out of reach . d'rorah . finished

[Bryan Kelley]

Evening was progressing over the school, although Bryan was only marginally aware of it. He had wandered up to the Astronomy tower, to do a bit more of sketching. He free time was usually filled with sketching. It was something he could easily fall into and he didn't often become bored with it. Whether he was drawing something by sight or if he was drawing something from his mind. One could probably say that probably drew to much. He didn't often pay attention to the outside world from it.

However, as he sat on the top of the Astronomy tower, his sketch book on his lap and his pencil sitting idly between his fingers, Bryan did not draw. He had started a sketch of the forbidden forest, or what he could see of it from his vantage point, but it had dissolved into mostly shadows and very little structure that he had ceased. Instead, the Gryffindor stared off into the distance, just letting his mind wander off in what ever direction it wanted.

The day continued forward as it always does. The sun began it's trek downwards and the light was growing dimmer. Bryan pulled himself from his absence and stared back down at the sketch he had started. "Well, that's crap," he mused to himself, tearing it from the spirals and crumpling it into a little ball. Many of things he had been drawing lately he had felt were crap. Since the day he drawn the girl in the library something had been nagging in his mind.

There was an image there that wanted to escape out onto paper but he couldn't capture it. He would place his pencil to his paper but nothing would come. It would just linger there, just out of his grasp. It was almost as if he had the artist form of writers block. It was there, he knew what he wanted to do, but the means failed him. He could not capture, keep it still enough that he could put a shape to it.

Bryan exhaled placing the pencil behind his ear. He leaned back, holding himself up with his hands as he turned his face to the sky, staring at the stars that were starting to peek out. "What is it...?" he murmured to himself. It was annoying. He had not suffered a bout like this in a long time.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah made her way up the spiraling staircase to the astronomy tower. She had had many interesting encounters here. In fact, this had been the very place she and Dylan had had their first conversation regarding the Shadow Wars. She smiled to herself at the memory, he was one of the few pleasant memories she had of Hogwarts. She had also met Professor Archer here on several occasions. He had turned out to be a useful ally for the Lightfighters, though mostly in quiet ways. Tonight, however, she hoped she would be alone. The vantage point for the Forbidden Forest was the best she would have without leaving the confines of the castle, and someone had to occasionally keep an eye on the activities of the Shadows and Wraiths that periodically lurked in the Forest.

Aside from that, she really just wished for quiet time alone. The common room was often too busy, the library too crowded, and everywhere else it seemed people were around. Even if she wasn't interacting with them, their presences and mental energies drove her to distraction. She imagined things would continue much the same for quite some time.

She reached the door to the tower and pushed it open carefully, feeling herself greeted by a breeze that suddenly swirled through the room in welcome. Forgetting to even check for anyone else, she walked through the door with her eyes closed as she enjoyed the caress of the wind through her hair. After a few moments she opened her eyes to see none other than Bryan Kelley in the room with her.

"I beg your pardon, Mister Kelley. I did not realize there was anyone else in the room," she apologized. The apology was in words only, as her voice did not quite take on the subtle lifts and falls that came with true emotion. Every word and facial expression was a reminder to her of the internal battle she was fighting and the possibility that she would all too soon lose that battle without her Elemental Master. "I suppose I allowed myself to be quite distracted by the many things on my mind.

Had it been anyone else who was there, she would have quietly made an excuse to leave and seek out another, more solitary venue. As it was, she recalled all too soon the nagging feeling she had experienced in the library the other day upon meeting him. The feeling was familiar, but try as she might, she could not place it. Quietly, she walked over to the window directly across from the door to the tower and looked out into the night. Her eyes moved almost immediately to the Forest, quickly scanning for anything that might be out of place there. Seeing and sensing nothing, she turned back to face the room.

"You seem troubled," she observed, not judgmentally or with any indication that she wished for him to spill his innermost workings to her; simply stating the obvious.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan heard the door to the tower open, and he leaned his head back at a tilt to look over his shoulder it. He was surprised to see the girl from the Library standing there. It seemed her prediction of they would meet again had come true, as there they were now. He watched as she seemed to relax in the breeze before opening her eyes and noticing his presence.

