It is night, about 31F(0C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey clouds. It’s snowing. The mist is heaviest At High and Washington/span
There is a waxing crescent moon.

Exiting the mirror with Avalon and Mercy, Bekki observes, “Oh the same place.”

“It’s a lecture, and it’s Celestriana, that works- I could take you deeper in, but this area seems to be one that’s decently clear of monsters, close enough to the shelter and all” Avalon comments to Bekki as the three of them make it out of the mirror and back into the mildly downhill terrain situated in one of the mountain ranges of the western continent of the Other. Greeted by the unusually colored vegetation and skies once more, the man lets out a sigh before commenting “Though I guess you would enjoy killing something- There’s this chicken I found with another party, had feathers made of obsidian and claws of quartz, do you want us to look for one of those?” He prompts Bekki with a quirked eyebrow.

But after a moment of thought and a glance towards Mercy, the man lifts a finger and says “And while having Red over here shift would help us do some demonstrations and all, today’s lecture is on the abilities and powers shapeshifters are able to attain depending on the method they use to change… So at much we could learn very little from having the wolf chase a chicken”

Even with the overwhelming presence of magic pressing in, Mercy stretches her arms up over her head and breathes deep of the fresh, open air here. It may be perverted by the unnatural but it’s still the outdoors, and she can appreciate the beauty in its strangeness. Still, she doesn’t wander and keeps relatively close to Avalon, eyes peering around at the mention of this freakish chicken monster as if worried- or hoping- it’s somewhere nearby. “.. Wonder what somethin’ like that taste like.”

Bekki is looking for a potential chicken monster to fight, but there is none, so she pretends she’s listening to Avalon as she circles the area slowly sniffing the air.

“Most fleshformed things tend to taste terrible, the ones around here at the very least- They were experiments, often failed and discarded, not really the kind to eat or harvest as livestock- Though, I will say, there are some good ones. If you ever see something that looks like a whale but with insect legs and about the size of a dog, definitely try it out” Avalon tells in response to Mercy, seemingly content enough to plant that thing that could be nightmare fuel for many in her head. But that brief pause comes to an end quickly as with a sigh, Avalon resigns himself to do some actual teaching.

“Alright, so last time we covered the different kinds of shifting methods and their origin, as well as the proper way” Of course he had to add that remark at the end “So, this time we are going into the powers and abilities that each kind of shapeshifting can grant the shifter… Last time we started with arcanists like last time. We did say their shifting is usually the weaker kind, they can’t even grow in size or turn into unusually strong things, they have minor control of their changing because they are imitating our art” And somehow the our doesn’t seem to include Bekki or Mercy “But, I will ask you two first, does anyone know if they have any special powers or abilities? Or do they just turn into proper everyday animals?”

Now Avalon mentions the T word, Bekki stops, listening- You cant best fight something off without knowing how to do so, after all.

Mercy looks a little disappointed when Avalon informs her that the creatures of this world are not, in fact, delicious, then starts to make a face from the description of one that is. She isn’t sure she wants to try that one. With the lesson beginning in earnest, her attention snaps up and the focus comes; she listens, nods here and there, then furrows her brow at the question. “As in, do they got somethin’ special that other types of shifters ain’? Or are they more than plain old animals?”

“Well, I’m obviously not a normal animal when I shift, you two have seen that” Avalon comments in response to Mercy, with a brief glance towards Bekki as well “I have more physical traits and resistance than a natural one, we all know that, but that’s not really a power or anything too magical because that comes with the process itself of shifting- But, I clearly have some powers tied to my changing. What I am asking first, is if any of you know the ones that arcanists possess”

Mercy shoots a quick glance over to Bekki to sus out whether she might know, but shakes her head. “Ain’ remember..”

“Arcanists can do the turning into lots of stuff thing.” Bekki tells Avalon, clearly having been paying attention- at some point-

“They also don’t turn into fighting animals, and some can use arcane stuff as a animal. They can also shift their clothes.”

Realization dawns on her face belatedly and Mercy snaps her fingers. “Ohhhh righ’ yeah the swarmy thing.”

