[Training] True Colors

A little water had never hurt him before, and he preferred the splash of its geothermal warmth to the stinging embers of his own flames turned against him. Even so, it was a game as much as training, and he enjoyed the challenge of sparring with someone he hadn't matched against in far too long. The last time he'd seen Amalia fight had been in the Greatwood Guardian games, when his eyes had been shadowed by Blight and his heart bitter with his brief flirtation at kingship.

Today was a far better day, not only due to the weather but to seeing what he had missed in his friend's growth and the warrior she had become. He stood in the wake of flinging his spear, balancing on the balls of his feet in the shallow water and wondering what she would respond with this time--

Only to wince when her dodge was not quite enough to miss the fiery projectile. He might have called a halt, but Amalia didn't ask for quarter and so he sent a brief pulse of rueful apology through the bond before realizing that she was on the move. His spear had dropped to fizzle in the water at the end of its arc, and he realized she was using the water to good effect to make aiming at her lithe form difficult. How she was moving so swiftly through the water was a mystery at first, but he laughed in delight when he realized she was literally walking on water.

Silver wings sprang from his back, tearing through his tunic but it seemed a small price to pay as he grinned and leapt upwards, flapping hard and clumsily to gain height enough above the geysers to lob a few smaller fireballs down at her as she dodged between them and then disappeared into a plume of steam.

And didn't emerge.

"Amalia?" he called, teasing at first as he thought this was another trick in their spar. He slipped and bobbed as he struggled to stay aloft, huffing in exasperation as he found it impossible to hover and instead had to circle like a broad-winged hawk. "Come out, come out..."

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

The half-dragon thing is a nice touch, and Amalia feels a twinge of envy as Jigano takes to the sky. But where he is comfortable in the air she has made the water her home, and her new form eases under the surface of the sea as naturally as anything born to do so. She can feel water entering her nose (?) but the sensation is not unpleasant. And her lungs feel large, capable of keeping her underwater for impressive amounts of time.

Or at least until he drops back down.

As the pink shape tracks the dragon from below, something else is forming in the sky. Without conscious control or intent the Shield has begun to summon a storm. The pressure of the air is shifting, the clouds growing dense; perhaps Jigano will be able to feel a buffet of wind against his wings and the first droplets of rainwater which fall from a previously cloudless sky.

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

He was comfortable as a raven or a dragon, but this in-between form was not nearly so aerodynamic and he struggled to stay aloft with it. Struggled enough, in fact, that he didn't realize the storm was gathering with unnatural speed until the wind struck his wings and he slipped with a yelp from the sky, tumbling as he tried to right himself and catch one of the geyser updrafts.

He was too low, he realized too late, and instead was nearly clipped by a rising geyser as he spun past, absorbing his wings back into himself when he realized he was going to hit the water. At least it was a little deeper, the pool a lovely sunflower yellow, and he rose quickly to the surface as he looked around worriedly for his sparring partner, not yet realizing it was she who had called the storm. Amalia? Everything alright? A bit of judicious Healing magic fixed the bruising and cracks from his impact, and he struck out towards shallower waters where he could find his feet and bring his fire to bear on his hands once more.

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

She continues to watch from down below, also unaware of her influence over the brewing storm. A shock of alarm hits her as he falls from the sky: Are you okay? comes the worried request through the Attuned bond, inadvertently timed to occur simultaneously with his. He seems well enough, rising up from the water without much (visible) damage, and the girl pulses a beat of relief toward him.

Below the yellow and violet water, a rosy shape approaches Jigano, trying to reach him before he can meet shallower water. With a high-pitched laugh she leaps up suddenly, propelling herself with a powerful tail and launching from the surface of the sea. Her goal is to land just beside him, to splash him thoroughly with the rainbow ocean and then come up beneath him, offering her fin for him to cling to that she might help him get closer to shore.

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

Her voice in his mind was a relief, reassuring him that, wherever she'd vanished to, she wasn't hurt - and was close enough to have seen his embarrassing tumble. I'm going to need to practice using those, he admitted ruefully. Humans aren't very aerodynamic, as it turns out. The lack of tail probably wasn't helping either, something to consider for another time, when he wasn't floundering about in the water.

He didn't so much see her approach as feel something shift in the water, a bare moment before she rose out of it. He flung his hands up in surprise, a shield of flame turning the water to steam that washed over him, but as soon as he realized who the laughter and 'attack' came from he dropped the magic to avoid catching her rosy new skin with it. What...? Ama, you're a fish! he cried out in their minds with a delighted laugh aloud. No... not a fish. A... dolphin? Whale? She didn't look quite like any of the illustrated sea creatures he vaguely remembered from the books of his homeland - themselves often second-hand accounts at best. Reaching out to accept her assistance, he let her tow him to the shore while making it a little difficult, what with the craning his neck and contorting himself to try and see as much of her new form as possible. And so pink! he added with a laugh.

