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 Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:13 pm
The cattaur yawned widely as she tromped through the underbrush. She flicked her tail at the bugs that were flying toward her for whatever reason, each one being electrocuted without the girl even needing to try, though the electricity was only enough to stun them. She clutched a bow to her chest, and a quiver of arrows was thrown over her shoulder. True, she wasn't hunting, and she hadn't caught anything that day, but there was a good reason for her to have them with her on this very morning.
For the past... oh, she couldn't even remember how long it had been now. Since she was only a teenager, she'd been at a small magic school in the middle of a secluded forest, which housed specifically cattaur. She'd grown a lot since then, and her magic had improved tenfold, at the very least. The bow and arrows she'd carved herself with the help of some of her other students, who were more skilled with other types of magic than she was. She'd been forced to rely on her own self as well as her magic to be able to get her food, and as such, had become accustomed to doing so.
Finally, she was going back home, though. She'd be able to see everyone again; Luke, Vesna, Syem... Luke, especially. She'd finally passed the stage of feeling so awkward about her feelings for her friend's father, though Vesna would probably still think it was extremely strange. Things had barely started looking familiar since she'd started walking, and a smile broke out on her face. Her pace picked up, and she was soon bounding through the forest toward a familiar pillar of smoke coming from a location where she'd spent much of her childhood. She assumed the reunion would be a good one, of course. That is, until she ran right smack-dab into the person she had been most adamant about meeting...
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:44 pm
 Luke was outside cutting some fire wood. Instead of using the traditional axe, Luke was using his abilities. Through self practice and some lessons from others, he was 100 times better than when he had first arrived. Conjuring up a form of water, he would change it into a razorsharp wedge of ice and throw those at the logs. He was quite enjoying himself too.
Yawning right as he threw, he noticed at the last second that someone had suddenly appeared in front of him. In front of the ice! Without a second thought, he flicked his wrist and the ice wedge stoped where it was and burst, falling to the ground in a cloud of harmless snowflakes.
"Geez miss! Gotta watch were you're going out here." He called, happy the female hadn't been hurt. The very cute female, that is. He smiled and started walking forward. "Anything I can do for you?" His walk slowed and he tilted his head. She looked familiar. Very familiar. "JAI?!"
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:21 pm
Jaione squeaked slightly at the wedge of ice that had been heading straight toward her, violet eyes widening in surprise. She sighed in relief when the wedge burst into a flurry of snowflakes, however, and smiled softly at the cattaur whom she hadn't seen in God-knows how long. As the first words came, however, her eyebrows knitted together in mild confusion; did he not remember her or something? Really, she hadn't been gone so long that she was a completely different person... had she?
She looked down at the skin of one of her arms and, as she'd expected, it still had it's abnormal, glittery tone, so... unusual compared to the skin of most 'taur. When she heard her name from the cattaur's lips, however, she couldn't help but smirk softly, rolling her eyes and placing a hand on her hips. "Well, Luke, I certainly hope that I'm more memorable than that," she teased, before taking a jump-step forward and letting the bow fall from her hands, wasting no time in wrapping her arms around her friend's waist, clinging to him happily as flecks of electricity came from the dark purple tip of her tail. "Though I'm glad that you recognized me eventually; I guess you're memories getting a bit faulty in your old age," she taunted, poking gently at Luke's nose, but not removing her other hand from around his waist, glad to be close to someone familiar.
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:32 pm
Luke was still gapping at Jai. This pretty cattaur was really the girl he had helped raise?! He let out a soft "oof" when she jumped into him, his arms reflexivly returning the hug.
On one side he was excited to see her. She had gone to school it seemed like forever ago. He was proud to see her grown.
On the other... a warm blush was creeping up his cheeks. He had felt she was attractive. Still did! Thinking she was pretty was one thing. Feeling she was pretty was an entirly different matter. It was only natural, but the fact that she had grown up with his daughter made him feel, well, awkward.