“Yeah, they can turn into swarms, we did discuss that last time… Dark magic arcanists found ages ago a way to corrupt the art of shapeshifting and split themselves into multiple individuals” Avalon comments after Bekki’s reply, glancing over at Mercy with a couple little nods before telling “We did talk about it last time. But that’s not a frequent power, it requires tons of skill and magic to be able to pull off, just like the unreal transformations or the overly big ones. It’s not something you encounter everyday”

But with a pointed finger towards Bekki “He tells, but she’s nailed it. Most arcanists can no longer tap into their magic once they shapeshift, but a few skilled ones are able to attain what we shifters call affinity, and they can bring themselves to perform magic even while in their animal forms” There’s a moment of pause as Avalon glances around the area and he comments “And the clothes thing”

“We call the clothes thing shifting your aura. It is a magic that it is believed to have been invented by arcanists, and perfected by faeborn, since we both are capable of using it” A tiny little shrug, and a circle to his wrist while he adds “It’s a process through which we basically don’t shift only with our bodies, but with our very essence, and as such, we are able to drag even objects with us, like clothes, weapons, all that stuff. It is believed to have been invented by arcanists due to it only affecting smaller forms, but we know that there’s some perfecting done by the faeborn not only for our ability to use it, but because it affects forms bigger than most arcanists can attain, with exception of natural magic ones… It’s that process in which you see fur growing on top of my clothes, instead of ripping them and growing from my body”

Mercy gives Avalon a once-over after he elaborates, lips pursed. “Figured it were more a fae thing, since obviously I seen you shift back an’ forth without losin’ yer wardrobe every time. In hindsight, explains why Lawson can do it too now.”

“Arcanists use a pale imitation of shapeshifting, they don’t tap into the true art that we faeborn do… But that doesn’t mean they are useless either- Just like werewolves might be flawed in that they cannot truly control their change, it’s innate to them, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous” Avalon poses in response towards Mercy, shaking his head a couple of times “Even if there’s superior and lesser forms of shapeshifting, everyone has made the most of what they are working with in order to survive- Arcanists are not fighting shapeshifters because they are normally frail and small animals. We faeborn turn into massive beasts, we can fight. It makes a lot more sense that they developed a power through which they could cling on to their weapons, while we just adopted and perfected it afterwards for convenience”

With that little explanation, Avalon tilts his head from Mercy towards Bekki, focusing on the second woman for a moment before asking in turn “And since we bring up faeborn and one of the things we can do… Who can tell me what other powers do faeborn shifters have?”

“You got biokinesis like demons.” Bekki explains to Avalon as though he might not have known.

Mercy thrusts her hand up into the air and does a little dance on her toes. “Oh, oh! I know! I think- y’all can like, switch between forms more smoothly an’ without havin’ to recover in between.”

Bekki says “You can also do more animals than what wolves do.“

Mercy says “At least I assume, since we always gonna be limited due to our ties to the wolf.“

“Demons have biokinesis like us” Avalon counters to Bekki, shaking his head to the sides “Your kind is artificial… You were designed with battle in mind long after mine had already perfected the art. But yes, we faeborn shifters have so much control over our own shapes and bodies that we can just manipulate it to a greater extent than most. We can heal, we can dope ourselves, we can shut off our senses or recover faster than normal, all of it by manipulating our very inner workings”

Though, after the quick punctuation on biokinesis, Avalon turns his head towards Mercy and he nods along a couple times “I don’t know if you have been able to witness is- But Rebecca over here has fought against that. We are awfully annoying in combat because of our ability to just keep shifting. We have a fluidity unlike any other shapeshifter.” There’s a moment of pause and a finger driven to his lips, followed with a hum as if thinking how to put it into words before saying “Normally, shapeshifters need a moment to change. You know, take a pause, go through the process, make sure they don’t mess it up. Some more expert shapeshifters are able to do it in movement, without stopping or while falling through the air, all that stuff, that’s why it’s impressive that Lawson can do it, it’s normally something you get with experience… But even those experienced cannot hold a candle to the best of faeborn shapeshifters. We are able to shift from one form to another without a pause, without waiting, we can manipulate our form on the spot and in convenient ways to prevent damages. You try and punch one on the stomach and they shift into another form to take it with an arm, or a leg. This allows us to take more punishment, to reduce the damage of any hit that comes our way, and it’s the truest expression of the art of shapeshifting”

Bekki doesn’t even question it- Maybe she doesn’t care enough. Still, she listens to Avalon talking.

