Private Tales A Walk in Shadow

[Harper Kai]

As the ice exploded toward them it only turned to cold liquid as it hit any exposed skin of the water nymph, quickly absorbing into her body. Harper looked to Yujin at his plead, blue eyes flashing. She moved as the attackers came in so her back was to him. And then she fought.

Even as she felt the shift in magic from another.

Her fists flew. Boots connecting with snarling jaws and wings. Water curling into balls and becoming her own missiles of ice as she launched them. Even as she felt it getting harder and harder to do so. Even as she felt the effects of using magic beginning to take their toll.

Looking back to Yujin, she made a choice.

He was too valuable to get caught. It wasn't even that she trusted him or found him overly pleasant. He was her best shot at getting information about her brother. And if he was dead?

She could survive torture.

She'd done it for hundreds of years.

And if she died? Well, she'd almost eaten those berries a day ago. She'd be reunited with her family in the falls of the ninth realm.

"You'll forgive me later," she breathed and with her last strength of magic, pushing wildly against the barrier that was quickly clamping down on her ability she'd rocket him skyward in a sudden gush of snow and water. Her green hair flew wildly around her as the makeshift geyser of pure, wild snow and force went to lift him up, out, and away.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Tadgh could feel the momentum turning against them; there were simply too many for the two of them to handle. Even a full strength duanann might have trouble with the strength and organization of their assailants. He'd catch a glimpse of Harper here and there between blows, but the end was coming soon. He felt it in his bones, a weakness and a comfort of wanting to give in, wanting to finally let go after all these years of violence and turmoil. He'd let down the only possible friend he might have made during his time in Winter apart from Mab herself, and if she died now, then it would be entirely his fault for making a bad call. Worse yet was the impending torture if she were captured, which he could only imagine with a group like this.

Her words stung his ears, his eyes widening in uncertainty as she released what seemed to be the last of her strength. In moments, he found himself airborne as a geyser of snow launched him into the air. For a few fleeting moments, he had some peace to think. Away from the gnawing, gnashing teeth of their foes, his mind was made clear again. The reserves of energy were ready now. And his choice was made. His body began to undergo a terrible transformation--hands became claws, teeth became fangs, skin became dark green scales, and two great, leathery wings protruded from his back. His eyes became golden, and catlike. His size more than tripled, and he became 20 feet tall at the top of his scaly head. A long, thick tail completed the transformation.

He entered the geyser with his regular Fae appearance, but he erupted from the top as the Dragon of Winter itself.

His wings extended and Tadgh quickly dove back to the icy lake, his landing crashing into the ice and shattering where he landed. He scrambled quickly away from the ice, back to where Harper was. The insurgents were quick to respond, his skin suddenly being pelted by magic missiles, which left black scorch marks on his scales. He ignored these as he quickly closed the distance back to the nymph. With a sweep of his terrible paw he cleared away most of the insurgents away from her position. Seeing more approaching from the other end of the lake, he turned and slapped the ice with his tail, causing it to ripple and break, disrupting their renewed charge. Then, he briefly lifted his head before lunging his neck forward, as a terrible stream of acid and venom spewed from his maw, melting the brush in front of them as well as any unfortunate enough to be caught in the area.

Too stunned to continue, the insurgents began to break and retreat. Tadgh whipped his tail and crushed any still close to them, shortly before plucking Harper from a floe of ice in his large hand. He flapped his wings, worried he might be hit by some renewed spell, but none came, and before long they were borne far away from Lake Konwa. In time, Tadgh would land atop a small mountain formation, gently releasing the nymph onto the rock beneath. His mind was still racing, yet he was exhausted from the effort, and immediately sat, then rested his head on his paws. He looked sleepily at Harper, his eyes half open and blinking slowly. In this form he could not speak, and it would be some time before he could shift back, as this was the largest he had ever shifted before, and the energy of it might take days to recover. Still, for the moment, it seemed he'd at least gotten Harper out alive, and the thought of that was enough to content him for the time being as he occasionally shut his eyes for moments to rest.

