Private Tales Hot Air

[Finn]

“Good because I’m rather BONY!” Finn called out loudly, half turning to the door that lead back outside to the deck of the floating house boat. Stepping closer to the girl, she peeked over her shoulder.

“Oh. I was wondering if that’s how it fit.” The inventor mused, charcoal stained hands teaching around the elf to hold up the two pieces into the light of the small porthole window. She put them down.

“Anyway. I’m due for a supply run. Does your elf city place trade with humans?”

 

[Fynaurie]

"Oh, he doesn't speak human," Fynaurie said. "Also he just swallow the bones for something as small as you. He spits them up later."

There was a good chance that Finn would find the sweet smile that went with that statement disconcerting.

"And maybe, you could probably come as far as one of our watchtowers. What do you need though? You'll need a change in the wind too!"

 

[Finn]

Finn’s pale face paled further. She gulped. The girl stepped away and stood in the doorway of the small cabin, eyeing that bird one time. Blues panned back to the rider.

“That’s gross.”

She deadpanned then continued.

“Canvas. Looking for shiny material. Like silver. Maybe more like armor. But lots of it. But yeah. Can’t get there with these winds.”

Fynn was right.

“So I dunno. I guess maybe this is where you get back on your bird and we part ways?”

Finn looked torn between being hopeful and disappointed.

 

[Fynaurie]

"Or you go down and wait for the wind to change," Fynaurie shrugged. "Or I fetch a Windspeaker. I can't make wind like them but I can move the air a little..."

Fynaurie lifted one hand, looked around the room and then let it fall to her side. If she demonstrated in here the woman was going to throw her overboard.

"But I can tell if the winds are going to change if I concentrate. But if its metal you need, you want dwarves."

 

[Finn]

Finn cringed as the girl raised her hand.

OHTHANKTHESKIESSHEDIDN'TDOANYTHING

The girl might've been surprised to find out she couldn't do any magic around Finn. But that was perhaps for another time. Getting rid of this elf chick wasn't working out so easily. Finn sighed and edged out the door, hoping the "y" FYnn would follow her.

"It doesn't have to be metal. I'll just know it when I see it. But landing doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Finn grumpily glanced at the circling eagle.

She went over to the fire and began cutting off the heat.

 

[Fynaurie]

"Something shiny that isn't metal?" Fynaurie mused. She wouldn't have picked up on the cues being dropped like lead weights. However, another thought had crossed her mind.

"If its all the same to you...I'm going to land with Vaxor."

She had landed a thousand times with him, Vaxor using his great wings to come down softly. This place felt as if it was more likely to crash than land with any grace.

The sky elf marched up to the edge of the platform and called for her eagle. A few moments later and she jumped out, appearing ahead of the airship on the rohk's back.

 

[Finn]

Finn couldn't help the lifting of her shoulders as the strange elf girl left. The little introvert was alone again. Kind of.

Working the balloon, she began sinking. Warm air was cut-off. Looking over the lip of the floating structure, she sighted a small, snowy valley between two peaks. It would have to do. She didn't usually have an audience when landing.

That was slightly irking.

But Finn was a skilled flyer in her own right and soon enough, she'd managed to aim right and account for the shifting winds. The structure of her balloon came to a soft landing, only bouncing once on the snowy ground before coming back to a complete rest. Launching over the side, Finn took one of her many ropes and found a place to anchor her home in. Toned but skinny arms worked quickly, tattoos shifting along her muscles.

 

[Fynaurie]

"Ooo whatta those?" asked Fynaurie. She had veritable skipped down from Vaxor's back and was now transfixed by the ink on Finn's arm.

Fynaurie had thought the whole thing had to break when it landed, but it had touched down surprisingly gently. Vaxor's feathers hit surprisingly long legs. They were shock absorbers in a landing, but also deadly weapons with talons that could lift a horse from the ground.

Finn was given a full view of the eagle up close. Vaxor bobbed slowly towards them both and then started a slow circle of the airship, clearly curious. He paused to regard Finn briefly with an eye that betrayed his intelligence.

 

[Finn]

Finn couldn't help the slight, twitching step back. Something about humans being around big animals and not that great of an idea. Even if said animal was like...her dream animal. And even if said animal seemed intelligent enough not to want to eat her.

Clear blues tracked back to Fyn.

Puzzled, she followed the girl's gaze to her arm.

Oh.

"Ink. Tattoos. Ever seen any? Erm but specifically, it's a map to the city they say floats in the skies."

 

[Fynaurie]

"You've got a map drawn on your skin? Won't that rub off when you wash? Should have put it on velum," Fynaurie declared confidently

Vaxor continued to pace around the house. He finished his circuit to then loom over Finn.

"[Oi, give the girl some room!]" she declared sharply in elven.

"He wouldn't hurt you," Fynaurie declared. She held up one hand. Vaxor turned his head to regard it carefully, seemingly affronted by her harsh order. Eventually leaning forwards until Fynaurie could stroke his feathers.

"See?"

 

[Finn]

Finn noticed the shadow first. Head tipped back, dirty-blonde strands falling down the back of her neck and shoulders. It took every ounce of courage she had not to run and cower.

"Then why is he looking at me like a tasty squirrel?" Finn kept the airship at her back. Not that she could escape the eagle or anything. It did make the inventor feel safer knowing an escape option as close at hand, though. Even if it was false hope.

Intelligent blues of her own regarded the tawny-intelligent gaze of that eagle.

Hurmph.

Finn's attention turned back to the annoying elf girl.

"No, it's permanent. Ink and a needle. You never heard of a tattoo before?"

