Feather of Fate [M] [DragonSong]

[Juno]

He was right, but that didn't help her feel any better about the whole situation. She stepped back for the pressure at her shoulder and winced as she felt them connecting yet again. "Didn't think you were right there," she apologized, though she noticed the way his hand remained at her arm and her cheeks warmed slightly for the extended contact.

Clearing her throat and looking away Penny moved to step around him and towards the door. "Just not for too long," she decided. Remembering what had happened to him earlier, though, she turned again with a guilty look and snatched the feather off the tabletop to tuck away into her pocket for safekeeping.

"I'd like some fresh air, if you don't mind," she said, turning again to head out.

[DragonSong]

His chuckle was only slightly bitter when he shrugged and followed her. "I go where you go, sweetheart," he muttered, following after her. Not wanting to make her feel guilty though, he flushed and cleared his throat. "Fresh air sounds good."

[Juno]

Leading him out she glowered at Kura's back the whole way, a little upset still that her instructor seemed content to let her solve this problem by herself. It was her fault, but that didn't mean she had to do everything, did it? Kura was wise and knowledgeable beyond her years and yet it was the apprentice finding the solution.

Of course, Penny didn't realize that Kura was simply trying to teach her a lesson in it all as much as it was at the expense of Mal's time. She trusted she would be capable, though how long that might take was yet to be determined.

The warmth of the afternoon sun was enough to calm her from her disgruntled thoughts, though. She stepped a bit further than she'd seen him go before, curious if he really was connected to the feather and could go with her. "How about a walk since the weather's still nice? We could go to town or- Well, just around the house if that's too far for you," she suggested, not realizing that she was neglecting to tell him just how far that was exactly.

[DragonSong]

Mal, tilting his head back to enjoy the feeling of the sun on his face, snapped his attention back to her. "Oh. Uh, yeah sure. A walk sounds nice."

A moved a few steps closer quite without giving his legs permission to do so. Forcing back a scowl at that, he walked the next few steps on his own until he was right beside her. "Wherever you want to go, Penny," he said with a small smile.

It's not like he really had a choice but to follow her anyway- although...he supposed there were worse fates. He kept that thought to himself.

[Juno]

"Just there and back, then. It's not too far," she promised, turning to him a bit with a grateful smile for what seemed to be his cooperation. Penny set out at a slow, tentative pace at first, though. She constantly glanced to him to be certain nothing was going wrong. After all, she had no idea what else her clumsy magic might have done and she was not out to make him miserable.

[DragonSong]

"So.." Mal popped his lips, searching for something to say. It wasn't in his nature to just walk in silence. "You've been with Kura for four years, you said?" He glanced at her sidelong. "Your family just lets you live with her? Uh, you do live with her?" That was the impression he'd gotten at any rate.

[Juno]

"Yes, thankfully," she giggled, amused at the thought for she knew how inconvenient of a commute that would have been.

"My family lives in the next town over, maybe half a day's walk?" she mused, looking out to the horizon thoughtfully in the direction she knew it to be. "I'd spend my days on the road if I didn't live with her. I visit them often enough, though, so they don't mind really."

Penny leaned in slightly to add, "Between you and me I prefer living away. They...drive me a little insane sometimes."

[DragonSong]

He cracked a smile. "Hey, I get it. Why do you think I was all the way in La'marri? Had to get away from the old man for a bit, feeling stifled."

If he was being honest with himself, that was half a lie. While he did love traveling, the sense of freedom it provided, he did miss Adrian occasionally. More often the longer he was away. Maybe he should stop in and visit, if he was going to be stuck in the area anyway...

Realizing he'd been drifting, he shook his head and focused back on Penny. "You got siblings then?" he asked curiously. "Or just you and your folks?"

[Juno]

"One sister," she told him fondly, smiling a bit to herself. "But I'm the baby of the family. I think my parents had grander plans for me than this, but-" Penny shrugged, not really knowing what else she should say about it to someone who would be gone from her life in such short order.

