After two long days and nights of travelling, arguing, and running, they had finally hit the next town, a small settlement surrounded by forest. Cináed, partway through the trip, had been completely exhausted, and as a result had let his magic fade from his appearance, reverting back to Aella’s form. The only difference (other than the enormous attitude jump) to tell it was really him was the shiny metallic color replacing Aella’s blue-grey irises.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGpa1QfEph
  He’d noticed Luna watching him every so often, and she finally said, “Your eyes are strange. Almost like a human’s, only you know, silver… well, I guess it makes sense.” 677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgUs2fp4H3
  “Eh? What makes you say that?” The eyes in question flickered to her as he turned to face her in his saddle.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUikiJ2UmL
  “Weeeeeell, you’re a shapeshifter, so you have to take the thing’s form, right? … Do shifters even have their own form? I mean, why humans…?” She trailed off, looking a bit dazed.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8v4OcxZYZI
  He was kind of at a loss at her question, but answered anyway. “Uh, yeah. Shifters do have their own forms, in a way… it’s a bitch to explain. They just learn how to look like humans, because most spend the majority of their lives on Earth with humans, y’know?” He shrugged. “And the color, that’s easy. It matches our magic. There’s a lot concentrated there - we rely on sight a lot. Bright light changes whatever eye color we chose to that, ‘cause it’s reflecting off the magic instead. And it usually glows.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwlOtN76Qo
  “Ohhhh…” Luna paused, crossing her arms. “I guess it’s kinda like our world. Everyone is like a human, but Fia says that’s because humans accidentally cross the portals and, you know, breeding happens! So unlike this world, and I guess your world, almost everyone has magic, but they don’t have a choice for human form. Oh! But if you don’t have magic, technically some species can transfer parts of their magic! Like witches… and …and some elementals?” She rambled on about the subject, then finally stopped to breathe. 677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6cGHdznnU
  “Huh.” Seeing as he had no experience with their world, he was pretty curious. “Don’t get me wrong, though. The shifter’s dimension is completely made of magic. Everything. Even shifters can’t put up with it for long.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfhZty9A5J
"Everything?!" she gasped. "That’s so… uh…" She seemed stuck on the word to use, then just gave up and grinned.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2UuNtoe9a
   He nodded. “I know.” Redirecting the conversation, he asked, “What’s your world like?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQq0GxiREf
      She looked up, eyes glazed in thought. “Well, I guess it depends on where you go! My island was more…” She narrowed her eyes, getting stuck on the word again, then shrugged and gave up. Then she smiled again. “But there was a ton of trees and vines and birds and prey! Neoma’s land is pretty neat too, like, it’s in the middle of all the climates, and it’s huge! Not as huge as Fia’s… but it’s in the center of a ton of climates! So their land is full of elements and elementals!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoP6YwfuzJQ
   ”So does their element depend on where they live, or is it random?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnb3GH3MwxQ
      “Mmhmm!! On the island, anyway!” She paused again. “On Fia’s land its more witches, and fairies, and other things like that… well, fairies are kinda elementals too… Oh!” She continued. “But there’s bigger kinds of creatures, and a few smaller ones!” 677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvv2LWItWm7
   ”So who’s Fia?” 677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50ItuR3y4E
      “”She’s our friend and the keeper of portals on our island! She sets up portals and where and when they go places - she’s a witch!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6gGub6D6v
   ”Huh. You guys need to go see her to get back to your world, then?” he asked, wondering if this witch was at the destination Neoma had been so vague about.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCX3gLWWjpT
      “No, we know the destination to go to! Neoma’s sister, Ee, was messing with the portals and sent us through…”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbMMlrKT6R
   He grinned a bit. “Bet a certain bitch wasn’t so happy about that.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJC0EiqGHwS
   ”Heard that!” Neoma growled.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFnwSYN9f6
  “Good.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeKy2Xgv5R
  She giggled. “She’s going to killlllll her!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrL44Z2ASR
   ”Hah, sounds fun.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkJSjhIEQC
   ”I like Ee, though…”  Luna pouted a bit. “Her lap is reeeally warm…”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcAjZ0sDsM
   He was quiet for a few moments, then abruptly changed the subject. “What about you? You’re a familiar, right?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPAjlnUubh
   She thought for a second, then nodded excitedly. “Yeah! Well, technically, not everyone in my village is a familiar, but almost anything can be a familiar, so…”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKdcyMmZHa
   ”What’s your village like?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmYzsGvR5p
   Luna kicked her legs off the horse, accidentally hitting it once, and patted its shoulder with a mumbled apology. “Well… it was different than this! I mean, there was conflict between the other clan and us, and a little conflict inside it, but they weren’t really accepting of outsiders… no, that’s a lie. As long as you could hunt, you were good…” She gave a short hum, conflicted in her thoughts. “We had a different ranking system!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3GvB4N5ep
   ”How?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LOFQWtO7b
   ”Well, there was the head family, but I guess that’s everywhere… There really wasn’t anything under that, though. The normal population, then the prisoners.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsa5ROd17Do
   ”Sounds pretty simple.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTgzOCcblO
   She nodded. “And the prisoners could become part of our village if they worked it off, or they could choose to go home after they worked enough.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfkWWL2G3D
   Huh, that was surprising. “You guys would just let them go?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBYTlyE1Im