The boy inclined his head in greeting and stated automatically, "It is fine." The words just came out on their own. There were some phrases that just became a part of the English language and spoken without thought or feelings. In the past, people might of actually believed what they said, or at the very least meant it. However, Bryan did not really mind that his solitude had been intruded upon. He was residing in a school, one was never alone for long.

Bryan leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, resting his hands on his sketchbook, it opened to a new page. The crumpled sheet resting by his feet. He watched the girl cross the room, but it did not linger on her as it turned to the sky once more before resting on his sketchbook when she had stated that something seemed to be bothering him.

"True, I am bothered," he stated, acknowledging her words. "But it'll pass soon enough, I hope." He did not go into details. She had not asked for them, and he did not feel inclined to burden himself upon her. After all, he barely knew her, right? It was all probably nothing anyway and would pass as he had stated.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"Hope..." she repeated, turning the word over on her tongue, as though it were slightly unfamiliar to her. "Yes, I suppose with time, all things pass. Though, intervention is often helpful in causing things to pass in a manner more preferable to one." That had been one of the more difficult things for Master Xiu to teach her, that all things eventually came to pass. When she was younger, D'rorah had always been certain she could act in some way that would make certain things better. She was good at assigning guilt to herself for anything which did not pan out well. Even the deaths of her Elemental Masters troubled her, though she knew there was nothing she could have done to prevent them.

"I suppose being troubled is a somewhat common affliction at Hogwarts this year. At least, it seems common among those I have met." She seated herself on the windowsill, keeping her typical, formal posture even as she supposedly relaxed. Seeing his gaze reaching toward the heavens, she looked out at the stars as well. She could feel the tingle of their soft light against her skin, reminding her that she was slowly becoming a creature of darkness. She winced and inhaled sharply at the unexpected pain. Feeling unsettled, she brought her gaze back down to the level of the forest, keeping a keen eye out for any activity at all.

After several moments of seeing nothing, she concluded that there truly must be quiet in the Forest at the moment. That was a relief. She would be of no use fighting without an anchor anyway. Finding her companion in the room a more interesting subject, her attention again returned to him. She allowed herself a long look, scrutinizing for any detail that might bely the strange familiarity she felt with him.

[Bryan Kelley]

"Trouble is an affliction that everyone has," he stated. "A person is never long without something to break their peace," he finished as he closed his sketchbook. He did not expect to be do any drawing to night for more than one reason. The light had fallen and his was artistically blocked. However, even as he sat there, his fingers itched to place something to paper. He could not place it though.

"Even the world is constantly in trouble," he stated. "All through history there have been wars, battles, deaths, and the like. They pass eventually, but there is always still one waiting to take over in the previous' place. It's the nature of the world, I guess," he finished. "A circle of life," he mused turning his gaze from the stars to the girl.

Bryan had chosen the tower as it was closest to the heavens. He felt calmer, more at peace when outside. He had hope it would break the block on his mind, but it had not. Instead, he was living in a world of boredom that he could not dispel as he knew nothing else to do with his time. His hobby of sketching had always been enough to keep him occupied. He didn't have any real friends at the school to hang out with and there was nothing he really wanted to do that would keep him busy.

So he had left himself up on the tower and just enjoyed the view. If there was nothing for him to do, then he would enjoy the quiet of nature. It would be a time to find some sort of rest or peace. One never knew when they would get another chance sometimes.

However, if Bryan was a spiteful person, which he wasn't, he could probably blame D'rorah for the block he felt now. It had happened after their meeting in the library. Surely that must mean something? But Bryan was not spiteful, and he did not put too much thought into it, merely chalked it down to coincidence.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah watched as Bryan's gaze turned to her as he finished speaking. "If it were truly a circle, Mister Kelley, it would also involve some less-troubled times," she asserted. "I remember days when things seemed far simpler, though they have long-since passed." He had a point though, about the endless struggle and the fact that some new obstacle would arise as soon as the current was taken away. It almost made her question what they were fighting so hard for. She could have been in any number of places, enjoying the days she had, if it were all truly so pointless.

