Korulen knocked on Rhysel's office door at two in the afternoon.

Rhysel looked up from the pile of notes she'd been scribbling. "Come in," she said.

Korulen opened the door and took a seat. "Hi, Rhysel," she said brightly.

"Hello, Korulen, how are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"I'm well. Just trying to solve a puzzle," she said, gesturing to the notes scattered around her, which she stacked neatly and set aside. "But that's neither here nor there. You wanted to specialize entirely in mind kamai, correct?"

Korulen nodded emphatically.

"Very well. We'll skip the other lessons for now, although if you appear to need them, we'll return to them at some point. I would like to see you work handfire and an illusion before we begin, though."

Korulen obligingly conjured some handfire, dismissed it, and conjured an illusion of a small drake matching the description of the familiar she wanted to get.

"Very good. Now, the basics of how mind kamai works are somewhat similar to how you could feel the fire, and pick out its tones. We're going to start with identifying the lifeforce of another individual." She took Korulen through the exercise of identifying her own lifeforce and how to find Rhysel's, as Kolaan had done.

Korulen picked up on this fairly readily. She didn't have dragon-level lifeforce, but was still well above average, presumably due to being a thudia.

"Very good, Korulen," Rhysel complimented the girl on her rapid learning. "Now, we'll work on the basics of mindspeak. Close your eyes, and listen to my voice. Get an impression of how it feels, how it sounds, go ahead and nod when you feel you have it, but until then, I'll keep talking."

Korulen closed her eyes.

"When you speak with your mind, you're communicating the same information as you do with your voice, but through a different channel. It's actually fairly easy to do via physical contact - doing so without will require a lot of practice on your part. This exercise will allow you to learn the difference between vocal and mindspeak communication coming from me, so you'll be able to pick up the distinction yourself. Mindspeak isn't just thinking things at someone. You have to learn to form those thoughts in a certain manner, just as you do when you speak. We don't, for instance, tend to think in coherent sentences and paragraphs much of the time. The mind works in images, sensations, concepts, fragmented phrases and so on in a large jumble."

Korulen nodded.

Rhysel switched to silent communcation, <Now, get a feel for how this feels different from when I speak aloud. The distinctions are subtle, but present. Much like the differences between how the lifeforce is pulled via handfire or a visual illusion. It's not something easily noticed if you're not paying attention, but it is there, accessible when you do pay attention. Focus on those differences, and go ahead and nod again once you feel you have it.>

Rhysel went on. <Just as each person's physical voice is slightly different, your mental voice and mine won't be the same, so you can't duplicate precisely the pattern I use - but with very few exceptions, the difference between the mental and physical voice don't vary from one person to another. So once you've found the differences in mine, you'll be able to apply those same changes to your own.>

<Speaking with your mind requires a fair amount of practice to start - like exercising a new muscle for the first time, say if you were going to train to be a runner. As you practice and improve, your ability to speak over greater distances or from behind obstacles will improve as well. This sort of communication is only one-way, although you will learn later on how to pick up on the surface thoughts of others later, so you can communicate in both directions with someone who isn't a kama.>

Korulen nodded.

Rhysel held out an arm, putting her hand within easy reach of Korulen. "Go ahead and open your eyes. Start speaking to me and get the feel of your own voice in the same manner you did mine. Once you feel you have that down, and feel you can apply the differences, attempt to speak to me through mindspeak. Don't forget, you'll need physical contact to do so."

"What should I say?" asked Korulen. "Just random stuff? I could recite "Brown Primrose" or something, I guess."

"Anything you like. Tell me about your day, or recite a poem or anything at all. Don't sing, though - it makes it harder to find the differences."

Korulen started reciting "Brown Primrose", a lengthy non-rhyming poem, and after having gone through a few blocks of verse she touched Rhysel's arm and attempted to carry on in mindspeak.

The poem continued faintly in Rhysel's mind. Korulen frowned at the indistinctness of her mental voice and poured a little more power into it, getting it to a reasonable volume after another stanza had gone by.

