.
"Now, let's go!" I say as I jumped a building over. Using my time on the raised ground to observe what Nin had been able to implement. Nodding in satisfaction when it became clear he had improved greatly since before so long as he was motionless before the jump. Yet, despite his newfound skill, I had to catch and grab him a few times.
"How many more to go...?" he asked after a short while to which I put a hand to my chin and walked. Letting out a noise to indicate my pondering before suddenly dropping down, much to his shock.
"None!" I say to him as I look up at him from the very same window we initially left through. Bringing the water platform I had made for myself up to his level so he could get on before losing myself in the distant view. The orbital-halo had begun to descend and the sky was a different colour due to it. I really liked it all, especially how the orange conflicted and mixed with the purple that made up the upper atmosphere.
"That thing moves a lot." he then commented as his eyes looked on at the city we were near.
"Was it always like that?" I then commented as I looked at what he was looking at. The giant structure at the centre looked like it was sinking into the city!
"This time yesterday it was, and the day before that. And so on." he said with a smile.
"You like watching it?"
"I like machines."
"I figured you did." I said with a smile as I remembered how much he seemed to enjoy looking at all the magic circuits and machine pieces. From the most basic to the more refined, it had him interested.
"What sort of things do you like looking at?" he then asked me as he turned his attention to me. A smile growing on my face as he kept his gaze on me.
"People smile." was all I said to him as I patted his cheek before going back into the building. Prancing around for a bit before aiming to collapse on something soft, stopping myself with a sudden jerk to the walls, however. I was all sweaty and dirty because of our work today and I was about to ruin this comfortable item with an unpleasant stink.
"You alright?" he asked me as his hand began to harshly pat my back. But, as he was not stronger than me, I did not budge and just smirked at him.
"Nice try, but, if you need me, I shall be showering and cleaning myself up!"
"Can't you just wash yourself with your magic? It's water magic, isn't it?"
"I'm not washing myself with magic I can not control the temperature of. I like warm water thank you!" I say to him before disappearing from his view and heading to one of the washrooms. Not really minding what one I went into. Turns out, I had gone into a private one like I intentionally went into earlier with Nin. And soon, I was looking at myself in a mirror, smiling at the caramel-skinned, blue-haired girl that was smiling back at me.
This girl in the mirror was also soon naked and singing just like me with the sound of the running water blending in perfectly with my voice. Not because I could sing so well that it was woven into my voice, but because the language I sang in was influenced by water magic. So as such, it sounded like the noises water made when it was going through pipes or along a coastline or down from the sky and into the earth below. Just like how everyone here sounded like they were whistling or blowing to some extent.
"Quinshuu doesn't sound like anything, though." I then commented as I thought on our light magic blessed dorm mate. But, I suppose it made sense, light did not really have a sound, yet, he still sounded distinct. Maybe because it influenced behaviour more so than how you spoke? I guess I could always ask him later.
Nin was similar in a way, he did not sound like he whistled, he had those little clicks of his and a much larger mouth. He even just sounded like someone who was from a completely different land to most others here. Which, I guess made sense as he was not sure about his magic so maybe he was from a very isolated place?
So many interesting questions I could ask him, but right now I just wanted to sing as I manipulated the water flowing and dripping off of me. Moving my hips back and forth while my fingers tapped against each other and forced the water about. I even began to rub my hands along my naked body as I flexed my body down while maintaining the shaking of my legs and hips. All to let to water runoff me in a different manner.
And then, when I was done, I summoned a pole of solid water to spin up on to get out of the shower. Using my magic to manipulate droplets on the shower handle to turn it off and looking at the mirror I had kept clear with my magic. I may have not been able to control steam, but, I could stop a mirror from getting steamed up! So now all I had to do was ignore the droplets I left on the glass.
"Do I still have it? I think I still have it." I said to myself before giggling at my reflection. Soon laughing at myself for a different reason when I realised I forgot both a change of clothes and a towel. Then, with a giggle sealed in my lips, I dashed out of the washroom and past anyone upstairs to get to my clothes and a means to dry myself. The sounds of shock and surprise at the naked beauty running by bringing even more joy to my face.