Neoma lightly nudged Aella with her foot. “Hey. Wake up.” 774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSCn3ihhZn
Aella twitched and yawned. “Mm?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Iw29JUuI6
"Come on. Or I will flip you into a pool of water." She nudged her again.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjT67GnfFre
Aella’s eyes flashed open. “I’m up!”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDPTbkdMpo
"Except we have no water around," Luna pointed out.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs27M7MVAz9
"…" Aella looked around. As Luna said, not so much as a puddle in their immediate area. "Oh."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpDjlFQu7k
Luna giggled. “You’ll learn when and when not to fall for her tricks.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA389d3zaN2
Neoma shrugged, getting up on her horse. “Don’t eat too much, we need that food.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSkoPtBBSi
Aella laughed along with Luna, and slowly got up. Wow, she was sore…774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFMv8K2zWY
Luna paused in her laughter. “But….but I wanna go hunting,” she whined.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlp7eBeLwyA
"Luna, what can you catch out here?"774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZNwZZVTcG
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…774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9B1JqnJUX
"Um…."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3V0vgzCDeE
"Exactly." 774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqseErVyGWC
Aella pulled herself up onto her horse. “Didn’t know you hunted.~”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XKIc6TZLl
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?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBcaxFQssv
"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!774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTUCIMRbeD
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1PuWCRjvQ
"How far do you think we’ll get today?~"774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHHijwo8BU
The elemental shrugged, looking down at the shadowy horse.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESrz9DUgAI
She let it drop and started humming absently, gazing up at the sky.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFmBYnqu0J
"….What do you want to know?" Neoma finally asked, after about 20 minutes of silence.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlFqhGR63W
"I wanna know a lot of stuff!" she said enthusiastically. Neoma was actually OFFERING to answer her questions? This was wonderful!774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyiAbt9gEe
"Well, ask away."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhecgNyJOcX
"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?"774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawnsIF6dCF
"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."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87H4X0hLzi
"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?"774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipo8Ktb1fm
"I guess. She assists with my fighting, magic, and so on. And no."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCv4megs8T
Aella made a face at the last one. “Aw.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4DrEphUnp
"What else?" Neoma finally looked over at her, and her face brightened further at this.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQz6XIGoFCr
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?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAT0EqT38cX
She glanced over at Luna. “Yes. Not a lot.” 774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCKnnWNejY
Aella tipped her head. “What DO you know?” she wondered. 774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctL1WM11nY
"The name implies a lot. And I guess silver hurts them?"774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpJPCLvEoH
"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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugzlxOsJHb
Neoma nodded. “Anything else?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0R1daA8ITw
Aella hesitated. “Why are we going to France?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxtyWL3pPT
"So Luna and I can go home."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShQPymi9AJ
"Is your home that way?"774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLP6SixMUpz
"Hm…you can say that." Neoma frowned. "…Well. Have you heard of these things… they’re called dimension ties."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMOD8boUjH
"… huh?" Her expression went completely blank, and her mind matched.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLm5Zyc1sZ
"That’s what we call them, I don’t know your word for it." She patted her horse for a second.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IeGsTlQiz
”What exactly are they?” she asked, utterly confused.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1KLbppWBp
”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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbDkxuWEFv
Oh, she was zoning out. Not that what Neoma was saying made much sense, but it was rude to stop listening!774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJEa0Ojhv1
”…Earth. Do you think it’s the only place with life forms?!”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNpyPLgqcB
”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?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2UvHUeq7J
She nodded. “Yeah, part of it.” Luna looked up, tilting her head for a moment, then gave a purr, making Aella inwardly squeal.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2lj8m04go
"Will I ever get the chance to see it?"774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiknL9su00
"You might," She looked up, "if we ever GET THERE."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaxGMMO1Be
”Yay!~”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfpmV8ODGv
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?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKthxzDdkSd
”Mm?” Aella looked over at her. “Pretty normal, I guess. Middle-class family, lived in a pretty coastal town in England…”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fVeHxwnRB
“…. Middle class….” She tilted her head a little, like she had no idea what she was talking about. “You were poor, then?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXCcWsDdcJ
Aella giggled. “No, we weren’t poor. We just didn’t have as much money as all the really rich people, like the royalty.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKD0RYDhXNW
“Oh.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROm8bVza0l
”Mhm.” Aella smiled absently and returned to stroking her horse.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf95MQKi2PC
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. 774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLVz2MtWHd
”… huh?” Aella looked back over at her. What could she possibly be apologizing for? They were both being so nice to her…774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJsLAF96Dy
"I’m not good with people." She shrugged. "So, sorry."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqKPXoSpn1
