Neoma lightly nudged Aella with her foot. “Hey. Wake up.” 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRToruaEKWW
Aella twitched and yawned. “Mm?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7ct0KJ0Av
"Come on. Or I will flip you into a pool of water." She nudged her again.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2nP5P1nCk
Aella’s eyes flashed open. “I’m up!”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiUgCpfGRg
"Except we have no water around," Luna pointed out.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j8S462xAb
"…" Aella looked around. As Luna said, not so much as a puddle in their immediate area. "Oh."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjLFQnfld7
Luna giggled. “You’ll learn when and when not to fall for her tricks.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrC1Qa0s4W0
Neoma shrugged, getting up on her horse. “Don’t eat too much, we need that food.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCE9493HFv7
Aella laughed along with Luna, and slowly got up. Wow, she was sore…661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27qPlmD119
Luna paused in her laughter. “But….but I wanna go hunting,” she whined.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpr4Vm8GcX
"Luna, what can you catch out here?"661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLWHsgAG55
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…661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡea372igDdY
"Um…."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBl1t9nAdc
"Exactly." 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrG3gy29lMF
Aella pulled herself up onto her horse. “Didn’t know you hunted.~”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvpuZWrWv4
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?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Bj1D5bywb
"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!661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIJg0p8Mvs
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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fAvomgMiO
"How far do you think we’ll get today?~"661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gj3FOva8C
The elemental shrugged, looking down at the shadowy horse.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaTRiL7Ljd
She let it drop and started humming absently, gazing up at the sky.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3EWHnVrGJ
"….What do you want to know?" Neoma finally asked, after about 20 minutes of silence.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYtfkRIuGY
"I wanna know a lot of stuff!" she said enthusiastically. Neoma was actually OFFERING to answer her questions? This was wonderful!661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyEoxGooTu
"Well, ask away."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMeh90PAZO
"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?"661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvr8KHzFfSZ
"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."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsur4zHXMI
"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?"661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAcbRjkXAt
"I guess. She assists with my fighting, magic, and so on. And no."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIiYPYUNnk
Aella made a face at the last one. “Aw.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYx8GeUyEyJ
"What else?" Neoma finally looked over at her, and her face brightened further at this.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfO3bwCtVq
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?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRsyrFaM6m
She glanced over at Luna. “Yes. Not a lot.” 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NIPaNTQp8
Aella tipped her head. “What DO you know?” she wondered. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpP6KQqy2WP
"The name implies a lot. And I guess silver hurts them?"661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06TLTKXsj7
"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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YYsggks7D
Neoma nodded. “Anything else?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW84zetf0kW
Aella hesitated. “Why are we going to France?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41c5R9cweS
"So Luna and I can go home."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEwHwtNJhr
"Is your home that way?"661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eHJHH4dfM
"Hm…you can say that." Neoma frowned. "…Well. Have you heard of these things… they’re called dimension ties."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9a6bwbPnI
"… huh?" Her expression went completely blank, and her mind matched.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKduV3UCutt
"That’s what we call them, I don’t know your word for it." She patted her horse for a second.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksFoTVknnf
”What exactly are they?” she asked, utterly confused.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lR6dCylXQ
”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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtIM1ZWCUH
Oh, she was zoning out. Not that what Neoma was saying made much sense, but it was rude to stop listening!661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFLSl9dC90
”…Earth. Do you think it’s the only place with life forms?!”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85FUJ61ZpS
”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?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82FVbfFHx5
She nodded. “Yeah, part of it.” Luna looked up, tilting her head for a moment, then gave a purr, making Aella inwardly squeal.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYhvf1A0FN
"Will I ever get the chance to see it?"661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdyZhoYZDu
"You might," She looked up, "if we ever GET THERE."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MLjPH33L0
”Yay!~”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLHI5T0C2m
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?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00vYOcELFk
”Mm?” Aella looked over at her. “Pretty normal, I guess. Middle-class family, lived in a pretty coastal town in England…”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4vGJalqrj
“…. Middle class….” She tilted her head a little, like she had no idea what she was talking about. “You were poor, then?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTr91OSlmV
Aella giggled. “No, we weren’t poor. We just didn’t have as much money as all the really rich people, like the royalty.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03TwhUEUnL
“Oh.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGncZCrSjKo
”Mhm.” Aella smiled absently and returned to stroking her horse.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRZAnZDr7Y
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. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEyPYYeYbq
”… huh?” Aella looked back over at her. What could she possibly be apologizing for? They were both being so nice to her…661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8DnJMHGds
"I’m not good with people." She shrugged. "So, sorry."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOo8c8BSgu
