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Feather of Fate [M] [DragonSong]

Started by Juno, January 27, 2016, 08:42:39 AM

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Juno

"Thank you." It felt odd to accept compliments for something that wasn't truly hers. She was as much a guest as he was despite how long she'd been at the mage's residence. His assumption of Kura's gender had her stilling momentarily and then left her unable to hide a bit of a giggle at his expense.

"I suppose she is," Penny corrected gently. It was her fault she hadn't made it clear, though gender hardly mattered in such things. "And not exactly. I think it's hers, but... " She frowned slightly, thinking back on how exactly she'd come across it.

"The study. Library, really. It was there. I was doing research and just sort of found it. I'd never seen it before so I couldn't really tell you how long it's been here."

DragonSong

Mal blushed at bit at his incorrect assumption, mumbling, "Oh, right then."

Still, that probably meant that Kura at least knew where it had come from. "Where is she then?" he asked, glancing around as though she was in the room and he'd simply missed her. Looking back to the girl, he added, much calmer than before, "Could I see the feather? Please?"

Now that he was a little more relaxed and had at least some idea of what was going on, he was feeling a little guilty for how demanding he'd been earlier. Still, he thought he had some license to be a little grumpy, all things considered!

Juno

“Oh, out. She’ll be home soon, though.” Penelope wasn’t sure if her teacher would be very happy if the girl just blurted out her whereabouts to a complete stranger, guest or not, even if she was only doing silly errands. Her business didn’t matter anyway, only that she would return home soon.

His additional request for the feather had her looking down to her pocket with guilt. It was his if he was telling her the truth, but she also felt a need to protect it as a possession of her instructor. “If you promise not to steal it,” Penny finally agreed, reaching to retrieve it and extend it out to him in a careful hold between two fingers.

DragonSong

Snatching the feather from her, Mal quirked an eyebrow. "I believe the term in this case would be repossession not stealing," he pointed out dryly.

Frowning, he looked down at the cause of his trouble, running it between his fingers a few times. It felt...strange. "This isn't mine," he said slowly, turning it over in his hand, then bringing it closer to his face for further scrutiny.

Shrugging, he handed it back to her warily. "It may have belonged to a relative. One of my parents, probably. Seeing as they aren't around, it probably reached out to the creature most closely related to the blood of its original owner."

Of course, he was really just guessing. It sounded plausible, though.

Juno

Penny watched as he studied the feather, intrigued as it shimmered in the changing light. "Not yours?" She frowned in confusion. How could he be so sure?

"But how can you tell it's not yours?" she wondered, taking it back and holding it up to the light for a moment. Was that really how it worked? She would need to ask Kura. Drumming her fingers against the table idly in thought she replaced it once more in her pocket before looking up to him expectantly for answers.

DragonSong

He shrugged, a little uncomfortable under her stare. "I just...can," he replied. "It doesn't feel right- doesn't feel like one of mine."

Frowning a bit, he gave her a curious look. "What were you doing with it anyway? You can't have just summoned me by picking it up. You must've done something."

Juno

Having the questions suddenly turned towards her Penny flushed a bit as she remembered the incantations she'd assumed would work towards an entirely different purpose. Chewing her lip a bit she hummed in acknowledgment of his question as she cast a guilty look towards the door to the study.

"Well... I thought it might have been an illusion. Um, made to look like something it was not? So I tried to break that," she mumbled, feeling a little silly to be admitting how badly she'd messed up if that had turned into summoning a phoenix. Well, a man that was a phoenix.

DragonSong

"Huh." He quirked an eyebrow at her, then shrugged again. "I won't pretend to know how that wound up summoning me. Maybe this teacher of yours can shed some light on the subject."

His stomach suddenly growled and he let out a sharp breath. Giving her his most charming smile, he wheedled, "You know, seeing as you dragged me out of my inn- and away from breakfast- I don't suppose you could spare some food?"

Juno

"Maybe so," she answered distractedly, looking to the door with a slightly troubled look. If only she could bring Kura home faster. She was cursing more than ever the woman's knack for browsing a little too leisurely.

"Oh, certainly," she agreed, standing quickly and eager to keep herself busy while they waited instead of just gawking at the stranger. Looking over the contents of their kitchen, though, she winced and turned slightly to give him a rather guilty look over her shoulder. "We have eggs? Chicken eggs," she stressed. "Do you eat those? Would that be all right?"

DragonSong

Mal laughed. A quick laugh, but a real one. "Yes, I eat eggs," he told her, still chuckling. "I eat anything you eat, probably. Except beets." He pulled a face at the thought. "I don't eat beets."

He watched her as she sort of flitted about. Now that he was feeling calmer, more secure- this Kura must have a way to send him back, after all- he took a really good look at her.

Cute. If she would stop chattering at him, she thought she might even cross the border into pretty. A lazy sort of smile stretched across his face and he leaned back a bit, still watching her.