After a moment she made up her mind. "No, trouble is not simply something that passes. We must struggle against Darkness because if it were to triumph, that would be the end of any pleasantness within the cycle. I cannot reconcile allowing oneself to simply remain troubled on the premise that it will pass. Besides, struggle is an integral part of human nature. Might we not lose some piece of our humanity if we simply allowed life to move forward with no effort to improve or influence its direction?"

She took a deep breath as another breeze swirled around her, playing through the strands of hair that had worked themselves loose throughout the day. She hardly noticed that, at the same time, a similar breeze began to swirl around Justin as well. Though she was oblivious to the attempt, her Element was trying to tell her something. She leaned her head against the frame of the window, relaxing just a bit more as the wind crescendoed slightly.

"So then, Mister Kelly, what is it that troubles you tonight?" she asked, her eyes remaining closed as she awaited his answer. It would be best to keep him talking. It was possible that anything he said might help alleviate the mystery of the nagging feeling that plagued her whenever he was near. "Throw your troubles to the Wind," she added quietly, remembering that Paul had once said the very same thing to her before he had disappeared.

[Bryan Kelley]

Fight against darkness? Bryan thought with some confusion. What was she speaking about? He certainly didn't know. However, he didn't question it verbally. What ever it was, it was not his concern. "I didn't say not to fight it, I was just saying it's a never ending circle. There are periods of fighting followed by periods when nothing is happening only for something new to fight to arise," he clarified. He shook his head slightly. He was not a master of this subject, so what did he know of it? Probably not much. They really only knew what history told them and that was written by other people. Could one really even believe it to be completely true?

Bryan's mind turned away from these thoughts when the wind picked up around them. He brushed his hair down as the gust swarmed in the area around them. He was ready to comment on the strange appearance of the wind when D'rorah had spoken again. He turned his attention to her. He arched a brow slightly when she asked what trouble him.

"With this wind, it might just carry them away," he commented. "But my troubles are of little importance, just been blocked on drawing since our last meeting," he continued as he picked up the ball of paper he had crumpled up. "What's worse, there is some image in my mind wanting to be drawn but I can't; it's gone into the shadows of my mind before I can even give it a form." Bryan shook his head. It sound a bit silly as he spoke it aloud. However for Bryan it was a serious problem when an artist couldn't draw.

Bryan tightened his hand around the crumpled sheet from his sketch book. His sea green eyes stared at the sheet as it crinkled under the tension of his fingers. "My hand itches to draw it, give it form but it's gone like a leaf in the wind..." he mused quietly.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

(ooc: don't you love when people are late? time for another quick post before dinner

D'rorah nearly laughed at Bryan's comment about the wind carrying away his troubles. Listening to his explanation, however, she nodded. "They are obviously not of little importance to you," she mused. She didn't know him that well, but it didn't take much to see how much his art meant to him. Only a few glances at his sketches the other day had been proof enough of that.

"Those nagging feelings in the mind..." she trailed off and looked over at him. "They are enough to drive one to distraction. I have had much the same feeling lately, though in a different manifestation of course."

At his next statement, her eyes snapped open and she looked over at him. "A leaf in the wind?" she questioned, trying not to eye him too intently. She relaxed her posture. Certainly he meant nothing more than the breeze in the room by the statement. Though... it was odd that he was being affected too. Usually these sorts of breezes only lasted long enough to rifle through her hair and reassure her that things would eventually turn out well. It was then that the nagging idea in her mind began to take a more solid shape.

It cannot possibly be, she thought to herself. Surely not every man she met would turn out to be her Elemental Master. And yet, the harder she pushed the ridiculous thought away, the more persistent it became. It was slowly transforming into a downright certainty. Was it possible that he was really the next Elemental Master of Wind? Could her salvation from the corruption she fought have found her so easily?

