((Skipping to just outside Drybone now, with Ulanan and Burned Cypress, tagging onto their scene that ended in Wolves in Sheeps' Clothing))
***
"Kupo! Mail! You have mail! A letter! It's made of paper! You like paper, don't you? Kupo!"
Ulanan was awoken by the distinct tingling voice of a moogle. She opened her eyes in turns, slowly, as she took the world around her. She leaned backwards and stretched her arms upwards, tilting her enormous hat with the action. The morning sun blinded her, making her complain loudly with a huff. "Cypress! Are you awake?" she asked to the air, still blinded but looking around with her head anyway.
Cypress lay flat upon her back, exposed red skin soaking in the rising sunlight; traditional garb and boots having been shed for rest. "Of course," she responded, voice not any rougher than it usually was, unaffected by disuse over the night.
"Kupo. Kupo! Kupo. Kupo kupo kupo. Kupo kupo kupo kupo KUPO!" the moogle insisted, slowly at first and then very quickly. He shook the letter as if it was some kind of deadly flail that was also on fire.
The lalafell snatched the paper out of the tiny creature's hand. "Why are you bothering me and not her? She's awake already." she groaned, opening it.
"That's not the kupo that the letter was sent to, kupo!"
"I am also unable to read, if you have forgotten." A bandaged head turned towards Ulanan's voice.
"You could have given it to me when I woke up..." Ulanan groaned, reading. The moogle didn't waste any more time on them, and flew away, making strange noises that the small lalafell woman found extremely annoying. Â The letter, however, distracted her. "It's Antimony again. Someone attacked K'airos."
"Does it say who?" There was almost a bored drawl to it.
"No." The lalafell stood up with a jump. She folded the letter and hid it between the pages of the book she had chained to the belt. "But who attacked her spoke of D'aijeen. They are in Highbridge now."
"That is not far off the path that we were on?" asked Cypress, tall, broad body sitting up as her hand reached out for her leathers.
Ulanan rubbed her chin with one hand, thinking and imagining a mental map of Thanalan. "I imagine the tribe won't go anywhere. But Antimony and K'airos could be attacked again at any time."
"That is not a particular concern of mine. But we should not leave a stone unturned." Fingers felt around her edges of the worn dragonhide, before figuring out how to put it back on, slowly covering her body back up.
"Of course not. People dying? Who cares! Voidsent loose? We must do something lest they...kill people!" Ulanan mocked, throwing her arms into the air. She started gathering her things. "If we hurry, we might reach Highbridge before tomorrow. Do you want a mount?"
"I would not put it past the woman to cry wolf." She paused her dressing momentarily, "I'll ride if that is what you wish."
The lalafell opened her book with a smile and sat on the ground right where she was. "Well, I'm small enough. So one mount should carry both of us."
She passed the pages on it, tearing them out and throwing them in a pile besides her.
"You hate voidsent. What about Arcanima?" she asked.
"Arca... What?" Cypress was unfamiliar with the term.
"It's a discipline of magic. I guess we'll find out now."
The lalafell stood up with another jump and turned around. She saw her pile of paper...and grimaced at how some had not only fell out of place but also how Thanalan's wind was moving them away. "I forget I need to do this indoors. Get up!" She waved the book forward, a stream of aether bursting out of it into the pages. It settled on their surface and then raised with them, forming a big sphere a few meters in front of the lalafell. Then two thin long wings sprung out of the shape, along with two tiny arms and two equally small legs. Finally, a big round eye was drawn in the front, with one silly happy smile under it.
Cypress could feel the aether around them twist and bend as the lalafell worked, stilling her hands as they pulled boots onto her feet. Then it all settled back out. "What was that you did?" asked the woman unmoving, boot half-on from where she sat on the ground.
"I created a mount." she replied, tone slightly smug. She walked around the construct once, both admiring and examining her own work. She didn't want it to dispel midflight. Or explode.
"I'm sure you will be best friends until the aether runs out." She patted it's side and, with the other hand, pointed at Cypress. The paper creature flew to her side, with wings to thin to be able to lift even a loaf of bread, and sat next to her loudly. "Whenever you are ready, ride it."
"... How?" pressed Cypress, pulling the rest of the boot on before standing.
"Sit on it. Its shape will accommodate to your...uhm." The lalafell gestured vaguely. "Then I will guide it."
"You haven't answered my question."
Ulanan raised one eyebrow. "How what?"
"How did you... create a mount? I felt... That’s what you called Arcamina? Whatever you did?"
"It uses mathematics, geometry and aether travelling across a geometrical shape. Yes. If you aren't hating it, I think we are fine," the lalafell nodded.
"It’s... strange. But it is as much a part of this world as you." Cypress moves towards Ulanan's voice, holding a bracing hand out in front of her.
She grabbed the roegadyn's hand and lead her to the 'mount'. "Over here."
She followed, hand eventually passing over paper. "This will not hold."
"It's magical. Of course it will hold!"
"..." Cypress tried to climb onto the thing awkwardly struggling, but mostly successful in the attempt.
Ulanan assisted her as best as she could, considering she barely reached the roegadyn's knees. Then she climbed herself, much more skillful in it than her companion, sitting in the front. The construct's structure seemed to bulge in a little bit before the aether on it shifted its shape to better accommodate the passengers.
"To Highbridge, then!"
***
"Kupo! Mail! You have mail! A letter! It's made of paper! You like paper, don't you? Kupo!"
Ulanan was awoken by the distinct tingling voice of a moogle. She opened her eyes in turns, slowly, as she took the world around her. She leaned backwards and stretched her arms upwards, tilting her enormous hat with the action. The morning sun blinded her, making her complain loudly with a huff. "Cypress! Are you awake?" she asked to the air, still blinded but looking around with her head anyway.
Cypress lay flat upon her back, exposed red skin soaking in the rising sunlight; traditional garb and boots having been shed for rest. "Of course," she responded, voice not any rougher than it usually was, unaffected by disuse over the night.
"Kupo. Kupo! Kupo. Kupo kupo kupo. Kupo kupo kupo kupo KUPO!" the moogle insisted, slowly at first and then very quickly. He shook the letter as if it was some kind of deadly flail that was also on fire.
The lalafell snatched the paper out of the tiny creature's hand. "Why are you bothering me and not her? She's awake already." she groaned, opening it.
"That's not the kupo that the letter was sent to, kupo!"
"I am also unable to read, if you have forgotten." A bandaged head turned towards Ulanan's voice.
"You could have given it to me when I woke up..." Ulanan groaned, reading. The moogle didn't waste any more time on them, and flew away, making strange noises that the small lalafell woman found extremely annoying. Â The letter, however, distracted her. "It's Antimony again. Someone attacked K'airos."
"Does it say who?" There was almost a bored drawl to it.
"No." The lalafell stood up with a jump. She folded the letter and hid it between the pages of the book she had chained to the belt. "But who attacked her spoke of D'aijeen. They are in Highbridge now."
"That is not far off the path that we were on?" asked Cypress, tall, broad body sitting up as her hand reached out for her leathers.
Ulanan rubbed her chin with one hand, thinking and imagining a mental map of Thanalan. "I imagine the tribe won't go anywhere. But Antimony and K'airos could be attacked again at any time."
"That is not a particular concern of mine. But we should not leave a stone unturned." Fingers felt around her edges of the worn dragonhide, before figuring out how to put it back on, slowly covering her body back up.
"Of course not. People dying? Who cares! Voidsent loose? We must do something lest they...kill people!" Ulanan mocked, throwing her arms into the air. She started gathering her things. "If we hurry, we might reach Highbridge before tomorrow. Do you want a mount?"
"I would not put it past the woman to cry wolf." She paused her dressing momentarily, "I'll ride if that is what you wish."
The lalafell opened her book with a smile and sat on the ground right where she was. "Well, I'm small enough. So one mount should carry both of us."
She passed the pages on it, tearing them out and throwing them in a pile besides her.
"You hate voidsent. What about Arcanima?" she asked.
"Arca... What?" Cypress was unfamiliar with the term.
"It's a discipline of magic. I guess we'll find out now."
The lalafell stood up with another jump and turned around. She saw her pile of paper...and grimaced at how some had not only fell out of place but also how Thanalan's wind was moving them away. "I forget I need to do this indoors. Get up!" She waved the book forward, a stream of aether bursting out of it into the pages. It settled on their surface and then raised with them, forming a big sphere a few meters in front of the lalafell. Then two thin long wings sprung out of the shape, along with two tiny arms and two equally small legs. Finally, a big round eye was drawn in the front, with one silly happy smile under it.
Cypress could feel the aether around them twist and bend as the lalafell worked, stilling her hands as they pulled boots onto her feet. Then it all settled back out. "What was that you did?" asked the woman unmoving, boot half-on from where she sat on the ground.
"I created a mount." she replied, tone slightly smug. She walked around the construct once, both admiring and examining her own work. She didn't want it to dispel midflight. Or explode.
"I'm sure you will be best friends until the aether runs out." She patted it's side and, with the other hand, pointed at Cypress. The paper creature flew to her side, with wings to thin to be able to lift even a loaf of bread, and sat next to her loudly. "Whenever you are ready, ride it."
"... How?" pressed Cypress, pulling the rest of the boot on before standing.
"Sit on it. Its shape will accommodate to your...uhm." The lalafell gestured vaguely. "Then I will guide it."
"You haven't answered my question."
Ulanan raised one eyebrow. "How what?"
"How did you... create a mount? I felt... That’s what you called Arcamina? Whatever you did?"
"It uses mathematics, geometry and aether travelling across a geometrical shape. Yes. If you aren't hating it, I think we are fine," the lalafell nodded.
"It’s... strange. But it is as much a part of this world as you." Cypress moves towards Ulanan's voice, holding a bracing hand out in front of her.
She grabbed the roegadyn's hand and lead her to the 'mount'. "Over here."
She followed, hand eventually passing over paper. "This will not hold."
"It's magical. Of course it will hold!"
"..." Cypress tried to climb onto the thing awkwardly struggling, but mostly successful in the attempt.
Ulanan assisted her as best as she could, considering she barely reached the roegadyn's knees. Then she climbed herself, much more skillful in it than her companion, sitting in the front. The construct's structure seemed to bulge in a little bit before the aether on it shifted its shape to better accommodate the passengers.
"To Highbridge, then!"
"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki