Spirits of the Earth

Cerenis had been nice and rather beautiful. And the ports had such wonderful supplies coming in. But after awhile, Linia's feet had gotten antsy. She wanted to see the rest of the world. Find new ingredients for her alchemy.

And so now she was out hiking in the forests that covered the Terrin Mountains. It was rather pleasant so far, though there were some clouds on the horizon that worried her. Linia was not really much of an outdoors woman. She tried to be, but she tended to fail rather spectacularly at it.

So far, things seemed to have gone well. Her large bag was getting heavier with new finds. There were so many interesting things out in the world. Though so far, everything she had found her was rather ordinary. Which wasn't bad, just not very exciting.

The girl wiped her arm across her forehead, looking around for a place to take a rest. Maybe have her lunch.

The path had become a whole lot more rough than she could have expected. Then again, not a lot of roads probably went up a mountain did they? She couldn't be sure, but she was almost positive there was nothing but dragons up in the snowy peaks. They had loved that place, hadn't they? Well, she would be very careful to avoid such things, things that could ear her whole if they so chose to.

Right now she could travel through the deliciously cool forest. Not many paid much heed to her however, she was so short, but in this thicket of greens and browns, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Mostly because she was pink. Now, the Drow would often call humans pink bags and what not, but she was truly pink, not that delightful peachy colour humans had, but honest pink. Almond coloured eyes stared through the forest as she walked, leaving cloven hoof prints in her wake as she did so.

There was no hurry at this time, and she wasn't being chased. At least, she didn't believe she was. The small creature had unusually large ears, ones that stuck up almost a foot over her head, and they started on the side just like any other Fae, but...moved upward and ended in a very long sharp point. She could pick up sounds for miles around if she wanted to. As always she chose the lighter clothing, that allowed more freedom for herself.

Stretchy white shirt that clung to her body, outlining her petite figure. The sleeves travelling right down to her wrists which were covered by a small pair of black fingerless gloves, leather of course. A pair of slim  black shorts that ended at her knees, and of course no boots. Heavens no! That would slow her down, besides, she couldn't walk on hot coal in boots, but with her hooves she could go almost anywhere.

Something caught her attention however, something odd. Breathing. There wasn't a voice to it, but something was odd about it. It sounded large...and...she wasn't sure what the forest was saying about it. She had lost contact with trees long ago, so she would have to concentrate real hard to hear what they wanted to say.

Ah!

A person. It was a person!

The pink skinned woman suddenly darted off, moving fast as she hurdled over roots, fallen logs, and any other debris that might slow her down. She was a curious sort, and someone alone in the woods usually meant a lot of trouble.

Nothing she couldn't handle though.

She quickly came upon the supposed intruder. It looked just like a somewhat tired young woman. Well, she couldn't let the strange woman catch her, so she would do her best to hide in the tree line, but even still...pink amongst green wasn't hard to spot. She would have to stay near the trunk so she could hide behind it.

Sitting under the large tree, her bag to her side, Linia was feeling much better. She shouldn't have worn long sleeves for her trip. The mountains were very lovely though. Despite not having found anything, she was still enjoying herself.

Taking a water bottle out of her bag, she took a long drink, looking around her at the tree line. And noticed the splash of bright pink. Which made her lower the bottle, studying it a little closer. How...weird.

The alchemist didn't look like much. She was rather sweaty after her hike and being a bit on the pudgy side of things never helped with that. She brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face, "Um...hello?"

Maybe it was just a plant of something and she was making herself look really stupid talking to thin air?

Standing, she set her bottle down and moved closer, trying to get a better view.

At first she thought she was safe, she was good at hiding herself when she needed to, despite the pink. However, this was not one of those days. No trees were really in bloom, there were no apple trees blossoming pink flowers, nothing of the sort. She...She was in a lot of trouble then wasn't she?

And that of course is when the strange person spoke, which made the young pink woman freeze up completely.

Uh oh.

With a quick movements of branches she was suddenly off, moving to jump around the woman, quite a bit back from her. She might as well show herself right. She kept a good distance away from the woman, keeping a close eye on her. She had her bow and arrow out, the special arrows already nocked and ready to fire. She kept it held low though, she didn't want to shoot the woman unless she had to.

"Who are you and what are you doing?" The woman's voice was quick and irritable, it may have been very high b ut it was trying to have a sort of commanding undertone to it. Like a small princess trying to order people about. Adorable and hilarious at the same time.

The quick moving creature got a gasp out of Linia as she moved past her. The alchemist stumbled as she turned to try and follow the movement. Quick and graceful were not really high on anyone's list for describing the girl.

Seeing the bow and arrow made her freeze. Linia wasn't much of a combatant and she had foolishly left her potions in her bag. And she had dealt with enough strange creatures that she didn't write the....flamingly pink tiny person off as harmless just because she looked and sounded rather adorable.

Instead she lifted her hands, trying to look harmless. Which for Linia, really wasn't hard. Despite her sturdy frame the alchemist wasn't very intimidating. Even under her light tan, she had the slightly sickly tint to her skin that most Necromantians had. And there was nothing forceful about her, "M-my name is Linia Lan'gressa. I-I'm just an alchemist. I was just l-looking for supplies."

She pointed over to her bag, "Really. I-I wouldn't hurt you."

Well, at least she was well defended against the somewhat harmless opponent. Maybe all harmless. She hadn't seen a weapon on her at this point and didn't think she could have been a mage but...she had been wrong before really. Personally she thought she looked intimidating, what with the speed and the weapons, nor did she know that she had an unusually high voice which, even when trying to sound intimidating sounded kind of...cute.

She hated that sort of thing.

She was fierce darn it! She could move really fast, shoot her bow on the run, and even cut people quickly. Yet her pink skin, high voice, and rather...petite stature just made her seem very...adorable. She could remember elves teasing her and some trying to make her feel like a child, which she so wasn't.

"Hmph. I've heard that line before." Slowly, keeping the bowstring drawn tight she inched over to the bag to look at it for a moment. Filled with roots and other things then. Alright. It looked packed a little full. Slowly the arrow was put back into her quiver and the bow was strapped around her body. "I thought you might have been harming the forest, but you don't seem like someone who would...I suppose you can go free." She gave a flick of her wild pink hair, running a hand up to it and trying to give it a bit of a fluff.

"I'm Fyuni."

Along with roots and clippings, the bag was filled with carefully packed with lots of slender glass vials. Which were in turn filled with all manor of strange potions, most of which were as vividly colored as the tiny pink girl was.

Linia was mostly just confused and just a little worried. She had no idea to what to make of the tiny, cute and slightly terrifying pink thing. Though pert of her was rather intrigued by her. Strange creatures always interested the alchemist.

But for now, her caution won out and she nodded her head, reaching a hand up to tuck a loose strand of thick hair behind her ear, "Um. Yes. It is nice to meet you, Fye-oni." The strange name rolled awkwardly off the girls tongue, "And I don't want to hurt the forest."

Well, at least she didn't appear to have any real weapons on her, but hey, in the very least she had a lot of colourful things. Good colourful things. Though the potions were a tad worrisome. Potions always were. Who knew what they could do right? However, she was rather sure this meek woman wasn't much of a fighter at this point. She seemed way too...something.

"No. Not Fye-oni. Fee-uni. Fyuni. Try and get that right." She had just told her it. She shouldn't have to sound it out for her now! She got her name right didn't she? Linia. Yes. That's the woman pronounced it. Well. She stuttered a lot however. So it was more like L-li-lin-lin-Linia.

At least she knew she was scared! And she should be, she was in the presence of Fyuni, Nomadic Quickling Defender! It must have looked odd to see Fyuni suddenly puff out her chest and try and look very prideful, but of course she was just shy of four feet tall so it must have been...something alright.

"So what kinda potions do you make? You people are always talking about love potions and potions to make people stronger and to cure diseases but the last time I tried a potion it made me sick." Fyuni stuck out her tongue and made a face of disgust as she thought about it. It had not been good at all! However that was probably better than how she heard most of the people ending up, unconscious and what not. No telling what sick things could happen when a deplorable sort of person knocked you out.

Damn...humans.

If Linia could have heard the quicklings thoughts, she might have been slightly less confused. But as it was she just stared at the tiny, strutting creature. And really tried hard to not think about how adorable she looked. Because she was armed and probably mush more dangerous then Linia was.

"Fee-uni. Fyuni." Linia tried the name again and it came out much better this time, with just a slight accent to it, "Yes. Alright. It is...um...nice to meet you."

The alchemist had to keep reminding herself that Fyuni was dangerous. And it was a very bad idea to hug the tiny pink girl. No matter how adorable she looked and sounded. But the pink hair and skin just made Linia think of candy.

At the question, Linia glanced over at her bag, "Oh, I don't know how to make a love potion. I don't think anyone can make a real one. I've made one once that can make people attracted to you. But it makes everyone of your species attracted. So it was a bit of a frailer..."

She was rambling now. That wasn't good. The girl blushed, chewing nervously on her lip, "Um...yes. Potions. That I have. I have lots. I do have some that make you stronger. I'm not as good at healing potions though. You need to have healing magic for most of those..."

"Yes. Fyuni. Just like that." Hmph, calling her that other name. That was just impolite! She had heard the name! Bah. Humans or...whatever Linia might be. There were too many creatures that LOOKED like humans but turned out to be other things. Shape shifters, Were people, vampires...all of those nasty things usually.

Fyuni looked rather....well her cheeks had gone a much darker pink as she stamped her cloven foot on the ground. "Do I look like someone who is having trouble attracting people! I don't need some potion!" That blush was just as deep as she turned her back to the woman, her ears flicking back in mild anger. How dare she suggest such a thing!

"Well," Finally her blush was under control and she turned back to face the alchemist. "I can't say I have much need for potions or anything. I don't get sick much or injured. Much too fast for that! And I'm plenty strong you know!" She snapped as she eyed the woman carefully. She couldn't be dangerous could she.

"So, where are you from anyway? You just come from one of those human settlements close by?" She...well she liked the towns in a way. They were so...big and so interesting. So many people and races. However, she sometimes got...odd stares. She thought it meant...those stares...er...at first she thought it was because of her colours but then...some were looking at...parts of her instead.

She wasn't ignorant of...what they wanted but some were very...well...tall.

Linia tried to follow along with the quicklings rapid chatter. The alchemist wasn't really used to anyone like this and she was socially awkward at the best of times. Let alone when some sweet colored fae creature in rather clingy clothing lectured her.

At the mention of the love potion again, Linia turned almost as pink as Fyuni and her stammer made a comeback, "Oh! Oh no...I didn't mean that....I'm sure you wouldn't need one. You...I....no! I just...I just meant that I had made one like that. N-not that you needed it. You're very pretty. I'm sure lots of people like you."

Oh Goddess. She was making a mess of this. But that wasn't all that new for Linia. Though the added worry she might end up shot did make her extra nervous.

"I-I'm sure you are very strong. And fast. I w-would never try and say you weren't. M-my potions are generally for people less im-mpressive then you are."

The alchemist just blushed harder as her ears went a bright red color. She rally just needed to shut up. Stop rambling. But words just kept coming out of her mouth, "I-I have been staying in Cerenis. B-but I'm from much farther away. I've been looking f-for new ingredients for potions. Which is why I came up here. I-I'm from Necromantia."

Linia was learning that most people didn't have a very good idea of what Necromantia was like. They seemed to think everyone was a necromancer, zombies and skeletons danced through the streets and human sacrifice was preformed before every meal.

You had to be rather quick to keep up with Fyuni. Her race wasn't called 'Quickling' for nothing after all. A big part of their lives were spent at fast speeds, slowing down for only a select few things that they chose.

"Well, that goes without saying of course." She called her pretty. It made her try and fluff her hair up again, preening herself. She took pride in her appearance after all. Not a speck of dirt or blob of sap on sight, on her or her clothes for that matter. Though, they were a little wrinkled of course. As for the popular part, she didn't have friends so to speak. Moved around too much, and not a lot of people kept up with her.

"Ah, this is probably true. The lesser mortals have to make do with what they can get." She was immortal after all. So to speak. That always confused her. Time was the only thing that couldn't kill her, while arrows, swords, and magics could. That didn't really say immortal did it? That more or less said age-less. She liked Time-Free better. Yes. Free of the constraint and bondage of time. Hah.

Fyuni could care less about where she had really come from. Necromantia wasn't all that bad. The general population wasn't ALL necromancers after all, some probably didn't even dabble in it. Of course, it was a safe haven for the undead, but this woman looked alive. She didn't much except her to start killing trees and such. Why would she? That would be just plain rude and mean spirited. And this...this woman looked anything but that. Considering that she was stammering a lot.

Like...a lot.

"If you're looking for some good plants, I can perhaps show you to a place near here that you might be interested in." The chattering of the trees had become much stronger now that she had stopped moving around. It had been just hushed whispers zipping by her ears, but now she could clearly hear them. That was good. They were nice trees. "It's just over this way. I'll even be nice enough not to run there." Knowing that the woman probably couldn't keep up with her. Fyuni was actually going to be slow for a change. Hah! For the time being. She loved to move fast. To have the wind about her, whipping around her, while the world became a blur.

Good fun!

"You might even be able to make a speed potion with some of these ingredients so you can keep up. Come on!" Fyuni may have been short, but she was proportionate, so her strides were rather good, she walked almost as fast as a human did, though, that was probably also thanks to being a Quickling.

At least the quickling wasn't talking a mile a minute anymore. And she seemed to have liked Linia's comment about her appearance. That was good. Very good. The alchemist let out a small breath, relaxing a bit. She hadn't even realized how tense she had been. But it didn't look like the adorable pink girl.

Who just looked even cuter when she stood there preening. Linia just wanted to hug her. She was just so bitty and pink and well, just.....adorable. She was like some walking, talking, armed confectionery.

Linia lit up at the mention of plants. She was always excited by the chance to experiment with new ingredients. She moved over to get her bag, hefting the rather heavy sack with a practiced ease. It wouldn't be so bad back at home. But she didn't really have a place to keep her supplies anywhere but on her. Which did limit what she could keep on her. If she got as much as she was hoping today, she was going to have to send another package back home.

Smiling shyly at the pink quickling and desperately trying to not think about how cute the tiny creature was, Linia nodded, "Yes please. I would really love it if you could show me those plants."

A speed potion? Maybe. She hadn't made one in ages. And she hadn't really been very pleased with her result. But it was time to give it another stab. Though who knew if she could even make one that let her keep up with such a fast creature.

Fyuni didn't WANT to slow down everything she did, it felt wrong, like she was just...ergh, stuck in a bunch of molasses. Talking so slow so the flustered woman could keep up with her. Bah. She might have had a whole lot more to say had she knew that the woman thought she was adorable. That was not what she was aiming for! A lot of her people had gone to a darker side of life, while she wanted to wander and adventure, and so she was going for a serious adventurer look. Sadly she looked more like a cute lost pink thing.

"Well follow follow follow then!" With that she began to march off. The Quickling kept one hand on her bow, just in case she needed to draw it again. Her large ears twitched as she listened for any thing that she might need to be alerted to, like someone ambushing her even. However, there wasn't really anything for her to be worried about at this time, they seemed rather safe. Though she still didn't trust the woman.

But, she wasn't going to be too much trouble.

"Hmm...thiiiiiis....no...that way." For a moment she might have been going left, but abruptly headed right. The sounds of water could be heard soon. There was a decent sized creek that was flowing down through some large rocks, creating a ten foot waterfall perhaps. The basing was crystal clear, one could see right down to the rocky bottom even in the dim light of the forest.

Fyuni knelt by the basin, to where a tree was growing over and began to pick some strange little flowers that were creeping up the side of the tree. They were purples and pinks, and had a slight glow to them. The Quickling also tore off a bit of a strange blue moss that was growing near the base of the young tree.

"Here we go! Mm. I do love the moss, it's delicious, makes me feel better too. The flowers don't do much for me, but in animals I've seen 'em all run fast and become very hyper from the pants. You might be able to do something with them!"

Linia wasn't very graceful moving through the forest. Nothing about the short, sturdy girl made one think of elegance or speed. And it wasn't easy to follow the tiny pink girl. Even slowing to a more 'normal' speed, she was still rather fast moving.

Luckily, she was rather hard to lose. Bright, vivid pink tended to stick out next to the trees. Linia readjusted her bag, keeping up as best she could. The alchemist sent up a short mental prayer that the plants the quickling was going to show her really were new and exciting.

"So....um. Are you from this forest then? Or are you just passing through?" Linia had never been great with people. She got too nervous. But she didn't like the silence. It made her nervous as well.

Though she stopped part way into her next question as they arrive at the waterfall. It was breathtaking.  She just stood there a moment, taking the view in. When the small pink girl drew her attention again, she moved closer, reaching over to take the moss and the flower.

"Hmmm. That's really interesting." Linia sat down, her attention focused on the new plants. She turned the flower over, carefully studying it, "I hope it's not poisonous."

She moved so silently, her strange race allowed her to do this.  What was it about her though? The cloven feet perhaps? Maybe it was the fact she was so small, or perhaps just an innate ability in her people. It was really hard to say. What was easy to say was that she wasn't too fond of Linia for taking so long! She was sure that she had slowed herself down enough. It soon became apparent that it wasn't exactly true however. The young girl was lagging behind now, and that was an annoyance.

However...could she really blame her? She was only human after all, and they weren't known for being the quickest creatures. At least not without magical enhancements, and this girl did not seem to really have that sort of thing to her.

"Not here, Draconi, didn't stay around there much, no point, too much to do, too much ground to cover, that sort of thing." Fyuni said with a quick smile as she strode a little bit faster for a moment when they entered the glade, demonstrating her point. Maybe they moved that fast for a reason, so that they could cover as much ground as they wanted.

Fyuni was rather proud for herself that the woman hadn't seen these flowers before. "Well they're not poisonous for me, and I've seen some humans use these before too so they can't be bad for your people either could they?" Fyuni smiled a little as she dashed up the side of the small tree and positioned herself on a tree branch. She started to pluck some small berries, they were violet in colour and they seemed to be part of a small vine that was growing around the branch of the tree.

"Catch! These are just delicious, very sweet! Dunno if they can do much else, but they probably could help with energy problems! Not poisonous either!" At least, once more, not for animals and for Quicklings. Humans had such strange constitutions, so little damaged their bodies!

Linia was rather impressed at how agile the tiny girl was. She seemed to move with such an easy grace, so unlike the clumsy human. Linia took a few more of the flowers Fyuni had showed her, bundling them together and finding the right spot for them in her bag. Then the moss followed.

Once she had gotten herself a supply to mess with later at her leisure, she pulled out a thick, battered note book and a writing tool. And made a careful note in the notebook, detailing her new find, "You don't happen to know if these have a name, do you?"

It was all so exciting! If Fyuni was right, she might actually be able to make some sort of decent speed potion. And that would help fund her little adventure on the continent a bit longer. And the moss might have healing effects. Healing potions were always in high demand. But most needed healing magic of some sort to work.

Linia took a bit more of the moss, sniffing it lightly. She would have to try some. See what happened. Then the quickling had drawn her attention upwards, to where she sat on a tree branch. Looking rather cute and childlike, making the alchemist smile. She held her skirt out, catching the berries Fyuni threw down, "Ah! Thank you. They're very pretty."

Picking one berry up, Linia studied it a moment, shrugged and took a bit. Then covered her mouth with her hand, "Oh! My! You weren't kidding when you said it was sweet!"

"Why would I need to know the name? I know what the flower looks like, and what the moss looks like. If I wanted you to find the moss, I'd ask you to look on the small oak trees near the water for the blue moss." That wasn't so difficult? The trees had a name, they all had names, and they needed them, but flowers and moss for her were...just that. Flowers and moss. A quick description would be all they needed.

Humans just loved to name things though. They always wanted to have names for things. It was so very silly. It was odd that Fyuni, a creature who moved so fast, wouldn't have enjoyed using names, which would cut down on time considerably. Then again, she talked so fast that saying the name and using a description probably didn't matter.

"If you really need names for them, I think I remember hearing some humans call the blue moss 'Indigo Sea Moss' and the flowers were....were..." Fyuni put a finger to her chin and she seemed to be concentrating for a moment as she thought on the name of the flowers. "Artherias Blooms." The young Quickling nodded right after she said the name. "Yes. That was the name. Atherias Blooms." Or something along those lines. The humans had called them something or other like that.

At least she seemed to like the berries. Fyuni gave a small giggle as Linia tried the berry. "I warned you!" Fyuni popped a berry in her mouth and chewed, enjoying the sweet flavour. She jumped down in front of Linia and brushed some of the moss from her clothes. She had always been told to keep her clothes clean. She wasn't even sure why she needed them! Humans were all about shame and hiding their bodies, but they were the most natural things in the world.

She had quickly learned to obey the human rules when near their towns.

"There, now you have some new things to try out! Though, I would like to see what result you make with them!"

As the quickling rapidly spoke, Linia did her best to keep up, jotting the names she gave into the notebook, "Names can make it easier to refer to things. So I don't have to call you the...er....small, pink, very fast moving girl in the forest. I can just call you Fyuni." Linia smiled shyly at Fyuni. She was starting to get less nervous around her. It helped considerably that Fyuni didn't seem like she was going to kill her anymore.

After popping another berry and this time prepared for the sweetness, Linia leaned back against the tree, sticking her legs out in front of her. She had pulled her skirt up to about her knees, hoping to get a bit of sun on her legs. Her face and arms had managed to pick up the slightest of tans, but the rest of her didn't see sun very much. And it was almost blindingly pale. And much to Linia's annoyance, she never seemed to get that beautiful porcelain skin. Hers just looked sickly and sallow, like everyone else on her islands.

She startled a little when Fyuni dropped down, but she quickly returned the girls smile. Though it took an iron will to not huggle the crap out of the pink fea when she giggled. She was just so tiny and adorable! Like a fast moving doll! Cuuute!

"It shouldn't take me very long to make a potion. I'll just have to figure out what I have that will go best with the moss and the flowers. Wouldn't do to put the wrong ingredient with it and have someone's heart explode."

The alchemist twirled the flower in her fingers, half staring at it, half lost in her  thoughts for a moment. After a moments debate, she lifted the flower to her lips and took a delicate bit, separating the bud from the stem. She was going to have to try it anyway. And maybe she could follow Fyuni's rapid movements and speech if she was hyper.

"Well that's good because I wouldn't respond to such a name. I was given a name, feel free to call me it." Fyuni told her with a shake of her head. She wouldn't have told Linia her name if she didn't want her to call her that! Duh! Now this girl just wasn't thinking now was she? Well, she at least could create those fabulous potions and what not. She must have had had some intelligence then!

"You don't get a lot of sun do you?" Fyuni was right there, crouched down and poking Linia's strange white legs. So bright. She wasn't sure she had seen legs so white! Her people were usually pinkish, some were blues and what not...the elves were always tanned to that right degree and all...the Drow were...well ashen grey and what not. But these! These legs were so white and...white...just...odd really! "You need to just sit in the sun for a few hours tanning!" Nothing better than lying out in the sun and enjoying it! Of course, you couldn't really see her tan, but if she got burnt her skin went quite a lot darker.

"Oh that would probably be bad wouldn't it? Just like watching a person's heart beat like a hummingbird." That thought actually sort of made her giggle. Just watching some large human running around flapping his arms before keeling over. Well. Maybe the dying part wasn't as funny but the parts leading up to it however...that would be kinda funny!

It was probably best not to have that happen to someone.

Fyuni moved more to the sun to sprawl out in it, her arms and legs spread out so she could let the sun fall down on her. "Tell me what happens then! I'm gonna just get a little sun. Probably need the sun anyway, been travelling a lot by night." It was safer for her. At least during the night she wasn't THAT hard to spot. Today though she had to travel by day, it was much smarter when you got closer to the mountains. No telling what was out there, she hadn't been near this place before.

"Maybe then we'll be able to race! You probably wouldn't be able to win though, no haste potion can really match a Quickling's speed."

It was a good thing Linia had eaten the flower. In it's raw state it did give her a shot of speed, making her heart race. She was going to be able to make one hell of a potion with it. And it did make it a little easier to follow the quicklings rapid chatter.

"Well, that is why people name plants. So they can call them by a shorter, easier to remember name. It makes more sense. At least to me anyway. But Fyuni is a lovely name and I shall make sure to call you that." The alchemist blushed a bit as the quickling poked at her embarrassingly pale legs. She was quite aware of how horribly white she was. She couldn't seem to go all pretty and translucent or get some gorgeous honey all over tan. She was always some awkward and unattractive middle.

"N-no. I don't get as much sun as I would like. Alchemy tends to keep my indoors a lot. But...um...I've been getting out more." Linia felt oddly defensive about it. She was finding the tiny pink girl rather pleasant if somewhat odd company. And she didn't want her to think she was a total loser. She held her arm out, where her skin was slightly darker. Which more meant it wouldn't glow in the dark, "See?"

At the comment about someone's heart beating like a hummingbird, Linia had a surprisingly similar mental image. Which made her give a soft laugh. She was sure it wouldn't be funny if it actually happened. but it was funny to think about someone flailing around like a hummingbird.

As the quickling sprawled out in the sun, Linia started to pull a few things out of her bag. It would be a rough first test, but she would see what she could make with her new flowers and some speed enhancers. That hopefully wouldn't explode her chest, "Well, I might win if I pushed you into the water. Or toss a tangleweb your way. You never said I couldn't fight dirty." Linia grinned over at the girl to show she was kidding. The alchemist was far to straight laced to ever think about cheating.

This wasn't a bad thing like caffeine or sugar. Well. There was still that strange crash that you might have of course, but it was merely your body returning to normal. It wouldn't dip down below normal or anything like that, you probably would only feel a little sluggish. That was the good thing! She had tried things like caffeine and sugar, they only made her tired after a while, not a very good thing. She hated that feeling.

"That I suppose makes sense. But we don't really name things. We pick up names from Elves and what not. They all seem to have names for things. It's very peculiar." She never really understood how they could name EVERYTHING. You'd run out of words eventually right? Though...the Elves were pretty imaginative so...there was no real telling what might happen! Maybe they were just making it all up...er...well probably they were.

Ahem.

"You should be able to do everything outside, or at least near a window and stuff! Though you'd have to be without clothing so if you don't want people to see you'll hafta be on a top floor or something." Wouldn't she want to be free after all? And to not be so pale? Tanning was the perfect solution, and since she wanted to work too well...it all made sense to her at least!

The sun felt really nice though, it was so warm and it just felt so great. How could Linia shun herself away from this sort of thing. And inside a forest it was also rather cool! So the warmth on the skin but also the coolness surrounding her, it was a perfect balance. "Unless I can run on water! Though, tanglewebs are a little tricky!" She could cut them if she wanted to...burning them would be bad. It would be very bad to say the least.

"This'll be fun though!" Fyuni sat up, grinning as she looked to her new friend. Who would have thought that meeting a human would have been such a good thing! She didn't expect there to be such fun with one, even though she seemed a little bit of a bookworm. But, she was an alchemist, they needed to know their stuff or else...well there would be trouble after all. People getting the wrong potions and what not, no doubt dying and all that.

The rush of speed from the plant was rather enjoyable. Everything seemed a bit sharper around her. And it was much easier to keep up with Fyuni. The quickling still had to keep slowed down or she would easily leave Linia behind, but the alchemist wasn't sturggling to follow her words anymore.

"Do you know a lot of elves?" Linia thought elves were amazing. They were so graceful and beautiful and slender and exotic. They were the poler opposite of the dumpy alchemist and that just made them all the more appealing to her.

At Fyuni's next comments, she flushed a rather embarrassed red. The very idea of waltzing around naked like that! There was no way she could do that! Someone would see! The girl rapidly shook her head, a few strands of her think hair sliding out of their bun to hang around her shoulders, "Oh...no! Goodness! I could never do that! I-I'll just be stuck pale it seems!"

When the subject switched to something she was much more comfortable with she relaxed a little, her blush slowly starting to fade, "Running on water would put a damper on my perfect plan. Hmmmm." Linia smiled over at the small pink girl, "You may have stumped me." Dirty thinking were not Linia's strong point.

If the woman thought this rush was amazing and hard to follow, really she should think about what Fyuni saw all the time. How sharp things might have been, how clear they were, and just how strange they were for her. Not to mention how agonizingly painful seeing some slow things were for her. After all, she was always in a constant state of haste. She was always in such a rush, always running, always talking quickly and what not.

"Well...I know some of them. A couple here and there really. They think that just because some of my people turned to dark magic that I'm also with them and studying magic. Pah. I already have all that i need, why would I need something like dark magic?" It was a rhetorical question really. Fyuni could just laugh at the thought of that. Her using magic! Sure she could talk to trees and stuff but...that wasn't magic, that was just natural for her.

Fyuni laughed as she shook her head. "Don't be such a prude. Your skin is natural after all.You shouldn't be ashamed of it. Besides, you'll be inside. Unless you want people to watch then you can do it in your backyard." She didn't seem at all bothered by this. After all, being naked was the most natural thing. That's how she had been b orn after all, and until the elves and humans told her she needed to be clothed because of something or other

"I don't know if I can run on water...I know that I can swim really nice. The hooves work very well." Fyuni said as she looked to the water carefully. Hm. Would it be prudent to try and run on the water right now perhaps? If she did and failed then she would be wet and her clothes would be wet. And she might be embarrassed. However, if she succeeded then...well that might be interesting to know!

Hrm.

Maybe later.

As the girl worked, her movements were slightly jerky at first as she worked out how to get her brain and her limbs to work together correctly at this speed. It didn't take too long for her to figure it out. She didn't have the proper work station she would have liked, but she hadn't had one of those in ages. Hers was back across the sea in Necromantia.

"You are so lucky to know elves. They're all so pretty!" Linia's head lifted from her work at the dark magic comments, "Dark magic?" Linia didn't know a lot about magic and after hearing so many people say necromancy was evil when it so obviously wasn't, she had always figured that magic wasn't evil, only the caster, "What is dark magic?"

Linia was a little curious about the others like Fyuni having turned to dark arts, but she wasn't really sure if she should bring that up. It seemed a bit rude. So she kept quite. Until Fyuni made her blush return with a vengeance, "I am not a prude! I just...don't think people should be naked all over the place. Me in particular! A-and how would I get a tan inside. That is silly."

The poor alchemist was blushing all over and looked quite flustered. She was talking almost as fast as the slowed down Fyuni was, her words almost jumbling together into one long one, "And I am not going into my backyard naked!"

When the small fae glanced out over the water, Linia's gaze followed as well, her face still bright red. She was glad of a subject change, "That would be amazing if you could run on water. You would have to go really fast. And probably have something to push off of, or you'll lose momentum. Wouldn't you?" Linia wasn't actually sure. But she rather wanted to find out, "Why don't you try? At worst you get to swim on a nice day."

Poor Linia, if she thought it was bad now trying to sort out her limbs and her mind, it was going to be worse no doubt on an actual speed potion. Fyuni was lucky, she had been born this way, this fast, so she never really had to get used to it. Sure, she had been born, learned to walk and talk, but for her it had been just like everyone else. There was no difference between it really.

"Are they? I hadn't really noticed. They're all too stuck up for my tastes." Always going on about the beauty of nature and how they were blessed by something or other and how their magic was so old and so wise. Blech. It just disgusted her really. They were just so...uppity about themselves, always trying to have the most beautiful things. Sometimes she wondered if it were all just an act of some sort. "Y'know...dark magic. Blood magic, power over the dead, desecration magic, demonic powers, that sort of thing. The darker side of magic, where pain and suffering rules." Fyuni thought everyone had an understanding of the dark magic, the evil magic so to speak.

"Well you open a window of course, let the light in. That way no one sees you, and you can still tan in private!" This couldn't have been difficult could it? If the sun shone in through a window and she lay down in front of it, people wouldn't see her! Then she could do whatever she wanted. Sort of. Granted she'd have to do it from the floor but still. Almost everything could be done from such a low height. "Alright alright, don't be naked then, be all pale and white."

"Wouldn't it just though? I'd have to run like I've never run before...Hrm..." Fyuni sat up as she watched the water very critically. "But if I didn't make it, I'd get my clothes wet, and I'd have to wait for them dry. That could take an hour or two. What could I do till then? I'd have to...heaven's forbid...sit and wait! No no, that seems like a bad idea." Fyuni lay back once more, shaking her head. The thought was tempting...running across water but...if she failed then...yeah.

Waiting.

Blech!

The alchemist was starting to get a feel for it the more she dealt with it. She couldn't imagine what it must be like for Fyuni. Always moving so fast. It was fun to do for a while, but Linia wouldn't want her senses running like this all the time.

"Power over the dead isn't a dark magic. That's just Necromancy. That's normal. Though yes, magic that causes pain and things like that can't be good. I'm sorry elves think that you would do that. You seem much to nice to do anything like that." Granted, Linia tended to trust just about anyone she met. She wasn't stupid, but she just tended to assume most people were nice and telling her the truth.

The alchemist stuck her tongue out at Fyuni as she sprinkled a little crushed powder into her potion. It was almost ready...she hoped, "So I'm a little pale. It's not that bad." Except for the fact that it was. Other then her face and arms, the girl could almost glow in the dark, "And I'm sure that somewhere it's highly fashionable to be so pale."

As she swirled the potion, dissolving the powder into it, she turned her attention back to the water, "It's a warm day. Even if you fell in, your clothes wouldn't take that long to dry. And if you ran fast, I'm sure they would dry even faster! You should try it! What is the worst that would happen?"

Fyuni was ALMOST compelled to want to try the new potion when it was all over. Really. If she was like this already, she'd be like some sort of super speedy speed freak. She'd probably be able to pass through things she'd move so fast. Woah. That was actually a fun thought. Still. It was probably not a good idea to try it though. She didn't much want to see her going THAT fast. It would be so very...well...disorientation.

"Eeeeeeeh. Depends on your look at the world. The elves respect nature. Death is part of nature. It's the end. It says 'Okay, you've lived your life, time for you to make room.' then you die. That's natural. Raising a corpse, soulless, or with soul locked inside, unnatural. Too unnatrual. That's against the natural order so...Necromancy can be looked on as a dark magic." Fyuni shrugged though, that was just how things were. She didn't care what the elves thought of her. She was better off without them anyway.

"Well, maybe one day you'll find that place and be the talk of the town with your perfect skin then." Fyuni joked with her, sticking her tongue out at the woman. She should just get some sun! There would be nothing wrong with that after all! And then she could look fashionable almost everywhere after all.

"But it's so boring waiting! And you'd probably die of fright if I walked about naked around you." Fyuni pointed out, just by how the girl had reacted to their previous talk. "But...I suppose I could give it a try." Slowly Fyuni stood up and walked over to the water, her hoof moving over the water to test it for a moment. Eek! Cold! Hrm. Well this would be bad if she failed. Fyuni took a few steps back and a deep breath before she sped off toward the pond.

