Neoma lightly nudged Aella with her foot. “Hey. Wake up.” 682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAT3lhmkfRG
Aella twitched and yawned. “Mm?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxoMVEmwcn
"Come on. Or I will flip you into a pool of water." She nudged her again.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRz4TNfwcRL
Aella’s eyes flashed open. “I’m up!”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgYsprUDAe
"Except we have no water around," Luna pointed out.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPX9I0jmMWJ
"…" Aella looked around. As Luna said, not so much as a puddle in their immediate area. "Oh."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbA9Yoo3TPb
Luna giggled. “You’ll learn when and when not to fall for her tricks.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtilSLXOuzG
Neoma shrugged, getting up on her horse. “Don’t eat too much, we need that food.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoLS5AtkvS
Aella laughed along with Luna, and slowly got up. Wow, she was sore…682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrM7Z03ark5
Luna paused in her laughter. “But….but I wanna go hunting,” she whined.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5OamM823o
"Luna, what can you catch out here?"682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCElWUhpRz
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…682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoo4NMIPvpj
"Um…."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dUtyZRxS0
"Exactly." 682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaASmyw3tW7
Aella pulled herself up onto her horse. “Didn’t know you hunted.~”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iUzjXPVJc
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?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQuLbfBBGS
"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!682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHx87Xc5htn
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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1c859JNq5
"How far do you think we’ll get today?~"682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OcuDb8hY1
The elemental shrugged, looking down at the shadowy horse.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtjGbwubXS
She let it drop and started humming absently, gazing up at the sky.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpEeasqBqy
"….What do you want to know?" Neoma finally asked, after about 20 minutes of silence.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARQPaMNouC
"I wanna know a lot of stuff!" she said enthusiastically. Neoma was actually OFFERING to answer her questions? This was wonderful!682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjDK8GsEl6
"Well, ask away."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2tHDLNmzE
"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?"682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNQSpyPHiO
"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."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrnUt7VSDW
"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?"682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNiq9YAwNj
"I guess. She assists with my fighting, magic, and so on. And no."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNrIAy0Ul5
Aella made a face at the last one. “Aw.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpljiEOpgGS
"What else?" Neoma finally looked over at her, and her face brightened further at this.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBn4sb3TFH
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?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQOpY8ETrg
She glanced over at Luna. “Yes. Not a lot.” 682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyXmRjaLad
Aella tipped her head. “What DO you know?” she wondered. 682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmoQGYa3kf
"The name implies a lot. And I guess silver hurts them?"682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dfOsceTIx
"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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPWaBjOHph
Neoma nodded. “Anything else?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCKjbZkWSu
Aella hesitated. “Why are we going to France?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVhORCkSre
"So Luna and I can go home."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBvCMX7yAv
"Is your home that way?"682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7vw1SK7Di
"Hm…you can say that." Neoma frowned. "…Well. Have you heard of these things… they’re called dimension ties."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9qXzHfWAb
"… huh?" Her expression went completely blank, and her mind matched.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMIX0VILCf
"That’s what we call them, I don’t know your word for it." She patted her horse for a second.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFEwYFPWw3
”What exactly are they?” she asked, utterly confused.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWEV1BioFa
”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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5YbDhSG0S
Oh, she was zoning out. Not that what Neoma was saying made much sense, but it was rude to stop listening!682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTkOcuCW30
”…Earth. Do you think it’s the only place with life forms?!”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRRxXPHAId
”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?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviWLIMOwoW
She nodded. “Yeah, part of it.” Luna looked up, tilting her head for a moment, then gave a purr, making Aella inwardly squeal.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGC4kJ6uY5
"Will I ever get the chance to see it?"682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6x9SAoXfP
"You might," She looked up, "if we ever GET THERE."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XMvlzx81l
”Yay!~”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicZdacGPul
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?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8GYpTXHqY
”Mm?” Aella looked over at her. “Pretty normal, I guess. Middle-class family, lived in a pretty coastal town in England…”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKfU82kc8u
“…. Middle class….” She tilted her head a little, like she had no idea what she was talking about. “You were poor, then?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqI8LwvApr
Aella giggled. “No, we weren’t poor. We just didn’t have as much money as all the really rich people, like the royalty.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXbQ5MCxeL
“Oh.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MDD3GHYb3
”Mhm.” Aella smiled absently and returned to stroking her horse.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErkO1OKs8a
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. 682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbaRfM4JPB
”… huh?” Aella looked back over at her. What could she possibly be apologizing for? They were both being so nice to her…682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gJY9LdtWA
"I’m not good with people." She shrugged. "So, sorry."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHajFPwpJQ
“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?682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhi7s3CPkK
She nodded, looking to the side again. “… Thanks.” Aella just grinned at her new friend.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlXKxLAo2w
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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JL4L2UKqs
”I’m boooored,” Aella drawled after a minute or so.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7VJsKy6W4
Neoma looked up. “What do you want to do then?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2m4kxkbKW5
She gave the question some serious thought. “Dunno. What’s there to do?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVz0FM0oJL
”We are riding on horses. What IS THERE to do?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rnP5zb9Pp
“…. Dunno?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWjJifvTwi
She grumbled a bit, then sighed. “I dont know, either.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kiaIwb5NB
”Aww.” Aella sighed. “So we’re gonna be bored until we get somewhere?” That sounded… boring.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOCELAZe27
”I think so. Yeah.” Neoma glared at Luna, who was trying to hop off the horse.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6RTKfwTH3
Aella groaned and thunked her head dramatically on the horse’s neck (said horse just snorted). This could take FOREVER!682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQ8WskCsvG
“Oh, calm down, its not that bad.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgDMVhT3GL
“… Fine.” She pouted.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhMcHrzldL
Neoma looked off to the side, following along the road, while Aella started humming quietly to herself. Neoma watched the other, then looked away.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6N4dI7F4i
It wasn’t long before Aella was shifting restlessly again.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUu2qd1MGD
"You’re bored again, aren’t you?" Neoman had shifted postions by then, laying with her arms around the horse’s neck.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV1GSCaK34
"Maaaybe."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVO0xeoKT3
”It’s in your body language. You’re acting fidgety, so either you’re nervous or bored.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIJ7fZaFEp
“… Okay, bored.” Wow, Neoma was smart!682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeozP80OMRq
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you can continue to ask questions, I guess. It’s almost sunset, give it an hour or two.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cIlR8OvSf
“Okay~”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWFMLlEkjy
After a long drawn out silence, Neoma stated, “At least France and England aren’t at war?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWa3fjIGHl
”That wouldn’t be fun,” she agreed.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Iqq33unE2
"War isnt an easy thing, no matter your social status."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnjONqkOyj
Aella shook her head with a slight frown. “Mom says it’s really awful.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6of3w4Bs9
She looked ahead. “England and France go to war a lot, dont they?” She asked this quickly, glancing aside.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnW0LJNf9q
She nodded. “Yeah… why?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOksfJAFLs
”Just making sure I was right.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqF2x38hhV8
“Oh.~ Well, you are!”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCww5m60cU
Neoma looked at the girl. “We need to blend in with the locals, though.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaJpdHQLLB
She frowned. “Um… Okay. How exactly do we do that?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEsDag0Z3y
”Fashion.” Neoma had a hint of a smirk on her face, and tilted her head a bit. “Which is ALWAYS fun…”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGWlQL4zTf
“I know!~”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEhwLZWtid
”That was sarcasm, nuts for brains.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEVXZWpolZ
“… It was? But fashion IS fun,” Aella said matter-of-factly. How could Neoma think otherwise? That just didn’t make sense.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiYT8NyER0
”Not Earth fashion.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8bgSs2eWQ
“Uh-huh,” she said stubbornly. 682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QuTfFtP5Z
”I much prefer my world’s fashion. Less skirt-y.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93WrZgYEjL
“Skirts are nice.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIXmiF9gKJ
”Ugh, nope.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCONvWQNB6M
“Yep!~”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SGqtIEUO1
”No, pants and shorts are much more convenient and comfortable.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoYjvkYZks
“But skirts and dresses are prettier.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkz5q24lDGv
”And?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBhFYDn7gx
“And what?” Aella blinked. 682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJOt7RZ0fd
”What use is looking pretty if you can’t do anything while you do?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTAgtpR3kY
“Who says you have to do anything that might ruin your clothes while you look pretty?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrO5EAscQze
”Because nothing fun comes out of it!”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgCApfd1Sr
“It’s fun to be pretty!”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiu3vHhkA7
”I’d rather not.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZXs4PwGO9
“That’s too bad, then. I like looking pretty.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIIk59u1am
"And I really don’t care."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxj8wSbDH2O
Aella pouted, and Neoma gave a sly grin.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqIQA7e6Wt
“… Won’t you have to wear a dress to blend in, though?” The girl suddenly questioned.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGATO01ThGI
”Shit.” She groaned, hitting her head on the horse’s neck.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4JPcIpvS1
Aella laughed. “Shut up.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaocRBY3xYD
“Sorry…”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI57vJnzZWi
She gave some sort of odd hand signal, not raising her head.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WmGsVoE6H
Aella was still grinning a bit. “I do think you’ll look pretty in a dress, though.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRH7fV80ZJ
”I don’t… like dresses….”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPyG95w9ZB
“It’ll be alright… they’re not THAT bad.~”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau0cJHNcYY
”This is coming from Miss Happy-Cheery.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki68dqTZLZ
Aella just grinned wider.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3Q2PF1Vxm
”Not a compliment.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXv37767Y2A
“Sounds like one to me.~”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gnMyyk2cA
