The Hot Place (Dial M For Mature)

[Wrathwyrm]

He was about to agree with the unspoiled beauty of the desert thing when...  Wait, there are sand snakes?  Cool!  Okay, Travis was watching that for a moment.  They were just sort of wary of those passing over head...  Hang on, that's a bad idea.  If there was a predator, they'd be leaping right into...oh.  Eh heh...  Unless, of course, the snakes were so dangerous that they brought down airborne predators by leaping at them in a dive and killing them...  That could be a thing.

The outlines they were making in the sand was not lost on Travis, but uhhh...the flap of his coat honestly made him look a little weird down there.  He'd noticed that before in his life, but it was in flying with a companion that he thought it a bit weird.  There wasn't another outline in the sky, which told him that maybe there weren't so many birds in the first place.  Uhhh...and then he looked down and saw a large section of sand shift.  He thought he saw the trunk of whatever it was there, for a second.  It was big.

"Let's uhh...not land until we hit glass, okay?  Just in case."

[RedOptics]

"Gotcha." She nodded, also looking quite weary-illed. The day was already beginning to end as the sun neared its three quarter mark, sinking down down down to the mountains at a pace she could not keep up with.

Her skin had dried once again, the last droplet of oil evaporating. The water had taken a toll on her, and she could feel less-powerful than before the boat ride. Perhaps it was a sign that she should never do that again. Making sure Ira was snugly tucked against her, it seemed as though he was beginning to fall out of the trance he was in from the catnip. His weight was starting to irk her a little, knowing that her wings were going to need a good massage after this trip. That is, if she doesn't die before their destination.

[Wrathwyrm]

Yes, even Travis could note the fact that the tiger was beginning to stir, as he looked less like a throw-rug and more like an animal at rest again.  The sun was beginning to set, though, and with it would go the ambient heat and a great deal of Keona's strength.  Not that she was expected to need much for the act of gliding, say, but wind buffets you and air currents were naturally a thing.  Only so much could be tolerated before fatigue got to you.

Fortunately, even as the sun peeked lower, they could definitely see it coming: The Seraj Isa, or Glass Desert.  It was a strange place, overall.  A holy place to the Essyrni, because they had no idea how it came to be.  Travis laid bets on 'extreme heat', but that was sort of given.  This place had all sorts of weird formations and shapes in the glass, some thick and some thin.  They could land now, as long as they hit a smooth part to it.  It was still warm from the day's heat, for now.

[RedOptics]

With eyes sparkling like jewels and heart pounding like a herd of cattle, Keona did not hesitate to dive down at a quickening speed, only to spread her wings before collision to land on her feet. Almost immediately the warm glass welcomed her and she sat down, taking the tiger from around her neck and letting her wings sprawl out. Talk about a fallen angel am I right? Anyways. The tiger yawned, still quite groggy and began to groom himself, clearly slightly irritated by the unnaturally smooth feel of the glass beneath his paws.

"The Glass Desert..." The glass of course was not clean, more musky, more like black ice (or so she would assume what black ice would look like). But the twisted shapes gave for some odd distortions in light, as well as colours, lots and lots of colours, "It's much more beautiful than I could ever imagine... Name something that's more pleasant to the eye, I dare you." She turned to Travis, then back to the scenery before her.

[Wrathwyrm]

Oh yes, this place was a very strange sight.  When light of any sort hit it, there were certainly some unusual effects, curious sights to behold.  It was awe-inspiring and it was creepy, at times.  It depends on who you are and what you're doing, one supposes.  Travis landed and took a look around here.  Parts were jagged more in the distance, but everything here was smooth and flowing, practically liquid captured in still life.  As Keona took a rest upon the glass of this place and Travis stood nearby, she spoke her admiration for it and then just dared him to find something more pleasant.

Well, give a man a challenge...

"A dark-haired woman with elegant black wings set amongst that splendor?"

He smirked at her, eyes alive with amusement at calling her on it.

[RedOptics]

The wind whistled through the odd shapes before them, blowing sand at their backs. It took a moment to process what Travis had said, ans she smiled back at him, "I guess your point of view is much nicer than mine, huh?" Then looked back down at Ira who was pawing at an orb that reflected off her clothing. She giggled softly, petting the little animal's head as she repositioned herself to move the orb.

