1469/Teachings from Toph

Teachings from Toph
Date of Scene:	01 February 2015
Location:	Galianda
Synopsis:	Toph has her first class at Alexander Academy and begins with an introduction to earthbending that might be useful for non-benders.
Cast of Characters:	20, 626, 627, 633, 634, 665

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Alexander Academy. There had been words about this place. A shining beacon of education, refinement and all the other things that every youth of high social standing should cherish and look up to.

    So what the crud was Toph Beifong doing here?

    While her family is of high social standing in the Earth Kingdom she herself has never really been interested in learning most of the stuff that was forced on her. Her passion has been on a totally different subject, one that she has shared with few people up until now. But it did leave a particular taste in her mouth, and why shouldn't she do this further? After all, nobody understands earthbending like she does, and in her esteemed opinion geomancy is similar enough to earthbending that they should at least get something useful from it. At least it should be philosophical and teach them to have some spine.

    Because face it, you can't handle earth unless you have the guts for it.

    When she had signed up for teaching they had offered her a classroom, which Toph had declined with a laugh. What kind of earthbending class would it have been indoors? No, she had requested to use one of the areas in the central court. And that's where those who have signed up for the class this wonderful Sunday will be directed.

    Already the area has been disturbed. There are earthen benches in the back of the area so anybody who sits there can see. The teacher is already there it seems, as Toph herself is seated on the ground along with a large crate next to her as well as her satchel. For now she's munching on an apple, partially leaning on the crate, looking completely relaxed about this entire deal.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Souji Murasame is present, as he always is when these opportunities arise. Learning how people elsewhere in the Multiverse handle similar subjects is a valuable thing.

As a result, Souji is sitting on one of the benches, watching Toph impassively with an mPad in his hand, prepared to take notes. He may not be a Geomancer, but that won't stop him from at least learning things peripherally.

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    Among the students of Alexander Academy, one in particular is rather infamous for only putting in as much effort into actual academics as he absolutely has to. His presence out on the little squared-off field thirty minutes before anyone else even showed up seems to have attracted the attention of some of the neighborhood gossips. More exciting, still, is that he's not actually sitting and watching, and is instead out on the green himself.

Artyom pays them no heed. He's here to learn, not to be gawked at.

    The burn on his face seems to have healed almost completely, now- though there's still a blotch of discolored skin on his face. He's lucky he didn't lose more- lava tends to torch pretty much anything it touches. His massive greatsword is set aside for the moment- though it still remains nearby. Chances are good that he won't be using it anyway.

    He wears his uniform today- the travelling clothes are up in a closet somewhere. But his feet are bare and his jacket and tie are off, the legs of his pants are rolled up over his ankles, and the top two buttons of his shirt are undone. Artyom has seen Toph fight before- he will need to move to match her, and he can't exactly do that without taking some liberties with his clothes.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Likewise, though not a Geomancer and definitely not a bender by birth, Kyra's still attending Toph's first lecture. It wasn't just that bending was cool, having witnessed it in person, but Toph was also cool. Kyra herself will be found seated on the very front bench. She knows that there's going to be demonstrations involved and she wants to be able to record it all.

    She's likely to put the footage on her MogTube account to epic-sounding music later.

    Technically, Kyra is also wearing her uniform. As usual, the only sign of this is her skirt and even then that seems a little altered (shorter).

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    Of course it - *huff* - had to be the courtyard - *puff* - furthest from the applied elementalism lab... even with convenient haste lamps posted around the school, Oberyn Levy needs to run as fast as he can to make the Earthbending lecture in time. Fortunately, running in the hallways is an art he's long since perfected.

    DIdn't count on someone rearranging the courtyard, though... his just-in-time arrival is announced to the others assembled via a loud crash as the mage crashes into, and goes flying over, one of the newly-formed benches. And just to add insult to injury, every quill he'd been carrying - it's a mage thing - decided to escape in mid-flight... all landing point-down in the dirt inches from his face. So much for a dignified entrance... looks like it's time to sheepishly gather all the stuff and hide in the back row now.

    At least maybe he'll be able to learn something? Or get to watch an overblown outsider completely fail to explain things in a way that satisfies rational, scientific Galiandan minds. Whichever.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    As people show up Toph does acknowledge them with either a nod, wave or a grunt. It varies really. But either way she seems intent on finishing up her apple before the lesson begins, and she waits for the hopeful teenagers to get seated. Though Oberyn's entrance does earn an arched eyebrow from Toph as the teenager hardly seems to take notice of his surroundings. Is that a slight snort leaving the earthbender? Most likely it is. At least she doesn't say anything.

