Nobody can say anything about you [Kyle, Aiolos]

[div style="width:50%;opacity:0.5;font-size:0.85em;border-bottom:1px solid #ffffff;"]TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2000, 9:01 PM[/div]

Ah, June. The beginning of summer. The end of the school years, which meant that some Discipli would come to Inverness for part of the summer to learn their Element, and some that had just finished their final year of wizarding school would come to stay and become Advocates. 

For Aiolos, the arrival of June also meant the end of May, the end of his "vacation" month, which meant he was back on the rotation for taking care of the Typh Shrine, teaching Typh Discipli (and various other Discipli who wanted to expand their knowledge beyond their own elements), transmitting orders from the Harbingers to the Zealots, and having to feel his own element by means of meditation, rather than morphing into air itself. As the sunset approached, he was on his way to the latter right now, a work day of lessons and communing once again completed.

All Elementals, even those of the same Element, tended to do things differently. For instance, Aiolos only knew of one other Typh Elemental that meditated the way he did -- outside of the Council complex, on a grassy hill where the falling sun and impending twilight cooled the air and created the loving, caressing winds that he could barely wait to surround himself with. And, the other Typh didn't use words like "loving" and "caressing" to describe the wind. Such differences only broadened the entire Elemental culture's understanding of The Six, Aiolos believed. Allowing each Elemental to pursue their Element in a manner that was consistent with their personality and circumstances, kept the entire culture from going stagnant.

Unfortunately, it seemed sometimes that the Council wanted to keep the Elementals stagnant. Not that the Harbingers didn't endorse learning and growing and increasing one's powers, but there were, shall we say, prescribed ways to do it. Aiolos' methods, while different, were still rather conservative, so he hadn't been called out on any of his behaviours. But he had seen and head others who were.

Such broodings aren't conducive to an evening of happy reflection, Aiolos thought to himself as he shut the door to his quarters, having changed from his Acolyte robes into loose white linens and a grey sleeveless V-necked shirt. He turned down the hallways and headed out to the western exit of the complex, pleasantly greeting all Council members that he passed. As he neared the columnar archway, he warmly clasped the hand of a Demin Zealot who was "guarding" the passage, but who was familiar with Aiolos' evening routine. He let the Typh Acolyte pass, and Aiolos prepared to step out onto the cool evening grass, his mind already distracted by the breeze he felt coming into the passage.

Kyle had spent the majority of the time since he had been released from Hogwarts for the summer at the Council at Inverness. It had been something he had spent the latter part of the term arranging with his parents and his elemental trainer. Although his training was going well,  Kyle was still a little behind some of his fellow Discipli and wanted to be caught up by the end of the summer. The young Madin was still conflicted about his formal education, about his relationship with Linnet and about the recent changes in the order. While the conflicts were nothing new to the boy, he did still feel he needed to clear his head, and the council was the perfect place for that.

As he was not an acolyte, Kyle wore his own, normal robes while working around the shrine. While he spent much of his time working on his morphing abilities, Kyle still did work with several of the Madin Acolytes and had grown rather comfortable with them. He liked the life that they led at the council. It was one of pure devotion to their element. There was nothing required of them but tending to the shrine and attending the harbinger in some of her more important meetings. Kyle felt he could definitely see himself filling one of their shoes after graduating Hogwarts, that was, if he did decide to go back to school. That was one of the other things that he planned to decide while he was here, spending time with the leaders of his order.

The boy's day was rather structured even though he was here entirely of his own free will and not in any official capacity. Kyle would spend a few hours in the morning tending the shrine, ensuring that the trees and shrubs were well kept. Following that, he would check in with some of the more senior acolytes and see if there was anything that they needed assistance with, this had only become part of his routine in the last few days as he had grown to feel more comfortable with them. Although he had been checking with them for days, he knew that they would never shirk their assignments onto a discipli, and he would then make his way back to the shrine to train. The majority of his day was spent morphing. Getting into and out of his morph was something the boy still needed work on, but that being said he also spent time working several of the spells that he had just been taught by Stephen. When he was done training for the day, Kyle would normally walk the corridors of the council or sneak out onto the grounds that surrounded them. He liked walking through the countryside that surrounded Inverness.

