Asala scurried across Skyhold's grounds on her way towards Leon's office. She had a... few things she wished to test today, and he was the perfect person she could think of to help her in her endeavors. If he wasn't busy of course. If he was... Well, she might would have to hover nearby until he was no longer busy. She was equal parts excited and nervous, as she often was when attempting a new spell. Perhaps new spell wasn't the best way to put it, they were more like variations of specific spells--either way, she doubted Leon would care about the semantics.
It was how she spent her downtime, during the moments she wasn't in the infirmary handling whatever maladies the Inquisition's soldiers had come down with that day. Though there had not been any active battles going on to her knowledge, there was always a sprained ankle or a rash that needed her attention. When they did not, however, she instead had her head stuck in one of the many books she had taken for herself, or in communication with Ethne, or even working on her Tevene. The language was coming along slowly, like Estella said it would, but the fact remained that she always had something to work on, so there never was a dull moment for her.
Eventually, she found herself standing in front of the door that lead into Leon's office. She took a moment for herself to catch her breath, as her scurrying may have been a little too vigorous, though she hadn't noticed until she finally paused. Once she got a few breaths, she gently rapped her knuckles across the strong wooden door, before unlatching it enough to poke her head through. "Leon?" she asked with a slight tilt to her head, "Are you busy?"
"I always am," he replied dryly. He was sitting at his desk as usual, sleeves rolled up to his elbows in deference to the late spring warmth streaming in through the windows along with the light. When he glanced up at her, he wore a slightly-careworn smile. "But that doesn't mean I can't make time, if there's something you need to tell me?" He gestured at one of the seats in front of the desk, a well-cushioned grey armchair. The one next to it hosted a rather rotund tortoiseshell cat, curled up in a blobby shape and snoring just barely audibly. One of the original rescues, no doubt.
She bobbled her as she spoke, "Not tell, not exactly. Ask is more like it," she said, stepping into the office entirely. Her eyes did dance toward the cat for a moment, before she began to sidle in its direction. Once she got close enough, she drooped low enough to gently coo at how adorably the chubby kitty was sleeping. Her eyes soon found Leon once again, though she never hovered far from the cat. "I have a favor I wanted to ask you," she explained, "I have a spell or two I wanted to try out, and you... seemed like the best person to help me with them."
She tilted her head again, although this time in the opposite direction. "If you do not mind, of course. I mean, I know you are probably busy."
He gestured at his paperwork rather than repeat his earlier answer, shrugging. "There's always something to do, but if you believe I'm uniquely suited to help somehow, then I'm willing." Setting his quill upright in its inkwell, he carefully shuffled his papers aside, neatening them by tapping them against the edge of the desk until they all lined up. Pulling open a small drawer, he took a roll of binding tape from inside, not dissimilar to the sort Aurora used.
He stood, taking it with him, only to purse his lips. "Ah, I admit I just assumed. You were asking me specifically because you wanted me to hit something, right? It's what people usually have in mind." Leon's mouth pulled slightly to the side, but the expression vanished as quickly as it had come. He flourished his hand, indicating that she should precede him out the door. "Lead the way."
She gave him a nervous laugh in response, "Noo... I mean, Kind of. But that's not all," she said shaking her head. She spoke while she lead them out of the office, quickly trying to think of some way to make that sound better. "You are also, uh, Uniquely shaped... That did not sound any better, I am sorry," she said, hanging her head apologetically. However, it did not last long, as she continued to try and explain it.
"See, for the other spell I had in mind-- you know the one, where I create personal barriers in shape of armor? I believe I have the dimensions correct, and I thought that if I were able to get it to form around the two of us," she said, gesturing between them, "That would mean it would work for the others as well, with a little adjusting of course." She smiled in an attempt to put him at ease. "Our, uh, body types may be some of the more difficult," she explained.
By then, they had exited the building and into the fresh spring air of Skyhold's grounds. She paused a second to turn around and face him, to explain further. "The second spell I wanted to test is a tweak to my usual barriers, to make them stronger. I need a, uh, base for how strong my ordinary barriers are for comparison, and you might be the only one who is strong enough to break them," she admitted. It was between him and Khari, though she expected Khari would break them through sheer determination by relentlessly striking at them-- Leon would perhaps be able to shatter them with a single blow.
She then frowned a little, and wrung her hands. "Is... this making any sense?" she asked.
