"Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet."
~Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

It was a cool Saturday afternoon, and so Sivanna was quite more than pleased to spend it in the humid, toasty climate of the Isle. Thankfully, she was outfitted comfortably in a pair of black leggings, knee-high boots, and a black tank top, because she had spent the majority of that morning chasing a small, green critter around the Isle itself.

?Come? here you irritating, foxlike mutant! Do not make me cast a stasis spell on you. So help me, I will!? the cleric shrieked at the Pomeranian-sized, long-eared, three-tailed teal summon as it continuously attempted to escape her clutches and hightail it into the thick brush.

?Please, just work with me, will you, Carbuncle? Ahni will be here any minute, and all I want is to--?

Her words were cut off as the off-colored fox barked. A harmonica-sized, ellipsoidal ruby on its head glowed an angry red, and Sivanna let out an aggravated shout as her keen Elvish sight was obscured by a brilliant white light. Desperately, the summon tried to squirm out of her arms again. Out of options, the elfess growled out a slew of harsh foreign words. Immediately, the fox chirped, whined, and froze.

Very carefully, the summon was set down onto the sand. As Sivanna dropped to a knee, she filled the curve of her palm with the ruby on the creature?s forehead. It was almost a perfect fit-- as though it were destined to serve from its birth. Much softer, musical words slid past the cleric?s lips as she stroked Carbuncle?s neon fur.

?You will behave now, yes?? the steel-eyed summoner purred, exchanging a gentle look with the critter. A tiny whimper was all the answer she needed. In seconds, the quadruped shook, as if throwing water off its body after a bath. A grumble sounded from its wrinkled snout, but it resigned to sitting complacently upon the sand.

With a smile, Sivanna rose to her full height and set her hands upon her hips. Steel eyes drifted in the direction of the portal.

?By the end of today, I will have Ahni summoning you,? she asserted with a wicked, enthusiastic grin.

Sivanna only laughed. It was a musical, wind chime of a laugh, and one that was designed to completely pacify the flustered half-elf. As if to emphasize the sentiment, the Elvish cleric cleared the space between them in two strides and moved to gather Ahni up in her arms.

?Ceri eir vol,? she replied soothingly, stifling any giggles, lest the half-elf misconstrue them as mockery. ?Do not think on it, my friend. You are here, and that is all that matters.?

Behind the cleric?s left heel, the teal-furred fox hybrid piped up with a bark. A wet nose poked out beside Sivanna?s calf as the summon turned glossy black eyes on his temporary summoner?s companion. Another yip chirruped from him, as if commencing some informal inquisition. The elfess only waved her hand at the furry critter, who merely swished all three of its tails in disappointment and seated himself again.

When at last Sivanna released Ahni, she bent her head back to get a proper look at the half-elf?s state. Tisking silently, the cleric paid her friend an apologetic look.

?Would you like to reschedule, mellonamin?? she asked with concern? though to be honest, it was tinged with subtle amusement.

A small, pink tongue curled out as the summon yawned quite exaggeratedly. As Ahni reached out, he blinked slowly and bent forward to sniff at the half-elf?s hand. After only a few seconds, he grew bored, let his head droop, and yawned again.

?This?? Sivanna began, nudging the furred critter on the haunch to encourage it to stand. ?? is Carbuncle. I plan to have you summoning him by the end of the lesson,? she asserted firmly, turning a meaningful look upon her copper-haired friend.

?He is very useful for reflective and defense spells. Someone you can call upon when you need to escape,? she continued, kneeling partially to run the pad of her thumb over the ruby on the creature?s forehead. ?Of course, he is just the first of many?? Her words were briefly interrupted by a soft yip from Carbuncle?s throat. ?But he is also one of the most tolerant, I find. And he suits you quite well.?

Again, the fox hybrid eyed Ahni, cocking its head blankly, the way a dog might when presented with something it didn?t quite understand.

?He doesn?t see you yet, but he will,? Sivanna explained, noting the summon?s odd look. As she rose, the elfess made to brush the half-elf?s shoulder lightly.

?I won?t lie, mellonamin. It will be very difficult at first. You may feel sick, you may faint? I don?t know. But I assure you that it will become easier the more summons you master.? A warm, reassuring smile punctuated that sentiment.

With a sharp intake of breath, Sivanna clapped her hands once, and chafed her palms together.

?Are you ready to begin??

Silently, Sivanna nodded and bent at the waist to unzip her boots. She tossed them aside, and allowed herself to fall gracefully into a seated position there on the sand. Legs crossed in a meditative position, the elfess slanted a meaningful look at Ahni, inaudibly inviting her to sit down as well.

As the cleric rested the backs of her wrists daintily on her knees, she nodded once to Carbuncle, who took the hint and trotted between them. The three-tailed critter circled twice in place, the way a dog might before laying down for the night, and seated himself with a flick of ears. His snout scrunched up in protest from a few stray grains of sand tickling his nose, then, and he pawed at it irritatedly with a tiny, high-pitched growl.