As he made his way down the halls, Kyle found that his normal exit of the council hall was still left without anyone around it. Making his way through the space, Kyle found himself looking up into the setting sun. Kyle enjoyed these moments on the grounds as much as he enjoyed his time wandering the halls. It was calming to see the world going on around him, his only responsibility to train and see to the bidding of the council. Smiling, Kyle walked the perimeter of the council as he had done most evenings since he arrived. As he turned one of the corners, he noticed someone else exiting one of the passages from the council area. Kyle did not recognize them and he was sure they wouldn't recognize him either, but the boy didn't feel like answering too many questions. Trying to be inconspicuous, Kyle turned and made his way back towards the passage he used for his entry to and from the council area. It was then that he heard it, a voice calling out to him. Kyle shook his head, he had hoped to avoid this, but rather than keep walking, he turned and made his way back towards the figure who had called out to him.

A flicker of motion out of the corner of his right eye made Aiolos' head turn. A young blond-headed man wearing normal robes had come around the corner and then started to turn back. Aiolos would put his appearance at between 16 and 19 years old - which meant it was probably his real age too, since by the time elementals started morphing frequently and retaining their youth, the youngest they ended up looking was their upper 20s if that.

The boy wasn't familiar to him, but he still vaguely recalled his name. It was a young Madin, one who (unlike Linnet) had not come around to the Typh Shrine to learn about that element. "K... Kyle!" Aiolos called out, catching the boy before he got too far. He must have gotten the name right, since he approached Aiolos from across the perimeter.

Now Aiolos had another issue. As this was Kyle, he came from Hogwarts. Aiolos had not really gained a mastery of English, his assignments as a Zealot not requiring him to visit the United Kingdom and his time as an Acolyte primarily requiring the use of Council Gaelic. He could only hope that Kyle had a good understanding of the Elemental tongue as well.

"Good evening, Kyle!" he smiled. "My name is Aiolos - I am an Acolyte of the Typh Shrine here," he indicated the complex next to them with a careless hand. "I'm happy to see you here at Inverness. Are you here for the summer?" He added in English, as an afterthought, "I'm sorry, I hope that can understand, the English I am not good."


[span style="font-size:0.4em;opacity:0.75;"]OOC: I removed the ridiculous CSS coding with the translations into Manx Gaelic; I have a copy of the conversation in Manx in my sandbox if you want to see it.[/span]

As Kyle made his way towards the figure that had called out to him, he started to be able to make out the form of one of the Acolytes he had seen around the council over his time as an elemental. He knew that the other man worked at one of the other shrines, but he wasn't exactly sure which one. While he may not have known the name of the Acolyte, it was pretty apparent that he knew him, or at least knew of him as he called him out by his name. It didn't take him long to close the rest of the distance between himself and the Acolyte and as he was making his way towards him, Kyle racked his brain but wasn't able to get anything to come back to him. That wouldn't matter though, elemental customs would involve sharing their names as they greeted each other.

Walking up the young man greeted him and identified his position within in the council. Kyle responded to the other elemental's greeting with his own, "Good evening Acolyte Aiolos, I am Kyle, discipulus of the Madin Shrine." Kyle's greetings in Gaelic were much better than the rest of his mastery over the rest of the language. Kyle recognized what had followed the introduction as first a statement and then a question, one that was concerned with his residing at the council. Kyle smiled as he attempted to translate in his head. It only took him a few moments to gather the jest of the question. As he did this, the other elemental apologized and explained himself, this time in English. That part at least was easy to understand.

Kyle nodded at the Acolyte after his attempt at English and carefully considered the words he needed to answer him. "I am well. Inverness is nice this time of the year. I will be here for the duration of the summer that is correct." Kyle had answered all that had been asked of him, but now he needed to say something of his own. Continuing in Gaelic, Kyle said "I understand you in English I only hope that you also can understand me in Gaelic, I am good for my years but am not yet mastered the language." Kyle always appreciated the opportunity to get better in his new life's second language but it was difficult when he did not speak the native language of who he was talking with. Kyle hoped that the two could continue to communicate, but he knew it was going to require every word he had learned of Gaelic so far. 

Aiolos smiled at the careful and polite reply of the Madin. "Your Gaelic is good enough to talk to me. I don't feel the need to use big words," he chuckled. "If I go too fast or you have a question, just ask me to explain or repeat myself."