"How have you been? How was school?" Then he shook his head. "Hey, you're no spring chicken yourself anymore, all grown up." He poked back, taking her arm to lead her to the house. "Want something to eat?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:43 pm
Jaione laughed as she was pelted with questions. "It might take me a while to answer most of those, and you're still older than I am, Lukey~ But, yeah, I'd love to have something to eat; thanks for offering," she said politely. Compared to the little girl getting stuck in trees and throwing snowballs, she was completely changed. She had better manners, it seemed, and -although she was still tomboyish to a point and was an amazing huntress- she seemed to have settled well into a feminine role, surprising as it would have been given how she'd acted as a little girl.
"Now, where to start..." she mumbled to herself, slipping Luke's hand from around her arm to in her own hand, preferring that over the more platonic action chosen by the older 'taur. "I'm not sure," she said, chuckling softly. "It's been a really long time; I guess I'm just really glad to be back here, finally. The school was fun, and they taught really well and all, but most of the students were kept away from another to learn things in a more... solitary kind-of... way. I'm not sure why, but it seemed to have helped. It made it a lot easier to focus on magic rather than gossip or anything else, you know?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:54 pm
Luke smirked and shook his head. "What ever happened to respecting your elders?" His tail flicked curiously when she took his hand, but he wrote off the gesture as family-like affection. She wouldn't return the attraction... would she?
He listened attentivly as she spoke. Inside, he poked around the fridge before finding something good enough. "I have a rough idea. Though I didn't have much choice in my learning." He set a pan of water on the fire, tossing in some vegetables, herbs and leftover rabbit meat to make a light stew. "Thought you'd want something warm after being out there. I'm rather hungry too." He continued his previous thoughts as he got some water to drink. "I had Reyson teach me when he could, otherwise I was up to my own trail and error practices.
I'm afraid Vesna isn't home right now. She should be along any time though. I bet you'll be happy to see each other again."
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:35 pm
Jaione's tail flicked a bit at the tip, before falling to rest in an upside-down questionmark near the ground, swishing from side to side softly, the fur at it's tip barely touching the floor as they entered the little cabin that she'd known so well from her childhood. Biting the edge of her lip to keep from smiling too much, she let her hand slip from Luke's and took a seat by the fireplace, outstretching her hands toward it to heat them up. Hands warmed, she slipped off her quiver, before finally realizing that she'd forgotten her bow outside.
"Hold that thought-" she said quickly, getting back to her feet and leaving the house, looking across the ground for the bow that had slipped from her hands so carelessly. Her eyebrows knitted at the difficulty of finding such a thing on the ground outside, with the half-thawed snow and all, but it was harder than it looked. Finally, she was forced to give up her search -having removed her jacket upon entering the house- and she returned inside, closing the door behind herself and taking a seat next to the fire, a gentle purr resonating from her chest at the warmth and familiarity of the area.
"Reyson? I've never met him, have I?" she asked curiously, looking over at the cattaur who was currently preparing... well, whatever it was, it smelled heavenly, especially compared to the things that she'd had to eat while she was at school, lacking cooking supplies as well as the skill to cook. It was then that she noticed the fire's diminishing, which made sense given she'd caught Luke in the act of chopping firewood. She looked at him for a moment before going outside once more and picking up a few hunks of wood, returning and dropping them on the remainder of the fire, only to snuff it out. She pouted at it softly and a prodded a few times before pointing all five of her fingers at it and taking a slow, deep breathe before blowing gently across her hand and into the fire place, where a few sparks came off her fingertips and soon lit the wood, recreating the warm blaze from moments before. Once more, she directed her attention toward Luke.
"Yes, I can't wait to see Vesna, either," she said happily, lifting herself off the ground to stand beside Luke, resting her chin on his shoulder to look at what he was cooking with interest. "I wish I knew how to cook like you can. That's one thing that the school failed to teach us; thriving, rather than surviving."
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:53 pm
Luke shrugged. "I don't know if you've ever met him. I've told you about him before."
Watching Jaione play with the fire, Luke couldn't help to feel that mingle of pride/attraction again. She was looking like a capable adult, and the light reflected delicately off her skin. He felt his cheeks warm and he refocused on the food and water glasses, taking extra care in filling them.
