Fastidious and Precise

    The Baroness Wake keeps a very strict schedule these days. She rises before the sun and awaits its coming at the base of the great tower. She is still working on a proper name for it. But that isn't important right now. What is important is that Wake has brought some important items for her day. A stack of books and two cups made, apparently, of wood.

    Wake strikes a pose of absolute calm as she stares towards the sky to the south. There's something about the mix of morning mist, the endless roar of the falls, and the deliciously clean taste in the air that makes the Baroness smile. But only slightly.

Ayame, meanwhile, has taken advantage of the brief break in the weather to relax. The secretarial sylph has already prepared a précis of the daily reports; an early riser, herself, it seems. She smiles a touch as the sounds of heels on stone are heard, and she stands, gathering papers and following the sounds with quick little steps of her own - a small bow of her head as she rounds the corner for the Baroness "Good morning" She offers politely, setting the prepared papers down. It's hardly smoothly professional, but at least the quick eye to look things over will help

    Wake, without hesitation, slides into a curtsey, as she always does. With her skirts spread out, there's a sense that she's simply floating in place for a moment, and then she rises.

    "Good morning, Miss Ayame. I see you have already begun your day. You've made so much progress. I suspect you have reached a breaking point." She pauses, as though she is searching for the right words. "I find that taking a break from time to time allows one to continue with still more energy later."

    Wake's tone is even, relaxed, without a hint that she's up to something. But she is very much up to something.

    "In addition to the work of the moment, it is critical to learn and grow every day. Don't you agree?"

There's an admiring look on Ayame's face at that curtsy, though she doesn't even try to follow it; not in the fitted skirt and smooth lines, though she does bob her head - and up and down - just a touch. It's almost a curtsy. Almost.

"Thank you, Lady Bombast. I'd have to agree - it's a shame to let a day go without taking the opportunity to polish up on something. One of the things I try to find delights in these days, in fact - the amount of things we have to learn." It's a polite, smooth agreement, with a pleased look on her face.

    Were Wake less poised, one might almost hear a trap being sprung, but there's something so casual about the way she responds. Even though it's remarkably convenient that all the tools she means to use are near at hand!

    "I am very pleased that you agree. No doubt you have studied a range of fascinating subjects! I hope that you might indulge me with a bit of learning this morning." The comment is left to sit in the air for a short time. It is a request, but perhaps it is simply rhetorical.

    "You see, you have offered me so much assistance in such a short time that I would very much like to give you something of value in return. It took some time to settle on what I could do for you and then it occured to me that knowledge is the greatest of all gifts."

    The Baroness simply waits with this statement. She can be remarkably patient when there is a need. After all, it is far better that she gives people the chance to wisely agree with these kind of sentiments.

Ayame seems to sense at least the jaws of the trap, by the slight pause before she answers, and the care she takes in picking her words "It's been a delight to learn more in your household, I must say" The sylph murmurs politely, carefully flicking a speck of dust from the papers and then clasping her hands together in front of herself. She isn't wearing them - of course - but the shield, the little suitcase are leant by the table she'd been working on. Those don't go in the inventory. They're kept close at hand.

"But I'd be delighted to indulge. I believe humoring the nobility's requests is one of the requirements of their assistants" She notes with just a touch of a grin back. A sharp needling barb.

    There's a bit of a dance going on, it seems, and the Baroness enjoys it. All the better that Ayame is completely capable of juggling her own ostensibly subservient position with a wickedly fun bite. Wake's eyes may narrow slightly at the comment about nobility, but her lip quirks, for just a moment, into a ghost of a smile.

    The Baroness' tone is untouched, even, and pleasant. "You are so kind, my dear!" A pause, as if this wasn't all quite well planned ahead of time. "Thus agreed, I think it is important to teach you a technique of mine, which is particularly helpful in a variety of situations, particularly when one wishes to make a cut through an adversary's diplomatic.. shall we say reluctance? It is a mixture of poise and insight, knowing the precise moment to make a gesture, use a word, or meet an eye."

Ayame's own smile settles as she watches Wake's smile shift a little, and it grows just a trifle at that modicum of surprise. She's being nothing but polite, after all; even if it's simply fun to poke fun in a ... mostly acceptable way.

"They do say that timing is everything, but I personally would agree that timing and a direct approach, together, accomplish far more than timing alone" She nods, considering. Her eyes wander briefly, over Wake's outfit of the day, and then back up, musing. "I'd be delighted to learn, certainly, as I'm certain any such has served you well in your rise" There is, in fairness to the Sylph, at least a little wariness.

    Today, Wake is garbed in a gown of some dark blue or black. It's hard to tell in the dim of morning. Roses of Eas wind in a chain along both of the long sleeves and across her back. As is her wont of late, she wears heavy bracelets of silver on each wrist.

    "In many things, patience and vision are a magic of their own," observes the Baroness. "What to others can seem like divine inspiration is truly predicated on paying attention to the right things, despite distractions."

