Notes

Waking up hadn't been as slow and gradual a process, as it was that morning, in years. In fact as he slid out of bed and walked through his morning routine, he was almost ________ly numb. His body felt loose and relaxed, his mental state clear and yet fuzzy at the same time. If he didn't know his own mind and body so well, he would have suspected he had been fed something. But even a thorough check and run through of his internal systems showed no foreign influences. Instead he seemed especially calm and even invigorated--as if he had tapped into a new pool of energy. Stray thoughts about energy and ley lines occupied his thoughts as he pulled a robe on over his oversized and almost threadbare nightclothes. They were definitely more suited to comfort than any utilitarian purpose. Tara'ni kept them out of sentimental value than because they kept him warm, much less covered. The robe was necessary since the rest of the house tended to be a bit cooler than his own bedroom.

Or, it normally was. As soon as he had stepped out at the head of the stairs, he felt the press of summer warmth and loosened the belt tying his robe together. His body followed the usual commands and made its way downstairs, found the kitchen and proceeded to fix a cup of vanilla chamomile with honey just as he preferred it. He was halfway into the process before he even realized someone had obviously prepared the tea (his Sending/magical constructs were on strict orders not to brew any--there was always some kind of residue or aftertaste that acted on his system like a supercharged dose of caffeine). Not only prepared tea but a plate of food was waiting under a time released warming spell for him on the counter.

In a flood of sensory relay, Tara'ni's haze suddenly cleared and he tuned back into what his senses were telling him. Whether or not he had actually forgotten he had company was debatable, but either way, he had not gotten out of bed thinking of the agenda he had outlined in his mind yesterday. After the successful crash course in storing and preserving clippings, herbs and plants, he had thought to test his new student for any natural Gifts of affinities and figure out what aptitude, if any, he already had for sensing and channeling the energy focused around him. Instead he had strolled out of bed, calm as you please and hadn't questioned any of the little ways the house was suddenly trying to accommodate a balance between his own preferences and likely _____'s habits. Speaking of, Tara'ni prepared a mental probe to locate and communicate with his charge before a ringing sound reached his ears and he followed it through the parlor to a side window.

Across the yard, __________ was seated on a short stack of logs. The sound he had mistook for some kind of mechanical grinding was actually him sharpening some sort of ... weapon? It looked like a glaive, but seemed to wield a blade at one end and if Tara'ni wasn't mistaken, it was composed almost entirely of metal. The scraping sounds were so varied because there were several grooves and notches in the build of the staff and each received attention on each pass. ______ was wiping some kind of cloth, probably steel wool, through each crevice and ))) and whistling softly all the time.

'Well. Good lung capacity, at least; that'll come in handy... later. With meditation.' Tara'ni moved away before he could be caught essentially spying on the man, but not without one last glance. To make sure the area is secured. He didn't want Caleb wandering off or getting into anything because one of the townspeople mistook him for a stranger trespassing on Tara'ni's own land. Not that he had ever really had those kinds of troubles; but people were nosy and curiosity will out, especially when it is curiosity that has nothing to do with someone's personal business.

Holding his hand up as he walked back through the house, he made a half circle and flicked his wrist. His night clothes disappeared and were replaced with work clothes along the lines of what he wore yesterday, simple, understated, common worker's wear. Except for his feet, those he kept bare in anticipation of the hoops he would be putting Caleb through. He drew his own power tighter and tighter, spooling it inside himself while also drawing on the leyline not too far underneath the property. The flow of energy spiked just a little bit, eagerness and excitement at the early signs of a major work being in progress, but Tara'ni adjusted with a deft hand.