Neoma lightly nudged Aella with her foot. “Hey. Wake up.” 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDhcxwwAKu
Aella twitched and yawned. “Mm?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZB3KKs1JyS
"Come on. Or I will flip you into a pool of water." She nudged her again.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnbz889ZSf
Aella’s eyes flashed open. “I’m up!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtdkZSKqv8
"Except we have no water around," Luna pointed out.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf9K5Z9tH9
"…" Aella looked around. As Luna said, not so much as a puddle in their immediate area. "Oh."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00BR3oLHLr
Luna giggled. “You’ll learn when and when not to fall for her tricks.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnMRD7tj6R
Neoma shrugged, getting up on her horse. “Don’t eat too much, we need that food.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdYclrUwoC
Aella laughed along with Luna, and slowly got up. Wow, she was sore…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycFk2vAUyu
Luna paused in her laughter. “But….but I wanna go hunting,” she whined.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwZ97MQyA5
"Luna, what can you catch out here?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSzVrlZR3u
Aella looked at them curiously. She wasn’t quite sure what they were talking about… did Luna know how to hunt? Aella’s dad did, but her mom said it wasn’t ladylike. Luna was a lady though…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WFzgA2xVZ
"Um…."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjP40mZrQLB
"Exactly." 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEwICKTCAa
Aella pulled herself up onto her horse. “Didn’t know you hunted.~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWDW4vEUin
Luna grinned and nodded, flashing her pointed teeth. That made sense, didn’t it… She had only JUST held Luna as a fluffy cat, and cats hunted. Encouraged by this, Aella continued. “Is it fun?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7p8ODLO6o
"Yes!" She giggled, going into her cat form. Aella hummed happily, though she wished she could pet her friend again. Her fur was so SOFT!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgl5ufNgWfU
Neoma stared ahead, tilting her head to the side for a second. Aella didn’t bother questioning the gesture, and went ahead with her questioning.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhR8SYx1lS
"How far do you think we’ll get today?~"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOTflQ8Sdn
The elemental shrugged, looking down at the shadowy horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmgl3uafXs
She let it drop and started humming absently, gazing up at the sky.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzfnGKc0Ok
"….What do you want to know?" Neoma finally asked, after about 20 minutes of silence.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeU3bk10Y7
"I wanna know a lot of stuff!" she said enthusiastically. Neoma was actually OFFERING to answer her questions? This was wonderful!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTLxMCW80f
"Well, ask away."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8mxwBMzGo
"Okay. Do you have any other powers besides the shadow horse thing? Does Luna, besides turning into the most adorable cat ever? What’s your favorite thing to do? Do you like traveling like this?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGJjeR8MpV
"Of course. Shadow is an elemental power. One of the strongest. Most people who have shadow powers are rather…creative, and work well with illusions." She blinked, then said a bit slower, "No, Luna is a familiar, do you know what that is? I like a lot of things, and no, I prefer shadows, but that’s a one person thing. My second favorite would be wolfback."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKckfv6FI0q
"Can I see some of your other powers sometime? And no, don’t know what a familiar is. Can you name one of the things you like?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5D4Sc7fTqu
"I guess. She assists with my fighting, magic, and so on. And no."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmNWBMUi3z
Aella made a face at the last one. “Aw.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbuFNRL1KR
"What else?" Neoma finally looked over at her, and her face brightened further at this.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4i87CHgUU
She thought for a moment. “Have you ever just helped someone like this before? And how much do you know about shapeshifters like Cináed, anyway?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIlSeLaUSz
She glanced over at Luna. “Yes. Not a lot.” 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBYkkR4974
Aella tipped her head. “What DO you know?” she wondered. 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwWoZsvTHt
"The name implies a lot. And I guess silver hurts them?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBszcMzC6E
"And some other stuff," Aella said a bit absently. "I’m not sure which, exactly… I only know snatches of it from Cináed. I try not to, though, he scares me." She didn’t like when she caught pieces of his thoughts. They were always mean… were ALL shapeshifters like that? She hoped not.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqd9L9o5VG
Neoma nodded. “Anything else?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCKhzndZeZ
Aella hesitated. “Why are we going to France?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx59Q5h18z5
"So Luna and I can go home."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrsQ2CUXMC
"Is your home that way?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9NDfnmT9y
"Hm…you can say that." Neoma frowned. "…Well. Have you heard of these things… they’re called dimension ties."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXW9lf8qPX
"… huh?" Her expression went completely blank, and her mind matched.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZUHiNV1BM
"That’s what we call them, I don’t know your word for it." She patted her horse for a second.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWl2dgu3Ei
”What exactly are they?” she asked, utterly confused.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5PbzyVER9
”You don’t think this is the only plane of existence, do you?” The elemental raised an eyebrow, looking off to the side. A part of Aella did wonder why she didn’t like making eye contact… maybe she was shy, or worried, or sad. Oh well, she would be more cheerful eventually!~ Aella liked making people happy, a room full of happy people was always the best kind.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXDCuW9Hqr
Oh, she was zoning out. Not that what Neoma was saying made much sense, but it was rude to stop listening!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6aGt5YjaG
”…Earth. Do you think it’s the only place with life forms?!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQiMTUSdJg
”There’s more places besides Earth?” Now she was excited by the thought of places like that, ones she’d never heard of. “Is that why you wouldn’t tell me where you were from?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvGm0FTSq1
She nodded. “Yeah, part of it.” Luna looked up, tilting her head for a moment, then gave a purr, making Aella inwardly squeal.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5AnFw7H1T
"Will I ever get the chance to see it?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOOtbyDgFD
"You might," She looked up, "if we ever GET THERE."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMFOWNSP4l
”Yay!~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLnBoZ5NDC
Neoma paused again, sitting sideways on her horse. “So besides shapeshifter and all that funstuff,” (she rolled her eyes at the word fun), “what was your life like?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki4IyFtX60
”Mm?” Aella looked over at her. “Pretty normal, I guess. Middle-class family, lived in a pretty coastal town in England…”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwx3FjPD4mF
“…. Middle class….” She tilted her head a little, like she had no idea what she was talking about. “You were poor, then?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsrD6JvI2s
Aella giggled. “No, we weren’t poor. We just didn’t have as much money as all the really rich people, like the royalty.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOzpqDFn6p
“Oh.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBmVQPZpyg
”Mhm.” Aella smiled absently and returned to stroking her horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ir10gcePc
She let out a soft breath, still keeping her eyes on Luna. After awhile, she bit her lip and finally tore her eyes from the cat, only to let them fall to her lap. “Sorry.” It sounded a bit forced, not like something that normally came out of her mouth. 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPTlE7wGIx
”… huh?” Aella looked back over at her. What could she possibly be apologizing for? They were both being so nice to her…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbbT9FRjbz
"I’m not good with people." She shrugged. "So, sorry."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0Gj7MgY3y
“You don’t need to be sorry,” Aella said with a slight smile. Not good with people… well, that would have to be fixed, wouldn’t it?789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmYqTPBRzX
She nodded, looking to the side again. “… Thanks.” Aella just grinned at her new friend.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7dMKJ1bGV
After a while, Luna seemed to get a bit bored, and she started to dash off….only to have Neoma call her back. Aella giggled a little, and Luna tilted her head. Then she gave a slight cat-like growl when she was forced onto Neoma’s horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiEY2EmGon
”I’m boooored,” Aella drawled after a minute or so.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIPZeGD9Dx
Neoma looked up. “What do you want to do then?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxmMldI7xJ
She gave the question some serious thought. “Dunno. What’s there to do?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucJwVGpDXY
”We are riding on horses. What IS THERE to do?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoYmiHvwy7
“…. Dunno?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DriQxVBwD
She grumbled a bit, then sighed. “I dont know, either.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNVkdKX4zA
”Aww.” Aella sighed. “So we’re gonna be bored until we get somewhere?” That sounded… boring.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGH9QAsFMH
”I think so. Yeah.” Neoma glared at Luna, who was trying to hop off the horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCZxR8e2Om
