Private Tales Hot Air

[Fynaurie]

Finn

"Do you think the Dragoons will ever have to fight again?" she mused. The sun was warm on her face. Having taken off her goggles and mask she laid on the saddle as Vaxor glided high in the sky. She was one slip from a plummet, but this was the life they lived. Few sky elves lived beyond five hundred.

Vaxor chattered back at her. She didn't understand their language in detail, none of her people did. The rohk understood them and in turn Fynaurie could usually get the gist of what Vaxor was thinking between his demeanour and the kind of noises he made. If not he usually prodded to nipped her. That was why she wore thick leathers all the time. Her arms bore the scars of their training.

"Well I know you'd have to do most of the fighting anyway. It isn't like they're letting me use an ether-glaive yet." It was a sore point for the young elf that they wouldn't trust her with the deadly weapon wielded by their fiercest warriors. What was a bow and regular spear to the strength of Vaxor's talons.

He let our a shrill cry and Fynaurie rolled onto her belly. It wasn't a warning of danger. Not much could threaten a rohk and she had know heard first hand their warning cry on sighting a dragon.

"What's that?" She asked. She slipped on her goggles. They were made of smooth bone, with a translucent silk pulled over the slits.

They didn't help. It looked like a...ball. A ball in the sky.

"Let's have a look!" she called out, strapping herself in for a dive.

 

[Finn]

Finn wiped a smoke-streaked hand across her brow. Leather gloves that went nearly to her elbows wrapped up her gangly-arms. Hands pressed against the back of her hips. She wasn't looking up, otherwise she may have seen the massive eagle and elf-girl coming her way.

She was looking down.

The massive balloon was tied to an old, small wooden houseboat. There was an enclosed cabin with a hammock on one side. Then open decking up to the nose of the ship. The little inventor was peering over the side, trying to figure out where in the land she'd been blown to. Hands released from her hips as she pulled out a small map, bare-shoulders hunching over to get a closer look.

If it wasn't for Kellen, she wouldn't be here. The girl owed the crimelord quite a bit.

There was a sudden whoooooosh from behind and above. Finn turned away from the map and craned her neck, trying to find the source.

 

[Fynaurie]

The eagle swooped past and back up and out of sight. It came past her view too quickly to study properly. Finn wouldn't catch sight of the talons large enough to snatch her away, but she would see its eye - the size of a saucer - watching her back.

The eagle's feathers were whites, dusty reds and blue-greys. Yet the tips of its wings had clearly been dyed scarlet. It carried coloured livery and a saddle. The creature on the saddle looked back at finn with enormous, blank white eyes. They passed far too quickly for Finn to see that they were strapped on.


They were nearly fifty strides above the balloon when they levelled out from the swoop. Up around around they went over the top of the balloon.

"Was that a...well I don't even know what that was?" Fynaurie chattered excitedly to Vaxor.

 

[Finn]

A yelp left the girl's throat and she hit the deck as that big beady eye passed. What was that?! What was on it? Couldn't be harpies. Not like that one time.

Finn's magic couldn't help but stretch forward, sensing for magic in the other...creatures.

Crawling on the deck, the girl looked up, blues squinting at her new shadows. Gloved-hand reached up to the controls with the fire and she cut one of the levers. The ballooned structure jerked starboard and began dropping.

Finn doubted she could outrun or outmaneuver them but at least she didn't have to remain a passive target.

 

[Fynaurie]

The great eagle came into view again, sailing on ahead of the balloon. Finn was afforded a clear view of the underside of Vaxor as he gracefully turned about.

His wings rose upwards and tilted back. The balloon, by necessity, had to follow the wind to some degree. For Vaxor to soar slowly enough to give Fynaurie a proper view he had to fly into the wind.

Fynaurie was so taken aback by what she saw that she nearly forgot to call out.

"Is this magic?" She shouted as she passed by. Vaxor grumbled softly. He was less impressed by what he saw.

 

[Finn]

Finn couldn't help the crane of her neck and the goggle of her eyes.

"At least it's not a dragon," the bony-limbed girl muttered, knees still kneeling on the wood of the deck. She slowly pushed herself to stand. Couldn't help the smallest tremble in her legs though. Gloved hands gripped the balustrade.

"No," she called quietly and realized it was too quiet. Throat cleared and she looked back upwind. "No! It's....I...," voice trailed off.

"Is that thing safe?" Finn was clearly referring to the GIANT-NORMOUS-NORMOUSSSS eagle.

 

[Fynaurie]

"How does it fly?" She called out. "Sorry, I do not speak human very well!" Fynaurie called out, despite the fact that she seemed to be speaking it perfectly.

"This isn't the place to be to be safe!" she laughed out, waving at the sky around them.

"Get me closer," she whispered to Vaxor in elvish, because he didn't know any human.

The rohk glided around the airship again. Neither of them could work out its method of flight. It wasn't going fast enough to generate the lift it needed. Now suddenly, with no change in profile it was losing altitude.

Vaxor banked sharply towards the undercarriage. His wings were thrown back, slowing him almost to a halt as his talons extended. They could have plucked a bull from the ground without issue, his wings were over thirty feet from tip to tip.