"You may be underestimating the strength of some of our comrades," he pointed out gently, "but yes, I understand you just fine." He paused, falling silent but continuing to walk. Some thought must have occurred to him, then, because he returned his focus to her, meeting her eyes easily from his height. "Far be it from me to simply dictate your strategy to you, but why the armor? Those who need it most already wear it, and too much more mass wouldn't be worth the tradeoff of additional protection. From my perspective, full plate already inhibits my movement more than I truly prefer, and add in even another centimeter all around would be... quite inconvenient."
Asala tilted her head as he spoke. She had been able to apply the spell to herself, and had it worked out just fine when she cast it. In her effort to try and attempt to apply it to the others, she apparently forgot to think about how it would affect them. She did not wear any armor, so the barrier didn't add weight on top of it, and it was thick enough to ward off a blade or an arrow, though some spells had a tendency to shatter it.
She squinted her eyes and hummed, a blush working itself into her features. "I, uh, did not think about that. I mean, it worked for me," she said, gesturing to herself, "I just... assumed it would work for the others too."
"It isn't a weight issue so much as a volume one," Leon explained, pinching about an inch of air between his thumb and forefinger. "You'll forgive me I hope for observing that you are not especially... mobile, in a combat situation. Most of the rest of us depend quite heavily on how flexible and fluid we are, even those of us who use armor, because the way it works is dependent more on deflection than sheer stopping power like a barrier. We would be impeded by additional protection for that reason." He tilted his head, expression still mild. "If it works for you, however, by all means. I'll help you experiment with it."
They landed on level ground, the bailey and its various practice areas spread out in front of them. Leon waved to Captain Séverine, who was running drills with her templars in one of them, but selected an empty one for their purposes, hopping the fence with an ease that belied his stature. When she had entered as well, however, he regarded her with a contemplative look.
"Before we begin, Miss Asala, I would like to ask you a question." His lips pursed, a flicker of uncertainty passing over his visage before it settled. "Why are you doing this?"
She was taken aback by the question, having not expected it out of the blue. "Well, uh, hmm," she stumbled over her words for a moment. She closed her mouth and shook her head, trying to find the right words again. She knew what she wanted to say, it was what drove her to seek guidance from Cyrus and Ethne, and to keep experimenting and learning. It was not a mystery to her, and she frowned, looking back up to Leon. "You... know me well enough by now Leon," she began, tilting her head. "I... I want to protect, well, everyone. Everyone that I can," she answered. "I thought that maybe if I learn more about my magic, get better, that maybe I will be able to."
She frowned after that, letting her arms fall by her side before slipping them behind her. "Ever since I lost my brother, it's all I wanted to do," she said. Time has healed the wound, but the scar he had left was still there, and it was still tender. But his memory was what drove her. "I... do not want to lose any one else like that. I want to get... better, stronger so that I can keep you all safe. I do not want to lose any of you," she reiterated, clenching her fists behind her.
A soft laugh escaped her, and she let her fists go.
Something around Leon's eyes tightened or tensed; it was subtle enough that it was hard to tell if she was just imagining it. "I'd feared as much," he murmured, expelling a heavy breath. "You can't do that, Miss Asala," he continued, meeting her eyes directly. "That is the fact of the matter. What is more, your attempts to do so may end up hindering us just as much as they help."
He grimaced, searching for the words. "This is a war. People die in wars. People will continue to die in this war. If you pin your hopes on personally being able to keep us all alive, well... you shouldn't. You can't. If you think you can, you don't understand your limitations. If you think you should, you don't trust the rest of us enough. Do you understand what I mean?" He spoke carefully, as gently as he could, but there was no mistaking the bluntness of the words themselves. "I can explain how I know this if it doesn't make sense to you."
"Would you have me do nothing then?" Asala answered, her lip quivering. "I am not a child, Leon," She added, her fists clenching behind her again. "I know, I know this is a war. I know people die. I know," she answered. More than a mage, she was a healer. "I have had them die in my hands," she said, raising them up for him to see, "and there was nothing I could do but ease their suffering as they passed." Though her voice trembled, she did not look away from his eyes. The memories of the days following the assault Adamant came to mind. There was many there that she could not save, despite her best efforts.
