Meeting the Mage ((Tasha, then Dark Phoenix))

[Kerridon Paradox]

Remembering the last time he had been in the forest, venturing there again had not been something Kerridon had been planning on. He knew that the torture had been necessary to regain his cover at Hogwarts, but really, that hadn’t been his fault. He’d been brought out of the woodwork by Mordred Kade, against Dark Phoenix’s orders, and as a result been tortured horrifically by that amateur Gat Soldier, who unfortunately wasn’t such an amateur when it came to causing pain. He wasn’t as good as the Mage, but it had sure hurt one hell of a lot. Then he’d returned to Hogwarts grounds – where he was now – and been found by Zane Bishop, who had at least tried to help but had called Keaira. Her threats had made him more angry than he could remember being in a long time. After Taisy’s death he’d just been in a blur and had missed the whole anger stage of grief. Which was probably the only reason he was alive now. Had he attacked his father, which he almost certainly would have done if not so distraught, he would have been killed. His dad would have been the murderer of both of his children, rather than just one. But it was a moot point, since he hadn’t gotten angry until after his father was already dead. That anger had instead, once it arrived, ended up focussed on Dark Phoenix’s enemies.

Kerridon just had to hope that neither Gat nor Mordred were there today, because between them, they were the focal point for his anger at being tortured. It didn’t occur to him to be angry at Dark Phoenix for ordering such treatment of him or not coming up with an easier and less painful method of returning him to Hogwarts. You just didn’t blame her unless you wanted to end up in even more pain.

But he’d received word from Dark Phoenix that she was recruiting, and to bring any potential followers to her in the forest. Which was exactly what he was doing. He’d met Tasha in the library a few days ago and having discovered she was a metamorphmagus, the idea had been planted in his head that she might be a good servant for the Mage. Not only would it hopefully get him back in her good books, but he would have a reason to be around the first year and explore that book of hers more. It really was a fascinating artefact. And you couldn’t ignore a direct order.

Heading towards the Forbidden Forest, Kerridon kept himself alert for anyone watching. It wouldn’t do to be caught by a lightfighter heading into the place. He’d asked Tasha to meet him down there and just had to hope his made up on the spot charm had worked on her book – it should now tell what he wanted it to. Everything it said would – should – be under his influence, although he wasn’t certain if it had worked. There hadn’t really been a chance to test it.

He’d told her that he knew someone who could help advance her metamorphmagus abilities, and teach her spells she would never learn at Hogwarts. If he worked long enough and hard enough he was hoping that she would join the darker side of the war. And if she didn’t... well, he had blown his cover. There would be no fixing it a second time. Reaching the edge of the trees he looked around again to search for the small figure of Tasha. She had to turn up. She had to, or he was going to be in trouble for arranging this meeting with the Shadow Mage and have the metamorphmagus he’d mentioned not turn up.

[tasha]

Tasha left from the dorms after the sun had set and the curfew passed. It was the only way to ensure not being caught apparently and Tasha thought the whole thing was rather exciting. She had no suspicions of Kerridon nor his intention, instead she was looking forward to meeting this person he'd told her about. Learning new spells and how to control the ability she never knew she had had enthralled her. It was such a thorough desire that Tasha had barely been able to sleep since the day she'd met Kerridon in the library. Though, as a result of her lack of sleep she seemed a bit more of a blank pale then the normal. Her eyes had light bags under them, but even with the slightly darkened appearance her demeanor was as bright as ever. The young first year had not dressed in her usual frills and such, but instead brought a long coat with simple clothes beneath it.. She may have no real experience in sneaking around, but her guide book was a good teacher.

Tasha had consulted her book before leaving to see if going out was a good idea, and was told that learning was never bad. Tasha felt very assured to hear that her actions were right, and moved through the port hole of the common room. Tasha made her way through the halls with the over-exaggerated sneaking that one might expect of a girl of her unique nature. She stopped behind every other pillar and suit of armor as she made her way to the stair case. She even went as far as to duck under the paintings in case one of them be too loud. Normally Tasha would stop and converse with the Hogwarts paintings but for that reason she now had to be particularly careful that none of them saw her. It took a bit longer then necessary for Tasha to finally make it out onto the grounds, at which point she ran all out across the grounds. Her small body looking like a moving shadow along the moonlit silhouette of the castle.

When Tasha broke the edge of the forest she stopped and doubled over breathless and panting. Her hair had taken the color black, just as her entire wardrobe had been selected to be. She straightened up and felt to make sure her wand was still in her sleeve after her sprit, the thin silk of her black gloves touched against the wand handle and Tasha checked that off her list. Looking around she saw no one, and felt a chill from the eerie place she'd intruded on. She had been in no way prepared for the haunting nature of the forbidden forest and even Tasha, who never lost her smile, was a bit uneasy in the place. She was not used to such foreboding areas, though she shook it off rather easily and stepped deeper into the forest. The thick heeled boots touching soundlessly on the ground as Tasha's onyx black eyes looked into the night. The only thing on her that betrayed the black that her whole was in was her pale skin and the bright whites of her eyes.