"Not like that you stupid bird!" Fynaurie shouted, but it was too late. He wrapped his talons around the undercarriage and clung tight. "You're not a bat!"

The Eagle hung for just a few moments before dropping, taking Fynaurie with him on a brief dive before swooping back up.

"You probably scared her to death!" Fynaurie continue to chastise him, but it seemed to have no effect. Vaxor had wanted a closer look himself and from the saddle she was permitted to make suggestions on where to go.

 

[Finn]

Finn yelped and found her back slamming against the wood of the deck once again. This time not voluntarily. Blues like the sky on a clear, cold day widened.

"Oomph," she groaned and rolled back to her feet.

"Don't do that! Bad bird!" The inventor yelled, a kindling fear growing in her eyes. "The extra weight will bring me down." There was a sudden drop and her stomach plummeted. Crawling over, she looked at the edge as the clouds parted. Peaks of snowy mountains were looming a little too close for comfort. Scrambling, she went to put more coals on the fire.

She still didn't answer the crazy elf girl's question. She was too busy trying not to crash.

 

[Fynaurie]

"Vaxor doesn't understand human silly!" Fynaurie shouted out. The wind rippled loudly through Vaxor's feathers as he soared in circles around the airship. She whispered something in elvish.

Vaxor let out a shrill cry and cast a disapproving glare at Finn. Apparently his rider had translated what had been said.

"Well you shouldn't have rocked her...ship..." Fynaurie chastised.

Vaxor didn't know why everyone had to tell him off. Even if he admitted to himself that flying right at the undercarriage of the flying machine had been a little foolhardy. He didn't like things bigger than himself in his sky.

"Are you crashing?" Fynaurie called out. Apparently the pair of them weren't going away.

 

[Finn]

“Trying not to!” The introvert yelped and stoked the fire. The balloon craft slowly began to rise. Hopefully it would be enough to miss that craggy peak. The fire of the balloon was keeping her warm enough so she didn’t need a jacket.

Now that imminent danger has been temporarily averted, she could focus more on these two interlopers.

“Vaxor? You got a name? Where did you two even come from?” Questions bubbled from her throat. This was the most Finn had talked in a long time. She preferred being left alone to herself. But since it seemed these two were sticking around, the curiosity got the best of her.

 

[Fynaurie]

"I'm Fynaurie!" she called out. The wind was frustrating, cutting through any attempt at conversation.

The elf leaned forwards, whispering to her eagle in elven. He banked an put some distance between them. With a determined look on his face her aimed directly at the air ship. Given the distances involved it seemed he was going to try the same trick as before, but this time he ducked right below the undercarriage of the ship.

Vaxor appeared on the far side of the ship, lazily rising on the breeze. The elf was no longer there.

"A little help!" Fynaurie called, managing to get one hand to the lip. She hung from the side, trying to climb up in with Finn.

 

[Finn]

"Sure, I guess you can come aboard," Finn muttered grumpily beneath her breath. Still, her feet took her quickly to the side the Fynaurie dangled from. Gloved hands reached out and circled around the girl's arms. Tipping her weight back on her heels, Finn heaved up and backwards, dragging her into the 'ship.'

Finn collapsed on the deck, hand running up her tattooed arm as she cast another glance at the hovering eagle.

"I'm Finn," she stood and brushed herself off. "Erm. Welcome aboardIguess."

 

[Fynaurie]

"Oh, some of my friends call my Fyn, I don't really like it though," Fynaurie said as she pulled up he goggles for a better look.

With boundless energy she was already pacing around, looking at everything but touching nothing. She was curious, but she was not stupid.

Leaning out over the open air as if she did not fear it - which she did not - she looked up at the round object they hung from.

"So how does this all work?" She asked, rather rudely.

 

[Finn]

Sandy-brows lofted. Jaw unhinged slightly. Hard to say whether it was at the careless remark or that they shared the same name.

And perhaps a love for flying.

Finn took a breath a held it, cheeks puffing up. Part of her wondered if she'd drifted too high and was hallucinating due to the thin air. The girl exhaled suddenly, letting the air rush out.

"Here," she pointed to the fire. "It's not magic. The warm, rising air from the fire. Heats up the air inside the balloon more than the surrounding air and makes the balloon lift. Haven't figured out steering yet. Kinda at the mercy of the wind."

A hand rubbed at the back of her neck. She was caught between having fun with nerding out and embarrassed. "How do you um, stay on your bird?"

 

[Fynaurie]

"Oh, so it is like having a thermal but inside your own..." She waved her hands at the contraption she was inside. "...this."

Fynaurie continued looking around, leaning right over at the waist to bring her nose just inches from various parts of the ship. A fire seemed a very silly thing to have lit on such a small thing.

"And staying on Vaxor just means holding on tight. Very, very tight. Is that the right word? Very? When he dives it sometimes feels as if the world will swallow you up whole you are going so fast. And how do you get where you want to go?" the sky elf continued chattering away as she walked.