    Here, Wake's tone shifts again. The tone of an instructor is distinct. There's something in it that projects confidence, often with the unfortunate side-effect of dissuading questions due to the authority in each word.

    "More than simply feeling poised, one best be poised. The physical leads to the mental." Here, Wake picks up two of the books. With no signs of amusement, she begins to settle these carefully on Ayame's head. "One must hold themselves properly. At the same time, you need to judge the posture of others. Find their intentions so that you can, if and when necessary, change them."

    Wake picks up more books and balances them easily on her own head. "We must come to read each other in this way. Maintain your own posture while reading another."

Ayame blinks. She adjusts herself; that restrained attire helping with posture somewhat, but she still holds a careful stillness the moment that Wake places those books on her head. It's even a wide-eyed look of confused panic for a second before a - reluctantly - amused wrinkle of her nose that pushes up those little half-moon spectacles. She doesn't nod, with those books wobbling faintly as she finds her centre, and takes a moment to let that find their equilibrium before she responds.

"It's true that one of the things I intended to study was the regulation of accounts, but this isn't quite what I meant by balancing your books" A tight little levity. Her hands have parted, held at waist height, the fingers splayed outwards. Not extending her warms, no, but a small gesture outward of balance.

Still. Her attention remains focused on Wake, once she's comfortable with the pieces in place. "It's a fascinating challenge. If you began your training this way, your own gait and posture are at least somewhat explained" She agrees

    "Began, yes," replies Wake, her tone somewhat absent as she manages to bend her knees, lower herself, pick up the cups, and stand once more. "Like all journeys, it started with a step, but commitment to my ambitions led me farther."

    Perhaps at this point, Ayame may notice the cups are both full of water. The Baroness extends her right hand, offering one of these cups to Ayame.

    "Before you give too much mind to my appearance, I want you to observe the surface of the water in your cup. When you are ready to take a step, please do so. Try to keep your eyes on the water and tell me the connections between it and how you feel."

Ayame takes the cup, eyes still wide, and she slows her breathing; soft, gentle breaths as she watches the water judder, circle, smooth itself as she holds it close "Given how strange I would no doubt look to a casual observer, I would not dream of commenting on your own appearance" She says with the faintest of smiles.

Then she closes her eyes for a moment. Her posture is good - upright, smooth - and for once, the relative impracticality of her attire is an asset, supporting and ensuring small, smooth motions as she takes a careful step; head held level, book wobbling but not falling, and a thoughtful tone entering her voice

"Not quite a reflection of how I feel, but certainly a marker of it. Stress makes the hands shake, after all. This just - exaggerates that" As she breathes out, slowly, deliberately. Calming herself

    Wake nods thoughtfully. Her eyes take in Ayame's posture in a casual sweep. If she makes any judgments, they are hidden behind a serene expression.

    "Now that you have managed to take a step, I want you to focus on making the water do what you want it to. Let's begin by slowing down the ripples."

    The Baroness walks around Ayame. Her strides are carefully measured. She is very curious about her student at this point. Already her secretary is performing quite well.

    "As we continue to work together, you will find the books are not even of note." She draws a patient breath, letting herself focus on the moment, her words carefully selected. "Beyond the water, beyond the books, slowly turn your mind to the way your body feels when balanced. Then focus on your thoughts. In time, it will all be a part of you and when you truly focus, you will be able to understand the same in others."

Ayame tracks the Baroness's movement with her eyes, but not a twist of her head. Then her eyes return forward, and she listens with her ears, instead, before finally resorting to watch the water, the tiny ripples with the small steps made, as movement carries down, through the floor, to herself. Her lips turn down, a small moue for a brief moment before her smile returns.

"I must say, something else to focus on - you only really notice them when things go wrong. After a few moments, the books are settled - and it's only by a change they're noticed" She comments mildly "I suppose the same may apply for others. The individual remarks, changes, are of less note than what causes a change in their situation and their composure"

    Ayame's ability to handle what Wake has thrown at her simply encourages the Baroness to try more. The water has a remarkably central role in it all. Whether it is about making it ripple more or less or to even spill a drop or two drops, the lesson centers on that kind of control.

    At first, physical actions to do so are the focus, then feelings. It is perhaps unorthodox to spill water by getting angry, but that, too, is part of the lesson.

    The entire thing does not go on too long. It is perhaps twenty minutes. An admittedly very demanding twenty minutes that might easily be mistaken for an hour. Eventually, though, Wake calls for the end of the lesson.

    "There, I believe that is as much progress as we should hope to achieve in a single day. As for homework.. pay mind to how you feel and move. Try to influence each with the other. We will talk about it when next we meet."

    Silence hangs in the air for a time. Just when it might seem that Wake is done for now, she adds, "You held yourself with poise and grace today, Miss Ayame. I am pleased."