Author: Attie, Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2019 5:59 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

A small smile appeared on Attie's face as she watched Mira use the blanket as a cape instead of wrapping the orb up as Attie had expected. Suddenly, the group of Anlo-Ewe returned and gave her the ingredients that Attie needed for the spell. She took a moment to observe the ingredients to ensure that they would work for the spell. None of the feathers were broken and the hair of the beast was long enough. Taking a sturdy stick into her hand, she began dragging it across the ground, creating a diamond shape with little symbols inside. There were four symbols at the top, left, right, and bottom of the diamond shape. The top of the diamond held a symbol that appeared to be wings, the bottom held a symbol that appeared to represent a beast.  The left held the symbol of a Caterpillar while the right held the symbol of a butterfly. Walking into the diamond, she made a waving motion to signal to the tribe that the magic was about to begin. 

"Everybody, stay out of the diamond. If anybody were to walk into this diamond while the spell is being caste, that person will be hurt intensely." She instructed.

Attie placed the hair on the bottom of the diamond and the two feathers on the top of the diamond. She closed her eyes and began muttering words. The wings symbol at the top of the diamond began glowing with a bright white light. The light was neither warm nor cold and would not hurt nor help the eyes. A dark green glow erupted from the beast symbol. The other two symbols glowed with a light blue light. As Attie continued to mutter the enchantment, the light began to rise and started swirling in the are, though it remained contained within the diamond drawn in the dirt. Suddenly the magical light wrapped around Attie and covered her as though it was a cocoon. Attie could not be seen nor heard from until the light died down and faded away.

Instead of a human girl standing in the center of the diamond, a griffin stood proudly. Attie had successfully made the transformation spell! Her beastly eyes widened with delight as she spun around, trying to get a good look at her body. Instead of legs and arms, she had four legs. Her back legs were from a lion and her front legs were the claws of an eagle. On her back were two gorgeous brown wings. Despite the new body adjustments, her senses remained about the same. She could see farther than before but her nose and ears could pick up the same as when she was a human. 

Turning to the diamond shape drawn in the ground, Attie quickly raked her front claws across the symbols and diamond. Normally Attie would have simply explained that repeating the spell could be dangerous but she hadn't the ability to speak anymore. Her mouth was too strange and different to be able to form words like a human. Once she was done, the ground had been scratched beyond recognition. Turning to Mira, she realized that her new form might have seemed frightening to the child. In an attempt to show that she was not hostile, Attie bowed her brown eagle head to the child in a display of friendship. 

Author: Vajra, Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2019 5:34 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Her request led to murmuring from the Anlo-Ewe, with some believing it was suspicious. How did they know that she wasn't intending to hex them using said feathers? She was an outsider, as well. After an intense discussion among themselves, they decided they would select whom would provide the girl with their feathers. While they went to retrieve what Attie required, two guards stayed close should this human prove herself two-faced. During the wait, Attie knelt down and gave Mira a blanket. She said she could use it to cover her precious treasure more easily, and then wouldn't have to worry about having it seen or taken. Throwing careful glances at the bird-men, the younger girl took it and used it like a cape. The fabric was long enough to cover the purple-blue sphere and when Mira ran, the billowing folds hid its shape. Satisfied with how well it worked, she smiled and put her hands on her hips confidently. The group of Anlo-Ewe returned with the items Attie had asked for, and handed them to her. They were watching her every move expectantly despite giving her space, and more of the tribe was gathering to see. There were individuals bearing staves and headdresses within the spectators, mages or healers likely. Rumor of what the human girl was going to do had spread. They had heard of shamans of other tribes in Onnen who could take the shapes of animals, though this was the first time they had heard outsiders not from Onnen were able to do so. 

Author: Attie, Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2019 3:44 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

“Yes! We both would like to leave.” She explained with a cheery expression, “Well you don’t have to worry about getting me home. I think any Onnen mainland would work for me. I don't know about Mira but I'm certain she would like to go somewhere.”

The aquiline male with copper feathers had a look of confusion on his face as she talked about not worrying about getting home. Attie glanced to Mira, wondering where the little girl was wanting to go. It was clear that the child didn’t have a parent or anything like that, but homeless children was not a new thing for Attie to see. Suddenly the golden-eyed Anlo-Ewe began to speak and ask her questions.

“Oh, I got here because I jumped off a flying ship. I wanted to see what it would be like to fall really fast through the air. Luckily, I landed in the ocean and swam up to the island.” Attie said with a smile as though things like that were a normal occurrence, “Though I was very close to breaking a leg. Hmmm. I’ll have to see what breaking a leg is like another time.”

She spoke the last part about breaking her leg a bit quieter, more to herself than to anybody else. An idea popped into her mind as she stared up at the sky. Perhaps the solution was in the sky, the same way that the Anlo-Ewe came to the island. Placing her hand on her chin, she pondered what would be needed for a spell like this. From what she remembered, this spell would need more power and concentration than what she was used to.

“Actually, I have an idea.” She suddenly said, “I know a spell that can transform myself into a flying creature. But I’ll need two feathers, a hair of a beast, and plenty of space. Would you mind if we stayed a little bit longer to gather these things? Once we leave, we will be out of your ha- er feathers.”

