"You know, it reminds me a lot of my mother." Annette said.

"How so?" Laurel was lounging with her feet on the desk, arms splayed over the sides of the chair. Feet. On. The. Desk. Annette kept the instinctual reprimand inside. Martin and Adam might let her get away with it but Laurel would just smile and keep going. There was also a chance that she was being more uptight than usual after weeks of living in filth.

"She's a seamstress. From what I can tell there's a lot of overlap in the way of thinking."

"Oh, hmm. I can sort of see it. How is it going with the technique practice."

"Not as well as I would wish." That was an understatement of massive proportions. Annette hadn't admitted it out loud, but Laurel had been correct on her assessment of the difficulty. What felt as natural as breathing while connected to the memory tablet was impossible outside of it. Though with the number of breathing exercises Laurel had broken out in the last two years, that metaphor might not be as apt as originally thought.

"You'll get there. The first one is always the hardest."

"Really?"

"No. The hardest ones are the ones you make up yourself, to solve a problem you've come across. And then spend years tweaking it, and making it better every time you realize that you got it wrong at the beginning."

"So glad I have that to look forward to."

"It's great isn't it?" Laurel said with a grin.

"Are you ready for your meetings with the kids?" Annette asked.

Laurel's smile disappeared. "I booked the whole afternoon for this. Let's just hope it's enough."

***********

The office had changed over the last year Leander had been visiting. The utilitarian desk and chairs had been joined by a plush seating area in deep blues and purples, arranged around a fireplace. It was the height of summer, so the fire was magic, flickering from blue to green, flashing amber and then ebbing back to white, putting out shifting light but no heat. He was entranced for a moment before Laurel flopped onto the couch across from him. She watched, he watched back.

"Ugh." Laurel sighed and dragged her hand down her face. "There are a million paths to power you know? An uncountable number of ways you can become a protector for the sect. We often start with basic elements but that's because those are easiest to find as a natural treasure or a location saturated in the right kind of mana. But you don't have to choose those. And if you do, you can evolve into anything with enough time and focus."

He shifted in his seat a little but didn't otherwise respond. It really was a ridiculously comfortable couch. Maybe he could sneak in for naps when Laurel was out and about. He took a sip of the tea he had poured when he sat down. Leander didn't actually like tea but it seemed like the right thing to do when you didn't want to explain yourself any more.

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" Laurel's voice had gone soft and gentle. It almost made him break, and he carefully stared over her shoulder, fiddling with the teacup. There was some sort of fabric hanging there, with a tree sewn into the pattern. It was pretty. Any eye contact and he would cave, so he just kept staring at the tree. Until her head popped into his line of sight. He couldn't look away, Laurel's gaze searing right down to the heart of him. Leander took a deep breath. He was a true cultivator, it would be okay.

"You don't even like the daggers, Leander."

He set his jaw and held eye contact. The decision was made and he would see it through.

"Fine. But you're only doing one to start. And definitely not metal."

He popped to his feet and hurried towards the door. No use standing around when the permission was given, waiting for Laurel to come up with a reason to take it away. Better not to be in the sect house at all. With a thumbs up to Gabrielle and Helene, waiting for their own meetings, he was gone. Rebecca was in the Library but didn't put up a fight as he dragged her out into the sun and towards the plains outside the city.

********

"Come in, whichever of you is up next." Laurel shouted. Leander was making a mistake, trying to follow her path instead of his own. It would work out. Fire or air were so widely applicable that they would serve him well once he was more confident in himself. As long as the child relinquished blades as an end goal. He really wasn't a fan of the daggers. The hand to hand drills were a better fit, but try convincing any thirteen year old that knives weren't the best way to look cool.

It was Helene who took up the call and entered first. Laurel was impressed. She half expected them to walk in together but apparently the woman in front of her had found a way to tame Gabrielle's energy. For a moment.

"I'm looking for a water aspect. My focus for cultivation is on flexibility and being able to react in any situation."

Laurel watched her with every sense at her disposal. Helene was calm, collected. There were no nervous shakes or muscle twitches that said she was second-guessing anything. Her mana was flowing smoothly. It was the perfect picture of an initiate vortex cultivator.

"You sure you aren't choosing this because Gabrielle likes the fire and water aesthetic?" Laurel had to ask.

