Just for a Moment.

[Bryan Kelley]

When Bryan had first started working with his staff, his body had been sore the following days after he had began working with it. Despite the stiffness in his muscles, Bryan had continued to work with the long wooden pole. Usually he began his morning, before his dorm mates awoke, moving through the forms that D’rorah had showed him. However, he also went into the room of requirement at random times during the week – not always the same time each day – to work in his elemental room. Bryan would practice with his element as well as the staff. Bryan also occasionally joined D’rorah and Sam during them morning practices. Sam had managed to drag the older Gryffindor along a few times and since then he usually joined them at least three times a week. Bryan definitely felt the two competitiveness during their training was far too intense for himself. Bryan usually occupied himself with his own warm-up when they did their intense runs, knowing there was no way he could keep up with them, nor did he wish to slow them down. However, the stiffness in his muscles have slowly started to disappear, not that Bryan really noticed. He was certainly not as active as his younger brother, but he was still fit. However, using muscles one was not used to using was always a bit painful in the beginning.

There were still moments of stiffness, but as Bryan walked outside to the grounds, he did not really notice any. He had done his normal training and afterwards he had sought to finish an essay for one of classes. This was finished, leaving the Gryffindor with some time on his hands. He felt that he should be training more. Being still somewhat new to the Light Fighters, Bryan couldn’t help taking it a little more serious, or to remember the warning and words D’rorah had used when she had introduced him to the situation. His own life had not yet been met with tragedy as many other Light fighters’. His family were still in one piece, despite the loud interruption that had been created when he and Sam returned home with D’rorah to inform them of the war their boys were now deeply apart of. The Kelley parents had not been thrilled at the knowledge, but they had not sought to try and pull their sons out of it. They understood what it was to be apart of any organization and recognized the severity of the one their sons were now apart of. Sam and Bryan had certainly not lied to D’rorah when they told her that she would quickly be drawn into their family. It may not have happened exactly as the two Gryffindors had predicted, but it had happened nonetheless. The whole encounter had been as interesting and loud as any meeting with the Kelley family could be. The family members definitely seemed to resemble Sam and his loud personality, than that of the quiet older Kelley. The only one who seemed close to Bryan was their mother in her moments of silent contemplation, such as when she had regarded the Ravenclaw before her acceptance of it. She put her trust in the Ravenclaw to keep her sons safe. Yet, it had all been finished and settled with considerably little hassle, at least in Sam and Bryan’s opinions. Of course, they were used to their family and how they could when forced into any situation.

As he walked across the grounds, Bryan would agree that his life had certainly changed, especially considering the start of this term he had not known anything about Light fighters, shadows, Mage, and everything else involved in this war. He had just been a teenager trying to make it through his classes while drawing on the side. Drawing. Another area of his life that was threatening to be complicated, given the seer-like drawings he had been producing. Bryan was merely hoping this extra little talent could somehow be used to benefit the Light fighters in someway. Instead, the drawings seemed to be more random than anything else.

Bryan flipped open his sketch book as he walked towards the park. His pencil was stored behind his left ear, yet the Gryffindor didn’t move to draw the utensil out, instead he flipped through the drawings as he walked. His blue eyes glanced up once in a while to make sure he didn’t trip or run into anything. Bryan didn’t know if there was any sort of pattern to when he had one of those drawing moments, they seemed sporatic. At the moment, he looked at one he had done before he had gone home to talk with his parents. From his own understanding, the drawing seemed to take place in the past --- way past if the clothes were anything to go off of. However, past that, Bryan didn’t know anymore about the drawing. With a sigh he flipped the pages until he came to a blank page and tucked the pad under his arm as he walked over to a tree.

He settled himself on the stone bench that was situated there before resting the pad on the top of his legs. He leaned against the bench backing and stared at the sky, allowing his mind to wander. He felt the wind flow through the park and felt calm and relaxed just by its very presence.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah was still locked in the tenuous process of trying to get all of the Lightfighters up to par as far as this war was concerned. Things were progressing a bit, as people finally began to avail themselves of training. At last, it started to feel like she was making some kind of progress. She had been particularly happy to see Bryan more often in training and to note that his rate of progress clearly indicated to her that he was dedicating himself to learning the techniques she was teaching.

