[flashback]Not only animals are dangerous(aello)

[Coren]

34th of Summer 509 Coren kept a firm pace as he walked out of the icewall gates and into the northern reaches, a bit of fear gripping at his heart at the thought of the wild animals that could be roaming there. Even as he constantly reassured himself that wild and dangerous animals where kept away from avanthal by the icewatch, so if he kept close enough to the city he should be safe, at least In theory. Still even then he slowed down, trying not to make to much noise and maybe attract something that thought he looked like a nice snack. Keeping a firm eye on his surroundings all the while. After a few chimes of trudging through the snow he finally thought he had put enough distance between him and the city while still being close enough to be relatively safe He ruffled through the snow for a while, searching for anything he could use for practice. After a while he pulled a rather short but quite thick branch from underneath the snow. “Yeah this will do.” He muttered to himself as he sat down in the deep snow,holding the branch out in front of him, happy for the fact that his heavy cloak would keep the snow from getting everywhere, he could do without those distractions when he was going to practice his art. Closing his eyes he began to try and empty his mind, trying to feel the djed inside himself, that didn't take to long, he soon found the familiar feeling of his djed but now the hard part was going to start, pushing it out of his body and actually task the shield. Opening his eyes so that he could see what he was doing he slowly grasped his djed and tried to push it out of his body, trying to keep the most of the untasked djed around his left hand and slowly began moving his hand over the stick, tasking the djed he was 'painting' over the branch. The places where the shield had been already created just looked as if somebody just stripped the branch of its color and details. Repositioning his right hand a few times so that he could span the shield over every centimeter of the branch. Still even then his unfamiliarity with the art of shielding was quite obvious to anybody who knew a bit of it, seeing as his shield was uneven and even had some small holes in it. Coren let out a sigh of irritation and destroyed the shield and tried again.

oocI think I screwed up the date

[Aello]

Aello walked silently through the snow, leaving a trail of footprints behind her. The prints were evenly spaced, and somewhat sloppy, the edges of the hole she had formed being overcome by several tendrils of snow, whatever the wind sent barreling into the empty spaces the young spiritist had left. Her bow had been tucked under her left arm, while her quiver remained on her back, bouncing slightly with each of her steps, tapping it lightly as the feathers that fletched each of her father's old arrows fluttered in the wind. Much like the feathers the cloth of Aello's long skirts whipped wildly around her ankles, as her long brown hair was swept off her shoulders, sending several small chills down the length of her neck, causing the tiny hairs that lingered there to stand at attention. Hopefully, this time we will have better luck, the girl thought as she continued on her way, looking for a frozen body of water, a slender stream, by which the locals claimed grew a vine with bright red flowers. The flowers, supposedly, had several medicinal properties, which the Whitevines would pay handsomely for if retrieved. Of course, one must be careful not to crush the petals of the plant, freeing the growth of its juices; rendering it completely useless. No more shooting Vantha, or idiots in bear suits, she added, with a groan as she shook her head lightly. Definitely no more of those, unless they intend on getting shot... Aello smiled weakly as she continued on her way. She walked for what seemed like an eternity, for the frost that lingered in the air was beginning to nip at her nose, causing it to grow all the more red as she struggled to maintain a sense of warmth. Hopefully we'll be there soon. This place is too petching cold for anyone to be out and about for more than a few hours, she thought as she crossed her arms over her chest to help lock in the heat, ignoring the jab of her bow in her side. She kept on walking for a few more minutes before she caught the sight of another figure up ahead, seemingly standing in the snow, and staring at the ground. "Hello!" Aello called, as she walked up to him, hoping to ask for directions to the stream. "What are you-" Aello's train of thought was cut off when she noticed the stick on the ground-seemingly devoid of all detail in several sections. The girl's eyes grew wide as her breath caught in her throat for a moment. What the heck is going on? she wondered, as her eyes grew a little wider, and she uncrossed her arms, her left hand seeking the bow's grip. "Are you doing that?" Aello asked. "Or was it somehow, like that, when you got here?" she went on as she looked up from the stick, into Coren's eyes and then at his hands. They seemed as though they were shaking ever so slightly, and his eyes seemed somewhat surprised. Perhaps at being caught in a place such as this, or perhaps for another reason altogether. He must be doing that, Aello's mind whispered as the scent of freshly-cut pine wood made its way into her nostrils. They flared, ever so slightly as she stared, her pupils dilating as she took in the sight of several, small golden-colored flecks of light surrounding the man's body. Flickering ever so slightly, like fireflies on a dark night. He wields some sort of magic; and comes from a place where people often carve things, work with wood and other materials. Aello was silent as she considered the words her mind was whispering, simply wrapping her fingers around the bow's grip. "What are you doing to it? And how?" she asked. "What sort of magic is this?"