Helene actually smiled, a shock from the usually reserved young woman. "Nah, it fits. If anything, you should make sure Gabby didn't choose fire to be a contrast to me."

"If you're sure then I approve. There are a few water treasures available for now. Do your research on which one you want to use."

Helene took it as a dismissal and changed places with Gabrielle. The more bombastic member of the duo was less poised, but Laurel read it as excitement more than nerves.

"Tell me."

"I'm going to commit wholly to the path of fire. I will be the eternity of the sun, the rising of the phoenix, the fury of the volcano. I'm ready. Next time we have a beast wave I'll be blasting those bastards halfway to Lanport." She was panting by the time the diatribe ended, which had included a mimed demonstration of said blasting.

"How much sleep did you get last night?"

"An hour or two. I was excited! Get ready for the most incredible fire witch the world has ever seen."

Laurel held back from sighing. "Yeah, you're committed alright. And lucky. Fire treasures are hard to find without visiting a volcanic mountain range, or the site of a forest fire. There was a thermal vent between Elgin and Jaranda, and I picked up some Blaze Coral. Even luckier, the aspect is pure fire, not steam or something else. You can take the Fire Maple leaves if you prefer. Probably better for the job overall, but they're less potent after having been in storage.."

"What about both?" Gabrielle asked.

A single eyebrow raised was enough to answer that question. "I respect that you asked and we'll leave it at that. I suggest you take another look at contribution store prices, once you've aspected your mana, the cost for subsequent treasures goes up significantly."

"What? That's not fair!"

"On the contrary. It's not like I'm stopping you from getting them yourself. Now go off and do some research. And send Cooper in on your way out before he paces a hole in the hallway."

**********

Cooper set his jaw and pulled his shoulders back, channeling every lesson his father had given about how to comport oneself in an important meeting. Firm responses, polite expression, give nothing away about how you really feel. It crumbled the moment he stepped across the threshold.

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"I don't know what to choose. Everyone else has these grand plans but I have no idea. There are ten thousand choices and they all have pros and cons. How am I supposed to choose? How does anyone choose? You said cultivators can live for centuries, but we're supposed to commit to one decision at twenty-two? Or even earlier? My mother has rose bushes older than that. I've never even had a real job, or my own place to live!"

He was hyperventilating by the end. Through it all Laurel just sat there. With a wave of her hand steam started to come out of a teapot he hadn't seen in the far corner.

"Sit down Cooper, let's start from the beginning."

So he did. Over the next hour he spewed out his entire life story, along with all his hopes and fears for the future, leaving them in a puddle at Laurel's feet. The struggle to stand out amongst a large, loud family. Nerves when he actually did set out to do something different at the University. Paralysis about making the wrong decision. At one point the Sectmaster stepped out to tell Eric and some of the others to come back later, but otherwise she listened through it all.

At the end he realized he actually felt good. As much as he liked his fellow sectmates, as close as they had gotten, he was always acutely aware of the privilege of his upbringing. Complaining about how there were too many choices available felt slimy. Even if they had committed crimes together already. But purging all the worry and letting someone else guide him was erasing weeks of stress.

Laurel didn't respond right away, taking the time to digest everything he'd thrown at her. That felt good too. His parents loved him but they were more the type to hear he had a problem, and offer to buy something to fix it. Before his anxiety could ramp back up, Laurel finally said something.

"It sounds like the main problem you're having is that you are stuck choosing what aspect to pursue. You want adventure but aren't sure of the path to follow to get there."

He nodded cautiously at her assessment.

"I'm going to tell you something my Sectmaster told me, so listen closely. Right now you're frightened, because it feels like if you make a decision you'll be giving something up. You're losing options, futures that you can never get back." He was desperately nodding along.

"This is a lie. Right now, you can't do anything. You have no future. Not literally!" she backtracked when Cooper blanched at the thought. "But cosmically, magically, you have nothing. Making a choice isn't losing anything, it's gaining the path to a life more incredible than anything you've ever dreamt of."

He leaned back and thought about what Laurel was saying. Reframing the outlook on making a choice. There was some merit there, he could see that. But he wasn't sure it would be so easy to internalize, and he told her that.

"You're not wrong. If it helps, focus on the fact that after a few years you can gain another aspect. I have three, one of which I've evolved. Martin has two. In the worst case scenario, your mana can be unaspected."

"Really?" He perked up. To this point Laurel had held that fact close, and none of his reading indicated such.