   ”Well, the village didn’t like each other, but we weren’t total jackasses - the prisoner could have a family! The amount of work they had to do depended on the crime against the other tribe. If it was something like murder or stealing another tribe’s children, then they probably would be dead when they got back home. Bad leaders were kicked out, too. If they did evil things, then they were evil people, and obviously couldn’t lead correctly. And a corrupted leader makes a corrupted clan.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNc8uukYhh
   Truest statement he’d heard all day. He nodded. “Doesn’t sound like that bad of a way to live.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNbNCxz089
   Neoma shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at the two. Luna only nodded happily. “It was!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlXuVKeqaE
   ”Was?” The shifter looked over at her.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4815zO4qt
   She bit her lip and nodded. “Was. What’s your home like?!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgzYVgw42U
   He blinked at the switched topic, then hesitated. “Eh… like I said earlier, shapeshifters pretty much just live here on Earth, so..” He half-shrugged.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNb0AEb6sfT
      “There’s a pretty much to that, though,” she prodded, smiling.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFRpLI9WhU
   ”Not all shifters do. I do.” He gave her a flat look, much preferring for her to drop it.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNldWHpK8aR
   ”Oh.” She pouted. “But Earth’s boring!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsPQz5JTgM
   ”In your opinion.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9KY9sddiI
   ”In a lot of people’s opinions!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMfQLrKDwg
   ”Not in mine.” Better than quite a few places he’d seen. (Including the ones by accidental force, but some of those were cool, too.)677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaTh5dWAS4
   She pouted again, glaring. “Well, your opinion’s stupid.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInmlOmq7e1
   He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can say the same for yours.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmavpNrhTHU
   ”Oh really? If you shapeshifted in front of a lot of people in this world, they’d burn you at the stake! In our world, it’s totally normal and accepted!”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuH8OvIK2h
   He started to smirk. “Shapeshifters don’t usually have that problem, though,” he pointed out. “First, we’re practically impossible to corner, and if we are, we can still escape. Second, you can’t burn one of us to death - most wouldn’t burn, period. Hell, I’ve shifted in front of people just for fun. It’s hilarious, they freak out. Sometimes, they pass out.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbc7yCNdt1u
   She had a blank face, then stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms in defeat. He grinned, and she started to giggle.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEm45hiUeMf
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*   *   *   *   *677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9V8HGtFrSu
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  Just before they’d entered the town, Cináed had shifted back out of Aella’s appearance. Now he was back to his reddish-haired form, although tired-looking.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWrgxzfMZP
  Neoma had changed her shadow horse to look more normal, which had caused a lot of bucking and protest and had taken a few minutes and calming gestures.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAd83BH60o
  He looked over at the elemental. “So. What’re we even doing here?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXqSR1U5ux
  “Well, we’re heading up to a small town. It’s where one of our portals are located.” She looked down, glaring at the ground.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceY94L6oes
     ”We spending any time in this town?” he sighed.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxl67peS0nU
  “Besides getting more food, no.” She looked down at Luna, who was walking around the horse’s feet, nimble enough to not get stepped on. 677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBVpImBsdk
  “Good.” Luna paused her playing to look behind them, then darted under the horse again. He glanced at her distractedly, then went back to looking around.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIln3wVTNp
  Neoma rolled her eyes, pointing to a store “Stay here okay?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA15vRjt0PU
  “Why?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmrlgyfeCO
  “I’m not talking to you, asshat. I’m talking to Luna.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyef56YCV5o
  “Yeah, I know that,” he grumbled, annoyed. “Why’re you leaving her there though?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHD65JlBiyf
  “Because we’re going into the store to get food.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡay30tBisp0
  He huffed. “Took her last time. Whatever, let’s just hurry.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoauVJDIBNN
  “Yeah, yeah.” She jumped off the horse and tied it to the pole, leaving Luna to curl up next to it. He did the same, muttering something under his breath.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbvBbRvPlm
  Neoma walked quietly into the store, looking at all the foods they had set out. Cináed followed a few steps behind, looking a lot less interested and mostly just glaring at either the floor or Neoma’s head. She didn’t seem to notice, as she was looking over the food. “Pick whatever the fuck looks good.” 677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj7SYw2Juz
  He gave her an irritated look. “Can’t you pick yourself?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPh1Oul07zu
  “‘Course, but you have to eat sometime.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0qYxkkcUL
  “I don’t CARE what I eat,” he complained. “Unlike some people, I’m not picky.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gFoLz2NIb
  She scoffed as she began to pick up a few fruits. “Riiiight.”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddWO695ntI
A short while later, the two had managed to get a decent amount of supply and approached the counter. After showing it all to the shopkeeper, Neoma pushed some shadow money toward him - it was something she had been working on for awhile, and it was finally to her standards. The man didn’t see any difference, at least.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZ7sDTWnMM
Outside, Luna was completely immersed in her thoughts until Neoma spoke. “You okay there?”677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXJs5i4TRe
The familiar jolted up, purring in response, as Cináed quickly untied his horse. Neoma followed suit, and they rode out of the town with Luna trotting ahead.677Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXejyMZQZY
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