Juno

"Oh! Okay, no beets," she giggled. "Thank you." She could finally breathe easy, smiling to herself as she turned back to look at the small basket they all rested in. Now would he want just one egg? Or two? Penny picked up a few, weighing them distractedly in her hands before replacing one and then picking it back up again. Two. Only because he was so very tall and probably needed them.

She rummaged around for their pan and got to her cooking, entirely oblivious to the admirer that she'd gained in the process. Thankfully Kura kept a fire going for them constantly, so it was easy enough to settle the pan above it and dash about the kitchen getting this or that ingredient to add. Just because they were eggs didn't mean they couldn't be a little bit fancy.

"So, La'marri?" she asked conversationally over her shoulder, her eyes glued to her task. "What were you doing there if 'home' is Serendipity?"

DragonSong

Mal shrugged. "Travelling. Seeing the world a bit." It was much easier to do so now that he had a handle on his powers. Well, most of the time anyway.

"And I guess home isn't really accurate, not anymore," he mused aloud. "My old man still lives in the Riverlands, but home is where I make it nowadays." Grin turning a little wicked, he stood and came up behind her quietly, leaning over her shoulder to see what she was doing.

"Anything I can do to help?"

Juno

"Ah, must be nice," she sighed wistfully, smiling softly at the thought of travel and all the grand adventures one might get up to out in the other lands. In her own little world, though, Penny was thoroughly startled at the sound of his voice much, much nearer than she'd expected.

"N-no," she fumbled nervously, blushing brightly at being caught all dazed and distracted like that. "I think I have this handled pretty well. Smell yummy?" she teased, innocently thinking that his reason for coming over.

"It'll be done in just a minute. I guess if you want you can...grab a plate?" she suggested after a bit more thought. Maybe he was just the sort that hated being idle. She raised a hand to gesture at the cupboard.

DragonSong

Mal smirked at her blush, leaning in a little closer. "Smells delicious," he assured her. Thoroughly enjoying himself, he shifted slightly to the side and reached toward the cupboard, bringing his chest flush against her back.

Stepping away, he laid the plate on the table. "Sure you don't want anymore help?" he asked innocently, leaning back against the table and cocking his head at her, still smirking a bit.

Juno

The softest gasp escaped her as she felt the light pressure of contact against her back. Sure, the kitchen was a little cramped but it wasn't that bad, was it? The occasional elbow was knocked or hip bumped if both student and teacher managed to be working in it at the same time, but she supposed it was different with a man around even though it wasn't at all. She wasn't the most innocent maiden in the world, but she was willing to excuse such a thing as an accident if it only happened once.

"Uh... Yeah- Yes," she gulped, refusing to look at him to hide the now even brighter color lighting her pale cheeks aflame. To her great shame she knew that such a feeling tended to stretch to her neck and even her chest in the most embarrassing moments of her young life. That was definitely not something she wished to subject an innocent acquaintance to.

"You can take a seat if you want, I'll bring it over," she prompted, lifting the pan slightly as she carefully checked the underside of the eggs.

DragonSong

Chuckling quietly at her flustered response, Mal slid onto a chair easily. "I gotta say, if it weren't for the whole yanking me here unexpectedly thing, this'd be the best day I've head in a while," he said with a grin, propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin on his hand. "Not often I get a pretty girl to cook for me."

Juno

"Well that means I'm not the first, and I surely won't be the last," Penny teased, finally turning to scrape his breakfast from pan to plate and leave him with a knife and fork along with it. The compliment left her smiling, though, cheesy as it was.

She turned away briefly to set the pan aside to cool before returning to sit across from him at the table. "How is it? I can get you something else if it's not to your...tastes."

DragonSong

Mal shook his head, taking a bite and giving an appreciative hum. "No, it's good," he said with a quick grin. "Besides, I couldn't ask you to do that, you've been very accommodating." His grin turned into a smirk. "You know. Other than summoning me without permission."

Sobering a bit, he leaned back in his chair and gave her a look. "About that, by the way...look, I'm not sure where your Kura got that feather, but do you think she'd be willing to return it?" He frowned slightly. "I'm not sure how I feel about someone I don't know having this sorta power."

Juno

"Yes, that," she groaned, mock-wincing. She quite liked this man's playfulness with her. It was refreshing after such a long time of living only with another woman and so far away from town at that.

"It depends," she nodded, her tone growing more serious as the subject matter changed. Had her teacher ever really given away her trinkets? Perhaps for a price but she doubted he would want to pay for something that seemed rightfully his. "She's nice, I'm sure she'd understand but... Can't make any promises for her," she frowned apologetically.

"Maybe you could offer her a trade for it if she doesn't want to let it go," she suggested, giggling in thought. "Feather for feather, perhaps? Better than us having the ability to summon you for all eternity, right?"

DragonSong

He wrinkled his nose at the thought, but he supposed she had a point. "Maybe," he huffed. Then, because he felt like being dramatic, he gave a mock groan and slumped theatrically in his chair. "But that means I have to change and it's such a hassle," he complained.

Sitting up straight again, he quirked an eyebrow at her and added, "You ever had a feather plucked? Not a pleasant feeling." He shuddered dramatically, pulling a comically appalled face.

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