Neoma lightly nudged Aella with her foot. “Hey. Wake up.” 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxFHFZHGJ1
Aella twitched and yawned. “Mm?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPOiaCUpEU
"Come on. Or I will flip you into a pool of water." She nudged her again.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcSpNpexrs
Aella’s eyes flashed open. “I’m up!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnfUfl6EBg
"Except we have no water around," Luna pointed out.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHLp40N1pA
"…" Aella looked around. As Luna said, not so much as a puddle in their immediate area. "Oh."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡad2W5G1WoT
Luna giggled. “You’ll learn when and when not to fall for her tricks.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivoydVuNpg
Neoma shrugged, getting up on her horse. “Don’t eat too much, we need that food.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFaZMA4IkP
Aella laughed along with Luna, and slowly got up. Wow, she was sore…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWs3CVRtAz
Luna paused in her laughter. “But….but I wanna go hunting,” she whined.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRiounef8P
"Luna, what can you catch out here?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxZ6oChDdC
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJx5McWOv39
"Um…."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XLlrHnhgn
"Exactly." 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡockgvSw2C9
Aella pulled herself up onto her horse. “Didn’t know you hunted.~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoZmLT1vqA
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqrv6ez476
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUv0OVZGmL
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFekmhIUu9
"How far do you think we’ll get today?~"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0dYGPQsya
The elemental shrugged, looking down at the shadowy horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9KqgeIlKx
She let it drop and started humming absently, gazing up at the sky.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4kyE9LDYy
"….What do you want to know?" Neoma finally asked, after about 20 minutes of silence.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwiTcdU4Hk
"I wanna know a lot of stuff!" she said enthusiastically. Neoma was actually OFFERING to answer her questions? This was wonderful!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaE8HlKYTOy
"Well, ask away."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEqSMtaCCx
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4AMsIHpJQ
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9KNfHvct5
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmrJmwGiSU
"I guess. She assists with my fighting, magic, and so on. And no."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYN3UgyBC0
Aella made a face at the last one. “Aw.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPm4n9PiRI8
"What else?" Neoma finally looked over at her, and her face brightened further at this.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6E0XEivUrv
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8GgbqFsrM
She glanced over at Luna. “Yes. Not a lot.” 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxxdQdx1pp
Aella tipped her head. “What DO you know?” she wondered. 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEavpUfS8sW
"The name implies a lot. And I guess silver hurts them?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvwjW7YpmY
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2EMovYaEMh
Neoma nodded. “Anything else?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWr0dnAKmw
Aella hesitated. “Why are we going to France?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xfy6hyQ2Y
"So Luna and I can go home."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ODs4C04rT
"Is your home that way?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4onqnUGgBo
"Hm…you can say that." Neoma frowned. "…Well. Have you heard of these things… they’re called dimension ties."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoc64S3mVMU
"… huh?" Her expression went completely blank, and her mind matched.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHdDxRwzla
"That’s what we call them, I don’t know your word for it." She patted her horse for a second.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdjSxixrMc
”What exactly are they?” she asked, utterly confused.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuTBdVFaaH
”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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZb1iiMzCL
Oh, she was zoning out. Not that what Neoma was saying made much sense, but it was rude to stop listening!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡee9ZtgBchF
”…Earth. Do you think it’s the only place with life forms?!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nkibRNmj8
”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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbXHY0DPdy
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRAb4p1nmY
"Will I ever get the chance to see it?"789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsK1j3E9Ord
"You might," She looked up, "if we ever GET THERE."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKV4yAKMT7
”Yay!~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzNxG2ajwK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8idDwbIr70
”Mm?” Aella looked over at her. “Pretty normal, I guess. Middle-class family, lived in a pretty coastal town in England…”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjAAqL0vR2
“…. 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovgNld0wCW
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXC2c5VYw5
“Oh.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGFrgsHEBs
”Mhm.” Aella smiled absently and returned to stroking her horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHUO37o1vc
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63d0gBPk9D
”… 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocU2PP3yVD
"I’m not good with people." She shrugged. "So, sorry."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJEgNFX8ge
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttVln14Q0N
She nodded, looking to the side again. “… Thanks.” Aella just grinned at her new friend.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IMdMsRHS1
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuTIDYG8lf
