After two long days and nights of travelling, arguing, and running, they had finally hit the next town, a small settlement surrounded by forest. Cináed, partway through the trip, had been completely exhausted, and as a result had let his magic fade from his appearance, reverting back to Aella’s form. The only difference (other than the enormous attitude jump) to tell it was really him was the shiny metallic color replacing Aella’s blue-grey irises.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQlwJr2Myq
He’d noticed Luna watching him every so often, and she finally said, “Your eyes are strange. Almost like a human’s, only you know, silver… well, I guess it makes sense.” 792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZW6Ufyg5QV
“Eh? What makes you say that?” The eyes in question flickered to her as he turned to face her in his saddle.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxxQYQbJ0i
“Weeeeeell, you’re a shapeshifter, so you have to take the thing’s form, right? … Do shifters even have their own form? I mean, why humans…?” She trailed off, looking a bit dazed.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqmzI2bxfI
He was kind of at a loss at her question, but answered anyway. “Uh, yeah. Shifters do have their own forms, in a way… it’s a bitch to explain. They just learn how to look like humans, because most spend the majority of their lives on Earth with humans, y’know?” He shrugged. “And the color, that’s easy. It matches our magic. There’s a lot concentrated there - we rely on sight a lot. Bright light changes whatever eye color we chose to that, ‘cause it’s reflecting off the magic instead. And it usually glows.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ynNEscQ4F
“Ohhhh…” Luna paused, crossing her arms. “I guess it’s kinda like our world. Everyone is like a human, but Fia says that’s because humans accidentally cross the portals and, you know, breeding happens! So unlike this world, and I guess your world, almost everyone has magic, but they don’t have a choice for human form. Oh! But if you don’t have magic, technically some species can transfer parts of their magic! Like witches… and …and some elementals?” She rambled on about the subject, then finally stopped to breathe. 792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKld4Xnihy
“Huh.” Seeing as he had no experience with their world, he was pretty curious. “Don’t get me wrong, though. The shifter’s dimension is completely made of magic. Everything. Even shifters can’t put up with it for long.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrprZLPzxg
"Everything?!" she gasped. "That’s so… uh…" She seemed stuck on the word to use, then just gave up and grinned.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrI1cUsolvu
He nodded. “I know.” Redirecting the conversation, he asked, “What’s your world like?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4hbZigXuj
She looked up, eyes glazed in thought. “Well, I guess it depends on where you go! My island was more…” She narrowed her eyes, getting stuck on the word again, then shrugged and gave up. Then she smiled again. “But there was a ton of trees and vines and birds and prey! Neoma’s land is pretty neat too, like, it’s in the middle of all the climates, and it’s huge! Not as huge as Fia’s… but it’s in the center of a ton of climates! So their land is full of elements and elementals!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZBwQ8cTHg
”So does their element depend on where they live, or is it random?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9qltouTtq
“Mmhmm!! On the island, anyway!” She paused again. “On Fia’s land its more witches, and fairies, and other things like that… well, fairies are kinda elementals too… Oh!” She continued. “But there’s bigger kinds of creatures, and a few smaller ones!” 792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡln4sTFa2y7
”So who’s Fia?” 792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj3aORHRWL
“”She’s our friend and the keeper of portals on our island! She sets up portals and where and when they go places - she’s a witch!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW38XoAexXG
”Huh. You guys need to go see her to get back to your world, then?” he asked, wondering if this witch was at the destination Neoma had been so vague about.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmHdax2oFN
“No, we know the destination to go to! Neoma’s sister, Ee, was messing with the portals and sent us through…”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MkMhlcnoz
He grinned a bit. “Bet a certain bitch wasn’t so happy about that.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgV5jWYPb4q
”Heard that!” Neoma growled.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtC0vtxz0tO
“Good.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy55OoKzaR7
She giggled. “She’s going to killlllll her!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZg4xuxUJU6
”Hah, sounds fun.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxL3gzJcMy3
”I like Ee, though…” Luna pouted a bit. “Her lap is reeeally warm…”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IHzMMgIql
He was quiet for a few moments, then abruptly changed the subject. “What about you? You’re a familiar, right?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLHIM6MB1t
She thought for a second, then nodded excitedly. “Yeah! Well, technically, not everyone in my village is a familiar, but almost anything can be a familiar, so…”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdeTospHHL
”What’s your village like?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRIrqRTHDd
Luna kicked her legs off the horse, accidentally hitting it once, and patted its shoulder with a mumbled apology. “Well… it was different than this! I mean, there was conflict between the other clan and us, and a little conflict inside it, but they weren’t really accepting of outsiders… no, that’s a lie. As long as you could hunt, you were good…” She gave a short hum, conflicted in her thoughts. “We had a different ranking system!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3vlXxR9ev
”How?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVN6gETekx
”Well, there was the head family, but I guess that’s everywhere… There really wasn’t anything under that, though. The normal population, then the prisoners.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3jLrZdcvW
”Sounds pretty simple.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooPmNEUMZL
She nodded. “And the prisoners could become part of our village if they worked it off, or they could choose to go home after they worked enough.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYG6ElHDyZ8
Huh, that was surprising. “You guys would just let them go?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6TmJdlYsW
