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Everyone's a Catgirl! Ch. 274: Gilded Icons and Dogmatic Rituals
🕑 Added 2024-08-18 02:24:29 +0000 UTCAlia grazed the edges of her gemstones while she waited at the balcony’s edge for Tristan. The warmth of his body and the easy tone of his voice pricked the corners of her mind like an Encroacher thirsty for water. Her mind wandered, and soon she thought of being on a couch once more, laid bare so that Tristan could draw every curve and contour of her body.
She swallowed hard, then began to caress the large amulet around her neck. She imagined the sensation of his skin on her fingertips when the sudden creak of the door caught her attention. Her gaze veered, and Tristan appeared, dressed in his [Combat Mode] attire.
He offered a curt nod as he strode toward her. She gaped for a moment, then caught herself, shaking her head. “Good evening, Tristan,” she said.
“Good evening,” he yawned.
She giggled. “Still getting used to meeting like this, I see.”
He nodded and blinked his eyes rapidly. “I guess so. I’m sorry for falling asleep on top of you last night.”
Alia paused. He had nothing to apologize for. If anything, she felt gratitude was in order. “Think nothing of it,” she said as she tapped her fingertips together. “S-shall we continue where we left off?”
Tristan nodded. “Please.”
“Excellent. Myana, then.” She sat on the floor and splayed a few gems out in front of her. She motioned for Tristan, and he took a seat across from her. “Last time we talked, you were trying to get a hold on how to control your myana. I’d like to see if we can improve your control.”
“I was thinking about that,” Tristan said, crossing his arms, “and I wanted to confirm something with you.”
Alia smiled. “Go ahead.”
“From the way you described it prior, you made it sound like whenever myana leaves my body, I should feel this cold sensation through my veins. Is that right?”
Alia nodded.
“So, when I call out the Spell, I feel just that,” Tristan continued. “But I don’t understand how I’m supposed to control that feeling.”
Alia thought for a time. Most kittens understood the basic sensation behind myana in just a few years into their lives. They may not know how to explain it, but like a spider building its web, it came naturally. Instinctually. The fact that Tristan knew nothing of myana despite his apparent prowess as a [Mage] was peculiar. To her, it was as simple as breathing.
How do I teach him to breathe?
“I think I may know a way to help you understand,” Alia said.
“Alright.”
“Remember when I mentioned mindfulness the last time we spoke?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s practice that. Have you ever meditated?” she asked. When Tristan shook his head, it didn’t come as a surprise. A man like him was likely thinking during all hours of the day. Perhaps this would be a good way to help him relax. “I don’t know if there’s a best way to do it, but I’ll teach you the way that I meditate.”
Tristan adjusted his posture and exhaled. “I’m ready.”
“Cross your legs like this.” Alia relaxed her spine and set her hands on both of her knees. “The important part is to make sure you’re comfortable. So once you find a position you’re happy with, we’ll continue.”
Tristan shifted a few times. “Alright, I’m comfortable.”
“Good. Don’t fall asleep.” She giggled. “Now, shut your eyes.”
Tristan did as she said.
“Breathe slow and easy. Careful, steady breaths,” she said.
Tristan nodded, and she watched as his chest rose and fell, listening to the sound of air entering and escaping his nose. The thought of tearing his shirt open popped into her mind, but she was quick to dismiss it.
Professional! Stay professional! She cleared her throat.
“Is everything alright?” he frowned, his eyes still closed.
“F-fine,” she stammered and silently cursed herself. “Let’s make an adjustment. Try breathing in with your nose and out through your mouth.” He did as such, and she smiled. “Good. Just like that,” she whispered. “Now, I want you to focus on something for me.”
“Okay.”
“Focus on the sound of my voice.” She spoke slowly and carefully, as if cooing a newborn kitten. “The beat of your heart. Air entering and leaving your lungs.” Seconds passed between each sentence, and she observed him with a watchful eye to ensure he was listening. She waited, and his shoulders visibly relaxed. “Just like that. Do you hear the insects outside?”
“Uh-huh,” Tristan murmured.
“Good. Listen to them. Focus on the sound.” Tens of seconds passed. “Now, brush your fingers together. Focus on the sensation of your skin brushing…against…another’s skin.”
Tristan frowned.
Oh, come on! Keep it together! Alia took a deep breath before continuing. “Sorry. I meant to say, focus on the sensation of your fingers touching one another.” Nice recovery! I think? “Allow my voice to become distant. As if you were walking away from me. Focus on what you feel, hear, smell, taste. Find that thin, cold thread inside you. Absorb it and breathe.”