 

[Harper Kai]

Harper didn’t see the shift as a cwn’s jaws took the opportunity of distraction to snap down on her thigh. She was dragged down to the cold ground, all the snow gone from her earlier push with the geyser. And then she felt it.

There was a powerful boom over by the lake even as she grappled with the cwn. She felt it’s teeth rip muscle and flesh. A roar. Reaching for a knife at her hip she plunged it into the dog’s neck and it finally released her with a growling yelp.

Green-haired head looked up, her whole body freezing as a….dragon charged.

Oh fuck.

She was dead.

It took her a moment to realize it was fighting everyone else. Blue eyes widened even as she forced herself to stand on her one good leg.

What…who….

Nostrils flared at the smell of poison and before she could flee its clawed-hands curled…surprisingly gentle, around her, plucking her from the massacred masses. And they were airborne. Wind whistled loudly in her ears. She fought the black dots that began swimming across her vision. Even as she collapsed onto the rock of a distant peak. She looked up at the sleepy eyes of the dragon, a familiar set.

“Yujin?” A cold puff of breath. The black dots were expanding now. She fought to stay awake. Her leg was a mangled mess and she’d need to be submerged in water to heal. It would probably take a few days.

With one last push of her strength, she inched over to the dragon’s side. Her back leaned against the scales, Head tipping back to look at its face.

“Rest. I’ll keep watch.”

She’d try to at least. As long as she could fight off the growing darkness. The throb of her leg a steady beat with her heart.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

As the water nymph rested against his scales, Tadgh felt exhaustion start to settle in; his eyes would shut for small intervals as he attempted to maintain consciousness. After a few moments, he finally opened his eye enough to actually scan their surroundings. Harper had moved--this was a good sign--but he finally caught a glimpse of her leg. He hadn't seen quite what happened, but it seemed she was badly wounded. He was in no position to help her now, at least not with magic; she would have to take care of herself. Yet they had no bandages to speak of, and his paws were far too large to be of any assistance now.

He remembered, at that moment, that she was a water nymph. Water. He tried to contain his sudden excitement, knowing she was leaning against him, but he slowly stood back up despite the fatigue and let out a bark, focusing his attention on her. With her leg in that state, it seemed unlikely she could move, so he took it upon himself to use his snout to ease her onto his head. They were in luck, for a spring was nearby, flowing slowly down the mountainside and pooling into a little pond at the base of the mountain itself. He didn't know if it would help or not, but he couldn't just let her sit here and die.

He began scaling down the mountainside, clinging to the rock with his claws the way a cat might climb a tree. He kept his head as level as possible for her so she wouldn't slip and fall. His long tail trailed behind them as he quickly closed the distance between the plateau they were on and the pond below. In a minute or so, they would arrive, where Tadgh would gently lower his head back to the ground itself, tilting slightly to help Harper dismount.

He then backed up ever so slightly, allowing her space to get into the pool without obstructing her. He lied down again, once again resting his head atop his paws, watching Harper patiently as he started to slip back out of consciousness again.

 

[Harper Kai]

Blue eyes opened wearily at all the jostling. UGHHHH. Why could she just not rest a little? Blue eyes snapped open at the BARK.

Huh.

Who knew dragons could bark?

"Don't be rude," she grumbled with more jostling then she found herself clinging to his head. Green hair fell across her pale face and she blacked out for a second. And it was a good thing so she didn't see the drop as he scaled the side of the mountain.

She awoke as she began sliding from his scaly head. Her feet sliding into a warm pool. Steam drifted lazily up into the crisp air, the warm waters a stark contrast to the winter landscape around them. A hot spring. If he was watching close enough he'd see her body start to become clear as the water itself until it became indistinguishable entirely to the liquid.

Strands of her floating green hair the last to turn clear as she became completely submerged. A few happy bubbles lifted to the surface of the water. Harper began to heal, deep down in the springs. While water temperature didn't bother her there was something particularly nice about warm water.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Before he could see her slip into the water, Tadgh had already passed out from the strain; like a bird, flight was incredibly tiring in this form, and though he worried for Harper, he'd reached his limit. His slumber was deep and uninterruptable; for 9 hours he would sleep, nearly silently for a creature his size, only a very soft hiss or thrum audible here and there. His mind wandered as he slept, as he processed what had happened to them and how he--they--were even still alive. The battle flashed in his dreams, memories of the fight both in and out of his draconic form, remembering the white camouflage uniforms of their assailants, and how narrowly he'd skipped death during it all...

