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Fire, Wind, and Water
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Post by Devi on Jun 29, 2013 0:52:39 GMT
Gwynimere rubbed at her temples in frustration as the two men argued, wondering how much longer this bickering would go on. It was bright and sunny outside, far too pretty to be stuck in one of the stuffy castle rooms where private meetings were often conducted. Yet here she was, stuck on duty because two of her comrades couldn’t agree on something.
“I don’t know the details,” the younger of the two said in a strained tone. He was handsomely olive-skinned with dark hair and dark eyes and was a powerful Earth Elemental. Ben- that was his name- never liked going into the city, but he made the occasional trip when necessary.
“And you don’t know about any of this?” the older Elemental- Aelfric, a shifter- asked, turning on Gwyn almost accusingly.
“No, Al, I told you,” she answered patiently, “I was talking with the barista when Ben overheard that. I’m sorry, but I don’t see what the big deal-“
“An ESP? Working with an Elemental?” Aelfric interrupted incredulously. With his tufts of white hair and his wizened face, the expression looked almost comical.
“At least it was the ESP on our side and not the other way around,” Gwyn pointed out reasonably. Aelfric’s lips drew into a thin line that suggested very stormy waters ahead.
“Ben and I can go into the city again next week and see if we can find out any more," Gwyn continued hastily. “There’s not much point in worrying until we have something more concrete than overheard gossip. No offense,” she added, turning to Ben with a charming smile. He shrugged, waving it off. Silence ensued, and Gwyn counted backwards from ten before asking, “So is that in then?”
Aelfric sighed, suddenly looking much older without the frustrated disbelief etched into his wrinkles. The war was taking its toll on him, and it was beginning to show. Gwyn wished he would retire, but he was adamant about continuing his post. “Yes, that is all. I’ll confer with the war council and perhaps you and Ben can go back next week.”
Gwyn nodded and stood to go, Ben rising at a slightly slower pace. They left Aelfric behind, and Gwyn had already decided to head straight for the lake. It was hot, and if she could find a secluded enough place, she’d strip bare and go for a swim. If not, she’d at least-
“Gwyn, when are we going to go on a date?”
For a second, she had almost forgotten that Ben was walking alongside her. She shot him a sidelong smile that was sly and sweet at the same time. “Next time we go into the city,” she replied breezily, flicking an errant curl of raven hair out of her eyes. “Not work, I mean for real,” Ben insisted, also smiling.
Ben was nice. He was charming, smart, and good at his job. And although he was definitely one of Gwyn’s favorite people to work with, her interest in him went about as far as what he would look like naked- and really, they worked together, so she wasn’t even willing to go that far.
“Maybe one day, Ben,” Gwyn replied evasively, moving towards the main entrance of the castle. As they walked, Gwyn began to realize that Ben had no intentions of departing yet and that she was going to have to think up a decent, semi-polite excuse to get rid of him.
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Post by Parrot on Jun 29, 2013 2:37:54 GMT
“And for the last time, Jonathan, would you please stop zapping other students,” scolded Tabitha as she stood at the half broken pulpit inside of the chapel, “You may think it’s hilarious but I know your father wouldn’t share such thoughts.”
Jonathan, a trouble making lightning Elemental, was one of the rare students who knew how to push Tabitha’s buttons. Years of patience melted away as soon as the boy started to use his powers on her other pupils. It was times like this that Tabitha was thoroughly grateful she didn’t have it in her to retaliate with her own magic. She had been very tempted today to spray a stream of water onto the front of his crotch to put in him his place. The mischievousness wasn’t inside of Tabitha, but she could think of a certain guy who would’ve loved to seen that.
“But, Miss,” Jonathan whined back at her, shoving his books into a way too small bag.
Oh, how Tabitha really hated when kids called her “miss”. No respect at all. The student continued, zipping his back with an excessive flourish, “It’s them who started it. I’m just protecting myself.”
”Right and I’m a prostitute for ESP’s,” Tabitha thought huffily to herself as she waved the student away, dismissing him to meet up with the rest of his friends who’d already left. Jonathan gave her a broad grin, probably thinking he’d lucked out of detention, as he pushed open the wooden doors and departed.
The woman sighed, her elbows leaning against the splintered wooden pulpit. Why hadn’t they fixed this? All of the classes eventually spent a lesson in here, mostly Tabitha’s, but no one had bothered to fix the stupid pulpit. An amateur earth Elemental could’ve made a stone block for her to teach from! The water inside Tabitha bubbled angrily as she felt a headache start its way into her head. Between the student, her family, and the rumor that’d she was conspiring with an ESP, (which was only partially true but not entirely) Tabitha was sick of dealing with stuff.
