Practice makes Perfect? (Open)

[Nanashi]

Nanashi was standing near the edge of the training grounds, his sword drawn but not "split". He was not, like he usually was, sparring. He was instead practicing a new spell of his, and, so far, failing miserably.

First, Nanashi imagined what he was trying to make happen... No, what was GOING to happen. He was GOING to make the blade triple in length. He was GOING to make it extend. Extend.

"Extend!"

The blade's length increased by about a foot. Considering that the goal had been tripling the length, and Nanashi's sword was roughly 30 inches long, he had achieved approximately one sixth of the desired effect.

"Shit..."

Nanashi repeated the thought process. Starting from the beginning... What was going to happen? The blade would triple in length. It would extend.

Extend.

Extend.

EXTEND.

"EXTEND!"

The blade instantly shot out, a good six or seven feet long. Nanashi's eyes widened. He had done it!

"Finally..."

Now, to make it fit in it's sheath again... To shrink it. To make it retract.

"Retract!"

The blade shortened a little, but was still about twice it's normal length.

"Here we go again..."

If I keep screwing up, I'll never be able to get it right... They say practice makes perfect, but that's not always true... Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes PERMANENT. If you practice wrong, you'll always get it wrong...

DAMN IT, I CAN'T LET MYSELF THINK NEGATIVE THOUGHTS! I'll just be worse if I don't think I can do it...

Nanashi lifted his still insanely long sword, and began to try again...

OOC:
Total mana used: 5
Remaining: 20
Status: None.

[Trevor]

Another day at the academy. Trevor was still getting used to the facility. However, as luck would have it, he was back at the training ground. Something about this place drew him here. He had fought with Roy, and the fight was exhilarating. He wanted to learn more about the campus, but he found himself back at the place that called to his love of his chosen craft.

Someone else was there. He stood by, not wishing to interrupt just yet. Trevor watched the young man attempt a spell on his sword. Trevor had magic all his own, but he was still unaware that it was, indeed, magic. He just believed it to be an inner technique, not spell-work. Magic fascinated him, and his eyes widened at the sword grew right before his eyes. Well, that would certainly be useful in battle. However, it seemed the boy was getting frustrated with himself. Trevor walked over in an attempt to meet someone new.

"That is very impressive. If I could do that, I might have had an easier time with a few of my own duels!" His voice was like the wind, matching the graceful way his body moved. "My name is Trevor, and I am still new here. I didn't mean to interrupt. I can only imagine how hard it must be to perform a spell like that. For what you accomplished here, you should be proud of yourself."

[Nanashi]

"And hello to you, too."

This newcomer was rather talking his head off, considering that he had only just seen Nanashi.

"I'm sure it would help you, and all it is is metal elementalism... It's not as hard as you think, and as of yet, I'm not at all proud. I only just managed to do it properly."

Nanashi turned toward Trevor.

"I am Nanashi. Pleased to meet you, Trevor. Dare I ask why you think basic verbal elementailsm is such an accomplishment?"

OOC:
No mana used.
Remaining: 20
Status: None

Short post... bleh.

[Trevor]

"Well, to be quite honest, I have a fascination with magic. I'm no spell user, but I have seen quite a few. The way they work their craft is like art. Even the most simple spells intrigue me. Magic is a wonderful thing. You can manipulate something and design it to be your own." Trevor realized he was going on, a thing he had a tendency to do.

"Sorry if I ramble. I guess the thing that got the most attention is that you were using magic to assist in swordplay. Most magic users I've seen use magic for offense or defense, not help them wield a weapon. As a duelist myself, that was very interesting to witness." He smiled. Nanashi was nice, if a little wary of Trevor. He was used to his personality throwing people a bit. He was very friendly, and always smiled. In a world of hardened warriors, it was odd to see someone with obvious scars from battle seem so cheery. But, to Trevor, life was one huge adventure... a game. Not one in which you win or loose, but just play. That being his way of thinking, it was little wonder why he was always found in a good mood, even if he were on the loosing end of a fight.

"If you want to keep practicing, I hope it is ok if I stand by and watch. Believe it or not, I can keep quiet. But, if you'd rather I go, that is fine as well." He stood by, awaiting Nanashi's answer. He didn't want to ruin the practice, but he was hoping to get to watch magic at work.

[Nanashi]

"To be honest, this isn't actually inside my main style. I use scroll magic aided by elementalism, along with the sword for close combat. I somewhat have two fighting styles: one with the sword at close range, sometimes aided by a little elementalism, and long range with the scrolls... This is just for a little surprise hit in the transition."

Why am I describing my whole fighting style to him?

"Anyways, Trevor, dare I ask why you came to Arcane Academy if you don't use magic?"

Nanashi was genuinely curious. It really made no sense that a non-mage would come here.

[Trevor]

Interesting, mixing magic with close combat. I would love to see that in action. He listened as Nanashi explained his fighting style. It was rare to find someone who just gave away their techniques. but, Trevor had a talent for putting people at ease around him. When Nanashi asked him the straightforward question, he only smiled.

"Well, I have two reasons. One is that there is a technique that I use during battle that seems to resemble magic. However, I don't chant or read from a scroll. I just feel and it works. I don't know why I can do this, nor do I know it's potential. So, I'm hoping to find someone who can help me to better understand. The other is I would like to learn some very specific magic. I think that using air element magic would benefit me, and suit my style very well. I know it seems odd that someone who doesn't use magic would come here. But, if you want to learn, where else could you go? Trouble is, I don't even know where to begin!"

He smiled through all of this, still in a good and excited mood. There was also a third reason, but one he didn't need to talk much about, mostly because it was something he figured wouldn't happen until farther down the road. There was an item he saw... something that had grabbed his attention in his travels. It was a magic item, and he wanted on. It was a bag that could hold and endless amount of items and supplies. This bag, (no bigger than a modern day purse) through the use of magic, could be summoned up (to place your things inside) or absorbed into the body (for storing them). Once inside the body, any item inside the bag could be summoned up by nothing more than a thought. If he was to find something like that, he figured here would be a good place to look. It was the last thing on his priority list, and so he left that out.