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Everyone's a Catgirl! Ch. 277: Wistful
🕑 Added 2024-10-10 01:40:50 +0000 UTCAlia glided her fingers through her hair while she waited for the man of the hour to appear. It’d only been a day, but to her, it felt much longer. She found herself enamored with the shape of his jaw, the unassuming tone of his voice, that sparkle in his eye that she found in scarce others.
Is it just because I don’t talk to others?
An unexplainable obsession had taken root in her mind, her body. She brushed one tender finger across her lips, wondering how their kiss would taste. She found herself trembling at the thought. Her face burned, and she buried her hands between her legs in shame.
He’ll be here any second. You have to calm—
A knock came at her door. “Alia, are you in there?” Tristan’s voice.
“Y-yes! Come in!” Alia stammered.
The man smiled as he entered, shutting the door behind him. He was dressed in his [Combat Mode] attire. Alia fought hard to ignore the signs of vigor on his face. He didn’t seem in the least bit tired or fatigued. There was a spring in his step, and she couldn’t help but squint. Had he found rest at last?
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“N-no!” Alia said, waving her hands in front of her. She rose to her feet, adjusting the cloak around her shoulders. Underneath, she wore a traditional San Island dress with a shorter skirt. It resembled the one she usually saw Yanni wear, though this one was…even shorter than hers and bore black and violet embroidery. It’d been a gift from Emberlynn herself, though she had struggled to find an occasion to wear it. Until now. “You just seem so… energetic this evening.”
“Oh, haha.” He rubbed the back of his neck. Goodness, his laugh was infectious. “I guess I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of this myana control. Look!” He gently took her arm and gestured for her to sit down on the floor. She allowed him to guide her. Then, he reached for a small pouch around his belt. He spilled the stones onto the floor, and immediately Alia could sense the myana within each stone. “I was going to ask Ravyn how I did, but she’s not my teacher. You are. How did I do?”
How did he…?
Alia carefully picked up each stone and examined them. The topaz, the sapphire, the rocks made up of several impure and uncut gems; all of them were filled to the brim with myana.
“Hang on,” she said, leaning to her side to reach for a leather-bound book that rested on a podium. It held within it a record of all of her experiments and studies. Additionally, it contained notes regarding Tristan’s progress and her thoughts on where he could improve. “Come on,” she whispered as her fingers brushed the bottom of the journal. A cool breeze swept over her thighs, and as the book fell from the stand, she caught it. “There we go.”
Tristan had averted his gaze, and a light blush colored his cheeks.
What has him flustered all of a sudden?
Alia couldn’t figure it out, so she brought her attention back to the book and turned the pages until she came upon the record she kept of each stone she’d handed Tristan. While she could detect how much myana was within each stone—and they were all full—she couldn’t remember exactly how much she’d filled each stone before she’d given them to him.
She guided her finger down the list, noting the rough percentage of myana kept within the stones. Not a single one of them had been full when she handed them to Tristan. What’s more, the one brimming with the highest amount of myana—the sapphire—had been half full.
She snapped the book shut and set it beside her. He’d figured it out so quickly. “Amazing work, Tristan.” Her words came out barely loud enough for them to hear. Her thoughts wandered momentarily to the idea of tearing off his clothes. What a brilliant mind.
“Thank you! It finally clicked after Ravyn gave me some advice.”
Emberlynn’s daughter? What is she to him?
Alia’s fingers curled with jealousy. “I’m glad to hear that, Tristan.” She pressed a finger against the topaz, then shut her eyes. “I’m going to take the myana from this stone. I’d like to watch you pour your own myana into it next. Forgive me. I don’t mean to imply that you’re lying to me, but I’d watch it personally.”
Tristan chuckled. “That’s understandable. I take no offense.”
The truth was, Alia could tell the difference. Myana carried a sign, a codex to it that could be deciphered by an experienced [Wizard]. In fact, most [Mage]s could at least tell when a source of myana that wasn’t their own was permeating the air. Without prior knowledge of the caster’s myana, however, it was typically impossible to tell whose it was.
