Neoma lightly nudged Aella with her foot. “Hey. Wake up.” 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVY84DMjlj
Aella twitched and yawned. “Mm?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvJmLmsKjD
"Come on. Or I will flip you into a pool of water." She nudged her again.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNy5nMrefx
Aella’s eyes flashed open. “I’m up!”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGCyc28Ayf
"Except we have no water around," Luna pointed out.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaW0yGcn56
"…" Aella looked around. As Luna said, not so much as a puddle in their immediate area. "Oh."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctwEvONV9W
Luna giggled. “You’ll learn when and when not to fall for her tricks.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMT8d4rtDEP
Neoma shrugged, getting up on her horse. “Don’t eat too much, we need that food.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxOLQeC4yl
Aella laughed along with Luna, and slowly got up. Wow, she was sore…780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6mLObi9yI
Luna paused in her laughter. “But….but I wanna go hunting,” she whined.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrSca4ILHrS
"Luna, what can you catch out here?"780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUQRGbubhE
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…780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXzifhtjdC
"Um…."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiXqV63rOl
"Exactly." 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHqPd9ZW5Y
Aella pulled herself up onto her horse. “Didn’t know you hunted.~”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GGOJ3PLY4
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?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApMYAW8SyY
"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!780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1G8coy6sMH
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQRILi0cSL
"How far do you think we’ll get today?~"780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5s8XCkxsF
The elemental shrugged, looking down at the shadowy horse.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadr5CzhXWo
She let it drop and started humming absently, gazing up at the sky.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAocfjhexk
"….What do you want to know?" Neoma finally asked, after about 20 minutes of silence.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRy81vsJUfZ
"I wanna know a lot of stuff!" she said enthusiastically. Neoma was actually OFFERING to answer her questions? This was wonderful!780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJ0SUQduEq
"Well, ask away."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZiNqm15qd
"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?"780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvDLNLSpWl
"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."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQr708euDW
"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?"780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iXaalWUtV
"I guess. She assists with my fighting, magic, and so on. And no."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTxXwh29hj
Aella made a face at the last one. “Aw.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4oHvff9Vm
"What else?" Neoma finally looked over at her, and her face brightened further at this.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98PKh4UfbF
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?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9qSN3uiLK
She glanced over at Luna. “Yes. Not a lot.” 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtG5THCzDhx
Aella tipped her head. “What DO you know?” she wondered. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02Omp5uxh6
"The name implies a lot. And I guess silver hurts them?"780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Dpt07atZk
"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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioGjUbZyTH
Neoma nodded. “Anything else?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpIpZ1SDVO
Aella hesitated. “Why are we going to France?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtkAk9SAyS
"So Luna and I can go home."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkOOqhXvwu
"Is your home that way?"780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kdp5rcMKN
"Hm…you can say that." Neoma frowned. "…Well. Have you heard of these things… they’re called dimension ties."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaaMTJtTx6
"… huh?" Her expression went completely blank, and her mind matched.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzN8EfnHi6
"That’s what we call them, I don’t know your word for it." She patted her horse for a second.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKw2QAJspiR
”What exactly are they?” she asked, utterly confused.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOKItiiISM
”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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VBudq0acZ
Oh, she was zoning out. Not that what Neoma was saying made much sense, but it was rude to stop listening!780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU05qquOYtE
”…Earth. Do you think it’s the only place with life forms?!”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAl4SPRyPDp
”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?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAarLDos1gT
She nodded. “Yeah, part of it.” Luna looked up, tilting her head for a moment, then gave a purr, making Aella inwardly squeal.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkHUB253JW
"Will I ever get the chance to see it?"780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDv17fhdLRW
"You might," She looked up, "if we ever GET THERE."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksKhWn5Vbe
”Yay!~”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0AeOvxJcX
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?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumNOUG2tk4
”Mm?” Aella looked over at her. “Pretty normal, I guess. Middle-class family, lived in a pretty coastal town in England…”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdQ2T36rvs
“…. Middle class….” She tilted her head a little, like she had no idea what she was talking about. “You were poor, then?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSOmxGdYTo
Aella giggled. “No, we weren’t poor. We just didn’t have as much money as all the really rich people, like the royalty.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdEzoTGlni
“Oh.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgPt3sqRv0
”Mhm.” Aella smiled absently and returned to stroking her horse.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0KW5Gmsxh
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. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jisaL3R9H
”… huh?” Aella looked back over at her. What could she possibly be apologizing for? They were both being so nice to her…780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjriK1dACdX
"I’m not good with people." She shrugged. "So, sorry."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCbUy1ON5m