Having sensed its job was done, the wind died out as quickly as it had arisen. "Well, that seems fairly straightforward," remarked D'rorah, unaware she was actually speaking aloud. She looked over at Bryan, having had this conversation so many times already, but still unsure of how exactly it began. "Do not concentrate too hard on the image," she said quietly. "Allow your mind to loosely flow around it... flow with the Wind and you will find where it leads and what it holds for you." She wondered if he would actually do it, try the visualization she suggested. There was a slight fear in the back of her mind that he would think she was completely insane... at the moment, she wondered how far from the truth that would actually be.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan inclined his head when she spoke about the distractions of the mind. They really were just that. Bryan remained silent, having little to say in response to her. instead, he turned his attention to his surroundings and wind that was still blowing around them. He did not notice how the girl had sat up abruptly at his comment about a leaf on a wind. He had not meant too much by it, only how the idea escaped him so fleetingly only to come but around slip through his fingers once more. It was a dance around him.

When she spoke, Bryan arched a brow at the suggestion, almost order she had quietly spoke. What she spoke sounded so simple and seemed almost impossible. Hadn't he been sitting with a pencil to paper waiting for a glimpse of what haunted his mind these past few days. He did not even know what it was, what his mind was telling him to draw. There was no concrete image. He doubted he would even knew what he drew when he finally did catch a tendril.

In fact, he had tried it earlier. He had started the forbidden forest for it turn into some else, but the image had resulted in a mess of lines from both images to turn into a blob. "Last time I tried that, this was the result," he stated. He tossed her the crumpled up sheet, giving her time to prepare for it coming her way. "Ignore the parts of the forbidden forest and what's left was a mess my mind left me..."

Usually he had no trouble taking himself to task when working on his sketching. But this image was so fleeting that it left him with a scatter concentration. He sighed quietly. He had no idea what was going on. No idea about the idea and suspicion that crossed D'rorah's mind. Why should he? He had always been the quiet, but friendly, boy who kept mostly to his sketchbook.

Bryan frowned for a few moments. However, eventually he pulled out his wand, muttering a spell that added a little more light to the room. He returned his wand before opening up his sketchbook to a clean page and pulled the pencil from behind his ear. "Why not," he muttered. "Worse that'll happen is I'll have a snowman in a blizzard eating a snow cone still on the page," he continued in a muted tone. He doubted she would get the reference he made to the blank sheet of paper before him. As each item in his sentence had been white.

He held the pencil loosely in his hand as it rested over the blank page. He relaxed his mind, much as he had when he was talking to the girl and just allowed the image to continue its nagging trek in his mind as it swirled in and out of focus. At one point his hand had moved to make a mark or two on the page but they were short coming. However, Bryan was a persistent and patient boy when it came to drawing. He would have to be for someone to lose themselves so strongly and completely in an activity. So this quality soon won out as Bryan allowed the wind in his mind to do as it was won't and he following its trail.

Slowly an image came out of his pencil. He had little idea what he was drawing ^{(( and neither does his writer XD))}, but he allowed the pencil to travel over the page in whatever form it wanted and needed to take.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah reached up a hand to catch the crumpled paper as Bryan threw it to her. She smoothed it out and looked over it, unable to discern any clear image or any hint of what the underlying image might be. She could certainly see that it had begun as the Forbidden Forest, and it did indeed seem to morph into a mess of more than one idea at a time. She looked over at him as he muttered a spell to bring more light into the room, her eyes squinting at the pain of the brightness. The exposed skin of her face and hands prickled lightly, not pleased with the new light level, but she held back any reaction other than the squinting, not wanting to look like some demon of darkness who would be chased away with a lit candle.

She smirked wryly at his joke about the blank paper and waited to see what might emerge from his pencil as it rested over the page. It was a slow beginning, but she was thankful that he seemed to be persistant and willing to give her idea a chance to work. So many would have simply waited a few seconds and tossed the idea aside as lunacy.