”Well, the village didn’t like each other, but we weren’t total jackasses - the prisoner could have a family! The amount of work they had to do depended on the crime against the other tribe. If it was something like murder or stealing another tribe’s children, then they probably would be dead when they got back home. Bad leaders were kicked out, too. If they did evil things, then they were evil people, and obviously couldn’t lead correctly. And a corrupted leader makes a corrupted clan.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQiQ61EJyo
Truest statement he’d heard all day. He nodded. “Doesn’t sound like that bad of a way to live.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAu334crCA
Neoma shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at the two. Luna only nodded happily. “It was!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQb2Wj5uz2
”Was?” The shifter looked over at her.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x2wkboEN7
She bit her lip and nodded. “Was. What’s your home like?!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhc1a3Mctq
He blinked at the switched topic, then hesitated. “Eh… like I said earlier, shapeshifters pretty much just live here on Earth, so..” He half-shrugged.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzw7QrD0ti
“There’s a pretty much to that, though,” she prodded, smiling.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFtn3w9a87
”Not all shifters do. I do.” He gave her a flat look, much preferring for her to drop it.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5LakJDTuZ
”Oh.” She pouted. “But Earth’s boring!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnpdvgDzKU
”In your opinion.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡep8xjjAkQT
”In a lot of people’s opinions!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGJddRgZnl
”Not in mine.” Better than quite a few places he’d seen. (Including the ones by accidental force, but some of those were cool, too.)792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kgL3NZ6dW
She pouted again, glaring. “Well, your opinion’s stupid.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlywowKYmc2
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can say the same for yours.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgikRSqmec9
”Oh really? If you shapeshifted in front of a lot of people in this world, they’d burn you at the stake! In our world, it’s totally normal and accepted!”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0JOscclri
He started to smirk. “Shapeshifters don’t usually have that problem, though,” he pointed out. “First, we’re practically impossible to corner, and if we are, we can still escape. Second, you can’t burn one of us to death - most wouldn’t burn, period. Hell, I’ve shifted in front of people just for fun. It’s hilarious, they freak out. Sometimes, they pass out.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWL9flqo4HA
She had a blank face, then stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms in defeat. He grinned, and she started to giggle.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGjSO1Ft03
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* * * * *792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBeC5vbyjb
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Just before they’d entered the town, Cináed had shifted back out of Aella’s appearance. Now he was back to his reddish-haired form, although tired-looking.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvyZU2Mn7u
Neoma had changed her shadow horse to look more normal, which had caused a lot of bucking and protest and had taken a few minutes and calming gestures.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvi8eJpD0ea
He looked over at the elemental. “So. What’re we even doing here?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjkONr34hS
“Well, we’re heading up to a small town. It’s where one of our portals are located.” She looked down, glaring at the ground.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjwLyfsxXw
”We spending any time in this town?” he sighed.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1CJQDpKm0
“Besides getting more food, no.” She looked down at Luna, who was walking around the horse’s feet, nimble enough to not get stepped on. 792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7XW12IC5i
“Good.” Luna paused her playing to look behind them, then darted under the horse again. He glanced at her distractedly, then went back to looking around.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUkrweJdva
Neoma rolled her eyes, pointing to a store “Stay here okay?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfHLhTZPxx
“Why?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwRuR3ltnv
“I’m not talking to you, asshat. I’m talking to Luna.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRK3vRqQ0K
“Yeah, I know that,” he grumbled, annoyed. “Why’re you leaving her there though?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBZAcvx8ui
“Because we’re going into the store to get food.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9fh6h681o
He huffed. “Took her last time. Whatever, let’s just hurry.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OFHrkFhl4
“Yeah, yeah.” She jumped off the horse and tied it to the pole, leaving Luna to curl up next to it. He did the same, muttering something under his breath.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkTQlJbr4k
Neoma walked quietly into the store, looking at all the foods they had set out. Cináed followed a few steps behind, looking a lot less interested and mostly just glaring at either the floor or Neoma’s head. She didn’t seem to notice, as she was looking over the food. “Pick whatever the fuck looks good.” 792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5a3Vit0a7L
He gave her an irritated look. “Can’t you pick yourself?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwgn3VItyW
“‘Course, but you have to eat sometime.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zvUCVXfun
“I don’t CARE what I eat,” he complained. “Unlike some people, I’m not picky.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZkphOzlqM
She scoffed as she began to pick up a few fruits. “Riiiight.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaOrsJD6ab
A short while later, the two had managed to get a decent amount of supply and approached the counter. After showing it all to the shopkeeper, Neoma pushed some shadow money toward him - it was something she had been working on for awhile, and it was finally to her standards. The man didn’t see any difference, at least.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9OilyVHj8
Outside, Luna was completely immersed in her thoughts until Neoma spoke. “You okay there?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEC4BjpXU4
The familiar jolted up, purring in response, as Cináed quickly untied his horse. Neoma followed suit, and they rode out of the town with Luna trotting ahead.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGjYK8ZdK4
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