The golden-eyed Anlo-Ewe nodded and pointed towards an empty hut for them to stay at while they collected the ingredients. It appeared as though they were calmer around the two newcomers, though still cautious but it was clear that both of them had no plans to create trouble. Turning to Mira, Attie kneeled down and took a thin blanket out of her own backpack. She handed the blanket to the child, hoping it would help cover the precious orb.

“Here. It’s a little uncomfortable to keep hiding it like that. Maybe this blanket will make it easier.” Attie suggested.  

Author: Vajra, Posted: Tue Jul 9, 2019 5:26 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Mira decided to go along with Attie on this, despite still having doubts. The little girl nodded, and followed as they soon came face-to-face with the 'bird people'. Her body tensed at the sharp noise, and shuffled closer to her friend when many of them came out with pointy sticks and bent sticks tied with a string. They spoke in two ways–one way Mira understood, but then they would make bird sounds to each other. As most people didn't understand her when she spoke up, Mira let the older girl handle speaking. She gave them the bag of tough-skinned food carefully, and the bird-men checked it. When they took it, bag and all, Mira guessed that they did believe it was acceptable as food. One of the other bird-men said they caught thieves who looked like them, which Mira didn't understand. There weren't two Atties, or another of her. Or were there? Continuing to listen, Attie told them they were wrong. They didn't steal anything and the people who did steal from the bird-men were not their friends. In the explanation, the little girl heard those same people the bird-people wanted to punish had taken things from Attie and even tried to drown her. 

As Mira was not like most children, she didn't fully understand the meaning of 'drowning'. She knew what it meant to get hurt, but death was still too early for her to grasp. When people said 'drown', she associated it with when things that could not breathe in water were unable to swim up and started to sink. She also believed that when things that could not breathe out of water were taken out, they would 'drown' in air. The bird-men continued to talk to each other, then they decided to allow them both to go with them inside their camp. Keeping quiet and holding her orb so it wouldn't slip out from her dress, Mira walked along. If she was scared, she could still fly up but she would have to worry about the pointed sticks. Her worry was soon replaced by curiosity as she saw so many bird-people coming and going from big cloth buildings. There were ones who weren't holding sticks, ones making things, ones making food, and even small bird-people her size. In the center was the cage where the three captured thieves had been held, which was empty at the moment. Fortunately Mira was too young to understand what their absence meant.

The majority of the Anlo-Ewe guards took their leave, with four remaining behind to both escort and keep watch over the two strangers. "You say you want to leave the island, correct?" One aquiline male with copper-brown feathers confirmed. "The tribe elders may know how to assist you, but that will depend on where you say your home is." The taller, gold-eyed and ash-feathered one in the group gave a short explanation. "Our tribe comes along the changing winds throughout the seasons to roost. This particular island is easy for us to reach by flying, and that is how we leave. However, if you wish to leave without wings it will be much more difficult. The sea is wide between the coast here and the Efé Mountains south. You will not be able to make a boat big enough to cross now. How did you manage to come here without a flying beast?"

Author: Attie, Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:37 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

The avocados and their wrinkly skins did not seem appealing to anybody who didn't know what it was. Attie had only seen the vegetable once before but even if she had never seen it, she could smell what was underneath the skin. Even if the taste wasn't the best, food was food, especially considering the situation with all the plants dying. Noticing Mira's skepticism towards the food, Attie merely smiled and picked up her bag. 

"Sometimes the outside is deceiving." Attie stated, "Trust me on this one." 

Attie walked with Mira through the jungle with the gifts in her bag. If she had a basket or a fancy bowl then she would have decorated to make it look nicer, but Attie did not have those things. The path towards the Anlo-Ewe camp was challenging to follow but both managed to keep on track with Mila's high point of view and Attie's advanced senses. Soon they both found the medium amount of unique tents hidden underneath the cliff's shadow. Before they could even see the camp properly, the sound of a shrilling cry rang through the air from all directions. Warriors appeared seemingly out of nowhere with their spears and bows pointed in their direction. Attie placed herself in front of Mira in a protective stance as she didn't want the child to be hurt, even if she was extremely powerful. 

"We are travelers who've come to find our ways back home." She explained carefully, "And we have a gift to show that we are not a threat. May I give it to you?"

The Anlo-Ewe sentries talked among themselves in their original language and nodded to each other, seemingly in agreement. One of the sentries turned to Attie to receive the gift but she noticed the cautious attitude that they all held. Carefully opening the bag and gathering the avocados, she placed them on the ground in front of the sentries then backed up so that he could take it. The sentry went over to inspect the food, upon realizing what it was he quickly gathered them all up and nodded to the others. 

"We caught thieves who look like you." One of the other sentries said. 

"They are not our friends." Attie replied, "In fact they stole from me and attempted to have me drowned. I was lucky to escape. If you don't believe me, check their bags. You'll find 20 silver pieces and two sets of rations."

