The Sorcceress's Appretntice (Myself, Jugger82)

" You have a new home now, a new master. Its nice to know our magic worked. " Emerita said as she let go of Nathan's hand, she had forgotten how powerful a spell it was even if it was simple she had never used that much power in her life. She felt weak, she felt faint bur she would be perfectly fine all she needed to do was rest for a bit then she would be like herself again. " I'm going to go inside to rest." The sorceress said as she walked inside, went straight to her bed. She laid down, closed her eyes remembering what it was like to have her own familiar as she recovered from the power pull.

Nathan figured it was time for him to call it a night as well. He had been awake far too long...so he put Talon on his head and began to head to his room. He put Talon down on a pillow next to him and laid down, tired...eyes closing...he soon fell asleep and laid there until morning. He awoke when he felt the pattering of small feet on his forehead. Talon was apparently his alarm clock as he climbed over Nathan's forehead and jumped down to walk out of the room through the small space under the door. Standing up, he redressed into some new clothes and went out to see if Emerita was awake.

Emerita had woken long before Nathan had, was already working on breakfast as she fixed something for talon then smiled. She had to admit the creature was adorable, she wondered what had happened to her own familiar she hadn't seen her since she came into her powers. Pushing all that aside she set the table, smiled as she filled two bowls with porridge. She grabbed another loath of bread, a picture of milk from the ice box then set it on the table along with a bowl of brown sugar. Her hair fell down the back of her black dress in tight curls, she always dressed fit to kill unless she had to wear a cloak. She felt very well rested, was ready to start on his training again as soon as possible.

When Nathan came downstairs, he smelled the breakfast that she was making and it made his stomach growl in hunger. He approached her and sat at the table, where Talon jumped off of his head and landed on the table with a loud 'plop'. He began to walk around, sniffing the area...just looking at things and smelling them. It seemed he was so unused to having eyes and a nose that he was curious about any and everything around him. This made Nathan wonder exactly how it was that Talon could vision his 'master' when he first met Nathan the other night. Nathan smiled and began to eat breakfast, he stayed silent but his smile obviously showed he was loving his time there and he hoped that for as long as he lived, he would be working as a sorcerer and follow in his ancestor's footsteps.

(Shall we time skip to the 1200s now?)

Emerita ate her breakfast, smiled at the little hamster like creature as she pushed a plate of food toward him. '' Eat up Talon.'' She said as she finished her porridge then put her dishes in the sink, sat back down with the easy spell book they had been using. It was going to be a good day to learn magic she had a feeling, in time she knew that Nathan would become just as powerful as she was. The sorceress felt a connection with the boy but she was old enough to be his sister or aunt so anything beyond that was out of the question, as time went by things would change for the both of them.

"Say Ema..." He said as he moved a bit closer so he could peek at the spell book to see what spells were on the pages she had opened to. "When can I learn something like mind reading, or moving things with my mind, or making fire rain down from the sky? Something interesting...Invisibility is great and all, but that isn't really something I can show off. Oh wait..." He frowned as he realized something. "I have to keep this a secret..." He remembered that witches and anyone else that practiced magic were always burned at the stake, believing that was the only way to truly and fully kill a witch. "Well...even still...what am I going to learn today, Ema?"

A decade had gone by, Emerita still hadn't aged she looked the same she did the day Nathan met her. Her style hadn't changed much she still wore the same dresses, her hair was still the same. She was sitting by the fire reading one of her many spell books it was filled with more complicated spells, she was already reading the book that had told her of Nathan's power. Turning a couple pages she found a page all about Talon, began to read it as her eyes widened her mind wondering as she learned about the hamster like creature who hadn't always been a familiar but at one time a powerful sorcerer himself but had been punished by the council of witches which managed to keep themselves hidden. She had also read that her familiar a black cat answering to the name Shadow had been Talon's lover, her eyes widened again as she tried to imagine her own familiar being in love with Talon. Shaking her head she closed the book, focused on spells as she heard a meow outside the door knowing it was impossible she rose to her feet then went to the door. Sitting on the stone slab just outside the door was in fact Shadow, once the cat was let in she looked around.

'' Talon.'' The cat spoke sensing that her former lover was in fact himself again least creature form anyways, she was still in fact a black cat but less demonic looking. Her name was shadow because she had a patch of white just under her chin, she had been searching for Talon for years mostly focused on finding her master again whom she realized still looked the same as the day she left. The black cat jumped up onto the table, waited for Talon to either sense her or pick up on her cries because she was missing him.

It was moments later, the small little hamster would climb its way to the top of the table where Shadow was. It would be humorous to see the fat little hamster slowly using its tiny paws and nails to climb up the wood of the table to get to the top. "Hm?" He was confused. He sensed that he knew this cat. He approached her and began to sniff, his little nose twinkling as he took in her scent and wondered who this cat was and how she knew him. He was not afraid that the cat would eat him. He was more than powerful enough to kill a simple cat, for many have tried whenever her took his own little strolls through the forest. It was birds he had to be careful about. He cocked his head sideways and looked into the cat's eyes...but he did not recognize her until he saw the little patch of white fur under her chin. "Shadow...?" He said as he moved closer and looked to her. "It is you...isn't it?"

Meanwhile, Nathan had been reading up on his own spells, memorizing spells he had already learned and making sure not to forget any words to any spell that he learned. He had to keep each one memorized. He simply watched the scene as it went on, having not aged either like Emerita due to her teaching him the spell to slow his aging process.

'' It is I my love.'' Shadow said as she looked the top of the hamster's head, smiled. She watched as his fur ruffled up in a big fluff then meowed as if she was laughing, placed her paw on his small one. The cat wished he was full size instead of the size of a mouse but she figured Emerita had broken the curse his master had placed on him, of course she may have been a cat but she still knew enough magic to get by. While the animals conversed in their own way Emerita had gone outside to fetch some water to use for cooking, of course she understood what she had ready it still confused her. Pushing it aside she carried the pale inside, set it on the edge of the table she would use it to make another batch of stew.

Nathan saw that Emerita had gone out to get water and he put his book away, marking the page he was on. He stood and walked over, preparing the stove by heating it up with a flame spell. He watched as the flames heated up, and he wondered. It had been a decade since he had moved into the life of a sorcerer with Emerita. Nathan began to wonder...What would be the point of all this? Sure...He was learning magic, yes...but for what purpose? Was there a reason to his learning magic? Or was it just that Emerita needed a replacement for a lost sorcerer? But why would that be? These questions rattled around in his head...he had a look on his face like something was disturbing him, and he would be lost in thought even by the time Emerita returned to he household.

" Nathan Darling..is something bothering you? " Emerita asked as she watched him prepare the stove, she was very proud of him. She wasn't exactly sure why his powers hadn't manifested though, she hoped he would alright. The brunette had no desire to teach him, then kick him to the curb like her great great grandmother had his ancestor. She came from a long line of witches/sorceresses, it was in her blood to eventually reproduce a new generation but she had never had the chance to be with a man which concerned her a little.

"I..." He frowned...feeling like all of this was for nothing. He wondered if he should bring up his concern with Emerita...But what would that accomplish exactly? It would just tell him the truth but did he want to hear the truth? Or would the truth she tells him be the actual truth and not a lie? "I...Emerita why? Why am I here?" He turned to look to her with a frown. "I don't know why I'm here. Yes. I'm here to learn magic. I'm here to become what my ancestor once was...but why? I don't understand what the purpose is that I become this great sorcerer. All I know is that you wanted me to be like him...but you never gave me a purpose. As far as I'm concerned...I'm just an immortal living out my days learning magic."

'' Oh Nathan your so much more then that. You'll see I promise.'' Emerita said as she walked toward him, caressed his cheek with her hand she was telling him the truth. She sighed as she reached for the book that foretold of his power, told her what she knew about Talon. He would find the rest of his ancestors story quite interesting minus the part about him being killed the way he was, she hoped that what he read made her feel better because if what he read was true then he would realize that it was his destiny to be with her not just as a student either but as more then a student.

Taking the book, he began to flip through the pages...scanning through the story until he saw a familiar sight. It was...her? No...Her ancestor. His lover? No...His ancestor's lover. He blinked...and looked up to her. "Ema...I uh..." He was...more than a student to Emerita's ancestor way back in the past. He was her lover. 'Does this mean that she and I...?' He shook the idea from his head. He didn't see her that way. She was more a caretaker than a lover...this was too uncomfortable for him! "Ema here..." He handed her the book. "What exactly does this mean between us...?"

'' You'll figure it out when the time is right I promise, as for their relationship it was very complicated..'' Emerita said as she sighed, started to cook supper for the two of them she had no intentions of discussing it would him until he was ready to hear it. The brunette didn't have the same feelings for Nathan her ancestor had had for his, she felt like a mother him nothing more but nothing in that story was a lie so something was bond to happen somewhere. She kept her focus on fixing their meal as she remembered the story her mother had told her about her ancestor, how she had been burned alive while pregnant but somehow the baby had survived it made no sense but Emerita pushed it all out of her head.

Nathan nodded. "Okay..." He said silently and began to start looking through his spell book once more. He saw Talon scurrying about, jumping on Shadow and climbing all over her, curious as he took in her scent, something he truly smelled rather than to rely on his tongue for a simulated scent. He was on the top of her head and began to tickle her head with his nose until he sneezed, falling over and holding onto her ear so that he did not fall to the table top. Nathan chuckled a bit and then grew silent...looking at the spell book, he saw the spell to read minds...and silently recited the spell. It worked, and he could hear Talon's and Shadow's thoughts...but he focused more on what Emerita had to think about the entire situation.