The myana came out of the stone in wisps of blue. Within the wisps were subtle differences. One of these energies felt cool and caressing; this was her own myana. The next one was somewhat erratic and tingled the hairs on her skin when it swept over her. Much like [Farsight]’s strange side effects.
Most unique of them, however, was the third. At one moment, it would knead the tension in her neck and back; the next, it would swirl around her, searching and probing for…something.
As the stone emptied, she opened her eyes and panted for breath.
“Are you alright?” Tristan asked, frowning.
“Yes, quite,” Alia said, blushing. Absorbing his myana had proven to be the intimate experience she was expecting, albeit with some interruptions. The thought of his energies mingling with hers brought heat to her skin. Her ears flicked forward, and her tail writhed behind her. An eagerness to feel their bodies connect filled her. “I-I cannot tell which of these energies are yours,” she lied, pushing the stone toward him. “Fill the stone with your myana.”
I want his myana, and his alone.
Euphoric as it had been to mingle with Tristan’s energies, Ravyn’s myana seemed to carry some intent behind it, pricking her skin whenever she became comfortable with the sensation. She felt like a kitten being watched over by her nyanny. It was infuriating.
Calm down, Alia. He's here to be trained. Do your job, as Mistress Emberlynn told you.
“Okay. Can do,” Tristan said as he picked up the stone, closing his hand over it. He had so much more enthusiasm in his movements than usual. An air of excitement surrounded him, and she couldn’t help but smile.
As he concentrated, Alia adjusted her posture, sitting atop her calves with her hands on her thighs. The skirt rested halfway up her thigh, and part of her hoped Tristan might notice. Myana penetrated the air. Just as she’d expected, his was the myana that swirled and prodded curiously. She swallowed the building lump in her throat, relieved to see Tristan’s eyes open when her mind had begun to wander again.
“You tell me what you think,” Tristan said, extending his hand, palm up.
Alia plucked the stone from his hand and observed it. Her breathing sped. It was filled with curious energies. The myana fought the confines of its prison, avid to enter another’s body. Taking a hint of the myana into her, she could sense its curiosities continue within her, exploring the intricacies of their new vessel. She refrained from moving too much, suggesting too much. From what Mistress Emberlynn had told her, Tristan had much to think about. She wished desperately not to add to his turmoil.
This isn’t right. I need to stop. He has enough going on.
Her breathing calmed, and she set the stone on the floor. “Great job, Tristan. I’m so proud of you. Transferring myana to stones and using them for your magic will be how you cast many of your Spells as a [Wizard].” She put a hand to her chest and brushed the dip of her neck. It was time to move on. “This is good. We can discuss the stars now.”
“That’s been on my mind for a while,” Tristan said, crossing his arms. He tilted his head to one side, observing her the same way he did whenever he appeared to be concentrating. “I’m hoping that’s not a concern for my Spells later on. I don’t want my Party to suffer because the stars aren’t out or anything.”
Alia smiled. Such a thoughtful man. “There are methods for evading such issues.” She stood up and brushed her knees and shins, beckoning him toward the balcony. “Come.”
Tristan got up and followed her outside. As she came to the balcony’s edge, Tristan stopped beside her. She pointed at the full moon. Dark clouds covered the bottom half. “That is where we draw our power from. The moon, as well as the stars.” She allowed her arm to fall to her side. “We are at our strongest when the moon and stars are within full view. As you can see, half of the moon is covered right now.”
Tristan hummed in understanding.
“That’s where our stones come in,” Alia said as she procured another stone from one of the pockets in her cloak. It was an empty garnet of moderate quality. She waited for the clouds to pass by. When they did, she held up the stone just as a ray of moonlight blanketed the town of Zhuli. Bathed in pearlescent light, she concentrated on the stone, then slowly poured her myana inside. When she felt it approaching the limits of its containment, she stopped and held the stone at eye level. “Here,” she said as she extended it, “feel that.”
