CHAPTER 26: GOING WITH THE FLOW

Hiro flopped back on her couch and groaned. Niss hopped up beside her and lay her head in her lap. Hiro had just gotten back from the second long day of mana construct building with Professor Davenport. After the first day that had included mapping she was able to make a construct that the professor couldn't poke holes in, but the trouble was her unruly water magic. The water mana did not appreciate being put into the bowls she built.

The first couple had leaked like sieves. She'd put water magic in to find it found gaps in her control of the construct and leaked right back out. Davenport would have her deconstruct it and make a new one each time. At the end of the first day, she could make one that only dripped, but the professor was still satisfied.

"A leaky construct might be fine for a beginner who has their core fully formed, but we're trying to make a construct to hold a concept's worth of power. We cannot afford anything less than perfect!" The professor had explained dismissing Hiro for the night with instruction to practice the formation of constructs on her own that night.

The second day several things changed. Professor Gendry showed up and refitted her with gel stickers that made the whole monitoring system more comfortable. They were still working on a wire-free version, but it wasn't as itchy as the tape had been. They also had made incremental progress with the constructs. No longer would her power leak, but instead, as she poured mana into the bowl it would swirl like a whirlpool until the construct shattered under the pressure.

"Too ridged" The professor had explained before telling Hiro she needed to be firm but flexible when she held her power. Hiro had tried to follow along but was confused about how the construct she had been told to make like steel could also be flexible and flow. It seemed like two separate concepts. How was she supposed to make it both?

When she had asked how to do it the Professor pondered before replying, "You helped Kinross make a construct to hold an anomaly right?" When Hiro nodded she continued, "She used her power to make something as strong as any metal but as flexible as fabric. Kinross was one of my most gifted students. Try and remember how she did it and see if that gives you any inspiration."

That had been the last advice she had given Hiro on the second day before sending her home with assurances she was doing well for a brand new spark.

Hiro cracked her neck before pulling up her mana channel overlay.

Quest: Progress of Water Mana coalescence: 0/100%

It had gotten up to 5% on her last attempt according to Button. However, when her latest mana construct had collapsed it dropped down to zero again.

"Niss, do you know how to make a mana construct?" She asked her dog while petting her. Niss just sighed contentedly and settled into the belly rubs she was getting.

"Yeah, me neither." She muttered. She stewed for a bit before a message icon popped up in the corner of her vision. She tapped on it and after seeing it was from Moria, she opened the message.

"Hiro, Duffy will be able to have visitors outside of their family tomorrow. Natia and I are bringing them dinner and would love for you to join us when you're done with your day. Let me know if you want to go and we'll pick you up on the way. -Moria"

Hiro spoke out loud, "Reply with;"

"Moria, I would love to go and see Duffy with you two. We normally finish up and leave the hospital tower around 6:12. I also need to pick your brain about mana constructs sometime, if you are free. See you then! -Hiro."

With the message sent a smile stretched across her face. Duffy was recovering and was well enough to see visitors. That was excellent! Plus she would be able to see the only friends she had made since entering this new universe. She had been so busy she hadn't been able to do much more than greet her neighbors who lived around her.

To her left was a gruff dwarf who found Niss fascinating. On her right one of the beast races who was part cat. She kept her distance when Hiro was out with Niss but was friendly enough. Niss loved them both and found her cat folk neighbor particularly interesting. Both of them were young all things considered. Just hitting their species' age of maturity and having their own trips to the Concept Caverns in their universes.

Hiro tilted her head back resting it on the top of the couch and staring at the vaulted ceiling above her. She was hungry but she needed a few moments of quiet before getting dinner. One would think after sitting in a quiet meditation room all day she would want noise. But then one would have to remember Davenport's presence in her center with her talking nonstop about how to make her constructs better or going over general mana manipulation theory.

Hiro was kinda glad she was used to tuning out the noise of the machine shop and her coworkers talk when she needed to concentrate. Though a lot of the tips the professor gave her were useful, she could only pay attention to so much at once. So she had taken to taking turns between building or controlling mana and active listening.

She must've dozed off while thinking about ways of improving her construct when a knock at the door startled her awake. Niss let out a few small boofs as she got up and sniffed at the door. Hiro blinked and checked her internal clock. Twenty-three minutes since she drifted off. Not a bad cat nap.