Adopting the most serene look, Sivanna redirected her attention to the half-elf, wishing for all the world she would shed her skittish exterior if only for the next few hours. The exercise they were about to embark upon required a tremendous amount of concentration, and Ahni could not be bothered with frivolous troubles and anxiety if she were to be successful in it.

Ultimately it was a wise decision on Sivanna?s part to locate the lesson on the Isle. A place with any smaller amount of magic might have been too taxing for the both of them. She closed her eyes, and in a deep breath, the air around the cleric became thick. It shimmered, it waved, and it faltered-- like a mirage in the heat of desert. For only a moment-- less than the length of a human heartbeat-- her own form seemed to lack boundaries. Her skin blurred-- perhaps it was just a trick of the light?-- and as it did, she paled substantially, invoking a concentrated amount of dark magic from the expanse of magic-imbued land around them.

When she regained her senses, she was more solid than before. Though her eyes were black, Sivanna appeared tranquil. Indeed, despite the havoc dark magic often played on her health, the invocation of it often brought her peace. It brought her assurance; security. It was a safeguard. It was a tool. It was the air she breathed, and as far as she was concerned, without it, she would die. It was part of who she was as much as were the nails on her fingertips, or her hands themselves. Tandros air eir, her Silvanesti signet ring read. Magic is all. And she would always embrace that philosophy, as long as she lived.

As inky black, sightless eyes rested upon her companion, Sivanna offered a reassuring smile.

?Take a deep breath,? the cleric ordered softly, trying to calm the excitable half-elf to the best of her ability. She patted her midsection, indicating where her diaphragm was. ?From here. Deep. Feel it in your toes.?

Here came a hard part-- one that could be dangerous, for both of them. But the air about Sivanna thrummed with anticipation nonetheless. She was more than eager to find out just how much Ahni was capable of.

?Now I want you to invoke every bit of magic into yourself as you can. Do not stop until I tell you to.?

As the Biomancer began her invocation, Sivanna uttered a soft, foreign word of command that restored milky-white irises to pools of black within her eyes. It was a spell of sight-- one that gave her an halycon view of the Weave. It was broader, clearer with regard to detail but bedimmed of all things concrete. Boundaries did not exist in this state? only magic.

The Weave to Sivanna was not a quilt or continuous work of the arcane as some mages might perceive. It was inconsistent-- like an histolic view of organic cartilage. The threads were present, and many intersected, but there was no predictable pattern to them save for when they were directly utilized. Any less-experienced mage looking directly into the Weave might be distracted for the way aelondraelaer, or enlightened magic lived within the sentient life forms on the Isle. A hermit crab skittered past Sivanna?s foot, its aura a fluorescent light bulb of white glow that was ebbing quickly. His life would end soon, and that magic would then be restored to the net of magic that lay deep within the planet?s core, to redistribute as it would. It was like a physical form of energy, magic. It could never be created or destroyed, only borrowed and returned. A science for the supernatural.

As Sivanna watched, the flow of arcane circled around Ahni like a conduit. Threads bled through the sands below and bound directly to the insubstantial aura that radiated about her form like a second skin. The more threads and threads of green magic that continued to connect with the half-elf lit her up like Yule to the cleric?s enlightened eyes. Soon she gave off a phosphorescent green glow. It was mute, and nearly inconceivable to describe. Nuances that lay in wild magic always thrilled Sivanna. Utilizing an elemental form of magic was always a bold experience-- straightforward and epigrammatic. But there were so many inconsistencies and variations in wild magic. It would be like comparing a glass of milk to one with a drop of honey or a dash cayenne pepper added. There were always subtle, unaccountable variables within it? hence why the Silvanesti had since before the Cataclysm referred to green magic as ?wild.?

About the time Ahni had begun her invocation, Carbuncle had snapped to attention. Soon the teal-furred summon was observing the half-elf with interested eyes. His peony aura thrummed with anticipation as Ahni?s thickened.

But soon Sivanna perceived the stretching of Biomancer?s arcane shell. The convex skeleton sucked inward like a diaphragm, and the cleric imagined it was a matter of seconds before it snapped back and severed ties briefly with the half-elf?s form. Disconnecting an aura from a sentient being-- especially a magically inclined one-- was like depriving the brain of oxygen for a time. The healing-- or detrimental-- powers of magic could not function, just as synapses within the nervous system would be prevented from transmitting signals. The stimulus just wasn?t there.

?Ahni?? the elfess began, as she noticed her friend beginning to sway. But before she could say any more, Sivanna sensed the elastic recoil of Ahni?s aura, and in seconds, she appeared to be unconscious.