Tasha had not been told who she was to be meeting, or what that person would look like, so she hoped to find Kerridon beforehand. She wished she had payed more attention in charms when they learned that light spell, as her eyes could not adjust to the darkness at all. The small girl squinted into the black forest, where the moon light could hardly make it's way and slowly the darkness became strangely luminescent. Her eyes changed as she focused on being able to see, the pupils shaping themselves into catlike diamonds and clearing her vision. Tasha relaxed as the strange brightness settled in her eyes and she looked around for some sign of Kerridon. She walked a bit and guessed she might have gotten there early, it was much less frightening in the forbidden forest when one could see. Tasha found herself back to her normal upbeat self as her fear settled, though she was still feeling secretive and like being unseen was a must.

She slipped through the trees along the edge of the forest in search of Kerridon for a while, more or less playing then anything. The ability to see in the dark had loosened her fear of being caught. Her jet black curls fluttered behind her like long winding streamers, soundless and perfectly arranged. Tasha's hair never lost its luster and volume, maybe that had been due to her ability as well. Her mind wondered how much of her appearance was really her appearance if she was able to change it. Her thoughts found that if she changed subconsciously, then it was possible she'd taken the shape she had now without knowing it. The thoughts started getting a bit difficult when she finally caught sight of Kerridon after five or ten minutes of streaking through the woods. She walked toward him with her feline eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. The orbs seemed to be alone in the shadow of the night, though as she closed in it was easy to determine that she was indeed a full body. Also, it became apparent that she had used her ability to change her appearance again.

"I found you."

Tasha spoke in a hushed voice, still with all of the sweetness in her voice. she grinned and skipped up to him. She let her grin fade a bit into a normal grin and looked up at him sweetly. The long black hair falling down her back as she raised her head and the half hearted breeze barely lifting a single lock from her head.

[Kerridon Paradox]

As she didn’t turn up immediately, Kerridon began to worry slightly. Really, if she didn’t appear then he was in so much trouble for dragging Dark Phoenix out here for nothing. He didn’t think he was supposed to be taking her to the Shadow Realm, he was sure it was the forest he had been told. But if Tasha didn’t come, he would be in trouble whether he was in the right place or not. He thought she’d seemed eager in the library, but what if he was wrong? What if she was a better actor than she appeared – already had the skills to go with her metamorphing abilities – and had only pretended to be interested? If she was a lightfighter, or knew any of the lightfighters then maybe she had suspected who it was he was talking about. But why would she suspect? Unless Keaira had told the others of his suspicious return to the school. And Zee, he supposed, but for some reason he didn’t view the male Slytherin as that bad a threat – despite him being a lightfighter. The one time he’d talked to him before, he hadn’t seemed too bad, and at least he’d stopped Keaira from any more questioning so he could rest in peace for a while. Well, at least recover. Rest in peace was perhaps too strong a phrase.

Kerridon wasn’t usually so insecure in his own abilities to convince others. He was quite confident, really. But knowing that if he was wrong on this occasion would probably result in more torture like that which he had received before returning to Hogwarts, and that idea did bring a hint of doubt to the forefront of his thoughts. What if this, what if that? It was really very annoying not having full control of his thoughts as he normally would, just because of a little fear that was worming its way through him.

He heard something behind where he was standing and turned quickly, worried that the Mage had arrived before Tasha. Luckily, the figure that approached was far too short, and her eyes shone in the moonlight in a way that Kerridon had never seen Dark Phoenix use before. Having been in the Shadow Realm numerous amounts of time previously, he was accustomed to the dark and would easily become used to it at night in this realm. It had not occurred to him that the first year might have difficulty seeing – although she seemed to have coped quite well. Not only were her eyes different, but he could see her hair and other subtle changes in her appearance. Had she managed to do that on purpose, or was it merely coincidental?

”I found you,” she said simply as she arrived in a quiet yet somehow joyous tone. Having never introduced anyone to the Shadow Mage before, Kerridon was a little worried about what she might make of this bright little spark who always seemed to smile. But that just made her all the more auspicious in being an unlikely spy for the darker side of the war.

“Good evening,” he nodded calmly, raising his eyes above her head to look around the shadowy tree clusters for any other signs of life. “She should be arriving shortly,” he explained, still leaving it ambiguous as to who ‘she’ was. “She is meeting us here–“ I hope... “–and will be able to explain who she is much better than I could.” Quite frankly, he wouldn’t know how to describe his mistress. Would she want to be described as she truly was, or have that information released to Tasha slowly? It was probably best if he left it up to her to decide rather than make any presumptions.

[Dark Phoenix]

The screams still emitting from the room behind her, she raised one eyebrow and shut the door, leaving the continued torture up to her fairly capable wraiths. She was cutting it close, being expected by Kerridon at any time; not that she was ever late, she always arrived exactly when she wanted to. But perhaps it wouldn’t be prudent to leave Kerridon and the metamorphmagus he claimed to have found alone in the Forest where any professors or lightfighters might come across them. Despite the surprising amount of faith she had in Paradox’s abilities, she didn’t want to chance losing such a valuable asset as someone with such unique talents.

