A mix of Luck

[Anonymous]

Thalia was struggling to stay above water.  She really had no idea how Pal was doing it with such ease.  Luckily, he swam over and put his arm around her, helping her to stay afloat.  His skin was even colder than the water, causing her to take a sharp intake of breath.  But she found she didn’t' really mind the icy feeling of his skin; it was just shocking when she forgot to expect it.

He began to pull them both towards the more shallow area of the pond, using one arm to hold her, the other to pull at the water ahead.  She let herself relax into his hold, and just kicked a little occasionally.  Swimming was nice when you didn't have to worry about drowning.

When Pal reached the shallows where he could put his feet down, he helped her get her footing.  Even when she did get her footing however, he still held her.  Thalia decided she didn't mind.  She smiled a little, think what another Kirin would think if they saw her acting this way.  They would be appalled for sure.  It wasn't that Kirins were believers in being conservative when it came to relationships; they just believed that any form of courtship should occur during the mating season.  To take part in any courtship ritual, no matter how minor, during any other period was a waste of time.  Only those that had found a life-mate could continue such actions outside of the mating period.  But Thalia had told herself she would be open to different cultures' ways of doing things.  Besides, the Kirin way of waiting all year was boring.

Suddenly Pal let go of her, pushing off to float on the water's surface.  He crossed his legs, and put his hands behind his head, to make this lounging of his seem easy.  Thalia watched and then carefully laid herself onto her back, letting her body float on the water's surface.  She found that if she just relaxed and spread her weight, she would float on the water as if she was walking on it like normal.  It was relaxing, but she wanted to know how to swim.

"Well that is fun, but how do I swim?  How do I move myself in different directions in the water?  How do I stay above the water without floating?"  Numerous questions came shooting out of her mouth.  She wanted to master this new activity, and she planned to do it in this pond.

[Anonymous]

He wondered why she hadn't learned to swim yet. This forest was her own after all wasn't it? Maybe this human form thing was new to her as well then. It wasn't like that would be a surprise to him after all. So many creatures could turn themselves into a human form after all, not all of them have mastered the ways of the human form. He hadn't quite mastered everything after all, and he had this human form for more than a hundred years! Though he had gotten the basic survival thing downpat, running, walking, jumping, climbing, swimming, and all those sort of things. He still wasn't able to build weapons or buildings and stuff like that...complex things.

Still, he had a bit of an advantage right now. He knew how to swim! That got him to be just closer with Thalia then! This was a little...interesting honestly. Sure they were naked and everything but...nothing was really sexual here, despite what he may have wanted at this time.

It was nice actually!

Pal rolled his head to the side to take a look at Thalia as she tried to follow his example, a grin spreading across his face. "See there you go! Use the surface tension to your advantage, and natural boyancy." Both of those were very handy to have, more so when you have to keep yourself afloat in an ocean or something like that.

"Swim? You wanna learn how to swim? Well...there's lots of ways to do that. Anyway! I shall teach you what I know." He let his magic stop holding him up as he returned to a position where his feet touched the ground. Wading out a little ways he began to hold there, his arms moving in gentle motions. "Now you can't really see it but you've got to keep your legs kicking. Don't kick to fast, but just back and forth. This will create enough lift that you'll be able to basically float here. This is the main princepal here. Your feet are really gonna help you when you swim. Keep your legs straight, and when you want to swim fast, you're gonna wanna cup your hands and sort of scoop at the water. Watch." Pal proceeded to demonstrate the lesson for her.

Of course it wasn't the longest demonstration, as the pond wasn't big enough for a proper demonstration but it was still a good lesson for her. When he stopped and went back to floating he turned to her, grinning. "There, see? Give it a try!"

[Anonymous]

Thalia determinedly watched Pal, her expression one of entire seriousness.  She wanted to learn the art of swimming, and she was not going to miss a single move!  If she ever did return home, she would shock her fellow Kirins when she went through the water instead of on it!  The thought made her lighten her expression a bit with a smile.

She mirrored the arm movements that Pal was making, noticing how her hands pulled through the water.  Thalia did this a few times; to make sure she had the motion down right.  Then she waded farther into the pond, so she had to stand on her toes to touch the pebbly bottom.  She took a deep breath and pushed herself slightly forward, beginning the leg movement Pal showed her.  She started off too slow, and found herself underwater.  She sped up her kicks a little and broke through the water's surface.  She continued that pace - as well as the arm movements - and was excited to find she was staying above water.  It was hard work, but she was enjoying it!