She needed to get away. Or have a drink. Probably both.
Huffing out of the old chapel, Tabitha started down the halls of the castle, practically racing to get outside and down to a secluded area of the river. That’s when she nearly ran straight into two other Elementals. One she recognized instantly as a good friend, a woman, Gwyn, who’d Tabitha had spent most of her childhood with. When they were just students themselves Tabitha, Gwyn, and another girl who went by Shy, were inseparable despite their different personalities and elements. The “three musketeers” they called themselves after an old Earth story. The years had pulled them in slightly different directions: Tabitha the teacher, Gwyn the diplomat, and Shy the researcher. Tabitha remembered how ecstatic she was when Shy joined the War Council with her and how heartbroken she’d been when Gwyn’s diplomacy missions took her far away from the castle.
It took Tabitha a longer moment to recognize the man with Gwyn. From his description he must have been the guy who’d kept dogging Gwyn for a date all the time. And from the look on Gwyn’s face, Tabitha was certain he’d been at it again.
“Gwyn,” Tabitha sighed heavily, “I need to talk to you in,” she glanced over to the man with an apologetic face, “in private. I’ve had a horrible day and there’s something you need to know. It’s important.” Tabitha stressed the last part, giving Gwyn a perfect alibi to ditch Mr. Doesn’t Get A Hint.
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Post by Devi on Jun 29, 2013 17:00:36 GMT
Gwyn and Ben's reactions to Tabitha's timely (or untimely, depending on whose point of view you looked at) were exact opposites: the Wind Elemental positively lit up, her smile widening and her eyes dancing, whereas Ben looked mildly put out, as if clouds had come to ruin his birthday party. At Tabitha's request, Gwyn turned with an apologetic smile to Ben.
"We'll talk about next week after Aelfric meets with the War Committee?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows inquisitively.
"Yeah, alright," Ben agreed, giving a polite nod of acknowledgement to Tabitha before leaving the two at the front door of the castle. Gwyn waited until he was out of earshot before turning to her old friend with a smile. She couldn't exactly remember how long it had been since she last saw the Water Elemental- a week, two weeks? Gwyn had been back and forth from the City so many times recently that she was beginning to lose track of time. Unlike most elementals, Gwyn liked the city- the fast pace, the movement, the constant change; it helped that wind could wind its way around skyscrapers just as easily as it could navigate the tallest trees in the forest, so unlike many elementals she did not feel the same disconnect in the concrete jungle. But she had to admit, she missed the quiet mystery of the forest, and she most especially missed her friends.
"Shall we talk by the lake?" she suggested. Although Tabitha's interruption was timely and convenient, Gwyn could tell by her friend's taut expression and tired eyes that something weighed heavily on her mind.
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Post by Parrot on Jun 29, 2013 18:01:23 GMT
Tabitha mimicked Ben’s nod, thanking him once again for being so understanding. He left after that, not without another longing look at Gwyn, the teacher noticed, as Tabitha nodded at the wind Elemental’s suggestion.
“You know me well,” she smiled faintly, pulling her friend lightly away from the exit Ben used and towards a side door that would put them on the right path to the lake. “I don’t know how you do it, Gwyn, all that traveling and willingly going into ESP territory.” Tabitha shook her head gently in friendly disagreement.
She stopped a moment in her conversation to pull open the side door, her eyes instantly gravitating towards the lakeside not too far off from them. “Between the students and the committee, I’m ready to declare a long vacation and move out to a beach somewhere far away from the city.”
The water Elemental had to laugh at her own statement, rolling her eyes at the thought. While it was an appetizing idea, it wasn’t practical at all. And Tabitha was all about practicality. Her shoes squished against the grass as the pair walked, the smell of lake water filling the air.
“Tell me a story about your last travel, hmm,” she asked Gwyn, “something to take my mind off of unruly students and rash councilors.”
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Post by Amanda on Jun 29, 2013 20:10:17 GMT
Xshionu sat in one of the plush leather seats in the library, her face buried in an ancient text. The book was obviously very old with the binding faded and the pages yellowing with age. Shy shut the book softly and sighed, slowly rising to her feet to put the text back in it's rightful place. She had been in the library for almost four hours now reading ancients texts, and her head was beginning to swim from staring at the pages. Shy interlocked her fingers, slowly raising them above her head and stretching trying to loosen herself up from sitting in a chair. She sat down on the floor afterwards and did some simple stretches. As soon as she finished, a much older Elemental entered the library looking for her. He knew exactly where to find her, after all he was her father and teacher.