 

[Fynaurie]

"Oh he's not even hungry at the moment," Fynaurie replied. She had her hand deep in his feathers, stroking them between her fingers and helping to preen them. She said a few more words in elvish to Vaxor.

"Look you can come over, he won't hurt you. He's a big softie really. Just don't even go near him when he's eating. Even I don't do that.

"And why would you ever put a map into your skin? Needles?" Fynaurie thought of the slender bone needles used to stitch skin. Sky elves spent a lot of time in the medical ward of their tower. "Did it hurt?"

She shuddered.

 

[Finn]

Finn inched forward, leaving the safety of her sky ship's railing slowly.

"Yeah. Hurts a little. Didn't wanna lose the map."

Ever so slowly. Until she stopped a little next to the elf girl. Hand reached out, hesitantly. Fingers spread. Finn gulped and turned her head away, eyes tightly closed. Then slowly pushed her hand forward through air - toward the bird's feathers.

She half expected to feel that sharp beak come down and snap off her hand at her bony-wrist.

 

[Fynaurie]

"Just don't ruffle his feathers. See, like this."

Fynaurie stroked her hands down in the direction of his feathers. Some she ran through her hand, mimicking how the eagles preened their feathers.

She eyed the tattoo curiously. It seemed an extreme measure to go to ensure you didn't lose a map. Then again, Fynaurie was renowned for losing things.

"Now bite off her hand Vaxor!" Fynaurie said sharply. It was followed by a burst of giggles because the rohk didn't know a word of common human. He eyed them both curiously, wondering why Fynaurie had stopped preening him.

 

[Finn]

Finn did not 'SEE LIKE THIS.' Eyes remained firmly closed. But the inventor knew enough to brush feathers the correct way. Fingertips stroked gently downward.

Hand snapped back and tucked tightly into her body like it was burned as Fyn yelled. Blues snapped open and glared daggers at the elf girl. "That's. NOT. Funny."

She fumed like blacktop in the summer.

Bending down, she scooped up a ball of snow and launched it at Fyn's face.

 

[Fynaurie]

A thin smile broke into a grin which quickly became a bold laugh. Fynaurie apparently thought it was very funny indeed. The first outsider she had ever really spoken to and her first instinct was to tease her. Her superiors would not have been pleased.

"What are you doing with the...eep."

Fynaurie didn't get time to do anything more than close her eyes. It was like a hundred sharp spines into her face at once.

She huffed and spluttered and wiped the snow away. Some of it went down under her coat and under her tunic. A river of ice down between her breasts that was actually barely a grape of snow.

Thick leather gloves were quite apt for copying the technique and throwing one back. Vaxor me while decided he wanted nothing to do with whatever this was and stalked away.

 

[Finn]

Finn dodged a lot of the one that Fyn threw. But she was definitely wet and shivering by the time they called a truce.

And laughing.

Finn collapsed in the snow, making a snow angel as she stared lazily up at the sky. Good thing most of her clothes were treated for moisture. Still, she'd need to make a fire and change soon unless she wanted to get hypothermia.

"I've heard about snowball fights in the city where I grew up. On the streets. The snow was always dirty there. When we got it. I've always wanted to do it. Somewhere like here."

 

[Fynaurie]

Maybe, Fynaurie thought to herself, more people in the outside world were like her. They took life less seriously than the other rangers who went about their business so solemnly.

"So...what do we do now?" Fynaurie asked. Wait for the winds to change so we can take your weird flying box to Kearth? Or you want to leave it here and fly back with Vaxor to see our maps?"

Fynaurie shivered, some of the wind working its way through her layers of levels.

 

[Finn]

Finn sat up and tilted her face to the skies. Chances were the winds wouldn't shift for awhile. Maybe not until morning. Damp, gloved hand wiped at the back of her tattooed-neck. Head swiveled to eye the giant eagle.

Finn loved flying. And it would be a rather great adventure to fly on an eagle. And she really wanted to see those maps.

"A flying ship," she corrected with a small snort. It was hard to determine what exactly had changed between them. And when. But it felt different. Instead of solely an annoyance, Fyn felt like someone who could maybe become a friend. Probably an annoying friend. But still a friend.

"I'll...fly with you as long as you don't think there are any hidden orc armies around here?" The inventor didn't want to lose her balloon ship so soon.

 

[Fynaurie]

"Erm," went Fynaurie, making a wide shrug. "Feels like we're too high for orcs but I really don't know the areas. Maybe don't leave anything precious behind?"

Fynaurie didn't realise that the airship itself was the precious part. If any mountain orcs found it then they would likely loot it and leave it.

"But you really want to try flying with Vaxor?" Fynaurie asked again. The details faded away in her mind. Boring matters for other people to worry about.

 

[Finn]

Finn looked over at the bird, clearly ignored the girls. Eyes tracked back to the elf and she nodded. She was sure. Her own blue gaze said it all.

"One sec," Finn bounced back into the airship and got on another jacket. She disappeared into the cabin and came back out with a water-skinned backpack. Fresh gloves. A cap over her blonde hair.

"Can Vaxor carry two?"

 

[Fynaurie]

"Of course he can. And a bull on his talons at the same time if he wants to. But I have to ask!"

Fynaurie switched back into elvish as she turned to address her eagle. It watched her with one round, saucer of an eye.

"[Would you carry her back too, back to Kearth please?]"

Vaxor made a soft sound that she had come to think of as a verbal shrug.

"Come on then!" Fynaurie called to Finn. Vaxor bowed his head and she hoisted herself up. Fynaurie gripped the saddle with one hand and offered the other to Finn. "Sit up behind me and hold tight."