"I'm happy as I am. Do you, um, have any siblings? And...you said just a father, correct?" The young mage frowned slightly, curious but unwilling to ask herself if there had ever been a mother for a phoenix raised to be a human.

[DragonSong]

"The baby, huh?" He chuckled. Somehow he wasn't surprised.

"Oh me? Yeah, it's just me and Da. Well..." Mal hesitated for a moment, then figured, what the hell? She already knew he was a phoenix, there didn't seem to be a point in hiding anything else about his family.

"He's not my father. Biologically, I mean," he explained as they walked. "He found me when I was-" maybe an egg might be a little much for her right now- "young. Took me in, raised me, so I've always thought of him as my Da, but he's not my real parent."

He shrugged, eyes going sort of unfocused as he looked away. "I don't actually know much about my parents. Or any other family I might have. I've got a cousin, but she's the only other one of my kind I've ever met..." He trailed off, clearing his throat and feeling his neck and face hear a bit.

[Juno]

She was curious for more, but it was a fascinating enough story to hold her attention. "Well good that he found you, huh? You firebirds must truly be an awfully rare lot."

Penny glanced down at her skirt and chewed her lip in thought. "Perhaps once I can get you out of this mess you can use the feather? Maybe it would help. If you wanted to find more, that is."

[DragonSong]

Mal gave her a curious look. He hadn't thought of that. "Yeah, maybe..." Shaking the thought away, he shot her a lopsided grin. "That means you have to actually get us out of this mess though, yeah?"

[Juno]

"Yes." Why was that even a question?

"Oh. Oh, I see. You don't think I can, do you?" she accused playfully, much as it was a blow to her ego. It wasn't all that surprising considering she was clueless about how everything had happened in the first place. A more capable mage probably would have been able to correct such mistakes and quickly, yet she was just as uncomfortable with it all as she had been in the morning.

[DragonSong]

"I never said that," Mal protested, laying a hand to his heart and giving her a wide eyed look. "...I may have thought it, but I never said it," he teased, bumping her shoulder lightly.

He couldn't really help it. Humor was easier to deal with than thinking about what would happen if she couldn't fix this.

[Juno]

"Ah, but you let it slip." Penny smiled genuinely and giggled. At least he could laugh about it and wasn't being a cold person over what she'd done. She couldn't imagine being ripped out of her own life and suddenly strapped to a stranger. Although, in a way, the same was happening to her.

They were nearing the town, though, so she slowed and gestured to cross the road and turn as she intended to do. "Let's not go in. They won't let you go if they see us together," she warned playfully, shaking her head for she knew how unabashedly curious their neighbors could be.

[DragonSong]

"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow. "Why's that? Afraid someone will run and tell you're beau you're walking about town with a handsome stranger?" He gave her a broad, cocky grin, eyes glinting teasingly.

[Juno]

"What?! No, I don't have a-" She was already quite flustered, having glanced up to see that confident grin. She understood that he was playing with her still, but it was a situation she'd been in so rarely that she hardly knew how to approach it.

"I'm sorry if I...led you to believe that," she tried again, carefully refusing to boost him with compliments but unable to lie about such a thing even if it was only a joke.

"Perhaps another time. When it all isn't so new," Penny suggested, though she instantly regretted it. Another time meant a longer stay. Another time meant admitting she wasn't going to resolve their problem in a single day.

[DragonSong]

Mal laughed softly at her fumbling. It was kind of adorable. "Another time then," he said. Seeing her face fall, he added gently, "When I come back to visit after you've got this whole thing sorted."

[Juno]

At least he was kind enough to give her that. "Yes, exactly," she agreed eagerly. "Though I've no idea why you would want to visit your...captor." She smiled at that. It was a lot easier to think of herself as some monster than an incapable idiot.

[DragonSong]

He laughed again, much louder this time, and stopped walking. Easily grabbing her arm and spinning her around to pull her against his chest, he smirked down at her and let his arms come around her in a gentle cage.

"I'm sorry," he said innocently. "Who's the captor here, exactly?"