Loaves and Fishes (open alchemy group training)

[Velok the Younger]

The starship Coldharbor was not, officially, a Fringe ship. Instead it plied the spacelanes somewhat anonymously, a neutral meeting place and bazaar for Darksiders of all descriptions. Rave was more than happy to train there, when she could; a secure HoloNet connection let her fill most of her High Council functions from afar, much like Jedi Masters holocalling in lieu of bestowing their august presences.

Fringers weren't uncommon here, so the group that she expected in the Coldharbor's main alchemy facility wouldn't go remarked-upon. Ideally. Some people could fashion a remark about anything.

Those who arrived would find her in sturdy trousers, a breast band, a leather blacksmith's apron, and heavy gloves. The facility held a forge and associated materials, as well as biological samples and machines of crystal, glass, rune-worked bronzium.

Mileage might vary, but she would adapt her presentation depending on her audience.

 

[Kiyala Demont`]

Kiyala would of course show up to this group training. It seemed with more and more Sith becoming proficient in it; she was finally seeing herself at a sense of disadvantage compared to those who could utilize it or had connections to one who could. Stepping out the shadows she found herself rather delighted to see it was @[member="Rave Merrill"] apparently teaching the course.

"Hello, Rave. Or am I supposed to call you something more formal now?"

 

[Velok the Younger]

@[member="Kiyala Demont"]

"Hey there, Kiyala," said Rave with a lopsided grin. "And no, Rave's fine. I was hoping you'd be able to make it. See, there's Sith alchemy -- biological and metals -- but there's also Nightsister crafting, which is closely related and covers some of the same bases. I'm not sure I could teach Nightsister crafting to most people.

"So that's my question to you, and I guess to everyone who shows up -- what do you want to learn?"

 

[Arage Bao]

Casually Jared strolled into the training room. Knowledge is power and if there is one thing he loved it was power. He had no clue if he would actually be any good, but every experience should be savored. At least that was his opinion on the matter. It seemed he was not yet too late, only two people were present as of yet. Lady Merrill and Lady Demont.

"My Ladies. How are you two doing this evening?"

For this occasion Jared had picked out his old and trusty grey robes, it seemed a little bit idiotic to wear a suit to such a training session.

@[member="Rave Merrill"] @[member="Kiyala Demont"]

 

[Velok the Younger]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

"As well as ever, Lord Ovmar, though slightly less so than ten seconds ago. So glad you could grace us with your presence." She smiled with an edge. "Kiyala and I were just discussing biological and materials alchemy, and the Nightsister crafting equivalents. I have a certain preference for materials alchemy, though Force knows I've made enough monsters. Do you, by chance, have a preference?"

 

[Arage Bao]

"There there now, Lady Merrill. No need for such hostilities. I concede that my remarks might be interpreted as disdain.”

A cough escaped his mouth, as he continued on. His head bowed softly, as if to underline his next words.

“Forgive me, if it was taken that way. Sometimes the tongue speaks, before the minuscule brain has time to consider the whole situation.”

“Treat me like an eight-year old, while I know I am in reality twelve; I will need all the guidance I can get. Because I have not a clue where to start.”

 

[Kiyala Demont`]

Kiyala could not help but smirk about what was going on between the two and held off for answering @[member="Rave Merrill"]'s question until the last second. Kiyala looked at Jared after giving him a half nod and bow since he was technically her superior. "Well as far as the Nightsister arts I trust I'm in safe hands learning it from you, but as Jared so eloquently pull it. . . treat my like an eight-year old." She said with a rather bright smile that depending on how well Rave knows Kiyala she would notice that Kiyala hasn't smiled this honestly since her mother's death.

 

[Velok the Younger]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]@[member="Kiyala Demont"]

Apology accepted, Lord Ovmar.

"So. Let's work on metallurgy. Mm...where do I begin. At the molecular level, metals have sort of a lattice structure, densely layered." She took out a tray full of ball bearings, and shook them around a little until they settled. "See how the layers settle into each other, offset? That's sort of what the structure of a metal looks like at very high magnification. Now, between odd alloys and imperfect metalworking, the structure of a metal isn't perfect. Alchemy is about making it perfect, and strengthening molecular bonds with the Force, and imbuing a standing-wave pattern of the Force into the metal.