Uttering a soft curse under her breath, the cleric abandoned her comfortable position and moved to kneel beside Ahni, placing a cold hand on her friend?s forehead.

?This is no time to be sleeping, mellonamin. Wake up,? she ordered firmly, fishing a vial of smelling salts out of her pocket. The things smelled awful, but they did the trick. Uncorking the vessel, she held it just below the half-elf?s nose.

?That was sloppy, mellonamin. Sloppy, sloppy. We?re going to try again,? she uttered evenly as she continued to hold the salts within inhalation distance.

Whether or not Ahni heard her, it became obvious at that point that while Sivanna strived to be a good friend, a loving friend, she was one heck of a stern teacher.

Despite the severity of her resolve only minutes ago, compassion leaked into Sivanna?s expression as she helped the half-elf to sit up. The salts were withdrawn without hesitation, corked, and dropped to the sands beside them. But Sivanna wasn?t watching the salts. She was watching Ahni?s eyes. The colorlessness was alarming, and for a moment, the elfess half expected her friend to faint again. But she had more strength than Sivanna gave her credit for, and as she resumed her meditative position, the cleric smiled.

?Focus on one draw point, mellonamin,? the former general instructed evenly, studying the Biomancer?s wavering aura. She must be exhausted? thought Sivanna woefully. But she certainly did not want for spirit.

?When you ask for the power, do not take it from here?? the cleric murmured softly, moving to set her hand over the half-elf?s heart. ?That would be like breaking down your own muscles for sustenance.? The explanation was gruesome, but not far from the truth. The shell of magic that surrounded a user was a frail thing that was constantly broken down, with the remnants restored to the net of magic in all living things. When the last of that magic was exhausted, the energy borrowed by that life was returned.

White-on-black eyes pierced Ahni meaningfully as Carbuncle whimpered and inched forward to lick the half-elf?s hand. The cleric gathered up grains of sand within her fingers, pressed down on the earth beneath them. ?Take it from here.?

Leaning back, Sivanna took up her meditative position, and clucked her tongue once to encourage Carbuncle to return to his attentive state.

?I want you to try again, mellonamin,? she commanded. ?When you feel the darkness upon you, stop, but do not release the magic.?

All the while Ahni had been performing her magical invocation, Carbuncle?s aura had undergone an enlightening change.

Where there had been a generally solid, peony exoskeleton that surrounded his form was now porous and insubstantial one. The thing wavered delicately like a spider web with the very slightest disruption in static balance. But like a spider web, it was nearly indestructible, and only appeared so to the magically inclined. Sivanna was no such fool as to discount the summon?s strength. The aura shimmered, it thinned, and then drifted outward toward Ahni like phantasmal fingers ready to brush up against her own. The sensation was warm and accommodating-- like stepping out into sunlight after an entire day being cooped up indoors; as though through this connection was the only way a life was to be lived.

The gossamer shell only extended so far, however. Once it had stretched halfway between Carbuncle and Ahni, it stopped. And that would be the expanse of it for now. After all? this exercise was about a partnership. Now it was Ahni?s turn.

?Now?? Sivanna added softly, keeping a keen eye on half-elf as her energy reserves dwindled. ?Reach out to him,? she instructed.

A good thing the half-elf had a mind to withdraw her fingers. If she had made any attempt to reach out and physically touch Carbuncle, Sivanna might have fiercely slapped her hand away? which was likely the last thing Ahni needed, in an unsteady state like hers.

The cleric watched on, her breath held, as her friend delved deep into her core and coaxed her aura into a mild form of expansion. And in no time at all, the threads of Weave magic snaking about the half-elf?s and the summon?s forms entwined together, reacting positively with one another and feeding off each selective form of energy encased within. Though the insubstantial auras seemed to blend, they did not mix-- rather maintained an independent suspension. It was a two-toned, almost pastel composition of emerald and peony, and one that assured Sivanna of something: In this bond, both magic users maintained their own levels of individuality. For now, the threads were hardly braided; were stuck together weakly, like Velcro. But it would take very little time for that bond to strengthen between them. Perhaps only a few more summoning instances, actually.

With a subdued half-smile, the elfess turned her black-on-white gaze to her friend and nodded softly. Carbuncle rose from his seated position and moved to nuzzle Ahni on the knee, which stretched that half-smile of Sivanna?s into a proud, full one.

?He sees you now, mellonamin,? the cleric reassured Ahni with a soft exhale of relief. Wells of pitch rested on the little one in appraisal. The elfess had not failed to note the extent of Ahni?s exertion. She could experiment with Carbuncle?s reflective, defensive, and apparative spells later. For now?

?Why don?t you ask him to lend you some of his strength?? the cleric suggested softly, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing in anticipation. Meanwhile, Carbuncle looked up at the half-elf expectantly, his tails swishing playfully behind him.

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