tushanshu | 004; video; notably completely unencrypted;

[Raine hesitates, for a very short moment, at the start of the video feed before firming the line of her mouth and plunging ahead. She looks tired, but determined.]

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Raine Sage. Please pay attention; I’ll try to keep this brief.

[She sounds more like she’s lecturing a classroom than delivering potentially shattering news.]

If you have previously thought none of this affects you, or if you simply missed the information, at the end of last month our enemy asked us to guess where it really is. Some of you will have already formed your own conclusions about this; I know I’ve certainly talked to some who have.

[Deep breath.]

There’s sufficient data with independent verification that I’m now sure, and everyone needs to be aware of this, sooner rather than later.

Our enemy has possessed Asti himself.

[A pause, considering. Well, the words are out now, no taking them back.]

That’s all. If you wish me to justify myself, either my conclusions or my lack of caution, I’ll do so, but more pressing right now is coming together to find a way forward, now that everyone is apprised of how severe the situation is.

[She lifts her chin a little then, and adds, not to any Foreigner but to the being she is pretty sure is watching,] Well? Do you care to confirm or deny?

---

[ooc; this actually is directly related to Nilin’s post a few days ago! I have talked this out with a few people, Xhan (Nilin-mun) included, and I’m keeping track of what’s happening there for continuity’s sake, but Raine is unfortunately not the most subtle person in the world and is past the point of waiting and watching. For questions comments plotting or concerns, I can be reached at

makaricrow, ceryu (AIM), or makari.crow@gmail.com.]

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[Jackie scratches his head.] Well, I've like...learned a little about chi in the past, but I...never really paid attention to it. [Yeah, Jackie, you probably should have taken notes when Old Salty Crab was talking.]

So...start running...now?

[Yes, that's about what she figured. She needs to never introduce him to Lloyd, they'd only reinforce each others' bad habits.]

Yes, now. Elevating your heart rate will help you become conscious of how your blood flows, and it's the circulatory system which most closely mirrors the movement of mana within a person. Short of being able to feel mana or chi or anything of the sort directly, this is among the more efficient ways to grasp it.

[Jackie shrugs.] Okay.

[And he begins to jog around the park briskly. Get that bloodflow going!]

[Raine... stands and watches him jog, but absently, more to keep an eye on where he is. The majority of her attention is focused inward, on the movement of her own mana, since the next thing she's going to have to do is explain this to him.]

[When some time has passed, and she judges Jackie will probably be able to feel what she wants him to, she waves at him, calls him back over.]

All right. Pay attention to yourself. Where do you feel your pulse most strongly?

Uh... [He has to think. His head's pounding a little, since he's not used to sustained physical activity.] My head, I guess? And my neck, at my throat.

[Seems about right.]

What you're feeling is not only your blood flowing, but also your mana. You may be from a world without magic, but every living being has it. Don't doubt that.

[She can sense it in him, even if he can't. Human, warm and living, full of the same potential that every other being is.]

Latch on to that feeling-- movement without movement, the pulse of life, continuous and determined. Life wants to persist: that's its instinct, no matter what the form, and it will protect you, if you let it.

[Raine pauses, decides to provide a quick demonstration. Visualization can help! She braces her staff horizontally in front of her, exhales, and flattens her palms as if to ward something off. In that movement a translucent green sphere pops up around her, spinning slowly, before vanishing as easily as it came.]

Use a defensive stance that's familiar to you, and a memory of feeling safe may not go amiss at first. Becoming aware of the movement of your mana, and then inviting it to protect you are the two key steps. [Another brief pause. Dryly, hefting her staff meaningfully:] I'm not above providing object motivation.

[Well, now that he's seen it, he can do it. In theory.

Jackie's seen so many kung fu movies. So he picks a familiar Bruce Lee defensive stance (from that movie where he beats the shit out of Chuck Norris) and concentrates.

A green bubble, similar to Raine's, flickers into life around him, and as he gets excited about it it disappears.]

Hey, did you see that?

[She smiles approvingly. Even Lloyd, instinctively skilled as he is, had to take a few clips to figure it out. There's potential here, though not the sort she can really mentor much, unfortunately.]

A good start. You'll notice a little drain on your energy, but it won't be enough to hinder you significantly unless you use it several times in a row. This sort of shield is slightly better in defense against magic than blows, but can make the difference between a fatal strike and a survivable one.

[...he is, however, not getting away with only one demonstrable instance.] Again. You should be able to do this reliably.

[Jackie looks a little panicked. Again? You want him to do it again? Hey, just doing it once had been weird enough!

Still, he grits his teeth and he tries again. It's a little more hesitant this time, but it stays up for longer before he loses concentration and it evaporates.]

[Raine nods. He can do it. Good. Excellent, even. While it's up she swings her staff gently, aiming for the bubble itself rather than him. It doesn't deflect the staff outright, but does significantly impede the momentum, and she'd judge that while the shield is weaker than hers, it's still strong enough it may save a life in a pinch.]

Good. Some people also find it useful to give the technique a name, if that will help you.

Once more, please. I don't want to exhaust you, but the repetition will help the feeling sink in.

[Jackie nods.] Yeah, okay. [He's got this. He's totally got this. He takes a deep breath, and makes another attempt. This one comes easier, like he's really getting the hang of it, and the bubble pops up, nice and green and strong-looking. It probably won't last.]

[It won't -- this technique isn't meant for prolonged use -- but it's enough. Raine nods once more, pleased.]

I believe you have the hang of it. You'll want to practice, to the point that it becomes reflexive, but I'd be confident leaving you to your own devices for now.

I wish there was something else useful I could teach you, but that's about all I have to offer at the moment. [There's no real substitute for elven blood, after all, and she's highly doubtful she'll find Aionis here, but Jackie really could use some more practice. They all could.]

Is there someone you can practice martial arts with?

There's a dojo, right? I could try there. [Truthfully, his kung fu is rusty and largely forgotten; he's only gotten this far from his semi-encyclopedic knowledge of martial arts movies.]

[A quick nod.]

There is-- I believe Korra runs it, if you've met her. That should be a good place to start.

[And she will absolutely find out somehow if he doesn't do some kind of practice.]

004; video; notably completely unencrypted;

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