Like himself, Kyle appeared younger than he actually was - but since Kyle had confirmed he was just a Disciplus, Aiolos knew he had been correct, he was in fact less than twenty. His long blond hair was waving in the evening caresses of the wind. He wasn't as pretty as, say, Volya, but everyone's tastes differed. Nor was he sizing up Kyle for a fling or anything of the sort, just wanting to get the measure of a man who - most likely - would be becoming an Advocate any time between this summer and the next year or two. With the Council already so rocky, Aiolos felt it would be prudent to get to know all of the up-and-comers, the new Elementals rising through the ranks. His side job as instructor to the various Discipli helped immensely in that regard.

Aiolos believed he could see that Kyle wasn't really a people person, but on the other hand he was being careful to show respect to the Acolyte and was courteously trying to participate in the conversation.  That alone made the young Madin rise in Aiolos' estimation, and that was difficult (though not impossible) for Demins and Madins, who were polar opposites in personalities and powers to Typhs like himself.  There were always exceptions though; Rozenn, Nolan (so far as he went anyway), and young Linnet. Thinking of Linnet made Aiolos realise that Kyle and Linnet must know each other, or at least know of each other.

"It would safe for me to guess that you go to Hogwarts, I think," he grinned. "How well do you know Linnet Willowsong? She is another Madin Disciplus and I have known her for a few years. Of course, I understand most Discipli prefer to stay studying at their own shrine, so that's probably why I have only seen you a few times."

He looked around and said, "So, what are you doing out here in the evening? I doubt you're coming out here to enjoy the countryside like I am," he joked.

Kyle had to actually keep himself from laughing when the Acolyte told him that his Gaelic was good enough to talk to someone who lived at the council full time. The only reason he was able to keep up with most of the other elementals was that they either spent more time working with the youth and, as such, already spoke slower and in more plain text or the other group he spoke with were those Advocates who did not spend all their time at the council. While those elementals still had a higher proficiency in the language, they still were not nearly as well versed as those who had already dedicated their lives in service to their element like Aiolos had.

Kyle noted the option to have Aiolos repeat himself but he knew he wouldn't take the man up on his offer, as that would appear weaker and could tarnish his reputation (albeit not much of one) at the council, something he hoped would not happen during his time here over the summer. Regardless of what happened during the summer and into the next term of Hogwarts, Kyle wanted to make sure that he had the council and his relationships with his fellow elementals no matter what.

Kyle nodded when Aiolos asked about his schooling. He figured it was easy to tell that he was from Hogwarts as his Gaelic was rather accented, but not terribly so. The next question that followed almost stopped the young man's heart. Linnet, how could he know about her? It wasn't like Kyle broadcast the fact that he and Linnet were dating, so how could an Acolyte, one not even from his own element, know about their relationship. Kyle shook his head and thought of the words he could use to avoid telling a lie, "We know of each other somewhat. We are in fact in the same house in Hogwarts, but she spent a year abroad in France and only then was she identified as an elemental. In fact, we have only shared instructors a few times."

Kyle hoped that he would bite off on that excuse and answer. It wouldn't do for more members of the council to be asking questions about his relationship. Kyle was glad when the Acolyte changed topics of conversation quickly. "This evening, I am just walking to get out of the halls of the council. I have been cooped up for a while and could use a little fresh air and time among the earth." Kyle smiled, at least he could answer one of the two questions honestly.

The young Madin confirmed that he did indeed attend Hogwarts, but Aiolos was somewhat surprised to hear that Kyle did not know Linnet! Or at least, only know of each other 'somewhat.' Well, that certainly needed to be remedied. "Oh! Well, these things happen sometimes," Aiolos shrugged. "You should perhaps get to know her more. Being not only in the same House but of the same Element, you could learn a lot from each other." Now that he thought about it, he did remember that Linnet had spent some time at Beauxbâtons, his old alma mater. Regardless, Aiolos believed nothing but good could come from two such students learning from each other.