An ocean of glass, where you can see to the bottom while walking one top. Truly an amazing sight to see, that is, if your body didn't begin burning it. The bits of bare skin that lie on the material would proceed to leave tar black scorch marks as her heart rate began to die down, and she quickly stood again, gathering her wings.

[Wrathwyrm]

"Oh yeah, I get all the nice views."

So did she, technically.  She had that exotic appearance that would most definitely have her viewed by many.  You can't underestimate the power of that black-winged tattooed angel playing with her little pet tiger.  Yes, Ira's facination with the light was funny, in of itself, but he was put alongside such a contender as Keona...  Well, you get the idea.  She stood up now, because apparently her power may've been scorching the glass.

"I'm afraid the glass won't exactly be comfortable if we rest here.  Well, maybe if we find a spot that's nice and curved like a luxury seat."

[RedOptics]

Completely unaware of his gaze for the moment, she brushed herself off and inspected her feathers. No more were they burning and crumbling, for now they seemed like normal feathers you'd find on a simple bird.

Ira down below was confused as he sat down, looking for the little dot of light until he finally looked disappointed that it was gone. He padded over and rubbed himself against her leg. With a smile, Keona picked him up and hugged him, issing the top of his head.

"Wouldn't resting here, out in the open be dangerous enough?" She asked Travis. The only way they'd be safe is if they could find a dome of glass they could sit in. Bah, what a funny thought. But her weariness was getting the best of her at the moment.

[Wrathwyrm]

He looked around, trying to pick out any movement and...not finding any yet.  He'd always heard about this place, but practical knowledge about it was somewhat limited, sadly.

"Well, I don't know.  Nobody knows if there's anything alive out here.  For all we know, it could be entirely empty, or there could be something around and we wouldn't even know it."

Neither one of them was talking about the obvious possibility that they might be due for a shadow creature, as well.  They didn't have to.  At any rate, a dome could be easily smashed by one of those beasts, right?  There were...some gullies around, though.

"Heh.  If we were out of sight, at least, would that help?"

[RedOptics]

"Then how about atop that pillar over there? There's room... maybe, for the two of us." It was obvious from her it would be a tight fit. But at least it was out of harms way from land dwellers... hopefully. She tilted her head, ignoring the fact that Ira nipped at her chin and pawed her neck, looking around every so often to check on their surroundings.

"I mean... it's not like we're staying there the night... or are we?" Keona looked back at Travis, eyes unreadable but clear curiousity in her tone. If it was too small a space, they would either find another place or make do..

[Wrathwyrm]

Hmm?  The pillar?  Yes, that pillar was quite the formation, wasn't it?  It looked like...if a smallish mesa had been created by a splash.  It was just as characteristically strange as the rest of this place...and possibly suited to the task.  That might work.  Travis scratched his chin, then turned to Keona.

"That could work out, yeah.  Though...how long really depends on you.  Once this place cools down, you might want to sleep.  Let's check it out, at the very least."

He had a point there.  This place might stay heated a while, but once the area got chilly, Keona probably wouldn't want to be very active.  At any rate, he spread his wings to fly up there.  It...could work, yes.  At least, it was out of arm's reach of most things.  He hadn't seen ANY birds, so no worries there, either.

[RedOptics]

It took a moment for the woman to follow, following him up onto the crystal-like material. It was slightly bigger than she had anticipated, and by the looks of it this height would probably make for a killer view of the sunset once it arrived.

It was sturdy, clean, and peaceful up here, but the breeze would be a problem later on, "It's fine for now. As long as I feel safer up here." She said softly, standing on the edge and staring out into the desert. "So what now?" Her voice drifted along with the breeze, almost carrying it away.

[Wrathwyrm]

So, at the very least, it would serve their purposes.  Landing, they would have a commanding view, 360 degrees of glassy splendor to take in.  They could probably see for miles here, perhaps the only edge to it all that was visible would be the way they came, leading to the desert.  All the rest was glass, and in so many states.  Still, while they felt safe up here, the question was what to do now.  Travis put a hand on her shoulder as he was next to her, looking at her and then the expanse down below.

"I think we have our break and take it all in.  I mean, look at this place, those shapes and slopes...  How did it all happen?  I mean, I guess it'a about heat, but what did it?"