Walking briskly through the bleak corridors, her head held high, Phoenix headed toward the nearest open portal and stepped through. Looking around for a moment to get her bearings, she started toward the castle that held so many enemies, but an increasing amount of allies. The trees rustled slightly in the wind, the leaves shaking above her and the underbrush around her feet, in complete comparison, was deathly still until she broached it, causing it to neither shrink in fear nor boldly challenge her path. She rather liked that about such simple life forms; how someone felt about it was decidedly inconsequential, but deprive it of water and sunlight and it failed, provide it with enough and it flourished.

A small smile slowly dawning on her features, her eyes narrowed along with it, producing what could be construed as a smirk. She was, it had to be said, hopeful about what Kerridon had promised. She only hoped, for both her own and especially for his sake, that the student would show up; more than that, but that they would not needlessly expose Paradox beyond repair. His reputation with the lightfighters was already shaky, and she didn’t want it tarnished any further through such stupid circumstances as had occurred in Hogsmeade. But Mordred had paid for his act of complete idiocy – with his life, even. She only hoped the rest of her followers would understand the example she had made of the former professor.

Approaching the treeline, a Shadow nearby indicated the Ravenclaw’s position and she headed there silently, her hopes building. Leaning against a tree about ten metres back into the woods and simply watching, she waited for another figure to emerge. After a few minutes, she was happy for Kerridon that the girl had arrived; she would hate to lose his services, afterall. Waiting but a moment for them to speak, she decided to get things going right away and approached the two as Kerridon finished his comments. Glad that at least he had the prudence to avoid going into any kind of detail about her, she emerged from the shadows with a twinkle-eyed smile aimed at Paradox.

“Mister Paradox, do introduce us,” she said in a friendly tone.

[tasha]

Kerridon had indeed gotten Tasha hooked on the thought of learning. It wasn't so bad that Tasha be so eager to master her own abilities, but the way was rather bad. It never dawned on her that she wasn't supposed to be here, it was irrelevant. All that Tasha was worried about was seeing the new tutor. The announcement of her arriving soon sent Tasha for loops, and she scouted the area looking for her tutor happily. If she was near she would be clearly visible to her, though the chance that she wasn't was just as great. Tasha felt the spark of excitement rush through her and fill her like a light. As a result her hair changed instantly from the jet black to a bright, snowy white and straight. She turned on a dime with her head in the sky in excitement.

The little doll of a girl saw the woman come from apparently no where and fixed her with a curious gaze. Her jeweled eyes glimmering in the night as she stared. The woman's smile charmed the little first year and she returned the smile with a wide one of her own. Tasha was in no way fearful of the woman, and instead thought her to be a beautiful tutor indeed. Tasha stepped in a rhythmical and whimsical way toward the woman and curtsied delicately. At the same time her wand slide into her hand as she rose and gave her name. Waiting to be introduced would take time from the lesson, she could do it herself.

"I am Tasha Tessa Thomas madam."

She flicked her wand accidentally and an abnormally large cobra was born around the girls shoulders. Tasha wasn't all that surprised by the snake, it had become a common occurrence with her wand that snakes appear. It may have been a reflection of something deep seated in her heart, but she paid it no mind. In any case the serpent seemed to thoroughly love the sparkling little girl and without a moment wrapped itself around her carefully and looked her in the face. Tasha saw the cobra and kissed the snake before going back to the woman before her.

"Will you really be teaching me how to use my abilities? Like changing and stuff? And even transfiguration spells? an you really teach me stuff the school won't? Please please? I would love to learn, really I would. I'll do anything to learn more... "

Without the meaning that her words held being fully known to her she was pleading. Her thirst to learn more about what interested her was obvious. She bounced lightly and her light spoken words seemed to glow with the innocent plea of the little girl. She had an innocent wish to learn that was dangerously close to a lust for power. She was already showing that she wasn't afraid to disregard the rules and whatever else when it came to learning what she wanted to know. Her hair slowly changed back to the black it had before as Tasha remembered that this was a big secret. Her eyes glimmered a bit and changed again. Now to the eyes of a serpent. She looked around and saw nothing but read yellow green and blue.

"I'm seeing in heat-vision?"

Tasha lost focus of what she was doing and looked around seeing the forest in yet a new way. Her mind drifting from the subject at hand as she spoke to the snake. she couldn't understand the snake, but it didn't stop her from whispering to it as she looked around.

"Is this how you see things?"

[Kerridon Paradox]

Watching the trees around him carefully, Kerridon didn’t see Dark Phoenix approach immediately. He felt the chill, however, and realised a Shadow or dementor – maybe even wraith, although that was probably unlikely. It was quite far away though, or it would be bringing up bad memories. Instead, it was just the cold temperature and goosebumps that told him the creature was there. Tasha probably just thought it was the February Scottish weather that was causing the cold temperature, but he had had far too much contact with them to be fooled by that.

Eventually he saw her, emerging from the darkness with a smile. He nodded his head deferentially, respectfully, and kept his gaze on her as she spoke.

“Mister Paradox, do introduce us.”

Kerridon was about to speak, but the Hufflepuff spoke before he could get a word in. At least she was being respectful, he thought to himself, but almost showing his surprise when a large snake appeared around her shoulders. What was she doing? Was she trying to show off, or was it an accident? Either way, he wasn’t sure how his mistress might take the impressive show of magic, especially considering it was wordless.