As young Kyle politely answered Aiolos' question about his evening wanderings, Aiolos grew very amused, though he kept it from showing on his face with the experience of long years. So there was someone that, perhaps, thought the same way he did - and among the Discipli, and a Madin no less! "How coincidental - I too am out here for fresh air and time. Although the earth is just a convenient seat in my case," he smiled. "Why don't you come with me? I use a hill about a kilometre and a half away from here. It is far enough away from the Council complex and any of the villages that it is easy to clear one's mind. It is wonderfully green and lush, perfect for a Madin such as yourself. And, it is also large enough for the two of us to both use, even if you wish to do your meditating in solitude." He gestured off to the northeast and started walking casually in that direction.

"You take your studies very seriously," Aiolos commented after a few moments, wanting to commend the young man next to him, as well as indicate that he had some idea of who Kyle was -- again, not necessarily by sight, but by what he had heard. "Acolyte Seòras has mentioned you numerous times. You have been diligently tending to the Madin Shrine most mornings, I take it, and have been practising your morphing. I trust that is going well."

After a few more moments had passed, Aiolos was struck by an odd thought. He said he has been cooped up for a while. "Is this the first time you've left the Council complex since you arrived for the summer?" Aiolos asked.

Kyle's interest in the conversation was not nearly what it seemed to be for the Acolyte. His little lie seemed to have piqued the interest of the older elemental. His recommendation to get to know Linnet better made Kyle smile. He already knew her quite well, Kyle just didn't feel comfortable admitting it to everyone who he came into contact with. "I will have to see what I can do to make her acquaintance more fully." He had, in fact, learned quite a lot from Linnet during his time helping her get a better grasp on Gaelic and rune carving. There were also areas in which Linnet was better than him, it always seemed like he had something more to learn.

As the elder elemental continued talking about his purpose for being outside, Kyle paced nervously. He had already asked about the biggest secret that Kyle had and anymore digging could turn up something that Kyle didn't feel like needed to be public knowledge. Kyle nodded as Aiolos invited him to the hill. While the idea of continuing their conversation made him uneasy, breaking it off so suddenly would only increase the other elementals suspicions. Following him, Kyle and Aiolos made their way towards the hill in the distance.

Kyle felt proud when the Acolyte brought up his prowess as a Madin. It wasn't every day that one of the elders in the council recognized the performance of one of the younger elementals. It seemed that his work in the shrine had not gone unnoticed. Kyle had often been warned about pride and how it could corrupt him, but it was the boy's one vice. If he continued his work at the shrine there was even the chance that more within his element would notice the work he was doing and recognize him for it. Turning his attention from the praise that he had been given, Kyle nodded at Aiolos' question, "the morphing is going well. I am able to control my form and am beginning to pull my senses along with me in my morphed form."

After a moments pause, Kyle shook his head smiling. "I have left the council on a few occasions. Mostly for evening walks after a long day in the shrine. Even a Madin needs time away from his shrine." Kyle was being honest. He did need a break. After hours in the shrine and working at his morph, Kyle relished the hour or two that he spent under the sun in his human form. "What about you, Acolyte Aiolos, do you leave the council each night?"

Aiolos nodded his approval at Kyle's acceptance of getting to know Linnet, and kept walking. The walk was one he took very frequently - every day, in fact - but it still took time to cover the distance, about twenty minutes or so. "Excellent, I am glad to hear it," was all he said, though very whole-heartedly, when Kyle told him of his morphing progress.

When, after asking Kyle about needing a break, Kyle returned the question back to him, Aiolos could not help but laugh out loud, but it was a hearty laugh full of enjoyment and devoid of mockery. "Indeed I do! Except for the times when I am morphed, which I must do for longer periods of time than you, I do not end the day without coming out here and communing with my Element while still in my human shape. It is considered unusual by some in the Council complex, but I believe the benefits I gain speak for themselves when my fellow Acolytes see how I apply myself to my work. I have never been spoken to about it, for bad or for good.

"By the by," he added, "if you believe you can do so comfortably, you may refer to me only as Aiolos out here, without the 'Acolyte' title. We are both on personal time, not Council business, and the formalities may make relaxing our minds and bodies a little difficult."

