Cold Shoulders Breeds Resentment (Aurora)

Aurora floated nearby to the mountain of frappe, watching it with something approaching suspicion. After she had recovered from the... after effects, lets call it, of that 'alcohol' stuff that she had drunk when she met Zhalla and Dion, she had spent some time with Zhalla at her lodgings, simply asking questions about earthling culture and history. As it turned out, despite its relatively low impact upon the galactic scale and general inability of Earthlings to leave one's system if they didn't have access to Ki, Earth had... something of a rich tapestry of history and multiple different aspects of its culture that were close to mind boggling for the Arcosian. Buildings with purposes such as that... 'bar', as it was apparently named by the locals, were in fact rather common and a simple aspect of life that multiple beings here participated in, and not something only the elite or those with a love for the dangerous indulged in. She supposed it may be due to most earthlings having a naturally low PL. Hard to hurt property or one another when you're naturally held back by your own body. If it weren't for the living proof that they could grow stronger that was Zhalla and Dion, Aurora might have actually felt something approaching... pity, she supposed, towards the earthlings. A cursed existence they lived, for sure.

However, the Arcosian had picked up something of a little tid bit of information from Zhalla as they talked. Apparently there was something of a... rumour, or myth? She wasn't quite sure of the difference, but either way it was said that whenever a female steps upon the mountain, a blizzard begins to blow. Such a thing... well, she had experienced it herself, but she wished to make sure. Floating down carefully through the air, northern winds rushing against her in a pleasant manner, she sets down just before the clearly labelled beginning of the mountain. She wasn't... entirely too sure how they managed to define such a thing. Perhaps sending a woman walking backwards until the blizzard stops? If it was magic, that would certainly work. Well, only really one way to test whether or not that was true. Gingerly, Aurora moved her leg forward, her purple and three toed foot landing upon the other side. And... nothing. The world remained still, and Aurora felt her excitement die along with the multitude of ideas that had begun to run through her head. With a sigh, she slouched and moved to take a step into the mountain. Might as well train in such an area that she was comfortable with and wasn't filled to the brim with civilians and those that could witness her.

However, the moment her head crossed the literal line in the dirt, a ghostly howl was heard from the mountain. The howl continued, long and low and only increasing in volume as all of a sudden a wall of white approached from the slopes of mount Frappe, wind screaming and tearing at her as the blizzard began to kick up in full force. A smile began to grow upon Aurora's face, looking almost out of place upon her usually scowling countenance, even as she raised her arms up to her face to block the initial impact of the wind against her body. This was good indeed! This meant that she was right, and that what was going on here had to be magic. She wasn't entirely sure about the specifics of it, however, and didn't really understand much about the topic, but if she could somehow get her hands upon whatever was causing the blizzard in the first place, then perhaps she could learn how to use it from there. Arcosians had always had a natural affinity for the cold and ice, so... it couldn't be too hard, right?

Magic was something that the people upon Arcose were aware of, butt weren't sure of the details. Long ago it had been nothing but myth and conjecture, and most had passed it off as mere tricks. Deception, smoke and mirrors, sometimes outright lies, and for the most part they had been correct. But over time, magic turned into something more... common, perhaps was the better word. Things being moved without anyone touching them, rays of light and formations within the sky when the Aurora wasn't due to happen. A variety of different little occurrences, all of which were recorded and studied when possible, coupled with the arrival of beings such as demons, shinjin and even a few unknown races lead to the confirmation of the existence of magic. Such news had apparently sparked excitement all over the world as magic users came out of hiding all over Arcose, capable of feats such as telekinesis and other such abilities. However... that had been a long time ago, and nowadays magic was something that was simply accepted upon Arcose. 

During her years of schooling, while there had been those that were super into the topic of magic, both the legitimate thing and the simple tricks, Aurora had most certainly not been one of them. Too focused upon maintaining the status quo as one of the more popular students within the school, she hadn't bothered with what at the time she had seen as merely childish games that distracted from her studies and her social life. Right now... as she stood in the blizzard, holding her arms out and looking like a complete idiot, she was beginning to regret that decision. There had even been courses, official courses, she could have taken, but as she wasn't naturally capable of using Magic instinctively... well, it had seemed like a stupid thing to do. And now here she was, both ages later and not at all, standing in the middle of what she at most thought was a magically induced blizzard, on a planet that wasn't home, and slowly growing more and more frustrated.