The majority of the Anlo-Ewe seemed convinced but a few were still visibly nervous about bringing outsiders in. Yet they all talked with each other and appeared to have agreed to let Mira and Attie come in. Even if the Anlo-Ewe were cautious, even they couldn't be as heartless as to let a stranger and a child die for little reason other than fear. The weapons lowered as they were allowed to walk with the Anlo-Ewe. 

Author: Vajra, Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:49 AM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

She looked up at the sound of Attie's voice. Floating over, she peered at the bag the older girl had. She motioned as if wanting to look inside to see what had been found. At the sight of the avocados the little girl's face became a puzzled frown. Having never seen them before, Mira thought they looked like weird wrinkly rocks with blackish skins. They didn't look very tasty. "¿Qué es esto?" She pointed, confused. Turning the avocado this way and that, she eventually gave up trying to figure it out and returned it to the others. Mira wasn't sure if the bird-people would like these leathery skinned things, but if Attie brought them then that meant they could be eaten. Her gaze went to Attie expectantly, to confirm if she thought they were ready to go see the bird men with their prepared gift. "¿Vamonos?" The path to the Anlo-Ewe camp took time to find and follow their trail, which was made easier thanks to Attie's skills and Mira's higher vantage point. Eventually they came upon a mid-sized settlement of tents in the shadow of cliffs.

The tents were made of cloth and hides, strung together with fibrous ropes and seasoned wooden poles for support. As fitting the aquiline tribe's nomadic lifestyle, these dwellings were made to be easy to pack up when it was time to move. There were large cages of poles and vines lashed together to hold captives or live prey near the camp center and the border was well-guarded by sentries on the trees. Before the two girls even caught sight of the camp they were spotted and a shrill cry pierced the air from varying directions. The warriors were the first to meet them, spears and bows at the ready. At the sound Mira tried to hide her orb beneath her dress, stuffing it behind her back out of fear that it would be taken. Without any bags or a cloak to hide it, this was the best she could do. The Anlo-Ewe sentries approached, speaking in an firm tone in their native tongue. When there was no response, they changed to the common tongue the three beastly scoundrels who robbed Attie had used.

"Who are you and for what reason have you come here?" A male with golden hawk-like eyes and dark feathers around his head questioned. The others around him had feather coloration similar to various birds of prey.

Author: Attie, Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:37 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

After receiving the child's agreement, Attie turned towards the direction of the particular tree with food. She realized that she would need her natural senses to be able to get to the prize. Closing her eyes, Attie began to let her natural instincts overwhelm her senses. The nails on her hands grew longer and sharper as they formed into claws. Teeth residing in her mouth morphed into sharp fangs as claws formed on her feet. Even her hair became ragged and wild. She walked backwards for a few paces before leaping forwards, using her arms as legs, she leaped from the ground and latched herself to the trunk of a tree. Pulling herself up the tree, she got to a sturdy branch and began jumping from branch to branch until she reached the particular tree she was after.

She stopped before going to the tree, a thought hit her mind. Why hadn't this food been taken? Her answer came when a green snake began slithering up the trunk of the tree. It had been waiting for an animal to be lured to its doom. Attie had little time to think or to figure out an alternative plan, her instincts drove her to attack the snake without a second thought. Leaping towards the snake with her claws open, she dug into the creature and began ripping it apart. The snake had been focused on climbing upwards so when it felt the pain, it had less time to react but it still attempted to strike Attie with its fangs. It missed Attie and struck a branch instead. Attie took her chance and knocked the snake off the tree, watching the wounded creature fall to the jungle floor below. Her wild eyes turned to the avocados hanging from the tree above. Climbing up, she took as many as she could and dumped them in her bag. She had managed to gather twelve slightly wrinkled avocados and began to return to where she had last seen Mira. 

"Mira? I found the food?" Attie called. 

Her claws shrunk back into nails and her wild appearance melted away, revealing a regular Attie. 

Author: Vajra, Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:02 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

The little girl thought about it, then nodded in agreement. People liked being given gifts, and they were happier when it was something they wanted. She watched Attie search for a particular thing in the trees, wondering what her friend had found. Since for Mira eating and breathing was not necessary she didn't know much about food in the wild. All she understood was that some things tasted bad and some tasted good. Orb in her arms, she floated up to trail after Attie, looking through the leaves and shrugging her shoulders. There wasn't anything that she could see that looked tasty. Mira drifted about aimlessly waiting for her friend to come across something. The branches were clear enough to find spots to sit without worry of finding a snake disguising itself as a vine. Even the vines were withered into dry, stiff ropes.

There were no bugs, no birds, much less big animals like monkeys. The hidden beach was probably the most vibrant spot they'd seen so far on the island. So where did the bird-people come from? Shielding her eyes, Mira squinted as she looked up at the clouds. She didn't see anything that would tell her. Flying here would take a long time, and when she rose higher into the air she didn't see any boats. Puffing her cheeks in a pout she came back down, disappointed. When she thought Attie had discovered food, she was quick to hover above to see what they would be bringing to the bird-people with sticks.