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

The steam that rises from the shield of flame is made denser by Amalia's inadvertent retaliation, a large puff of vapor escaping her blowhole as she exhales forcefully and instinctively. Popping her head out of the water, she chuckles in a series of clicks and shrill sounds that aren't too dissimilar from Jyoti's but certainly higher pitched, clearly pleased with the revelation of her newest, strangest form.

What's a dolphin? It's a strange and conuterintuitive way to move her body, but her time as an otter helps her adjust: legs simultaneous, no arms to extend, her body moving with impossible ease through the salty water. Whale seems right. I feel more like Jyoti than a fish.

As if on cue the little starwhale appears, singing excitedly as she dashes between spouts of water, utterly delighted with this new shift. As Amalia and Jigano reach water shallow enough for the tall bard to stand Jyoti begins to inspect her companion, trilling eagerly at their similarities, utterly taken with the (yes, very pink) shift.

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

Like a smaller, more slender, grey-colored whale, that breathes through the top of its head, he tried to explain with furrowed brow. I've only read about them in passing, though... I don't know if Caido even has them. It was a rueful admission as he settled into the shallow water and playfully splashed Amalia back, though his human hands weren't nearly so efficient at the game.

Isuma chased Jyoti from above, having learned earlier that getting her feathers wet was no fun at all. She dove after her friend to flutter around Amalia's pink fin as well, chortling excitedly. This didn't look like her big fluffy (or small feathery) sister, but if Jyoti said it was Amalia, then Isuma believed her.

Even if Ama-sis was in the water where she couldn't follow, which wasn't fun at all.

"Hush now, not everyone can be at your back and call like I am," Jigano chided her with a laugh. Whale, whatever this shift's name is, it's lovely, he teased, slipping a pun in just because he could. You're certainly going to win all of our swimming contests now! Another gust of wind blew past, carrying a chill off the ocean that had him ducking back into the water as his bare chest and back rippled with goosebumps, and for the first time he looked up at the clouds that had been gathering. Looks like we're going to get wet whether we stay in the pool here or not.

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

Whales breathe through the top of their heads, Amalia points out, more in curiosity than protest. And I'm not grey. She'll have to do more research on the subject- perhaps there is a library here. That simple idea thrills her.

The pair of companions is a bright point in a rapidly clouding afternoon, Jyoti practically vibrating in her delight while Isuma's reticence remains clear through Amalia's attuned senses. Laughing a little, the girl-turned-caetean rolls over onto her back, half shifting so her upper half regains its human shape while her tail remains intact. "Look, I'm a mermaid!" - though the full effect is rather strangely offset by the otter fur that covers her skin, keeping the Shield warm.

The water is shallow enough now that Amalia can practically lie down, her elbows on the sand at the bottom of the calm pool, eyes upturned to the darkening sky. Frowning slightly, she quirks her lips. "That's weird, it was so beautiful a minute ago. I hope the storm passes quickly-"

And as though she willed it the clouds begin to dramatically clear, dissapating without a trace and leaving Amalia very bemused as she turns wide eyes to Jigano. "Did... Did you do that?"

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

You're the expert on whales, not me! Jigano agreed with a grin for Jyoti. And you're definitely not grey. But I didn't think that whales were usually pink, either? Blue or grey or white or black or some combination... but pink? This was definitely outside what little he remembered from Khonnir Baine's collection of traveler's journals. He was going to have to do a lot more to seek out information than he had been so far in Torchline...

Or maybe Amalia could do it for the Loreseekers?

Amalia's half-shift was somewhat expected after Sunjata's similar display in the Stonesong, and Jigano grinned at her ease with her animal shifts and how unself-consciously she used them. Feeling a little uncharacteristically shy, he let his silver dragon scales ripple to the surface of his skin to repel the water, following his friend's lead. "A mer-otter? An ottermaid?" he teased her, wondering if he could turn his bottom half into his snake form, as she had done with her dolphin form.

He slid up to sit beside her, frowning at the clouds as he sent a pulse of agreement at the strangeness of it all--

The clouds seemed to begin dispersing at her command, and he straightened, eyes wide as he looked over to her, only to find her watching him. He shook his head slowly, raising a hand to touch his chest as he considered what he felt within. Healing and Earth, Creation and Fire, and the strange magic that had meshed with his Attuned nature... but there was nothing that spoke of the sky. "Not me. I don't have wind or water or lightning... if those could even affect weather so high up and far away from me," he admitted. "But it seemed to obey you...? Perhaps try and call the storm back together?"

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

Hardly an expert, she offers back quickly, easily deflecting the misplaced praise. She knows about Jyoti and that's it; if anyone is an expert on whales, it's Sunjata, and well... Amalia is not particularly interested in his opinion on things.

Trying to keep from dwelling on the darkness that lurks so easily in the edges of her mind, Amalia shakes her head and glances back at Jigano, grinning as he comes to rest beside her. "Ottermaid, definitely."