Tristan took the stone, flinching. “It’s so cold,” he hissed. He pulled some of his cloak over and used it to hold the stone. “It almost burns.”
Alia smiled. “That’s the full force of the moon.”
Tristan marveled at the rock. “Does it always feel like this?”
Alia shook her head. “No. I poured the coldest of my myana into the stone so that it resembles ice. You can do this with any element. As you grow more accustomed to the sensation of myana, the effects it has on your skin will dwindle. Eventually, you will feel only the most subtle hints of magic within.”
“So, I don’t have to worry about the stones burning holes in my clothes?”
Alia giggled. “No, silly. That’s just your sensitivity to the myana.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
“I know it’s uncomfortable, but try to hold that stone with your hands. I promise it won’t hurt you.”
Tristan removed the cloak and held the stone in his hand. “It hurts a bit,” he murmured through clenched teeth.
“That’s normal.” She turned around and leaned against the railing. “Our next lesson will encompass two factors.” She held up her pointer finger. “First involves the pouring of myana into a stone while under a fully visible moon. Depending on how the moon looks, the power of the myana will be stronger.” At that, she pointed up. “The moon is full tonight, so it is at its strongest.”
“Okay,” Tristan breathed as little beads of sweat collected on his forehead. They reminded her much of when she was learning to become a [Wizard] and how much the stone hurt to hold. But he was a man, not a kitten. She had no doubt he would outperform her if he had already learned how to transfer myana to so many kinds of gems.
“Second will be increasing your tolerance to empowered myana. [Mage] Classes are innately sensitive to myana. We need to dull your sensitivity. Help you get accustomed to forces greater than your own.” She inhaled, then slowly exhaled. “This part can…take some time. There are many scholars who believe that certain methods may expedite the process, but from my experience, holding empowered stones is the quickest and most sure way to dull myana sensitivity.”
“Do you think changing my thought process might work?”
Alia nodded. “Very much. Your mind is your greatest strength but also your greatest weakness.”
“Mind over matter.”
Alia frowned. “I’m sorry?”
He shook his head. “A term from my last world. ‘Mind over matter’ is a phrase suggesting that our willpower, our mind, has more control over what we feel rather than our physical bodies.” He curled his fingers over the rock and steadied his breathing.
He’s so intelligent. What I wouldn’t give to take him to a room and—
Nonsense. Utter nonsense.
Tristan chuckled, then opened his eyes and his hand. “That hurts more than I was expecting. But I think it’s working.”
“G-great!”
“So, then are the stars important here?”
“Yes. The stars are far away, though, so their power isn’t as great as the moon.” She turned back around and leaned her arms on the balcony’s frame. “I’ve heard that [Warlock]s know how to draw out the full power of the stars, but I’m not aware of any that are alive.”
“Not a single one?”
Alia shook her head, then turned it toward him. “Third Classes are very rare. Catgirls don’t gain Experience at the same rate as men. Unless we’re in their Party, of course. And even then, it’s at a much slower rate. It’s why many catgirls dream of traveling with men. We hope that we might unlock some secret or greater understanding of our world by becoming their companion.” She bowed her head and played with her fingertips. “Maybe I’m projecting.”
A silence swept by them as she thought of her mother. She’d been so close to becoming a [Warlock]. Until that day she…
“I won’t disappoint you,” Tristan said. “I’ll become a [Warlock]. And when I do, I’ll come back and help you become one as well.”
“W-w-well, hold on there.” Alia laughed nervously. “You can’t say that so assuredly. I know how dangerous a man’s line of work is, so please…don’t make that kind of promise.”
I don’t want another situation like Mom.
Tristan grew silent. Minutes passed before their conversation resumed to the matter of becoming a [Wizard]. Alia continued to guide him, and Tristan made impeccable progress.
When he left, Alia drew her curtains and locked her doors. She clasped her hands on top of her chest while she lay on her bed. Her mind wandered, not to thoughts of Tristan, but of her mother.
Are we all doomed to such fates? What will it take to break this wheel?