Aella groaned and thunked her head dramatically on the horse’s neck (said horse just snorted). This could take FOREVER!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTSjgRBwF7
“Oh, calm down, its not that bad.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujGomRzkjd
“… Fine.” She pouted.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePTqyMuRgc
Neoma looked off to the side, following along the road, while Aella started humming quietly to herself. Neoma watched the other, then looked away.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhGQvzYEr9
It wasn’t long before Aella was shifting restlessly again.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VzPLoslKP
"You’re bored again, aren’t you?" Neoman had shifted postions by then, laying with her arms around the horse’s neck.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FqfCOLjAe
"Maaaybe."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUx4KAruxX
”It’s in your body language. You’re acting fidgety, so either you’re nervous or bored.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t91FLgzXe
“… Okay, bored.” Wow, Neoma was smart!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSI91Ve8wW
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you can continue to ask questions, I guess. It’s almost sunset, give it an hour or two.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdjhz6VtSo
“Okay~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpu5lzlKM9A
After a long drawn out silence, Neoma stated, “At least France and England aren’t at war?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNno7GE1fc
”That wouldn’t be fun,” she agreed.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgIyjbl8hy
"War isnt an easy thing, no matter your social status."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvAyYtC4Mv
Aella shook her head with a slight frown. “Mom says it’s really awful.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87nIIcRbN6
She looked ahead. “England and France go to war a lot, dont they?” She asked this quickly, glancing aside.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEir0uX5pP
She nodded. “Yeah… why?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1JRnthN6W
”Just making sure I was right.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzIqEI4PNL
“Oh.~ Well, you are!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Fm7LsfRo4
Neoma looked at the girl. “We need to blend in with the locals, though.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhVm50xDNu
She frowned. “Um… Okay. How exactly do we do that?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YciwxnzYL
”Fashion.” Neoma had a hint of a smirk on her face, and tilted her head a bit. “Which is ALWAYS fun…”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQeBO6LMmP
“I know!~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1XKDKYqKy
”That was sarcasm, nuts for brains.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1pTz888PQ
“… It was? But fashion IS fun,” Aella said matter-of-factly. How could Neoma think otherwise? That just didn’t make sense.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx53Olua7PX
”Not Earth fashion.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvg3I8IVsJ9
“Uh-huh,” she said stubbornly. 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXRxvyzoJ1
”I much prefer my world’s fashion. Less skirt-y.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCc7ffAOvQE
“Skirts are nice.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53OA1sbKST
”Ugh, nope.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIpqzciCHy
“Yep!~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQkbWOWfde
”No, pants and shorts are much more convenient and comfortable.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTxbYDnN3h
“But skirts and dresses are prettier.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WO2lpLS7p
”And?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEt2EOyPvM
“And what?” Aella blinked. 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfI16zS0q3
”What use is looking pretty if you can’t do anything while you do?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1r13XGXCM9
“Who says you have to do anything that might ruin your clothes while you look pretty?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEr26N9ZJV
”Because nothing fun comes out of it!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHEVt5h2W2
“It’s fun to be pretty!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFciXW5YfUY
”I’d rather not.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tiM0uYOh6
“That’s too bad, then. I like looking pretty.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerdyXme1Zj
"And I really don’t care."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lbzKZlwZj
Aella pouted, and Neoma gave a sly grin.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsU1tePPKc
“… Won’t you have to wear a dress to blend in, though?” The girl suddenly questioned.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTgjaKLUt1
”Shit.” She groaned, hitting her head on the horse’s neck.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnCrORw3iM
Aella laughed. “Shut up.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MK95yOEWM
“Sorry…”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPPs5pTY0g
She gave some sort of odd hand signal, not raising her head.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0jiPNvcUq
Aella was still grinning a bit. “I do think you’ll look pretty in a dress, though.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiGsblTCQe
”I don’t… like dresses….”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSjskjJk6W
“It’ll be alright… they’re not THAT bad.~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vWVyLGzhI
”This is coming from Miss Happy-Cheery.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK95cZUUI1q
Aella just grinned wider.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWBLGL9U7q
”Not a compliment.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvL7MceuOa
“Sounds like one to me.~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3UP3Yw1v2
”Well, it isn’t.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjbhU0wLsk
“Why not? Isn’t being happy and cheerful a good thing?” How confusing.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nYjPwyyTY
”To you, maybe.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmx1doC8ddr
“Why not to you?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7VNbSYjZI
”I get annoyed easily.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOZlRWnRra
“… Oh. You should work on that.” How could you be happy if you got annoyed so easily? Maybe THAT was why Neoma seemed so grumpy…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1bYxvDimf
”…” Neoma finally raised her head, glaring at her.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiMIEOBthQ
Aella went silent for a moment. Oops. “Sorry.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSfgZgVYbq
”No, no…”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPPFCF6RIz
She gave her a confused look, and Neoma made that hand gesture again. Aella blinked, then looked away to her horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwmbMHMCxS
* * * * *789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaqhaCKnRG
Neoma poked a small fire with stick, staying near its heat. “Okay, so do you like fish, by any chance?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxFuyjQByi
Aella nodded, brightening considerably. “I like pretty much all seafood.~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2XUvpgKL1
“The next town is a seaside town…” She poked it again, her hand moving over to the fruit.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwudftxF5Fy
”Oh, yay!~” Towns on the coast were her favorite! Like her home.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0VOlrBtLQ
Neoma looked at the girl again. “How old are you?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1etGrorv1b
”Fifteen, why?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXsXG3lNaS
“Hmm.” She gazed into the fire, then looked to the side. “In your years, I’m 19.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZl3cZBe6JK
”My years?” Aella tipped her head curiously. Were her years special or something? Maybe they were longer. Or really short. Or…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYWbMGIHGj
“Human.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy62kYBXw1V
Oh. “What kind of years do you use? And how old are you in those?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjtRr1tshw
“For my species, years are nothing. I’m much older in that time.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMo33ZJ501
”Wow…” Neoma didn’t look old, but it sounded like she was ancient!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUViTQRuyhm
She nodded slowly.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9XHPeiR7h
”What about Luna?” Aella wondered.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExtGWWyRgL
“Luna is sixteen.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5SpROWHNT
”Oh.~” Almost the same age as herself!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XCiKLXNjn
She nodded again, sliding over the basket. Aella poked around inside it and pulled out a tasty-looking fruit.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPtrPAoDsq
When Aella looked back to Neoma, she was playing with shadows, making little figures out of the darkness. She watched her interestedly as the elemental’s hand rose up, dragging a shadow with it. After a pause, she changed the shape into a sphere, then pushed it into the fire. To Aella’s surprise, it began to burn.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt58lPqcNnP
”Shadows can burn?” Aella piped up curiously.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRf2KK1OnB
“When they turn into something physical, yes.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgOApaFAxD
”… huh.” Whatever that meant.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkQ4QINOBP
“You see…” She lifted another shadow, starting to form it into something. “The ability to change an object’s property normally needs to melt, heat up, or freeze. But if you can change something that doesn’t even exist in a different property, then…” She started to make a point on it. “It becomes part of the element, MADE out of the element.” She threw the object into the other’s lap, a small black dagger the height of the her hand.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuU55KuM49
“You can’t melt it, you can’t freeze it. It’s forced to stay THAT element until changed by someone who can control the element itself.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHm1PgxX6e
”… um, okay,” Aella said uncertainly. She supposed it at least made sense to Neoma, and that was important… The dagger resting in her hands was simple, dull and not decorated. After a few moments, it misted out of her hand, startling her, and dripped off it into the shadows. Then it was back into Neoma’s hand.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjn5PKrbNOc