"And I am not so foolish as to believe I'll be able to stop it from happening again." Her eyes finally fell back to her hands, which she still held out in front of her, "But maybe if I continue to get better, I will be able to save someone that I wasn't able to before," she said, her words finally slowing down. "And I do trust you all... Do you not... trust me?" She finally asked, pleading in her eyes. This felt... unlike him. He had been firm with her before; he had helped her realize that he brother was not returning, and while it had stung at the time, it had helped indeed.
But this felt different. "What is this about Leon?" she finally asked, "Really?"
He shifted uncomfortably, but to his credit, his posture became neither less firm nor in any way defensive. "It's really about what I just said," he replied. "Namely, that the way you talk about what you intend to do with your powers is a dangerous way to think. A naïve way to think. And ignorance can be as harmful as outright malice, in truly perilous situations." He exhaled, the breath whistling in a low pitch past his teeth. "I didn't ask if you trusted us because I expected you to say no—but I did expect you to misunderstand, which you have." He blinked once, slowly, then shook his head a bit.
"If you trust us, you need to trust us to know how to look after ourselves. To assume some responsibility for our own lives. You wreathe us in barriers to protect us, but often as not, the effort and adjustment required to move and fight around those barriers forces us to act in ways that are unnatural. Ways that encumber us, when even a fraction of encumbrance could mean the difference between a scratch and something far worse." He rested his arms across his body, holding both elbows in his opposite hands. "That doesn't mean they're never useful, and it doesn't mean that trying to make them stronger is necessarily bad. It just means you need to begin thinking about this in a different way." He glanced up, trying to decide how to explain.
"You've mentioned before that you think of yourself as a shield. My suggestion is that you take that statement less literally and more like the metaphor that it is. There are ways to aid us that don't involve putting your magic directly between one of us and a blow we might take. It's worth thinking about them, and implementing them more regularly." He paused, dropping his eyes back to hers, falling silent as if to check that she understood.
She wanted to dispute him but she knew, she could not. Her eyes fell to the ground and she rubbed her face. "Maybe I am a child," she muttered under her breath as she shook her head. "But, there are easier ways to tell me these things, you know?" she said, finally glancing up to look at him. She shook her head again, and continued. "But you mean... tactics, right? Using my magic in a way that..." She gestured with her hands in order to try and find the correct word to use, "Maximizes all of our abilities? Or at least in a way that is unobtrusive to the others?"
"Sorry," Leon said, though he looked a bit puzzled. "I've never been especially good at... telling people things. In the diplomatic way." He cleared his throat, then nodded. "But yes. I mean to say you ought to adjust your tactics. For one, you might wish to consider using barriers to amplify natural terrain advantages. I've worked with mages at times who could set up helpful funnels, such that I'd only have to fight one or two opponents at a time, allowing me to whittle down large groups. Sometimes even temporarily halting enemies further out is more helpful than providing a nearby shield. We can avoid one sword, but having to contend with four because we've been surrounded is very difficult by comparison."
He offered her a mild, if perhaps slightly bewildered-looking smile. "But perhaps I've spoken too much already. If there is something you would like me to break, I can still do that."
"Maybe we can work on the, uh, tactics? One day, I mean. When you have the time, of course," she said, but then she frowned for a moment, "But... Let's do it in a way where I do not feel like a fool afterward, yes?" she asked with a tentative smile and nervous chuckle. She still kind of felt like one from the previous conversation.
Afterward, she put her arms up mimed brushing something off in front of her, "Let's... skip the test for the armor. For now, just..." she said, conjuring up a bubble nearby that could envelop an ordinary sized person, "Can you try to break that for me? I just need a baseline to see how much damage it can take for a comparison."
Leon studied the bubble for a moment, then reached for the roll of bandage at his belt. He wrapped his hands with the speed and ease of long practice, but made no attempt to add the metal bands he sometimes wore over his knuckles for extra heft. Approaching the barrier, he touched the it first with the fingertips of his right hand, then rapped it with his knuckles as though knocking on a door. Apparently satisfied with whatever he'd deduced about it, he took a half step back, closing his left hand into a fist and driving it forward.
The impact sounded like a brick going through glass, heavy spiderweb cracks splitting off from the point of impact. When they reached around the back of the sphere and met, the entire thing shattered, pieces disappearing before they hit the ground. Leon drew his hand back and flexed it, frowning slightly. He didn't offer any explanation for that, however, merely glanced back up at her expectantly.