Eventually she couldn't stand it any longer and burst upwards with a wordless shout of rage, flying into the air and stepping back out of the border that defined Mt. Frappe. She glared with an almost startling intensity towards the mountain, then down at the line that signified where it began as the blizzard seemed to almost immediately stop. It had to be magical, but she had no idea how to go any further than that. It was beyond infuriating, and if she didn't have more self control than a child she might have hit something. As it was however, she spent a small time doing her best to try and calm down and think things through. Getting emotional wouldn't help her at all. Arcosians weren't like the Saiyans. Their best weapon was thought and logic. So, she decided to use said weapons as she mulled over the situation and what she knew.

Right in front of her was a display of magic, something that she wished to learn in order to augment her own abilities. Unfortunately, in order to do that you seemingly needed at least a basic understanding of the way magic worked, something that she did not. Aurora had initially thought to rely upon her body, as her species seemed to have at least some natural affinity for the arcane arts, even if it was only in very select and rare cases, statistically. Yet she had been proven quite clearly wrong, feeling nothing but the blizzard despite her best attempts. So that meant... that meant... she needed to gain the ability to cast magic, or to at least sense and... she wasn't sure of the correct terminology, but... attune with it? Perhaps? But how would she manage that? Well... to learn something you didn't know, you either needed to experiment or to find someone to teach you. So she had two options.

Experimentation typically required a starting point, something to mess with and to record the results. It required time, patience and a scientific approach that couldn't really be rushed. Aurora... had none of that. She couldn't sense the faintest spark of magic, had no idea how to manifest it or even if she was capable of such a feat, admittedly did not have a 'scientific mind' as she had put it, and certainly didn't have the time necessary to spend trying to not only find any of those prior requirements but to actually conduct the experiments until she got it right. So that left only a single option. She needed a teacher, or at least someone related to magic in close enough a way that they would be able to help her. But where on earth, or any of the galaxy's planets, would she find someone like that? She couldn't very well go to Arcose, or another other... any other saiyan controlled planet, and the outer space worlds or worlds like earth were so... so... disorganised or generally didn't place enough emphasis upon acts of magic that it'd be too difficult to find anyone to teach her it.

Aurora glanced downwards as she heard a voice, snapping out of her thoughts as she mulled over the problem before her. There was some sort of.. creature, looking up at her. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at, if she was honest. It looked a little like a human in the general shape of its body, and that's as far as the resemblance went. Sinking down in the air, the Arcosian made her way down to the ground. Snow and dead, frozen blades of grass crunched beneath her weight as she landed and crossed her arms, surprisingly still looking down at the being before her. It certainly was short. Barely over three feet, if she had to guess. It had lightish red... no, perhaps pink was a more apt term for its skin colour, and two horns sprouted from the top of its forehead, although one was cracked off from something that had obviously occurred a long while ago. However, before Aurora could keep analysing this... pink midget, her scouter activated itself (an emergency feature), and began to frantically ping her. a single glance towards the white screen of the machine quickly told Aurora why, however, as her eyes sprang wide and her red pupils dilated to almost twice their size out of sheer shock.

The tiny being before her, looking up at Aurora with seemingly innocent curiosity, had possibly the highest Power Level the Arcosian had ever seen. Perhaps even ever heard of. A single wave of this... this monster's hand could quite possibly break the Arcosian, and she quickly and seriously entertained the thought of fleeing. It could be a trap, or it could be something even worse behind that face. Yet she quickly shut that idea down. If it had wanted to hurt or kill her, it- no, he, could have done so without her even being aware of his existence. She needed to calm down and think. This was most likely just a simple chance encounter, so she should treat it as such. That being said... as much as she would prefer to keep her desires a secret, she didn't exactly like the thought of lying to such a powerful being. "I-" She begins, before she sudden;y found herself tongue tied in what to say. But she had to answer. "I'm uh... I'm here t-to learn magic." She said, unsure as to if the uncharacteristic stuttering was from fear or embarrassment.