[Coren]

Coren had a look of irritation on his face as he continued to try and form a shield over the stick he was holding in his hand, every time falling short of making a cohesive shield. He couldn't keep practicing either, since he still wanted to be able to practice his projection and he couldn't afford to waste to much djed anymore. When suddenly he heard somebody call out a greeting to him his eyes widenend is shock and he quickly stood up, fear beginning to make its way through his mind. While the person wasn't speaking vani he was a bit relieved, vantha immediately knew if they had one of their race in front of them thanks to almost all of them being marked with morwen's power. He quickly tried to hide the stick behind his back before the woman saw it and began to make conclusions or ask questions that he rather not have anybody asking. It seemed that he was a little bit to slow with trying to hide it though. His eyes swilred form their normal calm green to a darker blue as he cautiously looked over the newcomer, not liking the way her hand was curled around her bow. Still he tried to soften up and give her a calm and friendly look, harder then it looked like when half your face was covered up. “I'm not doing that no, I just found it lying on top of the snow when I came here and found it baffling on how it looked.” Coren lied, hoping that the woman would believe his lie and drop the subject. “So I wouldn't know what has been done to it, If its magic I have to dissapoint you again, I know absolutly nothing of the magic arts so I wouldn't be able to tell what discipline had been used to make it look like this even if I watched the person make it.” Coren added another lie to his explanation. A bit put out that the woman had jumped to conclusions even before his answer. “Now that we have that little misunderstanding out of the way, what are you doing here?” He asked the woman, trying shift the conversation to another subject as soon as possible. “I mean its not often non vantha are found in the wilderness around avanthal, most visitors just keep inside and huddle around the fire, moaning about the cold till they leave.” Coren said with a bit of mirth in his voice.

[Aello]

Aello's eyes seemed to bore all the more deeply into Coren's flesh, more than likely causing it to burn wherever she peered, if at the very least, it did not cause his skin to tingle, or for him to grow all the more nervous or uncomfortable around her. His aura seemed to dance, flickering as the wind blew all around each of them, whipping up tiny whorls of snow that brushed over their boots from time to time. The girl didn't need to refer to Coren's aura to know that he was lying to her; trying to hide his true nature. Trying to hide several of the things he knew, everything he was. "That seems rather unlikely," Aello commented, somewhat cooly. "You know something of magic stranger. Whether you want to admit it or not is another story." Aello fell silent for several moments as she glanced down at the snow, tucking her arms more tightly across her chest, her hands under her armpits to help keep them warm. "Now why is it that someone of your age so desperately wants to hide the fact that they used magic?" Aello asked as she closed her eyes, as if to think more deeply on the matter. She remained silent as she held them closed for a few seconds, breaking her concentration. When she finally reopened them, Coren's aura had faded away, and she was left feeling somewhat dizzy. "Is it that your people as a whole don't accept magical practices? Or is it slightly more personal... your parents perhaps, that don't approve of its use? Your grandparents, aunts or uncles? Your siblings? Your girlfriend maybe? Or boyfriend for that matter?" There was a slight pause, "well who is it? Surely you're not married..." Aello's voice trailed off as she considered the possibility. No, he is definitely too young for such things, Aello thought, as she stood, waiting for a reply. After she felt as though she had waited enough time, Aello decided it best to offer her own response to Coren's questions, so as not to appear rude. "Just looking for something, for the Whitevines. A stream of ice by which a special plant grows. Supposedly the plant is helpful when making medicine and the like," Aello explained.