For a moment, it looked like she was going to do something. Her feet made ripples over the water but then...she just hit the water with a big splash and started floundering about for a moment. It took her a second or two to really realize what she was doing. Which was sort of trying to keep herself above water. Getting her head back she paddled over the shore as quickly as possible. Now she sort of looked like a drowned rat.

"I'm all wet now."

"Well, trapping a soul in someone's body isn't very nice. But if the body is dead, it's not like anyone is using it..." Linia didn't really want to argue, but she also felt a need to defend her home country. Necromancy wasn't as awful as people made it out to be. Dead bodies were just dead bodies.

Linia flushed and gave a small laugh, "I wouldn't die! I'm not that bad!" Yes she was. But that wasn't to point, "I just....don't see how you would feel comfortable with it. Besides, I assure you that my naked body is not a sight I would want to inflict on anyone."

She set the potion out into the shade, letting it settle a bit as she packed her bad back up. She wanted to watch Fyuni's attempt at water running. Though she had to admit that it was a bit hot out for all the layers she always wore.

As the small quickling ran Linia was glad for the flower she had nibbled on. The small pink fae was almost a blur as she raced over the water. Then came crashing down with an impressive splash.

Linia tried not to laugh. That wouldn't be nice and Linia didn't want to hurt the fae's feelings. But it had been too funny. And she really did look like something the cat had dragged in out of the rain.

Trying to keep a stright face, Linia moved over to Fyuni, patting her gently on the back, "You...are very wet."

"Ah now see, that's another thing. It's desecration. We could talk for hours on this, but what's the point? We've both got different opinions and all that after all. Raised differently, with different ideals and such." She gave a flick of her hand. It was probably not the best idea to get so...involved with such a dispute.

They were somewhat friends after all!

"Well...there's only me and you here...no one is watching far as I know so...I wouldn't care." She might be a little...off put if it was for perverted reasons that they were watching but...that was their business. Just as long as they don't...tell her about it and stuff like that. Ick. Or paint her. She might be really...weirded out if there was like...paintings of her nude going around.

"It's your fault you know." She was soaking wet, it was horrible. Cold too. She didn't much care for that sort of thing. Slowly Fyuni climbed out of the pond and slowly picked at her clothing. It was all wet...and kinda became a little clingy too.

"Blech. See this is why I didn't want to do this. Alright...more laying in the sun...more directly I think...hold on..." The little knife came off her belt and she was in the trees, She was running around the tops above, cutting branches away. Small bits of bark and leaves, even large sticks and twigs began to fall in a rough circle. Light started shining through even more through the treeline until Fyuni hopped down and landed on the pile. She sheathed the belt and began to clean some room for herself.

"There. More sun! I can dry my clothes faster..ooo! All that running sort of helped too. Not that wet anymore." The little Quickling took a seat and began to run her hands through her hair, trying to to fix her hair once more.

The alchemist was more then happy to let the subject drop. She had learned rather quickly that people on the continent had such odd views on death and dead bodies. And Linia liked Fyuni and really didn't want to spoil the fun with an argument.

Linia gave a small laugh, "I am sure no one is watching." Linia didn't really worry that much about peeping toms. She figured if someone was going to spy on a lady, it would be some stunningly beautiful one.

Fyuni dripping and disgruntled made a rather amusing sight. It took a rather impressive amount of will to not burst out laughing. Though Linia did blush a bit and try to keep her eyes averted from the fae's wet and clinging clothes. It wasn't polite to stare.

"Sense it's my fault, can I make it up to you?" Linia had to admit she was a bit impressed with the running through the trees. There was quite a bit more sun. Who knew. She might strip down a bit more, see about getting some sun along with her new....friend. She hoped they were friends.

"Do you want some help with you hair?" She rummaged in her bag. There was a rather absorbent cloth in there somewhere. She kept them around for spills.

"Well, trees are always watching but...they're just trees. What are they really gonna do?" Fyuni laughed, shaking her head. The trees didn't really care, they remembered everything sure but a naked fae to them was just like a blade of grass. It all blended together. That was probably something really good then. No perverted trees in this place!

Fyuni just wanted these once dry clothes to return to their former glory. That was of course being...well...dry. Instead of sopping wet. While the running did help a little bit, it really wouldn't help in the long run. She just needed the heat of the sun to get rid of all the water. "I shoulda been more...fast and probably not have done it...but I was so close! I got a few feet before I just started sinking. That was the trouble part. I was sinking." She gave a solemn nod at that fact. It had been the trouble after all! It was that damned sinking part she should have watched out for.

"Nah nah, it's alright Linia. I'll let the sun dry it. It'll become all fluffy again that way." Though it was already a tad more dry from all that running, it would mean her hair would become all...icky like from being dried that way. However if she let her hair dry from the sun...well then it would be all nice. It'd poof up and stuff like that! Which was what she wanted really. That way, it wouldn't really get in her face.

"So, do you think that the speed potion will work?" Because if it did, she thought maybe she should challenge Linia to a race...that race being trying to run across the water again. That'd be fun. More time to be wet but still, it had been ages since she had come up against an opponent who was as fast as her. Maybe...even faster. It was hard to say. Potions could be very strong after all.

"Trees watch things? Do they have eyes?" Linia looked around her at the trees, suddenly curious. She hadn't ever realized that trees might watch things. To be honest, she had just never really thought about it. But it was a little intriguing.

The fae's next comment got a laugh from the girl. She couldn't help it, "Sinking does tend to occur on water." She giggled again, remembering the pink girls sudden plunge into the cold water, "Though you did get an impressive splash."

Nodding, Linia stopped searching through her beg. She stretched out on her stomach next to the other girl. She was having quite a lot of fun today. Much more then she had ever expected to have on a herb picking mission. The tiny, cute pink fae person was rather fun to talk to. And didn't seem to mind much that Linia was a bit of a dork.

"I really hope it works." Linia glanced over at the potion, "Should I wait for you to dry off a bit before I try it?" Trying a new potion always made her nervous. So many things could go very, very wrong. Like the time she had tried to make a shape change potion and had lots of fur in interesting places and a weird desire for raw meat that didn't go away for almost a week.

"Not like you think. Well sorta. I mean. They know about us, they can sort of see us...I mean...they know what we look like and...." She left it hanging, unable to really put it into words. They just...knew what things looked like and they all talked to each other and stuff like that. It was just...how things were. "And that's it. They just know." She didn't have all the answers! If she did, she would have been able to answer.

"Yeah yeah, I know. It must have been cool to look at." Fyuni dismissed it. She had gotten far, in terms of being able to get a little bit across it. Just a little. Not as much as she wished though. She would have liked to get fully across it though.

Fyuni was glad that the pale girl was going to lay back and also be as antsy as she was, waiting for her clothes to dry. Maybe get some tanned skin while they waited! Well, she could get some tanned skin at least. That's all Linia needed! Just to get herself some tanned skin!

"Just wait a few more minutes. You need some sun anyway Linia! It'll be fine!" Fyuni said as she thought about just what might happen with the new found speed potion. She wanted to see what would happen with Linia, trying to get used to being so fast, and she would challenge her to a race. See who could get further across the pond even. It would be sweet revenge, since she was sure that Linia knew she would sink.

She must have knew!

"Oh, well....alright then." Linia glanced over at the trees. She had gotten the gist of what Fyuni was trying to say. She thought she had anyway, but that was rather interesting to know. She had had no idea trees were at all aware of what went on around them. It couldn't hurt to keep that in mind.

The alchemist grinned at Fyuni's brushing off talking about her short trip over the lake. Though it had been impressive, until she had gone under. Then it had traveled into amusing. But Linia wouldn't tease her about it anymore. She would just grin at her.

"Ah. A tan would be nice." And Linia actually hiked her skirt up to well past her knees. Which for Linia was rather scandalous. But she was aware that she did resemble a corpse a bit more the she would like. And she could pretend that tans were a bit more flattering on her.

The warm sun did feel nice as Linia rested her chin on her arms, watching her potion. She wanted to try it! She just really hoped she wouldn't....explode her heart or something. But she was pretty sure she had the mix right, "Ah! I wish you could dry faster! I want to try that race!"

It was hard to put into words when it just came naturally for you. Listening to trees was just...normal. That was all. She could do it, she couldn't really...put it into words. She never had to anyway. Why would she? She had been around Fae and Elves, and they all knew how to do that sort of thing. Well, at least she had tried to explain it right? The alchemist seemed to understand anyway so...Things had gone well!

"Wouldn't it just? That's why the naked sleeping in front of a window is a good idea!" Fyuni was surprised that she wanted to tan, after all the woman seemed so...reserved. The fact she was pulling up her skirt a bit to show off her legs was probably a huge step. She was really surprised the woman didn't blush a lot. However she seemed very relaxed around Fyuni. That was kinda nice!

Fyuni just shot a glare over at Linia. "I'm drying as fast as I can. I'll be ready in a few minutes." One could tell that Fyuni wanted to move, wanted to get up and race because her legs were twitching. It kinda of looked like a dog who was dreaming about chasing rabbits, with the foot twitching over and over again.