She moved to the door and checked the panel next to it, her eyebrows raising in surprise. She opened the door with a smile blooming across her face. "I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow!" She told the lithe woman in the doorway.

Moria flicked the blue-green braid end she had been toying with behind her shoulder smiling back. "You said you needed help with mana constructs when I'm free. I'm free now." She said brightly before her face falling slightly. "Are you free? I knew you'd be done for the day so I just headed over. I should've checked first."

"No worries! I don't have any plans, I just didn't want to impose," Hiro said opening the door wider and gesturing her inside. Moria took a few steps in before bending down and greeting Niss with some ear rubs. "I haven't had dinner yet though. I was going to go get some soon. Have you eaten?"

"No actually. I just finished with my duties for the day an hour or so ago. They have me doing paperwork and back-end team management right now." She pulled a face at that. "It's pretty boring actually. I was debating what to do with my evening when I got your message and just came over." a sheepish tone crept into her voice, "Why don't we go get some food and talk about what you need help with?"

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"That sounds great!" Hiro said enthusiastically. They walked to the dining hall together bringing Niss along on a leash for some exercise. Nobody minded pets, familiars, or any other tamed creatures pretty much anywhere. As long as they behaved they were welcome.

They stood in the short line to order food and then walked to a table to eat. Moria had pointed out a seafood dish that the printers did a pretty decent job of replicating and for a while they just ate in compainable silence.

When their trays were empty Moria leaned back in her chair. and tilted her head to the side, "So tell me what you need help with."

Hiro gained a distant look as she tried to explain what the professor was trying to have her do and how it never seemed to work. Moria let her talk, venting out her frustration and talking through the steps she had tried to solve the problem already. She listened intently nodding along as Hiro talked.

"Today Davenport suggested I think about when I helped you with the anomaly and how you made your construct. Since you have the Ocean concept I figured you might have some insight." She finished.

Moria had a small lopsided smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I think I have a way to help you." Hiro let out a sigh of relief. "On my homeworld, we start future Sparks out in mediation as soon as we can swim. We learn how to move with and against the water as we do. Feeling the currents and waves of the ocean so we can feel the same in our mana when we receive our concepts. I want to teach you some of the techniques my grandmother taught me. I think they will help."

She stood up, picked up her tray, and stacked Hiro's on top. "We need a good place to meditate together." She said as Hiro stood and gathered Niss' leash. "I know of a couple of good meditation rooms around Ripples we could book or we could go back to my place. I have a small one in my quarters."

For some reason, the tips of Hiro's ears went red at the suggestion. Moria had been to her place after all. Why would her visiting Moria's place be any different? Luckily she had her hair down and it covered the faint flush that had crept up her neck.

"Whatever is easiest," She said noncommittally as they walked to the window to return their trays. Moria's looked up and into the middle distance and her jaw worked as she subvocalized to the PGA. Hiro had tried to subvocalize a few times, but she still couldn't get Button to understand all her words yet.

Moria's attention returned to her, one of the rooms here is free and I just put our names in to book it for the next hour. She hooked her arm in Hiro's free one before pausing as Hiro tensed up. "Sorry, this is something Natia and I do. My people often link arms when floating as well to not drift apart with the currents. We adapted it to walking around the base as a way for me to feel more connected when I first arrived at the outbase." She began to withdraw her arm. "I'm sorry if it's not appropriate in your culture.

Hiro forced herself to relax and snake her arm around the retreating Moria's. "No, it's ok. It just caught me by surprise. In my world, people who are close will often link arms or lovers might hold hands as they walk. I just wasn't expecting it."

Moria slid back into the arm link before using her free hand to reach over and pat Hiro's arm. "We might be new friends, but we travel this current together, so it's best to be linked or risk drifting apart."

They brought Niss along and walked through one of the center rings of Ripples to the meditation rooms cadets could sign up to use. The door slid smoothly open revealing a room with soft butter-yellow walls and a padded tan floor. A pair of benches, a few comfortable seats, and a panel to control the lights and temperature.

Moria pushed the chairs back and made room for a bench. She had Hiro help her pull it away from its place on the wall. "I don't have one of the meditation crystal headbands to link us, so we will have to do this the old-fashioned way. Through touch and connection."