Emerita was busy fixing dinner she didn't pay any attention to the two familiars, she had no idea that Nathan had cast the mind reading spell but she was sure what he heard in her mind would confuse him. In the time that she had been teaching him she kept focusing on the 1st time he tried the invisibility spell which always brought a smile to her face but he was like a son to her, she would never express her feelings aloud to him it would only make things complicated. Shadow meowed as Talon held onto her ear so he wouldn't fall, it was a meow of pain because she had forgotten about his claws even in such a small form.

Eventually Talon just fell once he heard her meow in pain and he plopped down onto the table. He moved over to see her ear, and that it was bleeding it bit. He climbed her body once more and began to lick at the wound...which began to heal immediately as if nothing had happened. His little nose began to tickle her cheek as he looked down to see in her eyes if she was alright. All the while, Nathan was...indeed confused. She kept thinking about when he groped her breasts those years ago? Why would she...? Did she really think of him like that or was it just out of amusement...? He frowned and dispelled the spell, not wanting to go anymore into depth with her mind. He closed the book and told her that he was going to his room, and that he'd get food later. He gently picked up Talon, needing his help, and retreated to his room with his spell book. He began to debate...whether he should become invisible once more and repeat what he had done so long ago. Or rather than repeat what he had done entirely, but more...act the way he did that day and then read her mind. Yes...that would do finely...but what situation would draw him to grope her once more?

Emerita continued to make supper for the both of them, she placed a saucer of milk on the floor for Shadow then smiled as the cat jumped off the table to drink it. She placed a strand of hair behind her ear, tried to stay focused on the cooking but she had a lot on her mind. The brunette sorceress had never had a chance to be in love, the fact that Nathan was still young she didn't really know what she was feeling but she felt more like a mother to him then anything. The story of her ancestor, his confused her a little but she remembered hearing the stories from her mother while she was growing up.

He silently recited the mind reading spell once more and began to head downstairs. Upon coming down, Nathan put the book on the table and put Talon next to Shadow as she drank her milk. Nathan looked to Emerita silently for a bit as he looked through his book, trying to figure out how he could recreate that day a while ago. A spell that he needed to learn? No...He frowned and looked to Emerita and stood up, going over to her. He had an idea...he had seen her seem like she was confused. So he reached forward and groped her unexpectedly, teasing her. "Hey. Whats wrong? You look like something's bothering you." He snickered a bit and removed his hands, and began to listen to both her and what she was saying in her mind.

'' Just a little confused is all.. I heard stories about my ancestor, yours when I was a child but they were completely different from what the book says. But I'm sorry about what you heard earlier I'll admit that day was interesting but right now I see you as a son, nothing more I'm sorry.'' Emerita said as she bit her lip, since he was in fact her student she wanted to stay focused on teaching him magic figuring romance could come later. She hoped she hadn't upset him or hurt his feelings but she had to keep her feelings to herself because he was still young but so was she more or less.

"Hey don't worry about it. I don't really see you that way either but its fun to tease you like this. Though...the whole comparison with the mother and son thing is a bit awkward for me now so...I'm gonna stop doing stuff like this." He said as if trying to shake off filth from his hand, feeling a bit awkward now that she audibly made this comparison. "Anyway. Teach me something after dinner. I've already practically memorized that book. Lets move onto something a bit more challenging, what do you say?"

'' Of course.'' Emerita said as she continued fixing dinner she was glad he still wanted to learn, eventually things would change between the two but only time would tell when they would be. She placed a strand behind her ear, began to hum a tune that had been stuck in her head for a very long time. She had no idea where she had heard it but she was pretty sure it had come from either her mother or his because she had been in the village the day he was abandoned by his own parents, in that time she had learned that his mother was only a teenager herself. Emerita could remember every detail of what the woman, man looked like every detail from hair color to accent.

He grinned and moved to sit at the table. "But first...I'm gonna eat some of your delicious cooking, Ema. Then we can move onto more advanced spells...I think we can put this spell book on the shelf and get something a bit different for me to memorize, yes?" He smiled and put the book on the table, then leaned back to watch Talon and Shadow. Talon was asleep under Shadow, his furry balled up body laying against her legs as he began to rub the top of his head against her paw while he was asleep. You could still see the front teeth that all hamsters had for breaking open seeds and cutting up larger food. "Cute."

Emerita smiled as he complimented her cooking, she finished it up then set the stew on the table. She placed two bowls on the table as well as a loaf of bread, the picture of water with two megs. " Enjoy." She said as she fixed him a bowl then fixed herself one tearing off a piece of bread, then she filled her mug with water then started to eat. Emerita paid no mind to Shadow, Talon she was perfectly focused on eating while she tried to think of some new spells to teach Nathan. Of course she had to admit it was cute, once she was finished she put her dishes away with a smile.