“This is Dark Phoenix,” he said quietly to Tasha, meeting eyes with the Mage for a moment then ducking his head to avoid doing so again. He didn’t add her title as Shadow Mage, still not knowing what she wanted to reveal to the first year. If the girl happened to have come across anything about the title ‘Shadow Mage’ while reading, which was unlikely but a possibility, she might become aware of the darker nature of magic she would be learning. He didn’t know her well enough to judge how she would react to that.

"Will you really be teaching me how to use my abilities? Like changing and stuff? And even transfiguration spells? And you really teach me stuff the school won't? Please please? I would love to learn, really I would. I'll do anything to learn more... "

Listening to her talk rapidly, Kerridon was reminded of himself a little. He had had that same thirst for knowledge – still did, in fact – but was more restrained in showing it. Part of working for Dark Phoenix had always been learning new things, and nursing certain fascinations of his such as the mind, and (although it was slightly morbid) death, or what came after. Her appearance flickered again, with her hair changing and eyes now that of a snake.

"I'm seeing in heat-vision? Is this how you see things?"

Although it seemed she was easily distracted, Kerridon was now fairly sure that these odd pieces of magic were accidental. It showed her magical potential was probably strong, if she learnt to control it. Control was always the key. He waited to hear Dark Phoenix’s reply. Hopefully she would approve of him bringing her here. He was always a little nervous about coming before her now after the last incident in the Shadow Realm, but he quickly cleared that from his mind. He didn’t want her to know he was afraid, and she had an uncanny ability to know those sort of things, whether via one of her mind tricks or just instinct. She was definitely used to being around people who were scared out of their wits, and was probably used to sensing it.

[Dark Phoenix]

Expecting a reply from Kerridon, she instead received one first from the girl herself. Flicking an interested eye toward the young girl as she curtsied, she couldn’t help but allow a slightly annoyed expression to flash across her features. It quickly vanished, however, when a large cobra emerged on her shoulders, and was replaced by another small smile. Her ability to do such a thing without using any words, with pure emotion, was slightly impressive for such a young-looking thing. It appeared she had done it unconsciously; if Phoenix could tap into that talent, it was very likely that she could hone it and put it to good use.

Her mind lingering for a while on the fact that it had been a serpent produced, not a rabbit or kitty cat, but a serpent, she was growing ever more hopeful about the idea of Tasha becoming an ally to her. Not only was she here in the dark, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, with a complete stranger and someone else she must hardly know, but she could produce snakes without even realising it and had the innate gift of being a metamorphmagus. Aside from all of those factors, she was also just a small girl; the last person any lightfighter or anyone else for that matter might suspect to be on her side.

As the Hufflepuff continued to speak, asking questions of her, she nodded, one eyebrow rising slightly, along with her smile. “Of course. I can teach you how to control your abilities and develop your spellwork, as long as you are truly willing.” Her voice was quiet and melodious, and she left the comment there for now. She would elaborate when the time came, but until then she wanted to leave things as simple and as appealing as possible. Only able to take her slightly pleading tone as a good thing, she was pleased at the small displays she presented; the changing of her hair and, if her muttered words to the snake were anything to go by, her eyes. Not only was the physical appearance of her eyes changing, but it seemed the actual function, too.

As Kerridon finally spoke up, introducing her as Dark Phoenix, he somewhat wished he’d chosen a better name. ‘Dark’ in itself didn’t exactly present the most wholesome image, but she supposed it was all she had to go by. This girl didn’t exactly seem like a naïve young first year, innocent and sweet; she seemed like a determined, fairly level-headed girl who knew exactly what she wanted. And Phoenix would by no means deny her that. “As Mister Paradox has said, I am Dark Phoenix. If you’re interested in learning what only I can teach, then follow me. Otherwise, you can head back to your bed,” she said quietly, a small, knowing smile lingered on her features as she flicked her gaze to Kerridon. He had done very well indeed in bringing this girl to her attention.

Beginning to walk back into the forest, she disappeared into the trees, her Shadows bordering her, unnecessarily protecting her from anything else lurking; of course, she didn’t need the protection, she just preferred to not be disturbed when she was on business. “Kerridon, follow if you wish, or go back to school.” She would most certainly reward him later, that was for sure.

[tasha]

Tasha was only drifting for a moment before she dragged herself back to her subject at hand. She wanted to learn about herself, especially when she'd just found out she had sch unique abilities. The sound of the woman's name seemed to ring twice in her heard. The first was amazement at how wondrous a name it was. Then in the recesses of her absent conscious she heard the voice of reason. The entire situation screamed bad news, and the mild amount of moral indignation she'd thought into existence called to her. The thought of leaving however, was destroyed instantly by the want to know. Dark Phoenix had a voice more melodic then anything Tasha had yet to here, and she focused on it very intently.

Tasha seemed to want to absorb anything this mysterious and beautiful figure said. Tasha herself saw nothing though, as she saw only heat signatures at the moment, but beauty seemed to simply fit the dark Mage. Tasha was surprised by how little was said however, and even more so to hear that they were going somewhere. Tasha had never been very deep in the forbidden forest, and she could see the faint signatures of plenty of things she'd rather not cross. She hesitated for a moment and looked over to Kerridon as if asking what to do. She would have looked to her book, but she couldn't read at the moment and it was obvious it would say she could go. The book had told her to go this far, then she should go all the way.