One of the oddest moments of her recent life had come from a trip to visit Bryan and Sam's family. It had been carefully orchestrated on D'rorah's part... traveling was especially difficult, as she didn't want to be followed and wanted to avoid being linked with the Kelleys. This was, of course, for their safety more than anything else. As the most well-known of the Lightfighters about the Mage's servants, D'rorah was forced to take extra care about who she associated with publicly.

The Kelleys were of course not entirely thrilled about Bryan's and Sam's involvement in a war. By it's very nature, war is violent... and to dedicate two sons to a cause that had already been raging for centuries and had claimed lives would be understandably troublesome. Compounding that was D'rorah's own misplaced guilt about pulling people into the war. And of course, there was the sheer energy and commotion of the Kelley family for D'rorah to deal with... they were welcoming once they warmed up to her... but welcoming for them was clamorous and overbearing for D'rorah.

She had grown up with no family but her parents her entire life. And the Philosophys had always been quiet people who spoke calmly and rationally. As such, it was jarring to suddenly be surrounded by so much commotion and emotion. D'rorah had, as always, kept her usual calm demeanor... though that meant she sometimes got lost amidst the clamor. However, by the end of the weekend she seemed to have found a niche of sorts among the Kelley clan. She appreciated most of all the way they were able to muster up and band together in a difficult time. She had a feeling that family would be a wellspring of strength for Bryan and Sam... and that would most certainly be helpful to them in the coming war.

She headed outside today, away from the mental energies that reverberated around the castle walls inside the school. Keeping up her mental barriers in the face of such constant onslaught sometimes was a bit much... and after the weekend with the Kelleys, D'rorah was already feeling slightly mentally frazzled. Though (and she would never publicly admit this), it was nice to have anything resembling family once again... no matter how polar opposite they were from her own family. Heading out into the gardens, she looked for a quiet place to read and gather her wits and found instead her own Elemental Master.

Quietly, she lowered herself onto the bench beside Bryan. [blue]"Good day, Mister Kelley"[/blue] she greeted quietly. [blue]"Lovely breeze today,"[/blue] she mentioned absently, noting the calm wind blowing through the park.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan knew that his family could be a little much. The Kelleys had always been a strong and rambunctious type of group. However, for as loud as they were, they were just as much caring and loving. There was not any form of deception within their ranks. They truly tended to be exactly as they appeared. Bryan had tried to warn D’rorah that she would find his family more like Sam than himself, however he had sense her doubt from their link. He sensed she thought they couldn’t be quite as bad as he said, considering Bryan himself was apart of the Kelley family and was a quiet spirit himself. However, Bryan knew that D’rorah would not release this form of doubt until she found herself with in the chaos of his family. The Gryffindor had not been surprised to sense her discomfort at sheer force of the Kelley family welcoming through their link. Bryan wasn’t fully aware of it, but he sought to send her some sort of calm through their link, from his own personal experiences with his family. For Bryan, his family was not so chaotic because had grown up with it. Rather, there was peace there for him. Bryan sought to subtly share that with his Shadow Warrior in order to ease her discomfort with the sheer presence each Kelley present created.

The Gryffindor didn’t know his small effort had any affect to ease the Ravenclaw’s unease with the increased activity she was not normally used to. The older girl’s thoughts did not normally register easily upon her countenance and even through their link, Bryan wasn’t sure he sensed any difference. Instead, he had sought to help outwardly too as he conversed with his family on helping them to understand what their two sons were into and what it meant for them. Neither he nor Sam was surprised when the older girl was welcomed into the clan. They had known it would happen once everything became clear. Their family was just a little bit too loving at times. Yet, from Bryan’s perspective, everything had gone pretty well. His parents had accepted what they were told and had let the two boys return to the castle.

Bryan was sometimes expecting to receive an owl from his mother or father for more information, but it seemed his parents understood the importance of not drawing attention to the fact their sons were involved by mentioning it in any form, especially written and owl, which could easily be intercepted at the school. However, Bryan knew they worried as there was a slight increase of letters, but their contents were always contained normal news and correspondence. It was definitely true that Bryan and Sam would probably draw a considerable strength from family. If anything, if the two boys had been incorrect on how their parents would have taken the news, it’s unknown how the unexpected reaction would have affected the two Gryffindors. It could not make the boys easy in their part of the group. However, that at least was not a bridge that had to be crossed.

