Training Fields Open

Ivy looked around her and started to pace out the butte "okay almost 500 feet by 350 feet the size of a soccer field....i wonder do humans still play soccer?"

Aphris stepped through the doorway and blinked a bit in the bright sunlight. She looked around and could see Dravenhurst in the distance, but not really close enough for anyone from town to see a damn thing. She looked back at the unassuming doorway, "That was interesting," she muttered as she started towards Ivy. She had left her hat on, just in case, but not active, she her tail was sway betray her calm look by showing her nervousness.

Simon walked through and looked around, surprised by how clean it look compared to the split second or so he had to take in the butte yesterday evening. There was also better lighting this time, considering the last visit was during twilight.

"ah yes, you might notice its not as rough as it was yesterday, i took the time to flatten and prepare it"

Ivy walked over to them and walked them to the center of the large arena

"this is where we will start today, sit own and cross your legs, get comfortable we are going to meditate, and find your center of power, this will take a shape in your head or your 'third eye' as it were, mostly itll take a shape that means something to you"

she sat down with her legs crossed and assumed a meditation posse and started to breath deeply with her eyes closed

"this is where you will reach every time you want to grab your power you can call upon it at any moment, and it will respond, do not be afraid"

Simon sat comfortably down and closed his eyes, hands steeped between his legs. He calmed his breathing and was meditating very soon. This wasn't his first time meditating, but it was his first time looking for the demon power inside him.

Aphris nodded at Ivy's words, before sitting down trying to relax in the cross legged position. She took a deep breath and let the breath out slowly as she closed her eyes to look inward. Percival had told her a little about meditation in the past, at the time he said it would help her with the horrors of her past. Now it seems it would help her with her future.

She soon envisioned herself within her own mind, looking around, trying to find this power Ivy spoke of. She hoped that it did not lay behind the 'door' that was chained. She hoped it did not lay with the worst of her memories.

Ivy opened her eyes as she looked at Simon and Aphris

"alright, now im going to help you one by one, if you dont mind bringing me into your mind along with you, i wont pry or steal anything but i will help you find your power no matter what we face, who shall i help first?"

Simon, who stopped meditating for the moment, looked to Aphris, motioning for her to go first.

Aphris opened her eyes in shock at the request to enter their minds. She looked over at Doc to see him saying she should go first an gulped. This might not be pretty....

"I guess I will," she stated, hiding her dread from her voice. She wanted to step forward, to learn to be strong. Welp, this was just another step on the way. She took another calming breath ready to go back into a meditative state.

"alright then, when you are deep enough i will enter, i will be there and look how ever you see me in your minds eye, i wont be able to tell much just general things, you will have to make your mind reality for me, youll feel my presence when i am in there and i promise what i see will stay between us"

she sat in front of Aphris and started to meditate pushing her subconscious towards aphris'

'lets see how this goes' she said to herself as she felt her subconscious slide into Aphris'

Aphris nodded and let out a calming breath. She felt Ivy on the edge of her min, almost like knocking. So, Aphris opened the door to let Ivy through. Aphris saw here as she really was, in the form she had shown her last night. THe form that she was told terrified many, that she found fascinating. Aphris appeared as she always did when her hat was not hiding her. The area Ivy would see behind the door seemed like a large room, with door leading off to different areas of her mind, one door heavily chained and barred.

She gestured for Ivy to enter. "Welcome to my mind I guess? Not sure where to go now though."

"lets go to where you feel the most powerful emotional responses......i fear they are behind the locked door, that is the source of your fear is it not?"

Ivy had been in many minds before and they all looked different, doors were present in those who liked to hide things or felt like they had to, the mind was funny like that, the saying behind closed doors meant so much more than people realised

"we must venture forth and ne'er tarry" she half joked, this was the strangest thing she has ever done

"but seriously if im here for to long itll be hard for me to get back, but we can always try again and again so no worries im here to help you face hese things"

Aphris paled a little at Ivy's words. She looked at all the other doors, most of the open or partly so, then her eyes feel on the locked one. "That is where the years I spent at the church is kept," she almost whispered as they made their way towards it. She had no idea if Ivy knew anything about what had happened there, but none of it was good. This was going to the most difficult thing Aphris had ever done in her life...

She reached a shaky had out toward the door and the chains started to fall away, leaving a normal looking door, waiting to opened. But this door was anything but normal, it was a gateway into Hell itself. She trusted that Ivy would be there for her, but fear was still there. Just as she reached for the handle, the door burst open, darkness pouring out of it in a powerful stream, along with screams of a young girl, fear and pain. Aphris' mental image of her self wavered; shifting to how she looked at 7. thin, barely fed, dirty, and so alone....

