|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 9:22 pm
"I'm not much for destruction magic," Lance said cheerfully as he turned a little pink.
Why did he say that? He didn't know who was still an enemy and who wasn't! And Genevieve was dead and unable to help him if he got into a tight spot. Idiot! He cursed himself.
Curiously, Dahlia scampered out of his pocket and climbed up a branch of the tree, swatting at the cherries happily, purring loudly.
"Eat as much as you like," Lance said as he reached for another piece of fruit. "Magic knows no season."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:02 pm
She tested the flexibility of one of the branches and then plucked one of the fruits, sniffing it. She used her knife to peel it open, checking out the inside. She was more curious than hungry. The flesh was juicy and it smelled ripe and sweet. Approaching one of the trunks, she scraped her fingernail against the bark, flaking it away.
How peculiar. It was as real as the skin on her body. She didn't bite into the fruit, though. Eating a magic thing seemed like a poor idea. Jóna was at least cautious enough for that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:06 pm
In this matter, Riasha was less cautious than the elf. She was hungry and trying to remember the last time she ate. Besides, even if something bad happened here, it couldn't be as terrible as going back where she came from...could it? Taking a deep breath, she put one of the cherries in her mouth. If there are any of the blooms left, she'll take a few and put them in her hair.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:29 pm
Lance rubbed his white, clouded eye and stared at them both with his black eye. He couldn't believe that his magic had captured their attention so perfectly. He noticed the human girl eying the blossoms, and he rubbed his hands together, his tattoos glowing. Bright colored flowers wound their way into a bracelet for the girl's left wrist thrice, mending themselves into metal and gemstones on a thin, silver chain so they would not fall off.
"I noticed you seemed to enjoy the flowers," he said to her quietly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:35 pm
Jòna watched in amazement as Lance created the bracelet for Riasha. She caught the girl's arm and lifted it close to her face, holding it tightly so she couldn't pull away during her inspection. The human was meek enough she assumed she wouldn't try.
"Wow!" she expressed in amazement. "Now that is magic!"
She released the girl with an encouraging smile and a wink. Lucky girl to have caught the attention of such a talented man.
"Metal jewelry is so rare where I'm from. We don't have metal workers nor many materials except for what finds its way over the border. My people use bone." She gestured to her heavily pierced ears for reference.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:43 pm
Riasha is still in quite a bit of awe. "I do enjoy flowers; I used to dance with them in my hair for the crowds that came to see our shows," she says wistfully. "Now I don't even know where my people are." She's going to say more, but then her arm is grabbed. As expected, she doesn't fight, but she looks more surprised than outright alarmed. "My people don't have metal workers either, but we do very well in trading, so it doesn't matter so much. Mostly we work with wood or stone if it comes down to it, but usually we buy what we need since we have few crafters." Then she smiles, looking at the bone earrings with interest. "I'm sure if you asked him, he would make you one too," she says, gently rubbing her wrist where it was grasped so tightly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:53 pm
Lance's hands were back to glowing green and gold as a small skull was being put together over the small material over the elf's chest. The bone material that comprised the skull was half covered in bronze, and it was attaching itself to a chain around the elf's neck. A few bone charms were forming around the necklace, and a snake wrapped around a key formed behind the skull charm.
Making the jewelery for the girls was a pleasant distraction from Genevieve and the war. His heart ached; he had promised Claudette he wouldn't let her sister die. But now, they were both dead. Lance suppressed a sob; he felt lonelier than ever before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:01 pm
Before Jóna could wave away the notion of receiving jewelry, as her people didn't have much use in the way of physical wealth, Lance was already working. When he finished, she plucked up the necklace to inspect it, feeling surprisingly warm in the pit of her stomach at the generosity.
He was just a human. And yet.
Crossing over to him, she nicked his chin with her thumb and pecked a kiss to his cheek.