Now Thalia was going to try movement. She carefully changed into a horizontal position, and tried re-applying the motions.  She did exactly as Pal did, and she found that she was actually moving!  Granted, it was slow and her head kept going partially underwater, but it was better than anyone in her Kirin clan could manage.  She started to smile, but got a mouthful of pond water.  Though the water was refreshing, she wanted to breath as she swam.  She kept her lips shut now, and turned to head towards Pal.

Slowly, she made her way to him.  She improved with every kick though, and by the time she reached him, her head wasn’t ducking underwater anymore.  However, she was tired from this new type of exercise.  So she grabbed his arm, and steadied herself so she was floating next to him.  â€œI did it!â€?  She announced with a small laugh.  â€œThat was so much fun!â€?

[Anonymous]

Pal stood in the mostly shallow end of the pond, watching as Thalia tried to start swimming. She was a fast learner then, this was always good. There were other ways to swim but this was a quick and dirty lesson. Heh heh. Dirty. Ahem. "Yeah, that's it, but move your head a bit more, from side to side with your arms. This will give you a greater propulsion!" Pal called out to her, watching her as she seemed to go along rather well actually.

"Yeah! Now you got it!" Pal was really proud, his hands on his hips as she started to kick about and actually move through the water. Hah, his first student and he was already a great teacher then! He could teach her some more things for that matter! Heh heh. But that was best to be thought about later of course. Later was a much better option.

Pal waded back out to the deeper part of the water to help her just in case, as she seemed to be slowing down and getting a little tired. He grinned as she came in toward him, grabbing his arm to steady herself. He helped to right her as well, getting her back onto her feet as she floated by him. "You did great Thalia! You sure do learn quick, very good!" Pal was actually enjoying this whole thing. It had been a while since he had a friend to play with. This was a good time indeed! a great time even!

"You picked up quick on that." Pal told her as he headed back toward shore, toward the shallow end where he could sit against the ground and lounge, doing just that. He was supporting himself above water with his arms somewhat, laying back and enjoying the warm sun on his body. Most wraiths avoided being in the sun, even if it was cold out. They acted like vampires sometimes, it was ridiculous really.

"So how many Kirin live here? Like do you all live in one big clan or like...are there just small clans dotted through out the forest and land? Like with us Wraith we all sorta...well it's hard to explain but we basically live in one big clan, the De Netari, but we have outposts in a lot of cities that we can inhabit at any time...huh...you know...being here kinda...I kinda miss my home. To think I'm the only Wraith here on this world."

[Anonymous]

Thalia let Pal help her get onto her feet, and then followed him to the pond's shallows.  He relaxed against the pond's shore, his upper body held above the water by his arms.  Thalia sat down next to him, and let her legs rest on the smooth bottom of the pond.  One of her hands worked its way into the sand, enjoying the smooth feeling as it moved over her hand.

"I tend to be a fast learner."  She told Pal.  It was true, by human standards all Kirin were.  Among Kirin she was only a little above average, but among humans she was very smart, if naive.  "So you want to know about the Kirin?  Mmm... Where to start?"  She screwed up her face, thinking.

"Well, we are separated by clans.  The clans are divided by whatever power they posses, as each has their own.  For example the Moonglen clan, my clan, can shape shift when the moon is full.  Another clan that lives nearby called the Flethrene clan has the ability to fly."

"Each clan has its own territory, and within that the members of the clan live in groups of various sizes.  Usually these groups are close friends, and any children the females have had.  When two Kirin decide to mate for life, they usually begin their own group.  I'm not really sure how many Kirin there are.  Many clans disappeared with the destruction of the earth; no one really knows how many survived.  My clan and the Flethrene clan did, but we could be the only two clans left for all we know."

"You are the only wraith here?  Why don't you bring some of your friends?  Then you wouldn't be lonely anymore!"  She smiled at him, thinking this an excellent suggestion.