At the soup, he tilted his head to look at Jai and chuckled softly. "Thriving can only come after surviving. I survived a long time before my mom taught me about cooking. She made sure all the kids could survive first." He smiled fondly at one of his few pleasant memories of his youth before giving the soup a stir and taste. "Almost ready. So, does this mean you're done with school for good?" Then as an afterthought. "And what were you outside for? Before getting the wood."
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 10:31 pm
The strange sparkles that had adorned her skin since infancy reflected the light in an amusing way, making her resemble the light shining off a pool of water or dewy morning grass. She looked like she was literally partially frozen, but it was obvious that she wasn't, really. She chuckled softly at the other cattaur's reply, as well as the faint blush that she caught on his cheeks out of the corner of her eye. Where she would have once hesitated, she took no thought in wrapping her arms around Luke's waist, still watching the food that he was making with growing interest. It didn't look like it was anything too hard, but she still doubted that she would be able to make it herself.
"True, but I'm an adult already and can't do much more than getting my food cooked, if even that. The meat usually ends up burnt on the outside and uncooked on the insides," she stated, making a slight face at the thought. She glanced toward the door briefly, wondering when Vesna would be home, and if she'd changed at all, also. It would be nice to see her again, she was sure of that much. She smiled a bit at the talk of school. "Not sure yet. I might actually want some private tutoring with my water magic. It's... not my strongest suit," she commented, flushing lightly in embarrassment, especially given the only magic she wasn't good at was Luke's best talent.
"Oh- before? I was looking for my bow; I seem to have dropped it outside, and I couldn't find it when I went back out. It's not too much of a problem though; it would only take a couple days for me to make a new one, and given I won't have to feed myself by myself for a while, I can take advantage of the extra time," she noted, tail swishing back and forth close to the wooden floor, though she made sure not to send sparks from it, for fear that they would set the whole house on fire.
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:22 am
"Your heat's too high then. Let the fire go down a bit or raise your meat above the flames more. Takes a bit longer but it'll cook through more evenly." He spouted of automaticly when she described the burned meat. In part, it was a self defense against the hands suddenly warm and comfortable around his waist. 'She's just happy to see an old friend. That's all it is.' He repeated to himself in his mind.
Luke chuckled. "You probably instinctivly tried to avoid water magic after growing up watching how bad I was at it. I still feel bad about that whole water up your nose incident." He laughed at that, thinking back to the two girls as children playing in the yard. Luke had been inside practicing when he heard Jaione yelp, then run inside with a wet face and threw her doll at him in irritation.
Cocking his head slightly, he smirked and pushed her hands gently away. "Hold on a moment." Heading outside, he stood just outside the door. With one arm out, palm facing the snow, he pulled sections of the snow into the air, leaving behind whatever was hidden. A ball, a scarf, the axe, oops, better grab that, and... "Is that it?" He called to her, squinting at the length of wood that blended with the brown grass.
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Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:16 am
Jaione nodded a few times at the comment on how to cook her meat properly and she smiled softly. "I guess I'll need to work on my patience still, huh?" she semi-joked, given she had, in fact, tried to do that before, but she was never patient enough to wait for the meat to cook all the way through, and ended up with her burnt food. At least it was food, though. "Maybe I could stay here for a while?" she suggested, tilting her head to the side curiously. "I mean, you're a good chef, aren't you? You could teach me better than Syem as far as cooking." She chuckled softly. "After all, he'll eat anything, regardless of how it's cooked."
Jaione laughed with the recollection of the incident, ruffling Luke's hair teasingly. "Are you saying that I was traumatized by something that I got over within the day?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Of course, that was a long time ago..."
When her arms were removed from around Luke's waist, she blinked at him a couple times. For a moment, she thought he was rejecting her affections, before catching sight of the cattaur's expression. Shrugging, she followed her friend's adopted father out of the house. As he lifted the piles of snow up so easily, her eyes widened. "It seems you've gotten better since then..." she mumbled, thinking out loud. She smiled brightly at the sight of the bow, and pounced the grass beside it in her catlike fashion, taking it up and hugging it to her chest. Nothing more than a finely carved piece of wood with two small, green rings around either end, but it was still very reliable. "Thank you, Luke!" she exclaimed excitedly, jumping back up and hugging him around the shoulders happily.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 4:56 pm
"You? Not patient? I don't believe it." Luke teased.
