His praise has her ducking her head, redness faint high on her cheeks -- she's unused to it; even before being taken by the Ironmen, it was a rare thing to come by in Anabella's household. No kind words for the savage she so disliked, and the other women of the Rosarian Court followed her lead.

Istredd's question is at least easy to answer. "Instinctive. Once the, ah, ability to use it awoke within me, everything involved became second nature." Jill wavers slightly, wondering how much to divulge, before deciding to trust Istredd. He has never given her a reason to doubt him, and he deserves to have that trust returned. "The power I have comes from what we call an 'eikon', an embodiment of a certain type of elemental energy. There are only nine of them in my world, though one is... unique." It's the best way to describe Ifrit that simply isn't exposing Clive to unnecessary questions and danger, given Thorne's eagerness to gain the upper hand. "They are magical beings, powerful enough to destroy armies and cities alike; each resides within a human host. Mine was Shiva, warden of ice."

Was; though she can still feel the eikon within her, knows that she would answer if Jill called upon her. But that would come at too great a cost, and even then... Jill is not so certain she could control Shiva.