The Shamans Gather

[Aurora]

A small nod, “I think some people never really know if they will struggle or thrive until they are in that type of environment. I also think age plays a big part in something like that and maybe even life experience.” Looking to him, “What do you think?” she knows a much young Aurora, i.e, Faye, would not have thrived in an educational environment.

“I’ve heard good and bad things about home schooling, but I think it’s all in how it’s presented. I’ve never been in that situation, so I don’t think I can form an educated opinion on it. But if it provided you with what you needed, and you’ve been able to thrive and get to where you need to be, provided you the tools you needed, then it was great.” And that was all she could say on it.

“I used to be that way, keep my mouth shut and keep my thoughts to myself to avoid rocking the boat. But as the years went on and I learned that doing that meant I became complacent in how things were going, I stopped. I will make my thoughts known, my opinions known and if it creates ripples and hurt feelings, then I’ll just deal with them. Over time you learn that you cannot please everyone, there is always someone looking to find a reason to not like you, and sometimes, some things just need to be said.” Shrugging.

“Ehh, I don’t know that I do. I just brew a lot of beer and taste a lot of it.” Laughing. “The equipment is what will cost you the most. Though the basic kits are very affordable now, less than a hundred, my equipment though? That’s an investment. But you do need things like the glass carboys. The ingredients are not expensive at all, depending if you get a kit or not. Kits run about seventy dollars for six to seven gallons.” Either way, it was an investment at first.

Catching the look, “What? What did I say?” thinking over what she said.

“I had considered it, thought of opening up a bar serving my own beer. But the licensing that goes into that is crazy. So I’ve been on the fence about for a couple years. And yeah, my body is going to give out at some point, and I refuse to use magic to keep it going, I’ve never used it in any of my shows before, and I’ll never start.” She had always been naturally flexible, and magic was not going to enhance it. No.

Smiling, “Thank you! The grill is my main source of cooking.”

Laughing with a shake of her head, “It’s not a competition. And share whatever you want, there’s no pressure.” Taking a sip of her beer. Though it was always interesting to hear the Awakened that were at one point married. It was something she never understood, tying yourself down.

A shrug to Skye, “It comes with the degree of fame I have. You learn to be gracious and smile, though I don’t shake hands.” No touching.

“Well, my schooling was in my teenage years. That’s when I was able to audition, get accepted and was able to get a passport and all that. The school accepts students as young as nine, but it’s a difficult school to get into and it took me a few auditions to get in.” she wasn’t ashamed of that, it meant she had to work hard.

Shaking her head, “No, there really isn’t. You either learn to divide your attention and put a few things off until later, or you burn yourself out. I’ve learned to put a few things off until later. I hate it, but I won’t let myself burn out, it’s just not worth it in the long run.” Not to her anyways.
She listens as she takes a bite, nodding.

“It’s nice to see that we’ve all walked a different path in life, and yet we’ve all found it to lead us here. To Sacramento.” she says, "Though it's amazing to me that one of you was married and one was almost married. I'm always amazed by that course of life. Not that there is anything wrong with it, just the whole thing." shrugging.

[Asclepius]

The Arrow simply nodded at Skye's comments on regret. He did not agree but the point was not worth pressing, he assumed that her different life choices had lead her to this conclusion and he would not argue against it.

Looking to Aurora. “I agree, with age comes wisdom and also with age comes a difference perception of life. Best thing to really do is, just decide if you think that you are ready for it and just jump in with both feet.” If it was meant to work, then it would find a way.

Sliding in a comment about when school starts as Skye seems to convey a lack of understanding on the matter. “Early schooling starts around 5-6 years of age but it is possible to get an early start to school then that.”

A smile forms as Aurora outlines her perspective on when and when not to speak her mind on something. “As did I, but all it lead to was people thinking that my silence was weakness. For what it is worth, I welcome people to speak up on something they have issue, with the way I conduct myself. I want someone to tell me if they don't like what I do so I can at least make any interaction with me a little easier for them. However it is also like you said, you take me as I am or not at all.” easier words to say then live by.

A raised eyebrow to his fellow Arrows assessment on what he said to them both. “I would not call it torture, did it have stress? Yea, but it was also a fantastic way of gaining life skills and many other things outside the academia. I won't deny we did have some people in our study groups that struggled for friends and such but I have found that it was those people that have always gone above and beyond to keep that friendship strong.”

The Arrow did not know much about anything on the business side of things but it was not hard to imagine there was a lot of red tape to cover. “I can only begin to imagine the stress and paperwork hell it is to get something like that going. Bot to mention the food safety standards to boot.” He nodded with interest to Aurora's insights on alcohol production. “That is a lot cheaper then I imagined.”

I suppose Aurora does not register how unique of an experience she just described was. “Sorry, I didn't mean make you question what you said. It was a lot to take in and I feel like my eyes are opened just a little bit wider to who you are or were in this case.”

Nodding as Skye outlined her childhood. “It is perhaps due to that freedom and structure in your life that you were able to survive alone and become the woman you are today. I am glad you can look back and cherish your experiences.”

Why would I not want her to answer about deserts? Does she not like ice-cream?or is it... Ooooh its the hunting and perhaps the gruesome dishes she has to make while hunting. “You know what Skye? Knowing your skills and what you told me on that camping trip. Yes perhaps that was a silly question to ask.”

The Arrow listened with interest as Aurora detailed the struggles with getting into auditions and the school following the auditions. “That would be some crazy pressure for a nine year old. Props to anyone that can make it without dropping out.”

Offering his thoughts on marriage being as it was something Aurora had thought was amazing that each of the shamans were in difference instances with it. “To me, Marriage is one of those things that when you know the person you are with is the only person you can see yourself committed to. To many people get married and just sleep outside of it. No real judgement, of course, but its not my cup of tea. I always look at it as, If you chase it then it will be meaningless, but if you let it come to you then you will know the power of love that a marriage needs. That of course is not to say that everyone should find someone to marry, I am certain I have met people perfectly happy with the way they handle relationships without it. Truth be told, my wife blind sided me with the suggestion of marriage because I was always a little blind to most of her hints.”

The Arrow chuckles a little as it seemed that the three Shamans seemed to have one thing in common between them, that wasn't the arcana. “Ladies, we all can't be boring and dull. See right there is something of interest Skye. You just said you were scouted for the Olympics... another incredible claim to ones own achievement. If you are willing, I would love to hear more.”

The Arrow took a moment before answering Skye's question, pondering how to answer without sounding too much like a mood killer. “Well, no. I have not considered being a firefighter, for the moment my time is quite busy enough with being a shaman and also doing the EMT work. As for why I became being an EMT, lets just say I had a family incident that caused me to realise that the world did not have enough EMTs and wanted to dedicate my time to saving people from having that experience.” a vague and loose way of describing it but enough to satisfy the question.