When his pencil began to move, she shifted slightly where she sat to see what would emerge. Seeing only two marks that meant nothing to her, she continued to wait silently, afraid to move, speak, or do anything that might break his concentration. Finally, she watched as she truly gave up control of his drawing hand, watching the pencil move across the page with a slow but steady determination. The image emerging was at first difficult to discern, but quickly took shape into a symbol she recognized well, that of the Dragon of Wind, one of the Elemental Symbols of the Order of Light. Underneath the Dragon also emerged the kanji character for Wind.

She nodded, finally feeling confirmation of that nagging feeling that had been plaguing her ever since meeting Bryan. Now that she knew what it was, she felt foolish for not recognizing it immediately. She had experienced the same sort of feeling upon meeting Paul, Mordred, and Mallan. Apparently, there never came a point when discovering one's Elemental Master was simply straightforward.

"Mister Kelley, the image haunting your writing is very old and very powerful," she began quietly. "Tell me, do you know anything of the ancient legends regarding Yang and Yin? Or of the five Elemental Dragons? Or anything regarding Elemental Masters and Shadow Warriors?"

It was vague, and hopefully not so much that it would scare him off. At the same time, there wasn't a lot of time to skirt around the issue at hand. She was certain Bryan was the Elemental Master of Wind now that Mallan was gone. She also knew that joining with him would put her more quickly on the path to full recovery from her near-corruption and would make their group whole again so they might once more stand united against the Shadow Mage's minions.

[Bryan Kelley]

And so the image flowed through his hand and out onto the paper as the pencil moved over the paper. The drawing was not simple, but the main idea, the images D'rorah had picked up were clear as day. Bryan's art style was not one to stop with simple simples and lines, but add details, shadows, and values. However, the subject of the drawing was clear with the two symbols were predominant in the sketch. As his pencil came to a stop, Bryan focused his eyes to see what it was that had been haunting him.

It was suffice to say he had no idea what the two symbols meant, unlike D'rorah. As he stared at the final result, he was almost disappointed in what had been causing his block. However, his disappoint hardly registered in his face. He would be more disappointed if this block continued after drawing all this. He did not stare at the sketch long before he looked at D'rorah as she spoke.

"Call me Bryan," he stated after she had spoken. He was not particularly comfortable with being called Mr Kelley. It sounded as if the girl was his teacher or something. It just seemed awkward to him to be addressed as such, especially in such an informal setting as the boarding school often gave the students in their free time.

However, a skeptical expression had flitted over his face as his brows lowered. "Not a thing ... what does it have to do with anything?" he asked slowly. Bryan was an intelligent boy and he could tell that this statement was leading to something, especially after she had told him what to do to unblock of skill and then these questions directly after looking at the result. There was something going on and Bryan wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.

He had spent the last five years in school keeping mostly to himself and his sketchbook and now after one meeting with this girl he felt he was probably going to get pulled into something way over his head, at least this precise moment it would be over his head. He hoped he was wrong. He hoped he could continue on in his meager existence of sketching and trying to live with his siblings.

Bryan arched a brow as he waited for her to answer his question. He would wait and see what happened. Maybe nothing; he was probably being silly and over thinking stuff. He wasn't particularly good with dealing with people anyway.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah paused as she was told to address Bryan by his first name. Obviously, he didn't know her, didn't realize that this was how she spoke to everyone. She had been brought up to believe it impolite to address people by their first names before becoming more familiar with them. Choosing not to argue the point at the moment, she said nothing else.

"It has to do with everything, Mis... Bryan," she answered. "This symbol is the kanji for Wind. The dragon above is the symbol of the Elemental Dragon of Wind." She paused, trying to think how best to continue. "You have almost certainly heard of the beings in the Forest. They are beings of darkness, from a realm called the Shadow Realm." She paused and shook her head slightly. "I am not certain where it would be best to begin, so I apologize if this is less organized than what one might typically expect from me. My own thoughts have been a bit troubled and unorganized lately."

"In our realm there are five elements... fire, earth, water, metal, and wind," she began explaining. "For each Element, there is one who has complete command. Of course, you may have heard before of those who pursue Elemental Magic... but an Elemental Master is endowed with the ability to wield total control over his Element... others might learn a bit of control over a particular element... may develop a small proficiency in manipulation of the Element, but only the Master can control it completely."