Ivy wrapped herself and her wings around Aphris' mental form separating the darkness and keeping it from swallowing Aphris

"its okay, these are just memories, they cannot hurt you, you are fine, this and all that follow it are within your power to control, dont lose focus we can do this i am here, just keep moving forward"

Hearing Ivy's voice, and feeling her protecting her with her wings, calmed Aphris. Her image of herself stopped flickering and settled on her present for. She stayed kneeling on the ground for a bit panting and she focused herself, as she tried to see that Ivy's worse where truth. She slowly stood and looked down the dark hallway that lie beyond the door. The sounds of screaming, whips cracking, crying and pleads to stop could be heard from within.

She focused her sight on the dark end of the hallway as she stepped into it. Trying to ignore the frames on the wall that played scenes of her childhood like a movie. Scenes of her birth parents beating her, turning her away, of other kids that threw rocks at her and beat her, of people calling her a freak, a demon, an abomination. Her jaw was set as she kept moving forward, step by difficult step. When they came upon the scenes of what happen in the 'church', she fluttered. The man who claimed to be holy beating her, whipping her, cutting her, and forcing himself on her.

"I don't know... I don't know if I can face this..." she all but sobbed out.

"these are your most intense memories, burned into your mind and tempered by the heat of your hatred and rage and fear, these emotions are powerful, but you must know that these are holding you back, you let your fear and hatred bind you, its no wonder you cant summon your power you need to remember life is balance, fear there is hope, hatred there is love, rage there is peace, you must release these fears and replace them with love, they cannot hurt you anymore, and you can make sure they can never hurt you again, you just have to push past this and keep moving forward, remind me sometime to show you the old times... if i can do it, so can you"

she placed her hands on Aphris shoulders and lifted her wings to either side like blinders blocking most of the pictures from her sight

She was glad Ivy was there for her. She understood that fear and hope where link, but love? When had anyone loved her? He had dealt with hate her whole life. In this hell, where was love? She was starting to feel like this was something she could never win.

"Aphris, I've told you I would look after you when I found you right?"

Aphris looked up with wide eyes as Percy's words seemed to echo around them. Many of the scenes on the walls changed to when Percy found her, telling her no deserved to go through what she did, and that he would look after her. One even showed when he brought her to Red's and lied to her, claiming Aphris was his niece. All to protect her. To look after her. Another scene was him giving her the hat, so she could hide if she ever felt the need. Tears started to form in her eyes as she realized that he loved her like family should. That he was her uncle, not by blood, but that did not matter.

Aphris stood straight, set her jaw and started forward again. If Uncle Percy though she could do it, the she would fucking do it!

IvyRose alone could hear Percival speak as Aphris walked forward, "Seems like you needed a hand."

"she would have figured it our eventually" she said to percival

"good good yes use that, remember you are loved and your neednt fear, there are people who will protect you and help you and guide you"

she followed behind Aphris looking around her to see an seemingly endless cooridor

"well i wont see anything until you do Aphris, you should be close now though stop and feel around you, its a faint thrum around you yes? this is your power reaching towards you, its your heart of hearts go towards it"

Not hearing what Ivy and Percy said to each other, Aphris nodded at Ivy's words that she did hear. She focused on the faint feeling of power coming from the darken end of the hallway. Soon it started to glow with a faint reddish light. As she moved forward she soon seen what appeared to be a crystal of a deep red color in the shape of a kitten with a small set of bat like wings.

"Is this it?" Aphris asked when she stood in front of it. What this the form of her power? A kitten? What the hell did that mean?

"yes that would be it! what a marvelous form! and so pristine! wonderful! very good see i knew you could do it! did you know we had pets once? gargoyles....they are often seen in this world as hideous or scary, but they were better tan human gdogs and more loving than human cats, this is a good sign, in this world cats are lucky and bats are lucky too, youll need all the luck you can get, now take hod of it and bring it back with us, once i get to where i entered the rest is up to you!"

Ivy rose started walking behind her again on their way out

Aphris nodded as she reached out and took the crystal. It felt warm in her hand, like a small flame. As she looked at it, it almost looked like there was a flame burning inside of it. She started walking back down the hallways as she studied it. "It like there is a flame inside of it," she said with a sense of wonder. She looked up and seen with surprise that they were back at the door. "Wait... I thought the hallway was longer..." she questioned as she over her shoulder back down the hallway.

"it was, you were reluctant to face your past and its a long hard road down memory lane, coming back is quicker because you want to enjoy the present and future"

she looked up and smiled

"heres my door out, ill see you back outside"

she turned around and slowly faded out of Aphris' psyche and back into her own body

"that was very good Aphris" she said aloud

She nodded as she watched Ivy go. This had been interesting. She closed the door Ivy had used to make sure no one else found their way in. She sighed and let out a breath as she awake from her own mind.

She blinked in the bright sunlight and found that she felt exhausted. "Thanks," even her voice sounded tired. "How long were we? I feel more exhausted then I did running through the Wastelands for a day straight."

"by the look of the sun we were only gone but a minute or so, you learn fast Aphris" she turned to Simon, "are you ready now Simon?"

she moved over closer to him preparing for their mind venture

Simon had been meditating while Ivy helped Aphris and he opened his eyes when she said his name.

"I think so," he answered shakily. "I'm really nervous though."