More harrowing visions began to appear, mostly related to Harper. She had been injured, then carted away to some dank dungeon cell. He saw them torture her, as she tried desperately to tell them she didn't know anything, yet the beatings continued. And when that didn't work, when they'd exhausted every option, they brought in something truly terrible... it looked like salt. A lot of salt. Did water nymphs dry up when exposed to so much salt? The absurdity of it caused Tadgh to awaken, his eye slowly blinking awake and grumbling in his throat; it was nighttime now. He didn't know about how water nymphs healed themselves, but if he didn't see her immediately, he would grow quite worried, and lift his head up, frantically searching for her.

Was it a dream, after all? he thought. Or... a vision...?

 

[Harper Kai]

Harper was in there a good hour after he woke. Ever-so-slowly a transparent head formed from the steam and waters of the hot springs. Colorless eyes and face blinking at the agitated dragon. In fact, she didn't know if he noticed her yet so she sent a small dragon that mimicked his form made from the waters of the spring flying in his direction, dancing playfully around his head and form.

Her watery-form moved to the edge of the springs, transparent arms coming to rest on the rocky ledge.

It was clear the water nymph was not ready to leave the water anytime soon. But she'd healed enough to awaken and check on Yujin. If a dragon could have dark circles beneath his eyes, she imagined she could see them. A small frown pulled on her aqua lips.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

He wanted to rush back to Lake Konwa as soon as he'd discerned that Harper was, in fact, not visible. For a fleeting moment he was convinced the insurgents had captured her, that his dream was more than just a nightmare, and that he needed to try to get her out--a thought which confused him. Anyone else he wouldn't have thought twice about letting die in such a situation. That was the job, and if you got caught, you were compromised and it was over. You didn't get to go home. Too much was riding on your silence and the logic was like that of helping a drowning person: trying to help sometimes meant that there were now two, rather than one who was struggling to stay afloat.

But his mind calmed as he thought about Harper's abilities. She was tied to the water itself, could control it and manipulate it to her will. Perhaps she was holed up in a small cave beneath the pond's surface, and was resting. He decided he would give it some time; during that time, he started to gather rocks, grass, and other materials, laying them in a large pile at the water's edge. In a short time, he'd made himself a nest that was actually big enough to support his new form. His throat hummed with the resulting excitement at his apparent success. He lied down again, grateful for the additional comfort. In a few moments after, Harper would resurface. At first, he didn't recognize her, but time would yield that the strange, transparent being before him was the nymph he'd been so worried about.

He lifted his head slightly, turning so that he could see her more clearly with one of his eyes. He craned his neck closer to her until his head was close enough to touch, although he did this because his vision wasn't as good in this form. In fact, he'd only noticed her because of the sudden disturbance in the water.

His throat rumbled softly, in a sound that, were he not a dragon bigger than an elephant and taller than a giraffe, one might mistake for purring. It would likely be many days before they recovered, but Tadgh would stay by her pond during this time, hunting for himself, and for her if needed. But he was overjoyed that she was safe. In time, he could shift back and explain things to her, because his mind was clearer and his heart grew heavy, for he knew only one course of action remained after the events at the Lake. And it frustrated him deeply that he couldn't speak to her about it yet.

They needed to contact the Shadow Council. But for now, he would simply try to coexist with the nymph until she healed and he could change back again.

 

[Harper Kai]

An amused smile flickered across her watery-form at the noises the dragon muttered. Her little water dragon replica paused in its dance around him and reformed to a blob of water. It would probably be the best water Yujin ever tasted. When a water nymph offered someone water it was very rude to refuse.

It hovered toward his dragon maw.

And for the days they'd stay in this small, protected area, she'd offer him water at different points during the day. Making sure he stayed well-hydrated. She'd pass much of the time beneath the surface of the springs. Resting and healing. When he came back with a kill or other plant food, she'd nibble some but always stay within the water, keeping her watery-form.