"Focus on one of the ball bearings. See if you can get your mind's eye down to the level where you can adjust the structure of the metal. If you're successful, you should be able to make one of these glossy ball bearings go matte."

 

[Aarrki]

@[member="Rave Merrill"] @[member="Kiyala Demont"] @[member="Jared Ovmar"]

Ice blue eyes bore daggers at the maleling. There was a burning hatred in her for all things male, but she knew her place. In time, in time, she told herself, as her eyes went narrowing upon the Lord of the Fringe, wrinkles wrinkling at the corner of her bruised eyes, burst capillaries that bloomed upon her pallid skin due to over two decades of using the shadow spells of the Nightsisters.

It was not a pretty path, but few would truly let themselves fall completely to the power of the Fanged God. Aarrki had long since set herself on this path, and there was no turning back from it. No, only knowledge and power now.

So it be that here she stood with two of her sisters and a maleling, one she then promptly ignored to listen in upon the younger sisters` instruction.

This would be something different for Aarrki, for the witch knew nothing else than those of the Nightsisters. So the idea of actually focusing upon an item simply to focus to adjust the molecular level was beyond her. The only kind of similarity she could fathom would be the spell to create a three dimensional map out of sand.

However, one couldn't simply just make a map out of metal through a spell. That seemed far more complicated than simply attempting to change the glossy surface to matte.

Aarrki mulled over this complication, until she decided that going through it in the same manner as that of map making would have to do, only that instead of shifting the metal in a three dimensional method, she would simply attempt to smooth the molecules like a miniature map to make it flatter and matte.

So it was with this idea that the witch's clawed knobby fingers went reaching out to pluck a ball bearing between her thumb and forefinger.

With a low lush tone of voice, so began the chant used by the witches to manipulate sand to a map upon the ball bearing. Power grew, thick like honey and slowly whirling round the Nightsister, focusing upon the ball bearing she held.

Raw power is what Aarrki was known for, but such fine tuning certainly was not her forte. In truth, the chant served to make the ball bearing shake, twitch and beyond the mind's eye, the molecules start to slowly move faster and faster.

But for the present time, did not make the glossy surface turn matte.

 

[Arage Bao]

With your mind's eye. Those words were a surprise to him, as it implied Alchemy had something to do with mentalism. Which was a thing he had not been expecting, though maybe that was not as strange as it seemed. Jared was new to this, he had never attempted Alchemy before and truth to be told he had never even heard about it. Well, that was not entirely true, he knew that Sith Swords were made through Sith Alchemy, but his knowledge did not extend much farther than that.

When the other Lady entered the room, Jared nodded to her in a form of welcome. It was almost immediately clear to him that he would have to keep his malemanners to himself, seeing as the lass was quite a bit hostile towards him. If it was not for the scowl that decorated her face, then it was for the hate that she radiated through the Force, he -was- a mentalist so such things were quite easy to pick out. Especially when the girl did not seem to hide her hatred for him.

Not that Jared really cared, not everyone could like you. It was a thing he had come to terms with a long time ago, while Rave might have a reason for her dislike... this girl seemed to be just anxious to get into a fight with a member of the male... race. That satisfaction would be lost to her though, Jared would be an adult and ignore her pointedly. Though he -had- to admit that she was a pretty lass, at least if you ignored the marks of the Witch.

At any rate, a ball floated towards him and settled into his reaching hand. For a while he just felt it in his hands, trying to become comfortable with the touch of it. Trying to... get to know it on a more intimate matter, some people would make jests of it and tell him to marry the damn thing. But Jared knew that when you wished to change something on a fundamental level? You had to have an idea of it, of the basis of the thing. The way it ticked and worked.

Such was the reason that he had closed his eyes and just stood there with his hand around the ball. Not even touching the Force for a while, merely studying it, trying to get a clear picture of the surface of the ball in his mind. The glossy material, the almost perfect roundness of the ball that suggested an artificial nature, a little kink in the surface that could not be seen with the eyes.

Finally, when Jared felt comfortable with the ball, when he knew everything there was to know about it superficially. He began to weave. There was a certain technique that was described in old esoteric books, the Art of the Small, it reminded him of what Rave was trying to teach them now. Not that Jared had any experience with the Art of the Small, it was a difficult technique and obscure in nature, it was simply a point of focus for him. A way to catalog the various ways of the Force to his mind.