Using his searching time, he tried to process her suggestion. Stay here? Her? With the way he was reacting to her presence?! He didn't know if he could hold out in such close quarters.
He laughed and hugged her back before leading her inside again. "Not a problem. One less thing for you to worry about." Checking the soup, he nodded and grabbed two bowls from the cupboard. Eyeballing the soup a bit, he filled Jaione's bowl with a regular spoon and set it on the table. For his own bowl, he stuck his tongue out in concentration and tried telepathicly lifting out his serving. A little broth ended up on the floor, but otherwise most of it got in and he pumped his fist in triumph. "Getting closer." He said proudly, using that power to send the spilled broth into the fireplace.
He almost wanted an excuse to keep her here, but could he let himself? Maybe she would forget she had asked? Half of him hoped she would push the subject.
"It wasn't only that one time. But just watching how bad I was before could have messed with your head." He chuckled, sipping his soup.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:41 pm
"Oh, ha-ha," Jaione replied to the patience comment, sticking her tongue out childishly at the older 'taur. It seemed that being home was already affecting her ability to remain as mature as she'd become while she was at school. Of course, it could also be the fact that she wasn't sure how to behave around Luke, and simply acted on impulse. Such was the way she worked when she didn't understand a situation. She laughed a bit as she followed him inside. "One less? Truly, I don't believe I have that many problems, do I?" she questioned, watching as Luke filled both of the bowls.
"Impressive," she commented, smiling at how much better he'd really gotten since she'd last seen him. Apparently she wasn't the only one who'd been practicing so fervently. She located the drawer with the spoons easily, and took a sip of the broth, smiling brightly at the flavor before lifting the bowl itself and glancing over to the fireplace. "Come on; we'll eat over there. It's still cold, after all," she said with a tilt of the head over toward the living room, where she took a seat in front of the fireplace, tail flicking back and forth in the warmth.
"You think so?" she asked, laughing softly. "Well, you're better now, aren't you? Perhaps you could make up for messing up my head with your magic skills back then." She giggled to herself in a teasing manner. "It would be repentance, would it not?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:20 am
Luke nodded and followed Jai to the fireplace, settling himself next to her. "Yes, I'm a lot better. I even know a bit about a few other abilities now." He said, chest puffing proudly. He was especially proud of his water and ice abilities, but the telekenisis was coming along well, and he was dabbling in a couple others. "Repentance?" He asked with a laugh. "If you want to look at it that way, then sure."
He took another bite of the soup and purred softly. "Not bad, if I say so myself."
"So, how am I going to mke up for years of water trauma?" He asked with a sideways smirk.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:31 am
The sound of Luke's purring made Jai's tail swish to either side gently, a rumble rising up within her own chest as she sipped at the broth, smiling gently at the other cattaur. "Other abilities...?" she questioned curiously, tipping her head to the side slightly. "Like what?" Truly, she was interested to see what all Luke could do now. She, herself, had learned abilities within a few other elements, but little more than that. Perhaps there were even more skills that Luke would be able to pass on to her...?
The girl laughed at Luke's question, though it wasn't in a taunting way at all; she was merely amused by the way it had been phrased. "You can teach me how to use water magic," she commented, sticking her tongue out at him before taking another generous spoonful of soup. "Of course, I can't guarantee that I'll be any better than you were when I met you, so I hope you don't mind getting wet," she joked, smiling pleasantly at the older cattaur. There was something strange going on here, though. Perhaps it was just from Jaione's point-of-view, but it could also be that she'd never really spent one-on-one time with Luke. Usually Vesna or Syem were there, if not both, and the only time she was ever alone with Luke was if they had to get something from the little house that the small family lived in. It didn't make sense to her how she could go through such a foreign situation so casually.
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