"My species has always been able to use it. Or at least... some of us. A-and this mountain has some sort of magic on it that creates a blizzard whenever a female steps in there." She gestures at herself, fully aware that her species didn't subscribe to the typical versions of such gender roles, but she was comfortable both mentally and physically as a woman. It seemed the mountain agreed, judging by the magical blizzard that started up as she dipped her head past the line for an example, before it died once more as she pulled herself once again behind the line. "But um... well... I have no idea what i'm doing. I tried to... i'm not sure. Commune with the magic? However... nothing." She sighs. "I've been trying to think over what to do, and currently my only idea is to find someone who..." She trails off, before looking towards this being before her. If anyone was going to know who could teach her magic, it would be him. "Actually, I don't suppose you would know anyone who could teach me magic, mr., um, sorry. Your name is?"

Aurora was... having a little trouble believing what she was seeing, right now. Was the scouter correct? Surely there had to have been some sort of malfunction for it to believe that this being before her was an extremely powerful... whatever it, he, was. The power level it was projecting indicated that this small, horned... whatever it was was capable of blowing up the very planet they stood upon. After all, he had just tilted his head to the point that he had fallen over. Like some sort of newborn. This was.. she was so confused. But nevertheless, confusion did not mean she should begin to act stupidly. The scouter was made to analyse power levels, and so she was going to choose to believe it until she was given a reason that she shouldn't do so. Better safe than sorry, she believed the earthling saying was. This decision was further ingrained in her when, after calling her confusing (let it go, let it go), he then mentioned that he had never met an Arcosian who could use magic before, which was reasonable she supposed. What really caught her off guard however was the knowledge that he knew what she was, and that meant that she was not only outclassed in terms of power level, but also i knowledge. 

"I am afraid that you have me at a disadvantage. While I don't... don't mean to be rude, i'm not entirely sure what species you are. I hope that's not offensive." She says to him, cringing backwards a little bit in a futile attempt to dodge any attack that might come her way, without looking like she was. Habit, really, as she knew for sure that she had no chance against this... thing if he decided to seriously destroy her. This was her first time being in such a close proximity to a being that could be on the same level as those that had... those that had fought over her home, and taken it afterwards. To see it right now, in front of her? The sheer gap in their abilities felt like more of a yawning chasm than the bridge to cross that she had imagined it to be, and that thought sent a shiver of... something down her. She didn't know. It wasn't good, whatever it was. For a moment, hopelessness flooded through her, but before it could go any further she... well, again, she wasn't sure what happened even as a flood of determination ran through her. A burning anger and rage that swept away the hopelessness. She would make it there. No matter what. 

And that determination was almost immediately rewarded as the small being, Yanwang, spoke up once more. Her eyes widened in shock and surprised as he... as he offered to teach her magic? Of course, he almost immediately retracted that he knew anything about it, but that couldn't have been all true or he wouldn't have offered. Plus, even if it shamefully turned out that it was correct, he was still extremely powerful and certainly had some tips she could use, right? That alone would be enough for her, even enough to disregard his comment about her being weird, which had initially brought a small scowl to her face. "Then... thank you, Yanwang, for your he-" She begins, before Aurora's heart beats and her mouth drops open slightly as she registers exactly what he had said at the end of his sentence.

Arcose... that was... He was... The Arcosian had been doing her best to try and avoid thinking about her lost home. Any time she had thought about it there had only been emotional pain, sometimes to the point that she swore she could feel it physically. Despite the fact that she was here... that she was doing all of this for Arcose, for her people, even the very thought of her home in the hands of the saiyans was enough to bring forward a small block in her throat, and the familiar rage and sorrow that she now recognised as the reason she had overcome her previous hopelessness. "Arcose..." She began, swallowing past the lump in her throat and doing her best to avoid her voice from cracking as she debated exactly what she should say. This was a powerful being, so beyond her. It wasn't exactly her place to advise him. But despite that, whether it was out of something approaching concern for the short Yanwang, or her own need deep down to talk about it, she continued. "I would be careful going there. It was... Recently it was taken. By the- By the Saiyans. they rule it and my people now. Chances are things are still somewhat hectic. Arcosians would not stand for such a manner of taking power, and they might be... testy at the arrival of... of a being such as you." 

Aurora then realised exactly what she was saying, and more importantly what she was showing in front of someone that was not only quite incredibly strong but also a complete stranger. Clearing her throat with a few motions, she nods and pounds her chest lightly in a futile attempt to try and clear up the tightness found within there. "A-Anyways, yes. I will happily accept any help you are willing to offer me in... in the magical arts, as for obvious reasons i very well cannot contact my... the Arcosian government." She says to Yanwang, before looking away as she corrects herself. Not her government. Not anymore. She needed to remember that, when the time came. There were bound to be some Arcosians on the saiyan side, after all. traitors who believed in might above all. She needed to start distancing herself from those sorts, or when the time came she might not be able to do what needed to be done. Nodding to herself, she shakes her head and looks back up towards Mt. Frappe. "So... have you got any ideas? Because I'll be honest... I only had the one."