<Very good> Rhysel sent. <Once you're more practiced, you won't need to put as much power into it to sustain a reasonable volume. As I said, it takes a lot of practice. Any questions so far?>

<When I have this down, what will be different about doing it without touching someone?>

<You have to learn how to find another's mind, at least generally, first. The physical contact makes that instinctive - you can do it without having to think about it. It also requires more energy.>

<What if I'm touching two people at once?>

<You could send to one or both. You're making a concious decision to speak to me. If you were touching, say, your father, as well, it would be like deciding to whisper into one of our ears only, or to speak aloud so we could both hear. Again, the physical contact makes it instinctive, but the same principle applies once you've learned to do it without contact - you can speak with just one person in a room or to everyone at once.>

<I see. Why is telepathy more basic than empathy? That doesn't make sense to me.>

<No, I suppose it wouldn't, since you're used to green-dragon abilities. And on some level you're correct. It is easier to pick up on another's emotions or share yours than it is to read someone's mind or share a memory of yours with someone else. Mind-speak is simpler to learn because it closely mirrors vocal speech, which is how we are used to thinking of communication.>

<Oh. So since I'm used to Mom being able to do all kinds of mind-magic stuff, even if I'm not used to being able to do it, I should pick up on things easily? Or is that not how it works?>

<Once you've mastered the basics, yes, it will help. Kamai is quite different from wizardry in that regard. For instance, I've never tried, nor heard of anyone else trying, magically breathing water, before I learned about water mages. I've yet to attempt it, but just knowing it's possible, and having mastered the basics of elemental kamai, I'm confident in my ability to do it without experimentation. If you know something is possible, and you have a solid understanding of the basic tools, it's usually fairly simple to determine how to do it. There are many things I know how to do that I've never attempted. Once you have an understanding of the basics, you'll probably be able to figure out how to do most of the things you've seen your mother do without too much effort.>

<That's awesome.>

<It is, rather, isn't it? A lot of the time, you'll find as well, that if you have a need to be able to do something, you can usually figure out how more or less on the spot, assuming it's possible to do with the kamai you know. Some of the really advanced things - like the infusion working - don't work that way, but a lot of things do.>

Korulen just grinned.

<You seem rather excited by the idea.> Rhysel sends, smiling.

<I am. I mean, I don't hate being a thudia, and even if I'd been a parunia I'd probably have just been a normal jade - Runa is. But I always wanted to be able to do all the things Mom can do. My mom is awesome.>

Rhysel grinned back at the girl. <Yes, I'd agree with that. She's the reason I started to think mind-kamai was actually a discipline worth learning.>

<You didn't think so before?> Korulen replied, her mental voice sounding aghast.

<It has little artistic capacity and I had never really seen it used in ways that I considered all that helpful to others. Not like some of the things I could do with elemental kamai, anyway. Obviously, I was mistaken, but that was my viewpoint.>

<Huh.>

<Anyhow. Let's continue, shall we? As I mentioned, it's instinctive to be able to find my mind to speak to me when you have physical contact - you're doing it without thinking about it. But you are still able to consciously follow that path as well. Speak something to me, and attempt to follow the line of communication to find my mind.>

<Follow it? How do you mean?>

<There's a specific channel - like forcing water down a particular pipe - that you're sending your thoughts along when you use mindspeak, that's different from the direction your thoughts normally flow. If you peer mentally down that pathway, you'll be able to sense my mind at the other end - you won't be able to tell emotions or thoughts or anything, just that it's there.>

<Okay, I'll - oh, okay.>

<Found it, I take it?>

<Yeah.>

<All right, then. Feel around a bit - get the general idea of what a foreign mind feels like. It will help you be able to identify others in the future, without having to physically touch everyone first.>

Korulen poked around tentatively.

Rhysel's mind felt like a fluttering mix of textures and sensations as Korulen investigated. She was unable to identify any of it, but she could sense that it was there - thoughts, emotions, everything.

<Weird.>

<In what way?>

<It's all tossed together. Mind salad or something.>

Rhysel nodded. <Eventually you'll learn to sort it all out. You'll also learn how to shield your mind against such probing.> Rhysel demonstrated by briefly bringing up an outer layer of her mind-shields, cutting off most of the sensation from Korulen's probing. The fluttering sensation was replaced by a feeling of a hard crystal. Then she let the shielding fall again.