There was no use worrying over such things, as Bryan was once more at the school and there was no cause to think of them. So, the Gryffindor had not. Instead, as he sat on the bench in the park, Bryan had cleared his mind and just stared at the sky enjoying the light breeze that floated through the park. He felt calm despite all the unknown his life was not apart of. It had to do with being around his element. With the wind around him, he felt reluctant to let his mind travel down paths that were less than pleasant. In truth, as he sat there, he wasn’t thinking much of anything at all. It was almost like when he did one of his seer drawings, which had lately been taking more of an interest in things that happened in the past. Bryan knew not of the scenes he draw or when they even took place, only that they were from the past and seemed to follow a story line, if out of order from how they occurred in their time line. Yet, Bryan’s hand remained still over the page of his sketchbook. The pencil was in his hand, yet he did not feel the urge to move. Instead, he was just having a quiet moment.

Bryan didn’t realize when he felt D’rorah presence. Yet, he must have felt it, as he was not surprised when her voice sounded at his side. “It’s very calming,” he replied when she spoke of the breeze. He turned his face away from the sky to look at his Shadow Warrior.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah nodded slightly at Bryan's statement, [blue]"It is,"[/blue] she agreed. She turned to regard Bryan as she felt his eyes on her before turning her eyes back to gaze out over the grounds. [blue]"I suppose it must seem odd that I would simply sit here so publicly when I have heretofore been overly concerned with secrecy.... however, I thought that perhaps..."[/blue] She trailed off, feeling foolish for having breached her own insistence on secrecy for... for what? She wasn't even sure.

There didn't seem to be anyone else about at the moment, but that could change quickly. Then again, with the excuse of being Bryan's tutor, she supposed there wouldn't really be much cause for anyone to question her sitting with him. She opened her mouth to begin again, simultaneously scanning the surrounding area to make sure no one was around. [blue]"Is it... always like that?"[/blue] she asked finally, turning back to face him. [blue]"I did not imagine it might be possible for a single group of people to be so.... overwhelming,"[/blue] she finished finally. [blue]"My parents were... very different."[/blue]

So different, in fact, that she could hardly think of where to begin. Her mother had been the most open of the three, but even she had been a quiet, reserved person. D'rorah had nothing to prepare her for the cacaphony of the Kelley family. She was trying to imagine having grown up among them, and found, for the life of her, that she could not. And she couldn't imagine an extended family... the only family she'd ever had were her parents. She could only surmise that the addition of more people would exponentially increase the entire experience.

[Bryan Kelley]

As the older Ravenclaw sat next to him on the bench, Bryan did not extend much thought towards the two of them conversing together out in the open. Perhaps, Bryan wasn’t as conscientious as D’rorah as to their being associated together. He knew she wanted to keep their names from being connected together too much, however Bryan knew that it was something that could only be possible for so long. If one thought about it, technically anyone D’rorah spoke to could be considered at risk, yet he knew her persistence on it was for his own safety. However, Bryan wasn’t one to think about these things. He wasn’t normally a person who hid things from others, so it was not much wonder why the thought had not occurred to him.

He arched a brow when the muted blonde decided to address the subject after her agreement over the wind. He cocked a brow for a moment before he said, “Is it so odd for one to become friends with one’s tutor?” he asked in response, a slight smile on his lips, knowing she would still find fault with the statement, knowing how she was the one known most to the Shadow Mage and how any apparent acquaintance with her was bound to draw attention. He would suggest she expand her acquaintance more, but he knew that seemed a silly suggestion, seeing how the Ravenclaw often cloistered herself away in the library doing research or other remote areas of the castle. These habits were hardly the type to make her open to the friendships of others.

