Premonition

[Vereshin]

t H e M e​

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The sorcerer assimilated numbers. Seated at his desk before a soaked afternoon on Bastion, he compounded the spell to create plane into the future. A young seer sought him out for assistance in controlling her visions and Vereshin worked to present of a vision of his own to demonstrate the many uses of foresight, as well as present the young woman with possibilities of where her abilities may lead. The tail of his cat brushed his bare ankle and the scratch of his pen drifted listlessly beneath the hammering of the rain outside.

A cup of tea sat by the sheet of imbued paper, which he raised to his lips and savored. The gas lamp in the window drew Sundara to the townhouse where Vereshin's servant would receive her. Ana hitched up her skirts above the ankle and scurried down the stairs to open the door for the young woman. Joining the final set of numbers on the ritual chart, Vereshin completed the preparations and set down his pen to raise the end of a cigarette to his mouth and survey his work.

"Hello Miss Nyveit, do sit down." Vereshin rose to his feet and presented himself, leaning over the coffee table and lightly wrapping his fingers around the hand of Sundara to shake. "I have just completed the spell with which we shall conjure our vision." Gripping the paper, Vereshin set it over the coffee table and allowed her to glance over the mathematics. He wore a black cardigan over a dark grey shirt and suit pants, the thin tattoo of an inverted triangle revealed tattooed on his pallid ankle.

"Please tell me more about your abilities and the visions you witness, so I may do my best to assist." Vereshin offered as he sat down on a large armchair at the head of the coffee table and invited his guest to sit on the lounge opposite. The spell splayed across the table was imbued with Sundara's own Force energy and summoned a vision corresponding directly to her. Before they began, Vereshin required more details regarding the visions plaguing the young woman.

Ana emerged carrying a tray of fresh tea which she placed on the coffee table, as Vereshin carefully moved his chart out of the way. Milk and sugar accompanied the black tea for both force users to add at their leisure. Reaching over for his cigarette case, Vereshin selected a new cylinder and set it between his teeth. With a snap of fingers, a purple flame sparked to life and ignited the end. He pushed his rimless glasses up his nose and inhaled, waving the flame away with a discrete gesture. He blew smoke in the direction of the ajar window and away from the face of Sundara.

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

From the moment the term was first coined, back when she was a mere apprentice still clumsy with even the most basic uses of the force, Sundara fervently denied being a seer. Precognition, along with the little extra attention having an apparent affinity for the ability, hadn't been something the Devaronian was remotely interested in. And yet she had no choice in the matter, the visions would come and go as they pleased, leaving the girl shaking and sputtering to maintain some sort of grip on the real world.

One would think the visions, or at least her control over them, would've improved with age. She wasn't afforded such luck. If anything, she just became experienced in getting a rough idea of when they'd hit, just enough to sit down or find something to lean against. It was an awkward condition to deal with, the visions only growing in intensity, to the point in which there wasn't much to do beyond seeking help. She'd found someone who could potentially provide some help in the matter, and considering she was on Bastion anyway, might as well give it a go.

Reaching the townhouse as directed, she gave a brief shudder as she waited the few moments for the door to open, the rain causing her hair to stick to her face, her fur clumping into small patches. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting," she greeted, shaking the man's hand. A black tunic and pants adorned her person, all but her face and shoulders being covered by fabrics and leathers. "I wasn't aware we'd be, uh, causing a vision right here and now." She would've preferred avoiding visions entirely. That's what she had intended, anyway.

Taking a seat, she briefly glanced at the paper, quickly acknowledging that it was beyond any of her understanding. She didn't understand the visions by themselves, she most certainly wouldn't understand them with math added to the mix. "Whatever abilities these are, they're out of my control," Sundara explained with a deep sigh. "Sometimes they come, sometimes they don't. I don't know how or why - especially why they come to me of all people - quite honestly if they can't be controlled, I'd rather they didn't come at all." She could only hope her plea seemed genuine enough, something that would indeed encourage the other's assistance.

[member="Vereshin"]​

 

[Vereshin]

As Sundara entered, the uncertainty of her demeanor was written upon her features, something Vereshin could relate to from his days as an Acolyte. She expressed apparent discomfort at the notion of being in his house and the prospect of him casting another vision for her to handle. With a gesture of his hand, he invited her to help herself to tea. The sorcerer himself reached over and gripped the handle of the pot in one hand and poured the dark beverage into one china cup. He placed the pot down and added nothing more than a drop of milk and one teaspoon of sugar to stir.

"Certainly. Are you not curious to see where your abilities may lead?" Vereshin responded directly while stirring his tea. Trying his best to consider Sundara's feelings on the matter, he remained courteous while pursuing his own methods, despite how they stirred the young woman's unease. "This may assist you in grasping a greater control over the visions you experience." Stirring the tea as he spoke, Vereshin set down the spoon and lifted the cup to his mouth, sitting on the lusty taste of Assam before placing the cup down. "Marka, sh!" He called to his cat, who clawed at the knee of his trousers and demanded to be held. Vereshin scooped up the black ragdoll and stroked his ears, hugging his head to his face while he listened to him purr.

"Foresight is a voluntary technique practiced by many arcane users." The sorcerer explained while he stroked the cat and thought deeply on Sundara's words. He placed Marka quietly on his lap and scratched his ears while the cat remained obediently still. "With the right training, your visions can be commanded to appear and cease at your will. That said, this requires regularly conjuring visions in order to practice controlling them." Vereshin said to Sundara and picked up Marka, rising to his feet and placing the cat on the floor. He brushed down the fur from his clothes and procured a wooden box from his desk. Inside, he found a deck of elaborately decorated cards, which he placed upside down on the table.

"Are you ready to begin?" Vereshin said as he sat back down. He waved a hand over the geometric chart, causing the colours and shapes between the air above the table to ripple. A chain around his wrist held a crystal and jingled with the motion."I need to know that you trust me." He pushed his glasses up his nose and offered his opportunity to Sundara, allowing a moment of pause between them as she regained her thoughts and made herself comfortable.

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]