 

[Finn]

Narrow shoulders shrugged.

"I don't really have a specific place in mind. Just kinda let the wind take me. I'm working on steering next. I like to...dabble." Finn dropped that hand from the back of her neck. "With scrap parts. Make things."

Shoulders shrugged again.

"I dunno."

Finn eyed that eagle again. "Are there a lot of others like you? How did Vaxor agree to let you ride him?"

 

[Fynaurie]

"Oh, we all live together, eagles and elves. We're all born into it. All of us know how to ride and all of the eagles know how to be ridden. We tend the lands around the tower and make sure there is plenty of food."

Fynaurie moved to the front of the craft. Or it was at least the part of the craft that was currently on the side of the ship going forwards.

"You let the wind take you..." She mused. She repeated the words in the head, making sure she had understood properly. Fynaurie could imagine living like that. Her elders often said her thoughts were too easily carried on the breeze.

"Vaxor can't always be 'steered' either. It's more of a suggestion? They're just as clever as we are."

Fynaurie grinned. She was in a sky ship babbling to a complete stranger. They wouldn't believe her. Or perhaps they would and much grumbling and head shaking would follow

 

[Finn]

"Oh," Finn said quietly. The little inventor turned away from her, apparent, passenger and dragged out a toolbox. Rummaging around inside, she pulled out a hammer and some other items. Sitting cross-legged on the deck, she began tinkering with scrap metal and different odds and ends.

She was working on something. It was hard to keep her fingers or her mind at rest. She was a tinkerer.

Head tilted back up to look at the elf, not socially aware enough to know that her actions might be rude when there was a guest on board.

"Sounds like a neat place. Think I could come see it?"

 

[Fynaurie]

"Not unless the wind changes, silly," Fynaurie replied. "It's very...still..."

Even when Vaxor was effortlessly soaring it was not as gentle as the ride on the airship. From the edge she could appreciate the view of the mountains, taking in the detail of the craggy, snow dusted peaks. She could also watch Vaxor's flight uo close.

"I would have to fetch a windspeaker. They could blow you to Kearth," she said.

 

[Finn]

Finn opened the wooden door to the small covered area. It's where her hammock was strapped up inside. Some hanging pots and pans. Dried herbs and meats. Rolls. Satchels of hanging water and spiced wine. There were also loads and LOADS of rolled up scrolls hanging all over the walls and charcoal sticks scattered across the wooden floor. They rolled back and forth to the rhythm of the balloon.

Finn stepped carefully around and came out, offering the girl a skin of water.

Crisp, blue eyes lit up at one term. "Windspeaker? What's that? And they wouldn't string me up as an outsider, would they?"

 

[Fynaurie]

"Don't know," she replied. "We don't get many outsiders, but you don't seem like you're out to do any harm."

Fynaurie's naivety meant she was perfectly comfortable with making such a statement after knowing the human for less than five minutes.

"This is like a home in the sky!" Fynaurie called out, scuttling inside before Finn could stop her, tiptoeing around the room, opening cabinets and poking and prodding without heed for privacy.

"I wish I had this much room to myself. Oh and a windspeaker can move the wind. I can do a little magic, but not enough to move something this big. Why do you have so much paper?"

 

[Finn]

"Hey, HEY!" The inventor puffed up her chest as her private space was thoroughly invaded.

"Careful, don't.." she stepped forward to snatch a scroll from the other girl's hands and put it carefully on the wall only to turn around and see she was TOUCHING SOMETHING ELSE.

"Don't touch those." Arms crossed stiffly beneath her chest. Jaw clenched tightly. Glaring eyes never left the fast moving form of the flying elf.

"It is my home," she grumbled.

Still, she had to admit the windspeaker sounded cool. Although. whenever someone tried using magic around Finn it never really worked. "Can you just....put that stuff down? I...design stuff. I like to.."

What was a good word.

"Create. And you don't have space?"

 

[Fynaurie]

"Oh well, live in a tower. I get a bed space in a room of six."

Fynaurie shrugged. She was respectfully reading a diagram without touching it. Due to how it was oriented she had to crane her neck to an awkward angle.

"What's this one?" She asked, jabbing her thumb towards it.

There was a shrill cry from outside.

"I'm just inside Vaxor! I'm fine!" she cried out in elven.

 

[Finn]

Finn blinked and shuffled on her feet, unable to understand the language. The gangly-limbed girl stepped closer. “I’m mapping the land as I go and...,” voice trailed off, unsure how much she should say.

She was trying to find the fabled floating city. And she was charting hot spots of magic in the land.

“Do I need to be worried about your eagle eating me?”

 

[Fynaurie]

"Oh no, he's just concerned because he can't see me," she chuckled. "I was letting him know I'm still here. He's so big and fierce but he gets awfully twitchy when he loses sight of me."

Fynaurie looked at several sheets of paper on the table. She risked the wrath of the human to move then slightly to line up the rivers to align the pages.

"Oh yeah," she replied. In a world of little written knowledge her people had several large maps that had been painted onto big walls generations ago. An Eagle eye view lended itself to map making.