”Well, it isn’t.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsBTX4SYFV
“Why not? Isn’t being happy and cheerful a good thing?” How confusing.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqTXPho1vq
”To you, maybe.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWchI9v5nS
“Why not to you?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEb8iXPjVOm
”I get annoyed easily.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWESKxomMo
“… 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…682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDsbXStovi
”…” Neoma finally raised her head, glaring at her.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kV0rv3kYz
Aella went silent for a moment. Oops. “Sorry.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0i0k5uEt5Y
”No, no…”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9h6k2CZoC
She gave her a confused look, and Neoma made that hand gesture again. Aella blinked, then looked away to her horse.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8tRlYKt7a
* * * * *682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAyhk2hxgL
Neoma poked a small fire with stick, staying near its heat. “Okay, so do you like fish, by any chance?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMH7d2408SL
Aella nodded, brightening considerably. “I like pretty much all seafood.~”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlV6zBPmEWt
“The next town is a seaside town…” She poked it again, her hand moving over to the fruit.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqVoJLodLx
”Oh, yay!~” Towns on the coast were her favorite! Like her home.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNWqmzBv8B
Neoma looked at the girl again. “How old are you?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFLOGyGDAE
”Fifteen, why?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTh7uav6jgx
“Hmm.” She gazed into the fire, then looked to the side. “In your years, I’m 19.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2r0AXlXdqB
”My years?” Aella tipped her head curiously. Were her years special or something? Maybe they were longer. Or really short. Or…682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWXnjkEaRR
“Human.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYnIjtuU46
Oh. “What kind of years do you use? And how old are you in those?”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YKtXes7qn
“For my species, years are nothing. I’m much older in that time.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbXaxqH5w7
”Wow…” Neoma didn’t look old, but it sounded like she was ancient!682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgYY5YRM8y
She nodded slowly.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHG7JrPvrH
”What about Luna?” Aella wondered.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8V1bTxF8n2
“Luna is sixteen.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCmzw82jhZ
”Oh.~” Almost the same age as herself!682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmhkPLg9YU
She nodded again, sliding over the basket. Aella poked around inside it and pulled out a tasty-looking fruit.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwxCxFg44F
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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BhbyVQt2b
”Shadows can burn?” Aella piped up curiously.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ162p2gHS3J
“When they turn into something physical, yes.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OTa7b3IVs
”… huh.” Whatever that meant.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPSxjzJmQQ
“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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mnga8Z4rs
“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.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJFH2v9pte
”… 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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBexvnf6nbF
"Woah…" The blonde stared as it got a shadowy look again, and Neoma used her fingernail to start carving something into it. 682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1Bfagettl
"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."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiYzxcna6e
”… Uh huh..?” Aella’s head was spinning by then, absolutely confused. She really DID try to pay attention, but…682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xyeaA2XoQ
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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxiTcg7WeD
”But… why?” she asked, trying to sort all of this information out.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXTTNMdHQJ
“It’s only a shadow, Aella.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfUenmRvYz
”Okay..”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79YW6uuYhF
“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.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhhMJrbiHS
”Oh.” That, at least, seemed to make a little more sense…682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIF37hMJHy
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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4HEYXQoHj
”Wow… that’s really neat.” Aella’s eyes were wide.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9lr85vNeC
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.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3tNaOdt9q
”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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDi8DskKhXq
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.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ25xpqlead
"Just… punch it?" Aella tipped her head.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BY8UGTBIm
“Not too hard, just proving a point here.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28uTFGXJao
”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.”682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPe087nJt1
"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."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tBTMbunpl
"Huh."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ360uFTnkE2
She nodded. “Fire might crack it.” She pushed down the shield, looking at the shadow ball still sitting in the fire.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDJhUrFxUM
Aella blinked. “Huh,” she repeated.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMAqW19o8i
"Now, if you got your hands on a light weapon, you could break it too. A fire one would probably burn your hand, though…"682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7ZOCtDhUy
"That’s really interesting.~" Aella hummed, gazing into the fire and the black pit in its center.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBMJlUcmT0
Neoma nodded, looking at the sky. “The stars here are weird,” she stated unexpectedly.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOasV7GPG7l
"Weird how?" Aella looked at her, blinking.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfjHsaQIg1
"Not in the same places." She shook her head.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2U5hht1Xq
"So it’s different in your world, huh… I’d like to see how they look there."682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XzpiQcRBm
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.682Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TJx1MZiys
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