An... Ogre? Aurora had heard of those before, but only really in textbooks and rumours from on high and the like. She had certainly never seen one in person before. Physically wise it was... well, she hated to admit it but a little underwhelming. The word 'Ogre' often brought about the image of a towering wall of muscle and strength, not a small, child looking being with a cracked horn and what seemed to be a head quite literally too big for its shoulders. However, the power level once again made up for the... lacking physical level, she supposed. If all Ogres were this strong, then she supposed it was a very good thing that they seemed to be somewhat rare. And it seemed like he had just told her why they were so rare, as she looked down at him with something like shock or surprise running through her. While yes, the afterlife was something that was supposedly a real thing, what with the rare reappearance of dead heroes and enemies that had been recorded over the ages, to actually meet a supposed denizen of such a place was... exciting, actually. It meant that there actually was something after death, as there had of course still been those who had been sceptical back on Arcose. 

"You're... great power." She murmurs in response, watching as he flexes his arms as her brow raises. "Yes, you are rather strong." She continues, not minding giving him a compliment even as her mind began to work. The way he was acting... see, at first she had thought it was just a culture thing. This 'Kami' knew that she had certainly not known much about the culture of Earth when she had first arrived, but this was... this was different she felt. This behaviour wasn't that of a clash of cultures, it was more like the boasting of a child? The muscle flexing, the straight to the point attitude without much (if any) tact. Perhaps this being wasn't some ancient power, and was actually, possibly, rather young? Yet she didn't dare ask, the risk of offending Yanwang being far too great to bother satisfying her curiosity. Her frown returns, however, as he continues to talk and acknowledges that Arcose was in 'some big trouble'. That was certainly a way to put it, and she wasn't sure if she was happy with the way he had put that. While he was quite possibly a child, that was still her home, and her people, who were suffering and- (you can do it Aurora) and dying under Saiyan rule.

Yet the surprises weren't over as he stated that not only did he plan on visiting Arcose, but also beating up the ruler of the Saiyans. Her heart soared for a moment at the very idea of such a powerful being doing something like that, fighting for her people, but her more pessimistic and serious part of her brain quickly shut that down. As strong as this Ogre was, she was willing to bet that the Saiyan queen was just as strong, if not stronger. Not only that, but even if he was able to challenge her? It would just be... just be a repeat of what had happened to her. The death, the screaming. She wouldn't wish that upon anyone, not even the Saiyans. A small spark of anger and indignation rose within her at the very thought of it, and it began to grow stronger as he mentioned that to him it was nothing more than a test for himself. She opened her to speak, but closed it for a moment before anything came out. If she was right, he was just a child. Perhaps a softer approach was better. 

"A test is all well and good. It's good to try and stay strong." She starts, looking up towards the mountain. After all, that was why she was here, right? To test herself, to grow stronger. "But Yanwang, you need to remember that there are other people. People far weaker than you and others, somewhat like me. Beings of your power level and the Saiyan Queen's... The collateral is something major. I..." Is she sure she wanted to say this? ...Yes. It could help, and stop it from happening again. "I lost my family, when the Saiyans took over Arcose. It was a stray Ki Blast. Not even aimed at them, but strong enough to wipe them out like-" Her fingers snapped "-that." A lump was beginning to form in her throat, and she suspected she would be crying right now if she hadn't lost the ability to. "So just..." She looks down at him, red eyes pleading. "If you really wish to test yourself, don't involve others in it. Or..." Her eyes harden and she stares forward once more. "You might just get what's coming to you."

Then she shakes her head, and realises what she was saying in front of a child. "But anyway, best not to dwell upon that. So you learnt your magic, or rather get your magic, from that bag?" She glances towards said bag. It looked... rather simple, actually. Hard to imagine that it was magical. Then again, it had been pretty much established that she didn't know anything close to magic, so it might be going off like a bomb to those that were canny enough to sense it. She wouldn't know. A second bag almost immediately crossed her mind, but he quickly shut that one down with his tone as he mentioned the chances of that happening as well. A shame, for sure, but Aurora supposed she could live with that. After all, she wished to learn the ice magic of the mountain, and having a crutch such as that bag wasn't something she needed. No short cuts. No easy way through. She needed to grow strong firmly and without any chance of her being blindsided by a weakness or her own incompetence without a crutch to rely upon. 