<Cool.>

<Now that you know what my mind feels like, try to find it without physical contact. If you can do so, communicate with mindspeak. If you're unable to, let me know vocally, and we can go through some methods to solve it.>

Korulen let go of Rhysel's arm.

<Can you hear me yet?> said a faint mental voice after a couple of minutes. <It's like I'm shouting, say something already.>

<Yes, I heard you. You're still awfully faint, but that's to be expected - you're reaching over a rather substantial distance for a new practitioner. And it will feel like shouting until you've practiced more.>

<Okay, good.>

<We've covered a fair bit of ground today. Practice mindspeak over the next week. Anyone except your mother should be fine to use as a partner. They'd have to respond aloud, but I'd like to see you be practiced enough that we can carry on the whole session in this manner next week.>

<Why can't I do it with Mom?>

<I'd like you to get used to this manner of mental communication with others first, so you can understand the feel of it more fully. It feels different when I speak to her using her abilities, and I'd rather you not get confused on which is which until you've had a little more practice. I expect next week it shouldn't be a problem.>

<The only thing she can't turn off is the low-level empathy,> replied Korulen, sounding confused. <She could just listen to me doing this the same as you, couldn't she?>

<Ah. I wasn't aware she could turn it off in that fashion. If that is the case, then yes, that would be fine.>

<Great,> Korulen responded happily.

<You really want to speak to your mother this way?>

<Well, I already could - or sort of like this, anyway - but I was just confused about why it couldn't be her, is all.>

Rhysel nodded. <I'd also like you to practice with as many people as you can, and are willing. The more minds you learn how to speak to without contact, the better you'll be able to learn how to find their minds without having to have physical contact in the first place to speak to them.>

<Okay.>

<Any last questions?> Rhysel asked with a smile.

<Nope.>

<All right, then. See you on Fenen. Enjoy the rest of your day.>

<Okay!> Korulen got up and left with a wave.

Rhysel waved as well. Once Korulen was gone, she collected her notes and headed for home, where she got ready for dinner that evening with Tekaal.

Tekaal arrived just on time.

"Hello, Tekaal," Rhysel said as she opened the door, greeting him with a lingering kiss.

As soon as they had finished kissing, he replied, "Hello, Rhysel. How did your session with Aralan Aanilen go?"

She frowned, thinking of Kutran's frustration. "Not so good, I'm afraid. She was having a hard time with the concepts, and when I tried to approach them from different angles, instead of that helping, it just made her more and more frustrated."

"That's disappointing," Tekaal said sympathetically.

"It really bothers me," Rhysel confessed. "I think she has a lot of potential, she just freezes up. And I've no idea how to get through to her to help her learn."

"Does she?" he asked. "This sounds more like a general problem she'd have encountered before."

"I'm not sure. She seems to think so, but I won't know until next week. Apparently Soraak's been helping her a lot, and she thinks he can still do so if I explain how something supposed to work, and she tries it when he's around. She did admit that the problem is getting the fundamentals with any subject - once she gets past those, she does well. I'd just hate to see her give up before that point."

He nodded. "That sounds like she has a strategy that works for her, then."

"I hope so." Rhysel sighed. "Every day, it's a new challenge."

"Until you've been at it for some time and they start to repeat," he replied.

"They'd be easier to deal with at that point, wouldn't they?"

He nodded.

She sighed again, leaning against him for a moment before leading him to the table. "Half the time I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, and most of the rest of it, I feel like I'm doing it all wrong."

"You're not doing badly at all for a first-time teacher," he told her reassuringly, taking his seat.

She sits next to instead of across from him. "Thank you. I guess I'll get the hang of it eventually, but it's certainly not easy at the moment."

"I'm here if you need help," he said, leaning towards her to plant a kiss on her cheek before serving himself some food.

"Thank you," she repeated, sliding a touch closer to him while serving up her own meal. Dinner ensued; Rhysel was noticeably more affectionate with him than her usual wont, which in no way seemed to upset her boyfriend.

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