Again her little voice in the back of her head attempted a word and failed. She wanted to know and this lady knew it already. She had Kerridon there to protect her already, and it was common knowledge that the teacher looks out for the students. Tasha felt safe in the company of Dark Phoenix, and as bad an idea as it may have been she easily found he trust in this person. It was Kerridon who had selected her, and he was someone she thought she could trust. Tasha's mind was set on going now, no matter how foolishly placed her reasons. The cobra wrapped around her left arm and rested there, Tasha's fingers absentmindedly stroking the scales of it's head. Tasha had seen a few people look at her strangely for her calm approach to the serpents she summoned mistakenly. It was insulting to her that she be looked at with suspicion for what her wand did.

Tasha, with her resolve set after her minute long self counseling session, followed the mage. Her eyes picked up empty areas around the woman that seemed devoid of heat energy but not exactly absorbing it. Something neither hot nor truly cold seemed to be there. Though, to Tasha it seemed like empty spaces in her color scheme and was interpreted as nothing important. The snake on her shoulders on the other hand seemed to be skeptical of everything around her. Just as those summoned by her before, the cobra seemed to dislike all but Tasha. Baring it's fangs at Kerridon behind Tasha's back as she made her way through the trees. Seeing through the shadows was easy with her vision as it was. Though, the reason snakes had these eyes and not humans become obvious when Tasha collided with a solid branch.

The hit was light but it shocked her hair and eyes back to their natural state. It took a moment for her to regain her barrings focus her sights on the path before her. Her hair straightened and went black once more and her eyes went to that of a cat. Tasha's idea of sneaky was feline, and it was no coincident that her eyes took that shape when she thought of sneaking in the dark. The woman who had instructed her to follow was never more then a few feet in front of her. Tasha felt the serpent on her arm make it's way back up her arm and onto her shoulders.

[Kerridon Paradox]

Seeing the annoyed expression on his mistress’s face Kerridon began to get a little nervous, but the smile that came a few moments later reassured him. It seemed he had made the right decision in introducing the pair. There was no doubt that Tasha with talented, and with a certain touch that Dark Phoenix could provide, she would be well on her way to being a completely unsuspected spy for the Mage. He had lost that unsuspected nature with Mordred’s actions and his suspicious return to school had only partly salvaged it.

“Of course. I can teach you how to control your abilities and develop your spellwork, as long as you are truly willing. As Mister Paradox has said, I am Dark Phoenix. If you’re interested in learning what only I can teach, then follow me. Otherwise, you can head back to your bed.”

Her eyes flicked towards him and Kerridon thought he saw quiet approval in there. Good. So he had done right. That assurance was all he needed to boost his confidence back up to a semblance of what it had been before the torture. It was really quite simple for him. So long as he knew that someone, somewhere, who he respected, acknowledged him and said he had done well, he was content. Unfortunately the person who most seemed to offer approval was the Mage, which led down a rather dark path for him.

“Kerridon, follow if you wish, or go back to school.”

Feeling the shadows approaching again, he bowed his head respectfully before replying as the coldness settled over him. “I shall return to the castle,” he replied, not particularly wanting to stay among those creatures. They brought back too many bad memories. He nodded farewell to Tasha, attempting to send her a reassuring look from his eyes to tell her she would be fine, and headed out of the forest and back to Hogwarts. He would hopefully find out soon enough how the training had gone.

[Dark Phoenix]

Sensing that she was following, she double checked that her ghoulish followers were keeping their distance from the pair, and keeping other creatures from prowling nearby. Seeing that they were doing their jobs correctly, she turned her attention away from them and back to the girl following. Finding that she was a little bit back, she slowed her pace slightly and allowed Tasha to catch up; it wouldn’t do any good for her to get lost or, even worse, begin to second-guess in the quiet recesses of her mind. Then again, she had come this far; ventured out in the middle of the night with another student to the Forbidden Forest, then dared to go beyond the treeline with a total stranger.

Hearing a small disturbance, she turned immediately and stepped back a few metres to find the small Hufflepuff’s appearance changing rapidly, apparently of its own accord. Clearly, she hadn’t learnt to control any of her abilities much yet; neither her spell work, nor her metamorphous transformations. There was the added advantage, she found as she had a flashing image of Mordred that forced her to recall the unfortunate incident in Hogsmeade, that even if Tasha was suspected or her alignment discovered, though she considered it somewhat unlikely for some time, at least, then the girl could simply become someone else and use her nearly unique abilities to gain access to knowledge that perhaps no-one else who was aligned with her could. Yes, this girl would be very useful indeed.

“Are you alright?” she questioned in a concerned tone, feeling none of the emotion she portrayed. Of course, from a strictly business-like point of view, she was very much concerned with the wellbeing of Tasha, but there was no emotional attachment whatsoever; not yet, anyway – perhaps in time the girl might come into herself a bit more and not turn into one of those irritating allies. At the thought of allies who held such qualities, the deceased Professor Kade and Gat Soldier sprang immediately to mind and she had to force herself to keep from allowing the scowl usually present when she thought of them from surfacing onto her features. She didn’t want to scare the girl away, not at all, and while she seemed awfully keen to pursue her extended education and content to wander into the forest in the dead of night, there was always the chance of a sudden change of heart, or sense of fear that might keep her from returning. It had happened before, and Phoenix would not make the same mistake twice.