[Anonymous]

"That's good to hear! If you can learn fast, you can live forever, or...well at least a long time I suppose." Pal grinned at her, glad that she at least would be able to hold her own then. He could teach her so many things then, and she would be able to keep up with him then! Not that he had TOO much to share of course but he still was going to try to pass on some knowledge to her! He'd find a way.

Pal smiled lightly as he listened to her talk about her people. He really was interested in her people, wanting to know about the Kirin. Plus the dreams of what a kid might act or be like if they were to have one, it just tickled his fancy to say the least. Something she said sort of caught his interest and he blinked. The destruction of the what now? The Earth? Was that what this place was called then? Huh. Earth.

Interesting then!

"What? Bring a friend here to Earth? Ah hah hah hah! I mean...ahem. No Thalia that...that is a bad idea. My people are...Well they look down on me because I was a hazard to everyone around me. The bad luck and all. They hated me for that and I basically had one friend in the Wraith Compound and that was a Wraith who was half vampire and half wraith. He was...nice mostly but..." Pal sat up slightly, not supporting himself in a relaxed position.

"My people are warlike. Very war like. The wraith lords want to control every race, and they hate any race that isn't Wraith so...they want to kill everything and resurrect them as a Wraith. If I were to bring another wraith here...then that Wraith would no doubt start making more Wraiths...and then when a forward complex has been established...well they'd figure out a way to contact my homeland and well...they'd send through Revenants. Stronger Wraiths, much stronger Wraiths...like Jamerick, a Death Revenant. It'd be chaos and horror." Pal shook his head, not wanting to bring that upon this world. Oh no. That would be a very...very bad thing to do.

"But! I have you here, and you're a great friend so it works!" Pal reached over with one arm and gave her a sort of half hug, grinning at her.

[Anonymous]

Thalia listened, slightly horrified, as Pal told her what would happen if he brought another wraith to earth.  "Well I guess it's a good thing you're nice then."  She said weakly.  She was rather scared of the idea of what Pal's people would do to earth if they came here.  She smiled at him when he gave her a half hug.  "Definitely a good thing he's nice." She thought.

His people did truly sound terrifying though.  Worse than the hunters who trapped and tortured her kind for the promise of some gold pieces.  They at least left other species in piece.  The wraith would just destroy everyone, and they'd do it gladly.

"Are all your people really like that though?"  She asked.  She laid down; the slope of the shore making it so her face was still above the water, but most of her was underwater.  "Because it's hard to believe out of your entire race only you're the only one who is so nice."  She paused to mull it over a bit more.

"But if your race is so violent and you don't like them, why do you miss it so much?"  She rolled over, so that she was now lying on her side.  She placed her head on her hand, with the elbow digging into the pond's bottom.  A strand of wet hair fell across her face, and she quickly tucked it behind an ear.  "I mean, do you really miss that?"  Though she had promised herself to be open to any new cultures that came her way on her travels, this was one she could not accept.  Kirins were peace loving creatures.  They could fight, but they only did it to protect those who deserved it.  The idea of hurting another just because one could was an alien thought to them, one they thought possessed only by the hunters.

[Anonymous]

Pal didn't really know how to tell her about his people. They were...well they were monsters. He wasn't going to deny that at this point. He wasn't like them thankfully! Oh no! He was very good at being very Anti-Wraithlike. It was always a blessing to break the mold that your people had made for themsevlves.

"Yeah, all of them flock to that sort of thing. It's just...something about the Wraiths...not a lot of them are free from the slavery that is the being a Wraith. If a person isn't strong enough, the essence of the Wraith Lord controls you and they do what their told. Mindless almost but they...they sort of enjoy it I suppose? It's hard to put into words but..." Pal took a deep breath, closing his eyes and shaking his head. How to say this. "The person's soul is locked within the body...so the person they once were is there but it gets infected basically by the Wraith Lord essence and they just...surrender and give into the darkness of it all."

That was really the only way to put it. They became infected and they enjoyed it all. He didn't fully understand it but he had seen people who had been so loyal to their own people be turned into a wraith and suddenly kill their own friends and family after all.

"Well I don't know how to put it but...it was my family. They're my people. I don't really have to like what they do but...I was an annoyance to them, a really bad one, they hated me, chained me up and locked me in basements of compounds to ensure I didn't interfere sometimes but..." He rubbed the back of his head, not sure how to put this into any perspective for her. "I don't miss the death and carnage but I do just miss them in general. Some of the Wraith weren't too bad, they tolerated me..." Pal just gave a laugh as he leaned back once more in the water.

