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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjT7fDGjTat
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.” 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgdzDoGovx
“Eh? What makes you say that?” The eyes in question flickered to her as he turned to face her in his saddle.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTJnxhtbcM
“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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlDVpMHDpL
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.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUtaZnsOfD
“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. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcV4hmdLwES
“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.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTSV35c28v
"Everything?!" she gasped. "That’s so… uh…" She seemed stuck on the word to use, then just gave up and grinned.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2ucRkpQmU
He nodded. “I know.” Redirecting the conversation, he asked, “What’s your world like?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5fP3j8dGi
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!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPnPVQvQXP
”So does their element depend on where they live, or is it random?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUSn4HiqeD
“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!” 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADpGsXPpwM
”So who’s Fia?” 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWXmuuC0uX
“”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!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygKOfqFBPI
”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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2AsXwTwGN
“No, we know the destination to go to! Neoma’s sister, Ee, was messing with the portals and sent us through…”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl09rgrS9Pn
He grinned a bit. “Bet a certain bitch wasn’t so happy about that.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVa3i5gxYV
”Heard that!” Neoma growled.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSjE5XFFxb
“Good.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoMTGDGF21
She giggled. “She’s going to killlllll her!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInfmG9OgN2
”Hah, sounds fun.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFIqdscCbB
”I like Ee, though…” Luna pouted a bit. “Her lap is reeeally warm…”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJqzZfuGBj
He was quiet for a few moments, then abruptly changed the subject. “What about you? You’re a familiar, right?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tkiwooT7x
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…”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUM4hVMHU53
”What’s your village like?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKhym8zBSD
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!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YUpLbkZGX
”How?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2xRcSki6j
”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.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENBYKNeNTY
”Sounds pretty simple.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9fkQe3Nwj
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.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDP9I1fmzJ
Huh, that was surprising. “You guys would just let them go?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnOBLXlZ3K
”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.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8H9UHjtClZ
Truest statement he’d heard all day. He nodded. “Doesn’t sound like that bad of a way to live.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvWrUCqBPi
Neoma shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at the two. Luna only nodded happily. “It was!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfsnj56Pf3U
”Was?” The shifter looked over at her.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoVeGSELOh
She bit her lip and nodded. “Was. What’s your home like?!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEicnqSKH2
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDzHfwIyF0
“There’s a pretty much to that, though,” she prodded, smiling.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSyXwxwz0f
”Not all shifters do. I do.” He gave her a flat look, much preferring for her to drop it.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHGbCNrolz
”Oh.” She pouted. “But Earth’s boring!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwb4FYdwAG
”In your opinion.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYxUKsS1rz
”In a lot of people’s opinions!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUN5lfGTXD
”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.)711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrkc5TFtPw
She pouted again, glaring. “Well, your opinion’s stupid.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeTLLqvzM2
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can say the same for yours.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Nq03v7Wkb
”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!”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuSmQJ78ZQ
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.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefSEgwHgJR
She had a blank face, then stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms in defeat. He grinned, and she started to giggle.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCX7cmgipk
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* * * * *711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVcrBE7szb
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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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3P5Ygz31PL
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hdsErZxIU
He looked over at the elemental. “So. What’re we even doing here?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3p66606LLt
“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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn1g9W9Zzr
”We spending any time in this town?” he sighed.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw51Phpz94F
“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. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8sNSnUqO7
“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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKB8xooKVY
Neoma rolled her eyes, pointing to a store “Stay here okay?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUsWSSHDiV
“Why?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PouiyZJ86
“I’m not talking to you, asshat. I’m talking to Luna.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZfbFo8uNN
“Yeah, I know that,” he grumbled, annoyed. “Why’re you leaving her there though?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WiRp8UDVQ
“Because we’re going into the store to get food.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5P50Yak8W0
He huffed. “Took her last time. Whatever, let’s just hurry.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsrWWtRwHl
“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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGT5YbLZDY9
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.” 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKPhYc58iK
He gave her an irritated look. “Can’t you pick yourself?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nuxgbFwoE
“‘Course, but you have to eat sometime.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIzbhdEDYq
“I don’t CARE what I eat,” he complained. “Unlike some people, I’m not picky.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxBjtABuJP
She scoffed as she began to pick up a few fruits. “Riiiight.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJn49lgOXI
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDO6kkZrkdR
Outside, Luna was completely immersed in her thoughts until Neoma spoke. “You okay there?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qCmFgPwie
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwVeYdFQq1
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