“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?661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhGCp8Bv53
She nodded, looking to the side again. “… Thanks.” Aella just grinned at her new friend.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2WnHHXsJa
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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWe1tiSrX3
”I’m boooored,” Aella drawled after a minute or so.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhbtqgCg5r
Neoma looked up. “What do you want to do then?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUY5O0MkUUb
She gave the question some serious thought. “Dunno. What’s there to do?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJGmBOnWef
”We are riding on horses. What IS THERE to do?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDagxzce0A
“…. Dunno?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OXSzu4TF8
She grumbled a bit, then sighed. “I dont know, either.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOLA4kEW4a
”Aww.” Aella sighed. “So we’re gonna be bored until we get somewhere?” That sounded… boring.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN6uglL6q8
”I think so. Yeah.” Neoma glared at Luna, who was trying to hop off the horse.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwQYEUl3ZI
Aella groaned and thunked her head dramatically on the horse’s neck (said horse just snorted). This could take FOREVER!661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOA7g3jEEgf
“Oh, calm down, its not that bad.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ODIVSdMgW
“… Fine.” She pouted.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV744UVFMxe
Neoma looked off to the side, following along the road, while Aella started humming quietly to herself. Neoma watched the other, then looked away.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Q2Tw2uutz
It wasn’t long before Aella was shifting restlessly again.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BjIdbwdun
"You’re bored again, aren’t you?" Neoman had shifted postions by then, laying with her arms around the horse’s neck.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEv6X3nTTZH
"Maaaybe."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgETPgs6Ta
”It’s in your body language. You’re acting fidgety, so either you’re nervous or bored.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2R81CIaaYw
“… Okay, bored.” Wow, Neoma was smart!661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7RdjWgyIi
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you can continue to ask questions, I guess. It’s almost sunset, give it an hour or two.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qWs3tCdGr
“Okay~”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ofuwWsL0a
After a long drawn out silence, Neoma stated, “At least France and England aren’t at war?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQ10Fw0lFx
”That wouldn’t be fun,” she agreed.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2aJXxF8wf
"War isnt an easy thing, no matter your social status."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtNbEUhHtK
Aella shook her head with a slight frown. “Mom says it’s really awful.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgqVDcfKLT
She looked ahead. “England and France go to war a lot, dont they?” She asked this quickly, glancing aside.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CtWVL4dor
She nodded. “Yeah… why?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4EkOnJ7Fr
”Just making sure I was right.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNztl8ouPPA
“Oh.~ Well, you are!”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcS7jEQVxO
Neoma looked at the girl. “We need to blend in with the locals, though.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVk4qospiH
She frowned. “Um… Okay. How exactly do we do that?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkEgw2Mcjw
”Fashion.” Neoma had a hint of a smirk on her face, and tilted her head a bit. “Which is ALWAYS fun…”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgZsPuc4y6
“I know!~”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UUgP4nX0I
”That was sarcasm, nuts for brains.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ww4PARifO
“… It was? But fashion IS fun,” Aella said matter-of-factly. How could Neoma think otherwise? That just didn’t make sense.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcWmJE2Dv7
”Not Earth fashion.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6XOhAkwjP
“Uh-huh,” she said stubbornly. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0ZKDQUldM
”I much prefer my world’s fashion. Less skirt-y.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHGZWQ8cKb
“Skirts are nice.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Vhq5f80tE
”Ugh, nope.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBhLiBaVzn
“Yep!~”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUhlqOlzkc
”No, pants and shorts are much more convenient and comfortable.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5y6NGtAfp
“But skirts and dresses are prettier.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehlfr3CTn3
”And?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeX376MEXnf
“And what?” Aella blinked. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAWfamI2l7
”What use is looking pretty if you can’t do anything while you do?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQoG9hyOGG
“Who says you have to do anything that might ruin your clothes while you look pretty?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTFfZcUtmo
”Because nothing fun comes out of it!”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoCvlZWozA
“It’s fun to be pretty!”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJy1B3I6wfe
”I’d rather not.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAnLPewKdv
“That’s too bad, then. I like looking pretty.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTytnHH7gVa
"And I really don’t care."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAzcUumXbf
Aella pouted, and Neoma gave a sly grin.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3UdX1vbJN
“… Won’t you have to wear a dress to blend in, though?” The girl suddenly questioned.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsxgIZrWgQ
”Shit.” She groaned, hitting her head on the horse’s neck.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhp1NGYlU9X
Aella laughed. “Shut up.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb24j1Bgnt
“Sorry…”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2xLZVCBKV
She gave some sort of odd hand signal, not raising her head.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnj1BmeOMU
Aella was still grinning a bit. “I do think you’ll look pretty in a dress, though.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeR3SEfBkq
”I don’t… like dresses….”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5txgTvtNtx
“It’ll be alright… they’re not THAT bad.~”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JDQcrV9Im
”This is coming from Miss Happy-Cheery.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEt7kbFHAS
Aella just grinned wider.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSPRWF5Cvb
”Not a compliment.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYNQAUUsJk
“Sounds like one to me.~”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYdWZqx8Wk