She wanted to race just as much as Linia did.

"Just a few more minutes. Then I'll be dry enough. And we're gonna go across the pond. Gonna try and race across it, see who gets the furthest." It would be her. Even though she was sure she couldn't run on weater, she was pretty sure that she could get pretty far. No, not pretty sure, she was completely sure. Yes yes. She could do it!

Linia did tend to blush a lot, but Fyuni just hadn't seemed to touch on the subjects that tended to turn her bright red as often as most people. Though the mention of sleeping naked under her window did turn her pink cheeked, "Oh..well...um....no. I don't think I'll be sleeping naked anytime soon."

She kicked her white legs in the air, "I think this is enough of a step for me." Though the idea of an all over tan appealed to her, she would never be able to do it. She was far to modest. Linia was the type who tried to avoid being naked in her own bedroom as it was indecent.

"I know, I know. I'm just so excited to get to try my potion!" The alchemist wasn't as impatient as the fae, but she was a close second. She was almost bouncing in place as she glanced over at the pink girl again, as if that would make the clothes dry faster.

"Though...the lake? We will both end up soaked that way." Giving a small laugh Linia shook her head, "Then you'll have to wait to dry all over again." And Linia wasn't sure she could ever get going fast enough to keep her weight on the top of the water. Slender was something Linia hadn't been in years.

"You must have a lot of people who like to break into houses and molest people then if you are so afraid of showing a little skin." She couldn't be so scared of showing herself off in the comfort of her own home. She was pretty after all, so why was she so afraid then?! It just didn't make sense to her. Humans were still on the top silly list then.

Had to be now.

"If it weren't for you I'd strip down right now and run about. There's nothing better than the wind whipping everywhere about you, through you're hair." Fyuni sighed and shook her head, closing her eyes. It was a nice feeling really, it felt so nice, it was great, and it was cool instead of being so warm. Though, she was pretty wet now, that was a little bit of a turn off.

Fyuni was going to have fun with her. To think that a human might be able to catch up with her, to be as fast as she was going to be...the thought just made her little heart race faster actually. "I hope it works good, I hope it makes you as fast as I am! I bet it will make you just as fast." If that happened she'd be a little...worried. Humans as fast as her...that was a scary thought.

"Yeah but then YOU'LL have to dry as well." Fyuni told her with a devious little grin crossing her face. It was a little bit about revenge really, but still. She wanted to try again. She really thought she could do it this time. She just had to run faster. Much faster, and she had to use her hooves to her advantage. They gave her a nice push in the water after all.

She'd be able to make it far.

"What?" Linia blushed a brighter red at that, "No...well....sometimes. But no...that isn;t the point!" Linia wasn't really sure of why she was so painfully modest, she just was. She didn't know how to explain it. But being naked wasn't comfortable for her, mostly due to her low self image and a strict upbringing.

Fyuni going on about stripping down and the various merits of doing so made her face darken by several shades. The poor human's eyes got huge with shock and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she managed to stammer out, "I-I-I couldn't do that! Th-that w-w-would be so embarrassingly!"

Changing subjects to something a bit safer suited Linia just fine. As she began to get over her shock, her earlier excitement came back. Getting to try a new potion out was always thrilling. Oh how she wished the sun would work faster!

Though she would have to be careful in the sun. With her skin, she would burn if she wasn't careful. She shifted, turning her head to check her legs. They weren't pink yet, which was good. She really should keep working on that formula to protect herself from burns.

Letting out a small sigh she glanced over at the potion, "You know...if we are going to race over the lake again....we are both probably going to end up wet again. Do you really need to totally dry off?"

Fyuni would probably never really understand Linia and her afraid to be naked behaviour. To her it just didn't make sense. She didn't grasp the concept of shame too well after all so...she tried but it was all foreign to her. She'd keep trying to press the issue though, brighten the young woman up, either she'd see the light or Linia would.

"Pfft, would not. There isn't a person around after all, not for miles at least! Forest is all uninhabited really. Ain't a soul to bother us here!" Fyuni had been told by the trees, they were nice about that. They always liked chattering about people because they never really saw them. That made it really easy to know when to hide and what not. Or just to stay away from them.

"Hm...I think you're probably right! Alright alright then! Let's do some racing then!" Fyuni hopped to her feet and tried to brush herself off, a bit of dirt sticking to her. She didn't mind it really, but it made her look sloppy and she was anything but! She enjoyed a bit of neatness. The Elves had mostly taught her that, more so when it came to clothes. You had to be nice and trim and your clothes had to be clean from dirt. She didn't see the point, clothes would get dirty, and there was nothing wrong with dirt! The elves thought differently though.

"Hurry up then! Drink the potion! We can then see who gets further!" Linia might have an advantage, her feet were...well...feet! She had more surface area, and were flatter, with her travelling at speeds close to Fyuni, she might actually make it further. Fyuni was a tad worried. Though the pond wasn't that big, still, any advantage that could be had, would be had.

Linia would probably never really get how Fyuni could just be so free and uninhibited about being naked. It was just too utterly strange to her. She had been raised with the mindset of that just because everyone is naked under their clothes, it didn't mean one should give up the fight to prevent that.

She just shook her head, her cheeks still pink, "O-oh no. I could never do that! And I thought you said the trees could see us." Linia was grasping at straws now. She couldn't even imagine that Fyuni would run around the forest naked. It just wasn't done in Linia's world.

Though the fae jumping up quickly caused all of that to vanish. It was time to try the potion! Linia reached for it and started to lift it to her lips, then paused and set it back down, "If I am going to race over a pond, I really don't want all my clothes to get wet..."

Linia shrugged her outer jacket off, glancing over at Fyuni, "And you are sure there is no one in the forest?"

Stripped down to her underwear, the alchemist was still pretty covered, though she felt quite embarrassed. Her underwear didn't play around. It still covered her from her knees to her chest, bits of lace around the edges. But she really didn't want her clothes to get soaked and probably end up drowning her.

Carefully folding the last article, Linia straightened, blushing quite red as she gripped the potion bottle, "What is our end goal? Just the other shore?" As she waited for Fyuni's reply she lifted the potion bottle and drained it back.

For a few seconds, Linia was worried that she had messed it up and nothing was going to happen. Then the effects began to kick in, heightening her senses, sending her muscles into overdrive. Just having eaten the flower was nothing like this, where everything around her seemed to be moving so slow.

Lina's body jerked for a moment as it grew used to the energy, the speed, "O-oh. My...this seems to be a success so far." She blinked over at the far end of the shore, curious if she could even get going fast enough to get as far as Fyuni had, "Ready for a race?"

Cultures were such a strange thing weren't they? She had been raised more carefree, and most of the humans she had heard about had been raised with a little more...timid mindset. Which was fine by her, she didn't really care what they did, so long as they didn't bother her and try and change her. Which was odd since she had been changed, having to wear clothes and all. That was a minor thing though. She was thinking more of the major things like religion and what not.

"Yeah but their trees. What are trees gonna say? They're always naked and covered with animals." She shot down that arguement rather oddly didn't she? It was true though, and that's all that mattered to her.

"Not a soul but you an' me!" She chirped as she watched the alchemist for a moment. She snickered. Ah hah hah! The girl was wearing so many layers of clothes. "Well, I guess if YOUR going to be that way, I should do the same thing." It wasn't fair after all. Linia's underwear was a lot more covering than Fyuni's. As she stripped down her outer layer of clothes, it was apparent. Fyuni wore a small grey breast band and a slightly revealing pair of pink panties. At first it almost looked like she was a doll, with nothing below the waist, until you saw the little bit of white from the trim of her underwear.

Fyuni stretched for a moment, trying to get limbre, as if she really needed to at this point. "That's right. Whoever gets closer to the other side of the pond is the winner." Fyuni grinned as he looked over toward the water's edge. Alright. She could do this. If she was quick enough and if she kept herself lightly...she could do this.

She could win.

"I am! I was born ready!" And really she had been born ready to race. Fyuni strode quickly over to the Alchemist's side and got low for a good boost of speed, ready to run. "Alright...so we'll do this on the count of three then shall we?"

Linia opened her mouth to reply to Fyuni's argument, then closed it. She wasn't really sure how to argue that point, as it was such an odd point. Linia would just let it go, as she wasn't going to strip any farther then her underwear and that was that.

Though when the fae started to strip down, the alchemists cheeks went bright red and she did her best to avoid looking at her. She was positively naked! The few scant strips of cloth hardly counted. It wasn't even proper underwear!

Linia was quite aware she was in the minority of people. Few people were as modest as she was and tended to wear quite revealing clothes all over the place. But that didn't mean she liked to acknowledge that unless necessary. She was still pathetically easy to scandalize.

The potion was making her heart race. She could feel in pounding in her chest. She was dimly aware of it and in the back of her mind hoped it wasn't going too fast. That wouldn't be good. But she seemed alright, for now anyway.

