"Have you tried to manipulate your element any?" Cai asks me.
"I have." I think back to the many time that I tried to move the water while I took a bath.
"And have you had any luck with it?" he asks.
I think back to when I splashed him in the pool and how for a moment I felt like I had some kind of extra power over the water. "maybe?" I answer.
"Alright," He gestures for me to stand, and I do, "Well, show me your best attempt at it then."
"My best attempt." I repeat the words, and look down at the trickling stream between us. The water is nearly black with the night except the reflection of a few twinkling stars and the red moon in its surface, shifting and reshaping like the flicker of a candle.
I plant my feet in the ground and I bend my legs, I reach out to the water with my heart and take a deep breath. I've seen Altan and Cai both manipulate their elements, they always moved their hand when the did it... well, except that time Cai made it rain. But either way, I remember watching a TV show back when I was one earth, one in which the characters could also manipulate elements. So I feel like I kind of know what I'm supposed to do.
I look at the water, then with all my might I swish my arms through the air beckoning for the water to follow the move of my hands. But nothing happens. I grit my teeth then do it again, this time bending my legs deep to the ground and then extending them when I raise my arms, calling the water up, commanding it to follow my lead.
I stop when I hear a sound like sniffling. I pause and look over at Cai, but he's not sniffling. He's snickering. He's laughing at me.
"What are you doing?" I drop my hands by my side.
"What are YOU doing?" he laughs louder and I look behind me at the sleeping camp.
"You told me to give it my best attempt." I say, then sit back down on the ground and cross my arms over my chest, feeling embarrassed, maybe I shouldn't have taken inspiration from that TV show I watched as a kid.
"Yes," he continues chuckling, "But I didn't expect you would preform some kind of ceremonial dance! where did you learn something like that?"
"Well," I look away from him, "I always saw people moving their hands when they use their element, so I thought that-"
Cai shakes his head and it seems like he's finally done laughing, "Using your hands is optional." he says.
"So you can do it without moving your body at all?" I ask, curiosity intrigued.
In response to my question, Cai sits still with his arms crossed over his chest, but his eyes flash bright blue. They glow in the dark night and make him look magical. And then the water in the stream comes to a complete halt. I notice it because the calming, trickling sound ceases, and when I look down at it, suddenly the stream starts flowing in reverse, flowing up hill. My jaw drops at the magic of it. "How do you do that?" I ask.
Cai's eyes stop glowing and the stream is suddenly flowing down hill like normal again. he lets a soft smile touch his lips. "First you must relax your body," he instructs, and I do as I'm told. "The strength of your element does not come from your movement, or your muscles," he says, "It comes from your eyes."
~That's why the eyes glow...~
"But how do you-"
Cai puts up a finger to silence me, "Relax your entire body, and focus all your energy into your eyes." he says in an almost meditative voice, and I try to. "The odds of you reaching full elemental reign are very unlikely in the beginning, but you should be able to control small amounts of water." he dips his hand into the cackling brook and brings out a cupped hand of water. "for now, focus on this water with your eyes. put all your energy into your eyes, and channel it into the water."
I nod my head and take a slow breath, I let my limbs hang loose and relax my shoulders I put my full attention onto the water in his hand and notice every detail of it, every ripple in the water, every drip that escapes from his palm, and then something happens. Something clicks, and it feels like there is a line -a string- tying my eyes -tying my being- to the water, and I feel control over it.
"There you go." I hear Cai whisper and I wonder if my eyes are glowing. But nearly as soon as I think that, my connection to the water breaks.
"Don't lose focus so easily." Cai warns me, "This time, when you make the connection, use your eyes to tell the water where to go."
I take another deep breath and hone in on the water again, this time the connection comes quicker. I feel it snap into place and It's like the water and I are one. I know what it feels, being isolated and cupped in Cai's hand, I know how it feels even though I haven't touched it, and I know I can control it. I raise my eyes up from Cai's hand and the water follows, it leaves his hand as a floating orb of water and hovers in the air. My heartbeat quickens at my success but I keep my eyes focused on the water. I will it to move, and it does. It follows my every command, going wherever I lead it.
A small smile splits my lips, and I have a sudden very good idea. I bring the water in another unsuspecting arc through the air, then fly it right into Cai's face. He flinches as the water sticks to him. I jump to my feet laughing, real success finally flowing through me. I finally actually splashed him and he didn't suspect it. the water drips from his nose and sticks to his hair and he glares at me.
He stands on his feet and I'm still laughing.
"I got you so good!" I laugh and for the first time in a long time, and feel no fear or pressure to be on the run.
"Yes," Cai agrees and smiles a little bit, "And now it's my turn." As he says this his eyes glow blue again, and the entire stream raises from the ground creating a wall of floating water in the air. My smile drops instantly and I turn on my heels.
"Thank you for the lesson!" I yell as I sprint back into camp hoping that surely he wouldn't throw all that water at a group of unsuspecting Earth Nomads.
I hear the water splash back down into the creek as I enter the camp, and then in the distance I hear him laugh. I re-enter my yurt smiling, and fall back asleep peacefully.