Several more minutes passed in companionable peace as they crested the first, smaller, tree-decorated hill and went down its lower side. "There is our target," Aiolos pointed ahead to the larger hill straight ahead of them, barren of trees but lush of grass and with a few scoops out of its generally smooth face, as if some celestial being had grazed its fingertips across the surface and carved out access to the earth below. "It will take us probably another five minutes to top it - it is deceptively larger than it looks," he commented to Kyle as he fished a small disk out of his pocket which was covered in revolving dots of several colours. Examining it, he saw that they would both have ample time to take in the serenity of dusk and twilight.

"It is just now 9:19," he said, returning the disk to his pocket. "True sunset is in precisely one hour tonight, so we will able to take in much of the evening. Shall we?" He resumed his walk forward and upward.

Kyle's comments about his time spent in his morph may have seemed strange to a seasoned elemental such as Aiolos, but to the boy who had spent the majority of his youth as a person, a real live person, it was still something he was getting used to being in the form of this tree or that bush. His progression was about average for his years in training, but he still felt he hadn't gone far enough. He wanted more than anything to be a full member of the council, but that was a feat that was still years away, and a desire that he would have to put in much effort before it could be realized.

Kyle was interested when Aiolos gave his thoughts on the peculiar practice that he and Kyle were about to embark on. It was different to be sure. Most elementals wouldn't see the need for time outside the council when there were shrines to each of the elements there in the building. That being the case, it was nice for Kyle to relax away from the watchful eyes, the judging of the elders, and the politics that still governed the Grey. While the Council attempted to remain neutral, their law of neutrality seemed more like a recommendation, at least as far as things internal were concerned. There was more backdoor dealing and competition for prestige in the elements than Kyle had heard rumor of in the Ministry. Regardless, times like these were nice, away from everything and with time to unwind. Unwinding was nice and it was a nice gesture of Aiolos to allow him to drop the formality of using his title among the wild and nature.

The young man he was walking with pointed ahead and told him they were approaching their destination. He took a moment to look at the hill they were headed to. A hill, devoid of trees. It was a sad sight, but not entirely uncommon in the northern regions. The grass was a welcome sight to the young man; at least he would have some connection to his element along with him on the mound of earth he would call his resting place for what would likely be a few hours. Then Aiolos pointed out the time to sunset and Kyle smiled. It would be another hour of carefully selecting his words to ensure no hidden meanings were drawn from them. Nodding at Aiolog, Kyle confirmed he understood what the Acolyte had told him. "I think we should" and began climbing the remainder of the hill. When he reached the top, Kyle sat down, somewhat tired from their long walk. "That is quite the trek, you said that you make this often?" Kyle wanted to change the topic of their conversation and was hopeful that this would do the trick.

An amenable and peaceful silence continued as Aiolos and Kyle gathered their strength and climbed up to the peak of the hill. This part of the Scottish Highlands was filled with such hills, of course, all leading down on one side swiftly to the Great Glen, and the other side much more gradually to the Lowlands in the south. The heads of the hills and mountains along the Great Glen, and especially across it in the Northwest Highlands, were the windiest places in Scotland, averaging about 20 knots instead of the 10 of the valleys and plains around them. Thank goodness young Kyle was a Madin, not a Demin. The energy of both elements was furthest from that of Typh, but Demin was a direct opposite and the wind would make such an elemental very uncomfortable. A Madin would have a bit easier time.

At the crest, Aiolos nodded to the young man as he sat down and asked a question. "Very often. I suppose there are closer places to the Council, but I found this hill twenty-five years ago, when I was still a Zealot, and it... well, it spoke to me, in a way," he admitted. It was not exactly a secret, just something that was considered eccentric. "As an Acolyte I now understand better. Our Elements each have a particular familiarity - a smell, a taste, a sound or voice, even a colour. It is the reason that certain gemstones are associated with each Element," he lifted the hem of his shirt a bit to reveal the hilt of his dagger, inlaid with a citrin stone, against his skin.

"In this place I hear the 'voice' of Typh, for lack of a better term, almost as loudly as I do at the Typh Shrine itself. But at the shrine, while I hear it loudly, it is muffled and muddled by the other Elements around it, and the buzz of all the Council members and their elemental affinities. Here it is peaceful and almost solitary. A touch of Madin greets me," he sat down and brushed the grass, "and Demin sleeps awkwardly beneath that. Here in the summer Incin whispers by from time to time, just as in winter Garth does. And when it rains, it feels like a dance between Typh and Hor. It is a place where I find my balance, and so I come here every evening if I can, to make sure my mind is not clouded by confusion when I return to my duties in the morning. I find that, as I meditate here, I comprehend truth and wisdom more easily."