Author: Attie, Posted: Sun Jun 9, 2019 3:53 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

She kept silent as the harpies began to get closer to both of their hiding spots when one of the scouts let out a signal of some sort. Although unable to see anything due to the dried grass and tight space, she could hear the sounds of fighting. The Anlo-Ewe gathered together around their captured prisoners, the same three who had attempted to drown Attie. Normally Attie would have attempted to figure out why the criminals had tried to kill her but that was if it was a hit and run situation. Those three had taken time out of their day to drown her and used chains to do it! These criminals had full intent of murder and were not just after her stuff which made Attie have little reason to try to figure out who they were. Whatever happened next, they had brought it upon themselves and it was none of Attie's business.

Soon the danger faded away as they were dragged off to wherever the Anlo-Ewe lived. Mira came out of her hiding place and walked over to where Attie was hiding to confirm that they were gone which Attie appreciated since it was difficult for her to see much. Using her hands, she dug around the trees a bit to make it easier to escape from underneath the trees. Pushing herself out, she stood up and began to brush the dirt off of her clothes. Their next step was to find a way off this island. 

"Well, lets see." She began, "The people who we just hid from didn't seem to be bad. They had captured the three who'd tied me up in the chains in the first place. But I don't think going in without bringing something would be a good idea. A peace offering of some sort."

Her eyes wandered around the rain forest. Despite the thinning leaves, the rain forest was still filled with alive plants that might be able to help them. Attie sat on the ground and thought for a little while. What was the one thing that any tribe or civilization would accept as a present? An idea popped into her mind as she stood up and began sniffing the air. Her senses became heightened as she freed her bottled up instincts. In the distance, she could smell the scent of some sort of food and a tree. It wasn't a meat but a plant of some sort. 

"I can smell something in the distance." Attie began to explain, "Perhaps if we gather up some food and offer it to the tribe, they'll be more friendly to use and might even help us to get off this island. What do you think?"

Author: Vajra, Posted: Sat Jun 8, 2019 11:07 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

The harpies were getting closer, thrashing the plants to see if they could flush something out. They were almost by Attie and Mira's hiding spots when one of the scouts let out a cry. The others turned and there were sounds of a struggle. More Anlo-Ewe joined the current group with three faces familiar to Attie in tow: the ones who threw her in the ocean not long ago. They were tied up with spearmen flanking them on both sides. It appeared the harpies had found what they were searching for, and though the two current concealed weren't able to understand, the hunters had been on the trail of thieves in the area. Attempts by the prisoners to bargain with their captors failed, while panicked shouts and cries were fading away as they were dragged back to the harpy camp to face their fate. The moment of danger had passed finally. Slowly creeping out, Mira listened for a while before slowly standing up. Floating lightly, she came back down to nod at Attie to confirm they were really gone. It looked like their peaceful time here on the island had come to an end. However getting off the island wouldn't be easy, not without knowledge of the nearest landmasses close to where they were. They had a couple of choices: take their chances with the harpies for help, or find an alternative way out. With life struggling around as is, the resources that this place had to offer would dwindle. Fortunately Mira didn't necessarily need food, not that she herself knew. "¿Ahora que?" Came the little girl's question. What now? Even Mira's flying had its limits and carrying Attie wasn't a very safe idea.

Author: Attie, Posted: Sat Jun 8, 2019 6:03 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Excitement glistened in her eyes as she watched the little girl applauding. When the girl asked for her pin back, Attie reached into her own hair to remove the pin and handed it back to the child. She knew that the hairpin must have helped her in some way, perhaps it made her water abilities stronger. The second that she handed the hairpin back, the little water monkey creation had turned back into regular water in the puddle. Attie walked over to the puddle to touch the water as though she couldn't quite believe that it was real yet. Suddenly, she heard the sound of Mira trying to find a place to hide. Trusting her new friends' instincts, she too found a place to hide. The forest had been decaying and as a result, a couple of trees had fallen over. The ground underneath those trees were bumpy which made the trees have spaces underneath them that a person could hide in. Her instincts kicked in as she slid underneath the trees and covered the openings with dried brown bushes and tall grasses. 

Her body remained still and barely a sound came out of her mouth. It reminded her of the days when she was young and her bear mother was busy hunting. As a young child she had to hide, seeing as how small and weak she was. A little human girl had no claws or sharp teeth to defend herself and even if she did, they would be too small to do any real damage. In the present, it was harder for her to move seeing as everything was a tight fit and one wrong movement could reveal her hiding place. She remained still but kept an eye on the group of bird-like people as they seemed to be passing through. They were talking to themselves in their native tongues which Attie couldn't understand. What she did understand was a bit of their situation. Plants and living beings everywhere were struggling and that fact might be able to keep both her and Mira out of trouble, if they could play their cards right….

