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Rodney rubbed his hands together nervously as he stood in the courtyard with a couple of other trainees.
Nervous? Cadman asked.
Considering that the last two times I wound up using Gifts other than Mindspeech I wound up flat on my back with John feeding me noxious brews for headaches that made me feel like I wanted to die, I think I'm justified in being a little worried here! Rodney shot back.
Geez, Rodney, I wasn't accusing you of anything, Cadman replied peevishly. She then gave him a gentle mental nudge. Hey, at least the last time that happened wasn't so bad. You were only down for a day. Look, it'll be okay. You just need a bit of training in all your Gifts. Once you've gotten that, you won't have to worry about over straining yourself by accident anymore.
Or Fetching some annoying little twit into the river? Rodney asked sardonically.
A distinct feeling of amusement drifted from Cadman. Only on purpose and if they really, really deserve it, she replied, the definite implication that she'd laugh if it was the right kind of twit hanging between them.
Rodney snorted, amused. Sometimes Cadman wasn't so bad.
A slender, dark-haired woman in Whites came striding into the courtyard, heading toward the group of trainees.
There comes your instructor, Cadman warned him. Good luck with your class! she said cheerily.
The woman came to a stop in front of them and put her hands on her hips. "So, which of you lovelies is Rodney?"
Feeling a little foreboding, Rodney raised a hand and gave her a weak wave. "Um, that would be me."
She smiled at him saucily, giving him a frankly appraising look. "I'll have to properly thank you later. Daniel wouldn't have requested me pulled off circuit otherwise." She made a disappointed moue. "He is so lacking a sense of humor. One little joke and I'm on circuit for three years." She then turned away from him and clapped her hands together as Rodney stood there blinking.
"Alrighty then," she said brightly to the group at large. "My name is Vala Mal Doran and I'm here today to teach you all how to properly use your Gift of Fetching. Seems that some of you," she slanted a knowing glance at Rodney, "are quite precocious and have already Fetched a few things already, but I'm telling you right now to not get cocky." All the good humor suddenly dropped from her face. "Fetching living things is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. The first time I tried to Fetch something living I managed to turn the poor chicken inside out."
Rodney gulped and he suddenly felt light-headed. He could have killed his sister. The thought made him more than a little queasy.
Vala then clapped her hands together again, her eyes once again sparkling with mischief. "But, once I've finished with you all, if your Gift is strong enough," again her eyes went to Rodney and she winked at him, "You'll be able to do stuff like..." she disappeared.
"...this," Rodney heard behind him. He and the rest of the class whirled around to see Vala standing behind them, grinning like a loon. "Which I can personally attest is a handy thing to be able to do in a fight!" She bounced on her toes as she looked at them all.
As Rodney stood gaping at this, this nutjob who was going to be his teacher, Cadman spoke up.She's the best Fetcher in the Heraldic Circle, Rodney. They pulled her specifically because of you. None of the other candidates are anywhere near as strong as you are in their Fetching Gift. She'll teach you a lot, but you've got to listen to her.
Mollified that at least they'd pulled the best they had to teach him, even if she seemed more than a little whacked, Rodney took a deep breath and centered himself. Right. Listening, he could do that. Not to mention that he was suddenly really motivated to never Fetch someone by accident again. The next time he might not be so lucky.
Vala drilled them in the basics of grounding and centering, saying that you first had to know where you were before you could Fetch anything to you. Although he'd been through this whole song and dance before in Mindspeech classes, the fact that it was emphasized in this class as well, pointed out to him that this was one of the basics that one needed for any kind of working with the Heraldic Gifts and that he couldn't afford to slack off on it any more than he could afford to slack off in his math when confronted with an engineering problem.
"Very good," Vala said him approvingly after he'd grounded and centered. "I take it this isn't the first class in Gifts you've taken?"
"Um, no. I'm also taking classes in Mindspeech," Rodney replied.
"Oooh, a talented one!" Vala cooed at him, running a finger over his shoulder. "You're going to be a fun one to teach, I can see that now."
Rodney blinked as she then turned to the next student and corrected them on something that they were doing wrong. Had she just flirted with him?
Once she was satisfied with everyone's grounding and centering she then drilled them in Fetching small rocks from one side of the courtyard to the other. Once Rodney understood the mental twist that it took to Fetch something deliberately, the lesson became rather boring. However, visions of turning his sister inside out kept him diligently doing the rather simplistic exercise. He figured practice made perfect here, and if it took him bouncing a rock back and forth across the courtyard a few thousand times to ensure that he wouldn't hurt anyone by accident, then he was all for that.
Vala made another round, speaking with the trainees, giving them pointers. She ended in front of Rodney, tapping a finger thoughtfully on her lips as she looked at him. "You look bored."
"Um, no! No, not bored at all!" he replied guiltily, hiding his hands behind his back. He may have been snapping his fingers and pointing to where he wanted his rock to go next.