    It's only when she's certain that there are no immediate stragglers and Oberyn has gathered all his dropped items that she stuffs the remains of her apple into her satchel, wipes her hands on her pants and stands up. Then she clears her throat, and when she speaks up even people who aren't in this area of the central court should be able to hear her.

    "Welcome to the first earthbending class here at Alexander Academy! I am of course Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender of all time and your teacher for this class! Before we start I will tell you a few simple rules," she begins and raises her hand before she extends her index finger. "One. You are to pay attention. Anybody who doesn't pay attention gets a choice: you get pulled up front or you get to leave. Two." She extends her middle finger next. "If you try to talk when I'm talking, good luck."

    Her hand lowers again, and she moves her arms behind her back as she begins speaking. "Earthbending. Geomancy. Call it what you want. It's the manipulation of earth, one of the elements. It varies from world to world, but there is something that is true about earth no matter where you are. And that's the very nature of earth." Here the blind girl raises her left foot before she slams her heel forcefully into the ground, and a thick pillar rises up next to her. "Earth is /stable/ and stubborn. It's not flimsy, not even in its altered states. Sure, it can become dust and whirl with the wind, it can mix with water and be runny, but it's /still/ earth. To bend, or manipulate the earth in these altered states you will have to still base it on the original." Her hand reaches out to touch the pillar before her fingers tear into it, pulling off parts of it and crushing it in her fist, letting the wind catch it briefly before she gestures with her hand again, gathering the particles back into earth in her hand... before she spits into it and lets it fall to the ground.

    "First let me ask... is anybody here besides the big guy geomancers?" Toph inquires curiously.

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    Artyom slowly turns his head as he hears the rapid pitter-patter of Oberyn's feet approaching the field. He also watches as the mage trips over a bench, twists through the air, and comes face-first down into the ground. Artyom... doesn't sigh, but he does lift a hand to his face to massage the bridge of his nose.

Oh-beryn.

    Fortunately, he doesn't have to think about his classmate's terrible situational awareness for very much longer. Toph begins her lesson, and Artyom begins focusing on her instead. He nods as she speaks- what she's saying is, of course, sensible. Earth does not change, no matter where it goes or what shape it takes, earth is still earth. That's just what it does- it resists, it changes shape slowly, but when it does, it moves with great and terrible force.

    He continues to listen as she goes on, but doesn't say anything just yet. It's not Artyom who's being addressed right now, after all! Toph already knows he can move the earth.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra honestly wasn't expecting Oberyn to show up. She hadn't heard much interest from him on the extraversal front so to see him tearing his way in here at the last minute was a bit of a surprise. Of course, the effect of the lateness is a foregone conclusion. She doesn't say anything, perhaps out of politeness, as he faceplants his way into the class. In fact, she only gives him a brief look before returning to the lecture.

    Calmly, she lifts her mPad and starts recording the lecture. It doesn't take long for the fun stuff to start with Toph demonstrating her earthbending mastery. "Nope." Kyra responds to Toph's question. Not that it was needed-Toph's seen her in action before.

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    Oberyn's response is a bit quiet, and carefully edited. "I, I took a couple of Geomancy classes" because they seemed like an easy credit, "but I didn't really pick it up." Real spells just seemed more practical than 'listen to the voice of the world around you' or whatever. "So... um. I know some of the theory, I guess?"

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     "Nope." Soan Sagittarius says, who clearly wasn't there a few moments ago, lifting a hand from his seat on the far back, then lowering his hand as he realizes it's pointless to attract attention that way from a young blind woman. "Does blowing up a boulder counts?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At least they are paying attention, Toph notes. That does help. But it seems that Artyom is the only geomancer present among the people who are here to learn. Oberyn's response doesn't surprise her, Kyra she knows is more into white magic, Souji was the one who threw out those buffs and debuffs that one time... but fine.

    "No, blowing up a boulder does /not/ count. Not as long as explosives are involved," Toph huffs in disapproval. And while Soan might not know it, the raised hand does not go unnoticed by her.

    "Then most of you are not aware of how to manipulate earth. I'm sure your regular teachers here at the academy know enough of geomancy spells, history and all that boring stuff, but this? This is a practical lesson as well as a mental lesson," Toph informs them. "Let me explain... My first student had a tough time learning bending at first. And the reason why was apparent from the start. Perhaps that very reason is why some of you have been unable to pick up geomancy."