“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?774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWOgh3cBZA
She nodded, looking to the side again. “… Thanks.” Aella just grinned at her new friend.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidzNLRng7b
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwv4VF6pUW
”I’m boooored,” Aella drawled after a minute or so.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpjWHN0uwx
Neoma looked up. “What do you want to do then?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpsMcPEQBf
She gave the question some serious thought. “Dunno. What’s there to do?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7G3GVMCee
”We are riding on horses. What IS THERE to do?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hCq22jtt0
“…. Dunno?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqMRo97zWe
She grumbled a bit, then sighed. “I dont know, either.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrOIfZ25mm
”Aww.” Aella sighed. “So we’re gonna be bored until we get somewhere?” That sounded… boring.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3acpbYvgw
”I think so. Yeah.” Neoma glared at Luna, who was trying to hop off the horse.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbShzuANK7
Aella groaned and thunked her head dramatically on the horse’s neck (said horse just snorted). This could take FOREVER!774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7umXU6Q1A
“Oh, calm down, its not that bad.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrp1bkWLun
“… Fine.” She pouted.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PGhO3Pi6q
Neoma looked off to the side, following along the road, while Aella started humming quietly to herself. Neoma watched the other, then looked away.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqprg4fqbPy
It wasn’t long before Aella was shifting restlessly again.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyKpGoz1tI
"You’re bored again, aren’t you?" Neoman had shifted postions by then, laying with her arms around the horse’s neck.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvI97SZ5twd
"Maaaybe."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxLnMZyyxw
”It’s in your body language. You’re acting fidgety, so either you’re nervous or bored.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7r8IeJ0HyF
“… Okay, bored.” Wow, Neoma was smart!774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOlTEJFgb3
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you can continue to ask questions, I guess. It’s almost sunset, give it an hour or two.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQXS1MPDNz
“Okay~”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFe90zuT6Ei
After a long drawn out silence, Neoma stated, “At least France and England aren’t at war?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlk4NNffW1U
”That wouldn’t be fun,” she agreed.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZfaCNX5cN
"War isnt an easy thing, no matter your social status."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyc8pyGy7I
Aella shook her head with a slight frown. “Mom says it’s really awful.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBjWcA3EOM
She looked ahead. “England and France go to war a lot, dont they?” She asked this quickly, glancing aside.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsH0aqk1Li9
She nodded. “Yeah… why?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZ1D47EmEA
”Just making sure I was right.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJD5GmLqwIn
“Oh.~ Well, you are!”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifhJ0t4grI
Neoma looked at the girl. “We need to blend in with the locals, though.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjEttkFhQO
She frowned. “Um… Okay. How exactly do we do that?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡza664MwiXD
”Fashion.” Neoma had a hint of a smirk on her face, and tilted her head a bit. “Which is ALWAYS fun…”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtuJTw5tdi
“I know!~”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Zm38skoC4
”That was sarcasm, nuts for brains.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDRsaqdi2Q
“… It was? But fashion IS fun,” Aella said matter-of-factly. How could Neoma think otherwise? That just didn’t make sense.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEALA5I3Kak
”Not Earth fashion.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCskqhc6eYn
“Uh-huh,” she said stubbornly. 774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hgjSS0e7E
”I much prefer my world’s fashion. Less skirt-y.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhZjM7tX9h
“Skirts are nice.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjJ7x248A1
”Ugh, nope.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpETrxcGNz
“Yep!~”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvaD3MU5SG
”No, pants and shorts are much more convenient and comfortable.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLMnIg1snO
“But skirts and dresses are prettier.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF838xekHhD
”And?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3tKEFsbZN
“And what?” Aella blinked. 774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLBr5ESXLq
”What use is looking pretty if you can’t do anything while you do?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVquJUUaaE
“Who says you have to do anything that might ruin your clothes while you look pretty?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyRUz7PHPd
”Because nothing fun comes out of it!”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bHXRpRMNX
“It’s fun to be pretty!”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidDw3WblXw
”I’d rather not.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtXzf8IcTt
“That’s too bad, then. I like looking pretty.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MJ8miQ5l1
"And I really don’t care."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEs4G0Dar62
Aella pouted, and Neoma gave a sly grin.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGus81TukD1
“… Won’t you have to wear a dress to blend in, though?” The girl suddenly questioned.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDZCR0lr3T
”Shit.” She groaned, hitting her head on the horse’s neck.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzqciuabLs
Aella laughed. “Shut up.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9lbboBtPI
“Sorry…”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2113sV70D
She gave some sort of odd hand signal, not raising her head.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnpF9rKx1x
Aella was still grinning a bit. “I do think you’ll look pretty in a dress, though.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3wJ8QRwi6
”I don’t… like dresses….”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFdO3qru88
“It’ll be alright… they’re not THAT bad.~”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8npul0oYUE
”This is coming from Miss Happy-Cheery.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwmkg1Saf0
Aella just grinned wider.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jd5vn80EU
”Not a compliment.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MS8UFRLGz
