11.  Friendship is about both the ugly and the beautiful.

 

 

  Imelwain gave his friend a hard stare.  'Are you serious?'  He had expected some interesting secrets, or some special technique.  'You want me to just sit here and make tiny little sparks for the next hour?'

  'Yep.  There are three types of training, and this should manage to push you with two of those types.  First, endurance.  Ever action a person takes puts a strain on them.  That strain is always there, although the amount of strain changes based on a number of factors.  The plain fact is that you burn out after one good shot.  You need to work on your endurance, the capacity you have to accept the strain of using your ability.  Making lots of little sparks should help with that.'

  'Second, is technique.  The more you practice at something the more natural it seems.  Your body and mind adapt, and you can do the task faster and with more precision.  Even better, as your technique improves it can reduce the strain of the actions.  This is also something that the spark training should help with.'

  'The third type of training is magnitude.  This is where you try to do something as close to the edge of your skill and stamina as you can manage in one big burst.  To some people magnitude seems like the most important aspect of training.  Here's the problem with that, if you only have one action and you have a bunch of things you need to do, only one of those things can be done.  You need more people to cover the other tasks.  Magnitude will be something to work on, but first you need to have enough stamina to avoid falling flat on your face.'

  'I guess that makes sense.  I was hoping for something more exciting or interesting though.'

  'Training is work, Imel.  Work is rarely interesting, and rarely fun.  Work exists to accomplish what needs to be done.'

  'Yeah, sure.  I'll get to work then.'  Imelwain zapped a weed, freezing it.  'I owe you some fun later, though, for making you work like this.'

  'What makes you think this isn't fun for me?'  Dubrick leaned in close to whisper in Imelwain's ear.  'I'm the kind of person that enjoys power, and I know it all too well.  To me, nothing beats bossing somebody around.  I hate that part of me, but I can't deny the thrill I feel.  You don't owe me fun, my friend.  You owe me help when I need it, in case I ever start giving in to that side of myself.  I don't want to lose myself to those feelings.  Just promise me you won't let me be the type of person who stops fighting against the flaws within.'

  Imelwain caught a fly with a spark.  He caught it in his hand.  'I'm not sure how much I can do.  It seems my main redeeming quality is the ability to freeze things with lightning.  I... I'll do whatever I can.'

  'Thanks.'

  'Don't thank me.  That's what friends do.  They carry each other's burdens, ackwardly trying to make the worst parts of life bearable.  I can't imagine turning away and leaving you to carry your burdens alone, not when you share the worst you have with me.  Everyone has some ugly things they don't want others to see, things that stay hidden most of the time.  We only share them with the people we really trust.  We both know far too much of the ugly truths in each other to worry about little thinks like thank yous.'  He reached out and patted Dubrick on the arm.  'Just stick with me, and I'll stick with you.  The bonds we have may be ugly, but the ugliest things are usually the strongest.  You don't ever have to thank me, I'm here with you because that is where I want to be.'

  They sat there, the crackles of electricity and frost the only sound.  Eventually the hour drew to a close.  Sweat poured off Imelwain.  The seemingly simple exercise had truly pushed him.

  'You know, Imel, you would have made a good bard.'  Dubrick wiped at his eyes, already red and sore from him repeatedly brushing away tears.  'You know how to reach out and pull on a person's heartstrings, to make them feel something from the very depths of their being.  You said you had only one redeeming quality earlier, but I disagree.  Kindness, poetics, passion, and a thirst for knowledge are just a few of the reasons I wanted to become your friend in the first place.  If anything, the number of reasons I stay has only grown over time.  Don't sell yourself short.  You have a lot of beauty hidden deep within, at least as much as the ugliness.'  He stood up, brushing himself off.  'I'll see you here tomorrow, same time.  I... I know you said I shouldn't say thank you, but I'm going to say it anyway.  Thanks for being my friend.'

  'Idiot.'  Imelwain smiled at Dubrick.  'That's the one thing you can say it about.  Thank you, too, my friend.'