"Yes. It hurts more than burning your meridians, and the spiritual damage takes decades to recover from, but it can be done." She shrugged like she wasn't implying undoing his decision to be a lifetime of agony.

Perhaps sensing that she wasn't getting through, she changed tack. "Look, take some time. Meditate around the natural treasures. Go on a walkabout. And think about why you're cultivating. You want to explore, have adventures worth writing about. Think about what you'll need to do that, and let it guide your decision.

"Won't I fall behind? Won't that hurt the sect in the long run?"

"You'll be a bit behind the others, but you should start thinking on a longer time scale. Starting a few months or years behind someone doesn't mean much when you're both a thousand. When I became Sectmaster, I took on a duty to you kids, and that goes beyond training you up to throw at Laskar in a fight, or anything else.

"Thank you," he stammered out.

"And stars above, next time you're in this much distress, come talk to me. I know you prefer Martin, but I've been where you are, you know? And come out the other side. I'm happy to help you discuss the possibilities."

After assuring her he would, they shared another pot of tea. With some of the pressure off, he peppered Laurel with every question he could think of about mana aspect theory. Her answers shouldn't be surprising, she'd mentioned herself that she had three separate aspects with a complex evolutionary path set out for them. To his chagrin, one conversation rewrote his impression of their sect leader. Or at least added a healthy dollop of curiosity and scholarly rigor mixed into the violent tendencies and frightening competence.

"I hope that helped. Let me know what you come up with. And find Eric and send him back up. I'm open for this wisdom business for the rest of the day."

**********

Their usual corner at their usual bakery was a comfort the following morning after such a heavy day. The owner kept shelves of books for quiet reading– not that Cooper got to partake when he was here with the others– and didn't mind the group of young people monopolizing the space, as long as they bought a new pot of tea each hour. The younger members of their little group were still taking lessons, but like him, Gabrielle and Helene had been given the option, and usually chose not to partake. Today the three of them were enjoying a morning at leisure. Cooper's shift at the guild was coming up next week, but until then he was at loose ends. His only directive was Laurel's vague exhortation to wander about and find some inspiration.

"You should choose earth." Gabrielle was saying. The girls had taken it upon themselves to run through as many options as possible and why he should choose one. "Earth is solid, dependable. Like you."

"Wow, thanks. That's just how I want to be described." Cooper said, deadpan.

"Earth doesn't summon a sense of adventure," Helene countered.

"Sure it does, Martin is an earth cultivator and he's been on loads of adventures. He's on one right now."

"Eh. Seems like nowadays he relies on earth to defend and water to take him to new places. The obvious superior choice."

"Cooper isn't adaptable enough to be a water cultivator," Gabrielle said.

Was this supposed to be cheering him up, or just reminding him of his flaws? After some more back and forth, the girls concluded neither earth nor water were appropriate options for him. That they did not seem to need his input for the conversation wasn't lost on him.

"What about wood, or metal?" Helene posited. "I can see Cooper being crafty."

"Ahem." He found a place to interject. "While our illustrious Gabrielle has been embracing crafting over recent weeks, I can't say I've ever been good at it. My parents still have some of the examples of my work that would prove it to you."

"You don't have to actually become some sort of master artisan," Gabrielle rebutted. "Laurel has a metal affinity, and she admits she's no good at any magic crafting. She uses it to kick ass instead."

"I'm not sure I'm cut out to focus on weapons. Laurel is working on developing her metal affinity to evolve into blade. Then a combination evolution to storm from the other two."

"Name is kind of premature then," Helene mumbled.

"She also spent decades becoming good with a sword, and still practices every day," Cooper continued. "I don't know if I can commit to that. I mean who uses swords…"

By the time the others met up with them after lunch, they had weighed and measured another score of options. Cooper was forced to reflect that his penchant for research might have hurt him in this case. In preparation for his meeting with Laurel he had translated three treatises on mana theory, which left him with an expansive understanding of what was possible. It didn't help narrow things down at all. Rebecca, it turned out, was just as opinionated as the other girls and jumped into the discussion without delay.

"You could do something with light. That seems like a good one for exploring." The teen's enthusiasm offset the frisson of annoyance that came up whenever she reminded them that her mana had been aspected for months now, and she was something of an expert amongst the students.

"Maybe." Cooper hedged.