After Bryan had spoken, he turned his gaze to look back at the movement of branches in the wind, in the foliage around them. However, the topic D’rorah chose to tread next after her trailing of the first brought a laugh to Bryan’s lips. He could not help himself, though he quickly turned the laugh into a chuckle and then amused smile before he spoke. Yet, the laughter remained in his blue eyes as he looked back to the Ravenclaw. “Yes, it is pretty much always like that. Worse when the entire family is together and not just my immediate family. I did warn you they are a rambunctious bunch,” he told her, amusement in his voice.

He paused for a moment. “Well, we’re all different and come for different molds,” he said in response to her last statement of her parents being different. “And those molds allow us to bring different experiences and thoughts to the table.” Bryan had the memories of D’rorah, from when they joined, to know that her family had been quite the opposite of his. However, if she had grown up in a household like his, she probably would not have turned out to be the woman who sitting there next to him. However, with any luck, future encounters with the Kelley clan could perhaps teach D’rorah something, and if not that, at least give her a sense of acceptance, without fear of being hated for what she believe she stood for: the death of any member drawn into the Lightfighters or the war they fought. She was certainly not the cause of those deaths. She did not choose who could join and who could not. That was left instead to whatever being decided such fates. Which as highly as many people thought of the Ravenclaw, she just did not possess that particular power.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"Most would think it odd considering that I am the tutor in question,"[/blue] she replied sardonically. [blue]"However, I suppose it is not entirely unprecedented as a more general statement."[/blue] Of course, she appreciated the response as an attempt to lighten her mood. [blue]"You may not have noticed, but I do not tend to be a very social person,"[/blue] she added, a hint of irony in her voice.

[blue]"You attempted to warn me; however, I suppose I did not pay proper heed to those warnings,"[/blue] she replied as he spoke about his family. She nodded slightly as he stated that everyone was from a different mold. She knew all too well that the variety of talents and abilities that arose from people's differing backgrounds was one of the things that helped the world to function. Even within the Lightfighters there was a plethora of difference... from Caitlin as the heartful pacifist to Zane. She knew that somehow all of the differences would come together, and that the teamwork of such a seemingly disparate group would be the ultimate factor in their victory.

[blue]"Is there always so much..."[/blue] she paused, recalling the awkward exchanges over that weekend with a bit of confusion in her mind... [blue]"hugging?"[/blue] she finished finally. She could recall an exchange, her arms pinned stiffly to her sides as she had been caught during one of Mrs. Kelley's more open and rambunctious moments. In the moment, it had been hard to focus on anything other than everything happening around her... after returning to Hogwarts, however, she'd had time to work up a decent nostalgia for her own home, and her own parents. Though she wasn't one to wear her heart on her sleeve, she'd felt their absence from her life far more keenly after the visit to the Kelleys than she had in some time. She refused to display those emotions, however, preferring to focus instead on the Kelley family and subjects that were a bit lighter. [blue]"I was surprised that they so quickly accepted your roles in the conflict."[/blue]

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan smiled a bit amused when she spoke about it being odd to befriend a tutor when the tutor was her. He didn’t think it very odd, but then Bryan had never seemed particularly off-put by D’rorah’s manner. He found her odd, or even a bit eccentric compared to the more relaxed manners of many of his fellow students, but he had yet to really feel unsettled by her. However, Bryan was more of a relaxed person himself, and usually attempted to get along with the people he interacted with. Like D’rorah, he wasn’t particularly social, but he was perhaps a bit more welcoming of it in his manner compared to the seemingly coldness that some people thought the Ravenclaw excluded. As Bryan was social only so much that he spoke with people when they spoke to him. Bryan would much rather draw than deal with people normally. So the Gryffindor did not exactly make himself well known around people, so many would not really know what sort of people he would normally be friends with.

However, Bryan decided against following the line of conversation, and chose instead allow the conversation to move into other avenues as D’rorah had changed it towards how his family were always like. He chuckled once more as she acknowledged that she had not heeded the warnings that had been sent her way. However, he said nothing in response, though a grin touched his lips when she asked about the hugging. “Yeah, that can be a bit of the norm too,” he told her, “we tend to be a loving and caring group who like to get into each other’s business. It can be a good and bad things at times,” he finished with a shrug of his shoulders as he lightly tapped his fingers against his sketch pad in an unconscious movement. He didn’t move to withdraw the pencil from behind his left ear, feeling no urge to draw or even sketch despite the movement of his left hand suggested.