“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?780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZaVW1otM7
She nodded, looking to the side again. “… Thanks.” Aella just grinned at her new friend.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7dHO7aSJi
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cYx5ULqEW
”I’m boooored,” Aella drawled after a minute or so.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUEOsRPv7H
Neoma looked up. “What do you want to do then?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFOehhWOi0
She gave the question some serious thought. “Dunno. What’s there to do?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJLKvV2h1M
”We are riding on horses. What IS THERE to do?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwET1NQiU7F
“…. Dunno?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1Nfo9LKu6
She grumbled a bit, then sighed. “I dont know, either.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRrp8ADpk0
”Aww.” Aella sighed. “So we’re gonna be bored until we get somewhere?” That sounded… boring.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfp2QNopotS
”I think so. Yeah.” Neoma glared at Luna, who was trying to hop off the horse.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIejFdhfEur
Aella groaned and thunked her head dramatically on the horse’s neck (said horse just snorted). This could take FOREVER!780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4MhYjG3kt
“Oh, calm down, its not that bad.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPiaN0HNV8
“… Fine.” She pouted.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ645g4ePciQ
Neoma looked off to the side, following along the road, while Aella started humming quietly to herself. Neoma watched the other, then looked away.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLG65SA03j
It wasn’t long before Aella was shifting restlessly again.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QI3vR5gUC
"You’re bored again, aren’t you?" Neoman had shifted postions by then, laying with her arms around the horse’s neck.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjzAOTpPt8
"Maaaybe."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5DMTNtnYM
”It’s in your body language. You’re acting fidgety, so either you’re nervous or bored.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpF6FuH64m
“… Okay, bored.” Wow, Neoma was smart!780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDSo58BVYJ
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you can continue to ask questions, I guess. It’s almost sunset, give it an hour or two.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ck84S9H4H
“Okay~”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMTC231LzQ
After a long drawn out silence, Neoma stated, “At least France and England aren’t at war?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy3NdLnVW4
”That wouldn’t be fun,” she agreed.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtIy5F5Oek
"War isnt an easy thing, no matter your social status."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0fhksSLTq
Aella shook her head with a slight frown. “Mom says it’s really awful.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8rOfo2ZuI
She looked ahead. “England and France go to war a lot, dont they?” She asked this quickly, glancing aside.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEKiTQdXQP
She nodded. “Yeah… why?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgH20dLZCk
”Just making sure I was right.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvML28Y4Tr
“Oh.~ Well, you are!”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfBPLuVGT8
Neoma looked at the girl. “We need to blend in with the locals, though.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7Fyyk3bR3
She frowned. “Um… Okay. How exactly do we do that?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UsitdrmjU
”Fashion.” Neoma had a hint of a smirk on her face, and tilted her head a bit. “Which is ALWAYS fun…”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdgyMApKjl
“I know!~”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpLXtKSkZe
”That was sarcasm, nuts for brains.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwv0oOODen
“… It was? But fashion IS fun,” Aella said matter-of-factly. How could Neoma think otherwise? That just didn’t make sense.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHBb9D7rov
”Not Earth fashion.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxWi8Zt5Ko
“Uh-huh,” she said stubbornly. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2In49dIrQs
”I much prefer my world’s fashion. Less skirt-y.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uraYZ8Haa
“Skirts are nice.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlKheQm0bw
”Ugh, nope.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNTOvJU79p
“Yep!~”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB6Fg8Ns59
”No, pants and shorts are much more convenient and comfortable.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfDmBvIROg
“But skirts and dresses are prettier.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPFM5JBwgt
”And?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFAAORVhIX
“And what?” Aella blinked. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwcRgfUsaV
”What use is looking pretty if you can’t do anything while you do?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwh6UD0McvV
“Who says you have to do anything that might ruin your clothes while you look pretty?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5s3WCXPV67
”Because nothing fun comes out of it!”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWS5jaG2AU
“It’s fun to be pretty!”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSncBYktAtD
”I’d rather not.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxisY9fLdI2
“That’s too bad, then. I like looking pretty.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79LoAhI4tj
"And I really don’t care."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSifo7IgB6C
Aella pouted, and Neoma gave a sly grin.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7OVjh74h8
“… Won’t you have to wear a dress to blend in, though?” The girl suddenly questioned.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqehMvfUcFD
”Shit.” She groaned, hitting her head on the horse’s neck.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbA0MZanML4
Aella laughed. “Shut up.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAvlnLkN8T
“Sorry…”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSOEVfC2Ki
She gave some sort of odd hand signal, not raising her head.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUAuVri15Z
Aella was still grinning a bit. “I do think you’ll look pretty in a dress, though.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKmoKfNfDr
”I don’t… like dresses….”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjws4zeJnsd
“It’ll be alright… they’re not THAT bad.~”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIzZ2FS4NI
”This is coming from Miss Happy-Cheery.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINV7X5FZ7P
Aella just grinned wider.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNDyIcd1MP
”Not a compliment.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCAjOCMmdn
“Sounds like one to me.~”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnVtb6u5C9
”Well, it isn’t.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEW2kr5JLNL
“Why not? Isn’t being happy and cheerful a good thing?” How confusing.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjnIaz3Fao
”To you, maybe.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXwQDCVzpp
“Why not to you?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiAFvWMMui
”I get annoyed easily.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIcO1q0omx
“… 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…780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnHQHQNOhy
”…” Neoma finally raised her head, glaring at her.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFL2rlgSqRF
Aella went silent for a moment. Oops. “Sorry.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYeNE5K70Q
”No, no…”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnmeYt34Bv
She gave her a confused look, and Neoma made that hand gesture again. Aella blinked, then looked away to her horse.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQygpoPk7FW
* * * * *780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjShdcmqo4
Neoma poked a small fire with stick, staying near its heat. “Okay, so do you like fish, by any chance?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxgauVxVpl
Aella nodded, brightening considerably. “I like pretty much all seafood.~”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5wvDhmzPo
“The next town is a seaside town…” She poked it again, her hand moving over to the fruit.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRlRDs5jM8
”Oh, yay!~” Towns on the coast were her favorite! Like her home.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPi69I6tZeR
Neoma looked at the girl again. “How old are you?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOH3pzR1pu
”Fifteen, why?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeoUrMGhiY
“Hmm.” She gazed into the fire, then looked to the side. “In your years, I’m 19.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkIbEsokbp
”My years?” Aella tipped her head curiously. Were her years special or something? Maybe they were longer. Or really short. Or…780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BxVPmeoMl
“Human.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSspZT2m9Yn
Oh. “What kind of years do you use? And how old are you in those?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2BiZDpzNt
“For my species, years are nothing. I’m much older in that time.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcwIBzoK58
”Wow…” Neoma didn’t look old, but it sounded like she was ancient!780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEjI15oxhZ
She nodded slowly.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlP3jy0jExK
”What about Luna?” Aella wondered.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCQGUkV9zB
“Luna is sixteen.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzXXoG2Gwx
”Oh.~” Almost the same age as herself!780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvyAlsXNuS
She nodded again, sliding over the basket. Aella poked around inside it and pulled out a tasty-looking fruit.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpe39et0tzO
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9azIu04zT
”Shadows can burn?” Aella piped up curiously.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5BQo6QlNT
“When they turn into something physical, yes.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcfpY2XlaI
”… huh.” Whatever that meant.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUboVSuzMo
“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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjEPU4f9XL
“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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIx8bxTVyle
”… 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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMZuSCLqNW
"Woah…" The blonde stared as it got a shadowy look again, and Neoma used her fingernail to start carving something into it. 780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhk5KF15AC
"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."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnacUG74Ol
”… Uh huh..?” Aella’s head was spinning by then, absolutely confused. She really DID try to pay attention, but…780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIKOtEMvUB
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMkuwcRX9k
”But… why?” she asked, trying to sort all of this information out.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoE8NFg9kL
“It’s only a shadow, Aella.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5swTtlCIOO
”Okay..”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sEunAFDCB
“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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCisEF2up0C
”Oh.” That, at least, seemed to make a little more sense…780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPER0oiZiw
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SOgkzfHi0
”Wow… that’s really neat.” Aella’s eyes were wide.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksy7zW2Dj2
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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIdtTmpWW6
”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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWaCdn0OBb
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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTbRVwtK1v
"Just… punch it?" Aella tipped her head.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GhAcYV1Wk
“Not too hard, just proving a point here.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZ1etMflbP
”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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyt7UUO3KA
"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."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZcvTBFNsda
"Huh."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEJdwLQxIW
She nodded. “Fire might crack it.” She pushed down the shield, looking at the shadow ball still sitting in the fire.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF260jU68N7
Aella blinked. “Huh,” she repeated.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7yf3HkMrH
"Now, if you got your hands on a light weapon, you could break it too. A fire one would probably burn your hand, though…"780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonuVjEOjML
"That’s really interesting.~" Aella hummed, gazing into the fire and the black pit in its center.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEPOQTpih3
Neoma nodded, looking at the sky. “The stars here are weird,” she stated unexpectedly.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERW6CcqJ0D
"Weird how?" Aella looked at her, blinking.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgEVspgNZb
"Not in the same places." She shook her head.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNpVwtlEfH
"So it’s different in your world, huh… I’d like to see how they look there."780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhIbVcxPPs
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WvCYR4BrS
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