<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'"><span style="font-size: 15px">Sebastian's heart gave a painful squeeze at the sight of Ayaan hesitantly moving forward. It was clear that all of Ayaan's instincts were telling him to do the exact opposite of what Sebastian was asking, but he came anyway. Likely out of fear of what would happen to him if he refused. Sebastian shuddered to think what had taught Ayaan this fear. It made him even more wary of teaching Lydia even a little of what he knew of Tellus abilities. He didn't know what she would do once she had it, but he knew it wouldn't be good. <br/>
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Sebastian turned away from Ayaan once he was settled, not wanting to tip Lydia off to anything. He feared he was already too late, as Lydia had her eyes narrowed at them, flickering between the two of them suspiciously. Sebastian cleared his throat so that her gaze settled fully on him again and plowed on to distract her. <br/>
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"Tellus is about strength. Strength of mind, strength of body, strength of heart, strength of will, and on it goes. This is why most Tellus you see are muscularly built and have low emotional output. The majority, if not all, of us undergo rigorous training every day to build up our muscles. We build for strength, not aesthetic, so these workouts are very specific. Female Tellus go through the same training as male Tellus, so I will set you up with this regimen starting tomorrow morning. <br/>
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"I suggest you be here at sunrise, to give yourself enough time for everything we need to and all of your other duties as the Lady of the estate." <br/>
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Lydia grinned, nodding sharply. She was clearly excited by the prospect of getting started on her new abilities. The glint in her eye made Sebastian's fingers twitch towards his sword, but he refrained. Killing her right now, without cause, was a good way to be hunted the rest of your life. And a good way to get Ayaan blown in the wind, shunted off to some other lady or lord. While they might have been a better option than Lydia, they might also have been worse than her. Sebastian couldn't risk that. <br/>
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"But, as I said, it is not just about strength of body. It is strength of mind, emotion, heart, will. The best way we Tellus have found to accomplish these things is through meditation. Some meditate every morning and every night. For training Tellus, it is recommended. I try to mediate at noon every day, or when my schedule allows it, but I have been practicing my control for many years. This is another reason you should arrive early tomorrow. It will give us time to attempt meditation before your strength training."<br/>
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Lydia rolled her eyes so hard, Sebastian was concerned they'd get stuck in the back of her head. "Yes, yes, I get it. Now, tell me how to call on my Tellus magic."<br/>
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Sebastian eyeballed her warily for a moment, but he had no choice, so he plowed on. "If Tellus is about strength, then you must use strength to call on it. This is accomplished by pulling your Tellus abilities towards you. Every Tellus imagines doing this in different ways. I personally picture a long rope stretching into oblivion. I picture grabbing the rope and yanking it towards me with all my might. This is a common way to picture your Tellus call and an easy one to start with. Why don't you try now and see what you can do?"<br/>
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Lydia turned her gaze on Ayaan, holding a hand out to him. A wicked smirk curled the sharp corners of her mouth. Her eyes glinted dangerously. "Ayaan, sweetheart, hold my hand. You know how your support helps me," she purred. <br/>
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Sebastian was disgusted. He wanted to reach out and wrench her hand away, to tell Ayaan that he didn't have to touch her if he didn't want to. He ground his teeth together, making something pop in his jaw, the muscles shifting, and remained silent. </span></span>