    Here Toph raises her arm and /slams/ her hand into the pillar, and it collapses into rubble and rocks next to her as she stands still with a firm look on her face. "Because you aren't thinking right!"

    Oh yes, she went there.

    "I will say it now. Gentle, wimpy people who allow themselves to be pushed around cannot fully master earth. Earth is a stubborn element, and you have to be equally stubborn to make it follow your commands! You have to be prepared for bruises, muscle ache and a whole lot of sweat and tears in order to get anywhere."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra lowers her mPad with a frown, "..hey, wait a minute, I thought you had to have potential to be an Earthbender? Like, you know, born in the Earth Kingdom and stuff like that. If a person doesn't have that potential, then they can't learn it, right?" She was clearly under the impression that she'd be attending this lecture to learn about earthbending, not really HOW to do it.

    Though she is reminded that Mirielle did have the "great" idea for her to try different types of magic to see if that solves her Wild Magic issue. Except...at a crowded lecture surrounded by classmates seemed like a bad place. People could start assuming not-so-great things about her being Chaos-touched.

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    Well, Artyom certainly can't argue with... part of that. The professors at the academy do tend to take a broader-spectrum approach to most subjects. But the Geomancy ones at least tended to let their students go out and actually perform field work. Not this much field work, perhaps, but still.

Artyom remains mum about the whole personality thing, though, arms crossed over his chest. He's not THAT stubborn... Is he?

Artyom does nod at Kyra, then, "I do seem to recall Toph mentioning something of that nature on the public band. I'm curious to see if the same limitations apply here as well."

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan fully understand, on a basic level, the primal nature of some of the elements and on a more intellectual level the other's. Fire is a very intimdate thing that burns within his soul, a flame that's been fanned over some precise trainings in order to awaken it. The very fact he learned how to channel Lightning as well is only for the very reason that it's not that far off removed from Fire. It's just fire from the skies, that is attracted to very particular thing in it's endless quest of conducting through anything it very well bloody can. In comparaison, Fire is just a lazy bum that spreads energetically as soon something that be chemically agitated comes by it's grasp.

     Soan knows a few Titanic Dragoons, who are affilated with Earth. They don't breath anything. They just smash the ground which, throughly intimidated, flees in the opposite direction of the originating blow against it, scrambling everything along it's path. To Master Fire, you needed to know how it moved. To master the Earth, you just needed to be more scary than anything else it's has seen.

     All theses things are nothing that Mild-Mannered Soan Sagittarius would know, however, so he tries his very best to look like he's paying attention and learning something new.

     "Hmmm. So it's a question of perserverence and stubbornness, willpower." Soan sumrises.

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    Oberyn's got nothing to say to this, out loud anyway... as he takes notes, though, he does mutter under his breath, "... see about that... earth doesn't wanna move just 'cause I'm weak... show it what a strong mind and firm will can do..."

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
"The nature of working with elements often reflects upon the people who are exposed to them." Souji replies calmly. "Potential is a matter of cultivation. There are many who have the /potential/ to acheive something and never do, but for lack of opporunity or dedication to a proper goal."

He continues watching Toph intently, waiting to see what comes up next. But he does, however, shift his gaze to look at Levy for a moment. He pauses, but says nothing, looking back to Toph. She is the teacher today, after all.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Of course there would be questions. But Toph is prepared for that. "None of you are from my world, so you are not earthbenders. However, you have the potential to learn geomancy, right? And this class should help you understand the earth better. The old teachers here might be as old as dirt, but that doesn't necessarily mean they know everything there is to know about earth! And seriously, you think you can learn all there is to know about the earth in an old musty library? I say /hell no/! To understand earth you have to study it yourself too! Heck, just sitting outside in the forest one afternoon and pay attention to your surroundings will teach you more about the earth than reading a book will." It sure sounds like Toph is serious about that claim too.

    "Perhaps you do have the potential to learn how to use geomancy. One thing is for certain though..." Toph turns towards her large crate and starts opening it. "You will never know unless you really try."