"Woah…" The blonde stared as it got a shadowy look again, and Neoma used her fingernail to start carving something into it. 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVr5Ouar8W
"It’s made of shadows, it can’t be anything but. Therefore you need to solidfy, liquefy, or make it into a gas like a shadow, or just leave it a shadow."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQV0ce1f3U
”… Uh huh..?” Aella’s head was spinning by then, absolutely confused. She really DID try to pay attention, but…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6uYG4iJuS
Neoma glanced up at the other with a soft sigh. “Okay, the idiot version. Now imagine that I threw this into the fire.” She held up the knife. “It will heat up, yes, but at which point would it melt? It wouldn’t.” She made the shadow become solid in her hands. “But say that I had…” She dipped her hand into a shadow, cupping them and pulling it up. “A liquid shadow. It won’t freeze and become solid. It also won’t become a gas. It’s going to stay a liquid.” She let it fall back into the shadows, picking up the knife again.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ruQ1oY2YD
”But… why?” she asked, trying to sort all of this information out.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGQ4GlS23F
“It’s only a shadow, Aella.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEngGFELnV
”Okay..”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiXEVX3CGe
“But when you’re really powerful, you can practically turn them into a weapon. Now, it won’t work against some things, but against elements that are the opposite of mine…” A ton of pin-like shadows rose around Neoma, disappearing a bit in the dark and showing in the light of the fire. “… or humans, ‘cause no offense, but your kind are easy to hurt…” She let the pins drop. “It becomes a weapon.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSyJUSrE4B
”Oh.” That, at least, seemed to make a little more sense…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kt4dNIAN7
Neoma grabbed the knife, holding it up. “Your shifter friend, it probably won’t hurt like this. It won’t hurt me, either, seeing as I did make it.” She pressed the tip of the blade to her palm and pushed down, but instead of stabbing through, it only flattened into her hand, spreading out in a circle.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SJTQKAHYt
”Wow… that’s really neat.” Aella’s eyes were wide.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRaSYpfCrQ
She moved next to the girl, grabbing her arm and pressing the blade to it. It wasn’t enough to draw blood, but enough to prove a point. “For you, any harder would break skin, but for me, not even a chance.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5eHpSD4lF
”Wow… that must be neat.” Aella felt a little stinging sensation where the sharp edge met skin, but there wasn’t a drop of blood.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UhNCNabgS
Neoma nodded. “I can also…” She dropped the knife, holding both her hands up and raising a thin sheet of shadow in an almost misty effect. “Try punching through it.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQVrvVqxJ3
"Just… punch it?" Aella tipped her head.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8wy26mUn5
“Not too hard, just proving a point here.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOYVwYxy5L
”A-Alright.” Aella aimed a light punch at it (okay, a REALLY light punch). It seemed to solidify as she hit it. “Oh, wow.” She pulled back her fist, watching as it returned to a a misty look when there was no longer pressure against it. “That’s really cool.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4NI3koCPP
"Now, let’s say someone with a light ability or weapon attacked it? It would break through. On the other hand, if I attacked a light shield with my shadow, I’d break that."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGdOYFWsd5
"Huh."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtpkw5LykM
She nodded. “Fire might crack it.” She pushed down the shield, looking at the shadow ball still sitting in the fire.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohoqY5G3oo
Aella blinked. “Huh,” she repeated.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fZrInNRaW
"Now, if you got your hands on a light weapon, you could break it too. A fire one would probably burn your hand, though…"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkJiAPktBl
"That’s really interesting.~" Aella hummed, gazing into the fire and the black pit in its center.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiKVCatHT8
Neoma nodded, looking at the sky. “The stars here are weird,” she stated unexpectedly.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5a0QjEMUFo
"Weird how?" Aella looked at her, blinking.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQLUrILKU2
"Not in the same places." She shook her head.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡft21I2tba2
"So it’s different in your world, huh… I’d like to see how they look there."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhAygptsKY
She nodded, closing her eyes. It didn’t seem likely that she would answer any more questions, and was clearly done with her explanation… Aella sighed and let her eyes flicker shut as she realized just how tired she was.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbsf466ezb
Penana
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