Tanatswa and Shami sat down together inside the cottage, drinking coconut milk as they evaded the torrid sun in Goshem. Tanatswa used this time to discuss their abilities with each other and was very excited to hypothesize more about their findings.
"So when I was still alive, I always believed that I wouldn't have had, my short comings, if someone had showed me the way or if I had a mentor who corrected me on how to go about things. So with like my IT degree, I was like, a late bloomer who wanted to end up as a guru, but if you start getting deep into web development, mobile development or any kind of programming into your early 20s, I think you'd be forever playing catch up." he said as he held her right hand as they sat on the steps, close to the cottage's porch.
"Is the IT field really that cut throat? I mean, isn't it possible for anyone who is serious about the field to get really good at it, regardless of whether they started late into their adult years? I remember learning and doing assignments with women who were in their late 20s or early 30s on campus, who were doing their first architecture undergrad. They were really good students. So make this make sense to me." she said, looking into his eyes intently.
"Well it's not a matter of you being willing or having the drive to excel, but most of the geniuses in the computing world start at a very young age and learn how to make complex databases by the time they are 15 or 16. I think Bill Gates made his first program when he was 13 or 14; I am not so sure, but generally speaking, people who start early and end up doing amazing shit." he said, looking at her with solemn eyes.
"Well that's them. I get what you're saying, but was it even possible for you to be in that kind of environment? Like did you have access to a computer and the internet to teach yourself these things at the time, if not the internet, then a local library that would teach you coding?" she asked, interested to hear what he would have to say.
"Well it's funny that you mention that, but I was actually in the best possible environment for that, but I didn't know that at the time. You see, my dad was a networker and a programmer. I only really found out about his job description when I was about to turn 20. I know it's ridiculous for a child to grow up without ever really knowing what their parents do, but things were pretty complicated since my parents divorced when I was around 13 years old. So without digressing too much, I think it would have been lovely if he imparted some of that knowledge to me, granted when I was young, I was afraid him because he was violent and beat up my mom a lot, but I could have become a computer guru by the time I started university. Despite all the family drama, that little head start could have made me an above average developer. Who knows, I could have become some tech mogul, but I get that sense for everything that I tried to do. When I pursued art, music, writing stories and even indie games development, I felt like on my own, I could only accomplish this much or that I started way too late in the game. If I had a little help or a heads up on how to get to the top from a peer, I could refine my craft. When you wish to progress in any field of your choice, there are always pioneers who you wish to emulate or check off points that you need to cross before you can even call yourself a real musician or artist. Refiner is an ability that taps into the realm of what a novice would desire. Expert territory." he said, slowing down a bit when he thought she didn't quite understand his articulation.
"That seems like quite a complex ability, how exactly did you figure that out? I honestly thought you were moving the wind when you hit that rock." she said, impressed by his deduction skills.
"You see, when you mentioned that my level escalated a bit further when I made that punch, it all made sense to me. For you to do nifty stuff, you need to be at a higher level to get things done. So I am guessing that punches like the one I made are probably achievable once we reach level 4 or something. So basically my ability makes me momentarily have a certain level so that I can accomplish a task." he said, slowly showing a smirk on his face.
"Holy shit, so if you had one week of practice you could probably do something that people managed to do after 3 years of training by using your ability?" she asked, as her imagination got sparked by the endless possibilities of his power.
"In theory, I should be able to tap into higher levels of anything, as long as I feel like I am lacking in that area." he said, with a highly animated face.
"So the key thing is that it's supposed to be something you have a rudimentary understanding of? Hmm, alright so what do you plan on trying next?"
"Well, I guess I will have to list down a couple of things I will have to get into. Since we are rationing the mana, I might as well choose the right kind of things to experiment my abilities with. So, yeah, that's what's up with my end. How about you and your ability?" he said, feeling like he had exhausted what he needed to say about his stuff.
"Well me, as you can see Tanatswa, I can change any aspect of my body and this transformation barely uses any mana…" she said before being interjected by him.
"I meant like practical things, like you turning into a bird lady or a wolf. Can you turn into other things?" he asked, with a poised look.
"Excuse me," said Shami, who immediately removed Tanatswa's hand from her hand, "what isn't practical about being able to shape shift and preserve your mana for long durations? I hope that was just a poor choice of words, because I believe making myself look this way is pretty practical."
"Okay, I apologise, geez. You didn't have to be all dramatic by removing my hand from your hand." he said, flustered by her angst.
"Oh you would like us to hold hands, right? So just ask me again, nicely." she said, with winced eyes.
"So as I was saying, can you turn into other things besides a bird lady or a wolf? How much mana do those forms take up?" he asked, looking apologetic as he stretched out his hand to touch hers.
"Well from what I remember, it didn't take long before I needed to take another bite of the mana plant. So I guess taking the form of animals must be mana exhaustive." she said, allowing him to place his hand on top of hers.
"Have you tried maybe smaller animals? Like chickens?"
"You'd want me to turn into a chicken? I think I would rather go for something elegant like a cat than to be a chicken. Like really Tanatswa, would seeing me as a chicken be something you'd want to see me turn into?" she asked, disconcerted by his suggestion.
"It's just a thought. You seem to be getting jittered by what I am saying so easily. Like are you in a bad mood today? You're more relaxed than me so it's weird to see you getting so jumpy over me suggesting you turn into a chicken." he said, looking confounded.
"But why a chicken though? You could have said a cute puppy or a cat." she said, now pouting.
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"So it's the kind of creature that concerns you. Wow, I didn't think you would get triggered by the thought of turning into a chicken, then again, I probably have no idea how it feels to shape shift." he said, as he broke into laughter as he scratched his head.