He blinked when she spoke of her surprise with how his family had been quick to accept their two sons’ roles. “Yeah …” he started for a moment. “Accepting in a manner of speaking, as they’re not happy about it, but there is a bigger picture to look at and rather than waste time fighting it, it’s better to work with it and hope for the best, I guess,” he continued with a shrug of his shoulders. “The Kelleys have always been tight, and as such we’re quick to stick by when trouble arises or try to help in whatever way we can, but I can say they’re still processing it. I admit, I’m waiting to receive some sort of letter or something on it. As it’s still a lot to take in. I’m still processing it all myself,” he finished with another shrug of his shoulders.

Bryan was silent for a moment or so as he looked at the sky before once more looking at the Ravenclaw. “I think they’re more put out that they weren’t informed sooner, but that is more from the whole Kelley protection streak than anything … like how Sam sought you out,” he added after a quick look around before mentioning his brother. With D’rorah present, he became a little more conscious of their setting and the fact people could easily walk in on them at any moment.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"Hm,"[/blue] D'rorah replied as Bryan stated that hugging could be the norm. While she couldn't see anything wrong with loving and caring, it just felt a bit foreign to her these days. And even in the moments where she had been able to find a small niche in which to fit amongst the Kelleys, she had felt almost a bit guilty inside that she might consider them a surrogate for her own family... even for a moment. Ah well, the weekend was over now, and she was already back to her business of research and classes. No need to linger on fleeting guilt, as she doubted she would find the opportunity to visit the Kelleys again anytime soon.

D'rorah nodded slightly as Bryan continued speaking, listening quietly as she contemplated the grounds of the school around them. When he had finished, she opened her mouth to speak again. [blue]"Certainly, I would not expect most families to be happy about such a thing. Though, my father was quite proud when I was identified as a Shadow Warrior after having trained for two years as a scribe. Mother was more worried about it, but just as your parents did, she knew there was little hope in fighting such a thing. I suppose we could have told them sooner... the only true difficulty was in making the travel arrangements."[/blue]

She smirked slightly, thinking of her first encounter in the library with Sam. He had first sought for her to leave Bryan alone... and upon learning a bit more of what was going on, he had then insisted that he must be included. Of course, it had turned out to be a completely moot argument, as Sam himself had turned out to be an Elemental Master as well. [blue]"I suppose it is rather a lot for on to become accustomed to. Though, I began my training at such a young age, I cannot fathom life in any other way."[/blue] She wondered whether she was fortunate that she had nothing to "process" or whether she had missed out on some part of a normal life and childhood on account of being brought into the Order so early. She would certainly have it no other way at this point, so she ceased speculation, knowing it was pointless.

She closed her eyes as a breeze played across her skin and took a deep breath, stretching out her mental awareness to ensure once again that no one was around to intrude or eavesdrop upon their conversation before continuing. [blue]"As a matter of fact, I am spending much more time processing the weekend spent with your family than I ever spent processing the fact of being a Shadow Warrior,"[/blue] she remarked with a hint of mirth in her voice. [blue]"I believe I was nearly eleven years of age when I realized that most girls my age had no business with swords or martial arts at all. I recall being quite shocked, in fact. While my peers were discussing Witch Weekly and lip gloss, I was debating text translations with my father and my tutors and practicing my swordsmanship."[/blue] She smirked slightly. No, the odds had been stacked against her from birth... never was there any possibility she would be what her peers would consider "normal"... a fact that had been stressed to her often by them throughout her childhood and adolescence while she was away at school.

[Bryan Kelley]

As D’rorah spoke, Bryan inclined his head in a slight nod as he agreed with her words. It was certainly strange to try and contemplate something that someone never had to deal with before. D’rorah had grown up learning about the Order of Light. In a way, her own childhood had been in preparation for what she would face when she moved towards her twenties. Everything she knew she had grown up around, never really having cause to feel overwhelmed by the knowledge like those who had not grown up receiving those lessons. Until that evening in the Astronomy tower, when she had told him of what he was, Bryan had never known the existence of the Order of Light and the war it fought with the Mage and shadow realm. Yin and Yang were just parts of that circle with one half white and the other black intertwined, indicating harmony. He certainly had never heard of them as anything else until he met the Ravenclaw girl.