Hiro felt her heart speed up at that. What did she mean? Moria continued unaware of Hiro's mild panic. "We will sit facing one another. The way I was taught is easier in water, but this will do. We will have to be close for this to work." She had Hiro sit astride the bench before doing the same knees touching. Niss hopped up into one of the chairs and curled up for a nap.

She leaned forward, "No still too far. We need to touch foreheads and we'll be in here for an hour," she muttered. "Alright, you ready to get up close and personal? I've only ever done this in water, but standing meditation is an art and I never mastered it. We can lace our legs together a bit more and scoot forward."

Hiro just nodded as Moria adjusted and soon their legs were intertwined Moria straightened her legs out at an angle and stuck them under Hiro's legs until their thighs touched. "There, that should work. They were only a few feet apart now. Hiro was actively trying to avoid Moria's eyes uncomfortable with how close they suddenly were. The flush from earlier returned.

"Alright, now we'll place our hands on each other's centers and then lean in until our foreheads touch. I want to pull you into my center show you my core and walk you through the exercises. Then we will switch and do the same ones inside your center." Moria was watching as Hiro shifted. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Hiro confessed. "I haven't been inside someone else's center or seen a fully formed core yet." She glanced up and saw a bit of annoyance flash across Moria's face. Her anxiety spiked again thinking Moria was annoyed at her and her nerves. "Sorry, it will be fine." She began drawing back a little.

Moira's hand' settled gently on her legs keeping her from scooting away, "I'm just annoyed that Professor Davenport didn't think to bring you into a typical center. I know she does not like to bring anyone into hers because it can be overwhelming to new students, but not to take you within anyone. How are you to learn if you cannot feel or see the flow of others?" She shook her head.

Moria reached out and took one of Hiro's hands stilling it from its fidgeting. She guided it to a spot just below her breasts and rested it there. Hiro could feel the abdominal muscles under her shirt flex as she leaned over to grab Hiro's other hand. "My grandmother called the center of one's power the seed of their soul. All of a person can be summarized by what you find there. Someone without a spark simply cannot hold magic within their soul. But we have learned that some can grow their concepts within themselves and bloom them into something more."

She flipped Hiro's free hand palm up and placed her hand palm up on top of hers Hiro's eyes followed her fluid movements captivated. "Here they teach that the center that holds your cores and your soul are separate things. Perhaps, they say, they are linked as all systems in the body are, but separate. I learned early not to spread the teachings of my elders in class. But in the end, it takes a great deal of trust to invite someone to your center, to your soul. It opens up parts of who you are at the core of yourself. For those with the knowledge to interpret what they see it can lay out the strengths and weaknesses of your magic or your heart and soul." Moria waited until Hiro looked up at her and held her gaze.

"I trust you to come into my center and soul to see and learn and to not use the knowledge against me." She looked down at her hand resting in Hiro's. "Do you trust me to be your teacher in this matter and to let me into your center knowing I will not use what I see against you?" Her words felt ritualistic. As if she had said them or they had been said to her many times.

Hiro shifted again. They were both leaning forward now. She had one hand on Moria's abdomen and the other holding her open hand. All the things they had been through together flashed through her mind. But it all boiled down to one thing. Did she trust her? Hiro met her eyes, a stormy blue-green in the soft light of the room. The choice slid into her mind between one heartbeat and the next. She raised Moria's hand and placed it over her thudding heart.

The small smile tugging at the corner of Moria's mouth made her heart beat faster and the smile grew a bit bigger as she stretched her free hand out to gently grasp the back of Hiro's head to bring it to the remaining space until their foreheads touched. She slid her hand down to her shoulder and let it stay there. Hiro took Moria's lead on positioning herself. Her free hand ended up resting on her lap. They settled into a comfortable position. Legs overlapping, each reaching out to touch where the other's center resided.

The faint scent of the spices from their meal mingled on both of their breath. It was strangely pleasant. "Come let me teach you about the ebbs and flow of magic."

Hiro closed her eyes as Moria's magic reached for her as it had done before. Goosebumps spread across her skin as their power connected. The same tingling she had felt the first time Moria's power reached for her ran over her body before she was enveloped and pulled into Moria's center like a swimmer in a riptide.