"Xshionu, can I talk to you for a minute?" His voice was low and raspy, but had a certain softness to it. Shy rose to her feet rather gracefully in one smooth motion, walking over to him and smiling.
"Of course father, what is it?" Shy obviously had massive amounts of respect for him, her voice echoed it in every word she spoke. She stood straight and squared her shoulders, looking up to him and placing a hand softly on his shoulder.
"You've been spending a lot of time in here I've noticed, more so than usual. Is there something you're looking for in here? I might be able to help." He smiled at her, tilting his head slightly to the side with curiosity.
She was caught off guard by his question, she didn't think anyone was actually keeping tabs on how frequently she visited this place. Shy shifted slightly in place trying to think of what to say to him. "Well, you know I'm always studying up on our history and other magicks. That's all, I like to learn." Shy smiled sweetly at him. Her father raised an eyebrow at her and sighed softly.
"Oh alright, honey. Promise me though, if you need anything please let me know." He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed slightly to get his point across. Shy nodded slowly and gave him a reassuring ear-to-ear smile. The Elemental turned around, walking through the open doorway and down the hallway toward the chapel. Shy gave a sigh of relief, her shoulders and spine relaxing visibly. Before exiting the library, Shy took one last glance around the room before walking out and shutting the door behind her.
The halls were pretty quiet today and that is how Shy preferred it. All the novices were training and some of the council members were having meetings. She was off duty today and had nothing scheduled to take up her time. Shy decided to take a walk to the lake and relax a bit. Her brain needed a rest from the constant influx of information; she was getting a serious migraine. The side door to the lake had been recently opened but this didn't really bother Shy as long as there wasn't a bunch of elementals around. She exited the castle and entered the fresh air of the outside, a refreshing wave of cool air washing over her. Two familiar voices could be heard from a distance, a smile immediately appearing on her face. Gwyn and Tabitha were out by the lake talking, the very two Elementals she wanted to see.
"Hey!" she called to them, her fiery red hair blowing softly in the breeze. Shy was in a better mood now, these two were her best friends. Shy giggled running over to them and giving the two girls a big hug in greeting, she hadn't seen Gwyn in quite sometime and hadn't had the time to talk to Tabitha.
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Post by Devi on Jun 29, 2013 21:59:33 GMT
Gwyn laughed- a lighthearted, bell of a laugh- when Tabitha mentioned her ability to travel, particularly into the ESP "infested" city. Tabitha was not the first, and nor would she probably be the last, Elemental to make that remark to Gwyn, and although Gwyn knew why they said it, she couldn't even begin to fathom their disbelief. Trips to the City were genuinely fascinating to her, though there were those who believed Gwyn made a great "sacrifice" by visiting it often. The way Gwyn saw it, Elementals viewed ESP the way some people viewed bugs: they disliked them on principal, because of what they represented and what they were, not because of what they did. Privately, Gwyn believed the ESP had great potential, and that eventually in time the Elementals would need the ESP to survive and vice versa. Of course, she said this to no one, not even her closest of friends.
"I think there are many of us that could use a good vacation," Gwyn admitted, and while Tabitha might view it as impractical and therefore impossible, Gwyn saw so many opportunities it made her head swirl. "A story, hmm?"
She paused as they reached the lake, looking out over the still water glittering in the bright sunlight. It was peaceful here, and even the cool breeze that stirred the surface of the lake was calm and gentle. Gwyn wondered if she had brought the wind, or if it had come to meet her; it was often hard for her to tell the difference.
"Hey!"
At the sound of a new voice, Gwyn turned to see a flash of crimson in the sun before she was enveloped in a hug. She laughed, ending up with a mouthful of hair as she hugged Shy back. If she hadn't seen Tabitha in awhile, she hadn't seen Shy in what felt like years. As she released her fiery friend from the hug, Gwyn realized with a pang that she had been away much more than she had realized and that she had, without exactly being conscious of it, missed the company of her friends deeply.
"Shy! Where have you been hiding?" Gwyn smiled happily, turning to Tabitha to add, "If we want a story, this is the girl to ask. I'm sure the stories she reads in books are far more exotic than my trips into the city. The most excitement I get is Happy Hour."