He wasn't that bad looking, she decided as an afterthought, if a bit on the defensive and melancholy side.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:05 pm
Riasha was less demonstrative in her thanks; words seemed to be sufficient to her mind. Most likely, though, she's just a bit on the shy side. "See," she says quietly to Jóna. The statement doesn't sound at all smug. "If only I had some power like that, I wouldn't be in so much trouble all the time," she says with a little sigh. "I might have been able to stay at home with my people." While more reserved than the elf, she's less reserved than the mage, and doesn't keep her negative thoughts or moments of weakness to herself. Perhaps she's just never been taught the merit of such a practice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:13 pm
Lance flinched and flushed red as she pecked him.
"Really, it's nothing," he said dismissively in a small voice as he looked at the table.
Feeling a little hot, he slid out of his coat, and folded it up inside his bag. His torso was nearly bare, his muscles completely exposed. He wore an open and torn up shirt with almost no sleeves. Tattoos wound around his body, crossing his abs and swirling down his sides. He was lacking in body hair.
"You asked me to show you magic, and I did," he said quietly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:17 pm
At Raisha's sighing statement, Jóna laughed. "If I had power like that, I'd be in trouble all of the time! The others would probably want to kill me. I'd build a giant castle in the middle of the swamp and watch the swamp eat it just for fun. They'd be fed up with me in a day," she giggled, fidgeting with the necklace.
Hopping up on another table, she crossed her bare ankles and swung her legs. Mud was drying and flaking off, leaving behind bits of debris wherever she went.
"Yes," she agreed. "I did ask. You did show. I thanked you. Does that make us square?" She cocked her head, curls falling across her forehead, an amused smile playing at her lips.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:23 pm
"If I had power like that I'd make sure no one could hurt me, or my family, or the group we travel with," Riasha says. "Before he took me away, the man who abducted me had hurt my little brother, and I couldn't stop him. I couldn't stop him from taking me from my family." She furrows her brows. "I hope Cristani is okay..." She hugs herself tightly and sighs. Oddly Lance becoming practically de-shirted doesn't seem to bother her much. "Did the tattoos hurt?" she asks him, curious.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:28 pm
"I suppose so," Lance said airily.
He was starting to feel more comfortable around the elf. He rubbed his white eye again; the damn thing was determined not to heal up. Pain seared through his eye, and he growled low. Maybe it was time to invest in an eye patch.
Still, he couldn't help ignoring what the human girl said, and he couldn't take his eye off of the elf. No one had ever kissed him before. Realizing the human was talking to him, he decided to answer her.
"He's probably dead," he said lightly. If Genevieve, a great warrior and friend had to be dead, her 'Cristani' should probably be dead, too. He wasn't in the mood to spare her feelings. "No. The tattoos didn't hurt."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:33 pm
Glancing toward Riasha, she said sympathetically, "This is where ball crushing comes in handy." Again, she mimed it with her opening and closing fist.
Reaching behind the back of Lance's head, she gave him a firm but non-painful smack. "Don't tell her that! You don't know. Cristani probably learned to crush some balls like she's going to. Cristani is probably fine." She scowled hard at him as if to make him comply.
"You know what?" she declared, sweeping a look between the two of them. "I have two days left to live. I'm not going to spend them listening to you two mope. We're going to get a bottle of liquor and have ourselves a party. There will be merriment had or, burn it all, I'll find someplace better."
Not that she wanted to go back home to get hounded with advice and well wishes and looks of sympathy from every single person around her. She had come here to escape all of that nonsense!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:38 pm
Riasha gives the man a long look, and finally shakes her head. "That may be true, but I don't have any reason to believe that the blow alone killed him," she says softly, as though she doesn't want to upset him by refuting his guess. Evidently she cares about his feelings to some degree, even if he doesn't care for hers. "I'm sure someone would have found him before he could die; we were still in the camp after all, even if it was the edges of it." She rolls her shoulders a few times. "But, it might have addled him badly. He's a bright boy; I'd hate for something like that to happen to him. After all, he got hurt trying to defend me and he's only ten."
And then Jóna speaks up. First Riasha blushes again; one might almost think that red is Jóna's favorite color. Maybe it is. "Why do you only have such a short time left to live?" she asks in wonderment. "You don't look much older than me, and you don't look injured or sound sick." She shakes her head. "Then again, I don't know very much about elves at all; they live in the tropics mostly, and I live up north. In fact, I wasn't even sure that they existed before today," she notes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
