Jason's eyes crusted open, and he let out a yawn, running a hand down his face before looking down, seeing that Lance was no longer there. For a brief instant, panic filled him, and he sat up, head whipping around to see that the pod door was shut. He calmed himself, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. Lance hadn't been taken away from him, she was likely out there, speaking with Belaine. He felt infinitely better now, both physically and mentally. After getting some rest and finally resolving the reason for his urges, it was no surprise he felt like new. As long as he wasn't wanting to hurt Lance, he could be at peace.
He frowned as he stood, it still wasn't right of him to be thinking about her in such a way. Lance was his friend, not some piece of meat. Jason wanted to suppress these things, it seemed the right thing to do, but Lance had insisted that he didn't. That doing so would make him more like how he used to be, robotic and emotionless. She'd said that he shouldn't deny this attraction, so what was the harm? He pondered this as he went toward the door, opening it to see Lance and Belaine chatting, sitting down in the backseat of the Rhino.
Lance's eyes widened as she saw Jason first, and she grabbed Belaine's shoulders to prevent her from looking back.
"Lance what are you-" Belaine began.
"He's doing that thing I told you about." Lance said quickly, "Don't look back."
"I thought you were joking about that." Belaine sighed, brushing Lance's hands away, "He really just walks around naked? Have you no shame, Jason?" She asked without looking back.
"Negative." He replied, "Lance I-"
"No, go clean yourself up, and get in that stupid armor of yours!" She exclaimed, as if he were doing something unsightly… which was strange, because she kept staring at him anyway, instead of averting her eyes as she normally did when he was in this state. Maybe she was finally beginning to realize that nudity wasn't that big of a deal, finally. She was right though, he was in desperate need of a cleanse.
"Affirmative." He shrugged, closing the door.
He immediately moved over to the shower, which was next to the toilet. A small decline coupled with a drain was all that would keep the water from flooding out, along with the retractable plastic curtain. The shower head was installed in the ceiling directly overhead, but that didn't matter, he still needed to duck his head in order to fit. He turned the water on, and instead of standing up in the stream, he opted to sit down with a deep sigh, just letting the warm water run over him as he put his face in his hands.
Not because he was miserable, but because it just felt nice to do. Showers had always been a one or two minute affair back in his military days, the bare minimum to keep his skin clean. Just allowing the water to run over him felt far better than he imagined. He ran a hand over his head, a fuzz of white hair now overtaking his previous baldness. He even had hair on his eyebrows now, from what he could feel. He'd been growing hair before now, but had become bald again after having gone Wendigo during his fight with Wurmdring. He couldn't remember what had happened exactly, but the skin on his skull must have been completely destroyed.
He was even getting stubble now, the small hairs felt like tiny spears against his fingers. Having hair on his head, after so many years, was an almost unfamiliar sensation, one he didn't hate. After a few more minutes of letting the water run over him, Jason began to scrub down, using a hand-sized cloth. He couldn't get his back, unfortunately, but that was fine, the water will get it. Once he felt clean, he hesitantly turned off the shower, not lifting his head to see where it was. The stream was cut off, the water dripping from his brows and nose onto the ground, joining the spiralling water as it disappeared down the drain.
It satisfied him to see the water go down the drain, such a simple thing, but he was glad to have taken the time to witness it. He stood with a small groan, taking a deep breath before sliding the curtain out of his path. He swiped up a towel from a compartment by the sink, before drying himself off. Once he was finished, he felt even better than when he'd first woken up, almost like a new man. He'd used up a lot of water with that, but the tank would last until they returned to the Faewood.
No more long showers like that until then though. He could again once they were near a river, he just had to dump the tainted water before filling the tank up with fresh water. Thankfully the intake had a filtration system installed, he wouldn't need to worry about cleaning the water himself. Not that he needed the water to be clean of course, he could drink water from practically any source and be fine. Lance and Belaine though, they weren't like him, they couldn't just guzzle from a muddy puddle and be fine.
What must it have been like, to be careful about what you ate and where you drank from? It must have been annoying, there have been operations Jason had been deployed on where he had no safe sources of food or drinking water, well, not safe for anyone else anyhow. He would never forget the time he ate a tree branch to stave off hunger pangs, or when he had to scrape algae into his mouth, or when he'd had to take bites out of a stack of papers… as long as it was biological, Jason could eat it and be fine.
