Rocky Road to Mastery

Fearghas stood away from the beaten path in a small area with an old bench and a small clearing.  He didn't know who might know about it, but it was certainly quiet enough for him to just sit and relax.  It worked for him to bring his mythology books and just take in the fresh air, reading what he could.  The library had plethora of books on topics of the mythos and even had some dedicated to certain mythological creatures.  In his hands was one of the phoenix, he looked at the pages, which felt almost like they were jumping out at him.  Stuff relating to the Phoenix always did now, especially things he didn't know about them.  He gripped the latch of the footlocker he "borrowed" from the foot of his dorm room bed.  Sure it could be considered stealing, but at least he took all the stuff out of it and put it on the table before taking it out to his nice little nook.  The next day he loaded it with waters and a couple sodas from Ireland he had in his suitcase.  Now he was pulling the latch off, creaking open the green lid and grabbing one of the cans of the not so sugary stuff.  He sighed as he dog-eared the book and set it aside on the bench.  He popped the tab and took a small sip, savoring the sweet liquid before placing it on the bench.  He always liked to stand when he practiced, especially with the sometimes fiery results of his attempts.  He put his feet on the ground, applying pressure down and standing up.  He stood up too fast and felt a bit light-headed but he felt good, the air was fresh and wasn't too cold out.  He sighed as he took a few steps from the bench, clenching and unclenching his fist on his right hand for a second, before taking a deep breath.  He looked down at his arm as it began to slowly sprout orange feathers.  He smiled and quickly rolled his right sleeve up as his arm began to get engulfed in the orange things.  Soon his right arm fully sprouted the orange wings and looked exactly like an orange bird's wing, which was exactly what it was.  He sighed as he thought for a second and the orange things began to sprout on his left arm.  He smiled manically as he seemed to grow two wings out of nowhere.  He still had to focus for now, mostly, but the amount of effort it was taking to do this was weaning, as the amount of feathers and how far up they went seemed to be growing every time he trained it.  He didn't know what kind of advantages it would give to be in the form a phoenix, but he knew that small cuts on his arm seemed to disappear when his arms took that form.  But as his focus began to change, he felt a slight burning sensation on the tips of some of the feathers that grew upon him.  He knew he was too late to refocus when his arms began to engulf in orange flames.  He sighed as one by one the feathers caught fire, seemingly unaffected by the way his arms were burning.  He let them burn themselves to not even ash, although one of the feathers had only been half burned and slowly floated it's way to the ground.  He rolled his neck, letting out a long breath before saying "Shite..." He said, not really angry but just not happy.  He decided to take a seat as it did kind of drain him to do this action.  He picked up his soda and plopped on the bench, crossing his ankles and sipping it.  He was getting better at this and he decided he'd have a rest and go at it again in a minute...

The sound of footsteps approaching alerted the other student to someone approaching. Blond hair bounced as the figure turned into the clearing only to pause at the edge. Blue eyes blinked at the other student, mildly surprised her was there. "I guess I am not the only one who comes here." He commented, shifting three large books in his arms.

They were recent checkouts from the library, and whenever Griffin had time, he would find someplace quiet to read his books. Most of the time the Summer student checked out books about the biology of plants. He had recently gotten into how the plants get rid of the carbon dioxide in the air and turn it into oxygen that many need to survive. He found it rather interesting. Yet this time around, he had only gotten two biology books. The other was a book about the Greek god Pan. Which was the god of the wild. Whom cared about the forests and the animals inside of it. It was an impulse check out, and was rather curious about the subject.

When he had the time, Griffin would come over to this clearing to read. Sure he could read in his dorm, but unfortunately, they liked to be as loud as possible during those times.

Fearghas set the soda aside, tilting his head towards the newcomer to what he believed to be his own little nook.  He uncrossed his legs, sitting up and spreading his legs slightly.  His brown eyes locked to the blue of the kid before him, offering a lopsided grin, he said "Great minds think alike, howya doin'?"  It could be very easily deciphered from the way he replaced the "th" sound with a sharper "t" sound, and the unique dialect, he was Irish.  Just from the accent it was obvious this wasn't his native homeland, not to mention the red can with the words "Tesco Cola" on it and his halfway unzipped orange jacket revealing a black shirt with a green graphic of the Isle with "26+6=1" across the chest.

He adjusted how he sat, he hadn't bought any other types of shirts from America and he didn't really intend to, even if people didn't understand what "Sinn Fein" meant or why Britain was so bad.  It was something anybody who wanted to know would get an earful from Fearghas, he didn't know if he liked the sound of his own voice, he didn't want to forget where he came from, or if it just resonated within him so much he treated it like common knowledge or things he'd talk about until you'd be begging him to shut up.  But whatever, people would get used to it or he would get used to them not being used to it.