"I'm willing to work on tactics with you if you so desire, but I'm afraid my downtime is limited. If you'd prefer something more regular, I could set Khari to devising strategies for you. She could use the practice."
Even though she specifically asked for it, Asala couldn't help but still feel equal parts surprised and awed by how easy he made that look. She glanced at her hand and shook her head, chuckling a bit at the display of power. "That would work," she nodded. She noticed that Leon was teaching Khari things of that nature, and if there was a chance that they could learn better together, then all the more reason to. "Whenever you find yourself with a moment free however, keep us in mind," she added with a smile.
"Now, for the actual test..." For the next barrier, it took a bit more concentration. She took a hold of the focusing crystal that hung around her neck and began to reach for the magics. Instead of the usual blue that enveloped her hands however, this one had a pink hue to it, giving the entire thing a lavender glow. Still, she concentrated, until she felt the mixture of magics were just right, and summoned the barrier. This one was of the same size as the previous, but had the pinkish accent to it. This one took a bit more effort to sustain and she could feel the drain on her.
"Leon, if you would?" she asked.
He nodded, and struck a second time. This barrier, however, held considerably better, and while there was a rather prominent crack in it when he pulled his hand away, it held fast, the glow flickering only for a moment before it steadied. He looked down at his hand again, brows knitting, but then let his arm drop. "It's definitely stronger," he said. "Not sure how it would stand up to repeated hits, though. Would you like me to try?"
As if in answer, the barrier flickered once more before it completely vanished. The effort left Asala exhaling a pent up breath she was unaware she was holding. She leaned forward and rested on her knees for a bit, before she straightened back up and shrugged. "But it is still inefficient," she answered with a smile. "I am still unused to channeling Ethne's spirit magic so... directly," she admitted.
"But, I did get a bit of valuable information. The barrier is stronger than ordinary," she surmised, crossing her arms, "It is good to know that all the effort did not result in barrier with the same-- or even less strength than my normal one. So that's good," she then tilted her head, "But I will either need to get used to channeling spirit magic, or find some other way to make it efficient, or it will never be practical," she continued. She glanced up to Leon and froze, almost forgetting about his presence while she thought.
"Oh, thank you Leon. You have been a big help... In more than one way it seemed," she said, flicking back to their conversation about tactics. "Let Khari know that any time she wishes to practice... tactics, to come find me?" she said with a wide smile.
"I wonder if she would be opposed to testing my barrier as well..."
It was how she spent her downtime, during the moments she wasn't in the infirmary handling whatever maladies the Inquisition's soldiers had come down with that day. Though there had not been any active battles going on to her knowledge, there was always a sprained ankle or a rash that needed her attention. When they did not, however, she instead had her head stuck in one of the many books she had taken for herself, or in communication with Ethne, or even working on her Tevene. The language was coming along slowly, like Estella said it would, but the fact remained that she always had something to work on, so there never was a dull moment for her.
Eventually, she found herself standing in front of the door that lead into Leon's office. She took a moment for herself to catch her breath, as her scurrying may have been a little too vigorous, though she hadn't noticed until she finally paused. Once she got a few breaths, she gently rapped her knuckles across the strong wooden door, before unlatching it enough to poke her head through. "Leon?" she asked with a slight tilt to her head, "Are you busy?"
"I always am," he replied dryly. He was sitting at his desk as usual, sleeves rolled up to his elbows in deference to the late spring warmth streaming in through the windows along with the light. When he glanced up at her, he wore a slightly-careworn smile. "But that doesn't mean I can't make time, if there's something you need to tell me?" He gestured at one of the seats in front of the desk, a well-cushioned grey armchair. The one next to it hosted a rather rotund tortoiseshell cat, curled up in a blobby shape and snoring just barely audibly. One of the original rescues, no doubt.
She bobbled her as she spoke, "Not tell, not exactly. Ask is more like it," she said, stepping into the office entirely. Her eyes did dance toward the cat for a moment, before she began to sidle in its direction. Once she got close enough, she drooped low enough to gently coo at how adorably the chubby kitty was sleeping. Her eyes soon found Leon once again, though she never hovered far from the cat. "I have a favor I wanted to ask you," she explained, "I have a spell or two I wanted to try out, and you... seemed like the best person to help me with them."
She tilted her head again, although this time in the opposite direction. "If you do not mind, of course. I mean, I know you are probably busy."
