Falling Leif

[Darastrix]

It was spring again, nearly summer, and Leif was, as usual, spending the warmer months in the Fields of Flora. He'd not really done a great deal of performing of late, so to conserve his limited amount of coin, he'd taken to spending the nights outdoors, up a tree. A fruit tree, he'd figured, judging from the blossoms. What type, he wasn't sure, but then, he didn't know that much of trees in any case.

The lanky young bard was reclining on a branch not very high off of the ground, his shoulders resting against the trunk and one booted foot dangling down with the other stretched along the branch. His loose shirt hung open to reveal the Fire sign on his abdomen, and his pack was taking up the space between his lower back and the tree. It wasn't anywhere near dark yet; Leif was just taking refuge in the shady boughs from the midday heat, dozing lightly.

He became dimly aware of a buzzing sound near his ear and shifted slightly in the tree, turning his head. There was a brief moment of quiet, then the noise became somewhat louder, accompanied by a tickling sensation on his ear. Leif wrinkled his nose slightly and batted at the air around his ear without opening his eyes. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in the back of his hand and he yelped loudly, his eyes popping open as he moved unthinkingly to get away from the source of the pain...and fell face-first out of the tree.

[Kender Bard]

Little Cherry and Robin were out in the area. Their nanny, Minny, thought it would be good for them to play in the Fields. She was sitting on a stump, holding the baby on her lap and bouncing her while Cherry romped and cavorted on her own nearby.

Cherry tilted her head, spotting Leif as he fell out of the tree. She ran back to Minny, excited. "Minny! I found a man-tree!"

Minny raised her brow. "A man-tree?"

"It makes men like apples!" the girl exclaimed, giggling. "And one dropped!" She pointed off in the direction. Minny, frowning, stood up and headed over, carrying Robin and with Cherry dashing along at her side.

"Are you okay?" Minny called out.

[Darastrix]

Leif groaned slightly and raised a hand to wave at whomever was speaking before pushing himself up slowly. There were a few streaks of grass and dirt on his clothing and his palms were slightly reddened from catching himself on the ground, but he didn't have any visible injuries.

The young man rubbed some dirt from the stubble on his chin and started to reply to Minny, when his pack finally dislodged from its precarious position and landed with a "thump" on his head. Leif rubbed the top of his scalp and gave the tree behind him an accusing glare. "See if I sleep in you again," he muttered.

[Kender Bard]

Cherry was busy trying to get up into the tree (to no avail) in hopes of finding more "man fruits".

"You were sleeping in a tree?" Minny asked, blinking. Well if he was a Plant type then that wouldn't be too strange. It was a nice enough day after all... "Wasn't that uncomfortable?"

[Darastrix]

"Nah, you get used to it," Leif replied as he got to his feet. "I was more napping than sleeping, but I've been spending my nights up trees, too." He started brushing himself off, wincing faintly when he moved his left hand. "Think I'm gonna have to stop hanging around this one until the bees decide to leave it alone," he mused.

He slid his open shirt from his shoulders for a moment to shake it out completely, revealing no other sign than the Fire on his stomach.

[Kender Bard]

Minny blinked curiously at him now. "Oh my, I had thought you would be a Plant type for sure," she remarked.

Cherry, intrigued, walked over and tried to reach his sign. "Ooh," she murmured. Minny hastily tugged her away.

"My apologies," she mumbled.

[Darastrix]

Leif shrugged easily. "No harm done, not that she would've really managed any," he said, slipping his shirt back on. "Nah, I'm no Plant type. Not even an Earth--double Fire. I stay around the Fields until it starts getting cold and winter in the mountain," he explained as he stripped a small bit of rough bark from the tree and began scraping it lightly across the back of his hand.

[Kender Bard]

"We don't often see other elementals here," Minny noted. "There was a somewhat large family of earth-fires, but they all perished. Are you born of Naurorod or here?"

[Darastrix]

"Neither," Leif replied, sighing a bit as his scraping coaxed the stinger out of his hand. He'd learned a while back that pinching a stinger only made it worse before you could get it out. "I'm from Ilyamen originally. Been in Humontis for...three years? Four?" He shook his head. "Something like that. My sense of time isn't the best."

[Kender Bard]

"Oh, you must like it a lot then," Minny laughed.

"Hand looks owie," Cherry stated as she watched Leif's ministrations.

[Darastrix]

"I enjoy a lot of what the Fields have to offer," Leif said candidly, gesturing to a small patch of sweet-smelling, purple and green blossoms: third-eye flower. He didn't know the name of it, he just liked the plant's effect.

He looked down at Cherry, giving her a slightly drowsy-looking smile. "It's just a bee sting. I've had my share of those around here."

[Kender Bard]

"Do you plan to live here?" Minny asked curiously.

Cherry smiled back, liking this man. "Bzzz!!" She darted off, flapping her wings, making more bee sounds.

[Darastrix]

"After three or four years, I'd say I was living here," Leif replied. "I'm not planning on getting a house or anything, if that's what you meant. Couldn't really afford it anyway. I just kind of...." He made a vague gesture with his hand. "Drift around the mountain."

[Kender Bard]

Minny tilted her head, frowning thoughtfully. "Isn't that dangerous? Or bad for your health?"

Cherry returned, done with her little charade. "I live under the dirt!" she declared happily.

[Darastrix]

"Nah, not so far," Leif said. "I mean, I don't stay outside all the time." He grinned at Cherry. "In the winter, so do I."