”I’m boooored,” Aella drawled after a minute or so.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3u22GXMKVG
Neoma looked up. “What do you want to do then?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5ZXVaW2dR
She gave the question some serious thought. “Dunno. What’s there to do?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdU5fhV6uau
”We are riding on horses. What IS THERE to do?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsYW0rnEC8
“…. Dunno?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBqSHZKcQL
She grumbled a bit, then sighed. “I dont know, either.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffEcVbqODD
”Aww.” Aella sighed. “So we’re gonna be bored until we get somewhere?” That sounded… boring.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhH0fHs2SFa
”I think so. Yeah.” Neoma glared at Luna, who was trying to hop off the horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmwk12q1Ul
Aella groaned and thunked her head dramatically on the horse’s neck (said horse just snorted). This could take FOREVER!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzan1f8stGH
“Oh, calm down, its not that bad.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeyWbVR0xp
“… Fine.” She pouted.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DC8OXPX5x
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnx3pX66MH
It wasn’t long before Aella was shifting restlessly again.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjF8lFfgxL
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4DvXy4ziV
"Maaaybe."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytjxZwdBvv
”It’s in your body language. You’re acting fidgety, so either you’re nervous or bored.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1Q24uXt1U
“… Okay, bored.” Wow, Neoma was smart!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAWIJl7P7I
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXEZsryk0L
“Okay~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGAnJ5vZpb
After a long drawn out silence, Neoma stated, “At least France and England aren’t at war?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcegGQToGY7
”That wouldn’t be fun,” she agreed.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAPC7z1FpV
"War isnt an easy thing, no matter your social status."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWnhUK3wTq
Aella shook her head with a slight frown. “Mom says it’s really awful.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLw3OzOal7
She looked ahead. “England and France go to war a lot, dont they?” She asked this quickly, glancing aside.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8Gcxbs4pI
She nodded. “Yeah… why?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBymqcvkkNl
”Just making sure I was right.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzx5cW5bxy
“Oh.~ Well, you are!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡub5R7YWdSI
Neoma looked at the girl. “We need to blend in with the locals, though.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1deK5MBu4d
She frowned. “Um… Okay. How exactly do we do that?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6t81B7J4H
”Fashion.” Neoma had a hint of a smirk on her face, and tilted her head a bit. “Which is ALWAYS fun…”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndIncfn56H
“I know!~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWrJSYtujy
”That was sarcasm, nuts for brains.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWXJKAoKVE
“… 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡej3UUwEDVr
”Not Earth fashion.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwP9zoAdM7
“Uh-huh,” she said stubbornly. 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmH2RN1CeX
”I much prefer my world’s fashion. Less skirt-y.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx26UOTdCXo
“Skirts are nice.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53OyBom1ni
”Ugh, nope.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9nt7gGeAs
“Yep!~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JepeLAO9L
”No, pants and shorts are much more convenient and comfortable.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqSvghTqQ7
“But skirts and dresses are prettier.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MqPTx2EKg
”And?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBq9LgiaIUX
“And what?” Aella blinked. 789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJvb8udfvt
”What use is looking pretty if you can’t do anything while you do?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOzoGd9uSh
“Who says you have to do anything that might ruin your clothes while you look pretty?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDjPU3JOxJ
”Because nothing fun comes out of it!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUapZuQ6gcW
“It’s fun to be pretty!”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4piDLicSI
”I’d rather not.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckUWzqUCTq
“That’s too bad, then. I like looking pretty.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡud3PQ0J09M
"And I really don’t care."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dm7uP3PUi
Aella pouted, and Neoma gave a sly grin.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSKRZBErO3
“… Won’t you have to wear a dress to blend in, though?” The girl suddenly questioned.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRM7eGVDDDu
”Shit.” She groaned, hitting her head on the horse’s neck.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafJrTxc0Ra
Aella laughed. “Shut up.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeH57bPa40i
“Sorry…”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7x5CG99XfB
She gave some sort of odd hand signal, not raising her head.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau9PDq6wNk
Aella was still grinning a bit. “I do think you’ll look pretty in a dress, though.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8dxizEWbt
”I don’t… like dresses….”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ288o5Hhlkx
“It’ll be alright… they’re not THAT bad.~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSmdVxNQuF
”This is coming from Miss Happy-Cheery.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOdU9fz2en
Aella just grinned wider.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebFx0sxit3
”Not a compliment.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3YGtXVKIa
“Sounds like one to me.~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ38KPvwn4HA