He gestured at his paperwork rather than repeat his earlier answer, shrugging. "There's always something to do, but if you believe I'm uniquely suited to help somehow, then I'm willing." Setting his quill upright in its inkwell, he carefully shuffled his papers aside, neatening them by tapping them against the edge of the desk until they all lined up. Pulling open a small drawer, he took a roll of binding tape from inside, not dissimilar to the sort Aurora used.
He stood, taking it with him, only to purse his lips. "Ah, I admit I just assumed. You were asking me specifically because you wanted me to hit something, right? It's what people usually have in mind." Leon's mouth pulled slightly to the side, but the expression vanished as quickly as it had come. He flourished his hand, indicating that she should precede him out the door. "Lead the way."
She gave him a nervous laugh in response, "Noo... I mean, Kind of. But that's not all," she said shaking her head. She spoke while she lead them out of the office, quickly trying to think of some way to make that sound better. "You are also, uh, Uniquely shaped... That did not sound any better, I am sorry," she said, hanging her head apologetically. However, it did not last long, as she continued to try and explain it.
"See, for the other spell I had in mind-- you know the one, where I create personal barriers in shape of armor? I believe I have the dimensions correct, and I thought that if I were able to get it to form around the two of us," she said, gesturing between them, "That would mean it would work for the others as well, with a little adjusting of course." She smiled in an attempt to put him at ease. "Our, uh, body types may be some of the more difficult," she explained.
By then, they had exited the building and into the fresh spring air of Skyhold's grounds. She paused a second to turn around and face him, to explain further. "The second spell I wanted to test is a tweak to my usual barriers, to make them stronger. I need a, uh, base for how strong my ordinary barriers are for comparison, and you might be the only one who is strong enough to break them," she admitted. It was between him and Khari, though she expected Khari would break them through sheer determination by relentlessly striking at them-- Leon would perhaps be able to shatter them with a single blow.
She then frowned a little, and wrung her hands. "Is... this making any sense?" she asked.
"You may be underestimating the strength of some of our comrades," he pointed out gently, "but yes, I understand you just fine." He paused, falling silent but continuing to walk. Some thought must have occurred to him, then, because he returned his focus to her, meeting her eyes easily from his height. "Far be it from me to simply dictate your strategy to you, but why the armor? Those who need it most already wear it, and too much more mass wouldn't be worth the tradeoff of additional protection. From my perspective, full plate already inhibits my movement more than I truly prefer, and add in even another centimeter all around would be... quite inconvenient."
Asala tilted her head as he spoke. She had been able to apply the spell to herself, and had it worked out just fine when she cast it. In her effort to try and attempt to apply it to the others, she apparently forgot to think about how it would affect them. She did not wear any armor, so the barrier didn't add weight on top of it, and it was thick enough to ward off a blade or an arrow, though some spells had a tendency to shatter it.
She squinted her eyes and hummed, a blush working itself into her features. "I, uh, did not think about that. I mean, it worked for me," she said, gesturing to herself, "I just... assumed it would work for the others too."
"It isn't a weight issue so much as a volume one," Leon explained, pinching about an inch of air between his thumb and forefinger. "You'll forgive me I hope for observing that you are not especially... mobile, in a combat situation. Most of the rest of us depend quite heavily on how flexible and fluid we are, even those of us who use armor, because the way it works is dependent more on deflection than sheer stopping power like a barrier. We would be impeded by additional protection for that reason." He tilted his head, expression still mild. "If it works for you, however, by all means. I'll help you experiment with it."
They landed on level ground, the bailey and its various practice areas spread out in front of them. Leon waved to Captain Séverine, who was running drills with her templars in one of them, but selected an empty one for their purposes, hopping the fence with an ease that belied his stature. When she had entered as well, however, he regarded her with a contemplative look.
"Before we begin, Miss Asala, I would like to ask you a question." His lips pursed, a flicker of uncertainty passing over his visage before it settled. "Why are you doing this?"
She was taken aback by the question, having not expected it out of the blue. "Well, uh, hmm," she stumbled over her words for a moment. She closed her mouth and shook her head, trying to find the right words again. She knew what she wanted to say, it was what drove her to seek guidance from Cyrus and Ethne, and to keep experimenting and learning. It was not a mystery to her, and she frowned, looking back up to Leon. "You... know me well enough by now Leon," she began, tilting her head. "I... I want to protect, well, everyone. Everyone that I can," she answered. "I thought that maybe if I learn more about my magic, get better, that maybe I will be able to."