Pug's may have been the weakest infantry at the Final Kind's disposal, but their ability to eat anything and drink from anywhere was astronomically useful for Jason. Were they an invasive species, where they're from? He thought on this as he began the long process of gearing up, not wanting to ask Lance or Belaine for assistance. Pugs could have up to ten litters of twelve young a year, which could reach adulthood in about a month, give or take. Not only that, but pugs in human captivity could live for up to sixty years, their intellect growing massively the older they became. The oldest pugs were allegedly on par mentally with the human scientists studying them… but because they could breed so quickly and grew so fast, the Final Kind relegated them to mindless fodder.
If there were pugs that ever managed to live to old age, did they ever become free of their role as meat shields? Or did the Final Kind leave them to die like the others? He could almost pity them, but Jason had killed thousands, if not hundred of thousands of pugs over the years, it was hard for him to view them as anything else but an annoying pest. Still, that scrap of pity was there, regardless of how he felt about them.
After a long while, he was finally clad in his armor, his helmet cradled in the crook of his arm as he emerged from the pod. Lance's eyes were firmly shut, with Belaine whispering gently to her. He held off on approaching, not wanting to ruin Lance's concentration.
"Think of it as a solid, yet pliable thing, trap it inside both of your hands, and don't let it go." Belaine said softly.
"It won't…" Lance grimaced, a bead of sweat forming at her brow, "It won't stay-"
"Because you still think of it as fire!" Belaine exclaimed, "It resembles flame, but Foundation is not something so simple, it is malleable, able to be formed into whatever your heart desires– so form it to the shape of your hands."
"I can't-" Lance began.
"Actually try, Lancela." Belaine instructed in a cold tone, "All this 'I can't' nonsense is beginning to grate my nerves. Do it, or do not, you have all the tools you need to channel. At this point it is your choice and your choice alone if you fail or succeed here."
Lance didn't reply, her jaw clenching tightly as more sweat began to drip from her brow. Until finally, a small mote of Golden Flame appeared in the air between her and Belaine. Jason smiled as the blonde clapped her hands excitedly, letting out an excited squeal before grabbing Lance's hands in her own.
"You did it!" Belaine shouted, a wide smile on her face as she practically bounced in her seat, "You actually got it!"
Lance's eyes opened, her gaze fixing on the little golden mote before her, almost in disbelief. It didn't last long, fizzling into nothing in just a couple seconds, but she had done it. Lance had finally grasped the Golden Flame of Foundation. She sniffed, smiling though tears began to fill her eyes. Lance gave Belaine a firm hug, the blonde returning the embrace with a giggle.
Lance then spotted Jason, her face lighting up before she darted from the vehicle, running up to him quickly before leaping up to wrap her arms around his neck. She pressed her face next to his, hanging from him with an excited squeal. Her long dark hair tickled his nose, but instead of pushing her away to scratch it, he returned the embrace, wrapping his arm around the small of her back. She smelled nice, not clean of course, but like herself, something he was more aware of now that she was this close.
Hugs were nice, he decided. When they broke the hug, he found himself remembering when he'd embraced her back in the fungal cavern. He'd been so grateful to her then, it had made sense for him to want a hug then, but why did Lance hug him after she learned Foundation? Jason had not taught her anything about it. She'd hugged Belaine, who had helped her learn to channel Foundation, but again why Jason?
"I can't believe it!" She exclaimed excitedly, twirling with her arms stretched wide, "It feels so good."
"Make sure you do not draw more than you can handle!" Belaine called out, "Remember, the Flame can scorch you if you aren't careful!"
"Right right!" Lance laughed, "I'll remember!"
"Maintain a good hold on it, but don't pull in any more, I'm not joking!" Belaine yelled, concern in her tone.
"I know!" Lance shot back, "I'm happy, not foolish!"
"So when are you going to start learning spells?" Jason asked, a smile still on his face.
Belaine shook her head, "Not yet she isn't! I'm going to have her perfect grasping and maintaining the Flame first, the process will be slower than what you're used to, mister Dragon-man."
"Affirmative." Jason said, sliding on his helmet before approaching Belaine, "I want to learn a more complex spell before we set off today."
"Sure thing, how about Earth Fling?" Belaine asked, "That's actually my specialty. You can turn something small and hard, such as a pebble, into a dangerous projectile."