Great minds do not think alike.

It is the dissimilarity between human minds that is the source of mankind's progress and success as a species. That is what Griffin had thought of the quote. "Great minds don't think alike," He started, tilting his head as he quickly added an answer afterwards."I'm doing pretty well, I just came here to read. You?" He tossed back the question, making polite talk between the two. The other boy had an accent. The summer student was terrible at putting a name to each accent, so he didn't assume based on that. But with the Irish getup and drinks, Griffin would wager that the student was not from the United States, but from Ireland. Or some place like that. Maybe places in England had that stuff too? Maybe that's an English accent?

Fearghas raised an eyebrow at the boy's comment, he seemed to take almost offense to the saying.  Then the boy quickly countered his statement with a conversational question...odd he seemed to be quite the thinker.  He offered a smile as he reached down and picked up the book sitting patiently next to him "Then our minds must not be all that great."  He shook it slightly, before dropping it off next to him casually "I also come here to practice my power,  I've always liked the quiet to practice and I don't freak out anybody."  He shrugged, it was nice to go out for some fresh air, sure he liked to talk to people and all, but sometimes a bit of quiet was all he needed.  This boy seemed to be quite the reader with the stack of books in his arms.  He could respect that, he thought as he gestured with a flick of his chin towards the books "Watchya got there?  Maybe a book on a bad dose, huh?  You strike me as the typa dude to study all about anatomy and such.  I'm moreuva fake stuff kinda dude meself."  He shrugged, he thought he read the boy well from the comment about great minds and the size of those books, he'd have wagered that the boy could read all of them in a day and still have time for dinner with the ma.  You don't see too many people their age checking out huge library books and coming out to read them in random clearings.  It wasn't a dime a dozen.

Griffin tilted his head as the other student explained his presence there. While Griffin found it fun to learn about other's powers, he actively avoided the topic in case the student he was talking to doesn't think before they talk. Especially when they decided to make a wish without his permission. So the blond was thankful for the other boy who continued to talk and did not linger on the subject. Griffin was not completely following the boy's metaphors, but just used the context to get the gist of what he was saying. Maybe it was the accent.

"Oh, I'm more of a biology kind of person." Griffin explained, shifting through the books. "Although I picked out a Greek Mythology book, it caught my eye." The blond shifted the book to the top of his pile, giving the book a look over.

Fearghas offered a lopsided smile as he mentioned biology.  He knew this guy was this kinda dude, but mythology?  That was certainly up Fearghas' aisle, maybe he'd get some more reading on the Phoenix, it went back that far as he thought he remembered.  It wasn't the same thing as the modern interpretation, but it was always a good read.  

"See, now that's my typa read, you've got good taste, the Greeks had some good stuff.  'Specially the Phoenix, I tell ya I wish I could just get this gift down, ya know?  I work at it daily and have burned more floors than an IRA Molotov!"  He shrugged as he crossed his arms.  It was work, and he had no clue if he might actually be able to adapt to another mythological creature and to be brutally honest, all this reading of the Phoenix tired him out of the subject, the only motivation that he might be able to finally master it pushing him on and on.  Eventually, he thought.  It's gotta be just one more push.

As soon as Fearghas finished his sentence wishing for him to get his gift down, Griffin's grasp on the books slacked. They fell to the floor, and the top one slid off of the pile. There was a loud and startling thud from the books, followed by Griffin himself hitting the floor. It took little time for the blond to get into the fetal position. It seemed that the blond could barely process the wish before it was granted.

Pain grew agonizingly through his abdomen, spreading up to his stomach then settling there. The wish granter's breath was labored and shallow. He had been doing so well, no one had made a wish since he got there. It seems like he couldn't be that lucky.

Fearghas flinched, what the Hell just happened?  He was all good a second ago and all of sudden he hit the floor.  He pushed his palms against the bench, hopping off the bench as the other boy curled up on the ground.  Fearghas rushed over to him, landing on one knee at the blonde boy's side, putting his right hand on his shoulder.  That's when he looked over to his arm revealed by his rolled up sleeves.  Almost involuntarily orange feathers sprouted up his arm at a godspeed.  That was odd, but suddenly, he felt the hollow shaft of feathers in his skin under his jacket.

