Training season's over

It was on the way to bringing Sah home to Halo, but the Crag was also an island with a reputation that would come in useful for his final task. As twilight fell across the frozen ocean, Hadama stepped through moonlight with his friend onto the stones of the Crag. They glittered with flecks of mica - or was that mageglass? - beneath their feet in the dying light, and the whole island was lit aflame with the magical sparkle of the moment.

He had not intended the timing, but he was not going to let it pass without taking advantage of it, either.

He stepped a short distance away and turned his back on Sah as he prepared what he needed, pulling a few things from his pack and shifting around before finally turning around, tucking his shirt more neatly into his belt.

"As you can see," he rumbled, a bit stiffly, unused to this precise style of showmanship. "I have nothing up my sleeves." He pushed the long, wide sleeves back to his elbows to demonstrate his muscular, bare forearms in before pulling a navy blue handkerchief from his pocket. "And this item has no magic." He offered it to Sah to inspect, looking slightly uncomfortable behind his stoic mien as he stood with his back to the glory of the setting sun.

Sah

Sah wasn't actually sure what the stop in the Crag was for, but Hadama had said that he wished to show him something and that was enough. He watched as the man rolled up his sleeves, studying the offered the handkerchief and confirming the lack of magical energy in it.

Nodding, they hybrid gave the item back, raising a brow at the Demi-god, "Alright." Sah wasn't sure how much space the man needed, so he took a few steps back just in case. Hadama almost seemed nervous. Or simply uncertain. Sah sent a small pulse of encouragement through the bond, hoping it helped at least a little.

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

He accepted the handkerchief back and took a deep breath, flicking the handkerchief forward towards Sah's face with one hand while he shifted the other back in a move that could have been smoother. He winced as he brought the handkerchief back towards his chest and reached up to catch it with his other hand again, pinching it between thumbs and forefingers. He turned it one direction and then reversed it, showing Sah that nothing was hidden in the folds of the cloth.

"However, it is an illusion." His words were solemn but stilted, as if he had read them somewhere but never actually spoken them aloud before. Nevertheless, he swirled the handkerchief over his hand and then pulled it away, a red stain slowly spreading over the fabric--

And as he did so a white rose unfolded in his grip. The flower was slightly crushed and there was blood in his palm and on his wrist from its thorns, but the flower had appeared by magic. Seemingly. Ish. He offered it solemnly to Sah for inspection, to prove that the flower was not magical, either. The other man's encouragement meant a great deal, though it did not entirely assuage the uncomfortable performance of the trick. "Was I successful?"

Sah

Sah watched the movement of the cloth, tracking it with what he thought was ease. Yet, he hadn't seen the flower until Hadama suddenly pulled it out. He took it in hand, eyes inquisitive as he flipped it over before handing it back with a grin. "You were. Well done. I didn't see the flower until you pulled it out."

It was clearly a difficult trick given the rumpled state of the petals and the blood. But Hadama had pulled it off. Sah's eyes went to one of the scratches with a furrowed brow, "Would you like me to heal that for you?" The hybrid didn't know the extent of the man's abilities or if he could heal himself. Still, he didn't want his friend to walk away with scratches across his palm and wrist.

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

"That is... good," the Tidebreaker said slowly, inclining his head in thanks but there was a weight to the words that held more than mere relief over a small trick adequately performed. "I will continue to practice it." It might mean the difference between life and death for someone close to him very soon, after all.

He accepted the flower back solemnly, turning it over in his fingers with slow consideration before kneeling to place it on the glittering rock of the Crag. The light was already fading as the sun finished sinking below the horizon and the wind would soon blow the flower into the sea, but for the moment it lay upon the stone in simple majesty.

Standing, he offered his hand to Sah gratefully. "Thank you," he rumbled. "It seems... wasteful. To use Safrin's powers for such small wounds."

Sah

Sah felt the weight of the words in the air and imply nodded, "I'm sure you'll master it soon." Hadama was a disciplined and intelligent man. The hybrid had little doubt in his ability to turn what at face-value to be a simple trick and turn the skill into something valuable.

Taking Hadama's wrist in one of his hands, Sah held his other hand over the scratches. A warm light appeared, illuminating his fingers and casting shadows on the rocks around them as it shone. The magic soothed any irritation and closed the small injuries up entirely. Once the last had healed, Sah let go. "There. All better." Eyes rising to the sky, he smiled as the first star appeared, battling with the sun to shine. "I think that's our cue to head out."

My soul is in the sky
-William Shakespeare

It was the support and belief of friends like Sah that gave Hadama the strength to continue moving forward in the face of increasing difficulties. He would have clasped the hunter's hand if his own had not been so inconveniently bleeding, but even that was soon dealt with. The hybrid's abilities continued to grow every time they met, it seemed, and the Tidebreaker watched with appreciation and admiration as the magic healed the small punctures and smoothed fresh skin back over the area. It was swiftly unblemished and even the minor pain of it was nothing more than memory.

"Indeed." A single word encompassed his replies to both of Sah's observations and Hadama tilted his head at his friend warmly. "Thank you, Sah. I owe you a great deal. I hope that Safrin will be pleased with both of us."

And that she would look kindly upon the Tidebreaker's efforts to complete the quest that she had given him.

~Fin