Sometimes during the day, she'd turn into different watery forms and leap into the air and back into the pool, leaving no ripples on the surface. Three days of falling into an easy routine with Yujin, she surfaced the next morning looking once again like her more physical form. No longer translucent. Bright blue eyes with skin and a pop of green hair.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Tadgh watched the watery dragon as it flitted through the air. It seemed she was trying to speak to him, that perhaps she understood that speech was no longer an option and that they would need to find other ways to communicate. Dragons can't blush, of course, but he was nonetheless enchanted by the little replica that floated around. Eventually, it turned into its own little pool of water, and despite his limited contact even after so long, he knew what she was offering. He ever so slightly opened his maw, creating a small opening through which he touched, and drank the water. And, as the legends would have it, it was, in fact, the most delicious water he'd ever drank.

When it came to food, he was mindful of her diet insofar that he wasn't going to hunt something and bring its half-eaten carcass back to her. Instead, he spent a decent amount of time using his senses to find various nuts and berries she could eat instead. He made a small pile of leaves on the water's edge, which he would place the food on once he'd gathered enough to make a meal. For most of the rest of the day though, he would rest in his makeshift nest, and when he wasn't asleep he would watch for Harper in the water, though her appearances were rather rare. He could sometimes sense her movements in the water, though, and each time he did, it gave him some small sense of comfort. There was something about saving a life, and not just people, but one person he could see and watch be alive and flourishing, that warmed his bones and made it easier to sleep than he'd felt in a very long time.

He found Harper's leaps through the air and back into the water purely mystifying. There was no trace she was even really there, as if she and the water were one, no ripples to mark her passage, and the only evidence being that which Tadgh saw with his own eyes. It reinforced the relative peace they were experiencing here in the wild, alone; that she could be so free in a manner of speaking made him mournful that they would very soon need to return to society. While he did miss his tea, he didn't mind it so much at the moment.

As she resurfaced into her original form, Tadgh watched with interest, his head perking up as she reemerged with her more familiar colors and skin. He felt he might be able to shift back soon, but was still feeling apprehensive; perhaps another day would grant him the strength. He rumbled gently at seeing Harper at the water, and moved his head forward to meet her, stopping just short of her and closing his eye, inviting her to touch his head or neck if she pleased. As he did, he wondered what she might say, as she might have many questions that he sadly wouldn't be able to immediately answer...

 

[Harper Kai]

Harper stepped from the pool, fully clothed in a top that looked as if it was made from shimmering golden scales and a long skirt that flowed like river grass in a current. She didn’t hesitate as he leaned forward. Her palm pressed against his scales and smoothed over his head, coming to give him a few scratches under his chin. Though they hadn’t spoken in words in days, she felt closer to him. They’d used a language deeper than words would ever go.

Why had he come back for her?

Harper would most assuredly scold him about it later. But for now? She’d scratch his chin and step back to offer him some fresh water.

“Will you…be okay?” She finally asked the puca. She didn’t know how things worked with them.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

As her hands brushed against him, he leaned gently into her affection; it was a natural, welcome feeling when they had just been through so much together, and it banished some of the worry from his heart. She felt gentle and affirming, and he closed his eyes as he soaked in the comforting feeling. At the offer for water, he accepted, again drinking from the familiar sphere in the air. As to her question, he tilted his head quizzically, not for the question itself but for pondering how he would answer.

He took a few steps back, into his nest, then lied down on the makeshift bedding. His head still upright, he took a single claw and used it to tap his chest twice. Then, emphatically, he plopped his head on the ground, eyes closed. In a moment he would open them again, rumbling softly in his throat. The magical scarring and scorch marks he'd sustained in the fighting from the spells were clear in the daylight, marring his otherwise uniformly shimmering green scales. He didn't know if she would quite understand, but it was all he could think to do to tell her that he just needed another day's rest.