”Well, it isn’t.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdljbQjYgV
“Why not? Isn’t being happy and cheerful a good thing?” How confusing.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Uf73fqMHb
”To you, maybe.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIjbv8UGjE
“Why not to you?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDaevUFrDK
”I get annoyed easily.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3EvWNfCOy
“… 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGx22MOpaut
”…” Neoma finally raised her head, glaring at her.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcB2hdG4wF
Aella went silent for a moment. Oops. “Sorry.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBg9e45cwI
”No, no…”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxMOqRdjDI
She gave her a confused look, and Neoma made that hand gesture again. Aella blinked, then looked away to her horse.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7udLt8sIId
* * * * *789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgEn87pLAV
Neoma poked a small fire with stick, staying near its heat. “Okay, so do you like fish, by any chance?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OVxdQNgRk
Aella nodded, brightening considerably. “I like pretty much all seafood.~”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq52VaMgTzM
“The next town is a seaside town…” She poked it again, her hand moving over to the fruit.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIFkW0yfXi
”Oh, yay!~” Towns on the coast were her favorite! Like her home.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjNO7hMBWT
Neoma looked at the girl again. “How old are you?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBmMI5uwdg
”Fifteen, why?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKWSSli0TP
“Hmm.” She gazed into the fire, then looked to the side. “In your years, I’m 19.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VZarXrkNg
”My years?” Aella tipped her head curiously. Were her years special or something? Maybe they were longer. Or really short. Or…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26aiE3gJ40
“Human.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRRNLlM061
Oh. “What kind of years do you use? And how old are you in those?”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pkn3GvPlN
“For my species, years are nothing. I’m much older in that time.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfzZQe6qba
”Wow…” Neoma didn’t look old, but it sounded like she was ancient!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ062xwISqS3
She nodded slowly.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYLTDZqWqB
”What about Luna?” Aella wondered.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH8S2pSwd9
“Luna is sixteen.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk7AnAaTnI
”Oh.~” Almost the same age as herself!789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncnlR2jJ0I
She nodded again, sliding over the basket. Aella poked around inside it and pulled out a tasty-looking fruit.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP40eWJFHto
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSh5ZnPTtSB
”Shadows can burn?” Aella piped up curiously.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbXHsetGnL
“When they turn into something physical, yes.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2AXoJiAQj
”… huh.” Whatever that meant.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzFqHYVJIA
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjx0cvOT85
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH94JDEOv0J
”… 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRHQ97ulTr
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLRDWKhRFg
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyKtfNtIZQ
”… Uh huh..?” Aella’s head was spinning by then, absolutely confused. She really DID try to pay attention, but…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlBfmvVe5z
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3cDzXIu1V
”But… why?” she asked, trying to sort all of this information out.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrYOiVakJx
“It’s only a shadow, Aella.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10ZkpGPxmg
”Okay..”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1g7JdSrpFE
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeM6InZCMu
”Oh.” That, at least, seemed to make a little more sense…789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAdCjM6KIi
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEp4MoxYuG
”Wow… that’s really neat.” Aella’s eyes were wide.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20dH9oBgZl
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8iER2lozh
”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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTjNJa50S4
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjO8sWXhb5F
"Just… punch it?" Aella tipped her head.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5NVPIeZPX
“Not too hard, just proving a point here.”789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtRC0Kb6D5
”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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqp64unBqca
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxlkT6AcEJ
"Huh."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJElmlSc2YS
She nodded. “Fire might crack it.” She pushed down the shield, looking at the shadow ball still sitting in the fire.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUzkcecJQw
Aella blinked. “Huh,” she repeated.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYC8e3yU22o
"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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6Bj5RUET1
"That’s really interesting.~" Aella hummed, gazing into the fire and the black pit in its center.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LBxAa7GnO
Neoma nodded, looking at the sky. “The stars here are weird,” she stated unexpectedly.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhknu1sPZ6Q
"Weird how?" Aella looked at her, blinking.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBweAqwQGta
"Not in the same places." She shook her head.789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CE1lVMkbG
"So it’s different in your world, huh… I’d like to see how they look there."789Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnGMDBSgYz
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpWh6PsIFn
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