Scuro repeated the monite again. They would get this spell to work, dammit, if it was the last thing she did. Her aggravation rose. All the words seemed right, but nothing was happening.

Scuro and Chiaro had decided to start small-- the bubble charm had seemed as good a place as any to begin with. But in three days they had managed nothing. They were aiming for a table in their library. They had managed twice to form a basic wall spell into a dome, but the first time it dissipated in an instant, and the second Scuro had chucked her shoe at it, which bounced back at her and then dissipated. They hadn't even tried a spell against it.

"Alioe damn it," she said, after it refused to work again, falling back onto a chaise, "there has to be an easier way." She pulled up the monite compendium they had purchased the day after their conversation with Magister Ohm. "All the words are right. They just are. So why isn't it working?"

"I don't know." Chiaro thumbed through the pages on which they had writen a number of combinations, muttering to herself in slight aggitation. "Maybe we're missing a word, or phrase... the two shields we've managed to cast thus far seemed right, but they just weren't stable enough..." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Or maybe there's a phrase we should not be using? But I doubt that.." She went over the monite in her head a few times, trying to catch onto any possible miswording. "Or maybe we should try getting into each other's heads, first. Maybe once we've managed a perfect link between our minds, things will be easier...."

Scuro scowled in thought. They were casting in practically perfect unison, but perhaps that was not enough. "Perhaps," she answered simply. She rose and crossed to a pair of tete-a-tete style desks near the two-story windows facing the gardens. She started sorting through sheaf upon sheaf of paper: their scrawling and works-in-progress. She found the pile she was looking for and brought it to her sister. They had finished the monite the day before, but had yet to try it due to its complexity- and possibly some reluctance as to its effects.

Scuro sat across from her sister. She looked only slightly concerned, "are you ready to try this?" she asked. She was fairly certain she was ready, if her sister was. She only needed the slightest indication of confidence from Chiaro and she was set.

Chiaro nodded, smiling. "I'm ready if you are."

((sorry for the lame post, but I can't think of anything other than that. ><''))

((Is okay- is enough for me!))

Scuro mentally braced herself, and sat beside her sister, laying the written spell between them. They began to recite the monite in practically perfect unison, communicating exactly what they wanted the spell to achieve. Scuro could feel the warmth of the magic, and as they completed the spell she hoped to taste the copper-sweet, electric taste of successful magic.

((sorry about this. I really liked this post too if you wouldn't mind, could you be a bit clearer about the spell you're trying to cast next time? mujo ma.))

The spell certainly felt volatile; as the chanted they could feel their minds start to twist and writhe like a trapped snake. An odd ringing noise filled their ears and spread to their whole bodies, causing a numb sensation as they concentrated.

Chiaro felt the connection first. Flashes of her sister's thoughts and memories seemed to dance before her blurry vision; emotions more than pictures, but also smells and tastes, pain, irritation, and all the things Scuro usually felt. They went by too quickly to grasp any of them individually, but she could feel very strongly the closeness between them.

Scuro felt something different; a sort of calm feeling, an unusual level of empathy for her sister. It was unintended, but the mona seemed to have a mind of their own that day.

((Me too. But yeah, that's my fault. Sorry again!))

Scuro relaxed under the feeling. Was this how Chiaro always felt? No wonder she was so at ease with everything and everyone. She looked at her sister, directing a thought at her, Can you hear me?

((Cart, you are awesome. That was perfect.!!! ^_^))

Chiaro nodded, Yes, and I assume you can hear me? She was slightly dizzied by the wave of emotions, and the few memories her sister had never shared with her- of course, she could not be affected much by the things they had experienced together, and they were almost ALWAYS together. Thoughts, however, gave her odd sensations- it was like she felt everything Scuro had thought. So it worked, She confirmed.

Yes, Scuro thought/said. She was smiling a tight-lipped smile of a cat that's caught a mouse. Or a kid who's gotten out of trouble at someone else's expense. It's perfect. Mutual, instant communication. I wonder how far it will work? She briefly imagined being across town from her sister on watch, being able to communicate instantly... She realized she hadn't thought this in words, but in images. Did you see that? she asked.

Chiaro's eyes were wide in wonder. She nodded, Yes, I saw it... this is amazing! And it feels so effortless...

Scuro's mouth twisted into a self-satisfied smile, it is effortless! Likely for our power or our relationship. It's fantastic! the smile grew, and on the first try, success! So, shall we try the bubble spell again?

She didn't need to wait for a reply, as she felt the reply in her mind, and this time as they recited the monite for the bubble shield, directing it over a table in the corner, it was in perfect unison, as each could feel and hear exactly what the other said and intended for the monite.

The old galdori truism came to mind - with magic, the fifty-seventh time's the charm.

As Scuro and Chiaro looked on, the air began to heat up and bubble. The usual Wall spell created a dense, thick layer in the air, which with more experienced casters would be precisely tuned on the three-dimensional plane, but with the first-level Seventen had a more general coverage. It formed between them, spreading out like butter from a hot knife and obscuring the air between them.

As their spell reached its crescendo, however, the Wall began to change. Iridescent reflections erupted from its surface and it seemed to grow and shrink rapidly, changing from a flat shape to a hazy mass to a perfectly flat line. The volatility was rather startling, and the air began crackling and hissing like an open electrical wire had been dipped in water.

To their amazement, the spell began slowly forming into an inexpert spherical shape. The air did not seem to want to harden, but it did, reluctantly; the bubble was imperfect and knobbly, but it held for a full minute before dissipating.


((lol, now I get to use it. good because I was actually semi-proud of this post, haha))

((Yay! I like it too- very cool description))



While the spell held she and Chiaro played with it. A simple spell or two were cast, and a few books and a shoe were made missiles, but it resisted and held. It seemed to flex at times, but it held nonetheless.

Excelent, she thought at Chiaro, it's practically perfect. Now that the mona understands what we want it to do, it should only shape-up and improve from here! She flashed her sister a rare, genuine smile of glee.

((Note to Chiaro: the mental link shouldn't last too long, so you may or may not have heard that))

Chiaro grinned back excitedly, though it was only a response to her sister's expression; her thoughts were faint, and easily overrun by Chiaro's. Only after the sense of great accomplishment faded did she realize the suddenly lightened load on her brain. "I'm afraid the link is fading, sister. I can no longer feel nor hear your thoughts...." But still she smiled. They had learned two advanced spells today. Now they simply needed to perfect those spells. Perhaps achieving a balance between functionality and simplicity would be key, but simplification would surely be their last resort if Scuro had anything to say about it. "Come, perhaps we should rest. We can work on perfecting these spells later."

"Nor I," Scuro responded. Perhaps with time they could convince the mona to cooperate longer. The spell was new to it, after all, and thus needed some getting used to.



"You go on, Chiaro," she replied, taking up one of many sheafs of paper and a monite compendium,"I'm going to work on this a little longer. There are some phrases that need some work, and I want them ironed out." She nodded a slight dismissal, a grin still on her lips.

She would be up all night after such success as they had achieved today. So close, she thought, almost perfect, but not quite...