”Well, it isn’t.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqhfUTYTap
“Why not? Isn’t being happy and cheerful a good thing?” How confusing.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6tvZYMQb3
”To you, maybe.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaLn7uRN2W
“Why not to you?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVO6A94SIh
”I get annoyed easily.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANtKkLUYoN
“… 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…661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3254eUJcAs
”…” Neoma finally raised her head, glaring at her.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvyDsyV91E
Aella went silent for a moment. Oops. “Sorry.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6o19THG4Qh
”No, no…”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6o33E6uST
She gave her a confused look, and Neoma made that hand gesture again. Aella blinked, then looked away to her horse.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLLIPoBxga
* * * * *661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nciEIgImA
Neoma poked a small fire with stick, staying near its heat. “Okay, so do you like fish, by any chance?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFU5WWmmutr
Aella nodded, brightening considerably. “I like pretty much all seafood.~”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyRCJ4dm9P
“The next town is a seaside town…” She poked it again, her hand moving over to the fruit.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6eFgYa0Xw
”Oh, yay!~” Towns on the coast were her favorite! Like her home.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2okCqiO6IQ
Neoma looked at the girl again. “How old are you?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5D4xvXNH8
”Fifteen, why?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAVMXeebYd
“Hmm.” She gazed into the fire, then looked to the side. “In your years, I’m 19.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuDZzHqp22
”My years?” Aella tipped her head curiously. Were her years special or something? Maybe they were longer. Or really short. Or…661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqCzTs56Ci
“Human.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaxqUoAPeX
Oh. “What kind of years do you use? And how old are you in those?”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwU7Sd1MV3A
“For my species, years are nothing. I’m much older in that time.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlgCJ6nBRK
”Wow…” Neoma didn’t look old, but it sounded like she was ancient!661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aiAc12Tij
She nodded slowly.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajU54EHFg4
”What about Luna?” Aella wondered.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwOGSk6HTb
“Luna is sixteen.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAyFfKNoad
”Oh.~” Almost the same age as herself!661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bRfUJwyEQ
She nodded again, sliding over the basket. Aella poked around inside it and pulled out a tasty-looking fruit.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QLtToUEq2
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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lVYDINF3L
”Shadows can burn?” Aella piped up curiously.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkXrAhqniF
“When they turn into something physical, yes.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmD0ZIPpvR
”… huh.” Whatever that meant.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0loFplbOcj
“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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8ObkQfgSV
“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.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhPQrnxvEp
”… 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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncjD03D0VO
"Woah…" The blonde stared as it got a shadowy look again, and Neoma used her fingernail to start carving something into it. 661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0iorx8qZG
"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."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPUddGdV6B
”… Uh huh..?” Aella’s head was spinning by then, absolutely confused. She really DID try to pay attention, but…661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyx4nN83WnS
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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOItot9rmBw
”But… why?” she asked, trying to sort all of this information out.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSm20T5KV2f
“It’s only a shadow, Aella.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡit4qhj96uz
”Okay..”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJSYQCaspS
“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.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyxIGBaWFx
”Oh.” That, at least, seemed to make a little more sense…661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1mDMmhobk
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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSzFuEV5gh
”Wow… that’s really neat.” Aella’s eyes were wide.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvwMkpBuA2
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.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCcdpxsfHq
”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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNLRbTy6rS
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.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qmfcaJuF9
"Just… punch it?" Aella tipped her head.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarqSBRHO4G
“Not too hard, just proving a point here.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHf156ISxYm
”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.”661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡor0Abz6kI5
"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."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsZbNqxwP6
"Huh."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3GVKi8rYx
She nodded. “Fire might crack it.” She pushed down the shield, looking at the shadow ball still sitting in the fire.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82tFRQsnxi
Aella blinked. “Huh,” she repeated.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapOkmzZxPJ
"Now, if you got your hands on a light weapon, you could break it too. A fire one would probably burn your hand, though…"661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSNG9cfAlt
"That’s really interesting.~" Aella hummed, gazing into the fire and the black pit in its center.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmn4MHDCZp
Neoma nodded, looking at the sky. “The stars here are weird,” she stated unexpectedly.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyN3WFV3LTU
"Weird how?" Aella looked at her, blinking.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneYKmZPUyU
"Not in the same places." She shook her head.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofc77E7MhX
"So it’s different in your world, huh… I’d like to see how they look there."661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyLVTATibU
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.661Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3hHzBAFFI
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