Mercy has often expressed her disdain for the fae and so she tries extra hard to disguise her near wide-eyed wonder for all the inherent skill they possess with shifting as she listens to Avalon. It’s still visible, though.

“Say, Mercy, if you turned into a wolf, you would be stuck like that for a couple minutes… Same if you changed back into a human. Because changing requires focus, energy, it’s a process you have to undergo, it’s not something that you can just do or force just like that” Avalon comments to Mercy in particular, before adding “That isn’t the case for those fae-blooded who have perfected the art… I could bite you as a wolf, punch you as a person, and stab you as an eagle all in the span of a couple seconds. Because those of us who are able to get there, don’t find shapeshifting a process or a burden, or something to go through, it’s second nature to us. Changing for us takes as much as remaining like we are”

Mercy tilts her head to one side. “Does it work the same fer like.. I’ll often stay shifted overnight cause I feel comfortable an’ safe that way, you know? But then in the mornin’, it can take me a while to feel ready to shift back. Ain’ sure why, if it more a werewolf thing, or..”

“Oh that’s the animal brain thing.” Bekki notes- Isn’t that cute. She does listen.

“Cos you spend so much time in a animal shape you think like a animal and need to remember how to be a people again and stuff.”

“That’s because you go animal brained if you sleep for too long as an animal, and can’t find your way back” Avalon comments to Mercy, with a shrug telling “To all effects, you are a wolf during that time. But no, that doesn’t happen to those able to achieve faeborn fluidity. You’ve seen me sleep shifted and change back as soon as I woke up. Shifting and changing is second nature, one person, multiple bodies”

Lifting a finger, Avalon tells “Now, there’s one more thing that we shapeshifters are able to attain as a power related to shapeshifting. And it’s something wolves and primalists can do too, to an extent, what is it?”

Mercy turns a flat stare onto Bekki during the shiftsplaining. “.. Righ’ yeah, that.” Then her sights are back on Avalon and followed by a nod, her interest piqued when the subject moves on to mention wolves again. “Uh..”

Mercy says “Where the whole trope of the bipedal werewolf comes from, I assume.“

Bekki stares right back at Mercy, missing the entire point and waiting for her to say something. Then, Avalon speaks and she continues the stare, but she pays attention, nodding.

“Well, that’s like the swarm thing, or the unreal beasts or super big ones… That is technically a power, but it’s one of those incredibly monstrous versions of shapeshifting that we were talking about last time” Avalon points out Mercy, before shaking his head a couple times and telling “What I’m referring to is what we call metashifting”

There’s a brief pause before he tells “Everyone is to a certain extent affected by their animal forms, we all know that. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but always to an extent. Now, metashifters are those who embrace a form of magic to take that to the extreme, to the point it can actually alter your body and your behaviour beyond what shapeshifting normally does”

“Primalists and werewolves normally tap into that power through their communion- They simply let the animal bleed out into their original forms. It’s a barbaric way of doing it, but it works. That’s why relatively young shapeshifters can become pretty aggressive or dangerous if going that path, because their bodies can be massively improved by it. Alters their physique, their behaviour, mating cycles, even their diets” A little pause to take a breath before he glances between Mercy and Bekki, giving himself a look over and telling “You might not believe this, but faeborn shifters, we tend to be pretty slim, and not very impressive physically. We are able to metashift, though we do it for a different reason as those brutes” Says the brute “We don’t let our form bleed over to us. We embrace the magic and the influence of our shifting form in order to improve our weaker bodies. We aren’t as strong as demigods, or as fast as angels, have the stamina of demonborns… Faeborn are good at hiding. Embracing the strength that comes form metashifting allows us to cover for our natural weakness, but, since we don’t let it bleed, since we do take the route of understanding and integrating it into ourselves, it takes us a lot more effort to attain the power. We don’t simply give in, we master it and we choose it”

Mercy is invested in the topic and the information Avalon is sharing even if he’s always finding ways to remind her of fae superiority and werewolf barbarism. To her credit she resisted for a good while, but the ‘brute’ comment gets a brief, discreet roll of her eyes given the state of the man making it. “Ain’ givin’ in a form of choosin’ in its own right? Sure some probably jus’ get tired of resistin’ what might always be tryin’ to encroach but end of the day, still a choice an’ the only way to master yer own nature is to embrace it.”