Author: Vajra, Posted: Thu Jun 6, 2019 6:11 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Mira threw up her hands and exclaimed in celebration alongside the older girl, hugging back when Attie hugged her. When she was put down, she tucked her orb under her arm and gave her new friend an applause of approval. "¡Lo hiciste bien!" She then motioned to the hairpin, asking for it to be returned. The little girl had completed her task in teaching Attie how to grasp the use of hydromancy. Now that Attie understood how it worked, she no longer needed the pin. The rest would come with repeated practice and time. Attie was already showing great promise by being able to manipulate shapes. The child then stopped and tilted her head, as if listening for something. Holding her orb tight, she was looking around for the source of the sound. It sounded like someone was coming and Mira was trying to find a place to hide. From past experiences, she knew not to let unfamiliar people see her orb right away. Many things tried to take it from her because it was so large and shiny, then she had to fight to get it back. "¡Esconder! ¡Estan viniendo!" 

Finding a small hollow beneath the large exposed roots of a tropical tree, she stuffed her orb in before crawling inside. A five-year-old child didn't need much space to disappear from sight. Peering out from her hidey hole, she was looking at Attie as if telling her she should hide too. The voices were coming closer and their steps were quickly approaching. The thinning jungle meant there were less places to take cover unless you carefully concealed your presence. A group of bird-like people armed with spears and ranged weapons were passing through. They spoke among themselves in their native tongue, coming off as trills and high notes like the birds they so resembled. Their feet were taloned, their hands were hidden by their robes. These were the Anlo-Ewe, or harpies as those from the Sister Continents called them. Sharing physical similarities with birds of prey, they were nomadic and traveled around Onnen according to seasonal changes. 

The group was a small band, likely hunters or scouts for the tribe. As Mira had no knowledge of their language, she couldn't understand what they were saying. They appeared to be searching for something judging by their interactions with each other and overall body language. Occasionally they would beat at the remaining undergrowth with their spears.

Author: Attie, Posted: Wed Jun 5, 2019 5:33 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Despite the fact that the water didn't move as much as Mira's did, Attie felt proud that she was able to move the water at all. This meant that the magic was possible for somebody like herself! The little girl began to demonstrate her magic while providing instruction. At first Attie didn't understand but after listening further, she began to realize that the child was trying to get her to grasp that feeling she had from earlier. By quietly watching Mira, she began to understand little by little of how to do it for herself. If she tried to copy everything Mira was doing then she wouldn't be able to do it. But taking advice and seeing what the child was doing would help her get started. This may or may not have been the lesson the little girl was trying to teach, as Attie couldn't understand a word that she was saying, but it was what Attie took from it. She watched as the girl twirled with her orb which put a smile on Attie's face. 

Going up to the puddle again, she closed her eyes and began to focus on the water. Instead of holding out her hands like earlier, she cupped her hands and dipped into the water. Her mind focused entirely on the water in front of her and the waves in the distance. Small droplets of water began to rise in front of her as she began to think about Mira and the water. Her hands had a slight blue glow about them as the drops of water began to collect into one large water drop. Suddenly, the water formed into a figure of a tiny monkey. Attie opened her eyes to see the small water monkey figure floating in mid-air. A smile spread across her face as she realized that she had finally done it. She had used water magic! It wasn't exactly the same as Mira's but Attie was fine with that. Jumping to her feet, she ran over to Mira and attempted to hug the little girl. 

"We did it!" She exclaimed with joy, "I can use water magic!"

Author: Vajra, Posted: Wed Jun 5, 2019 1:22 AM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Towards the small drop of water that moved on its own, Mira looked pleased. She gave an approving nod to Attie while crossing her arms. Her orb was levitating by itself, slowly rotating while it stayed in place. "Si, esta bien. Repites." She pointed at the water and made waving motions with her hands. "Cierra los ojos e imagina que estás nadando." The child pantomimed the action of swimming. It seemed she was telling Attie to focus on water-related imagery to grasp that feeling she had for a brief moment, then find a way to keep it going. Unbeknownst to the older girl, the pearl hairpin was actually helping more than it appeared to be. Amplifying one's aptitude for water magic would allow the learner to visually see their own progress and better gauge what to do. Squatting back down to the puddle, Mira took her hands and pushed them at the water's surface. At once the water seemed to spread away from them, like an invisible force was causing it to be repelled. She then slowly pulled her hands up, and the water ballooned upwards. The girl played with the water like this for a few minutes, then stepped away to let Attie try again. 

The best way to learn was to experience the curious properties of water for themselves. You could grab it, and it would slowly move around your fingers to run through the cracks. When you poured it, it would move down the path that was easiest for it to flow. When you dropped some into a larger puddle, the impact would make it ripple and spread. And when you had enough of it in one place, it could lift bulky objects like boats or people. Unlike the wind, you could see it–not just feel it. The essence of water was flowing movement. Her purple-blue orb drifting back into her arms, she held onto it as she gently floated into the air and began to slowly spin around. Holding her orb at arm's length, Mira twirled with it like a dance partner. "Bailar Ati, bailar con el agua." She called. "El agua es tu amiga, bailar con esa."