"I'm thinking that today's lesson is a little too simple for you," she said, and then smiled slyly. "After all, you seem to be a rather bright for such a late developer."
Rodney sputtered and puffed up his chest. "I'll have you know that made full Scholar when I was seventeen! " he shot back.
She beamed at him, not put off by his defensiveness at all. "Well, then we'll just continue on with some more complicated exercises then, see exactly how quick you are."
Rodney crossed his arms. "Okay, then, bring it on!"
She walked around him, looking at him thoughtfully. "Close your eyes and visualize your room." Rodney did so, and she then said, "Teyla said that you're quite strong, so I'm going to ask you to Fetch your desk here."
Rodney reached out and 'pulled' the item she requested and heard a thunk and some gasps. He opened his eyes and saw his desk standing there, the other trainees gaping at it. He tilted his chin up as she looked at it and him consideringly. "There."
She lifted her eyebrows and nodded. "Not bad, not bad. Now send it back and bring the chest of drawers."
He closed his eyes again, 'pushed' the desk back where he'd found it, and 'pulled' the chest of drawers. He heard a heavier thunk and opened his eyes to see the chest standing where the desk had been. He smiled smugly at her.
"Well, it seems you find that easy enough," Vala said, her eyes twinkling. "Now put that back and let's see about that Farsight of yours."
Rodney 'pushed' the chest back where it belonged and then raised his eyebrows at her and waited for his next instruction.
"Have you ever been to Dean Daniel's office?" she asked.
Rodney thought back. "Um, no, I don't think so."
Vala grinned widely. "Oh, good. Close your eyes and look for it using your Sight."
Rodney did so and quickly found a cluttered room filled with books, papers and cabinets that looked to be filled with more of the same. Dean Daniel was at his desk, writing. "Got it. He's in there working on something, by the way."
"Well, we won't that let us stop us from continuing this little exercise now, will we?" she said merrily. "I'd like for you to bring his desk and chair here – but make sure to leave him there, please. We haven't covered how to move a living being safely yet, after all."
Rodney opened one eye to look at her dubiously. "Are you asking me to prank the Dean?"
Vala's face made a comical expression of fake indignation. "Now, whatever would make you think that?" She then put her hand delicately on her chest and blinked coyly. "As your teacher, I regard it as a way to test your targeting accuracy, and therefore a perfect exercise for this class." She then gave a flourish of her hand toward the courtyard square, saying, "Now, do be a good trainee and do as you're instructed."
Despite himself, Rodney was amused by all this and he swallowed down a smile and shrugged, saying "You're the teacher," in a tone that disavowed all responsibility. He then closed his eyes again, carefully sorted out the Dean from the desk and chair, and 'pulled' the items she had requested into the courtyard. He Saw Daniel fall abruptly to the floor of his office and look around, shocked for a second. Then his face clouded over in anger and he got up and stalked towards a window in his now considerably emptier office.
Vala laughed delightedly and Rodney opened his eyes to see her sit down on Daniel's chair and put her feet up on the desk.
"VALA!" Rodney heard Daniel bellow out of his window. Apparently his office was close by the courtyard.
Vala chuckled and said to the class, "Alright everyone, that was very good for the first day! Now, if you want to practice fetching small, non-living things later on your own, that's okay, but be careful to not overdo it. You'll get a raging headache that'll make you wish you'd never been born if you do. And the headache powders that the healers give out for it taste like muck off the bottom of an old fisherman's boot, so you have been warned."
As the other trainees left, Rodney tilted his head at her and said, "Want me to put that back before he comes down here?"
"How does your head feel?" she asked in reply.
Rodney thought about it for a moment. "Um...exercised?"
Vala smiled and shook her head. "Best not, then. You've already overdone it enough previously from what I've heard. I'd rather not be the one to cause you to have yet another reaction headache." Her smile slid into a smirk. "Besides, I find it fun to deal with Daniel. You wouldn't want to deprive a girl of a little bit of fun now, would you?"
Rodney rolled his eyes at her. She was crazy. An entertaining sort of crazy, but still crazy. She laughed and waved him off. "Go on! I'm certain you've got other things to do!" Vala then turned slightly in the chair and shouted across the courtyard, "Daniel, darling! How sweet of you to come down and visit me!"
Now's probably a good time to beat a retreat, Cadman advised, as Rodney watched a fuming Daniel come stomping across the courtyard towards Vala and the desk.
You know, I think you're right Rodney allowed. He headed off to lunch with quick steps, his stomach informing him in no uncertain terms that he was starving. You guys do know that she's nuts, right?
Cadman laughed. It's part of her charm. Just like bitchiness is a part of your's she said fondly.
Rodney blinked, flustered by the affection in her voice. Then the smell of the food that was being served hit his nose and his focus was diverted to the more pressing topic of getting something to eat.