Fire!|Obsidian, Mount Humontis

[Darastrix]

Armida walked slowly through the crowded marketplace, a vine-woven basket on her arm. There in the mountain, she could hardly tell it was winter. If not for the fact that the winter vegetables were in abundance, she might not have been able to tell at all.

I miss having seasons, she thought as she handed a merchant a small earthenware jar to fill with dried tea. Seasons and sky and home. She took back the full jar, paid the man, and continued on her way. There was nothing to be done for home in any case; the Fires had seen to that. And at least in Humontis, she seldom, if ever, saw any Elementals other than Earths and Beasts. Even so….

We should have gone to Khelek instead, Armida thought for the hundredth time. The Clears who started the war were crazy, but at least Khelek was on our side. And from what bits of information had trickled west, it seemed Khelek had been hurt by the Fires as well back then. It was too late to resettle now, though. Humontis, with their backwards religion, wasn’t the best of places for an academically-minded tutor, and the pay wasn’t such that she could just pick up and move again. Even after so long in Humontis, she refused to stoop to tutoring using the “Earth Mother” nonsense as a framework.

Absorbed in her bitter recollections, Armida didn’t notice the dark-skinned man standing near her until she’d nearly walked into him. She took a quick step back, her expression flickering from recognition to dawning horror, and before the Naurite had a chance to speak, she’d unleashed her aura.

[Northen Light36]

The effect of the aura was quickly felt by the other shoppers in the area. Though it was really too crowded for a single clear to enslave anyone, those near Armida felt the tugging on their mind and instintively turned towards the source with looks of alarm, supprise or anger.

[Kender Bard]

"What's going on here!?" a large, brawny man demanded, stepping closer to Armida and the Fire. He wasn't entirely certain who the Clear was but a quick glance at Armida's face and he decided that she could be trouble. "Whoever's trying to ensnare whomever, stop unless you want to bring trouble down on yourself!"

[Darastrix]

“It’s her!” the Fire accused, pointing his finger at the wide-eyed, shaking woman.

“Get away from me!” Armida cried as she backed away, making no effort to rein in her aura. It was the only form of defense she had, and she wasn’t about to let it go. Not in such close proximity to a Naurite.

[Kender Bard]

The man could feel the faint tug on his mind but it was a slight thing; being in close proximity to the Naurite helped as did the increasing amount of people come to gawk.

"Miss," the large man said slow but firm. "Nobody here's going to hurt you. Now just pull in your aura before the guard comes to get involved." Even now he thought he could see one making his way to the group.

[Darastrix]

"The guard should be involved!" the Fire retorted. "Clears using their auras in Elemental lands.... All of her kind should've been rounded up and made to stay in Reave. Or better yet, they should have been scattered and made into our slaves!"

Armida, already pale, went white as she looked around the market, seeking escape. There were too many people--too many damned Elementals--for her aura to help her now, and she drew it back in with a soft whimper. She could barely ensnare a child in this crowd, and what good would that do?

[Kender Bard]

Now the man turned and glowered at the Fire, poking a large finger into the man's chest, stepping closer. "You're not helping, friend. Why don't you take your Clear-hate elsewhere? We don't take kindly to your kind here in Gaia. Clears are people too."

"What's going on here?" the guard who reached the group demanded, pushing past the crowd to get to the center of things. She was dark skinned enough to suggest she spent her free hours topside rather than within the mountain. Her black hair was cropped close and her expression was one of severe annoyance.

[Darastrix]

The Fire curled his lip at the man, but decided to forgo responding to him in favour of getting the first word in to the guard. "I'll tell you what's going on," he said. "I was minding my own business, and that Clear bitch tried to ensnare me!"

"I-I just wanted him to leave!" Armida protested, keeping as far from the Fire as the surrounding crowd would allow.

[Kender Bard]

"So you admit guilt to an attempt at ensaring an Elemental," the guard said. "Were you doing so out of self-defense? Did anyone see this man harassing this woman?"

The crowd murmured to itself but nobody stepped forward to defend Armida.

[Darastrix]

"I don't care about ensnaring him; I just want that Naurite away from me!" Armida insisted. "I came here from Reave to get away from his kind!"

[Kender Bard]

"Good Mother, this is getting ridiculous," the guard muttered. "You three, all of you. Come with me. We're going to sort this mess out at the guard house, not in the streets."

"But I didn't do anything," the large brawny man protested.

"I don't care," the guard replied tersely. "Let's go."

[Darastrix]

"Neither did I," the Fire grumped, glaring at Armida as he moved to follow the guard. Blasted Clears.

Armida just wrapped her arms around herself protectively and followed, eyes darting to the Fire now and again as she made sure to stay out of striking distance.

[Kender Bard]

The brawny man glanced back at Armida. "I don't like what you said," he said softly. "But he aint right either. Just know that not all Fires are bad, just like I believe that not all Clears are."

"Quiet," the guard snapped.

Once at the guard house, they were put into a room with cells but not actually made to stand in any cell. Instead, they were called out one by one to give their testimony while another guard kept an eye on them. The brawny man went first, returning shortly. The guard poked her head into the room after him and called, "You. Clear. You're next."

[Darastrix]

Armida truly had no idea how known Clears were treated in Humontis, and it frightened her. She knew only the state of things in Lacuna leading up to the war, of the hatred of Elementals toward her people, and the devastation that had followed. Both she and her sister had settled in Obsidian after they had been given control over their auras, and neither had told anyone that they were Clears. So far as anyone knew, they were Elementals who had signs under their clothing.

She's already set against me, Armida thought as she made her way to the guard. What Elemental would side with a Clear against another Elemental? Only an ensnared one.

[Kender Bard]

The guard, looking displeased, stood with one hand on her hip as she studied Armida. "All right. Let's begin with your side of the story. I want you to tell me everything that happened from start to finish."