Author: Attie, Posted: Mon Jun 3, 2019 4:58 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Attie held in a giggle when the little girl puffed out her bottom lip. Mira reminded her of a monkey that was trying to think out a puzzle. Suddenly, the child pulled out a pearled hair pin and handed it to Attie. Assuming this was to borrow, as nobody would dare give something that valuable away, she placed it in her hair. Why she needed an accessory still confused her but Mira was the teacher so whatever she decided had to have been wise, even if she was a little girl. Attie closed her eyes as instructed and felt the cold orb being pushed to her forehead. Confusion ran through Attie's mind as she tried to understand why Mira was doing this. Perhaps there was a secret within the orb or some sort of feeling she was supposed to receive due to the orb? Or maybe the girl was trying to press magic into her through the orb? When the orb was removed from her temple, she opened her eyes to see Mira squatting near the ground. Sitting next to the girl, Attie watched as Mira held out her hands and began moving the water. 

Was it really that simple? The water moved with a calming rhythm which made her wonder if Mira was trying to match the waves. After the child finished with her demonstration, Attie moved to the spot that Mira had been in. Holding out her hands, she began the push and pull motion that Mira had performed earlier. The water in the puddle was as still as a rock. Her arms fell as she began to wonder what she had done wrong. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She held out her hands once more and closed her eyes. Instead of jumping into the motions, she focused on the element of water. The waves in the distance became the main sound she focused on as her thoughts became entirely dedicated to the water inside the puddle. A little drop of water began to rise up above the puddle but dropped back the second that Attie opened her eyes. 

"Maybe there's something that I'm missing." She said to herself. 

Author: Vajra, Posted: Mon Jun 3, 2019 1:43 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

What Attie asked was a question Mira didn't really understand. For Mira, water magic wasn't something she learned, it was something she just knew how to do. Maybe it was due to unconscious memories of her past before her 'awakening', or due to the magical nature of her existence. It was like a cat asking a fish how to breathe in water. The little girl puffed out her lower lip and rested her chin on her orb, deep in thought. The child didn't really know how to teach something to someone else, but she decided to try. Reaching into her hair, she pulled out a pretty pearl hair pin. "Dar." Holding it up she handed it to Attie. This was no ordinary accessory–it was a special piece of jewelry that enhanced water magic, not that Mira really needed it. The girl motioned with her hands. "Cierra tus ojos." She shut her own to demonstrate. Then she held up her orb and pressed it against Attie's forehead. 

In the silence, all that could be heard were the crashing of the waves and the faraway caws of seagulls. The gentle lapping of water from the hidden beach below them added to the layers of sound. Then after a few moments, Mira pulled her orb back down. Squatting close to the ground, she pulled up some water from the crater beach and pooled it in a puddle. "Ati, mírame." She pointed at herself. Resting her orb on the ground so her hands were empty, she held her arms out as if to reach for something invisible. As she did so, the puddle of water moved. Mira pulled her arms back slowly so Attie could see. Following her motion, the puddle was drawn back towards the child. Push, pull. Push, pull. Her purple-blue eyes looked up at the older girl. "Al igual que las olas del mar." Picking up her orb she dusted it off and stood to her feet, motioning for Attie to try.

Author: Attie, Posted: Sun Jun 2, 2019 5:45 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Mira's lavender-blue orb appeared to power her as water gathered from the waves onto the beach to create a column to lift Attie up. Expecting the rushing seawater from earlier, she was pleasantly surprised when the water was gentle and calm. As she bent over to touch the water, she relaxed and listened to the sound of the rushing liquid. Had water always been this sweet? It held power yet it was gentle, perfectly matching the manner of Mira. Once she was high enough to reach the ground, her legs pushed off the water column with all of her might. Attie's knees slammed into the grass-covered dirt while her hands held out to break her landing. Not wanting the child to see that her landing was a little rough, she sprang to her feet and dusted the dirt off her trousers. Once Mira flew to the top, Attie focused her attentions on the rain forest before them. Few of the canopy's leaves remained and the ones that did were rotting away. Without the leaves, the land below was visible and the animals who hid beneath the trees had moved away as a result. 

Plucking one of the sticks from the ground, she began to sniff and feel the twig. Instead of feeling a stick devoid of water, the twig only seemed to be decaying. There wasn't a scent of disease on it which led Attie to believe that the cause of the decaying rain forest was unnatural. Perhaps a magic of some sort? Yet this had been happening in a variety of places, including regular forests and plains. Attie knew that it was impossible to cast a spell that wide. This all meant that there was little someone as weak as herself could do about it. Mari might seeing how strong the child was but even then, if all the land needed was strong people then the issue would be solved already. The sound of the little girl's voice drew Attie from her thoughts. 

"We could go anywhere i…Isn't that wonderful?" She said with a small smile before turning to Mira, "I was wondering….could you show me how to use water magic like yours?"

Always wondering if regular people could use magic, Attie was ready to jump at the chance to learn it even if it meant endless training. She wanted to know magic and understand everything about it.

Author: Vajra, Posted: Sat Jun 1, 2019 10:02 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Mira watched Attie take out her rope and grappling hook patiently, observing what she was going to do. Despite her earlier scolding, she still was a child and was curious about new things. After giving the walls another look, Attie admitted the grappling hook might not be enough to climb out. Then, it seemed she had an idea. "Hey, you have water magic right? Think you can get us out of here?" Mira nodded, then smiled as if she was proud that she could be helpful. Squeezing her purple-blue orb tight, she began to fly up into the air. While levitating, the water in the beach began to gather beneath Attie to form a gently rising column. Like a big platform, Mira made the water rise higher and higher until the older girl was close enough to the ground's surface to hop to safety. When she saw Attie was gone, she would fly up higher to join her. The geyser of water fell back down, filling where it should be.