Her eyes shining with a feigned concern that she was so good at, she nodded once back in the direction they had been heading. “Come, I know of a good place nearby for us to begin teaching,” she said, her facial features indicating she was still a bit concerned for the girl, no matter what she said, but that she might be attempting to move past it. She found that her cabin within these woods was become ever more useful with the increasing amount of allies coming her way from the castle; she had brought young Jason here not too long ago, too, for much similar reasons as to why she was leading Miss Thomas here tonight. She had always felt that their first introduction to the Shadow Realm should be when their alliance was fairly secure; and that she would test them in somewhat morbid situations previously to see how they might fare and expect complications or a lack thereof accordingly.

Reaching the little wooden house after only a few more minutes, she left the door open, specifically not holding it open for the girl. She was quite content with the fact that she knew exactly what she was doing, and smiled charmingly at the Hufflepuff. “So, you want to learn?” she asked once more, not particularly needing a response. “The decisions are up to you; we can work on your spell work or your metamorphing skills, or learn new spells, learn how to control your abilities. It’s entirely up to you what we do tonight,” she concluded quietly, her voice open and accepting to any decision she might choose. She had considered simply meeting Tasha tonight and returning at another time to begin training, but given the girl’s enthusiasm she had wanted to start off with something exciting, to give her what she wanted right away and leave her wanting, craving, more.

[tasha]

Tasha was only slightly shaken from the sudden collision and shook it off without much effort. She noticed that the tutor lady had slowed to allow her to catch up and made an effort to move a bit faster. Then of course was the concerned look and sound to her voice that further lulled the trusting child into following. For the moment Tasha had yet to look back and check for the one who'd guided her here, and in her mind there was no question that he'd follow. As far as she was concerned he was surely just as interested in this lesson as she was. He had shown that he was interested thus far, and he shouldn't be losing interest half way through. Tasha slipped through the trees to catch up with Dark Phoenix and eventually noticed the lack of sound behind her and turned. She was surprised ever so mildly that Kerridon was no longer there and sighed lightly. Without a moments hesitation Tasha concluded that he had been very sleepy and went to go sleep in the lovely beds prepared for him. Tasha understood this sentiment and could understand his sudden need to go and rest. The serpent now hanging from her neck seemed to approve of the missing character, as well as seemingly unsure of how to react to the Dark Mage.

Tasha returned to her normal smiling face and moved with a silent prance along behind her midnight tutor. Her glittering chrysoberyl orbs focused once more on the path before her. Tasha may have been naive and trusting but she was not a fool, the path she'd set herself on this night was in not the right one. She was breaking at least two school rules at this moment, and about five rules of common sense. She knew exactly what she was doing wrong, but it was the fact that she was doing it for a good reason that made it right. Her simple thought was that she was told by her most reliable source that this was right. That and the fact that her new friend had lead her here made this a fairly okay thing to do. The only problem was that she hadn't the conscious awareness of exactly how much her actions may or may not weigh. Tasha was following her whim and her wish in traveling here with this stranger introduced to her by a boy she'd met with only once, a week ago. Tasha wasn't all to sure, in a deep unheard part of her mind, if she was wise to have left bed. She was sure though, that she was in for a treat if she went forward. The later of her two thoughts was naturally kicking the snot out of the first.

The guiding voice of the woman told her to follow and she would begin lessons tonight. The word teaching made Tasha bounce a bit more now and her his showed a brighter golden glow. She saw the cabin off in the distance between the trees and a grin of anticipation spanned the porcelain face of the little Hufflepuff. Her curious mind wrapped around the type of lesson she was to receive on her first lesson. The cobra that had made her its home wrapped itself around her midsection as if to become her odd looking belt. Tasha's movements where as lively as ever as she bounced into the cabin behind the Dark Phoenix. There was no telling what she was to learn in the this place, nor how many times this place had been used for that matter. Tasha was in no way as suspicious as others may have been about a convenient cabin in the middle of The Forbidden Forest used for midnight lessons. In fact, Tasha thought that the cabin was rather fascinating. Her mind didn't swap interests now though, she was intently focused on her guide. Everything from this point on was a lesson to learn, there was no room for foolishness.

The normally bubbly bright girl was caught in a serious disposition that masked her glowing expression. Instead of the radiant over-shine of her everyday face she held a more attentive gaze and a observant eye. Something of interest had captured the fullest of her focus and her face showed this, a seriousness that proved her dedication to her current goal. Her excitement still quickened her pulse and heated her blood, even through her determined stare. The prospect offered to her only took moments for her to decide upon. So far knew she had a firm foundation in Transfigurations, as well as the basic definition to her Metamorphing ability. The thing she was interested in bettering first was her Metamorphing skill, as it was her most valuable skill. There was no mistaking that an ability like that would prove a fun and interesting avenue to practice and play with. Without considering the various aspects of the ability latent in her body that included becoming another person she understood the value of changing her figure at will. Tasha was curious to know if learning her own natural ability to it's fullest would increase her ability in Transfiguration and perhaps charms as well.