Of course, he knew that even with such rest that the transformation back was going to be dangerous, but he couldn't stay a dragon forever. There was work that needed doing, and he and Harper had a grim task ahead of them: dismantling one of the most organized insurgencies Winter may have ever seen. But for now, they were safe, and he could do just that last little bit of rest in relative peace knowing that Harper was well again, the wound in her leg seemingly having healed.

He lay his head down in front of her again, his long neck somewhat scrunched, and his eyes open and attentive. A thought creeped into his head: maybe he'd been wrong to shut so many people out before, even for the sake of his role as Winter's spymaster. Perhaps he'd missed out on a mate because of it. And maybe, with Harper, he could at least share some portion of his life with someone else, even in this capacity, and with all the present danger around them.

 

[Harper Kai]

She sighed as he put his head down. She imagined she got the gist of what he was saying. He just needed more time. A little more rest.

"Okay," she breathed.

Harper decided to take advantage of him not being able to speak. In so many words. She began pacing in front of him. Her feet bare. She'd lost her boots somewhere along the way and they stepped carefully over the rock and lichen. Luckily, the area in their little private space was warmer than the surrounding wintery landscape due to the constant steam rising from the pool of the hot springs.

"You shouldn't have come back for me. Why did you?" She paused and looked back to him, fingers placing on her hips as the water nymph stared the dragon down.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

While Tadgh had started to rest, he sensed Harper pacing in front of him, and kept his eyes open instead. She seemed impatient, something that was clarified when she finally stopped and asked.

You shouldn't have come back for me. Why did you?

Why? Why indeed. In his mind, he'd gone through the process already of examining his decision. He felt half foolish for putting the nymph's life before Winter, when they'd only recently met and when even now she knew too much to be safe, as she knew of Tadgh's appearance and where they might find him on a given day. But the other half was a sense of kinship, camaraderie, that he knew was going to be difficult to convey. Her story of coming from Summer, and losing most of her family... it reminded Tadgh of when he and Mab were lonely children of that whorehouse in Autumn where they both were born. They'd stayed friends since then, and that friendship was why he'd sworn his service to her. But while Mab had grown in power, respect, and opportunity, Tadgh had stagnated, a servant of the Winter Queen til his dying breath--at least, that was what he agreed to. The times Mab and Tadgh spoke in dreams were few and far between now, and in some small way he felt cast aside, or forgotten, even though he'd been instrumental in her rise.

He would tell Harper someday, he suspected. For now, he needed to somehow tell Harper his answer. In his quiet reminiscing, he'd thought of something. He lowered his head, urging Harper to climb on, and once she was secure, he'd start walking through the woods. After passing by many pines and other, smaller trees of the cold clime, they eventually reached another pond. Tadgh's movements slowed, and with Harper in tow he snaked his head through two trees to see the pond itself. At the water's edge could be seen a little gaggle of geese, with some eating, some watching guard, and some resting. Two geese in particular formed a pair, sitting side by side and watching the pond, unaware that Tadgh and Harper were close by, watching. Tadgh was so large that he might have seemed more a tree than a threat, and the geese went about their business. Tadgh let Harper watch for many minutes of their interactions, as they plucked at each other, occasionally honked out of excitement or interest, and moved with purpose, either to guard or to feed.

Then, he started moving again. He wandered through the forest again for some time, Harper in tow, doubtless curious she might have questions or assumptions, but he didn't answer them; instead he eventually took them to a clearing, where some distance away, a large Elk could be seen. While Tadgh dwarfed it, the Elk itself was larger than a horse, its antlers an intimidating presence. Yet unlike the geese, the Elk was alone as it meandered through a field, occasionally leaning down to graze. Its movements were aimless and slow. After a few minutes, it tilted its head back and bugled, a lonely high-pitched piercing scream that echoed throughout the woods. Nothing answered. In a few minutes, it bugled again. And still nothing answered. After the second bugle, Tadgh rumbled softly, then turned back, heading for their makeshift camp again.

Once they arrived again, Tadgh lowered his head to the ground and tilted again to gently allow Harper to get down. Then, he lumbered back to his nest again, resting his head on his paws and watching the nymph to see how she reacted. His answer, such as it was, was fairly vague still, and he worried she might not fully understand. If she'd only wait one more day, he could be more specific... but then, even he knew some questions couldn't wait to be asked.