"I doubt we'll find something that we don't go searching for, and for a ghost to simply be randomly out he-" Aurora says in response, before cutting herself short as she remembers the multitude of encounters with various strange peoples ever since she had come to the planet. The moment she had stepped from her pod things had been strange, and thus she supposed it wasn't actually too far fetched to expect a random encounter with exactly who they were looking for. That being said, however. "I don't suppose you would know someone who could teach me?" She asks, looking down towards Yanwang. "Surely there's someone in the universe."

"The strongest person ever, hm?" Aurora says down towards Yanwang, a small smile touching her face. While she most certainly doubted that, with the existence of the the Saiyans that had taken over Arcose being a point in her favour, it wasn't as if she could disprove it. Plus... it seemed he was taking her words on board, which was something she was close to infinitely grateful for. Because of that, she supposed it couldn't hurt to indulge him. "Yes, you are rather big and strong." She grins down to him. "And the strongest of all need to remember about the weaker people, or they won't be the strongest for very long." It probably wasn't the best idea to try and turn it into a lesson, but she didn't have very long with the small ogre child, so she needed to try and cram his head with as many ideas as possible, as subtly as she could. In a way, he kind of... reminded her of her little brother, and the thought widened her smile further even as the memory tore her to shreds within her mind, the screaming echoing throughout it once more before she put a stopper on that. 

Then his words made her pause, an ice cold feeling running down her back as she stared at the ogre for a moment, only barely remembering that she needed to keep walking in order to stay with him. Moving her legs one at a time, she looks down towards him with as gentle a mask as she could manage, even as internally her mind stuttered and stopped, confusion and hope and worry and a million other emotions began to war within her. BRING THEM BACK?! SHE COULD BRING THEM BACK?! The very idea was... enticing, and scary, but most of all it was baffling. There was no way for her to bring them back, right? That's what she had thought. They hadn't been 'great heroes' in the eyes of the public. Just in the eyes of her. But here, this denizen of the afterlife... He was telling her that there was a way to bring them back? "T-these.. dragon balls. I-if they can bring back the dead... where are they? How do I get them?" She questioned this child, an almost manic note in her eyes before she forced herself to calm. She didn't want him to be scared off, and because of that she continued to listen to the rest of what he was tallking about, even if it was almost certainly NOT as important as what he had just oh so casually mentioned to her. 

Oh, it was about the magic. Yes, she supposed that was certainly going to be useful. It may help her obtain these dragon balls, wherever they were being kept. "It seems you and the bag are rather bonded." Was all she had to say on the first manner, although his idea about meeting the Kami of this planet... well, if there was anyone she was going to learn magic from, it would preferably be the best of the best. "I, uh... thank you, Yanwang. I will try to find this Kami, but I'll try it on my own terms. Now... about those dragon balls?" If there was any chance she could fix things, or at least get them back... she had to take it. She didn't care if it went against what may constitute a natural order, all she wanted was for the pain..., all she wanted was for the pain to go away. To hug her brother again, and laugh with her parents. If everything could go back to how it was. But... that wasn't how this was going to work, she suspected. It never was.

Aurora's teeth ground against each other as she swallowed and did her best not to look too much like she was freaking out. Why was this the first time she had heard of these... these dragon balls?! They could be exactly what she's looking for, the key to everything and the solution to forcing the Saiyans off of her home! She nodded as Yanwang continued to talk about how strong he was, not exactly paying all too much attention as her mind raced. She was pretty strong now. Perhaps wherever these dragon balls were, she'd be strong enough to take them? The arcosian would hate to make an enemy, but the prospect of being able to- to bring her family back... It was far too good for her to pass up. However, before she could continue Yanwang kept speaking and she found her thoughts brought to a grinding halt by a wave of disappointment and indecision. They were lost, all over the planet? She needed a special device to find them? She didn't have TIME for that! She was barely progressing in strength as it was, there was no way she could continue with her plans AND go on some wild chase across the planet without a device that was apparently needed, no matter the fact that she had no clue what it looked like or where to get it.