Weird formations, all over the place, with some breaks and breaches, here and there.  Travis also noticed a kind of weird crater that seemed to concentrate alot of light and heat focus.  There were warning signs all around it.  It must've been dangerous somehow, but he couldn't read it from this distance.  Maybe something to look at later...but not too closely.

[RedOptics]

"Volcanos?" Keona suggested, "Could've been an open one... that or a firestorm of a sort, many years ago." She pondered on that for a moment, if she could summon fire hot enough to melt the glass then she may be able to cause the same effect.

FOr now she stayed silent, sitting down with her legs dangling over the edge. Ira clasped to her thighs, not wanting to fall off. He tried desperately not to look down until Keona scooted back. He slithered off and curled up behind her, right in the middle the disc that kept them at this height.

[Wrathwyrm]

IT would have to be some kind of major event to be on such a grand scale.  That much, they could agree on, without question.  And since Keona was pretty much a fire and volcano expert, there wasn't much doubt that her guess was better than his own.  After she sat herself down, Travis took a seat nearby and...had sort of a playfully fun idea.  He uhh..conjured up some shadowsteel in the form of an orb about the size of a fist.  Then...he let it roll on down, and it would go careening off in some random direction, dependent upon where it landed!

"Of course, any Essyrni watching me do this will be incurably pissed, but...eh.  Let 'em."

[RedOptics]

"What are you doing?" She asked, turning her torso to attempt to face his direction. That ball would probably shatter something, but then again no one was around to see it.

It rolled and bounced, going quite a bit aways from the two as the momentum would not diminish. Keona watched it go, farther and farther until it stopped abruptly, bouncing off a structure of glass that was thick enough to not completely shatter. She stayed silent after this, tilting her head a little.

[Wrathwyrm]

Years before even the idea of pinball were ever to be conceived, Travis had done this.  He waited for it to stop rolling around before actually answering Keona's question.

"I just wanted to see what would happen, really.  Here I am, able to conjure things out of mid-air.  People roll things down hills all the time.  I figured that now was a prime opportunity."

So, in short, it was all in good fun.  Seriously, though, don't tell anyone from Essyrn that he did that.    I mean, he didn't actually break much of anything.  It just rolled and thudded along the thick glass and only damaged any sensitive parts.  No real harm done.  Travis smiled at her.

"You've had times where you thought you had to do something because you might not have the chance later, right?"

[RedOptics]

Listening to his words, she looked down for a moment, opening her palms to reveal a flicker of enchanting flame, "I could never really do much back on the islands. Not unless I was at the volcano." She recalled the time she had fallen into the bubbling mountain, feeling nothing but the comforting warmth of the Earth. To get out all she had to do was use her fire.

"And the chances have passed, unfortunately..." She mumbled the last bit, recalling to their time on the ship, " Either way, first time for everything, right?" The woman smiled, playfully nudging the man beside her before looking off into the sky.

The blue mass began to shift into warm oranges, making her feathers quiver for a moment. The third quarter of the sky had been left, and the sun had just touched the tallest mountain's peak. "No return." She whispered softly.

[Wrathwyrm]

Keona had spent alot of time around that volcano, right?  Did she never drops stones off the edge, just for the heck of it?  It's not like anyone would really have bothered her, considering her responsibilities, right?  He simply nodded and said "Yeah..." when she mentioned first times.  Thing is, he heard her muttering and whispering, quite easily.  Because...right now, they were literally miles from anything that really made a sound.  There was wind, there was each other, and there was Ira...and that's it!  So, after she started gazing into the sky, he leaned in close.

"You know, there isn't really a rule that says 'never'.  Not really, if you get around enough."

[RedOptics]

She tilted her head when his words reached her ears, "Well... knowing you, that is a very valid statement." Keona's eyes met his as she smiled, then they turned back to their original spot. The woman leaned back on her hands, letting out a sigh of relaxation.

Keona kept silent, taking in the atmosphere. It was comforting, especially when she was with her friends. Friends, still a word she wasn't used to. Then again, she wasn't even used to the word companion when it came to Ira. But then again, any word would. Closing her eyes, she finally laid back with her arms behind her head.

"Do you think we'll ever go our separate ways one day?" She spoke softly, nothing trying to take her voice away this time, even with a miniscule breeze. Something in her tone said that she feared being alone again.