Above the hidden beach was a lush dense jungle, or what should have been one. The canopy had seen better days and the trunks were looking a bit bare making the beach-crater less hidden than usual. It was much quieter too, as animals who lived in the branches had to move elsewhere. That said, there was still humidity. A steady breeze blew by, bringing the smell of brine and wet soil. Compared to how it should be, there wasn't much to see. "Los árboles son muy delgados. Son como los polos." The little girl frowned, disappointed at the current state of vegetation. She poked a nearly-bare tree and looked at what little foliage it had left. "¿Ya es otoño?" Tilting her head to the side she thought it was strange, since leaves should not be falling when it was so warm. Maybe they didn't have enough water. She summoned some water into her hands and splashed it onto the tree's roots. Looking at her new friend, she went over. "Ati, Ati. ¿A dónde vamos?" The girl looked around as if asking where they would go next or what they were going to do. 

Author: Attie, Posted: Sat Jun 1, 2019 8:47 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Was this little girl…scolding her? The behavior and facial expression proved that was the case. Attie nodded her head and did her best to keep herself from giggling. The child didn't realize that wasn't her doing which Attie found hilarious. Who would just tie themselves up and throw themselves into the ocean? After the terrible scolding she got from the child, Mira began to look around them. Fluttering her eyes close, Attie listened to the sounds of the waves pulling at the shore. She dug her feet into the golden sand and used her hands to find smooth stones hidden underneath the grainy sand.

Her eyes gazed above her towards the sky as she absorbed her surroundings. Sunlight warmed the sands making them comfortable to burrow under. Someone else had the same idea as Attie. When she pulled out her arm she found a tiny green lizard wrapped around her finger. It was terrified. The scaly fiend refused to release her finger. She plucked up a tiny smooth stone and slid it underneath the lizard to pry the tiny creature off. The little lizard fell into the sand as Attie pushed herself to her feet and wandered over to where Mira had run off to. The sky above was a bright blue but the walls to get to freedom were far too smooth to climb. Mira was clearly saying something about hard climb. 

"Hmm. It would be hard to climb that." Attie mumbled as she began to walk towards her bag, "But I bet we can make our way out." 

She opened the brown sack to rummage through it until she found what she needed. Pulling out a coil of rope and a grey grappling hook, she realized that she would have exactly what she needed to escape the beautiful beach bastille. Attie tugged the rope to confirm the toughness of it and observed the length of the rope. The rope was extremely long but would not be enough to reach the top of the sides. A realization hit her. This kid had the ability to command water. That way would be significantly easier than trying to escape via grappling hook. And Attie wasn't keen on wasting all her energy on something rather silly if there was an alternative. She let out a chuckle and tossed the grappling hook into her brown bag. 

"Hey, you have water magic right? Think you can get us out of here?" She asked. 

Sometimes the best way was the easy way. 

Author: Vajra, Posted: Sat Jun 1, 2019 2:52 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Mira watched as the older girl used some metal sticks to make the things around her arms fall off, then collected some items scattered on the ground. While she was busy, the child went to look at the shackles that had been removed. With one hand she tried to lift it up only to make a grunt when it was heavy. The older girl came back and introduced herself, and it was noticeable that she didn't understand what Mira had said to her. Shifting her treasure orb in one arm, she pointed at Attie. "Ati-" She said with a nod as if to confirm who she was speaking to. Then she pointed at herself. "Soy Mira." Mira put down her orb to place her little hands on her hips, then stood up on her toes and puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "No debes nadar con los brazos atados. ¡No hagas eso más!" The little girl pointed at the chains, then at Attie with a look of disapproval. Though she didn't speak in the common tongue, she did understand what the other was saying. 

Her scolding done, Mira looked around them and saw the curved earthen walls of Zobisika, a beach nestled inside an overgrown crater. The fine white sand gave way to gentle shallows filled with colorful fish the size of a finger. Small crabs scuttled back into their sandy holes and lizards dashed about in the sun. Though the area was pretty, there was no way to climb out. The sides were too steep and curved inward the closer you came to the crater's edges. Holding her orb again, her lower lip curled upward as she thought of how to get out. Turning to Attie again, Mira's purple-blue eyes shone as she asked: "¿Quieres salir?" She pointed at the sky. The child then pointed at the beach's walls, showing there was no path leading out. "No podemos subir." If Attie did want to leave, that wouldn't be too difficult for Mira to pull off. Fortunately there was water nearby in the rippling shallows for her to use.

