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((Some say the world will end in fire;
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To know that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
-Robert Frost))

It was a relatively cool night with the stars shining bright over head that Maelthra had come down to small lake where there seemed to be no others to begin his training. The grass and dirt were moist from an earlier light shower, so if anything went wrong nothing should easily be ignited. And for once he decided to train in his humanoid form, as the area was slightly cramped for a creature of his size.

So as the flames wrapped around his body, the large black elder soon diminished down to something smaller and something with two legs. Satisfied with the fact that he only slightly charred the ground below him, he just took in a deep breath before beginning to concentrate and focus his powers. One by one, five fireballs appeared around him before they slowly began to circle over the body of water.

While bringing the balls of flame together to create one larger fireball, the elder in elven form felt a cool breeze from somewhere nearby. With his concentration waning and his curiosity growing, he slipped his focus, allowing the large fireball to dissapate and practically explode, sending many tiny embers falling into the cool lake waters.

"Hm?"

Turning about, he soon saw another like him, only it was a female. One that appeared quite delicate and beautiful in fact. Maelthra tilted his head before facing her more directly, wondering how long she had been there.

"Oh sorry.. I didn't notice you there... Is there something you want?"

Tilting his head again, Maelthra shook his head before chuckling weakly.

"Don't worry about. I probably would have lost control at some point anyway... But.. was the fire really that beautiful? It was kinda just a big fireball and nothing else..." he said.

Rubbing the back of his neck a bit, he sighed at his own inexperience with his powers. While he had gotten better over time, he still had to train a good while more to really be able to get things under his control. At least he hasn't really set any other dragonflies on fire unintentionally as of yet.

As the female stepped towards him, Maelthra blinked and shifted slightly since he wasn't really too comfortable at the moment. It was mainly because he wasn't really sure how he should be acting at the moment since she did catch him off guard to some extent. So for a moment he thought about his answer to her before speaking up.

"I was just training. I... can't really control my powers all too well right now..." he said quietly, feeling a little ashamed of this fact. He was half-expecting her to comment on that as several other elders have. Meaning he expected her to look down on him for it.

"What about you?"

As he spoke, he just looked her over to examine her. She had just one slender horn on her head, and she wore clothing. Both weren't really usual when it came to his own kind and it made him wonder if she had gotten the clothes from Beriothien or if she had been on contacts with humans in the past. Blinking slightly, he just let his hand rest on the hilt of his sword, but not in a defensive manner. It was really just to let his hand rest there.

The elder blinked as the other suddenly seemed to become uncomfortable before realizing it was probably because of his actions. Shifting a bit, he quickly moved his hand away from his weapon and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Aah I see... well it is a really nice night... It's one I kinda would rather be out flying around really..."

As he spoke he looked up through the trees and at the glittering stars that rested in the dark sky. He couldn't tell that the other was lying as what she had said was perfectly plausible. And he just thought that she kinda stumbled on her words a bit because she was nervous about his weaponry.

".. I'm not going to hurt you by the way.."

"Most dragonflies don't... But there are a couple around who do..." he murmered as he continued to gaze up at the sky. He waited a moment before focusing his dark red eyes back onto the female elder before him, shifting slightly as she jumped from what he had said.

"You don't need to thank me for that... I wouldn't attack anyone unless they attack first. So don't worry."

Smiling weakly, he hesitated momentarily before shifting his weight again. She seemed kind enough, and he felt a bit bad for not introducing himself as of yet.

"By the way... My name is Maelthra."

Relaxing a little as well, Maelthra nodded before letting his gaze wander back towards the sky, "Yeah it is pretty amazing... On real clear nights like this... it can really put any troubled heart at ease I think."

Bringing his attention back to her as she introduced herself as well, he bowed down slightly as a greeting before straightening out and speaking up once more.

"It's nice to meet you too Amuriel... Have you been in this area long? When I was traveling at first I didn't really spot anyone in the region for a little while... "

"Hm?"

Tilting his head again, he wondered why it was that she seemed to be somewhat troubled with his question. And it made Maelthra wonder if he had said something wrong but he really couldn't think of anything that he said that would offend or bother her. Gazing at her still with a hint of curiosity, he just couldn't help but ask more.

"Well... there's nothing wrong with that. At least I think so... but did I say something there that bothered you?"

Maybe something happened recently that deals with her home-area... he thought to himself.