Neoma lightly nudged Aella with her foot. “Hey. Wake up.” 773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3Yl67BbCa
Aella twitched and yawned. “Mm?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbvEkS1nwl
"Come on. Or I will flip you into a pool of water." She nudged her again.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0OV6CD1ba
Aella’s eyes flashed open. “I’m up!”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9YweCw5eQ
"Except we have no water around," Luna pointed out.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNsAil6vU1
"…" Aella looked around. As Luna said, not so much as a puddle in their immediate area. "Oh."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX04lQ3s1F1
Luna giggled. “You’ll learn when and when not to fall for her tricks.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uuqA9NWqh
Neoma shrugged, getting up on her horse. “Don’t eat too much, we need that food.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHoVKGCE1f
Aella laughed along with Luna, and slowly got up. Wow, she was sore…773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbgZJE5VLE
Luna paused in her laughter. “But….but I wanna go hunting,” she whined.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPS6FquGxa
"Luna, what can you catch out here?"773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbb8KI0nrIV
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…773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrY9xnacswF
"Um…."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMigJplhxm
"Exactly." 773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCo5gm6Kwkp
Aella pulled herself up onto her horse. “Didn’t know you hunted.~”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzm3JeDhZOH
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?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN48LxiGjQT
"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!773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeApCykmD9
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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfIyrFxgvL
"How far do you think we’ll get today?~"773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1M5xCehU2
The elemental shrugged, looking down at the shadowy horse.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡew0IS2SYzL
She let it drop and started humming absently, gazing up at the sky.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6PrSwcpcx
"….What do you want to know?" Neoma finally asked, after about 20 minutes of silence.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXq2sMobMsX
"I wanna know a lot of stuff!" she said enthusiastically. Neoma was actually OFFERING to answer her questions? This was wonderful!773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pXUpM6TDy
"Well, ask away."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkYUnGh7qL
"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?"773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWZS1aqmYA
"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."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY70wPGo6lV
"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?"773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlt8JwCMJNh
"I guess. She assists with my fighting, magic, and so on. And no."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyFT7NSuq2
Aella made a face at the last one. “Aw.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGH2yJgx4Aw
"What else?" Neoma finally looked over at her, and her face brightened further at this.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgnCIQex2t
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?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBGg4AQ2Xg
She glanced over at Luna. “Yes. Not a lot.” 773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm8gg8VJjF
Aella tipped her head. “What DO you know?” she wondered. 773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTxrFFInEk
"The name implies a lot. And I guess silver hurts them?"773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoNGhDmUV8
"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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2JLC25GpV
Neoma nodded. “Anything else?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Cn9FTbLo2
Aella hesitated. “Why are we going to France?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0BHFIkDFv
"So Luna and I can go home."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb5DZ3T5wS
"Is your home that way?"773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUsNj5wy2k
"Hm…you can say that." Neoma frowned. "…Well. Have you heard of these things… they’re called dimension ties."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qhKpgk7Vq
"… huh?" Her expression went completely blank, and her mind matched.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssDqEthyxu
"That’s what we call them, I don’t know your word for it." She patted her horse for a second.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyG82t5gU4n
”What exactly are they?” she asked, utterly confused.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRs53BN9a3
”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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Hl9wzAHOP
Oh, she was zoning out. Not that what Neoma was saying made much sense, but it was rude to stop listening!773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrppeeACf7f
”…Earth. Do you think it’s the only place with life forms?!”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GBFY9JLAV
”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?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JxrZsRz7S
She nodded. “Yeah, part of it.” Luna looked up, tilting her head for a moment, then gave a purr, making Aella inwardly squeal.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqykd48nIir
"Will I ever get the chance to see it?"773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZE4fLjPSb0
"You might," She looked up, "if we ever GET THERE."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUAu6Gf4Jh
”Yay!~”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn62VKe99QT
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?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99VvmpSlnu
”Mm?” Aella looked over at her. “Pretty normal, I guess. Middle-class family, lived in a pretty coastal town in England…”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0PqdezJOu
“…. Middle class….” She tilted her head a little, like she had no idea what she was talking about. “You were poor, then?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0LyN0OVt3
Aella giggled. “No, we weren’t poor. We just didn’t have as much money as all the really rich people, like the royalty.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLyxJFkSYE
“Oh.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmh3qbBiP9E
”Mhm.” Aella smiled absently and returned to stroking her horse.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zb3pPjYkE
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. 773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkmq02rvrZ
”… huh?” Aella looked back over at her. What could she possibly be apologizing for? They were both being so nice to her…773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWAFgLjvmI
"I’m not good with people." She shrugged. "So, sorry."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtA1OqccHK
