"Sit, love." Moreal said as she waved at the circle of cushions on the floor. "There are two main duties of a Wyrish. The first is weaving and the second is painting. But before you learn those you need a solid foundation and understanding of how the Phy-Tue works."
Anelle took a seat across from Moreal. The sun was high in the sky, casting streams of light through the windows at the back of the room. Innki lay resting with the sun rays warming her.
"First there is the Tue. It's an ancient power that flows through the world. Everyone has a container inside them that can store the Tue and does unwittingly. The size of the container is different for each person. Understand?"
Anelle nodded.
"You must always be careful. Any container, no matter the size, can break if you empty it too quickly. Once broken it can't be put back together, nor will it heal like other parts of the body."
"Would someone with a larger container be considered more powerful?" Anelle asked.
Moreal contemplated the question for a moment.
"Not necessarily. The container simply stores the Tue. Everyday functions use a small amount of the Tue and it is replenished over time. The Tue flows through channels in our bodies, both in and out. These channels also come in different sizes. Theoretically if someone had very wide open channels they would be able to pull the Tue in at the same rate it was being discharged, bypassing their container all together. With practice these channels can be slightly expanded but only a small amount.
"The other night I channelled the Tue from you out into the main hall to make the ambiance warm and welcoming.
"There is also density and scope when it comes to the effectiveness of the Tue but those can be explained later.
"Still following?"
"Yes." Anelle said, mulling over the new information.
"Third is Phy. They are symbols that the Tue powers. These symbols give the raw power of the Tue a focused direction. This is referred to as Phy-Tue.
"The first symbol I will be teaching is the ancestral thread or weaving. It allows you to permanently change the way someone looks. But what you are really doing is pulling different aspects of their ancestry that already exist within their blood and making it visible. The main thing you need to know is, you can only give someone red hair and green eyes if one of their ancestors had those traits.
"We use this to enhance the beauty of the courtesans. But there is an art to weaving. You have to balance the face with what the ancestral thread allows you to change.
"Now give me your hand."
Anelle reached out her hand towards her.
"This is the Phy for weaving." Moreal traced the circular symbol in the air. A trail of Tue glowed in the wake of their hands. The Phy hung in the air for a few seconds before dissipating like smoke.
"Now make the symbol yourself a few more times." Moreal instructed. Anelle repeated the same fluid movement again and again, getting used to the feel of it. "Now try letting the Tue flow through your fingers."
Anelle took a deep breath, closed her eyes and reached into herself. A small tendril sluggishly wound its way down her arm to her finger tips. She traced the shape imagining it before her eyes.
Moreal gasped. A blinding white light shone behind her eyelids.
Anelle opened her eyes. The symbol was blindingly bright. Anelle let go of the power and it slowly wound its way back into the recess of her chest. She stared in wonder as the symbol glowed, pulsing with power. The symbol spluttered out. Anelle looked up to Moreal.
"Well it would seem you have plenty of power for weaving." Moreal said, her voice was slightly higher pitched than a moment before. "This time try using a smaller stream of tue."
Anelle closed her eyes and retraced the symbol. She imagined the Tue bring stretched out into a thinner cord as it left her finger tip. She opened her eyes and the symbol glowed faintly. It hung in the air for a moment.
"It seems you're ready to try weaving." Moreal said. She stood and began rummaging through drawers. She returned and handed Anelle a polished blackstone looking glass. Her reflection was crisp but dark in the makeshift mirror.
Anelle looked into her reflection and quickly looked away.
"You do not like your appearance?" Moreal softly asked.
Anelle looked back into the mirror. A ghostly face looked back at her. Sunken muddy brown eyes with large bruised bags under them and limp brown curls framing her face. Her cheeks looked hollow making her cheekbones stick out of her face. Her lips were a thin line, almost the same shade as her skin.
Anelle felt a rolling lump of disgust churning in her stomach. Her chest felt hollow and empty at the sight of herself. Her shoulders slumped.
"No I…" Anelle began. A lump lodged itself in her throat and she swallowed it back down and blinked back her tears of self pity.
"Well then change it." Moreal's words were simple. As if changing your appearance was as easy as breathing.
Anelle looked back at her reflection. She could make herself look beautiful like her older sisters. But she shared no blood with them. What if the features she hated, her sunken eyes and thin lips, were passed down through her family?
Anelle traced the symbol in the air one more time.
"Pick one feature you wish to change first." Moreal continued. "Then gently pull and see what happens. Be careful. If you weave too quickly it can be painful."
Anelle nodded and dragged another tendril to her finger tips. She looked at her reflection and drew the symbol. She focused on the colour of her skin, willing it to take on a slightly darker tone.
Nothing happened.
Anelle cast her eyes down.
"What did you try?" Moreal asked.
"I wanted to change my pale skin."
"Do not be disheartened, my love. Often people only have a single skin colour in their ancestry. Try again with something else."
Anelle closed her eyes and pulled again. She focused on the shape of her eyes, willing them to widen. Her vision blurred a moment. Anelle blinked a few times. Her vision cleared and a pair of wide bright eyes stared back at her. She smiled and her eyes closed as her high cheekbones rose.
"Well done, love. But as you can now see, your cheekbones are a little too high for your new eyes. Try reshaping them."
Anelle repeated the process, this time willing her cheekbones to change. They shifted across her face in different options. She eventually settled for a slightly lower cheekbone that had a softer angle.
"As you can see, weaving is a balancing act. A single beautiful feature is not a beautiful face. Only when every aspect works together will you shine. Practice on yourself whenever you have the time.
"It's best you do not try to change your eye colour. The eyes are very tricky to get right. The last thing we need is you going blind.
"The final thing you need to know is that weaving can take time to hold permanently. Do you remember your first day here, when Hano rushed in here with her face drooping?"
Anelle nodded half focusing as she marvelled at her new appearance.
"That's common when a face is changed for the first time. It tries to revert back to how it has always been. Keep that looking glass and always check before you leave your room. Now go rest. The dressing bell will be rung in an hour."