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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 7, 2006 21:22:49 GMT -5
"Why do you think he dismissed you?" Again I was curious, having heard Gareth's side already.
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 7, 2006 21:29:16 GMT -5
"I am not sure," I said honestly. "I suppose I simply did not respond well to his methods." I didn't really know why having Gareth as my teacher had failed, but I was loath to place blame on me or him. I had wanted him to teach and command me, and he had wanted something else. I was not sure what he had wanted at all.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 7, 2006 21:37:05 GMT -5
I wasn't really interested in her words, as much as the look on her face and the tone of her voice as she said them. From those, I discovered far more than her answer.
"Let's start with what you have questions about, from your reading and studies," I said.
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 7, 2006 21:49:01 GMT -5
I froze. Gareth had said the same thing, and it simply had not worked. I didn't know if I had questions or not until I had to practically apply my knowledge, even if it meant answering a question posed to me.
Then I remembered the question that had been asked in the philosophy book, then one I had been trying again and again to adequately answer, but had continued to fall short. "What does it mean to yield?" I whispered.
I loooked up and explained. "I was reading about Valerian philosophy," I began, "and at certain points in the book, they ask guiding questions. One of the questions was 'What does it mean to yield?' I have come up with so many answers, but not one is adequate." I laughed. "Peculiar," I said, "having a question about a question."
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 0:28:40 GMT -5
"It's not peculiar, it's a good question. I believe the reason you are having trouble answering it is because there is no one true answer. What it is to yield is different for each person. For some, it is a process of being so beaten down that there is nothing left but submission. For some, yielding comes in the giving over of their body while holding their mind sacrosanct," I explained. "For me, yielding is a layered thing. First the flesh - the kiss of the whip, the burn of the rope, the sting of the slap. Next the emotions - no more defiance, wanting it never to end, living only for the next punishment. Finally the mind - complete submission, giving yourself over to what has bloomed inside you, feeling brush of Kushiel's wings with every heartbeat. That how I would answer that question."
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 11:17:25 GMT -5
I nodded. "That is a good answer," I said, "And I agree with it. When I tried to answer, I said that yielding involved giving over one's will, and then when it's over, your will is handed back to you, still intact, but changed. But I think I like your answer better, it is very thorough."
I frowned. "I am not sure how much I would like to submit my mind though. For me, my mind is my own, and I would like to keep control over it, if nothing else."
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 11:30:42 GMT -5
"There are plenty of adepts that refuse to let their patrons into their mind, it is a decision that you have to make for yourself," I told her. That was something I didn't understand though, the need to refuse to submit fully before even starting.
"What other questions do you have? Anything about instruments, methods, bindings, or other things like that?" I asked.
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 11:34:21 GMT -5
I shook my head. "I've read quite a lot," I said, "And I think I understand most of the practicalities." I was ready to knuckle down and learn everything she had to teach me.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 17:04:30 GMT -5
"Really?" I asked, surprised. "I find it hard to believe that having only been here a short while you don't have any questions about all of the new things you've been exposed to. What exactly have you been reading? It can't all have been on Valerian philosophy."
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 17:11:14 GMT -5
I shook my head. "I don't know," I said quietly. "It's difficult to have a question if nobody asks you any. Most of what I've read is very straightforward. Usually, if I have a question, the answer is in another book." I stiffened, not knowing how to speak what I wanted to say. "I've read techniques, and about different tools, and history and such things. But it's hard to know if I have a question until I apply what I've learned, even if it's just being asked a question by a teacher."
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 17:24:00 GMT -5
"Huh," I said, standing up and walking around the room absently. "That seems very odd to me. When I was first learning about things I was constantly wondering how things felt, which was the best method for binding in a certain situation, what was the most effective salve for abrasions. Things like that. I couldn't wait to get to class and ask things, or find one of the older adepts and ask them. Perhaps I was just more curious."
I shrugged and looked back at her, resting my hands on the back a settee.
"Take off your clothes," I told her.
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 17:36:01 GMT -5
A bit stung, I did as I was told. When I had asked how things felt, Gareth said it could be read. So I had read. But this was Douleur, and she wanted something else. I was prepared to do anything she said.
I untied the stays at the front of my dress and slipped it off so it lay in a pile on the floor. I wondered if I should pick it up, but Douleur hadn't said to, so I didn't. I pulled off my shift and let it lie on top of the dress. Naked, I stood before her, waiting.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 17:40:27 GMT -5
"Was that easy? To do as I ordered?" I asked her
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 17:41:44 GMT -5
"Yes," I said quietly. "It was."
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 17:46:55 GMT -5
"It didn't look that way. You hesitated. Hesitation is usually taken as a sign of defiance. Hesitation will cause anger in most of the patrons you deal with. When you are here," I said, indicating the assignation chamber, "or with a patron at their home, you must learn to respond immediately to an order given you. You also need to become comfortable being naked in this environment. Leave your clothes there until I tell you to get dressed."
I pointed to a spot on the floor in front of the cold fireplace.
"Kneel, head down."
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 17:50:55 GMT -5
This time I did not hesitate. Head down, I knelt in the spot she had pointed to. It was cold, and I felt my skin prickle. I could not see her anymore, and I could feel the tension building inside. Senses heightened, I waited for her next command.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 18:00:12 GMT -5
"Clasp your hands behind your back," I told her, not having moved from my position yet, just watching her. "I am going to ask you questions and you are to give me the answers immediately. Every time you hesitate, or every time you get something wrong, you will spend five minutes in silence kneeling there when our lesson is over."
I did not wait for her to respond. She said she had been studying and had no questions, I would find out just how much she really knew. I had too much House pride to fall short on her education or let her into the world not being the best Valerian I could make her in to .
"What is the number one non-vocal way of showing submission?"
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 18:02:56 GMT -5
Clasping my hands behind my back immediately, I responded: "To respond to orders immediately and to follow them impeccably."
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 18:04:19 GMT -5
"And if no orders are given?" I asked
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 18:05:10 GMT -5
"To look down," I said.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 18:07:11 GMT -5
"What is the most common item used to bind a Valerian adept?"
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 18:07:59 GMT -5
"Rope."
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 18:15:23 GMT -5
"What is the most powerful thing a patron can use on a Valerian?"
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 18:16:10 GMT -5
"The patron's own body."
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 18:19:58 GMT -5
"Wrong," I said, finally moving out from behind the settee and standing in front of her. "There is nothing more powerful than the patron's will. By the force of their will alone they will command you and bind you more effectively than with any tool available."
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 18:23:42 GMT -5
I had known that after all, and I had second-guessed myself. At least I would never forget it now. I saw her feet step in front of me, but I dared not look up at her. My breathing became more shallow as I waited for the next question.
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 18:30:00 GMT -5
"Name me six different types of whips."
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 18:32:32 GMT -5
"Flail, cat o'nine tails, stockwhip, crop, quirt, bullwhip."
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Post by Douleur nó Shahrizai on Oct 8, 2006 20:46:31 GMT -5
Turning on my heel, I walked away from her and over to the stocked armoire against the wall. I watched her carefully as I opened it and reached for what I sought.
"What is your signale?" I asked.
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Avrielle nó Valerian
Adept
Valerian House
Daughter of Annette n? Fronsac and Niall Southerly
Posts: 988
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Post by Avrielle nó Valerian on Oct 8, 2006 20:48:05 GMT -5
"Eglantine," I said, as I heard the armoire opening. I wondered what she was going to do, as Gareth had said that no lash could be taken to me. But I didn't move, only listened and waited.
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