“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?773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yxr3U0gPB
She nodded, looking to the side again. “… Thanks.” Aella just grinned at her new friend.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7AydhCLsD
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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68d6K8U0o3
”I’m boooored,” Aella drawled after a minute or so.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj12Fdkv5NV
Neoma looked up. “What do you want to do then?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxvh24uVDM
She gave the question some serious thought. “Dunno. What’s there to do?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOQsh6qCxl
”We are riding on horses. What IS THERE to do?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pWfph7NbO
“…. Dunno?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrvCT75JTh
She grumbled a bit, then sighed. “I dont know, either.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8nz8RjEwX
”Aww.” Aella sighed. “So we’re gonna be bored until we get somewhere?” That sounded… boring.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBYvnHTLCu
”I think so. Yeah.” Neoma glared at Luna, who was trying to hop off the horse.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJoZtCzVYz
Aella groaned and thunked her head dramatically on the horse’s neck (said horse just snorted). This could take FOREVER!773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LBQfVTKQ3
“Oh, calm down, its not that bad.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkX6Xlhw3s
“… Fine.” She pouted.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlMWQD9K4k
Neoma looked off to the side, following along the road, while Aella started humming quietly to herself. Neoma watched the other, then looked away.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTwZl7Z1i7
It wasn’t long before Aella was shifting restlessly again.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMXvLXYZDd
"You’re bored again, aren’t you?" Neoman had shifted postions by then, laying with her arms around the horse’s neck.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYznlAkMhqW
"Maaaybe."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG85HAMpNWk
”It’s in your body language. You’re acting fidgety, so either you’re nervous or bored.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZHK2q5R2Z
“… Okay, bored.” Wow, Neoma was smart!773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5muTZ5FnC
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you can continue to ask questions, I guess. It’s almost sunset, give it an hour or two.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmS2MBZcBo
“Okay~”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqv1V0nje3
After a long drawn out silence, Neoma stated, “At least France and England aren’t at war?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4zzhgODIS
”That wouldn’t be fun,” she agreed.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4dzqWCKq0
"War isnt an easy thing, no matter your social status."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ324NJCs9o9
Aella shook her head with a slight frown. “Mom says it’s really awful.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRzBZdRJTB
She looked ahead. “England and France go to war a lot, dont they?” She asked this quickly, glancing aside.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRxKVE6404
She nodded. “Yeah… why?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKVMZ3wA8W
”Just making sure I was right.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSi0gbM51GW
“Oh.~ Well, you are!”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpACQnsUkKj
Neoma looked at the girl. “We need to blend in with the locals, though.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0G0JIX6ja
She frowned. “Um… Okay. How exactly do we do that?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLRlubVZsA
”Fashion.” Neoma had a hint of a smirk on her face, and tilted her head a bit. “Which is ALWAYS fun…”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVCDwupr30
“I know!~”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHFpDarVEJ
”That was sarcasm, nuts for brains.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqeMUnnJWg
“… It was? But fashion IS fun,” Aella said matter-of-factly. How could Neoma think otherwise? That just didn’t make sense.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO2llIUgrG
”Not Earth fashion.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CMnY9pv5m
“Uh-huh,” she said stubbornly. 773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpM22fftkO
”I much prefer my world’s fashion. Less skirt-y.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0tdfLsC3b
“Skirts are nice.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJRzBfri2b
”Ugh, nope.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjVFeYVXnx
“Yep!~”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaTxsi4zMa
”No, pants and shorts are much more convenient and comfortable.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ10OB1t3mN
“But skirts and dresses are prettier.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQh2EMgIYEJ
”And?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdKEsfaP9y
“And what?” Aella blinked. 773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSMx2MqP2s
”What use is looking pretty if you can’t do anything while you do?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFSzv3jFY6
“Who says you have to do anything that might ruin your clothes while you look pretty?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaVPRY2HRF
”Because nothing fun comes out of it!”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8yFD8xtkr
“It’s fun to be pretty!”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6e9kI2Kfy
”I’d rather not.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvJdYCcAXM
“That’s too bad, then. I like looking pretty.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKWgKHGV8e
"And I really don’t care."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuUf2wNkbC
Aella pouted, and Neoma gave a sly grin.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMluD5fUjI
“… Won’t you have to wear a dress to blend in, though?” The girl suddenly questioned.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVO7k0IboL6
”Shit.” She groaned, hitting her head on the horse’s neck.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXjuMHSsWP
Aella laughed. “Shut up.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaoqhUErS8
“Sorry…”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCyJuP6m7L
She gave some sort of odd hand signal, not raising her head.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJT7ZkfoEw
Aella was still grinning a bit. “I do think you’ll look pretty in a dress, though.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzl3WKgB0v
”I don’t… like dresses….”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABHPMjJbId
“It’ll be alright… they’re not THAT bad.~”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjstR421K0J
”This is coming from Miss Happy-Cheery.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARTKkQ5JfY
Aella just grinned wider.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPe23pERcGl
”Not a compliment.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCG0DOg2LH
“Sounds like one to me.~”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSR3TyMRnO