“It certainly makes a difference whether one was brought up on this history or if they had never heard it before,” Bryan agreed after the older girl had commented on not being able to imagine her life in any other way, and how she had grown up. “I certainly never imagined being involved in such a situation, being forced to learn to wield weapons, not merely for my own safety but for that of others’. It’s a different life style to adjust to,” he mused. Bryan had wondered more than once what he was now apart of, what he had gotten into. Despite these moments of worry, Bryan had certainly never contemplated giving up or calling a quits. He certainly wasn’t used to being a part of a team, like Sam was, but Bryan still understood the concept, it being one that seemed also a large part of his own family.

However, this knowledge had taken getting used to. His mind had probably processed it well enough at this point. Weeks prior, however, Bryan had suffered a couple nightmares or night terrors, one such event leading him to have a short conversation in the early morning with Wysteria before he started training for the day. The sleep disturbances had mostly been caused from the stress that had been added into his life with this new addition to it. The Gryffindor certainly didn’t seem or act perturbed by the information and change in his life, but then one’s body usually acted on its own at times when the mind is not completely in tune with what is going on. However, at the time of his sitting there with the Ravenclaw, the Gryffindor lad was once more sleeping comfortably through the night. The events were becoming something of a norm in his life now that they no longer disturbed him as great as they had in his silent contemplation.

Bryan grew silent for a few moments as he stared at the foliage across from them. His mind was once more contemplating his role at the Elemental Master of Wind. He knew that he was D’rorah’s third Elemental Master, and it was something he didn’t want to change. Meaning, he didn’t want D’rorah going through the process of losing another Elemental Master, and in accordance himself dying, but nor did he want to lose D’rorah as his Shadow Warrior. From the moment of their joining, the Gryffindor was highly aware of the corruption that D’rorah had faced in result of her duties as Shadow Warrior and being without an Elemental Master.

“Is there anything more we can do?” he asked after a moment of thought. “To strengthen our bond or something?” he continued. Aside from their occasional training, which seemed to involve more physical training than mental or working with whatever force bonded them together, Bryan did not think they had work much on their own bond with one another as Elemental Master and Shadow Warrior. Part of Bryan wondered if it was perhaps subconsciously D’rorah feared getting close to an Elemental Master only to lose him like she had the previous two. He knew there was the training in China planned, but Bryan wondered how much that would involve with working with their respective Elemental Master or Shadow Warrior.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah nodded in response to Bryan. [blue]"Sometimes I wonder though... what it might have been like to have a childhood that was less structured,"[/blue] she replied quietly. In a sense, her life had never been her own... she had grown up bound to her future duty. But then, she was sure she never would have chosen differently if given the choice. Some days she simply wished she had been an ordinary girl in an ordinary family... she was certain her parents would still be alive if only she hadn't been born with these.... gifts.

She knew that Bryan had endured nightmares since being discovered as an Elemental Master. It hardly seemed fair, that the ones tasked with protecting the world from evil were the ones constantly suffering. But apparently, someone had to. And D'rorah was the sort who would rather suffer herself than wish it on someone else. And she knew, considering that Bryan had taken up the duty fate had dealt him rather than choosing to pass it along, that he was the same.

She enjoyed these quiet moments with a kindred spirit. It was lovely to simply sit here and enjoy a breeze and a nice early summer afternoon. She turned her face to look at Bryan as he spoke up again. It was easy enough to follow the train of thoughts that had led him to the statement. He was very close to the truth... no, actually, he was right at the truth. She didn't want to get close to another Elemental Master again. She wanted Bryan to remain safe. She had, of course, wanted her previous three Elemental Masters to remain safe as well... but there was little use in wishing to change the past.

