Boy of Light and Dust

Dayin

Dayin begrudgingly agreed that William probably would have their heads if they didn't at least finish the day, though he had no interest in school. He wanted to focus on learning to control his magic. After all the information he'd been told that morning about being hunted by warlocks, who wanted to... Turn him? He wasn't entirely sure of everything; he was still learning himself.

He'd gone to the rest of his classes for the day, though he hadn't wanted to. He did his best to pay attention, though his mind was on other things. By the time his last class was over, he was thoroughly ready to pass out, but he'd promised Ica that he'd meet him to work on his control. Dayin waited patiently by the door to the classroom they'd passed earlier that had looked remotely empty. They had agreed it would probably be safer with fewer distractions and less to potentially hurt themselves in a classroom that was either completely or mostly empty.

Ica showed up about five minutes later than he'd said he would, looking disheveled and slightly annoyed. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out some old-looking keys, and held them up with a slight smirk at Dayin before unlocking the door to the room.

Dayin squinted at him. "You— You didn't steal those, did you?" he asked, feeling pretty suspicious of Ica.

"Steal is such a heavy word," Ica said with a sigh as he repocketed the keys and pushed the door open.

"Ica—"

Ica whirled on his heels and sighed at him again. "No, I did not steal them," he said with a bland smile. "I may have had to fight an idiot for them though."

Jensen? he wanted to ask but decided that he probably shouldn't. "So, is there like a certain way to... control myself better?" He wasn't sure if what he said made sense. He knew what he meant to say, but couldn't find the words.

He was pretty sure he heard Ica stifle his laughter as he perched himself on top of one of the large desks in front of the chalkboard. "Well, it certainly helps to have a good way to get yourself to focus," Ica agreed. He rested his chin on his hand while he sat cross-legged on the desk. "So, I want you to hold your hand out like this." He loosely held a hand out, palm up toward Dayin. "And focus specifically on your hand. Look at all the tiny details; the creases, fingerprints, the dirt."

Dayin tried not to make a face at the request but did as Ica said, studying his hand as he held it out in front of him. "I want you to imagine a small golden ball in the palm of your hand." As he spoke, a small blue fleck sparked to life in the palm of his hand. Ica grinned at it. "And once you've got that... imagine it healing yourself."

"But I don't have any injuries," Dayin protested as he let his hand fall to his side.

Ica raised an eyebrow. "It's the thought that counts. Imagine it healing me then."

Dayin made a face, but raised his hand again and focused, imagining a small golden ball as Ica had instructed. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them to see a ball of light floating above his palm. He grinned at Ica, who was staring back with a look of surprise and something else.

"Good!" Ica said as he made a fist, extinguishing the blue speck that had been above his hand. "I didn't feel anything, but that's alright!"

Dayin relaxed. "I didn't try to heal you," he mumbled. "I was worried I might hurt you."

Ica gave him a sympathetic smile. "I appreciate the thought, but I would've been okay." Dayin frowned. How could Ica not worry that something bad might happen? "I know defensive magic, Day. You wouldn't have hurt me."

But Dayin still worried. Things could go wrong. Ica had already mentioned how weak he was... was he so certain that he could defend himself?

"Quit thinking about it so hard," Ica said, snapping his fingers loudly, drawing Dayin out of his thoughts. "That's how you hurt someone." He pushed himself off the table and walked toward him. "Put your hand out again," he instructed.