That familiar feeling of hopelessness began to well up inside the Arcosian as her dreams and hope were dashed once more, brutally torn away, and if she didn't pride herself upon her self control she might have even hated Yanwang for doing such a thing, especially when he mentioned that on top of all the challenges before her (where she didn't even know to start), there would be others around her level who were also looking for these Dragon Balls. It was... It was a hopeless, pipe dream. Perhaps one day, after she had succeeded in her efforts, she might be able to bring them back. To show them what she had accomplished, and to live a normal life. It was that thought alone that kept her together as they walked there, clinging to the vague and faint promise of 'eventually', to the very idea of being able to help them once it was all over. The alternative, now that she actually knew there was an alternative... Aurora wouldn't allow to that happen. They had been taken before their time, in a manner unfitting... anyone really. Saiyan, Arcosian and anywhere in between. No one deserved to die as an afterthought or a mistake.

"This Kami certainly sounds like someone I need to meet." She muses to the child, even as around them the blizzard began to howl and tear at them with seemingly renewed vigour. She had been following the direction towards the mountain, and was willing to bet that they were getting closer to... well, to whatever was the source of the blizzard. "If they're able to help me, I would... well, I would be very appreciative. I'm not sure how i'd be able to pay them back, but i'm sure i'll think of something." Of course, she knew what a Kami was, even though she had never met or even seen one before. Guardians of planets that were typically referred to as Gods, although to her people they had been seen as more of a crutch or a relic of a bygone age. Then again, she had to wonder how much of that was spite or envy towards those planets with Guardians, as Arcose had, as far as she was aware at least, not had one in many centuries or possibly ever. The prospect of meeting such a being made a variety of emotions well up, from excitement and nervousness to something approaching in built racial disdain. Not that she would show that of course. The Arcosian had a better grip on herself than that, something which had been shown time and time again.

Yanwang continued to talk, and as her turned towards the magic of his bag she paid more attention. Inside of it? Hm, how curious. It looked like it might fit him, if he curled up, but the Arcosian was willing to bet that what he meant was that the magic bag could fit more than it looked like. That was a pretty staple thing about magic, right? What few books she had read about it upon Arcose during her time in school had always mentioned such a thing, although she wasn't entirely sure about how reliable works of fiction could be when put up against the real world. The duo continued to walk, Aurora taking on board that this 'Nashi' person, who Yanwang had talked about twice now she noted, would probably be her best bet to get to the Kami of Earth. Yet he didn't say where to find Nashi, which was oddly infuriating and somewhat regular. A sigh leaves her as she realises it would be more work, but that was hardly going to stop her. Her fists clench in determination, and they continue on forward.

As they walked, the blizzard only seemed to intensify, getting to the point that the wind was buffeting up against the pair strong enough for them to actually feel it, and the snow was so thick and voluminous that the duo could barely see more than a foot. Aurora's hand almost instinctively reached out to grab Yanwang's shoulder gently but firmly, to ensure they don't get lost as she hiked up her knees and tried to push through the wave of snow that was all around her. The blizzard was so strong that she wasn't sure she'd be able to fly her way through, and didn't want to risk it beyond using Ki to reinforce her back and keep her moving forward. They were almost there! They just- needed - to-! All of a sudden, the howling and tearing gale quieted, the snow disappeared and the force against her simply vanished as the Arcosian fell forward and almost face planted into the... ice beneath her?

Looking up from where she had caught herself on the ground and Yanwang's shoulder, Aurora's eyes widened at the sight before her. It was a cave, but unlike one she had ever seen. Ice coated the walls of the cave, so smooth it looked as if it had been carved, and within the ice danced lights of innumerable number and colour. A soft, peaceful feeling settled over the duo, as Aurora peered even further into the cave towards where a soft blue light was emanating, brighter than all the dancing lights around them and beckoning the two. "Come on..." She murmurs as she stands and begins to slowly make her way forward.