Author: Attie, Posted: Sat Jun 1, 2019 1:18 AM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

Despite the difficulty of movement underwater Attie refused to surrender to the watery depths. She swore a long time ago to never enter that sweet goodnight peacefully. Rage filled her heart as she continued to try to get at her lock picks. Small bubbles inside her ears popped as the pressure began to build. Yet, just as she'd thought she'd sink to the bottom, a light shone brightly from above. A surge of water pushed Attie up to the surface. The second her head reached above water she took a large breath. The swirling and power of the tidal wave resulted in her head becoming dizzy. She couldn't get up right away since the world was still spinning. At the sound of the girl's voice, she pushed herself upwards to a proper sitting position. A strange girl with dark curly hair and a pretty orb stood before Attie. 

"Hello!" Attie greeted the young girl, "First off, thank you for saving my life. Most try to kill me. Its a nice change. Now let me see what I can do about these chains." 

Attie felt her pocket for the lock picks. Fortunately, all her tools survived the tide tornado. Her hands reached into her pocket and pulled out the lock picks. She proceeded to use the lock picks first on her wrists and then on her legs. Once her arms were free, the process became incredibly easier. Attie pulled the chains off her and placed them neatly in a pile next to the shore of the ocean. A thought popped into Attie's mind. 

"My stuff!" She exclaimed, "I hope they didn't tear absolutely everything apart!"

But the majority of her items survived. Things had been scattered about yet everything remained but her coins and food. Those were replaceable. The one thing that nobody could replace was memories. Plucking out her journal, she skimmed through it to see if anything had been damaged. The pages remained in perfect condition. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips as she walked back to the child and sat down next to her. 

"My name is Attie. Though, I suppose you can't speak the same language as I, can you?"

Author: Vajra, Posted: Sat Jun 1, 2019 12:54 AM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

While most thought the sea was a giant watery pit of death, to Mira it was a big moving water-bed. She floated on her back, long curly hair drifting around like buoyant seaweed with her precious orb on her stomach like an otter. The cries of seabirds were the same no matter what part of the ocean you were in, the waves still rolled gently rocking her to sleep. The weather was sunny; it was a beautiful day. A loud splash was heard, it sounded like something big. Opening her eyes she saw the surface froth as whatever fell sank quickly. Curiosity said she should go look and see, so that was what Mira did. Diving beneath the water she kicked her little legs as she sank down like an expert pearl diver. Unlike most people, she didn't have to worry about drowning. The water was her home.

Moving underwater is trickier than what you expect. Things don't behave in the same way as on land, as the currents move and the water bears its own particular density. Light things would begin to float upward and away while denser objects would drift down if you didn't grab them fast enough. And once it fell out of your hands, it was gone forever. Swimming closer the little girl's purple-blue eyes widened as she saw a girl whose arms were stuck. She couldn't swim, and bubbles were coming from her mouth. Kicking with your legs wasn't enough to stay afloat, and the things around her arms were heavy looking too. Mira didn't know how to take the metal things off, but she knew what she could do. Holding her orb above her head, a light began to shine from within. A swirl of water surged from below, rushing to the surface carrying both girls and any unfortunate sea creatures in its wake. A sudden tidal wave arose from the sea and flooded onto the land, flinging everyone much farther than the land below the cliffs. In fact, they were sent so far that they fell right into the hidden beach itself, landing in the pristine clear water. 

Shaking the water off her hair, she used the water nearby to push the older girl into the shallows. When the danger of drowning was over, she stood over the stranger with her crystal orb in her hands. "¡Hola! ¿Estas bien?" Mira carefully poked the other's leg with her foot, checking if she would respond. "¿Puedes escucharme?" Lowering her ear to the side of the girl's head, she furrowed her little eyebrows as she listened for sounds of breathing.

Author: Attie, Posted: Fri May 31, 2019 11:37 PM, Post Subject: Lovely Day [p]

"You know, I think there might be a better way to sort this problem out. Don't you?" 

There was nothing worse than having one's beach day be interrupted by a group of thugs. She watched as one of the thugs rummaged through her bag of items. He stole the money and the food. Attie knew that plant life was dying or being strange but she hadn't quite realized the effect that it would be on people. These thugs were seemingly natives of Onnen. One was a Chowke, two were Agaw, and one was a Makone. All creatures gathered together for a singular purpose. It was a pity that purpose happened to be robbing random people, otherwise Attie would be in awe. 

"Could you make those chains a little looser? It hurts." Attie complained. 

The Makone had been wrapping a chain around her arms and legs, clearly intent on dumping her into the sea to drown. Attie kept her hidden pick locks in her pocket. Luckily she had been playing with them when the group decided to rob her. 

"The point is to be tight. Besides yer gonna die anyway." The Makone responded. 

"Well, technically we are all going to die one day." She pointed out. 

"Just throw her in already!" The impatient Chowke shouted, "We got the food and coin from her bag. Everything else is useless!"

"Hey! I take offense to that. Ink is a very useful item even if you can't eat it-"

She had been tossed into the ocean before she could finish her sentence. Her arms and legs had been chained up tightly but she still had a tiny bit of wiggle room. As she sank deeper and deeper into the cold water, she struggled furiously to reach her lock picks. Her fingers just about touched the picks. Attie began the process of using the tips of her fingers to pull out one of the lock picks. Hope flew in her mind that she wouldn't run out of air before she was able to pick the locks.