Jason considered, before shaking his head, "Negative, while I think that would be useful to learn another time, I'd prefer a way to protect myself against various spells at this point in time."
He could throw rocks hard enough that they were essentially bullets, and it was best to go with learning defensive spells for now.
"You already know Counter, so I assume you mean spells you can cast to mitigate other kinds of magic, yes?" Belaine asked as Lance continued to dance behind him.
"Affirmative." He told her, "If my armor becomes paralyzed somehow, I need to have a way to break free."
"I see." Belaine paused, considering. "I don't have a way to break Armor Lock, aside from a strong Counter Spell but I may have something else to teach you. Have you heard of Flesh Phase?"
Jason's ears perked up, "I have not, can I phase through matter with that?"
Belaine nodded, "Yes indeed!" She clapped her hands, "But it is difficult, even for a master such as myself. It is of the Dandenlona House, if you find your armor locked in battle, you can use it to leave your suit. It doesn't last long, and there is a terrible risk involved with it, for if you mistime it, you could end up stuck in whatever you were phasing through."
"I could become fused with my suit?" Jason asked, suddenly feeling less interested.
"No, you would be split in half." She sighed, "It's a nerve wracking spell, and If I can be honest, I've only ever used it once in my life. Once I learned the risks, I never wanted to use it again."
"Why did you only learn of the risks after casting the spell?" Jason asked, "That seems impulsive of you."
"I learned it from a book, actually." Belaine explained, "And yes, it was impulsive of me to cast a spell I had just learned from some half-burnt book I found, but we were all young and stupid once. If anything it was a good learning experience for me, not to go fooling about with spells I only have half the knowledge of. It was after I cast it in front of another mage that they warned me of the risks, safe to say I was too terrified to ever cast it again." She sighed, "I would rather not be half-phased into something, shocking I know. Most people love the idea of being split apart by a wall."
Jason blinked, shocked, "Negative, that cannot be possible. No one would like being cut in half."
Belaine just stared at him for a moment before letting out a giggle, "This must be one of the reasons Lancela enjoys your company. You are quite silly."
Silly? He was serious. Being split apart wasn't something that- He shut his eyes, holding back a huff. She had been joking, but she'd said it in a casual tone, effectively tricking him. He'd need to keep this in mind for future conversations with Belaine and others.
"Anyhow, the reason I took such a terrible risk was because I self-taught, for the most part. I found it easier for me to learn that way. When someone tries to tell me how to do something, I cannot seem to retain the knowledge unless I read it or do it myself. Old Mangwin nearly went mad trying to teach me as a child." She laughed, shaking her head, "Is he still alive, old Mangwin? Ah sorry, I suppose you might not know who-"
"Affirmative." Jason nodded, "He's alive."
Belained let out a sigh of relief, "That's good. After hearing about poor Muro, I needed some good news."
"Lance told you about that?" Jason asked.
Belaine nodded, "She did. I was distraught to hear it, he may not have gotten along with my brother well, but he was a great warrior, the Faewood will ache without him." She paused, eyes falling before she looked back up to Jason, "Now, for Flesh Phase, you will only have a second or two to pass through your suit, if you fail to free yourself, you'll be split in half. It also requires a great amount of Foundation in order to cast, you likely won't be able to maintain any other spells, nor counter spells while it's active."
"Wait a second." Jason told her, "If it lets my flesh phase through matter, then wouldn't I fall through the ground?"
"Yes." Belaine answered simply, but you can float in this state, so when you phase out, levitate yourself upward. To cast this spell, build the House of Dandenlona, and picture yourself as falling into a trillion pieces, turning to air. That is how I did it in the past anyhow."
"I'll have to practice this spell another time." Jason said, "I don't want to learn it while still in my armor, it's too risky. Next time I am out of the suit, then I will try it."
"That's fair," Belaine nodded, "Learn your limits with the spell before putting it in action for its intended purpose. Very well, how about we instead practice your Counter Spell?" She asked, "It is the most important spell to have in your arsenal, especially when you go up against other mages. As you know, I've fought the Pillar-Born Alistair, and while I was defeated, we were both about equal with one another in terms of capability. Had we not been countering one another, we may have destroyed the whole palace"
"The whole palace?" Jason asked, "From what you told me, it was contained to that room. Is countering really that necessary? Why not pour everything into an attack that can end the battle immediately?"