 

[Harper Kai]

There was a sadness in his eyes. She could see it as he gazed at the gaggle of geese. Then again at the mournful call of the stag. She couldn't help it as her hand stroked gently against the scales of his neck, a gesture she didn't really think about.

Like her, he felt alone.

As her feet touched gently back down on the rocks in their little space, blue eyes tracked Yujin's movements. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. She thought she understood. Perhaps he saw a little of himself in her. Perhaps he was tired of sacrificing others. Perhaps he couldn't take more guilt onto the mountains he already had.

"Rest," she finally spoke and went back to the springs, sitting on the ledge and dipping her legs into the warmth. One glance over her shoulder at his nest. "I'll keep watch."

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

He let a solemn moment pass as she said she would watch over him while he rested. Eventually, he craned his head beyond the nest, resting it on the ground right next to Harper. He snorted, the closest thing he could make to a sigh, and then lazily blinked his eyes. It wasn't as comfortable this way, but he hated looking at her from a distance, sitting alone by the water's edge as she kept a silent vigil. Well, now at least they could watch each other.

He felt a certain mischief rising in him, though. In a moment his head moved forward, as he pretended to want to get a drink from the warm water. As he stuck his snout in though, he flicked his nose, which flung a large mass of water at Harper. She was a water nymph, sure, but it still had him laughing in his draconic throat. He then, as if nothing happened, lay his head back down on the rock next to her, closing his eyes and doing the closest equivalent a dragon could to a smirk.

 

[Harper Kai]

Brilliant blue eyes like the glittering surface of a glacial-fed lake on a bright sunny day widened as the dragon splashed her. Splashed HER. Lady of the Water. One of the most powerful water nymphs to be born in the last few centuries.

She sputtered and sat in stunned silence for a beat. Then another. Before the water absorbed into her skin, leaving her as if she'd never been splashed in the first place. Without warning or apology, Yujin would suddenly find a medium sized wave coming out of the pool to swamp his head as a bell-like laugh would erupt from her throat.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

He'd been too busy laughing when the wave Harper had conjured splashed him dead in the face, with enough force that even he felt it despite his draconic form. He wouldn't be deterred, though, for the game was afoot now and he so very much hated losing. He lowered his head, rumbling softly as if he were sad, the rest of his body going somewhat limp, and deflated. However, secretly, his long tail began creeping towards her. She might try to console him, she might be suspicious, but before long his tail was rushing, having gained momentum as he attempted to use its point to push her into the water...

Water nymphs liked water, right? Or were they the water itself? Tadgh wasn't sure, but he was far too amused for his own good now, as he hoped she'd be pushed into the pool itself. It was small, but it was at least something to get his mind off their more pressing concerns, even as the bugle of the elk echoed in his mind...

 

[Harper Kai]

He may be the spymaster but in her short time of knowing him, she could read Yujin. She was not buying his ‘remorse.’ She was still laughing as he shook his soaked head, water moving fluidly off his scales.

Then THWAP!

A surprised yelp as she was knocking into the hot springs. Her form disappeared completely as the water seemed to…absorb her. There was no flash of green hair or…anything.

Yujin would suddenly find spurts of water being sprayed mercilessly his way. No playful attack coming from the same point twice. Some spurts would spiral or come as rings. Others would be displayed as winged water animals. He might become a thoroughly soaked dragon soon.

He probably needed a bath so Harper didn't feel bad about it.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

The sudden onslaught of water had a dragon even of Tadgh's size reeling, attempting to deflect the spouts from hitting him in the eyes in particular. He bared his teeth, a bit grumpy that she could possibly be doing this after he'd shoved her into the water--her own element, by the way--it was just childish. Pushing her into the water was the more mature, refined approach, even though he'd started all this in the first place. Tadgh was a sensible person, but one spurt of water too many hit him in the face, and he made a somewhat not sensible decision.

Tadgh starting pushing through all the jets of water. He had no idea how this would work, but it might have been the only way to get her to stop. Once he'd gotten close enough to the water's edge, he rolled over... straight into the hot spring itself, displacing a massive amount of the water. It wasn't even deep enough to submerge him, so now he awkwardly lay on his back in the water, much of which had been splashed onto the rocky shore...