The two continued forward, through the multicoloured cave. Around them the ghostly lights in the walls danced, showering them in various tiny little rays of light that reflected off of Aurora's bio armour. Curiously enough, she noted that despite all the colours going everywhere, Yanwang's bag seemed to be completely untouched by them and kept in darkness. That was rather... curious. Perhaps the effects of it being a magical artefact? She'll find out. Her lack of knowledge in this field was exactly the reason as to why she was here, after all. She didn't bother to reply to the majority of what Yanwang said, her actions being good enough to answer for her as she had gotten up and looked perfectly unharmed. As for the questions that did not have immediate, physical answers... "I wish to learn magic because I have a goal." She answers as they turn the corner of the tunnel, being met with yet another corridor of these dancing lights, but the further they travelled the more the lights seemed to darken and fade out. "I want to free my home, yet I cannot fight those who have taken it. No more than I could fight you. They're just.. so far above me." She reaches an arm out to touch one of the dancing lights, trapped behind the walls of ice as it was, yet it seemed to almost... flee before her touch. 

Watching the light race up the wall and away from her, she looks back down towards Yanwang as they continue to walk. "Magic... is not something my people can do. Well, there have always been a few, extremely rare Arcosians capable of telekinetic powers but aside from that my kind seem to have almost an aversion to it. This is why I want to learn the arts."  That soft blue light seemed to grow stronger with each step that they took, and seemed to almost be... overpowering the dancing lights? She wasn't entirely sure what was happening there, even as despite the stronger lights the duo only seemed to be stepping further and further into darkness. Her hand reached out to lightly touch upon Yanwang's as the darkness began to envelop them. The few lights remaining danced but did not provide them with sight, and the soft blue glow had quickly transformed into a harsh light, almost blinding to look at as they continued onward and into what she suspected was the heart of the mountain and its magic.

"It would allow me to..." Aurora continues to talk, except this time it served not only the purpose of answering Yanwang's question but also distracting her from the mounting nervousness within her. The calm feeling was no longer friendly, it was almost overpowering. Suffocating. It beat at her mind, ripping and shredding whatever other emotions she was feeling and pressing down upon her thoughts. It ordered that she was okay. It commanded that she wasn't afraid. But with a shake of her head, Aurora fought the feeling. This wasn't right, she knew that, and did her best to fight off the feeling as they continued to walk. "It would give me an advantage in a fight, plus a trump card an enemy could not expect. I will need all the advantages and help I can get, whether through allies or my own might, if I'm going to take back my home and... restore my family's legacy. Now come on, we have to be almost there." The dancing lights were gone by now, leaving nothing but empty walls, the darkness surrounding them and the blue light. The closer they stepped, the larger and harsher it grew until it was almost blinding, forcing Aurora to close her eyes even as her heartbeat alternated between calm and afraid. They stepped into the light...

And into something she was sure she wouldn't forget, no matter how long she lived. The pale blue light was no longer oppressive, and instead suffused the place around them. It was a moderately sized, circular area covered in jagged ice and rock along the walls. The floor was snow, and a howling sound made her look up, eyes widening as she realised the ceiling was little more than a swirling mass of snow and hail. Those same dancing lights could be seen, except these were only that same shade of blue, and floated freely throughout the air of the.. cavern, she supposed. Yet the most eye catching part of the entire room was the pillar. It stood in the exact centre of the room, tall enough to pierce the blizzard ceiling and presumably keep going after it disappears from view. It was a darker blue than the room around it, almost navy, and made of perfectly carved ice. Completely smooth, yet with edges at specific places, forming it into an almost octagonal cylinder. 

Aurora didn't need Yanwang to tell her that the place was magical. She could feel it. It crawled over her skin like smog, making her shiver from something other than the cold. Wait... the cold? When had she been bothered by that? Her species came from an ice planet. Yet despite both of these factors, there was... something in her head. Beyond the oppressive calm and the fear beneath it, there was... a call. Slowly she stepped forward, towards the pillar in the centre, the snow beneath her foot crunching as she presses down on it. She continued to move, slowly, towards the pillar as the call within her mind grew with each step. Yet, when she was a mere metre away, she stopped. The sound resonated out within her mind, urging, yelling, screaming at her to touch it. But she was stronger than that. Her fingers hesitated from where she had been about to touch the pillar. Was she sure she wanted to do this? This place could not be trusted, she knew that, but... there was really only one way forward. 

Her fingers stretched out, landing lightly upon the crystal, and the world around her shook. The walls ripped, jagged and sudden as something roared through their minds. No. Not something, Aurora realises even as her form shifts whilst a wave of ice ripples over her body and something takes hold. Ice. Frost. Blizzards. Snow. Cold.

WINTER. 
 
Aurora is currently stationary and touching the pillar in her True form. OOC wise this is her gaining the basics of access to magic