Everything was happening so slowly, it made her feel almost dreamlike. But with a weird hyperness that was hard to describe. She wiggled her toes in the grass, watching the lake. She had no idea if she was going to be able to even get as far as Fyuni had. But it would be fun to try.

She crouched down next to the fae, legs set to push off from the ground, "One....Two....Three!"

When you couldn't beat someone, just confuse them with nonsense. Even though this nonsense was mostly truly. Trees could't really say anything about it. They were naked with bugs and animals all over them. They wer also naked all the time too. Not just once in a while. Unless you counted bark but...bark grew, and that was skin then.

Yeah. That's how it was.

Fyuni almost grinned at how Linia blushed. So she didn't much care for her attire did she? Well, she liked it, it was comfy and it didn't get in her way like...Linia's almost full length stuff would. Psha. The girl really needed to loosen up and get naked once in a while. Really get to communing with nature.

Fyuni was anxious, her fingers twitching as she dug her hoofs into the ground. Here went...something then. The moment the woman said three Fyuni was like a blur as she ran. She didn't push off when she hit the water, not yet. At first her weight was being supported, but the trick was to keep in front of her ripples. She could run where the surface tension was intact. However, a small twist of her body and the next time her feet hit the water...

She had ALMOST made it too!

She came up from under the water, sputtering and spitting water, looking around blearily for her alchemist friend.

The alchemist didn't have as good a start at the fae did. She was still getting used to moving at such high speeds and while she was able to move faster then a normal human if still took her brain and body a moment to sort itself out.

But she was able to keep up pretty well with the tiny pink girl. Until she hit the water. She was sadly slightly behind Fyuni and that doomed her from the beginning. The ripples the small fae made spread out and got in Linia's way. The alchemist didn't get very far from shore before she hit the lake with a splash.

The girl came up sputtering, shaking her wet hair from her face. She could still touch bottom, though just barely and her underwear was plastered to her skin and once she was clear of the water she would find it was almost totally see through.

She gave a laugh as she watched Fyuni reappear above the water, "Looks like you won this time."

In fairness Fyuni SHOULD have let Linia take a little time to get used to moving so fast but...well the girl seemed so...out of place. Being naked and all. She didn't want the poor thing to just die from blushing just waiting. That would be horrible. Funny though, because Fyuni would have liked to see that sort of thing happen. Kinda. Blushing to death.

Fyuni didn't even realize that her being first was going to help her out. Well. She knew the ripples were going to distract HER from winning but she never thought about Linia and what it would do to her. Apparently it would make the girl pretty much sink into the pond. ((Srsly, it's a pond, not a lake :P Lakes are huge. This pond is very pondish, not lakeish at all!))

Fyuni couldn't reach the bottom, but thankfully she was a good swimmer. The hooves had webbing in them, allowing her to move gracefully through the water. She didn't look happy at all by the fact that though she had won, she hadn't made it to the other side. At least she attempted this ins a small place instead of the ocean. That sounded like a pipe dream, being able to run across the ocean itself with nothing but her wits and her natural speed. Ohhh...that would be so nice to do. Outrunning waves and wake alike, unable to be touched by the water...

"Good race...next time I'll make it. I swear to the Gods that I will." Fyuni promised as she paddled over to the edge and climbed out. Once more she looked like a sopping mouse of some sort. Though this time there was a lot more flesh showing. Though, Linia on the other hand almost made her giggle. "Y'know Linia, maybe cold water and the colour white was a bad idea for you. Just sayin' though."

The alchemist shivered in the water, grinning like an idiot at Fyuni, "That was amazing!" And it had been. The speed had been one hell of a rush, she had never felt anything like that. And she was still feeling the effects, seeing the world so sharp, everything going so slowly. Everything buy Fyuni.

She shook her hair, trying to get some of the water out of it. The wet mass was already pulling itself free from the messy pile it had been in. The girl headed for the shore, rubbing her hands over her arms, "You seem to have gotten farther this time. I couldn't keep up! I bet you can do it next time."

She wanted a rematch! She just had to make another potion. And she was just going to make sure to avoid the ripples that time. And she would be used to moving at the high speed. Fyuni wouldn't stand a chance!

The Fey's comment got a confused look from the girl, "What?" Then she seemed to notice that her clothes really weren't hiding much and she gave an alarmed squeal as she tried to cover herself, "Oh no! I-I didn't even think of that!"

Fyuni didn't mind swimming all that much but it was just a little chilly in here. However, she had already cut away the tree line so it would be easy for her to warm up again. Of course, maybe she could think of a way to heat up the water. She didn't really have the magic for that, though, maybe she could always get Linia to make some sort of potion to warm the water up. Later. Right now it didn't matter.

She had won the race at least.

"I think I could do it next time...I just need to avoid the ripples...which shouldn't be too hard." She wasn't moving fast enough. Ripples moved slowly and she still couldn't beat them. That meant she had to move faster. She could do that. Oh she could do that really easily. Just had to focus was all. And get a little more of a run.

Fyuni giggled as she sat down on the ground in the sunspot, looking at Linia with a mischievous smile. The girl was so odd wasn't she? It was hilarious though to say the least. "That's why I wear pinks and grey. Can't see much through that!" Well, she was basically wearing a strip of cloth around her breasts and a thong basically. That really didn't work all that much. Still, you couldn't really see anything private after all. "How long is that potion gonna last? It should last for at least an hour right? Cause if that's the case we should just run again."

The alchemist was rather torn on the subject of swimming. On one hand the water was freezing cold and not all that comfortable. On the other hand, if she got out of the water, she was practically naked. After this she was getting black underwear! Well, maybe not black as that was a little much for Linia. But maybe a nice gray color.

Eventually the cold drove her the rest of the way out of the water to the shore, hunching up as best she could, shivering slightly, her cheeks bright red. Linia was beating Fyuni out in the drowned rat department. Her long hair hung in wet clumps down her back, having mostly fallen out of her bun. A few strands were still piled on her head, but it just sort of added to the over all pathetic look.

"It's still going." Linia smiled, "It is supposed to last that long, but who knows. It was all guess work." She glanced down at her sopping and see through clothes, "I-I'm not sure. I don't really have anything else to wear. I don't want all my clothes to get wet..."

The girl should just lighten up and learn to not care about her body. Fyuni didn't think she was that bad. At least she was taller and looked womanly instead of like...a child. She learned besides her own people there were only a few types of people who wanted her and that was...just nasty. Some very sick people out there. Made her blood run cold just thinking about it.

Or maybe that was the really cold water...she'd chalk it up to the water.

"It's just us women around her Linia. Not like I haven't seen a naked body before." Really. She could just look down at herself if she wanted to see that! At least in the comfort of her own gender Linia SHOULD be able to relax just a little bit. Though she just probably didn't like the fact that she was almost nude but still had clothes on. That must have been a little discouraging. What she thought she had to her advantage now was just flimsy and almost invisible.

"Well then, I say we race again! No point in letting your potion go to waste!" She was just antsy. She wanted to race again. She really wanted to run and jump and just be free. Not caring about anything. Which in all fairness there was nothing to worry about at this point. "So come on! Let's run! Across the pond again. I'm gonna make it." The pond's ripples already had died down and was still again. There wasn't a strong breeze out, barely anything, so the pond looked resembled a mirror more than anything. Perfect.

While Linia was a bit of a prude, she was also practical. She didn't reply to Fyuni at first, just stood shivering on the shore, watching the water. The race had been a thrill. The rush had been amazing.

Finally she gave a slow nod, "I...suppose your right." She was still blushing rather impressively, but Fyuni was the only one there. And while it was highly embarrassingly, it was just another girl. It was more being outside then anything else, but she could deal with that.

And Fyuni was correct about Linia being womanly. She was at least a woman and a half. And without her layers of clothing on to help suck her in, it was a bit more obvious. Fate had seemed to have decided that she was going to be chubby no matter what she did. It made Linia a little envious of Fyuni's slender build. Not so much the height though. She felt short enough as it was.

"It would be a waste to not try again." Linia gave a small smile, her cheeks still pink, "And you would be able to hear if anyone was coming, right?" Those ears of the fae's looked like they could hear someone coming several miles away.

She should at least know just how Fyuni felt all the time, and why standing still just made her so...well like this. Why she hated to stand still, why she wanted to be running and moving and stuff like that. It made sense to her to say the least. She was always in a speed induced frenzy, and she loved it.It was fun!

"Of course I am." She tried her best to fluff her hair but it was still wet, so she settled for simply moving it out of her face with a pinky finger, smiling all the while. Heh heh, she loved being right, just part of her ego!

Fyuni didn't really see that she was 'big' to say the least. All that Fyuni saw was that she was taller than herself. Which really just...blah to say the least. She wished she were taller too because then...well she wasn't sure what. But she wouldn't be thought of as a kid in the eyes of the humans or the elves. Even though she was really old! Many hundreds of years old. It was just mean to call her a kid. But they didn't really know better. Humans just didn't understand her sometimes.

Maybe because she talked too fast for some of them.

"That it would!" She pointed herself at the lake again, but then looked over to Linia and nodded. "Yep! And the trees will tell me. I asked them to watch for anyone who might come bother us!" She told her as she got back into a racing position and grinned. "You count again. On...let's say four this time."

Linia laughed as the fae tried to primp herself and failed with how wet she was. She was so adorable, like a little kid. It really did make Linia want to just hug her and squeal at how tiny she was.

Linia moved next to the fae, getting into position. She was still a bit nervous, but it was starting to be a bit fun. A wicked thrill along with the rush of the race. Though maybe that was just the potion talking? Linia just smiled at the fae, "Alright. Four it is. One...two...three...four!"

She needed to get a head! If she fell behind it was all over! The alchemist was a bit more used to the high speeds now, though she was still a little clumsy. And she was a good match at first for the fae girl, but she couldn't beat her speed. Not yet anyway.

She was able to get much farther then she had before, out to the middle of the pond. Then she hit the freezing water with a startled shriek and a huge splash.

It was not wise to try and treat Fyuni like a child. Hugging and squealing about how adorable she was would just get the Fae very...aggravated. She hated being called adorable cause of her size. She was not adorable, she was a fighter.

Ahem. Still, maybe with Linia it would be okay laaater to try that. When the Fae wasn't as hyper. Because she really wanted to race or fight and be competitive. It was her nature of course, and just because she wanted to do something...she wanted to be active and to burn off the energy. "Heh, I'm gonna wiiiin." She said in a sing song voice as she waited for the count. She was going to do something different though, she was gonna wait a moment.

She let Linia suddenly dash out in front and take the lead, while the Fae didn't move a muscle. Not yet. Already her little brain was working as she watched Linia fall and sink into the water. Middle of the pond. She could do better. Her eyes hardened suddenly...she had to wait for the right...moment...THERE!

Suddenly Fyuni was gone, off at her high speed, her body crouched low as she kept in a more L shape, with her upper torso and head stretched out front while her legs were behind. She cut the air like an arrow, and she had timed herself to when the ripples were just right. Big enough to have some tension. The other ripples helped to keep hers from growing too big before her foot came down again. Her tiny legs pumped furiously as she felt something hit her foot. At first she thought it was Linia, or something in the pond had grabbed her, but what really tripped her up...

The other shore.

With a surprised yelp she hit the ground and tumbled a couple times before coming to a stop on her back. Breathless, she just stared up at the sky for a moment before she slowly got up and looked back at the pond.

She made it.

She...had made it.

"I did it."

The alchemist gave a pleased laugh as she made her way to shallower water, where she could properly touch bottom. Once she was able to stand, she clapped her hands, applauding the tiny pink fae, "Congratulations! That was amazing Fyuni!"

Linia was so far resiting the urge to huggle the crap out of the smaller girl rather well. But it was always just sort of there, in the back of her mind. She had no doubt that the fae was much deadlier then she was, it just didn't seem to matter so much.

It was quite cold after her second dunk into the icy waters. For once she was glad of her layer of protective fat, it made it a bit better then if she had been skinner. She flopped down into the sun, finally relaxing enough to not care about her see through clothes, "Oh my. That was a good one."

She needed to take a breather. It was hard to keep going that fast, her body just wasn't used to it. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest, as if trying to break through the rib cage. But the rush had been amazing. And she had gotten much farther that time! Maybe eventually she could mimic Fyuni and get to the other shore. There was thought!

"It was wasn't it?" Fyuni said as she looked to her companion with one of the largest grins. That was...that was pretty amazing. She had actually made it. She had ran across the water. It hadn't been smooth, it had been very rough but still, she had done it. If there was anything better than the rush she felt right now, she wasn't about to find out. Maybe there were some drugs out there but...this was just...it was amazing.

Fyuni grinned as she came around the other side, going over the little stream to where Linia lay in the sun. "I think it's almost better if we go one at a time instead of both. Surface tension an' all that jazz." She told the alchemist as she took a seat beside the woman and started to pick at the grass and twigs in her hooves.

"And to think you're almost as fast as me! Those berries and flowers are really working out. You've got some powerful alchemy...powers?" Fyuni blinked several times. Knowledge? Power? She wasn't really sure. It must have been knowledge but...then some people had that knack for alchemy. Hrm. Fyuni wasn't sure.

"Ahem. I'm starting to get hungry though...and I don't want to have to eat those berries." She was hyper enough as is, and she wanted to leave some for her friend, so she could make some new potions and what not. It would be rude and mean of her to just start hoarding all the berries. Greedy really, since they wouldn't affect her. Not unless she drank one of those potions...that might affect her.

Nodding agreement, Linia flopped onto her back, taking deep breaths. That had not been easy on her body, pushing it to those super speeds. It was probably going to start hurting as the potion wore off, "You made it all the way across!"

She turned her head to the side, grinning at the bright pink fae, "You are probably right. Though I still don't seem to be any good at it." Linia hadn't quite worked out how to step just right. It would be fun to try more, just to say she had done it. And that was a good selling point, a potion that made you fast enough to walk on water.

The potion was starting to wear off, her body returning to normal. Linia carefully sat back up, shaking her head lightly to clear her vision. It was a little weird coming down off of the potion. She would have to remember not to make it last for much longer, not with just the berries anyway. There needed to be something that lessoned the effect on the body be- She blinked, startled out of her thought process by Fyuni's compliment. The alchemist flushed, ducking her head, "I'm not that great. It's just like....cooking. You just throw things together and it works."

That wasn't really true at all, though anyone could learn alchemy as there weren't any special powers required for it. And Linia found it very naturally intuitive, making new potions acme easy to her. Her stomach gave a loud grumble then, wanting food. It had burned through a lot of energy and wanted substance. Her flush got a little deeper and she grinned at Fyuni, "Yeah. I'm hungry as well. I don't have a lot of food..." Mostly just some bread and a bit of cheese. She had snaked a bit earlier and had ended up eating most of the stuff she had packed for lunch. Which hadn't been the brightest idea.

"Well you're going from being how...humans are, to what a Quickling is. That's gonna definitely take some time getting used to, but when you do, you'll be able to do what I do!" Fyuni told the alchemist with a small smile. She really did like hanging out with a human who was AS fast as her, but she wasn't a Quickling. She just didn't want to be with her own kind because they were so...odd. Humans were a lot more preferable but at the same time they weren't as fast. Now, she had found the perfect middle ground.

Fyuni gave a giggle and shook her head. "Stop being so modest! Be a little arrogant, live a little! I mean, I can't even cook all that well even if you gave me all the recipes. I'd just end up burning something down." Besides, as a Fae, she was mostly into just eating berries, fruits, roots, vegetables, that sort of thing. She didn't really need to eat anything. It was all provided for her.

"Well then, maybe we should get dressed and head to a town or something!" Not like she had much choice. She always had to get dressed. Going in her breast band and panties would no doubt get her thrown in jail for indecent exposure. Plus this was the mountains, it could get really cold up here. She didn't much want to get a cold. That meant she would be slowed down. Ugh! The worse thing that could happen. So Fyuni began to get dressed against, pulling on her clothes and strapping on her weapons as well.

She knew around the base of these mountains there were a few towns littering the place, and it wasn't like she had any real idea where she was going. "So I'll just let you lead Linia! You know the towns locations I bet." She also could have had a map or something like that too. Fyuni really wanted to invest in one of those, but they were so bulky and cumbersome. More so if she wanted to get a detailed one that showed almost everything. Then she'd really have to take some time to read it all. Bleh.

"I hope I get better at it. And I can keep working on the potion, refine it a bit more. I can hopefully make it a bit less harsh on the body." Her heart was slowing back to normal and the adrenalin was fading back down. She didn't feel like she was crashing from the biggest sugar rush ever anymore.

Ohhh. Sugar. That might be interesting to add. It would improve the taste, that was for sure.

Linia's blushed deepened even more at Fyuni's admonishment, "I-I'm not being modest. Really. Its just....It's not that hard. I could teach you if you wanted?" Alchemy just came so naturally to Linia it was hard for her to understand how it might be difficult for other people to get it. It just all made perfect sense to her, "And I bed you aren't that bad of a cook."

Having dried enough to get dressed again, Linia stripped all the way out of the soggy underwear before starting the long process of getting dressed again. She felt a bit scandalous not wearing underwear under it. But the clothes were going to take hours to fully dry. She carefully packed them into a waterproof sack in her bag, "I think going to town would be lovely. I could eat a horse."

Once the clothes were stored away, Linia collected the rest of the berries and the moss Fyuni had shown her, packing them into the huge bag as well. She really did need to send another load of supplies home, it was getting very heavy. She really needed to looking into a magic bag of some kind, that....didn't weight anything. They had to make those, right?

Once ready, she settled the bag onto her shoulder and took a moment to take in her surroundings and figure out where she was in relation to the town she had come from, "Okay! This way!"