    And as she's opening the lid, she reaches out with her left hand and points directly at Oberyn. "I heard that, but I'm not sure whether the rest of the class did. Speak up, Dusty!" Let's see if he will mutter like that again from now on. "But yes, willpower. Willpower is the most important aspect." The blind girl picks up a rock that she weighs in her hand, then she turns and throws it /hard/ towards Artyom! "Believe you can do it, and you can! After all, that is how I discovered metalbending." Here she assumes a wide stance next to the crate, and she spreads her arms out to the side. In response a large piece of metal rises, floating in the air and between Toph's outstretched hands. And as Toph twists her hands in opposite directions, so does the metal begin to twist as well while it lets out a slightly screechy sound of protest.

    "Even metal is simply earth that has been purified. The easiest is to begin with earth in its natural state, soil a few inches down into the ground, then rocks and sand. Metal is only for those who can truly /sense/ the metal," Toph informs them.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "....hmm." Kyra hums thoughtfully in consideration of Toph's words. She doesn't seem all that offended or insulted like some certain nerds might. "You do have a point. You will never know unless you really try. And you know..."

    Kyra puts her hand to her chin and grins, "If anyone's going to make history being the first person with /three/ Jobs, then I'll be happy to have it be -me-."

    Yes. That should be sufficient cover in case Kyra actually manages to succeed at all this magic experimentation and/or change patterns suddenly. Merrily, Kyra lifts the mPad again and continues recording.

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
Artyom is stoned! His reflexes are a bit quicker than one might expect, however. But if he tried to catch that rock with his hand, it would almost certainly break at least one bone, so he uses his chest instead! Artyom bends slightly at the knee, shifting his legs apart and then throws himself into the incoming missile. The stone smashes into his torso, pushing him back along the pivots of his legs.

He grunts, then allows the rock to fall into his hands. It leaves behind a little patch of dirt on his shirt.

"So you want me to... Try and bend this stone?" Artyom asks, arching a brow at the blind teacher. He inclines his head, then turns his attention to the stone in his hands, "Is there anything in particular you wanted me to do with it, or am I free to use my usual techniques?"

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan is not insulted at all by the statements on reading dusty books. Books have their uses. There is, however, nowhere in any book that tells you how it feels to actualy pick pocket somebody and how it's done. It's just something you get taught and experience for yourself.

     "That'd be a feat!" Soan says, grinning toward Kyra. "Then you'd better try to get at it! If anything what she says is right, thought, you'll have to work out a bit!"

     He return his attention to the Earth Bender, thinking this over. He's pretty certain he can't do it, but like heck he's going to let some stone intimidate him by the sheer fact that it's an unnmoving stone. He's pretty psyched about trying this.

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    It may well be that there are things that cannot be learned from books alone, that experience is the greatest teacher - this is indeed much of what draws Oberyn to adventure and dungeons and horrible things that could be avoided by staying home with a nice book in the first place - but to dismiss them out of hand... oh boy. Book mage is keeping a straight face but boy, if he thought there were any point to going into another tirade about research and data and papers on an office wall right now...

    Put on the spot, though, he does at least offer this, clutching his notebook as if giving a lecture himself. "... right, um. Sorry. What I was saying was... why should it matter HOW one imposes their will, as long as they're showing the element whose will is stronger? Even an academic field like elementalism still offers some advice to help those who have a little more... matter, than mind... to excel."

    At least he's got the good graces to watch intently as the one trained Geomancer in the room prepares to do some hands-on learning, though. This might be enlightening, at least.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It does seem that Toph expected Artyom to catch the rock from the crate, and as she isn't protesting as she shows the class her metalbending, it should be safe to say that Artyom did as expected. "Yeah, bend it. It's one of the many samples I got for Christmas. I am expecting it back, however. It has some ore in it, which makes it interesting. And bend it however you want," she asides and then pulls her arms further apart, causing the piece of metal to elongate... into what looks like a crude dagger with a twisted blade.

    When Oberyn speaks up Toph lets out a slight snort. "Because how you do it matters, of course. A waterbender is fluid, changing with the water as it is the element of change. They will use the water better if they embody it. It is the same for us. Earth won't budge for somebody who gets blown over by a simple breeze. In earthbending stances are very important. You have to be balanced, steady and forceful in your movements. The regular forms have a focus on legwork, big movements and force." Her own bending style is a bit different, but that is for more advanced classes, Toph figures.

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    Artyom nods. If he feels anyone's eyes on him, he doesn't show any sign of noticing. "Ore, is it? Very well," he mutters, opening his palm around the chunk of raw earth. Artyom goes perfectly still, his eyes staring firm at the rock. His awareness seeps into the stone, feeling out its nature and traits. Lines crease his face as he suddenly begins exerting his will upon the lump of ore.