"I want to learn to control my Metamorphmagus abilities better. Can we learn that today then Ms. Phoenix?"

Her voice was a chipper as before but with a subdued thirst more apparent. Her prize was in her hands, and her teacher was assuring her she could teach anything she wanted. Tasha's initial excitement was more profound then she'd ever felt, but it was no longer loud. Funnily it was that excitement that made her seemed to calm, as if with even a single leap of joyous excitement would undo everything and lose her the opportunity. Tasha was attempting to prove that she could focus on her subject and learn it. The feeling that so much had been disguised and hidden she'd gotten from her questioning Kerridon before was in this cabin as well, but she was getting a few better answers then those offered to her before. Even if she was mislead and tossed into a lie she was getting something from it, she was getting the knowledge that had caught her eye. Her hardworking desire and full focus was intent on devouring whatever this woman could teach. Even as she was beginning this first lesson, Tasha was already hoping for the second.

[Dark Phoenix]

((Ooc: Sorry about the late reply, I was spontaneously stolen for a short vacation down south and haven't been able to access the internet for a bit.))

Pleased at least that the girl was enthusiastic, she couldn’t help but be slightly wary that once that faded and her senses kicked back in, she would realise exactly how foolish she was being. Before that happened, she needed to secure the girl’s alliance, and she would do everything possible to gain the trust and whatever else she had to to get exactly that. Turning to the girl, she saw the newly acquired serious expression and found herself liking this young Hufflepuff more and more.

Waiting for a response and wondering which direction the girl would choose to start off in, she considered the alternatives and what she might teach given the answer. She didn’t really prefer to start anywhere, though perhaps Metamorphing might be the most useful to begin with; she could certainly show the girl a lot of new, potentially exciting things to do with her most unique abilities. A small smile rising onto her features as she replied, she nodded once, signaling that they could indeed begin on what Tasha had requested.

Leaning slightly against the countertop behind her, her smile lightened as she looked at the girl. “You may or may not know some of what I am about to tell you. If you do not, listen well; if you do, listen just as well, because the way in which I tell you might open up new realities or perspectives – something just as good for learning,” she said quietly, her voice melodic and flowing from her lips. “The ability to morph at will is one you are born with. To alter appearances, most wizards require potions or spells; you do not. At the moment you change mostly without realising I assume, your feelings or interactions causing these changes. To learn to control how and when you alter yourself, you must learn to control your emotions.”

Pushing off gently, she supported her own weight and tilted her head to the side slightly, casting her eyes to the floor for a moment as if thinking. “To control your emotions, you need to become used to extreme situations; situations you might be likely or unlikely to encounter. The more you experience, the more often, the better control you will have, do you understand?” she stated, questioning her lightly at the finish. She wanted to make sure that Tasha understood her reasoning; if the girl was confused about her reasons for doing what she might do, she was far less likely to keep going with it – far less likely to succeed.

[tasha]

As the bubbles of energy that normally manifested in jittery bouncing was focused Tasha watched her new teacher. the nod of understanding was a clear sign of the lesson's beginning and Tasha was in no way missing anything. Her eyes focused intently on the woman before her and little else. The creaking of the windswept trees and the rustling of fallen leaves all fell into the distant nothingness of Tasha's awareness. It may be another of her habits that would need fixing but Tasha was focused on one thing as usual, all else became unnecessary distraction. The twinkle of her knowledge lust took hold more the Tasha's eyes as Dark Phoenix began her lesson.

Tasha felt a feeling of respect and a strange connectivity with anyone that could give her more to learn. Maybe it was just her want of knowledge but she seemed to be hunting the people with knowledge. The teachers came to the student in school, there was nothing special to what they teach. Yet, this woman was teaching what other student did not learn. That fact alone was breaking the little realization of wrong that had rung true through her head. Now she merely felt that she was learning, and that she wanted to learn more.

The beginning sounded a lot like what she'd been told by Kerridon, but she caught one thing that changed the subject in her mind. The way to control the power was the thing she was most easily entranced by. If emotion was what did it then she would have to control it as she was told. Though, controlling ones emotions was a difficult task, especially when you were a person like Tasha. At least, it seemed that Tasha would have trouble in doing what she was told she must. When she thought back however, she remembered that she always smiled, no matter what happened. Was that like controlling emotion? The girl nodded and hopefully understood what she was told. To control emotion she would have to go through struggles other people wouldn't be able to handle. The fact that such a thing would altar her greatly didn't effect her, only that she would learn her ability was interesting to her.

"So~~. To control my changes.. I have to control my feelings. And to learn to control my feelings.. I have to be used to a bunch of scary stuff. Is that right? Be able to summon up my feelings or not have them and I can be able to change? Like a spell with no words...with feelings instead?"

It was her attempt at understanding but it was hopefully close. By what she could tell, being able to determine the emotion of the moment without being effected by the situation would grant her the ability of control. If that was right then she had basically got it, and it wasn't too hard.

[Dark Phoenix]

As Tasha nodded and began to try and explain how she understood what Phoenix had just said, she listened closely. It was stated rather simply, but she seemed to get the general point nonetheless. “Correct,” she replied, smiling encouragingly. “Learning to control your emotions is not, shall we say, easy. I’ve got to warn you that it will be very physically and mentally taxing, learning to do what I’m suggesting – but if you truly want to learn to control your abilities, it’s the best way.” Not only that, but it would make her substantially darker, she believed. Everyone reacted differently to certain situations, and hopefully the young Hufflepuff would not let her down. Metamorphmagi were rare enough to come across, so she really needed to do everything possible to secure her alignment.

“However, I’m sure you would have heard about the dark times surrounding the school at the moment – most students will probably be forced to endure things they would rather not, by the sounds of it, so what might be used to test you shouldn’t be too different to what you might experience anyway if you were to get involved in that nasty war I’ve read so much about in the papers.” Of course, she hadn’t read any such thing, but pretending she knew nothing of the Shadow War might be foolish, if not bordering on stupid; according to Gat, most students were being exposed to the facts, and it was the easiest way to slide Tasha into thinking about the war. Perhaps it would have been prudent to avoid mentioning it at all, but Phoenix was confident enough in her abilities that it wouldn’t matter.

“So, if you’re still willing, we can begin.” She felt it was probably best, considering how eager the young girl was, to begin with some practical as well as some theory. She wouldn’t want to disappoint her and leave her not looking forward to the next session now, would she? Making a reminder to herself to ensure that Kerridon kept an eye on her and her progress, she smiled brightly. “Perhaps we’ll start off near the lighter end of the scale,” she continued, her mind searching for their first task. “Just to test how you deal with pressure.”

Taking a step forward, she flicked her wand lightly, followed by a delicate twirl that nevertheless had power behind it. Almost instantly a crowd of dark figures appeared, surrounding the girl and all cloaked in solid black. A deadly cold filled the space and all eight of the tall, overbearing figures stood threateningly above her, beginning to attack. Watching with a mindful eye, perceiving the girl’s every action, Phoenix stood back and simply observed.

[tasha]

The speech given to the youth by her teacher was one that some may consider suspicious. As the night was calling out around them in the middle of an off limit's area, one would not be found expressing the dangers of a "nasty war". In all normal minds it may have even be taken as a hint to run. Though, for Tasha, it seemed like an honest expression of how much the teacher cared for her pupil and Tasha found herself liking Ms. Phoenix much more. Tasha payed close attention to her every word and wondered exactly what it would mean to control ones emotions. Tasha thought it meant to suppress them and not show them, or maybe it was to cancel them completely. Tasha's mind wandered momentarily but not so long as she wanted her attention solely on her lesson.

“So, if you’re still willing, we can begin.”

That sentence alone put all else from the young girl's mind. Tasha was quickly in the midst of all her mental capacities and fully aware of her surroundings. The feline properties of her eyes offered a dark shimmer as proof of her vision. The swaying trees and even the far off calls that rang through the trees met the ears of the sweet girl and she felt more in control. Then there was the swish of a wand that Tasha had braced for without realizing it had happened. Tasha waited to see the result for what seemed like forever, but the split moment was closed by a gathering of tall gaunt figures clad in only black. Tasha was no sooner aware of them then she was under the oppressive effects of the dark chill. Tasha was unsure what to feel in the first place, let alone capable of suppressing it.

With a slight gasp of shock from the combination of events Tasha raised her own wand. There was a list of what she'd learned thus far floating in through her mind and it was a short one. The many spells she'd found on her own were merely ones she thought were pretty or fun. The classes she had been paying attention to offered little in the ways of "Defeating black odd creatures that make things cold". Tasha flashed a moment of panic across her normally carefree and pleased face, but it was quickly overtaken by determination. The feeling that this test was her only chance to prove she could learn was closing around her and she in no way wanted to go back to knowing nothing. Tasha knew that her teacher wouldn't do anything to kill or harm her, or at least believed so fully.

"Efferflagrantia"

[/i]

Within no more then six of seven seconds of the arrival of those mortifying creature, Tasha had come to her best option. If the creatures were dark and darkly dressed then they seemed to like Darkness. Throughout her life she'd been told not to judge by appearance but this time she had to hope that the look of these things was enough to hint a way to get away from them. With a swish of her wand not to different then a dancing flourish the tip of her wand released a swarm of lights. The little shimmering lights spilled out into the air and seemingly assaulted the dark figures. The sweet sound of Tasha's voice holding her determined tone masked her previous moment of fear. The confident little witch held faith that the assaulting swarm of shimmering lights would at least distract the ghastly specters.

Though she'd only summoned a gathering of swarming light it was no different from a swarm of bees. the little shimmering embers didn't sting but given enough contact they could burn. The spell was really pretty too, and Tasha smiled out of habit once the spell proved to have been cast successfully. Her desire was to distract so she could rush out of the dangerous crowd. The best effect would be to repel or even burn the aggressors. Though, Tasha was sure she wouldn't have to worry about them swatting away her spell and draining her soul or something. Even though it seemed that the things just might wish to do the latter of the three.

Tasha moved to shuffle along the wall and away from the things in their moment of distraction. If she was successful then she'd think of something more effective to do then. first was to get a bit away, and the other side of the cabin seemed relatively more hospitable at the moment.