There is something intensely motivating about a beautiful woman saying she is proud of you. Equally motivating is the ‘do this and ill fuck you until you die’ from the same said beautiful woman. Needless to say, I was motivated. There is a thing about divine intervention, or at least interaction; it really drives home that you are no longer in Kansas, Toto. I was motivated, and I was clear of doubt in the existence of magic. It was time to cultivate.

  It honestly was easier. Vex had an invigorating presence. I could still feel the lingering electricity of her touch. I used that feeling. I focused not only on how it felt or how it made me feel, but also on how I felt. Not in the ‘she is fucking amazing, and I will become a god to be with her forever’ way but in the physical sensation being relayed through contact. How, even a hundred feet tall, her skin was silk, and she smelled like lavender in the rain, how those sensations traveled from reality and interaction to impulse and awareness. I felt it growing as I focused on her smell. It's like I could feel the cool wind blowing across the lavender, the sound of raindrops on tree leaves lulling my mind out of focus. I could feel each pitter-patter of the rain hitting me like a sonar pulse coming from within. I traced those pulses back to their source. I sat and pondered with my mind’s eye the little pulsing orb, wondering how it was so small yet I could feel its intense hunger. It’s deep desire waiting and wanting for more input. The input almost lost me with a Johnny-5 memory, but I used it. I gave the little yellow orb a desire. I heightened its need for input; it’s need to be alive. I made it want. I fed it my desire for a sexy little goth goddess. I made it salivate at the prospect of all the sensations she could bring. I held my memories of them just out of reach. Then I turned it loose on the hot tub.

  It drank like a frat boy on a free keg stand. It pulled the waters faster than I could control. I had to wrest control back from it. I could feel it wanted more, but I had to stop it. It took much more than the Speed Loci had by at least half, but I finally got it under control.

  The control was quickly lost as I felt my senses explode. If I wasn't so experienced with losing consciousness at this point, I may have fainted. It left a migraine that quickly shot to the bottom of my list of problems. My senses exploded. I felt like I was lying on burning sandpaper in the middle of a rock concert while watching myself vomit on the Jumbotron. Too much information was coming in too quickly in too much volume and too much to process.

  I had to focus. I had to build filters in my brain to prevent sensory overload from killing me. I focused on the burning sandpaper first. I fell into the heat and the coarseness. I embraced what my hands, back, and feet were telling me and then said it was unimportant. Yes, the ground was warm, and of course, it was coarse. It was stone. One additional breath, and that subsided. Next was the volume. The recovery room was a pretty quiet place, but it always had a low hum. I honestly felt it was there to reduce anxiety. Places that are too quiet make me anxious. I began to filter out the hum, which left a wooshing and thumping bass sound. I felt my heart; beating and pumping blood. My lungs drawing in air, rough, harsh, and labored. I forced myself to calm down and let these normal sounds go back to being normal. My eyes burned from what was now too bright, but like in most situations, they adapted quickly. All of these things started to reduce my headache. It went from full-on migraine to a mild hangover. None of this helped with my vision. I could still see, but I could also see. I could see with my eyes and look at the door leading to Mord’s room, but I could also see myself lying there. I wasn’t talking about proprioception, either. I could literally see myself lying there in all my ridiculousness. I could see my sheathes strapped to my waist and thighs. I could see my spandex undies over my drunk-looking ass. I could see my t-shirt starting to look worse for wear. I could even see my bag of coins, my little treasure trove. As I focused on my coins, suddenly, the contents exploded into my mind. I could see the bag, the coins, all of it. Everything, everywhere, all at once as far as the bag was concerned. It threatened to pull me back into migraine induced insanity, so I focused. I pulled my vision back to my eyes, and slowly, the awareness around me snapped into place. I could fully sense everything in my immediate area. I left the coin sack on the ground and stepped away. After about five feet, it slipped out of my secondary awareness and remained only in my vision and a general sense of where things were.

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  As I regained my composure and most of the world returned to normal, I found myself at an impasse. Do I look at my interface ability for descriptions of my new powers, or do I try to cultivate some more? I had already decided that I would cultivate until I couldn’t cultivate any longer before I left the recovery room. It was now the decision to read the card or open another present. I went with the card.

  Second Loci aspected. The Loci of Sense has gained the Aura aspect. You have gained two powers: focus more potential through this loci to enhance your sense attributes, strengthen your existing powers, and acquire new ones.

  Additional Potential added to Aspect. You have gained an additional power.

  Aura of Perception- Your Aura extends five feet from your person. You can sense objects within your Aura’s influence.

  Sense of object (basic) -You can focus on some details of an object you are in contact with.

  Tangible Aura -Objects within your aura are considered ‘in contact’ for abilities that require contact.

  Honestly, it all made a mad sort of sense. I was the center of this ‘Aura’, and I could sense the objects around me. I could also ‘touch’ objects, such as my coin bag and its contents, as long as they were within five feet of me. That third ability, while probably handy, took way too much EXP. I wanted a better variety of powers first before I climbed my own ladders. I was also taking Mord’s advice about not gaining powers too fast. I needed to get them to mesh first. Also, I wanted to see Vex again. I figured that if I took the step to the next tier, it would justify a visit. What can I say? She was fucking hot, and I was stuck in a three-room apartment with an old crusty dude and his younger sadistic self. I needed to get laid. It had probably been months at this point, even counting the time with Vex that I couldn't remember without making my nose bleed and…you know…probably dying.