That was only partially true, but most of her adventures would not be distracting to Tabitha, only worrisome. Like the ESP she had met at a bar where Ben knew an Elemental-friendly bartender. He had given her his number (not knowing she was an Elemental, of course), and Gwyn had been tempted to call him, had she ever been able to get away from Ben. Of course, outside of the city, this number was useless. Gwyn didn't have a cell phone or access to any sort of landline. She blinked, suddenly snapping out of reverie to look at Tabitha and Shy and smile.
"I've missed your faces. Why don't you two accompany me into the City next time. You'd make such better company than boring Ben."
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Post by Parrot on Jun 30, 2013 3:17:13 GMT
Tabitha only had a few seconds to understand what was happening before she felt her frame being squeezed and pushed into the bosom of another one of her friends. (The joy of being short!) She welcomed the embrace as she inhaled the mixed aroma of old books, no doubt from the library, and a faint trace of brimstone. Shy The smell, and hug, instantly brought back flashes of memories from her childhood with these two girls who surrounded her. When Gwyn swore she could travel to the top of the mountain and back without any help from anyone. Or when Shy almost burnt down half of the western forest trying to outshoot Gwyn in a contest between their elements. Tabitha hesitantly plodding along, assuring them they were all dead if their parents found out. The most vivid of these images always was the tackling hug they’d give each other as soon as one of the musketeers came into sight.
Not much had changed between them, although, perhaps their hugs weren’t as violent as they’d been in the past. Then again, Tabitha realized as her breath was getting squished out of her, maybe not. Finally, the teacher was released from the hug, a half grin plastered to her face. It was a special day indeed when Tabitha ran into both Gwyn and Shy, so hectic had their schedules been. Tabitha took a moment to run her eyes across the latecomer to their gathering, noticing Shy’s beauty had not faded despite the hours she spend inside of the library reading. The teacher did not doubt that fire ruled Shy’s heart for the woman always seemed to be glowing with a radiant heat that flushed her creamy skin.
“That is true,” Tabitha mused as she turned to look at Shy, “you’ve been spending so much time in that library lately that I hardly see you around the students or the committee at that. What’s caught your attention?”
While Tabitha didn’t press the matter, waiting for Shy to answer, she’d worried about her fire friend. Sometimes there could be too much of one thing and that included researching. What if Shy got it in her head to go after something that could get her killed? It was a troubling notion.
At Gwyn’s comment, Tabitha’s face paled. “We certainly will not!” Tabitha said, crossing her arms over her chest defensively, “You’ve got business out in the city, ours is here. And what if we were attacked? Or worse. The city isn’t safe for us.”
All the words that spilled from her mouth felt like an automatic reply that’d been drilled into her head from the day Tabitha was old enough to understand the Great Betrayal. Her parents were no friends to ESP and they made sure their daughter would follow the same path. What they hadn’t expected was Tabitha’s role in teaching and her love for her students. Living with another generation, a one more broadminded than the previous, Tabitha’s suspicion for ESP’s was lessening. Lynx might have helped with that as well.
But still. The city wasn’t a place for teachers and committee members like Tabitha and Shy. Tabitha was certain of that. They’ll betray you one way or another, Tabitha, my daughter. Remember that.
“So those books,” Tabitha tried again, turning away from the city conversation, “you’ve got to tell us what’s keeping our favorite fire Elemental from us.”
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Post by Amanda on Jul 9, 2013 17:14:53 GMT
Shy laughed for probably the first time in months just then, a genuine laugh at that. She had known these girls her entire life almost, and worried about Gwyn constantly when she was out doing her duties in the city. Tabitha, like herself, stayed at the castle with the novices and the rest of the council members. Even so, Shy didn't see much of Tabitha either because of their training schedules and her obsession with the library lately. That fact was noted by Tabitha and Gwyn both.
"I guess the stories would be more interesting, but the city must be way more exciting than this castle is sometimes." Shy giggled looking to Gwyn who made the comment that the stories she read on a daily basis were more interesting than anything she had to tell. Something told Shy that that wasn't so true sometimes. Tabitha obviously wanted nothing to do with going to the city, or even the mention of it. Shy on the other hand, she thought about it a couple times but she was also the daring type who liked a little adventure. "You know Gwyn, I wouldn't mind going to the city with you sometime. I've never been there myself and I'd like to see what its like, and what it is you and Ben do." A grin played on the corner of her smooth lips, obviously a bit more into danger than their dear friend Tabitha.