Belaine shook her head, "Because then the same could happen to you. I could have tried to incinerate him on the spot, but he could have done the same to me. Mage duels always end up heavily reducing the capabilities of both combatants, as the two are constantly countering one another's spells, diverting Foundation from otherwise more destructive magic in order to do so."
"You mitigate and lessen one another." Jason nodded, "But outside of mage duels you could both potentially destroy entire armies."
"Exactly right." Belaine nodded, "If there are no mages on the opposing side of a battle, casting magic instead becomes committing magic." She said with emphasis, "Long before I came to the Fiendwood, I found a group of a hundred Akan-Dari poachers on the edge of the woods, they went to kill or enslave me- but because they had no mage with them, they were doomed from the start." She grinned, "I used three pebbles, sending them crashing into their ranks and cracking their skulls open, leaving only one alive. That is the kind of power that other mages would restrict, would they be present."
"That makes sense." Jason nodded, "Why did you leave one alive?"
"To spread terror to other poachers, of course." Belaine nodded, "Can you imagine the rumors that would spread from such a cataclysmic slaughter? It kept them away for a decade, well, most of them anyhow." She shrugged.
"Alright." Jason said flatly, "I want to practice my Counter Spell."
"Good, then we'll have a mock duel. Worry not, I don't intend on actually harming you with my spells, if they can even make it through your defenses, that is." She told him, stepping down from the Rhino.
"If they make it through?" Jason asked, "You've been at this for over a thousand years now, you're going to be more proficient at this than I will be."
"I must be humble around you, for it won't be long before you overtake my capabilities, and acting prideful will just make me look foolish when you eventually defeat me." Belaine said, wringing her fingers, "It pains me to admit such a thing, as I do have an inherent pride, as all Fire-Eyes do, but you are a child of divinity, I am just a mortal."
"Please don't put yourself down like that." Lance danced over to her, stepping behind Belaine before wrapping her arms around the smaller woman's shoulders, "You're a genius."
"Don't say such things about me!" Belaine complained, struggling to break free from Lance's hug, "If I keep hearing praise like that I'll become arrogant once more, so release me at once!"
"Ge-ni-us!" Lance giggled, squeezing her tighter.
"Stop this at once!" Belaine whined, "I'll turn you into a frog if you keep up this behavior, young lady!"
"Can you actually do that?" Jason asked, remembering what Mazeek did to Alistair.
Belaine huffed, finally breaking free of Lance's embrace, "No, that is far beyond my scope. I was just trying to get her to release me. As soon as she grasps the Flame she becomes a bubbly fool." She huffed, fixing her red robes. "Lancela, give us space please." She insisted, using her hand to shoo Lance away.
"Play nice, Jason." Lance warned with a smile, before bounding away again.
He knew that drawing in Foundation felt great, stimulating even, but to see Lance acting this way was strange. Not in a bad way, he loved her smile. He paused as he watched her continue to dance, his perception of time slowing. She almost looked frozen to him, barely moving and giving him plenty of time to appreciate her cheerful grin. No… it wasn't just her smile he loved, it was her. He loved everything about Lance, her hair, her voice, even the little arguments they had he found an odd joy in. Couple that with his attraction to her, it was clear that he didn't just love her like a friend. He loved her as a man loved a woman. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lancela…
He struggled to deny these feelings at first, but remembering Lance's words earlier, he stopped. She was right, trying to repress and deny these things would set him back. It was best to accept them, and move on. He was basically a monster, a genetic freak, they shouldn't be together in that way, it was best to remain as friends. Lance wouldn't reciprocate such feelings anyway, she may have loved him, but it was only as a friend, not a lover.
Yet, his reasoning could not overwhelm his desire for her to be his. He would tell her how he felt, then ask if she would be open to the idea of a relationship between them. She would say no, he knew that, but if he kept this buried it would disturb him forever. It was best to get this out of the way as soon as possible- yet he strangely found that he couldn't summon up the courage to do so. For all his talk on not wanting to 'dance around subjects' he seemed unable to approach this one head on. It felt like a horde of insects was fluttering around his chest, keeping the words from leaving his mouth.
He made a tactical withdrawal for now, turning his attention back to Belaine as time resumed, "I am ready." He told her, drawing on Foundation.
He'd need to hold off on telling Lance until he was on a better battlefield than this.