Fangorn's riposte fanned the fire on the street below and Azure felt Melita's contagious joviality overtake her, letting a clear, honest laugh burst through. As far as distractions go, this one was exceeding expectations. The task at hand required all her attention, the angry merchants were approaching and there were strings of pennants still unused, hanging innocently, their potential for mayhem woefully unused.
Azure was at work, tangling ropes in broad motions, a mess of decorations wrapped around her arms, elbows and a foot. But it all started to come together with a few select tugs and pulls, just as she caught a glint of challenge in Melita's expression and followed the decorative cannonball's trajectory towards the group.
She didn't see exactly how it hit, but the result was difficult to miss. One of the merchants had clearly taken the brunt of the blow. The tall, spindly woman gradually, slowly arched backwards, like a tree pulled by the wind, before finally losing balance and toppling over. The group began to scramble between picking her up off the ground and dealing with the source of the festively themed bombardment. Azure couldn't stem the current of giggles bubbling up from within.
Words were difficult to articulate amid the laughter, but when she met Melita's gaze, the Attuned girl's expression spoke of how impressed she was, turning her focus to the market next. She silently accepted the unspoken challenge and sought a worthy target. There wasn't much time, as the confusion Melita had caused wouldn't last. "Alright then..." She saw a lot of inconspicuous bystanders, an old woman milling slowly past the commotion, a couple of nagging vendors voicing their displeasure and... A stack of boxes walking into the scene unaware. "There it is."
The burly man behind the tall stack had noticed the commotion but not its nature, his line of sight almost entirely obstructed and his focus firmly on the task at hand, eager to be rid of his burden.
Azure took her aim and threw her new creation, bigger and messier than the last, in a big arch toward the courier. It felt like unpacking a present, waiting to find out what would spill out of the boxes.
Azure was at work, tangling ropes in broad motions, a mess of decorations wrapped around her arms, elbows and a foot. But it all started to come together with a few select tugs and pulls, just as she caught a glint of challenge in Melita's expression and followed the decorative cannonball's trajectory towards the group.
She didn't see exactly how it hit, but the result was difficult to miss. One of the merchants had clearly taken the brunt of the blow. The tall, spindly woman gradually, slowly arched backwards, like a tree pulled by the wind, before finally losing balance and toppling over. The group began to scramble between picking her up off the ground and dealing with the source of the festively themed bombardment. Azure couldn't stem the current of giggles bubbling up from within.
Words were difficult to articulate amid the laughter, but when she met Melita's gaze, the Attuned girl's expression spoke of how impressed she was, turning her focus to the market next. She silently accepted the unspoken challenge and sought a worthy target. There wasn't much time, as the confusion Melita had caused wouldn't last. "Alright then..." She saw a lot of inconspicuous bystanders, an old woman milling slowly past the commotion, a couple of nagging vendors voicing their displeasure and... A stack of boxes walking into the scene unaware. "There it is."
The burly man behind the tall stack had noticed the commotion but not its nature, his line of sight almost entirely obstructed and his focus firmly on the task at hand, eager to be rid of his burden.
Azure took her aim and threw her new creation, bigger and messier than the last, in a big arch toward the courier. It felt like unpacking a present, waiting to find out what would spill out of the boxes.
Azure