She paused again. "I hope you are comfortable...this make take a while," she offered, pausing to think of where to begin. "I suppose, as with most things, it makes sense to begin at the beginning. Many years ago two opposing forces entered our world. One force drew power from darkness while the other drew power from light. As long as these two powers are in balance, the world is stable, relatively at peace. However, the dark power, which later came to be called Yang, sought control of this realm. To this end, he recruited the first Shadow Mage several millenia ago. In response, the power of light, which later came to be known as Yin, found a group of people to champion for light... he divided the power of light among the five elements, creating five Elemental Masters and Five Shadow Warriors. Now Yang himself has no direct power in this realm, this is why he recruited the Shadow Mage... her task is to gather talismans known as Elemental Orbs... it is the duty of the Master to Protect his Elemental Orb... just as it is the duty of a Shadow Warrior to Protect her Elemental Master.

When combined, the five Elemental Masters and five Shadow Warriors can wield the power of light. Yin knew it was too great a power to put into the hands of an individual... he regarded the power of connection and teamwork as a great agent of strength. Yang, however, placed the powers of darkness wholly in the hands of his Mage, thinking that dependence on others was weakness. As the Mage captures Elemental Orbs for her Master, he grows in power... if he captures all five, he will be able to have complete control over our realm... our realm would become one of darkness, much like the Shadow Realm itself. My father raised me within the Order of Light, so that I would know the history and the legends... I have unknowingly been trained since birth for this role..." she trailed off, her memory swimming with the final, traumatic events which had unleashed her powers as a Shadow Warrior. Picking up again, she shook her head slightly as thought it might clear the unpleasant memories from her head. "My task has been to locate the other Shadow Warriors and Elemental Masters, to band us together and begin training so that we may stand against this Mage. From my research, I have determined the the current Shadow Mage has been active in our realm since approximately the 14th century. A new generation of Shadow Warriors and Elemental Masters is born any time the balance begins to shift... the last generation was hunted down by the Mage... killed one by one because they were unable to find one another, to protect one another. They had protected the realm and searched for each other for a period of nearly two-hundred years before the last one was murdered..." she trailed off and looked to Bryan, curious to see if he had any questions or comments on what she had told him so far before continuing. Or perhaps he would simply lable her a loon and leave, though she hoped not.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan was silent. And he had remained silent when she spoke. He had nothing to say for the most part. In some portion he was curious to see what the girl would say, especially after she had started it had to do with everything. His eyes had trailed to the image he had captured on the page. He had never heard of any of this.

As the older girl spoke, it was pure fascination that kept Bryan from getting up and leaving. He was skeptical of what she spoke about. He had lived his whole life in a world where there was nothing to worry about. He had a loving family, one half magical and the other muggle. It seemed odd to be hearing of a struggle that had been going on for probably what seemed like forever. These were things he had never heard of, never learned, not even from a textbook. This was the first time he had heard anything like this.

So it was pure fascination and curiosity that kept his seated there and listening to the words that came from her mouth. As she spoke, Bryan couldn't help feeling like it sounded like some fairy tale, some bed time story that parents tell their children. A fight of good and evil, a fight to hold onto balance and keep everything in order. The only thing this story felt like it was missing was the happy ending where good vanquished the evil being and balance was restored with everyone living happily ever after. How cliche of such stories.

"My mind is telling me to get up and leave now," he commented levelly when she finished speaking. However, from the simple fact he was still seated it was clear that he wasn't going to go. Part of him was telling him this was a bad choice and another one was saying it was a good choice. "But my sense of curiosity is stronger." At the moment he didn't have any questions or other comments. As he sat there, his left hand still held his pencil and since the start of her talking, he been balancing the stick between his fingers as he flicked it in a quick teeter-totter motion, the two ends cutting silently through the air.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah listened as Bryan reported that his mind was telling him to leave. She wondered at the curriculum they taught here for History of Magic. While nothing extensive regarding the Shadow Wars had been included in hers at Fallstaff's, they had at least learned the legends. Then again, she had had a rather eccentric series of History of Magic teachers herself. She supposed it wasn't so odd that Europe had missed a story that had originated in China when they had their own long and impressive magical history to begin with.

"I should thank someone for instilling you with a strong sense of curiosity then, Mister Kelley. The point I am gradually making my way to is just this: I believe you are currently the Elemental Master of Wind." She wasn't pleased with the ham-handedness of the statement, but this wasn't the time for dalliance either. Not only were there the Shadow Wars to think about, but there was her own corruption. "I know this because I am the Shadow Warrior of Wind. Though I could not place the feeling, I sensed our connection upon first meeting."

She rose from where she sat, but did not move toward him. She simply wished to be in a position to move more quickly if it appeared he intended to bolt from the room. "The previous Elemental Master of Wind was a wonderful young man who lost his life while attempting to help a friend in need. Since his death, I have had no one to anchor my emotions and pull me back." She gestured to herself. "My appearance was not always so."

With a deep breath, she walked closer to the center of the room, suddenly full of nervous energy as the worry that Bryan would completely reject all of this hit her full tilt. If he decided not to join, to simply laugh off all of this foolishness, she would be left without an anchor... and she had no idea what she would do then.

"No one asks for this burden in life, but those of us who have been tasked with the responsibility of fighting for Light shoulder it knowing that to walk away would mean the destruction of our world. Whether you chose the lot or not, you are the Elemental Master of Wind. That is what your artistic block has been trying to tell you ever since the day we first met. That bond is what brought you to me in the first place."

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan didn't say anything in response while she continued to speak. He remained seated, his fingers flipping the pencil as he listened at speak. Only at one point while she was speaking did he wish to say anything and that was after she had stated she had no anchor to pull her back. Right away the question Pull her back from what? had popped into his mind, however he had remained silent.

Instead, he listened as she continued her tale and her statements in regards to himself. Even after she had finished speaking again, Bryan remained silent. He didn't know what to make of all this information. It truly was a lot of information to grasp, especially when given in the course of a few minutes. He went from leading a normal life with no worries, at least no major ones, to suddenly being saddled with a title of Elemental Master of Wind something he had never even heard of before.

It truly was much information to process, not just process to figure out if this girl was speaking the truth or just pulling his leg. It sounded so much like some story in a novel that it was easy to brush it all off as the ramblings of some loony witch. However, Bryan doubted it was that. There was something in D'rorah's stance, her manner, her way of speaking. She believed in this with the core of her being. True, lunatics could probably believe in something just as strongly, but there was just something that Bryan couldn't put his finger on. Something that made him believe that she wasn't pulling some weird trick on him.

However, that did not make accepting the information any easier. So, if he was the Elemental Master of Wind, well then what? What did that all entail? What did he have to do? What was going on now? And what the hell did he just get dragged into? With so much he didn't know, would he be more of a hindrance than a help to their group? However, he supposed an unknowledgeable Elemental Master of Wind was probably better than having none. At least this way he could learn what he needed to do whereas if there was none, there was nothing to be done.

Bryan's eyes stared down at the drawing in his sketchbook. He didn't question why he was made this. After all, why was anyone given a gift? Why was anyone chosen for something? There really was no answer to that. It just seemed to happen and all one could do was either accept it and embrace it or reject it and fight against it for the rest of their life.

The Gryffindor didn't know how long he remained silent, or even how long he had stared at his drawing. He had not really moved from his initial spot. However, he did speak. "I'm not going reject what you say or abandon this duty that was given to me," he spoke slowly, and clearly after some thought, as he shifted his gaze to the young woman. He would ease that fear of hers. He knew it had to be a fear. It felt like he had been given a choice, but how much of a choice was it? What would happen if he had say no, I'm not going to do it? Would they really let him go that easily? Bryan doubted it.

"But clearly, I know nothing of this..." he then ended, still looking at her. "And you must agree, clearly it's a lot of information to suddenly be dropped with," he added with only a hint of smile to his serious tone.