The chunk of earth trembles-- then cracks.

    It shifts like sand as he reaches into it, twisting and reforming into a perfectly smooth sphere, and revealing fragments of raw metal shifting unchanged under the surface. Then, it begins to distend at the ends, elongating into a short javelin, shards of gleaming metal jutting irregularly in patches from the shaft- but more frequently closer to the business end than the grip.

It wasn't a particularly /large/ chunk of ore, after all.

    "Hm. Not a bad piece of work, but not my best," he muses, jabbing the weapon's tip into the ground in front of him, letting it stand upright as he looks toward Toph, "As you expected, I suspect?"

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Kyra's comment elicits the expected reaction from Souji. "Greater than you have tried, Kyra." He simply says with an admonishing tone.

He listens to Toph's ongoing description of the nature and needs of Earthbending and Earth-based Geomancy. He does not appear to disagree with Toph's assessments. The movement of the rock passes without note, but the twisting metal causes him to narrow his eyes slightly. "It makes sense. It would be an extension of your control and will over earth, building upon what came before." As he speaks, he takes notes. He does not appear to be getting involved in jumping into the dirt of the central courtyard, but at least he's being attentive.

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     Soan leans back against his seat, tapping his stylus over his chin in thought. Lots of approaches, there, he supposes, not to mention a multiversal outlook at things. Still, there is probably something to be learned, here.

     "So. All proper appliance of will must be directed at a properly receptive manner and target." He muses to himself, pondering over this.

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    "So in the end... earth's making you do what it wants, to make it do what you want." It's not as poignant a point as Oberyn might mean it to be - that's pretty much how things work, there are rules and ways to do things and that's just that. At least it sounds like maybe he's starting to kind of get it?

    The Geomancy/Bending demonstration also opens his eyes a bit - that's not the sort of thing he remembers from classes, anyway, so maybe there's something to this? Still... he'd rather, say, go read a few chapters in a quake textbook and skip the exercise, though. That looks like a lot of work for the little bit of movement going into it.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It does appear that Artyom is able to shape the sample he has been given. Or most of it at least, she notes as she feels the sample extend into a javelin with the metal in bits and pieces here and there. "You just need to learn to see the metal like you see the earth, big guy," Toph shrugs. "Just continue studying the sample I gave you, it's the best way to learn. I was stuck on it for months myself until I had no other choice but to learn it."

    Though she raises her voice at Souji's comment and points one index finger directly at him, and she allows herself a smirk. "They said that greater people than me had tried metalbending too over millennia and given up. Where would I be today if I has listened to them?" Dunderhead. As for Kyra? "What matters the most is will and attitude. And not giving up just because others have failed before you." So yes, why shouldn't Kyra be able to do it?

    "Now... everybody get their butts down here and see if you can do something with these," she says, picking up various rocks of different sizes and types. Just how many rocks does this girl have, anyway? "None of these are the same, and I want you all to notice that. And that I can tell them all apart without even having to touch them." So come on, there are rocks to play with. And everybody will get a different rock sample of different colours and types. Even if she has to shove the samples into their hands.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Souji makes his admonishing remark and for a few split seconds, she /bristles/, quite obviously angered by the Class President. Then a few moments pass and she draws herself up, looking Souji straight in the eye.

    "...and?" she asks him pointedly before she pushes her mPad back into her backpack. She stands and goes to join the rest of the students now clustered around the samples.

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    Artyom makes a noise of understanding deep in his throat. "Hrm. It is... Difficult," he explains, rubbing at his chin. "In Galianda, Earth is associated with Titan and Metal with Odin, they are different here, but..." He shakes his head, then, "I will continue to try. If it is possible, I will achieve it."

    He lifts the spear out of the ground, focusing on it once more to return it to its original shape. He looks to Oberyn, then shrugs. "It is more like... Making yourself like Earth, so that you can understand Earth and Earth can understand you. Then you can communicate your will, but you must be stronger than it. That is how I understand it, anyway." Artyom shrugs, "Could be wrong."

    Regardless, he keeps right on focusing on his chunk of stone, because why stop at a spear if he's been given carte blanche to actually show off for once! Not too much, though. They're still at Alexander, and Artyom doesn't want to accidentally mess up the courtyard.

