Just a little refresher [rp for 3rd_ray]

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte found what she needed for a better healing than she'd managed with Eothian, but even that wasn't as strong as she knew she could have done if she'd stayed in practice over the years. There was no point in even discussing her scrying. That had been nearly pointless.

Without a fresh set of eyes, and skills, she wasn't going to move as quickly or as far as she needed to. It took her a while to convince herself it was no difference than going to a lecture on Pre-Colombian art or attending a show for a new artist. That didn't keep her from stepping out onto the patio to make her phone call. More politic not to be chatting about spell components in the living room.

She sat in one of the new outdoor chairs and dialed the number she had for Kate.

Comments

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

Deep in conversation with an adorable young couple, Katie felt her phone against her hip and smiled, excusing herself.

'Katie here.' she answered, knowing who it was already.

[aesthetic_mojo]

"Hello. It's Charlotte Blaine."

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

Katie turned briefly to give a wave and started to stroll.

'Charlotte! Awesome to hear from you. What's up?'

[aesthetic_mojo]

"I'm hoping your offer for lessons still stands." She glanced inside. "And I'm hoping you might have some time today to talk about it."

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

Her eyebrow arched curiously. There was something in the young womans voice that sounded frustrated and somewhat urgent. Her eyes turned as her body followed and on instinct, she was heading in the general area that Charlotte was in.

'Of course. I'm free right now. Where do you want to meet?'

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte glanced out over the city for a moment before answering. "How about Madison Square Park? I'd be happy to bring coffee or something."

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

'Sure thing.' she smiled, closing her eyes momentarily while walking a path in West Hollywood Park, and reopening them again to find herself strolling through the New York streets, only a block from where Charlotte suggested.

'Large and black.' she chuckled. 'We'll see you soon.'

[aesthetic_mojo]

"That's easy enough to remember. It'll still be warm when I get there." She rang off, then went to promise John she'd bring something wonderfully exotic home for dinner after the meeting she was purposefully vague about.

A half hour later she entered the park, two large black coffees in hand, her eyes open for Katie.

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

Sitting peacefully on a park bench nearby, Katie immediately felt the energy of the young woman and stood up, giving a small wave to catch her attention. It had been awhile since she'd visited New York, and under all it's polluted corruptness, she still found beauty in it.

'That didn't take too long..' she smiled.

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte handed Katie one of the cups with a small smile. "I don't live far from here. I hope I didn't drag you too far out of your way for this."

Her professional life included constant education. New tools and techniques for verification were always being developed. It was second nature to go to the best source. It had been twenty years since she'd so much as thought about asking anyone about this area of study. She didn't like the way that felt. "I appreciate your coming."

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

'Not at all.' Katie grinned, accepting the coffee in one hand while giving a reverant bow.

'I appreciate you calling. I felt your frustration on the phone. Is something burning on your mind that you want answers to right now?' she tilted her head towards the young woman beside her, stealing a sip of her coffee before needing to give some answers.

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte shrugged slightly, concentrating on her own coffee for a little while. "I put aside all my skills, let it lie dormant for way too long. Things I should be able to do with ease take thought and things that should take some work feel unattainable."

She sipped at her coffee again, hiding a frown. "They aren't, they just feel like it. That's the frustration."

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

Katie listened, focusing on the energy behind the words rather the words themselves. All to often she watched people like Charlotte forget themselves to matters of conscience.

'Then you start from the beginning. What is the first thing you remember as a child that made you realize you were different?'

[aesthetic_mojo]

"I wasn't different as a child." She closed her eyes, clearly seeing her parents and tutors. "Everyone around me used some form of magic. When I left I was surprised that people outside didn't. I actually expected they would, but only differently."

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

'Alright..then narrow it down. What was the first thing you did outside of your parents or tutors care?'

Charlotte never mentioned the parents or tutors out loud, which may or may not have been deliberate on Kate part. She didn't mind the blonde slowly starting to make the realization of who the woman beside her really was. In fact, she might have been trying to urge it for the sake of teaching her.

[aesthetic_mojo]

The question earned Katie a sharp glance, but nothing more. Telepaths weren't out of Charlie's experience, after all. She did take a moment to control her breathing and throw up a few more shields.

"Telekinesis. I did it around them, of course, but when I took time by myself, that's what I did." She smiled faintly. "I liked to make things dance."

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

Katie let out a chuckle and canted her head again to look at Charlotte.

'Hun, let's first start out with me telling you something. Trust is vital here. If you don't trust yourself, then you can't trust anything you do, or what I teach you. Let go. I'm not going to steer you in the wrong direction. It's not what I do. Now..' she paused, turning her face into the air.

No breeze.

Leaning back, she pulled a simple silver ring with 3 keys out of her jeans pocket and laid them into her palm.

'Make them dance.'

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte exhaled slowly. Trust was new, uncomfortable. She trusted herself in certain areas, but Katie was right. She still didn't trust herself in the ones that most affected her magic. The fear that somehow it would make her like her family was too strong. Her experiences with Dagny only reinforced that fear.

Still, she could make things dance. That she trusted. Closing her eyes, she reached for the keys with her mind. It took only a little effort to get the keys off the ring so they could really move. The ring was big enough that the keys could go through it, so they did. It almost looked like the keys were dancing the limbo.

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

Katie leaned back, watching the keys and smiled broadly as they did their thing. Charlotte definitely had her ability honed there. Pressing her lips together thoughtfully, she slowly began dropping her hand away, allowing the silver to continue as she concentrated on them.

Finally, setting her hand back down into her lap, Katie's voice rang out softly. Not too loud as though to break the womans concentration, but to allow a little more of a challenge.

'It's amazing what the mind can do..' she continued to watch. 'And what's even more amazing is to call upon the power of the mind even in the most busiest of situations. Never use your power to influence circumstances, but you knew that already.' she smiled.

[aesthetic_mojo]

Katie's voice was much less of a distraction that her final words. She used her enjoyment of the dance to focus her as she took her time pushing back the burst of fear and anger they brought. Some day it would be lovely not to take such a simple statement personally, particularly when it wasn't intended that way.

When she was under complete control, she smirked. "When I picked this trick up again, I had the best possible distraction going on. If I can manage with that?" She chuckled softly.

[3rd-ray.livejournal.com]

'Distractions are merely that. None too important that you need to forget what it is your doing.' she smiled thoughtfully.

'Shall we move on?' she questioned simply, putting her hand under the keys once more so when Charlotte severed the connection, they would fall firmly into her hand.

'Tell me what it is that you need the most guidance in and we can move ahead.'

[aesthetic_mojo]

Charlotte carefully deposited the keys in Katie's hand, laying them flat to avoid poking her. She sat back on the bench, stretched her arms over her head, then laughed softly at herself for what was a blatant delaying tactic.

"I tried to scry a location for someone I care about and...to call it a failure would be understating the case. I've never been good at it, but being so out of practice with everything made it ridiculously difficult." She frowned in frustration. "I've never been good at more passive magics. The kinds where you have to sit and listen."

She shrugged. "I'm not a patient person."