“Sounds like one to me.~”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Tn5gm1eTy
”Well, it isn’t.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwrmBIGSlP
“Why not? Isn’t being happy and cheerful a good thing?” How confusing.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpW8cw4ZEV
”To you, maybe.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvASW5AU2hd
“Why not to you?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡac2RgojB5O
”I get annoyed easily.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTvX5NoJ8s
“… 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…774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IRRtonMUR
”…” Neoma finally raised her head, glaring at her.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iVdYWQaRn
Aella went silent for a moment. Oops. “Sorry.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJ6FPk97Ci
”No, no…”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQxSpBYBmG
She gave her a confused look, and Neoma made that hand gesture again. Aella blinked, then looked away to her horse.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzHSV6k365
* * * * *774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVJjC4CAWi
Neoma poked a small fire with stick, staying near its heat. “Okay, so do you like fish, by any chance?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4CRklvhn3
Aella nodded, brightening considerably. “I like pretty much all seafood.~”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhf6G1HHij
“The next town is a seaside town…” She poked it again, her hand moving over to the fruit.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApSYu42KUr
”Oh, yay!~” Towns on the coast were her favorite! Like her home.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsMEhi0llv
Neoma looked at the girl again. “How old are you?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduntP4TukT
”Fifteen, why?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2b6riApzc
“Hmm.” She gazed into the fire, then looked to the side. “In your years, I’m 19.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDiCP2B374
”My years?” Aella tipped her head curiously. Were her years special or something? Maybe they were longer. Or really short. Or…774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bDeV0cR2X
“Human.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Rz8uoR43J
Oh. “What kind of years do you use? And how old are you in those?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLDLFY6kgf
“For my species, years are nothing. I’m much older in that time.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYQM81l0rP
”Wow…” Neoma didn’t look old, but it sounded like she was ancient!774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGhGAYtUzx
She nodded slowly.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLZ00qngGH
”What about Luna?” Aella wondered.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQVoRozxIc
“Luna is sixteen.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBz01OSGCG
”Oh.~” Almost the same age as herself!774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyH53R6DMe
She nodded again, sliding over the basket. Aella poked around inside it and pulled out a tasty-looking fruit.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalAWr0sqCu
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4xgwUJV7E
”Shadows can burn?” Aella piped up curiously.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE88XvrN9aa
“When they turn into something physical, yes.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnU2tzUFfbG
”… huh.” Whatever that meant.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsn1KeH55Fb
“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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4khvGsx3iR
“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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFWCuWpR3V
”… 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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNnsP1o3Bs
"Woah…" The blonde stared as it got a shadowy look again, and Neoma used her fingernail to start carving something into it. 774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyi8oiOVA7t
"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."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFL5ieIsRKE
”… Uh huh..?” Aella’s head was spinning by then, absolutely confused. She really DID try to pay attention, but…774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JzD1JYDk8
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1BOQm7Nhn
”But… why?” she asked, trying to sort all of this information out.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tg5ifVmho
“It’s only a shadow, Aella.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDNiQ3eEPu
”Okay..”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQElbwg51b
“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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JKMDg62mm
”Oh.” That, at least, seemed to make a little more sense…774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvVsFONgSG
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQEACpEGdm
”Wow… that’s really neat.” Aella’s eyes were wide.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArN6q9NboQ
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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzy9czrNMNd
”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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3g5eFKD6mK
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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcfRKXHezK
"Just… punch it?" Aella tipped her head.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauvplKSaUi
“Not too hard, just proving a point here.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEbEG0atnu
”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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNWc4E2ccP
"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."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6WdzyPZjY
"Huh."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaUTqL54dn
She nodded. “Fire might crack it.” She pushed down the shield, looking at the shadow ball still sitting in the fire.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6N5D5hFuZr
Aella blinked. “Huh,” she repeated.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMtBFndyRT
"Now, if you got your hands on a light weapon, you could break it too. A fire one would probably burn your hand, though…"774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4Jr3nLtwi
"That’s really interesting.~" Aella hummed, gazing into the fire and the black pit in its center.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaoV8FDBW6
Neoma nodded, looking at the sky. “The stars here are weird,” she stated unexpectedly.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCosqdew3Lf
"Weird how?" Aella looked at her, blinking.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsadIwhRK2K
"Not in the same places." She shook her head.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0jpbF8rKo
"So it’s different in your world, huh… I’d like to see how they look there."774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5omGysL7Qu
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75c0Rjqp0s
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