Kyle sat, relaxing under the open sky of the Scottish countryside, on the side of a grassy hill. It was a glorious evening for a walk and Kyle was glad to have had someone to spend it with to this point, even if Ailos had been quite determined in asking more questions than seemed possible. It was noticeably windier here than it was during their walk. This point seemed to funnel all the wind in the surrounding areas towards it. Kyle was certainly able to understand what the draw to this place was for the Typh elemental. The young Madin was enjoying his time sitting in silence when his partner in the voyage began speaking once again. The complex sounds of the Gaelic rolled off the older elemental's tongue like boulders careening down a canyon. The sound was much more harsh than his native English, that coupled with the difficulty learning the language had, at least at first, given the young man reasons to delay his language education. Now, he constantly regretted that fact.

The elder elemental began to talk of the abstract way the natural environment interacted with him. He began rambling on about the senses related to the elements. Kyle missed several of the words, but he vaguely recognized several words that all pointed back towards speaking. At least he thought they related to speaking, the word he kept hearing was 'glór' a word, if the boy remembered right, had several meanings. Not only did it relate to spoken voice, but to call, or music. All the possible translations had potential, but Kyle was unsure what the other man meant by his use of the Gaelic language.

As he continued explaining why he preferred to meditate here, Kyle listened, nodding periodically as the other elemental explained the chaos and the noise surrounding life in the council chambers. Kyle too had noticed the noise, the clutter that surrounding everything that went on in that place. His own meditations were often interrupted by the constant shuffling around the council. So many powerful elementals focusing their energies on their own work that it would, periodically, interrupt the barely trained elemental in his attempts to follow the path laid out for him. As Aiolos began speaking of rain, Kyle couldn't help but smile. The way Aiolos described it made Kyle's mind wander here and there. He spoke of balance, of confusion, of wisdom and truth. Kyle felt, in this moment, as though he was meeting with one of the wisest elementals on the council.

Nodding once more, Kyle turned his attention back to the sky, noting the position of the sun. He was sure that it must be getting close to sunset. Looking back at the Acolyte, Kyle chose his words carefully. "The sun should be setting soon, should it not? I am looking forward to seeing it crest from here." While he knew his chosen words were not perfect, they were at least adequate to get the point across.

Aiolos had all but forgotten his young companion, despite the speech he had just delivered being meant to answer the Madin's question. He had already become absorbed in the peace and serenity of nothing but the Elemental magic around him. Still, he was not truly startled when Kyle asked his question - a pure and simple one at that. Aiolos could not recall now whether he had used any unusual words in his diatribe that Kyle might not have recognised with his limited Gaelic. Shrugging mentally, and smiling physically, he nodded and said, "Not long now. The sun's bottom arc will kiss the horizon soon." He gestured off in the distance toward the low-hanging sun almost touching the highlands to the west.

He allowed for some more silence as they watched the sun visibly sink down - very slowly, but very certainly. After some minutes had passed, true dusk still twenty minutes off, he grunted softly and swung his legs around so that, instead of being in front of him in a seated position, he was now kneeling on his knees. He placed his right hand on the sole of his right foot for support, arced his back and stretched his left arm toward the dimming sky in the yoga position of [span style="font-variant:small-caps;"]uṣṭrāsana[/span]. He remained in this position for the span of ten breaths, then brought his left arm forward and down in a broad circle back to his left sole, allowing his right arm to do the same stretch.

Then, instead of circling his right arm down again, Aiolos braced his strong core muscles and brought his left arm back up to meet his palms gracefully leaning backward, shoulders lifted, inhaling his sternum backward. After another span he took a large breath in and as he did so, reached his arms back down to the ground, weight rested lightly on his wrists as the palms of his hands pressed into the grass on either side of the "tops" of his feet. He gently walked his hands to cup his heels and placed his weight on his elbows and knees in the king pigeon backbend, the [span style="font-variant:small-caps;"]rajakapotāsana[/span]. Though Aiolos continued his deep breathing, he didn't want Kyle to think he was ignoring the Madin again.

