To Look and Be Heard
5th of July 2006 A.D.
"I am not going to say
no because you are the professional here, but this is apparently some serious business here, like 'looking right at the sun to count its spots' if what I feel is right. Are you going to be OK doing that?" There is a part of you that's going 'of course he will be OK' he's Harry, he goes out with the Knights of the Cross without being a Knight', but you cannot help but be worried, Usum has given some questionable advice in the past, but he has never been wrong on the facts of something as far as you know. "Is there something you can do to make it less risky..."
"Not my first rodeo kid," he replies, though beneath the gruff tone you can hear something softening. like he had not thought you would be looking out for his safety or something, which is a little insulting, but like....
"Maybe you could pray," you offer, looking around the balcony, meeting the gaze of marble angels watching. Mom would say that praying for doing magic is wrong, but she is not here to argue with you...
"I'm not really the praying sort, but thanks for the thought." He kind of hunches his shoulders a little, as though to make himself looks smaller which looks really silly on someone Harry-sized.
"Actually good question," you pop up from your seat with a surge of nervous energy and look out over the nave. "Let's see if I can shake loose some answers here."
"Wait what are you going to...?"
Upon your brow a flame unseen kindles and in it eyes awaken eyes to see what was, what is and some of what might yet be. To them all the world is open and vistas even beyond it. "How can the soulgaze be made as safe as possible?"
So you ask and so you
see.
Spent 1 Essence
***
A younger Harry, he can't be that much older than you are now, stands in front of an old-timey barn, like the kind that looks almost Amish. But the man he is with is dressed in a T-shirt and denim overalls. Just about the only part of him that says 'wizard' is the beard, though it is a little scruffy for that, but that is what he clearly is because he is explaining to Harry how to ground himself in something real, something constant when he wants to look deep into dark waters. Past the Road and over the Hill he calls it, but says it works best on land you know where there aren't too many people about coming and going.
"That's why I keep a steading here in the Mountains Hoss, clears the mind and let's you remember who you are and who you are supposed to be..."
The vision flows like oil paints in water and you are in another place, maybe another time.
It looks to be underground, a tunnel of rough stone carved into the bedrock where two men in monk's vestments without buttons or belts or any other sign of modern work stand together and speak in hushed voices, not in English nor in any other language you speak but you understand just the same.
The older one is instructing the younger about God and how He is revealed in His creation, though perilous is the seeking. So the teacher speaks: "Seek ye the threshold of the House of God and see how it sinks into the good earth. Feel the earth and feel the Power in it and you will be as a man with both his feet firmly planted before you set your hands to the task."
They are wizards you realize, just as they are monks and they are talking about the same thing as the vision before how to See and recall themselves from it. Of symbols they speak and the Keys of sacred wisdom, of the subtle motions of the soul and the perils of sinking too deep into a trance
***
Harry had not finished his question by the time you return to your body and with the biggest grin you had all day you explain what you had been looking for and what you had seen, about the old wizard at the farm talking about the lines of power that and how the wizard can anchor his mind in their hum when they are familiar, then over that you say what you learned from the monks of how the power of faith flows in holy ground and light of God can lead one back for it is constant and unchanging. "It's all one thing see whether it is a wellspring or a river what matters is that it's clear and to be clear it has to be too
big for you to see the whole of it or to see how it changes, the illusion of constancy." you finish triumphantly.
"Stars and stones, how do you know all that? Who told you?" He sounds shaken, which is kind of like impressed, but really it would be nice he he was more happy about it.
"No one told me, I
looked," you answer rolling your eyes a little. "I had to choose..." you pause a moment, but its just Harry and you are sure he will understand."I had to choose one of the crowns of power and I chose the one that would let me see answers so I wouldn't be ignorant about the way the world works again. I can only ask one question about each subject, this one was about you soulgazing generally not soulgazing my power in particular because I can't... I don't have eyes on the inside." You huff. "Words, seriously
words, this stuff was not meant to be understood in English."
"Don't tell
anyone you you can do that," he sounds all weary now and you want to pat him on the arm or something, but you know that is a bad idea. "I'd say don't use it but..." he looks you up and down. "That is not going to work is it?"
"Is that a trick question?" you ask suspiciously. "Like are you testing to see if I can be your apprentice?"
Harry's eyes do that dart at something that isn't there thing again and he shakes his head. You almost want to ask about the spirit, but he looks like maybe you had given him one surprise too many.
"No, it's not a trick question." The words come out as a sigh. "There are a lot of people and monsters holding a lot of secrets out there Molly and some of them are willing to kill for it, kill and worse."
At that you nod seriously, you had already found out what 'worse' can look like today and you do not doubt there are stronger monsters than the Scarecrow out there. "That helped though didn't it?" you ask softly. On the one hand you
know they should have, but it would be nice to have confirmation with words from a person on the outside.
Harry closes his eyes and kind of stands there meditating for a minute or so. When he is done he turns to you again and says. "Seems to yeah, thanks."
Well that was nice to hear. This time you do not turn your eyes aside when the the pull starts and you fall into stormy blue grey eyes.
Whose Perspective do you want to see the soul gaze from first?
[] Harry interlude
[] Next update with Molly
OOC: Just to be clear you will be getting both, this is a question about ordering, not the most weighty of votes but this feels like a good cut-off point especially with all the stuff that both Harry and you guys learned. 