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    Well, even if it still feels like it's been nothing but 'try hard' and 'feel the earth', Oberyn's going to at least try to do... something? He's even setting aside the precious notebook to take the rock that's thrust into his hands. Yup. Sure is a rock. Made of stone and stuff.

    "It still seems... I don't know, strange. You'd think that there'd be something a little like a magic pattern to follow. ... hm... maybe... if I looked deep enough there WOULD be..." ... focus... FOCUS... ... oh yes, yes indeed. We have a breakthrough: It's a HEAVY rock!

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    "You're looking too hard," Artyom says with a slight sigh. "The stone is itself a pattern, just like humans are patterns and trees are patterns. You see?" He shifts his stone into a dagger as if to make the point, "The material is always the same, no matter what form it takes. Yes?"

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    "Hmm... then that would mean... bending that pattern into a shape you want. Explains the name, I guess. A bit like manipulating magic, but with, well, STUFF instead of aether..." Oberyn continues to stare at the rock, but... it's still a rock. A heavy, rocky rock. Gray. Solid, tough. ... stress points. Something a bit different inside? ... nahh, just silly imagination running wild.

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    "Sort of, yes. An important thing is that matter is... granular, yes? You can break a rock up into dust or sand, so technically you can move the individual grains around and change the shape of the stone like that," Artyom explains, idly shifting his stone into various geodesic solids.

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    "I... think I understand, yeah. Manacular theory, but... not quite. Extraversal stuff is different, I think - I don't feel any magic in this, which is still just weird." But if it works mostly the same, Oberyn should be able to work with that, right? Just kinda... grasp the particles, rearrange the pattern... it won't make something, but it'll reshape the rock, right?

    ... yeeeeah no still not feeling it. Clearly not a natural born earthbender, but at least one thing's becoming clear. "... I wonder if these all had metal in them, though."

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    "You've never been in a mine, have you?" Artyom chuckles, then looks to his own lump of ore. "Most rocks like these contain metal. Raw earth tends to." He shrugs, rubbing his thumb against a little knub of iron sticking out of his stone. "I do not even know what Manacular theory is," Artyom says then, "But my magic seems to work fine outside of Galianda, so there must be some parallels."

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Both Toph and Kyra bristle at his comment, and Souji inclines his head, appearing to be politely contrite for the moment. He remains studious in his efforts, taking notes but not taking any efforts to attempt to move earth or metal. Souji accepts a rock sample from Toph without argument, studying it intently and taking additional notes.

"When one has the right to make the elements bend to one's will, they will listen whether you believe they resist or not. Mastery makes such worries irrelevant."

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    "Well, I can't say I've spent MUCH time in mines, but... if this is richer than MOST rock, I... I think? If that really is something different inside it, not just seeing things..." Oberyn shrugs. "It seems like things aren't really as different as I'd have thought going, you know, outside the known world would be. ... okay, this rock just really won't cooperate."

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
"What are you trying to do with it?" Artyom asks, arching a brow at the much-smaller student. "Haven't you just been... staring at it, all this time?" He shrugs again, then, looking back to his rock, "I'm not sure. This stone seems... Pretty average in general, as far as I can tell. Perhaps your stone is different."

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    "Staring... reading. Trying to see the pattern of it, I think that's working. Bit like libra, but slower and it's working on a ROCK, so I guess I've learned SOMETHING today. Trying to find a spot where I can get a grip on that pattern - that's the problem. It isn't like a spell where there's a right place to start. EVERYTHING is too resistant. Even if I hade a bunch of Monk poses," Here Oberyn makes a vaguely martial artsy move, passing a hand over the rock and swiftly thrusting that hand forward; his form is simply awful. "I would just be waving at the rock."

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
"...Oberyn," Artyom sighs, rubbing at his eyes. "Rocks are not like spells. There isn't one specific place you can focus on to change things. You need to move the whole. All parts affect all other parts, so you need to focus your will on /everything./ And it must be strong will."

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     "Imagine a rock, if you will," Soan Sagittarius speaks up briefly, interrupting the conversation between Oberyn and Artyom as he is looking over the samples.. "As conversing with someone that has the most hard headed, unbudging opinion over the matter of Magical Philosophy, not even the most logical argument that makes the most senses will makes him budge. It's a big, stubborn everything."