Alia swallowed hard as she watched Tristan breathe and brush his fingers together. Her gaze narrowed in on his lips, and she licked her own in turn. She imagined his hair riddled with sweat, tangled and curled, her hands forcing his head back while she rocked—
“I think I feel it,” Tristan said. “Yes, I think so.”
Alia buried her ashamed face into her palms, then quickly pulled away. “Good. Track that feeling down. Tell me what it feels like.”
“Cool…but not cold, if that makes sense.”
Alia nodded. “It caresses you, makes up everything around you. Concentrate.”
Tristan nodded and frowned. “It’s hard to pinpoint it…every time I think I’m close, it escapes.”
“Keep trying. Myana has a fickle nature,” Alia said as she shifted to her hands and feet, edging closer to him. “It’ll come to you so long as you’re patient.”
“I think it’s right there,” Tristan mumbled.
“Uh-huh,” Alia said, nearing closer. Her heart hammered against her chest, the heat rising to her face. Her tongue eagerly writhed behind her lips.
“Warmth?”
Alia stopped and blanched. Her breathing hitched and she pulled back just before Tristan opened his eyes. “W-w-what did you feel?”
“Serenity,” Tristan said. “It sweeps around me like a blanket. As if someone…poured cool water into my veins.”
Get your act together! Now! “You’re doing it properly,” Alia said. She shut her eyes for a moment to compose herself.
“Are you alright?”
“Mhm!” Her eyes snapped open, and she gestured to the gemstones. “Now that you have a feeling for it, I want you to try and imagine the hairs on your skin guiding your myana through the air toward the stones.” She raised a finger. “Concentrate on that feeling. Remember how it felt when you let loose that [Fire Ball] Spell.”
“I’ll try.” Tristan extended his palm toward the topaz and steadied his breathing. His brow twitched.
“Calm, Tristan,” Alia said. “Calm. Take your time. We have nowhere to go. This room is ours…and ours alone.”
Tristan’s extended fingers bent forward slightly, and the muscles of his face softened. Alia looked down at the stones, restraining a gasp when she saw a gentle hue of blue escape from his fingertips. The wisp of light flowed forward in a wave, slithering toward the stone.
“Just like that, Tristan,” Alia murmured. “Don’t stop.”
“Okay,” he murmured.
The myana continued to tickle and caress the topaz, wrapping around it like twine. Alia watched carefully, shifting her gaze between Tristan’s face, the stone, and the surrounding myana to ensure he wasn’t allowing his impatience to win. And then it happened. The point of the wisp entered the stone, vanishing with the contact. To avoid ruining his concentration, Alia kept her mouth shut tight and observed the myana’s interaction.
After a time, the wisp halted, flowing over the stone, then past the others beside it.
“Am I doing something wrong?” Tristan asked. “Something changed.”
“No! That was perfect! Open your eyes!”
Tristan blinked his eyes open, gaping when he saw the topaz glowing with a faint blue. “Did I do that?”
“Yes!” She clapped her hands together, proud of her student. “You’re learning how to pour your myana into objects.”
Tristan pinched his chin and tilted his head to the side. “That was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. It’s difficult to describe.”
“But it feels natural, doesn’t it?”
Tristan looked at her and smiled. “Now that you mention it, yeah. It does.”
“Oh goodness, I’m so proud of you,” Alia said as she plucked the stone from the floor. She caressed it between her pointer finger and thumb, feeling his myana within. The stone had not been completely empty, and she could feel the difference between her myana and his. The two energies intertwined, coalescing into a single pool. She fought back the urge to lick her lips as the thought of sharing a bed with Tristan made its welcomed return.
“I’m going to give you some study work for tomorrow,” Alia said before her thoughts could devour her.
“So then, you’re letting me out early?”
Alia nodded. “Yes. This was all I’d planned, as I had not intended for you to learn how to pour your myana into a stone as quickly as you did. So, what I’d like for you to do is practice on your own with these. Outside of my influence.” She reached into one of the many inside pockets of her cloak and withdrew a handful of stones of varying colors and cuts. She held them out, clenched in her hand, then released them into Tristan’s open palm.
“What I want you to do,” Alia continued, using both of her hands to close his grip over the stones, “is to try to pour myana into each stone until they’re full. Some materials are less accepting of myana than others, so they’ll make good practice.” She withdrew her hands with a jolt when she realized she’d been touching his hands for some time now. “I-in addition to that, I want you to keep note of which ones were the most difficult to penetrate.”
Tristan smiled. “That sounds like it’ll be good practice for getting my myana under control.”
Alia returned his expression. “Exactly right! Once we’re done with that, we’ll move onto my favorite part about magic.”
Tristan opened his [Cat Pack] and set the gemstones inside. “And what part is that?”
Alia turned around to look at the dark night sky. “The stars.”