”Well, it isn’t.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxOsBD6xEe
“Why not? Isn’t being happy and cheerful a good thing?” How confusing.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpfambwXqH
”To you, maybe.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYfq3as8Zy
“Why not to you?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz23G5DgzmP
”I get annoyed easily.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjKPvH0Iwb
“… 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…773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvpBhtiNQZ
”…” Neoma finally raised her head, glaring at her.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaROF95w5d5
Aella went silent for a moment. Oops. “Sorry.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcp50voZU8j
”No, no…”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJg8MZQ122W
She gave her a confused look, and Neoma made that hand gesture again. Aella blinked, then looked away to her horse.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sqMmdA75f
* * * * *773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz73a8pfZy7
Neoma poked a small fire with stick, staying near its heat. “Okay, so do you like fish, by any chance?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG63lr6kUbm
Aella nodded, brightening considerably. “I like pretty much all seafood.~”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp4kUK6AN2
“The next town is a seaside town…” She poked it again, her hand moving over to the fruit.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsq5kcTY7S
”Oh, yay!~” Towns on the coast were her favorite! Like her home.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbZsU9MTtA
Neoma looked at the girl again. “How old are you?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyLSXBAumk
”Fifteen, why?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wfWhBC5NV
“Hmm.” She gazed into the fire, then looked to the side. “In your years, I’m 19.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOisHz5gXp6
”My years?” Aella tipped her head curiously. Were her years special or something? Maybe they were longer. Or really short. Or…773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlozdJyDgcE
“Human.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTN66nM4aD
Oh. “What kind of years do you use? And how old are you in those?”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8YXHTMNTB
“For my species, years are nothing. I’m much older in that time.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mnghiFBPL
”Wow…” Neoma didn’t look old, but it sounded like she was ancient!773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqn0ywnSrF
She nodded slowly.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9NGeWEVUB
”What about Luna?” Aella wondered.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrX1LXiW7F
“Luna is sixteen.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrAAsQkJwO
”Oh.~” Almost the same age as herself!773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLprUU12Iu
She nodded again, sliding over the basket. Aella poked around inside it and pulled out a tasty-looking fruit.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBwyfzWbNd
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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwT67Q1CaRV
”Shadows can burn?” Aella piped up curiously.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDVtDdTaXB
“When they turn into something physical, yes.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHEOhuhTuO
”… huh.” Whatever that meant.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2mYB3vqR8
“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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomuxhirz4b
“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.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFhwS9wPZV
”… 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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9On5X9GKq
"Woah…" The blonde stared as it got a shadowy look again, and Neoma used her fingernail to start carving something into it. 773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaltkGAKvlu
"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."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMQjoQr4hQ
”… Uh huh..?” Aella’s head was spinning by then, absolutely confused. She really DID try to pay attention, but…773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgQ43kSV6h
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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFEhDlQGJS
”But… why?” she asked, trying to sort all of this information out.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXff1Rqc5Dc
“It’s only a shadow, Aella.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYL78B71YwN
”Okay..”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BWiXIW8fA
“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.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFCin7A1Au
”Oh.” That, at least, seemed to make a little more sense…773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFh1UdnnF3I
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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmixibRsI0
”Wow… that’s really neat.” Aella’s eyes were wide.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQV3R2DPu0i
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.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyGEWqTlpO
”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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBkXDEivxV
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.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDp655vdw4n
"Just… punch it?" Aella tipped her head.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhs89xcpGB0
“Not too hard, just proving a point here.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHJR7MALm1
”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.”773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrgo65hqqX
"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."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdM2nETcaN
"Huh."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZnMxRTXHD
She nodded. “Fire might crack it.” She pushed down the shield, looking at the shadow ball still sitting in the fire.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdpardQbK3
Aella blinked. “Huh,” she repeated.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcEorJpDs6
"Now, if you got your hands on a light weapon, you could break it too. A fire one would probably burn your hand, though…"773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwMA165xVG
"That’s really interesting.~" Aella hummed, gazing into the fire and the black pit in its center.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPj8arozbst
Neoma nodded, looking at the sky. “The stars here are weird,” she stated unexpectedly.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugZUNsGsuc
"Weird how?" Aella looked at her, blinking.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMrRqGgFrY
"Not in the same places." She shook her head.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EeikV01rF
"So it’s different in your world, huh… I’d like to see how they look there."773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtvMuTw1bc
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.773Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9OdkqlGPw
Penana
search
Loginarrow_drop_down
Registerarrow_drop_down