She frowned after that, letting her arms fall by her side before slipping them behind her. "Ever since I lost my brother, it's all I wanted to do," she said. Time has healed the wound, but the scar he had left was still there, and it was still tender. But his memory was what drove her. "I... do not want to lose any one else like that. I want to get... better, stronger so that I can keep you all safe. I do not want to lose any of you," she reiterated, clenching her fists behind her.
A soft laugh escaped her, and she let her fists go.
Something around Leon's eyes tightened or tensed; it was subtle enough that it was hard to tell if she was just imagining it. "I'd feared as much," he murmured, expelling a heavy breath. "You can't do that, Miss Asala," he continued, meeting her eyes directly. "That is the fact of the matter. What is more, your attempts to do so may end up hindering us just as much as they help."
He grimaced, searching for the words. "This is a war. People die in wars. People will continue to die in this war. If you pin your hopes on personally being able to keep us all alive, well... you shouldn't. You can't. If you think you can, you don't understand your limitations. If you think you should, you don't trust the rest of us enough. Do you understand what I mean?" He spoke carefully, as gently as he could, but there was no mistaking the bluntness of the words themselves. "I can explain how I know this if it doesn't make sense to you."
"Would you have me do nothing then?" Asala answered, her lip quivering. "I am not a child, Leon," She added, her fists clenching behind her again. "I know, I know this is a war. I know people die. I know," she answered. More than a mage, she was a healer. "I have had them die in my hands," she said, raising them up for him to see, "and there was nothing I could do but ease their suffering as they passed." Though her voice trembled, she did not look away from his eyes. The memories of the days following the assault Adamant came to mind. There was many there that she could not save, despite her best efforts.
"And I am not so foolish as to believe I'll be able to stop it from happening again." Her eyes finally fell back to her hands, which she still held out in front of her, "But maybe if I continue to get better, I will be able to save someone that I wasn't able to before," she said, her words finally slowing down. "And I do trust you all... Do you not... trust me?" She finally asked, pleading in her eyes. This felt... unlike him. He had been firm with her before; he had helped her realize that he brother was not returning, and while it had stung at the time, it had helped indeed.
But this felt different. "What is this about Leon?" she finally asked, "Really?"
He shifted uncomfortably, but to his credit, his posture became neither less firm nor in any way defensive. "It's really about what I just said," he replied. "Namely, that the way you talk about what you intend to do with your powers is a dangerous way to think. A naïve way to think. And ignorance can be as harmful as outright malice, in truly perilous situations." He exhaled, the breath whistling in a low pitch past his teeth. "I didn't ask if you trusted us because I expected you to say no—but I did expect you to misunderstand, which you have." He blinked once, slowly, then shook his head a bit.
"If you trust us, you need to trust us to know how to look after ourselves. To assume some responsibility for our own lives. You wreathe us in barriers to protect us, but often as not, the effort and adjustment required to move and fight around those barriers forces us to act in ways that are unnatural. Ways that encumber us, when even a fraction of encumbrance could mean the difference between a scratch and something far worse." He rested his arms across his body, holding both elbows in his opposite hands. "That doesn't mean they're never useful, and it doesn't mean that trying to make them stronger is necessarily bad. It just means you need to begin thinking about this in a different way." He glanced up, trying to decide how to explain.
"You've mentioned before that you think of yourself as a shield. My suggestion is that you take that statement less literally and more like the metaphor that it is. There are ways to aid us that don't involve putting your magic directly between one of us and a blow we might take. It's worth thinking about them, and implementing them more regularly." He paused, dropping his eyes back to hers, falling silent as if to check that she understood.
She wanted to dispute him but she knew, she could not. Her eyes fell to the ground and she rubbed her face. "Maybe I am a child," she muttered under her breath as she shook her head. "But, there are easier ways to tell me these things, you know?" she said, finally glancing up to look at him. She shook her head again, and continued. "But you mean... tactics, right? Using my magic in a way that..." She gestured with her hands in order to try and find the correct word to use, "Maximizes all of our abilities? Or at least in a way that is unobtrusive to the others?"