[blue]"We could meditate together, there are mental exercises that could be done to strengthen the bond,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"However, I worry that such exercises might expose you to too much of the darkness to which I have been subjected."[/blue] She knew she should work with Bryan more on a mental level... mental communication was new to him, and he was only just becoming accustomed to the link. She knew he was making good effort and good progress and learning to use it... no thanks to her. She had realized that while they were visiting his family as he tried to send her comforting thoughts and feelings to help her through the experience. If she'd stopped to think about it, she would have realized how absurd it was that she was more jostled from an encounter with a loving family than she would have been facing down a well-armed opponent. [blue]"If you are concerned for my well-being, I am quite fine,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"I do not wish to subject you to any more risk than I must."[/blue] And, as close as she already felt to Bryan, there was the lingering fear that coming closer to him would only open the potential for disaster.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan had no reply to the question D’rorah left in the air about wondering about something couldn’t be. His life was far from being as structured as hers, but he could not imagine that it could any sort of comparison. The only thing he could possibly think of that life among the Lightfighters would probably had been drastically different than they were now. Would things have turned at as they were now? As surely the structure which D’rorah had been brought up in was a key component in keeping their little group together, keeping some semblance that they were in fact a functioning group? Yet, this was all hypothetical and Bryan learned not to dwell on the what-ifs as life was hard enough to live without worrying about things they could change or the different possibilities of things happening. Rather Bryan had started to focus on taking things as they came and trying to be as prepared as he possibly could. What else could he really do? He wasn’t a mind reader, even if his seer-like drawings sometimes did give way to something that could possibly be helpful. It was not wise to dwell on images from the future, as they may always come true. There were so many strings of futures that who’s to say what one saw would be the string their future would follow?

The Gryffindor listened in silence as she answered his question on attempting to strengthen the bond between them. He had started to stare forward and he couldn’t help the frown that had touched his lips at the end of her answer. “No matter which route you choose you’ll be exposing me and yourself, even, to risk,” he told her rationally. “You fear the darkness tainting me, that’s one possibility, but then there’s the possibility of not doing anything to train --- which you have been arguing we all need to do in your own way. Train this connection as much as possible and then when something comes up in the future we may be ill-equipped to encounter it and we have the possibility of risk there as well,” he told her. “I know you’re fine right now, but being apart of this, I don’t really want to sit idly by and do nothing as I don’t want you to lose another Elemental Master.” He smiled with a sort of sad humor, aware he was speaking of his own death in this case. “Or the possible death or additional corruption of yourself,” he told her, somewhat aware he was probably speaking things the Ravenclaw had probably already thought of herself. “So either way, we’re left with choosing the lesser of the apparent evils or risks, as no matter what you choose there is going to be sort of risk to be had,” he continued. “We can’t lock each other in protective bubbles after all.”

Bryan knew that the picture he painted showed that no matter what route they chose there would always be risk, and he knew D’rorah knew this. However, sometimes one needed to hear things reiterated, to reminded them. He had felt a sort of confirmation of his own conclusion to D’rorah wariness to become close to another elemental master, and he certainly understood it. However, he could not really do much about that but at least attempt to show her that he took this seriously and had no wish to join her line of deceased Elemental Masters. However, it did seem likely that if she didn’t pass that wariness there was also the strong possibility he might just end up like the others regardless, and in the end she would see that as another failure upon her part, as she had not overcame that fear. Bryan decided not pursue the idea of the result of the opposite course of action, as if one looked at the bad then every action would end in a bad way. The truth was there was no way of knowing how anything was going to occur, one could only try to prepare for things to the best of their abilities and Bryan was just looking into this bond of this, this additional weapon of sorts against the Mage. If they didn’t hone that as well as their ability to fight with weapons then they were leaving themselves open, just as if one had not learned to fight. They were not utilizing all their resources, so to speak.

The Gryffindor lad was merely thinking all this through. He knew it was far easier to think of this all in theory, and he himself was probably more of a theorist, thinker than one to take action. However, he was trying, and that had to count for something at least.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah sighed quietly as she listened to Brian speak. She knew he was right and he was expressing concerns she had had herself. She had been the one to tell the others that training was needed. She was the one asserting the importance of having a bond between Shadow Warrior and Elemental Master... and yet, because she'd had the opportunity to fight without her Elemental Master for years before bonding with one, and because she'd gone periods of time without one during the course of this year and its tumult of deaths for the progressive Elemental Masters of Wind, she had become accustomed to the idea of fighting by herself and pulling her own emotions back.