If the clearing of the clouds is surprising, Jigano's idea that she somehow caused it is even more so. "I don't have magic." The reply is fast, automatic, Amalia shaking her head- she isn't Abandoned, never has been, never wished to be. Although now that she thinks about it, the qilin does have abilities she would have thought she needed magic to use...

Could this form be the same.

Frowning down at her hands, the Shield takes a breath. When she looks back at the sky it is with a great deal of concentration, her mind drawing the idea of a storm to the fore. Closing her eyes, she tries to picture it all: the smell of a coming autumn rain, the way the wind slashes over her face, the frigid and invigorating drops biting into her skin-

She opens her eyes to find her cheeks wet, and not just from the ocean. Above her the sky has once again turned grey, clouds churning and boiling with the promise of a deluge. The look she gives Jigano is utterly mystified. "I... did that?"

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

She was more an expert than he was, at least, but he had started to realize that too many compliments shifted swiftly from teasing to uncomfortable for the baker. Jigano just smiled and let it slide, preferring the distraction of her partial shift. "Amalia Ottermaid it is, then," he agreed with a grin.

He only raised a brow at her swift negation of the possibility that she had caused the clouds to clear. "You can turn yourself into an animal, speak to all creatures, and walk on water," he pointed out with a chuckle. "You might not be an Abandoned, but you've still got quite a bit of magic in your bones, friend ottermaid." Divinely sanctioned, at least, from an Outlander's perspective.

He watched her concentrate, but looked up as well to see the clouds reforming, and grinned at the display. The grin turned lopsided as he shifted it to her, nodding at her question. "I think so," he agreed. "It might come in handy for bringing rain to the Fields in Longheat, or soothing the Flowerbirth storms so we don't get quite so inundated all at once. Help to bring the Hollowed Grounds back to flourishing... if that's how you choose to use it," he finished gently. "Though... I don't even know if it works away from the coast yet. I might be getting ahead of myself." The admission was sheepish as he reached up to rub the back of his neck self-consciously, trying to rein in his enthusiasm so he didn't overwhelm her with it.

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

She listens to his unraveling ideas, her own eyes wide with possibility. To manages storms, stop the fires... What good could she do for her home, with an ability like this? It makes her nearly itch for more, the potential dizzying. Healing the ground, growing plants, feeding families, easing pain-

Suddenly Amalia shakes her head, blinking rapidly and frowning. "I... I don't know. I do want to help, but where does it end?" Turning from Jigano she opens her palms, letting them float on top of the water. "First storms to water plants, but what about when someone wants them to fight off enemies? What about when I decide rain isn't enough? Or when people ask me why I didn't do more?" Safrin's words about the Voice's descent echo hauntingly in her mind, leaving her throat dry.

It would be so easy for her to reach for more, especially if people expected her to.

Turning back to Jigano, Amalia exhales. "I think... I don't want anyone to know. I'll do what I can to help with it, but... I can't have people expecting even more from me. I already feel like I'm letting them down." Rubbing the spot on her wrist where he'd once left a scar, she searches his face for understanding.

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

The question caught him by surprise. Where did it end? As she continued, though, he nodded with a bit more understanding. There were always those who sought to turn power into a weapon. They had Zariah's example as a recent warning of how some would view it. The Tyrant Queen who had tried to weaponize the Abandoned as a whole. His own refusal to fall in line with her plans had started a cascade of events that had resulted in Amalia being threatened and further fractures between him and Deimos that might always weaken the foundations of their odd relationship.

Exhaling slowly, he reached out to brush his fingers lightly over hers - and the scar. "I understand," he said gently. "You are not a weapon to be used by anyone, for any reason, against your will. And you already carry so much on your shoulders. This power is yours, to use or not as you please. I won't tell anyone, I promise." They all seemed to be stepping back from the world and the responsibility that their growing powers might have trapped them in. Jigano could understand that well, indeed, having tried to do just that himself in recent seasons, though without the divine guidance of Safrin's lessons, and not as effectively as he'd intended.

There was more there, deeper waters hiding beneath the surface, and he withdrew his hand to help reposition himself in the water next to her. "Why does it matter, what other people think of you?" He asked softly.

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

There is no scar where he touches her wrist. Loren has taken all the scars from her body, though the memory of each of them will always remain. "I'm not afraid of being used so much as... as thinking myself infallible. Or thinking I'm supposed to be infallible, and then making mistakes because of it. If that makes sense." It doesn't, not when she says it aloud, but she's still trying to make sense of it herself.

She appreciates his effort to understand her; it pulses through the Attuned bond, tender and earnest notes of insecurity and gratitude. Though when she asks why it matters the Shield looks away, leaning back to let the water cover her, a rainbow blanket from which her face peeks out much like a child's.

"It... I don't know. People matter. What they think matters." The tip of her tail flicks out of the water, much like if she had been tapping her foot. "Maybe it shouldn't, but... I've always wanted to help people. Though Safrin... maybe I need to help myself a little, too." Turning back to Jigano, she raises a dark brow. "What about you? Do you care what people think of you?"

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea