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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnwkz8rbAX
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.” 730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZLQV3GXOm
“Eh? What makes you say that?” The eyes in question flickered to her as he turned to face her in his saddle.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWGqJYxnTE
“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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9qYtGoQvB
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.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sRfpMZQHi
“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. 730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHb6RYL6Yw
“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.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMUZzDOKEU
"Everything?!" she gasped. "That’s so… uh…" She seemed stuck on the word to use, then just gave up and grinned.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAU7K8t1Vs
He nodded. “I know.” Redirecting the conversation, he asked, “What’s your world like?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk0GsaVENy
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!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡec4COcOXDL
”So does their element depend on where they live, or is it random?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHLklgXgnw
“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!” 730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQarTffJDi
”So who’s Fia?” 730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUEUhePOB2
“”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!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtK3jPE6jM
”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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcc8f5hPQrS
“No, we know the destination to go to! Neoma’s sister, Ee, was messing with the portals and sent us through…”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxxNN5mPrk
He grinned a bit. “Bet a certain bitch wasn’t so happy about that.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroeKIS8JNO
”Heard that!” Neoma growled.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUPnNsSGKh
“Good.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvzQflMD1G
She giggled. “She’s going to killlllll her!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3kDRH8BDd
”Hah, sounds fun.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ocimk4tE1
”I like Ee, though…” Luna pouted a bit. “Her lap is reeeally warm…”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5g15RviOf
He was quiet for a few moments, then abruptly changed the subject. “What about you? You’re a familiar, right?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHot3xGQmXd
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…”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJouvDll37
”What’s your village like?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLluUsEmTq
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!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeCp8fN6bM
”How?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfjpcxiuFJ
”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.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWLdGeaG0U
”Sounds pretty simple.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhhLGy2THr
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.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLd5QDQea06
Huh, that was surprising. “You guys would just let them go?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfsZK6Bxio
”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.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWU0lXfQ9KQ
Truest statement he’d heard all day. He nodded. “Doesn’t sound like that bad of a way to live.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQ5kLCJiHu
Neoma shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at the two. Luna only nodded happily. “It was!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2iiMrqWtp
”Was?” The shifter looked over at her.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7Xtr4IVYR
She bit her lip and nodded. “Was. What’s your home like?!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjK6M6XoY6K
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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55twg5z8Ih
“There’s a pretty much to that, though,” she prodded, smiling.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡms8EOrZisS
”Not all shifters do. I do.” He gave her a flat look, much preferring for her to drop it.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsX2saChc2
”Oh.” She pouted. “But Earth’s boring!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcC7XedEVpE
”In your opinion.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79cEB11JcJ
”In a lot of people’s opinions!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpK4oembTct
”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.)730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4gWEAs2en
She pouted again, glaring. “Well, your opinion’s stupid.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQGm6Glcjp
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can say the same for yours.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHL8FyMaLse
”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!”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPVEXiLUjY
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.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3gx3Wxrb2
She had a blank face, then stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms in defeat. He grinned, and she started to giggle.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPcjhXfnuG
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* * * * *730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTn9vr2gvzL
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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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUB3DpiyUf
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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKunyQdvhfK
He looked over at the elemental. “So. What’re we even doing here?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgZofFXl5F
“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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGBrwbpfoZ
”We spending any time in this town?” he sighed.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8mFugBal9
“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. 730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JXdd2nwfy
“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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJjpUWJF7d
Neoma rolled her eyes, pointing to a store “Stay here okay?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMB3UCncDi
“Why?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjkZjGmCwS
“I’m not talking to you, asshat. I’m talking to Luna.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGtT030wXj
“Yeah, I know that,” he grumbled, annoyed. “Why’re you leaving her there though?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55CYlkoNkp
“Because we’re going into the store to get food.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoITbpR08an
He huffed. “Took her last time. Whatever, let’s just hurry.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmkHjPRLZ4
“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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPELpZZGKa
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.” 730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53NKU5OrkK
He gave her an irritated look. “Can’t you pick yourself?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDnZ5Qz9y6
“‘Course, but you have to eat sometime.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkat20QidOs
“I don’t CARE what I eat,” he complained. “Unlike some people, I’m not picky.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pchtq5tIt
She scoffed as she began to pick up a few fruits. “Riiiight.”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWq8x704mL
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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBprzKOTTN
Outside, Luna was completely immersed in her thoughts until Neoma spoke. “You okay there?”730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghpM7i1uNj
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.730Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQulWq4JCG9
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