This is a comment Bekki can agree with whole heartedly and she does so with aplumb, going as far as to stop staring at Mercy, and waiting for what Avalon might have to add, even if it’s annoyance– Especially if he’s going to blather about fae superiority.

“One thing is your attitude, another different thing is how the magic in your system works” Avalon points out to Mercy, shaking his head to the sides before telling “Changing into a form is normally something to do with skill at changing, but also with a conscious decision, or something about your person allowing you to change. First forms tend to resonate in some way with the shifter, werewolves change innately. It is one thing to embrace that.” He says lifting a singular finger, before adding “It is a whole different thing to embrace a magic that also touches who you are outside of the transformation.”

Another pause as Avalon hums “How to explain it…” He seems to be looking for something to compare it to so that Mercy will understand, before telling “Well, it’s not the same thing, but this comparison will do… You’re a werewolf, you’ve felt Lunacy… But are you as strong when only filled with the idea of killing as you are when under the effects of the moon? The idea you’re embracing is the same, that blind rage, but the effects on you aren’t”

Mercy listens with her hands on her hips and an expectant stare on Avalon. “Course we ain’ enhanced like when the full moon is up, but so what- you tellin’ me there ain’ no way fer a werewolf to achieve added effects through choice an’ mastery too?”

“With faeborn heritage” Avalon counters to Mercy with a shrug of his shoulders, then telling her “Like I explained last time. Shapeshifting is in our blood, werewolves tend to lean into more savage and primal forms of shifting because they are strengthened by their bond to the moon. But there’s simply some skills that no one can attain without that magic in their bloods. Just like none of us can heal in the same way that demonborns do”

Mercy deflates through a heavy exhale, conceding with a grumble. “I guess..”

“Now, arcanists covered, and faeborn covered… We have primalists left, and werewolves do tend to end up as primalists, but there’s this one thing about werewolves that is innate to only them, outside of the madness of the moon” Avalon explains slowly, mostly towards Mercy, but he does make sure to snap his fingers a couple times as if to double check that Bekki is still awake.

“Some people call it some sort of blood lust, a sense to hurt others. Others just chuck it to the fun of the hunt. But werewolves are specially good at chasing and finishing off wounded targets. Something in their system resonates with it, and they will both hit harder, and run faster after those who are injured enough”

Bekki was in fact not listening. Her attention ran off when the fae grandiosity began, but the finger snap captures her attention, if only briefly, only to snap fully back at the prospect of blood lust and hurting.

“A lot of people think it’s odd, because, you know. It doesn’t seem to be tied to the moon, and they cannot feel the dread of others like our demonic friends do” Avalon tells with a little nod in Bekki’s direction, before commenting “But a lot of it just embrace it as something that happens. Werewolves are specially good at chasing down someone that’s bleeding or that is already hurt. It’s another one of those things that doesn’t seem to have much explanation outside of speculation. And since wolves were a failed experiment, we just need to accept it happens. It’s like the innate property their fangs and claws have of actually making vampires feel pain- It’s one of the few things that can actually pain them”

At long last -something- positive about her kind, and Mercy is all ears for this. “Maybe somethin’ to do with animal instinct takin’ over from the chase, scent of blood, that overrides a more human need to use restraint?”

“Either that or your makers just wanted something to chase their prey” Avalon allows with a tiny smile, of course he couldn’t let Mercy have it for too long “If you think about it, it’s something that makes sense. The ones that are a gamble to guess are things like the special effect you have on vampires, or your unusual speed or strength against the wounded. Chances are, you were made with perks to help you not only hurt vampires, but also finish off the victims in the games of either Fae or Gods” A pause and then he adds “Just like demons don’t have a reason to such healing abilities than their purpose being bloodshed”

“I like blood.” Bekki agrees, having let her attention wander again. “And running stuff down. It’s fun.”