Harper was water, right? She'd be fine. Probably.

 

[Harper Kai]

For a long, long moment, the lazy warm waters of the hot springs remained quiet as they sloshed and settled due to the new and intrusive occupant. Steam continued to rise up lazily, curling around the dragon's large scaled body. And it would almost seem as if Harper was gone.

Or like she'd disappeared entirely.

No more spouts of water. No more splashes.

Until hand-sized bubbles began to rise from the depths. From the water that remained in the springs and wasn't splashed out. As they popped gently against the dragon's skin he'd hear a trickle of laughter. Until more and more lightly popped, the nymph's laughter filling up their small hidden sanctuary.

The bubbles stopped as did her voice.

For a moment.

Before a watery-maiden form materialized. The same form she'd had when she was still healing. Clear as the water itself but in her own shape. Hands placed on watery hips.

"At least now you'll smell nicer," a wink as she sunk halfway back into the water.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

As Harper began 'laughing' with the bubbles rising from the spring and popping, Tadgh let out a throaty, rhythmic noise that mimicked laughing. Then, he watched as she rose from the water again, more or less a part of the pool itself, in her same shape but now of water, hands still placed on her hips with as much energy as she'd had before. Harper, it seemed, always had such energy. And when she joked, he laughed again, twisting his head in the water, splashing more of it about.

He felt a certain energy in the pool itself; perhaps Harper had imbued it with her own as she inhabited it? Either way, he was feeling rejuvenated. Enough so that he thought, just maybe, he would be able to shift back to his 'normal' form, or at least the one where he could be around other Fae. He drew on that energy, as well as his own, as magical energy began to steam off of him in small wisps. He felt the familiar changing of his own bones and organs, straining as he felt the sudden downshift in size. In a moment, and a flash of light, he would be returned to his original form.

However, he hadn't been ready. He was himself, but he quickly slipped out of consciousness, still in the pool itself, where he slowly sunk to the bottom...

 

[Harper Kai]

He didn’t get a chance to sink to the bottom. Or even for his head to dip under. Where water should be fluid and not solid, it suddenly resisted against his body. And slowly lifted him from the pool and toward the nest, setting him down gently on the bed that was at least ten times too big for him now.

Harper was out just as quickly, back in her clothed and solid form. Tucking her legs beneath her, she knelt over his head, tipping her ear toward his mouth to make sure he was breathing as one of her hands smoothed his green hair away from his face.

 

[Tadgh Fahalla]

Tadgh was unconscious for some time before waking again. When he did, he was relieved to feel his own hands and feet again, resting against the makeshift nest he'd created as a dragon. It seemed even with the additional magic he still wasn't quite ready to have made that shift, but he felt there wasn't much time for him to be resting any longer. Every day he waited, the insurgents had more time to recover from the battle they'd just fought, and he still didn't know what they were planning.

He came to his senses finally, sitting up.

"Harper? I need to tell you something-"

He was interrupted by a sudden urge to cough, which he covered with his arm, only to discover to his disappointment small spots of blood. Damn, he thought, sighing, knowing that it likely meant even with the additional rest that this would have been a dangerous shift. Still, he was at least stable and conscious, and that meant they could get started. He looked for Harper, his face sheepish as he found her again.

"Ah, I guess I wasn't quite ready yet," he said, softly. "If only we had more time..."

 

[Harper Kai]

The water nymph never left the spymaster's side. She stayed seated next to him, fingers idly stroking his hair back. Satisfied that he was breathing and wasn't going to die soon. After an hour or so like this, she curlend up next to him, her head resting lightly against his chest, listening to make sure it rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

In fact, she'd drifted off in this position when he suddenly sat up.

A bit dazed, she looked up at him as the back of her head fell to his lap. Palms came up to push the lingering tiredness from her blue eyes. And realizing her position, she sat up quickly, clearing her throat. A small frown at the small spots of crimson that covered his hand. Green-brows pinched together.

"What do you need to tell me?"