The books. Shy looked to Tabitha and sighed, running her fingers through her hair gently as if a little nervous to let her friends know what she had been hiding from everyone else. "Yes there is in fact a reason why I've been in the library more than usual lately. I've been doing a bit of researching lately, but you two must promise me something. Please do NOT tell anyone anything I'm about to tell you, its important that this stays a secret. Anyways, I've been reading old texts and scrolls about Dragons. I've read every old tome, every ancient manuscript, and every scroll containing any information on the creatures. Now, I'm sure you guys are curious as of why I'm doing this in the first place. Well, you might think I'm crazy but I've decided to go looking for answers. I'm going to go find out myself if Dragons really do still exist somewhere in this land. I have to do this, and I know if anyone found out I'd be stopped before it even started. My dad would be furious, and probably still will be when I leave." Shy sighed as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, it felt wonderful to finally be able to tell someone about her plans. She didn't have to bottle it all up anymore, she knew she could trust these two with this kind of information.
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Post by Devi on Jul 10, 2013 23:46:18 GMT
Tabitha's instant rebuttal was so expected and so spot on, that Gwyn laughed again, though it was a warm laugh and not at all scathing or mocking. Good ol' Tabitha; her common sense was probably the only reason Gwyn and Shy survived childhood. That wasn't to say Tabitha was boring, of course. Gwyn knew, just as Shy did, that Tabitha had her own brand of wildness; I mean, hell, she was a TEACHER for goodness' sake, and in Gwyn's opinion, being a teacher required a healthy amount of crazy.
Shy's response, too, was expected, and a wicked grin crossed Gwyn's face. She had a feeling that with Shy on her side, they would no doubt be able to tempt Tabitha on over. However, Gwyn didn't press the matter at this moment, choosing instead to bring it up at another opportune moment. Besides, Tabitha had changed the subject and asked Shy the question that she, too, was interested in knowing the answer to. What exactly was keeping their red-headed friend locked away indoors so often?
The answer was entirely unexpected, even for Gwyn who normally had a good handle on even the loopiest of curve balls. Dragons? Doubtless, Gwyn's face grew more and more dumbfounded as Shy explained. When she finished, Gwyn was silent for a moment as though struggling slightly to take it all in. Then she drew a deep breath and said, "Well, I certainly don't think you're crazy...?"
She smiled faintly to let Shy knew that she was with her 100%.
"I also don't think you should go looking for Dragons alone. I mean, don't they eat people?" No, Gwyn didn't know a thing about dragons other than they had once existed in the Elemental homeland and that there were dodgy rumors that the ancient beasts had crossed through the rift. Nobody had verified this of course, at least not credibly, and there wasn't a single authenticated sighting. That wasn't to say Gwyn didn't believe dragons had crossed over, she just hadn't given them much thought. But if Shy believed they were out there, and if she was about to go tramping across the wilderness to find them, there was no way in hell Gwyn was going to let her go alone. She turned her eyes to Tabitha, curious how their level-headed friend was reacting to this; after all, whenever Gwyn was uncertain about something, she knew she could count on Tabitha for a good answer.
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Post by Parrot on Jul 11, 2013 1:20:48 GMT
Dragons?
That’s what Shy had been so focused on? Tabitha’s eyebrows knitted together as she mulled over what she knew about dragons. Her parents had informed her that back on their world dragons and other magical beasts thrived until the war destroyed them as well. When they arrived at Earth the Great Betrayal had occupied everyone’s attention so no one could exactly confirm or deny if the beasts had made it across. They didn’t even teach it in class except for a brief statement during their history class about their old world. Right now, Shy would probably be one of the few who’d bothered to read up on the magical sky beasts.
The glances she got from both Shy and Gwyn made Tabitha cross her arms defensively in front of her chest. She was the youngest out of the three of them but it always felt like Tabitha was a stick in the mud. So much for the young being wild. “There’s no way I can talk you guys out of this, is there?” Tabitha sighed deeply, rolling her eyes playfully at the pair. If they were really going to do this dangerous quest, without telling the Committee, Tabitha bet, then they needed her to keep an eye on them. And Tabitha couldn’t let her best friends go alone. They brought a certain joy and security to her life; she loved them. Even if they were both foolhardy.
Tabitha turned to Shy, the teacher’s hands dropping away from her chest as she shoved one into her pocket to touch Laguz. If they were going to face a fire breathing dragon then they would need the help of water. Her eyes flickered nervously over to Gwyn, a worst case scenario running through her head where Gwyn’s air just fueled the flames.
What a fantastic girl’s trip…
"What's the plan then, Shy?"
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