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
"You are going to confuse him with explanations like that." Souji comments, looking down at his mPad and tapping at it. "For an investiture of MP to function it has to be channelled into a pattern. This is the most basic of basics. You cannot just tell rock to change and make it change. You have to force it to ohey a pattern of your choosing. Geomancy is the art of applying these patterns to the world around them to shape nature and turn it into your weapon and armor. It is a rock. It has no will of its own. Any 'stubbornness' is simply one's own inability to create the proper pattern."

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
"I dunno," Soan says, crossing his arms. "By the way she sounded, it may have had something of a will. Not all wrong, that, thought."

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
"Stone has a will, in a way," Artyom says with a shrug. "One's will must be strong enough to overcome the resistance of the material itself, but some earth takes more readily to certain form than others. It is vital to understand the properties of your subject stone to know how best to shape it. One would not create a bowl out of sand when he has clay available to him. And in other ways, the land itself has... spirit associated with it."

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
     "I'd trust the judgement of the guy that worked with rocks for a long part of his school time, maybe even before that." Soan says, thrusting a thumb in Artyom's general direction."

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    "That's an... interesting... choice of example, but," Insulted? Little bit. However, "it's not a philosophy problem. It's a technique one. How am I supposed to affect the whole, if I can't grip any part? 's like... reading. You have to read the whole word or it doesn't mean anything. Going letter by letter isn't going to help. But you still need to know the letters, what they mean, or you won't get the word either."

    Oberyn sets the rock down with a sigh. "And I just don't see the letters here. I dunno, maybe I need to practice with earth magic I can understand better, and apply that to this. Maybe I just can't do this at all. It's just not coming to me and staring at a rock all day isn't gonna help. ... well. Maybe one more."

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
    Artyom looks to Oberyn, then nods. "Imagine a ball of mud, yes? Now squeeze the mud in your hand, it flows because it is made more malleable by being wet. Now, to try the same on most dry stone will make it crack and crumble, but when it does, it releases dust. All stones are made up of smaller bits, and it is by applying force to the whole and reconstituting the parts that would fall out that you can shape it as you like. But the first step is to move the stone without changing it."

    "Imagine taking the stone with your hand again," he explains, letting his own stone float over his palm. "You can pick it up, you can throw it. If you do this with magic, then that is the first step. Everything else is a matter of applying the same principle to the /bits/ of a rock, rather than the rock itself, and understanding how stone flows with stone to make your work easier. Then you can establish bigger patterns, build larger spells. That is how ritual geomancy happens. You see?"

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    Quickly exchanging his sample stone for another, Oberyn peers intently ad the new rock for a few moments before responding. "I can... I can see it's made of parts. I get that. I'm... I think I get the idea. Move the whole to manipulate the parts to change the whole. It... it makes a sort of sense. I can get that. Really, I'm pretty sure I understand."

    "The thing is, I just don't know how to use the rock. I can cast at it, around it, probably WITH it if I tried hard enough, but... I'm just not seeing how I can do anything FROM it, move any of the parts, or all of the parts, or... or... I don't think I know what exactly it is I don't know about this."

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
Artyom makes a sound, it sounds like a 'hrm.' "Well," he suggests, "How about this. Instead of staring at it and expecting answers, try actually shaping and moving it. See what works, see what doesn't. Experiment, yes? That's how we got all the knowledge in textbooks to begin with."

Oberyn Levy (634) has posed:
    "... right. Because that isn't what I've been TRYING to do." Thaaaat doesn't sound like confusion anymore. Oberyn is getting a bit irritated now. "But it isn't answering when I try to move it around like I'm casting a spell with it. I don't know HOW to Geomancy at it, but when I try to do the closest thing I can think of to THAT nothing happens. You're telling me to just go on and try to fly an AIRSHIP when I don't even know what DECK the BRIDGE is on."

    With a quiet huff, he returns the second sample stone, and heads toward the earthen benches. "This is pointless. 'm just gonna go read up on something that actually makes sense to me."

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
Soan, who kept quiet a bit after that, give Atryom a shurg as he watches Oberyn leave. "Hey!" He calls out. "Don't worry about it, man!"

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
Artyom frowns as Oberyn blows his lid. He grunts, "Perhaps I am not the best teacher, hrm?"

Soan Sagittarius (633) has posed:
Soan shakes his head, eyeing at Oberyn. "Nah. I think this is just not how he assimilate knowledge, you know? We've all got our ways to learn. And then there is some things that can be only learned in a few ways easily... So..."

Artyom W. Valodjn (665) has posed:
"Mm, I suppose that's true," Artyom says with a shrug. "It's a shame that he is so... bookish."