The web that he made with the Force slowly descended towards the ball, now floating in the air again; being held by invisible threads of power. His mind entered the surface of the ball and explored the inner-regions, trying to make sense of it all. There was... so much to see, so much to learn. Almost too much, all the properties of the metal could be changed, just by tugging here and poking there. But how would one know what to change to grant the desirable trait to the metal you were trying to influence?

Rave's words came to him again and he started to look for the specific structure, it was hard and.. yet so simple. Was it him being a mentalist, which made this seem easier than he had expected? It was almost natural. Then he heard a voice, a whisper, it was the turning of the molecules but there was clear intention in it.

“I am glossy.”​

​

Wait hold on. The thing could -speak-? Rave had not said anything about that, it was starting to freak him out. Maybe he was going crazy, metals talking.. woah. Peace.

It seemed that it the representation of an idea of the property was talking to him, it was glossy it said to him. Jared knew that the Force was endless and without limit, things could be interpreted in vastly different ways by very different minds.

Maybe it was just his mind, trying to place this area... this whole other microscopic world in a context which he would be able to understand. Jared was not very good with exact properties and the such. But this? Bargaining? Talking? He could do that.

“I need you to become matte.”​

​

“I am.. glossy?”​

​

Jared's mental imprint could not help but sigh, this was going to be a looooong day.

@[member="Rave Merrill"] @[member="Aarrki"]

 

[Velok the Younger]

@[member="Aarrki"] @[member="Jared Ovmar"]

Rave surveyed her students' lack of success. "Well, keep your focus where it is, and try to sense how I do it."

She gestured, and every ball bearing went matte. Another gesture made them all glossy again. Matte. Glossy. Matte. Glossy. She stopped then.

"Now use what you felt, and do it again."

 

[Kiyala Demont`]

Kiyala stared down at her metal ball, her fingers running over it as if it was more delicate than it actually was. Her nimble fingers tossed the ball into the air and caught it getting a feel for the weight. Upon the last time she threw the ball up she caught it within her telekinetic grip. Observing it once with her mind's eyes, before shifting to her natural senses and ending with her force sight. Neither had gleaned much for Kiyala at all, it was up to her to use the force to alter it which until she did that would make her force sight useless.

Gazing at the ball again she began to think of things more abstractly; she knew that it was possible to change the ball's molecular structure so maybe it was a matter of will. She thought back to when @[member="Rave Merrill"] had offered a demonstration of the how it was done earlier and attempted to use that as an anchor. And then she thought of the technique force weapon, while she was no where near a master of the technique the Nightsister's held a similar spell that Kiyala had grown quite accustomed too. She began chanting while focusing her will through the extension of the force over the ball, while it may seem to others who did not know Pacean what exactly Kiyala was chanting but in all honesty she was chanting "Turn grey! Turn grey! Turn grey!" in a hurried fashion.

Kiyala cursed herself if she could achieve Sith Magic like Kiara or her other former masters could this would be child's play. She was sick of being the underdog or the one counted out. Her anger flared increasingly for a second, the stone reacted to it but not in the way Kiyala thought it would. It grew a little and spiked out enough to actually pierce the skin of her hands. Blood trickled from them but for now Kiyala hardly noticed. She had gotten it to change whether in the right or the wrong way still meant that she could do it. Listening in to Rave as she changed their metals for them, Kiyala was quick enough to have her force sight active during and got some more insight.

Kiyala focused her will and felt a barrier almost as the ball had a will of it's own. Well why wouldn't it; Kiyala found herself wondering and with this in mind she changed her way of approach. Instead of attempting to force the metal to be something it's inherently not she allowed her energies to penetrate the metal to allow it to grow into something more. She felt a spark of energy breathe into the metal and as she opened her eyes while ceasing her chanting; she would see the metal ball matte. She was tempted to let out a roar of exhilaration but time on Alderaan has already begun tempering in her old reserved ways.

"Ladies 1, Lord of The Fringe 0" She said teasing Jared Ovmar before walking over to show Rave.

@Aarrki @Jared Ovmar