[Coren]

Coren shifted a bit uncomfortably underneath the woman's forceful gaze. Feeling as if she was looking straight into his very soul with those piercing eyes of her. Coren's face fell as the woman called his bluf, though the fact that the lower half of his face was completely covered up mostly hid that from the view of normal eyes. But he quickly tried to recompose himself and defiantly met the woman's stare. She might have figured out that he was a mage but he still could try to save the damage “Now listen carefully.” Coren slowly said in his accented common, dropping the stick on the ground and shoving both his hands into his pockets. “As far as anybody is concerned, I don't know anything about magic, I don't care about magic and I'm of the meaning that magic is to dangerous to be of any use for decent folk.” He gave her the harshest glare he could muster, trying to intimidate her into staying quiet. “If I get any flack from my family from this I'm going to track you down and make sure you die in your sleep.” Coren mentally kicked himself for adding the death threat everybody with half a brain would probably see through that bluff. “So are you going to keep your mouth shut?” Coren said in a tone that made the last sentence sound more like a plead then any attempt to intimidate her. As she said the reason why she was out here and freezing her but of coren couldn't help but laugh a little bit. “Well good luck with trying to find that, there are a lot of frozen streams of ice around here. Why did they chose you to go and fetch it though? They usually do it themselves because then they know for sure they have the right stuf.” Coren still kept his hands in his pockets looking at the woman with weary eyes.

[Aello]

"It's the same with many of us you know. We pretend not to know anything about things we know quite well," Aello replied. "Things we hold near and dear to our hearts, and would prefer not to have to do without." There was a slight pause, "it's sad really, to have to linger in the shadows just so one may feel the slightest semblance of security. Especially when magic, used in moderation, can provide one with a sort of edge; a slight advantage over those who do not wield the same power, or so much as know of its existence." There was another slight pause, "but if you're not ready to share what you know with the people back home, that can be respected. Although, I'd suggest you don't threaten me again, when it's apparent that I have no intention of spilling your secrets for one, and two, am far more powerful than you would like to think." Aello's eyes sparkled mischievously as she simply stared at Coren, trying to get a better look at him past his hood. "So in return for the favor, perhaps it is best you do something for me as well," she said playfully, her words gliding out of her lips like water over rock. "Unless of course, you don't so much as fear the possibility of a change in mind. The notion that it would serve me best if someone other than the two of us knew what you truly were." After the words had left her lips, Aello paused, and took a step closer to him. She would extend her free hand to him, and reach for his left arm. She would try to grab it, just above the elbow, allowing her fingers to wind their way around his flesh, and squeeze him lightly, to be sure she had his attention. When she was as certain as she could possibly be, Aello would stand on her toes so that she may lean in closer to his ear. "Because they're not as good with a weapon. It's far too easy for the healers to fall," Aello whispered, her voice cold as she slowly moved away. "So about that favor, what do you intend to do?" she asked, as she glanced up and down the man's form.

[Coren]

Coren kept a wary gaze on the woman as she began rattling of how his situation was quite common with many mages. Though he noted the fact that she said us, counting herself within that group. So she probably was a mage too. Coren didn't let that fact lower his guard though, just because the other person in front of you said she was a mage didn't mean they couldn't be lying to get you to thrust them. He relaxed a bit when she said he would respect his choice and not tell anybody of the fact he was able to use magic or knew anything about it. “Okay okay, I won't threaten you again.” Coren replied to her comment about her being more powerful then she seemed. Feeling as if he had just evaded a pissed of polar bear out for his blood. That feeling was quickly shattered when the woman demanded a favor for her secrecy and coren let out an annoyed sigh. He should have know that she wouldn't keep her mouth shut for nothing. “Fine, just get your hand of my arm and tell me what kind of favor you want and I'll see what I can do.” Coren impatiently waited for the woman to tell him what the heck she wanted. Shrugging at her reply for why they send her. “It isn't that dangerous this close to the city, the icewatch keeps an eye out for anything dangerous coming close to the city.” He felt a smirk crawl on his face. “So they either let you look for something that is easy to recognize but hard to find. Most likely paying you not what the trouble was worth, or the one that gave you to job had a sense of humor and sent you on a snipe hunt.”