"Has Acolyte Seòras been helpful in your morphing exercises, or do you work with another instructor for that part of your training, Kyle?" he asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt Kyle's own preparations. "Often we all have different ways of applying ourselves to our elements. If you are just beginning to pull your senses in with you when you are morphing, you may benefit from different ways of thinking."

Kyle listened intently and nodded as the Acolyte confirmed that the sun would be going down in short order. As Kyle connected more and more with the earth around him, he began to notice the true beauty of the hill and its surroundings. The oranges and reds of the sun's light dropping below the horizon, the cool, crisp air; it all made Kyle appreciate the true beauty of the natural world around him. Closing his eyes he began making preparations for a meditation before the sun went down. He wasn't planning on morphing as that would be incredibly rude, but he did want to connect a little.

After a few minutes of closing out his senses, Kyle felt a deepened connection to the earth and decided to touch base with Aiolos once more. Looking over at the young man who he shared the hill with, he noticed that he was contorting his body in many different ways. His arms were  pressed in all sorts of strange angles, his feet in positions that looked somewhat unnatural it seemed as though the young man must have been in pain. Deciding it would be best to not interrupt what Kyle assumed must be some kind of strange relaxation ritual, Kyle watched as he continued working his way through different poses and positions. Finally the young man stopped and turned his attention back to Kyle.

The question the Acolyte directed at the young Madin was a standard question. Of course he had received help from the Acolytes here at the shrine, but he spent the majority of the time working with his elemental instructor Stephen. Taking a moment to compose his thoughts, Kyle turned back to Aiolos, "Yes the Acolytes here have been incredibly helpful in my training, but I have been working mainly with Stephen, my instructor. He has helped me to become proficient in many of the standard spells for our element. Recently though, we have been focusing on morphing." As he spoke, Kyle noticed the sun dropping below the horizon. As the night began to creep in, Kyle felt as though he needed to return to the council. Turning back to Aiolos, Kyle stood and smiled. "As much as I have enjoyed this evening, I feel I must return to the council for the evening." Kyle began to move down the slope before stopping momentarily, "Are you coming back as well Aiolos?"

Kyle's reply was quite reasonable, Aiolos thought to himself, as he carefully leaned his core forward and slowly allowed his neck to decline back to a normal position, coming out of the ultra-deep backbend at a gradual pace and reverting to an on-the-knees kneeling position. After all, Aiolos may have been more familiar with the Acolytes than anyone else, but it was the Zealots who actually instructed the Discipuli and Advocates. Stephen... the name sounded familiar, but not strongly so.

"Very good then," he said with his eyes closed but with a smile directed at where he knew Kyle was still sitting. "I know we know each other very little but I take an interest in the development of all the young Elementals that come here." A small shiver passed through Aiolos' body and he opened his eyes to see that the sun had, at last, dropped down below the horizon, the chill of the evening air beginning to whistle around the hilltop. He let out a quiet little sigh of contentment, and then took notice of Kyle standing. He eyed the Madin as Kyle reverently smiled and announced his intention of returning to the Council complex.

"I too have enjoyed the evening. Thank you for sharing it with me," Aiolos declined his head toward the younger Elemental, and then closed his eyes and turned his head to face the oncoming breeze. He was about to lower himself so that his forehead was against the earth, when he heard Kyle ask something of him again. He opened one eye and glanced in the direction of Kyle's voice, slightly down the hill already. "Ah, no, thank you Kyle. My own meditation takes much longer. I did not expect you to stay with me for the entirety of it. But thank you again. I will see you around later this summer, I am sure. Blessed be."

So saying, he lowered himself down to the ground as he had planned, arms stretched out in front of him with his palms down on the grass. After a few minutes in this position he curled his arms up and used his core muscles to pull himself back into a sitting position, opening his eyes as he did so and seeing that Kyle had headed back toward the Council buildings. A fine young man, that one, Aiolos thought. But now I can proceed to more intimate meditation. He peeled his shirt off over his head in a slow fluid motion, baring his chest to the cool wind of the summer nights, and expanded his consciousness into the air around him to put himself in a semi-morphed state. Now, Typh, fill me and invigorate me.

FIN.