Mercy lets a sneer flicker across her features in response to Avalon’s smile, because of course he couldn’t let her enjoy something long. “Guess there worse things to be than a livin’ weapon.” She muses with a shrug.

“I like wolves, too.” Bekki blathers on. “They don’t pretend they an’t wolves. You gotta be who you are.”

It’s always unsettling when Mercy finds herself appreciating something Bekki has to say, but this is one of those moments and while there’s nothing sappy or overtly grateful in the way she cuts a glance to the other girl, the acknowledgement is there.

“Now, the last thing we have to cover… Again, primalists, and it often involves werewolves because like we said, they normally end up down that path because of their ties to the moon…” Avalon explains slowly, lifting a finger and telling “One, the way they fight. They are pretty in touch with their animal selves because they get their power from communion, so while it’s not exactly a power, they are awfully good at achieving combat tactics as primal as what they turn into”

Then another finger is lifted, and it makes a pretty nice peace sign that Avalon is making in explaining “Primalists are able to achieve something similar to werewolves. When they are pretty deep into their ways, they give in to, you know, the beast- And they often either lose control or let the animal take over when it comes to hurting their prey, resulting in higher outputs in order to hurt those who are nearly gone. They just strike viciously until either the enemy is down, or they are. This of course, means that werewolves who go deep into their communion with nature in these primal ways, end up being monstrosities when something is near dead, hitting harder than anything else would”

Mercy tilts her head to one side. “So any kind of shifter could go the primalist path, if they wanted to?”

Avalon nods his head a good couple times “Yeah, it’s not tied to blood really- Well, it requires magic because, you know, shapeshifting is magic in nature, but any kind of supernatural is able to follow the steps and go down that path if they wanted to”

Avalon says “Well, not vampires, they are dead… But any alive supernatural“

Mercy snorts a little at this exclusion, nodding. “But vampires could pursue other types of shiftin’, yeah? Jus’ not primal or maybe how fae go about it.”

“Technically speaking, they could if they had any faeborn blood in them- But they still wouldn’t be able to heal like us” Avalon counters to Mercy with a shake of his head, before commenting “We control the biological processes within us in order to dope, recover or even heal- They are dead, they have no biological functions. Vampires are normally only shifters through arcanism. Technically speaking they could have a speckle of fae blood and that could adjust things, but it’s not the most common”

Mercy holds up a finger. “They -can- have biological functions, if they activate or what ever the fuck. Maybe it too much of a strain to do long-term fer shiftin’ fae-like though.”

“Vampires are boring.” Bekki adds to this- she’s -helpful- today. “They’re just blood what puppets a dead body so they don’t hurt right and stuff.”

Mercy finds herself agreeing with Bekki once again. Terrifying. “Ayeah, fer real.”

“Whenever they activate their bodies, they are losing moments of immortality for it- No sane vampire would do it even if it’d let them heal faster” Avalon poses to Mercy, before telling “Besides, like Rebecca over here mentions, they are basically like blood puppets. They can reactivate their bodies, but you really cannot expect someone that maybe lives seconds or minutes every year to be able to do some complex manipulation of their organism”

A tiny little pause, and with a glance to Bekki, he tells “Well, you can make them experience pain with werewolf fangs or claws. It’s the only thing that can pain them no matter how unwilling they are to it, so, you know, get along with our wolf” He mentions with a nod towards Mercy, then asking between the two “Any questions?”

Mercy can’t help but incline her chin and indulge in the slightest bit of smugness for that fact, rarely applicable as it may be. “None, professor Whatley. Think you covered most things pretty thoroughly.”

“I bet lots in the city use their organism too much so when they’re a million billion years old their dick will be dust already and fall off.” Yup, Bekki did not take the right point from that, though she does shake her head when it comes to questions.

“Well, I think we can make it back to New Haven then if the lesson is over…” Avalon comments with a tiny shrug, he might even believe he’s good at this teaching stuff, commenting to Bekki on the side “They might have it fall off before they reach a century, honestly”