"A chicken should never be your first choice Tanatswa. Come on, like for real, me turning into a chicken, I would rather die. Besides, I haven't yet tried turning into any small animals. I do recall turning into a snake when I fought that guy, but that was in the spur of the moment." she said vivaciously.
"Okay, so a snake, that's a first. Allow me to comment on how ridiculous our conversation sounds. Like you turning into a cat or maybe you can go even further by taking the form of a mosquito." he said, jolting in laughter.
"You know what; I would be a very loud and obnoxious mosquito that would suck your moronic brain dry. Tread carefully Tana, maybe I could crawl on you as a centipede." she said, fiercely as she tried to scold him.
"Oh the human centipede, last time I checked, that was a banned film, and turning into one could be like endorsing bad karma." he said, laughing uncontrollably.
"That reference came out of nowhere and besides, come on, stop laughing. Stop behaving like an idiot. You know, at least when I am teasing you, you enjoy it. I am not liking this one bit." she said, frowning at the sight of him laughing.
"Wait, maybe you could turn into a poodle. I would give you dog biscuits." he said, hugging her in the process to rub it in.
"You know what, you're being a jackass. This became rather tasteless. I will be outside now. When you remember how to talk to me, you know where to find me." she said as she pushed him away and proceeded to exist. Tanatswa quickly broke out of his jolly look and grabbed her by the hand to stop her from leaving.
"I am sorry, that was uncalled for. I got carried away. I won't make any of those stupid jokes again." he said, giving her morose eyes.
"Is that a promise?" she asked, doubting his sincerity.
"Yeah that's a promise." he said, looking even more morose than before.
"With the way you look at me when you apologise, I start to feel sad. It's like emotional manipulation. You probably used this to get your way with a lot of girls." she said, slowly walking back towards him.
"I have lived a pitiful life, so it's easy for me to look this way." he said, feigning a smile.
"You know, you can be full of shit Tanatswa. Alright, I accept your apology. Just no more 'feed me dog biscuits as a poodle' jokes. If it weren't for me being into you I would have already slapped you." she said, as she sat right next to him.
"So ahem, do you still remember the stipulation for mana preservation? The higher your intelligence the less likely you are to use up your bar. So I was considering finding out how far your high intel can affect mana use, since in your case it seems like the mana distribution is determined by the kind of transformation you do." he said, as he explained with one of his hands moving about.
"So you want us to focus on doing experience points purchases on our intelligence to figure out how it will affect our mana consumption, right?"
"Absolutely, so let's do this. Whatever radical developments we notice from our abilities we should share with each other. Since there is no way of telling when a guy like that asshole could show up, it's best that we know the ins and out of our abilities. You never know, maybe you can talk to animals like Eliza Thornberry." he said, raising his eyebrows as he smiled.
"Eliza who?" she asked, clueless of this reference.
"Um, Eliza Thornberry, the girl who could talk to animals. It was an old cartoon that aired on Nickelodeon."
"Emphasis on the old, I probably never watched it." she said, slouching a bit.
"But you're like 2 years younger than me, you would have probably seen it…" he said, before getting interjected.
"Nope, I didn't. Besides, you just made a really ballsy speech just now that got me all excited. Don't ruin it with us arguing about an old cartoon that I never watched. Like come on." she said, giving him the look.
"Alright, fine. So I will head out to train a bit more. I will see you when it's getting dark. If you hear anything or see someone that isn't me, just scream as loud as you can." he said, moving in to kiss her by the cheek. Shami was a bit surprised by this because Tanatswa had never kissed her by the cheek to say goodbye before. She then immediately blushed and told him, "Aren't you getting smooth, oh well, see you later then."
Tanatswa left the cottage and headed out into the jungle to train. Before he had left, he took with him 5 mana plants and carried them using an animal hide satchel. He was driven by the excitement of exploring the various aspects of his ability, hoping to conquer the world. Shami remained and began to test her abilities, apart from applying cosmetic changes to her appearance. She at first recalled the visage of a unicorn and then undressed for fear of tearing up her clothes upon transforming. She turned into a white unicorn with a glowing tail and felt very strange. Her sense of smell, vision and sensitivity to the environment were heightened. She would gallop back and forth to get a feel of how it's like to be like a horse and she soon had a craving for grass. Before she attempted to eat the grass, she thought to herself that probably when she would revert back to her human form, the grass would still remain in her stomach. Unsure of how she would have to deal with digesting animal food once she became human, she dissuaded herself from giving into any animal cravings. The unicorn form was also bleeding her mana dry and she confirmed to herself that out of all the forms she had taken, this one was way too exhaustive. The form lasted only 10mins and then she had to refill by taking another bite. When Shami took on the forms of the wolf and bird lady, the bird lady managed to last at most 20mins and the wolf form 50mins. She was expecting the wolf form to be the juggernaut of mana consumption due to the ferocity and size of these beasts, but her expectations were subverted. With one more mana plant she was willing to use for testing, she decided to use it to turn into a cat. She turned into a cute black Bombay cat that had green eyes and got psyched. Her diminutive stature made things seem larger than life. The cottage, towering wall of rocks and even things like trees had gotten a totally new perspective. Shami also noticed that her form barely drained any mana. It was no different from her body swapping trick in terms of mana consumption and she ran about within the vicinity. In her diminutive cat form, she noticed a small crevice that took her by surprise. She wondered why she and Tanatswa had never noticed it before. She was drawn towards it and moved in closer to inspect. The girl peeped and then squeezed in to try and cross through. Her flexible cat spine and nimble bones made it possible. Though the experience was uncanny, seeing bugs, herbivorous mammals and trees that more or less resembled tall buildings, was quite fascinating to her. Shami decided to roam about within the area before her boyfriend would return, embracing the cat form as everything looked new to her feline eyes.