"Sorry," Leon said, though he looked a bit puzzled. "I've never been especially good at... telling people things. In the diplomatic way." He cleared his throat, then nodded. "But yes. I mean to say you ought to adjust your tactics. For one, you might wish to consider using barriers to amplify natural terrain advantages. I've worked with mages at times who could set up helpful funnels, such that I'd only have to fight one or two opponents at a time, allowing me to whittle down large groups. Sometimes even temporarily halting enemies further out is more helpful than providing a nearby shield. We can avoid one sword, but having to contend with four because we've been surrounded is very difficult by comparison."
He offered her a mild, if perhaps slightly bewildered-looking smile. "But perhaps I've spoken too much already. If there is something you would like me to break, I can still do that."
"Maybe we can work on the, uh, tactics? One day, I mean. When you have the time, of course," she said, but then she frowned for a moment, "But... Let's do it in a way where I do not feel like a fool afterward, yes?" she asked with a tentative smile and nervous chuckle. She still kind of felt like one from the previous conversation.
Afterward, she put her arms up mimed brushing something off in front of her, "Let's... skip the test for the armor. For now, just..." she said, conjuring up a bubble nearby that could envelop an ordinary sized person, "Can you try to break that for me? I just need a baseline to see how much damage it can take for a comparison."
Leon studied the bubble for a moment, then reached for the roll of bandage at his belt. He wrapped his hands with the speed and ease of long practice, but made no attempt to add the metal bands he sometimes wore over his knuckles for extra heft. Approaching the barrier, he touched the it first with the fingertips of his right hand, then rapped it with his knuckles as though knocking on a door. Apparently satisfied with whatever he'd deduced about it, he took a half step back, closing his left hand into a fist and driving it forward.
The impact sounded like a brick going through glass, heavy spiderweb cracks splitting off from the point of impact. When they reached around the back of the sphere and met, the entire thing shattered, pieces disappearing before they hit the ground. Leon drew his hand back and flexed it, frowning slightly. He didn't offer any explanation for that, however, merely glanced back up at her expectantly.
"I'm willing to work on tactics with you if you so desire, but I'm afraid my downtime is limited. If you'd prefer something more regular, I could set Khari to devising strategies for you. She could use the practice."
Even though she specifically asked for it, Asala couldn't help but still feel equal parts surprised and awed by how easy he made that look. She glanced at her hand and shook her head, chuckling a bit at the display of power. "That would work," she nodded. She noticed that Leon was teaching Khari things of that nature, and if there was a chance that they could learn better together, then all the more reason to. "Whenever you find yourself with a moment free however, keep us in mind," she added with a smile.
"Now, for the actual test..." For the next barrier, it took a bit more concentration. She took a hold of the focusing crystal that hung around her neck and began to reach for the magics. Instead of the usual blue that enveloped her hands however, this one had a pink hue to it, giving the entire thing a lavender glow. Still, she concentrated, until she felt the mixture of magics were just right, and summoned the barrier. This one was of the same size as the previous, but had the pinkish accent to it. This one took a bit more effort to sustain and she could feel the drain on her.
"Leon, if you would?" she asked.
He nodded, and struck a second time. This barrier, however, held considerably better, and while there was a rather prominent crack in it when he pulled his hand away, it held fast, the glow flickering only for a moment before it steadied. He looked down at his hand again, brows knitting, but then let his arm drop. "It's definitely stronger," he said. "Not sure how it would stand up to repeated hits, though. Would you like me to try?"
As if in answer, the barrier flickered once more before it completely vanished. The effort left Asala exhaling a pent up breath she was unaware she was holding. She leaned forward and rested on her knees for a bit, before she straightened back up and shrugged. "But it is still inefficient," she answered with a smile. "I am still unused to channeling Ethne's spirit magic so... directly," she admitted.
"But, I did get a bit of valuable information. The barrier is stronger than ordinary," she surmised, crossing her arms, "It is good to know that all the effort did not result in barrier with the same-- or even less strength than my normal one. So that's good," she then tilted her head, "But I will either need to get used to channeling spirit magic, or find some other way to make it efficient, or it will never be practical," she continued. She glanced up to Leon and froze, almost forgetting about his presence while she thought.
"Oh, thank you Leon. You have been a big help... In more than one way it seemed," she said, flicking back to their conversation about tactics. "Let Khari know that any time she wishes to practice... tactics, to come find me?" she said with a wide smile.
"I wonder if she would be opposed to testing my barrier as well..."