Fearghas was beginning to grasp the situation when he felt the feathers stop multiplying just under his chest...that's when the burning started.  Sure, his arm was fine like always, but usually he gained feathers slowly, and every time a new feather emerged what felt like a short burn as if putting out a cigarette on his skin without the long term pain.  Fearghas' eyes widened as he felt a bullet start under his chest, rapidly working it's way all the way up and over to where feathers were on his back.  Fearghas fell back onto his butt, clutching his chest and crying out as the bullets of pain just kept coming and coming and coming.  Finally, after about minute, it had worked it's way over all of his new skin and the little pinpricks of pain to no pain at all on his arms burned up.  Fearghas just sat there for a second, thinking of his response, did this guy just grant him a wish?  It wasn't even a formal thing, he said it as a casual statement.  Fearghas groaned as he got up, phantoms of pain still occuring in his head all over his chest and back.  "A-Are you alright, I didn't mean to do that, I was just...Agh, sorry I'm a gobshite.  What can I do?"  His brown eyes looked up and down the boy, poor kid, he didn't mean for that to happen and now he had no clue what to do...this wasn't a great first impression.

"Don't make any more wishes." The blond muttered through clenched teeth. Griffin had no control over the wishes he grants, or the effects on other people. He wanted nothing more than the ability to choose which wishes to grant. But that required practicing, and he didn't enjoy that. Needless to say, he was doing terribly in gift mastery. The pain in his abdomen had yet to disappear, even his stomach refused to lessen the agony.

It must have been some big wish, because small things would have gone away by now. Swallowing the pain, Griffin sat up. His blue eyes clenched shut in a effort to ignore the pain. "Even jokingly. I guess my power likes to take those things seriously."

Fearghas pursed his lips for a moment, keeping his hands on his knees as he rested on them, looking at the boy as he mentioned wishes.  Right on the money Fearghas thought as the blond boy before him slowly inched himself off of the ground.  His eyes followed the boy's physique, all of his muscles were contracting and he seemed to be in a considerable amount of pain, mostly in his abdomen area.  Fearghas tilted his head slightly as he spoke under his breath, cursing himself. "A leithéid de leathcheann dúr, a cheapann sula labhraíonn tú, asal balbh."

He took his right foot out from under himself, then his left, plopping to the ground next to the boy, dust clouds poofing around his thighs and landing on his jeans, coating them slightly.  Fearghas didn't mind though, it was the least he could do, he did just directly cause this poor guy what seemed to be a whole lot of pain.  Fearghas sighed as he brought his feet towards him and sat himself Indian style next to the boy who just closed his bright blue eyes, shutting out the pain from his world.  Fearghas sighed as he looked at the stress and pain contorting this poor guy's face before him.  He shook his head as he looked over and grabbed the few books from the ground, all dusty and a little dinked.  What a way to find out someone's power, just use it without his permission.  He set the books in his lap, moving his brown eyes back up to the boy shaking before him clutching his abdomen, to someone who didn't know it was almost like he was freezing.  

Fearghas let out a sigh as a cool breeze blew against his hair and the boy continued to shake on the ground, all he could do was reflect...this was some random person and it was like he just stabbed him and twisted the knife.  He didn't want to say anything, I mean what could he say He man, sorry I just handicapped you and literally grounded you, but hey at least I look a little cooler when I use my power! Every minute felt like a year, and it must have felt like centuries him.  Fearghas tilted his head again, trying to find a source of pain, maybe it was some type of aura, he didn't know, then he had a dumb idea, maybe he could wish for his pain to stop.  No, that is a dumb idea, that would probably help him afterwards,  but at that moment he wished it the blond boy wouldn't just be doubled over, he might end up convulsing.  He didn't know the extent of these powers but how a careless word could cause this much destruction worried him immensely, he would need to be more careful around people.  He rocked lightly as the blond boy groaned lightly, it was grating on his nerves, his head just kept telling him, you hurt him, you hurt him, you hurt him.  He sighed lightly as he put his head in his hands to just stop looking at him for a minute, even if the boy's groans reached his ears, he couldn't stand to see what he caused for as long as he was.  It was selfish, but how else could he choose? Go insane watching this boy?  Or just try to forget it all...

Since Griffin felt like he had known this pain for a while, the blond could tell when it lightened in it's effects. Just enough for him to sit upright. "Water?" He asked with a rough voice, his mouth feeling as if he hadn't even touched water for years. The blond didn't seem to care for the fact that it was possible that he could throw up if he put anything into his system. He just really wanted water. Griffin was oblivious to the guilt that Fearghas was feeling as he suffered. If he had the breath, the wish granter would have told him that it wasn't his fault. But as of right then, that was out of the question. It took up any spare air just to splutter out saying 'water'.