Cutting Loose|Naurorod

[hisdivineshadow]

Somewhere near the northern edge of the desert, a blast of thunder boomed across the sands, deafening in its intensity. Before the echoes had time to stop, it was followed by another, smaller, blast. And then they started coming in succession, quieter but much more rapid, like the most frenetic thunderstorm in history.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the thunder came not from lightning, but from flame. Elias Brandson was having fun, experimenting with the limits of his newly-restored abilities. Soon he shifted to making thin, hot jets of flame that whistled instead of boomed.

Once he felt he had the nuances down, he stopped to catch his breath, and wipe a bit of the sweat from his brow. Once he finished his breather, the twin-sign Fire cracked his knuckles, stretched, and started to really have fun.

Now the noise had a rhythm. Slowly at first, but moving to a quicker tempo as he gained confidence, Elias blended booming explosions, whistling bursts, and crackling waves of flame into something like music. It was far from a masterpiece, but he hadn't had much in the way of musical training, and he was just doing what he could to mimic a song he'd once learned from a bard.

Grinning ear to ear, knowing he was going to burn himself out before long and not much caring, he started to stomp his foot against the sand, and was soon dancing in time to the music, doing a patently silly little jig. After months of being locked up, his signs covered, unable to do so much as light a candle, it felt wonderful to cut loose like this. Besides, it's not like there was anyone around to see or care . . .



(( Anyone that wants to toss a character into the area, go right ahead. ))

[Darastrix]

Grace, who had caught wind of the noise, came closer to investigate, leaning on her staff. At first, the tall woman just watched, never having seen a Fire use his abilities in such a fashion. Actually, she reflected, she'd never seen a person of any element put on such a show. When the man started to dance, it was only a moment or two before she was laughing openly at the display.

[hisdivineshadow]

It took him a moment to hear her over the noise he was making, but once he caught the sound of laughter, he gave a comical start. Tripping over his own feet, he tumbled headfirst and landed on his back, peering up at her past his flame-red hair.

Laughing self-consciously, he rolled over and got to his feet a little slowly. "Um . . . aheh . . . hey, I didn't mean for, um, anyone to hear." Running a hand through his hair, he glanced around to make sure there was nobody else in the area.

[Darastrix]

Grace covered her mouth, still giggling softly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you trip. I'm usually the one tripping and falling," she said with a grin. "I've just never seen someone use their element like that before."

[hisdivineshadow]

Elias dusted himself off self-consciously, though he was still grinning. "To be honest," he laughed, "neither have I. I just sort of . . . came up with it on the spot, I guess."

The Fire stretched his arms over his head and then shook himself, trying to ward off the fatigue he was starting to feel. "So, um, I'm Elias Brandson. And you are?"

[Darastrix]

"My name's Grace. Grace Locke," the young woman said cheerfully, still leaning on her staff. "I'm from Talen'sul originally, but I've been wandering around Naruta for a while now."

The woman certainly looks like a wanderer. Her long hair is tied back with a bit of leather, and the knees of her pants look like they've been patched more than once. In fact, the patching on one knee is starting to wear thin again. The pack slung over one shoulder looks like it's seen better days as well.

"So, where're you from?"

[hisdivineshadow]

"Oh, around here," he said, gesturing vaguely at the sands behind him. "Somewhere. Dunno exactly where the clan's pitching tent these days. I'm kind of a wanderer myself."

He hesitated, his brow furrowing slightly, then asked, "Talen'sul, huh? You aren't, by chance, familiar with a noble by the name of Aquilinus, are you?'

[Darastrix]

Grace shook her head. "I couldn't tell you the name of any of the noble families there, save for the Calders. My dad's a locksmith there and my mom was a midwife. We didn't really see a lot of the upper class folks a whole lot. Why? Friend of yours or something?"

[hisdivineshadow]

He scoffed. "Not hardly. He's the reason I'm glad to be well rid of that town." Running a hand through his hair again, he asked, "So where are you heading right now? Come to visit the Fire clans?"

[Darastrix]

She nodded. "I haven't visited the desert yet. It looks like it might be easy to get lost in there, though, and I can only carry so much water."

She'd learned a bit of caution and planning in her travels, at least. "Do you know how to navigate the desert?" Grace asked. "Oh, of course you do," she said without waiting for him to reply. "You just said you were from a clan." She smacked her forhead lightly with the palm of one hand, laughing.

[hisdivineshadow]

Elias chuckled. "'Sokay, yeah I can help you get around safely enough, but I can't promise which of the clans we'll encounter, if any. The sand shifts too quickly to leave trails, so it's impossible to tell where they've gone once they move on."

[Darastrix]

"That's fine," Grace said, smiling. "I just want to see what's out there. Which clan are you from? I don't know the names of any of them."

[hisdivineshadow]

"Actually, I'm from the only one that doesn't move around," he said, rolling his eyes. "Lhach Linnod, although I spent a lot of time with one or another of the other clans. I just can't stand hanging around the same place for too long."

[Darastrix]

"Well, that one would probably be easy to find again," Grace said with a grin. "I understand about not wanting to stay in one place for long, though. Ever since I left home, I've been moving a good bit. Everything's new when I find it, but I know there's so much more new stuff out there, that I can't stick with anything for long."

[hisdivineshadow]

He laughed. "That's true enough, although for me it's more a matter of getting bored . . . or getting kicked out," he added with a sheepish grin, and rubbed the back of his head.

Coughing, he asked, "So, I don't suppose you have any water on you? I'm parched . . ."