She knew it was dangerous. And if any of the others had tried it, they would have been sternly lectured. She breathed deeply as she considered the situation she found herself in this year. She wished they could all simply leave Hogwarts and go to the Monastery... to reside there and to train. They would be safer; they would learn more without the various distractions of class and the necessity of having to sneak around in secrecy.

[blue]"You are correct,"[/blue] she finally admitted. [blue]"I do want you to train... and we should work on strengthening the bond between our minds. For some reason, I feel as though I may not be able to remain at Hogwarts much longer... and if that happens, you will need to be comfortable enough with my mind that you can access our link from a distance. And that will take a high level of familiarity."[/blue]

[blue]"I feel as though the Light is shifting... things are changing somehow. Things feel different than they have felt before somehow..."[/blue] she trailed off, hating that she sounded like some sort of vague oracle. [blue]"In any case, you are right... we should meditate together, you should spend a great deal of time in my mind, becoming accustomed to it."[/blue] She laughed dryly. [blue]"And I shall apologize in advance whatever unpleasantness you might encounter there."[/blue]

She stared off into the distance. [blue]"We should begin tomorrow morning... or perhaps afternoon... or perhaps both,"[/blue] she amended, feeling that time was somehow of the essence. [blue]"Whenever you are free, simply tell me through our mental connection and I will find a way of meeting with you."[/blue] Taking a deep breath, she opened the connection between them a bit further, ceasing her own nearly unconscious blocking of it. Of course, it could never be closed off completely, but she could control how much she shared to some degree. [blue]"Please let me know when the change becomes too much and I shall back off to a more closed level,"[/blue] she communicated silently, speaking solely through their mental link.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan was silent after he had finished speaking. He watched the Ravenclaw as she thought through what he had just said. Bryan did not feel particularly comfortable with bringing up any sort of critique towards the older girl, however there was nothing else to be done. She, herself, had been pressuring them all to train and Bryan had noticed this gap in one area of training that she had been neglecting between them. In truth, Bryan had not really felt he had been doing much training aside from the training with the staff, however that had certainly changed a little bit since he started to join D’rorah and Sam in their morning training sessions. Aside from the weapons training, the Gryffindor had also been working on his abilities with Wind. Bryan would admit there was probably more he could do to train, but he wasn’t like his brother who seemed to jump to do things. Rather, Bryan always seemed to stand back – perhaps even hesitate as he thought through what he would be jumping into. In a way, this was good, but it was also a negative since sometimes a hesitation could mean the end in some situation. There are always two sides to every coin, after all.

As the Ravenclaw began to speak, Bryan cleared his thoughts as he gave her his full attention. Bryan inclined his head slightly at her words of perhaps not being at Hogwarts for very long. The most obvious conclusion for this statement was that she was a seventh year, and hence would be graduating. Her remaining at Hogwarts, as a student, would be suspicious – especially given her intelligence. A half smile touched his lips when she spoke about unpleasantness lurking in her mind. He had already grown familiar with her, from both his time with her and with the connection and activities that came with being her Elemental Master – he had after all been witness to her worst memories during their joining. However, the Gryffindor did not believe that was the worst things her mind could contain. The human mind was a complicated device its complexities.

“Aside from class and homework, I don’t have anything that eats into my time,” he told her when she spoke of meeting with him whenever he was free. “I’m not on the Quidditch team like Sam or a prefect like yourself,” he added, both activities were ones that ate into one’s free time with practices and patrol. The Gryffindor tilted his head slightly when the Ravenclaw’s voice sounded in his mind as she spoke to him through their connection. It was still rather odd having such a connection with another person, but he had grown used to it by now. I think I can handle it … it’s not as weird as it first was, he replied to her. Even when they had first joined, Bryan had only felt only weird at the additional thought pattern his mind had access to. It had taken getting used to, but the Gryffindor had picked it up quick enough – perhaps it had been because the Gryffindor was silent and used to the pressure, for lack of better words, of thoughts in his mind as used to he was as working through things mentally and by himself.