"What? It's perfect." Rebecca doubled down on her position.

"Well, it's not very manly is it?"

A beat of silence was all he had before the haranguing started.

"Manly? Seriously –" Rebecca sputtered

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard you say." Helene got straight to the point.

"I never thought I'd find out it was possible to read too many books." Gabrielle started. Then continued on in a diatribe that included references to an impressive array of real historical people and book heroes, with little distinction between them.

Eric was wisely silent, and Leander edged further away from Cooper as if to avoid the association.

"Okay, okay. So light is on the list of possibilities."

The conversation petered out for a few minutes. Internally Cooper was relieved. He could only take so much of their 'advice' at once, though he knew his mother would be appalled at the lack of tact. Before another topic could float to the top, a waiter stopped by with their next order, slamming it down with far more force than necessary. Tea slopped and the cups rattled, though nothing fully fell off the tray.

"Braden?" Rebecca said.

Cooper took a second look at the waiter he had just dismissed as clumsy. He was probably a year or two older than Rebecca, but younger than Cooper himself. Blonde hair in disarray and a deep scowl etched into his face.

"So you can still recognize us nobodies now that you're rich." Venom dripped from the boy's mouth, enough to get the rest of them sitting up in alarm. Leander's hand drifted towards a weapon and he wasn't the only one that looked ready for a fight.

"What are you even talking about?" Rebecca was standing now, but looked less confident than usual.

"Got out and haven't looked back huh? Walking around the city like some fancy lord, forgetting where you come from. I heard you had to run and hide behind your new boss instead of having it out with people from the Flats. But I guess it all worked out for you. Lounging around putting in orders all day."

"Shut up Braden. You don't know what you're talking about. The sect is helping people in the city. I'm helping the city, and the Flats. And that mob attacked us for no reason."

"Sure, that's why you're in here spending a week's rent on pastries."

The owner's voice cut in before any of them could reply. "Braden, we need you in the back."

Silence replaced the laughter and banter at their table. Cooper definitely didn't know what to say to something like that, and the others seemed just as uncomfortable. Rebecca sat back down and turned her head away, but not before Cooper saw a tear escape from the corner of her eye. It was Gabrielle, of all people, who broke the standoff.

"What does he know," she said. Her tone was low and vicious as he leaned across the table. "You've fought and bled for the people of this city. Who went out and got stuff for our defenses? Next time monsters attack, you'd better believe this Braden jackass is going to be cowering under that dome. You did that."

A watery smile spread across Rebecca's face during the tirade. Leander shuffled over and gave her a hug as well, banishing whatever remnants of ill feeling that Gabrielle hadn't burned away. Cooper looked at Eric out of the corner of his eye. At least he wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable still.

"Thanks," Rebecca said. "It just took me off guard. Braden and I grew up together, I thought he was my friend. I don't want to be one of the rich snobs that ignores anyone on the bottom of the city, no offense Cooper. Maybe I am changing." She looked down at her hand and flexed the remaining fingers. "At least physically, right?"

Cooper forced a smile at the awkward attempt at a joke. "We're all changing," he said. Emotional speeches weren't his strong suit but he felt he had to join in. "Cultivating is opening doors we never dreamed even existed.I for one, wouldn't have ever thought I'd be fighting off magical monsters that attacked the city. Or fighting anything at all. I grew up in my older brother's shadows. They love me, but I didn't really have a lot of focus growing up. It was an easy childhood, but lonely. Joining the sect changed that, and I'm glad I did. I think as long as you hold on to what's important, that change will end up being a good thing."

"I get what you mean. I was too loud for anywhere else. For me, the sect is the first place I've ever fit in. " Gabrielle said.

The tears seemed to be catching, all of them now thinking about the profound changes of the last years. Leander stood and made eye contact with each of them in turn. When the deep brown eyes locked on his own, Cooper could guess what the younger boy wanted to say. He fished out his speaking stone and pushed some mana through it. He accompanied his speech by some of the hand signs they'd developed and used to great effect on their heist.

"The path we walk is one of unending growth. Challenges and friendships make it a journey worth taking." The boy had been working through some old philosophies lately, and some of it really did resonate.

"That's right," Gabrielle said. "Now enough feelings. Let's get back to the important things, like what aspect he should choose. Ooh, is 'adventure' an aspect you could work for? Wouldn't that be cool?"

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