[Aello]

Aello pulled her finger's off Coren's flesh, allowing her hand to hang over him for a minute before she pulled it back to her side. "First off, why don't you tell me what sort of magic you were using to rid the stick of its color?" Aello asked, "and once we both have an understanding of what it is you can do, perhaps you could help a bit with something, while I help you with something. You see, a good archer always keeps on practicing to keep from getting too rusty, much like a good mage always keeps on practicing their spells." There was a slight pause, "perhaps you could use your magic to... create targets for me to try and hit with a few arrows. There are only ten in the quiver; once they have all been shot once, and retrieved, we can call it a day, and return to the warmth of the Holds. Pretend this never happened," Aello explained. The girl paused for several moments as her eyes darted up and down Coren's body, trying to determine whether or not he was even remotely interested in what she was saying. "Unless you want to stay out some more and practice on your own," Aello added. "In fact, that may be best, that way, we won't be seen returning to the Holds together. Makes the whole 'we don't know each other' lie all the more believable, no?" Aello ignored everything he had said about the plant; refusing to let him know what she thought; denying him a response. Perhaps he was right, if the Whitevine wanted it so desperately, perhaps they could go out and get it themselves. That way, she wouldn't have to waste any more of her precious time. "So do we have a deal?" Aello finally asked, as she tilted her head slightly to the side, awaiting a response.

[Coren]

Coren absentmindedly dusted of the spot where the woman's hand had touched him as he mulled over her offer. While he didn't mind explaining a bit about the art of shielding, obviously not enough so that she could start practicing it, just to let her keep her mouth shut. He actually liked teaching people anyway. But he had his doubts about helping her with her archery training, he might be able to rig a few training targets with his shielding if he was creative with it. He let out a sigh as the woman asked if they had a deal and nodded. “Yes we have a deal. I'll explain a bit about how I made the branch look like this and help you with that archery training of yours. In return you don't tell a word about anything about the fact I know magic and leave me alone while I continue to practice” He just bend down and picked up the sloppily shielded stick holding it up so that aello could clearly see it. “First things first, the name of the disciple I used to make the stick look like this is shielding.” He held out the stick closer to her, urging her to take it and get a better look at it. “And like the name suggests its only able to block things out. It would have been impossible to get rid of the stick's color. What I did was make a shield around it and tasked it to block out light. Letting the stick appear a solid black.” He paused for a few moments and gave aello a pointed look. “Are you still following so far?”

[Aello]

"Fair enough," Aello commented as she watched Coren bend to pick up the stick. His fingers wound their way around it as he held it out to her. Reluctantly, Aello reached for it with her right hand, and plucked it out from between his fingertips. She held it in the center of her palm, and delicately ran her thumb over the smooth wooden surface, as though trying to determine if it were a real stick, or some sort of prop from a joke shop or the like. "Shielding..." she whispered as she nodded her head. "Yes, that makes sense. Although, it doesn't seem like you did the best job, you just stripped it of color in some places. And you can't make out the details as well..." Aello's voice trailed off as her thumb settled on a small, pointed knob on one end on the stick. "Like here... you can't even see that there is something protruding off the surface of the stick." Aello fell silent for a few moments before glancing back up at Coren. "Anyway, you may continue. I'm still following," Aello added, as she held the stick back out to Coren, hoping that he would retrieve it swiftly, for the bark that lined the edges was chipping, and leaving tiny bits of wood on her palms. "It's not exactly, the most difficult concept to grasp. Especially when you already know something of magic, and the things it can be made to do."