"It's just home. I guess I miss all the cold and dark from that place, the fog was comforting, quiet...that's really about it."

[Anonymous]

Thalia chewed on her lip a little, thinking over what Pal had said.  She could somewhat understand.  Though it wasn't as extreme as his case, her own people did drive her off the wall sometimes.  They were too cautious, too regulated.  Mate only during the mating season.  Only stay close with your mate if you want to be with them for life.  Don't venture out of the forest.  Don't talk to humans.  Don't do anything fun was more like it.  So her people tried to keep her from experiencing the world, while his locked him up so he wouldn't save his.  However, she did still love her clan, so she could somewhat understand how Pal would still feel a connection to his fellow wraiths.

"Well I guess I understand..." She said slowly.  "Family is family, and they've all got their issues I guess."  She smiled at him knowing tithe word issues probably didn't cover his family.  She wasn't all that surprised that he missed the cold, dark, and fog.  It made sense that a creature of ice and dark magic like him would miss that sort of setting.

Thalia began to absent mindedly draw a figure eight in the ponds sand.  She would create a line, and a few seconds later the water would shift a little and the sand would fill it back in.  "So... I you could go back... would you?"  She kept her eyes focused on the appearing and reappearing eight.  Though she'd understand perfectly if he said yes, she would be rather sad.  She'd come to like Pal, and was hoping to travel a little more with him.  Their short time together had already shown her how much more fun it was to travel with a companion.

[Anonymous]

It was hard to go against your entire nature. The essence right inside your body telling you that he had to create more Wraiths, that he had to kill people and turn them, to dig up graves, desecrate bodies and bring souls back from eternal paradise. The thing that kept him away from that though was...hatred. His hatred for it. That kept him strong. Well, that and the knowledge that he could do whatever he wanted without any real consequence. Of course, he made sure what he did wasn't anything bad, that he didn't hurt anyone. That was the most important part.

Do no harm to others and to yourself, but instead do things that were enjoyable and pleasurable instead.

"Family is family but just because the same ice flows through my veins doesn't mean I always gotta listen to them. They're such busybodies really, I don't much care for them all the time. Heh." It was fine though, they could do whatever they chose to do but he was going to just...relax and try not to think of things like...well...that stuff.

Pal turned onto his side to look at her, blinking a few times with a curious expression on his face. "Go back? To my home?" He thought about that for a moment, rubbing his chin absently. "No, I don't think I ever would Thalia. I'm here now, and I like it here for that matter. Good company, great scenery for that matter, and a beautiful woman by my side not to mention." Pal gave a large grin as he reached out so slowly caress her her cheek with his hand. He could feel every bit of her as she lay in the water. He was part of the water after all, and he could feel every curve, every supple turn and every smooth part of her.

"You know, it's a strange thing Thalia." He slowly removed his hand from her cheek, looking upward at the sky once more. "Usually I find a woman and and I woo her, have a sexual romance with her and then I leave but you...I'm afraid to for some reason. I don't have very many inhibitions but I'm frightened of the thought of you and I coming together to mate...it's such an odd feeling really." Pal stretched his arms out, running a hand slowly down his back to try and rearrange his spine properly. He felt a small crack and he sighed pleasantly, that was much better.

"Ahem. I hope you uhm...think bad of me for that Thalia...sometimes I get caught up in having fun and enjoying life and I suppose to me being able to mate is sort of a fun thing. Heh. You know that sounds nicer...mating, instead of sex. Sex just sounds dirty for some reason." Alright now he was babbling, and his face was a little red from embarrassment. He just sort of told a person that he was doing all this because he was ah...horny and sex with a new creature was such an adventure after all.

Maybe being honest would be a little better.

"But all that's not really important now. We can think about a romantic trist later! Right now we can just bask in the sun and water and think of some adventures for us to go on!" Yeah, change of subject was perfect really! Very perfect even!

[Anonymous]

Thalia smiled a little at his description of his relationship with his people.  It reminded her of her own with her clan.  They were all 'stay in the forest' and 'avoid humans.'  To her, that was the same as saying 'have no fun.'  She loves her people, but she didn't want to be confined to the same forest doing the same things every day of every season for however many centuries she'd live.  As much as she loved them, she hated being around them because she felt so constricted by their rules and regulations.

She blushed a little as he called her beautiful and gently held her cheek in her hand.  She smiled back at him, enjoying the strange feelings that were welling up inside her.  Since this was her first year as an adult by Kirin standards, she had never taken part in mating rituals before.  Of course she and the other Kirin children would converse about what they had overheard the adults talking about, or what the trouble makers had observed, but she had never put any of her knowledge into practice before.  Not to mention, humans went about their courtship process a little differently.

Then Pal suddenly began to talk about his usual courtships.  Thalia did not find the fact that he left women after he'd completed the mating odd; that was standard among Kirins.  The males waited until the child was born of course, and usually a few weeks after that to help the mother get food and protect her while she was at her weakest.  But once the child was fairly mobile, the males tended to stay in their groups and females with their own children.  Only those that were very close stayed together out of the mating season.

What she did think was odd was the idea of mating for a reason other than mating.  She thought humans just liked to mate any time of the year.  She hadn't realized they did it with intentions other than making a baby.  But apparently humans did have sex just for pleasure, and among them it was odd for a man to leave afterwards.  Humans were odd, that was for sure.  However, she had to admit it did sound interesting.  "No, I don't think less of you Pal."  She said, with her eyes now focused on him.  She stretched a little and sat up.  "Kirin males usually leave the females once the child is born.  Though I didn't know humans had um, sex, for reasons other than mating.  But I guess that does sound like a human thing to do..."

She let him change the subject then; things were getting a bit on the awkward side.  Smiling she agreed with his statement.  "Your right!  Where should we go next?  I don't know any places outside of these woods other than the town we met in.  I'm hoping to explore all of Le'raana!"

[Anonymous]

There was no denying that Pal did enjoy flirting with Thalia though. Not only was she beautiful, but it was also just adorable to see her smile shyly and blush all the time. It was good to know he still had some form of charm to him. He just had to find a species that he had never met or a woman who hadn't heard of him which...thanks the fact this was a very large planet well...that didn't really spread quickly! If he kept his head down once in a while he'd be fine!

Pal sometimes forgot that with other species, mating wasn't like with humans where you were supposed to say and after a night of wooing it was appropriate to form a relationship instead of...well leave. Or get chased off because you really weren't supposed to have sex with the woman but you got her a tad tipsy and one thing led to another a few times and...well an angry father would be chasing you off. Thalia on the other hand didn't really seem to have a problem with his behaviour, while humans would jump at the chance to scorn him on this, or...some of them actually gave him congratulations.

They were such odd beings.

"Really? You don't? Well...that's a load off my shoulders then." Pal blinked though as she explained her people's ways. Huh. So they mated for children, but they never just had sex. That was interesting. "Well...sex is a little different with humans, they can interpret it differently." Revenge, lust, love, passion, heat of the moment, ah sex could be for just about anything really! The act itself was simple but they liked to look beyond it. At least there were  people out there where sex was just sex, nothing more than that!

"Well, I'm not sure if we can see all of...Le'raana but I bet I could take you to a few big cities! We keep you quiet about being a Kirin, dress you up real nice and I'm sure we'll be able to go around uninhibited." Heh, take her to a city. That would be an experience and a half. "I don't...I don't usually like to go to cities honestly, what with being bad luck but...I think that since I've met you, we'll be pretty safe really." As if Pal was going to pass up on this opportunity. He had a woman, beautiful and mysterious, who also could affect luck for the better. There was no way he was going waste this opportunity.

"Plus, they have beds there that are the comfiest things you've ever slept on. Like if you were to stuff silk with a cloud and just rest on that!" So Pal might have had a one track mind of some sort, but you couldn't blame a guy for trying. He just grinned and winked at Thalia, hoping she'd catch the double entendre that was beneath the somewhat harmless comment. Maybe he'd wait, take her to a nice place to experience human culture and...other things. Heh.

"We've got at least half an hour or so before our clothes dry, I say we use this time to enjoy the quiet tranquility and peaceful nature of the forest. Cause I'll be taking you to a really loud place with lots of people!"

[Anonymous]

"Humans can interpret sex differently?"  Thalia thought.  She wondered what that meant.  Perhaps they didn't just do it for pleasure?  She considered asking more about the subject, but decided against it.  Thalia really wanted to focus on the possibility of exploration right now; other details could come into play afterwards.

"We can't see all of Le'raana?  Why not?  Is it really that big?"  She wondered just how big Le'raana was.  She really didn't know anything other than what she'd overheard from the few travelers that had gone near or through the forests.  She knew there were countries other than Adela, but was unsure of their names or size.  Perhaps she had bitten off more than she could chew when she'd decided to explore Le'raana.  "I thought I could explore it and be home before even a hundred years had passed..."  She refused to pout though, that was for 50 year olds, not adults such as herself.

"Well if I can't see all of Le'raana, I'd love to see one of those cities.  I've never slept on anything softer than a pile of leaves.  Are the beds really that nice?  What else is in the city?  What are the people there like?"  Thalia moved closer to him, her eyes alight with all the possibilities she was imagining.

Some were a little off, like her idea that a city in Adela would be made in giant trees.  However, she did know a city would be far more crowded than the little ocean town she and Pal had met at.  It would be perfect to see all the different species and cultures Le'raana had to offer.  She could see all kinds of humans going about their daily lives; maybe buy some small souvenirs to entertain the younger Kirin back home.

[Anonymous]

"Well, as far as I understand it Le'raana is quite big, with lots of cities, towns, villages, forests, lakes, rivers, that sort of thing." He wasn't really sure how big it was, but he could feel the fog and mist around this world and some of the fog was...so very far away. Really it was like reaching up to try and touch a cloud. Oh that was always fun! A bit difficult of course but still fun. He could always reach the fog though, no matter where it was. Things were good that way really.

"Well, the beds SHOULD be really nice really, and...well there are tons of things in the city. Metalsmithes, jewellers I assume, market places and restaurants...there are a lot of things there to amuse yourself with. As for the people I assume their pretty nice. The city I'm thinking of I passed through...mostly humans but there were elves and such there. " How could really explain a city? It was a whole bunch of organized houses and businesses all stuck together that had just grown and grown larger and larger.

Ah well. It didn't matter. "Just think of that little ocean town and then...just put like a hundred of them that are spread out. That's kinda what a city is really...ah hell, you'll see it soon enough I promise Thalia. Just...you're going to have to be very quiet about being a Kirin. If you're kind is wanted then...well ...you know it's going to be a good idea not to say anything about your heritage so...you're just gonna be human!" At least for him, telling anyone about what HE was didn't matter.

Wraiths were not in high demand after all.

Plus he'd make a horrible slave to any bounty hunter. Oh he'd just be whining all the time and his bad luck would ruin their lives so really...he was safe. However his companion was blessed instead of cursed like he was so...she would make a fine slave to really anyone that caught her...and he couldn't let that happen. No no no. That would be bad.

[Anonymous]

Now Thalia really did wonder how big Le'raana was.  Perhaps it would take 200 years to explore all of it, maybe even 300.  Oh well, she'd still be plenty young if it did take that long.  And it would make a good portion of her young adulthood far more interesting than it would be otherwise.  Besides, she could always go home for a visit every 50 or so years.

She listened with earnest as Pal described the wonders of the city, her mouth shaped into a small 'o'.  There were so many different things in the city!  The comfy beds that would surely be a treat compared to her usual standards.  She wasn't sure what the other things Pal listed were, but she knew they must be amazing!  Anything humans made was amazing in her mind.  And there would be elves!  She'd never seen an elf before!  Thalia wondered if they were truly as graceful as she'd heard.  And from what Pal said, there were other creatures there to!  There would be so many amazing sights for her to see.  She really couldn't wait.

Thalia did her best to picture a city as a hundred of the ocean towns put together yet spread out, as Pal had described.  She doubted she was picturing it right, but that was no matter.  Soon enough he would show her the way to one of these magnificent centers, and she would see for herself.

"Right, right." Thalia said in response to Pal's warning.  She had learned her lesson for sure.  She was not planning on letting any other hunters go after her!  Of course, she might have a problem considering what a big mouth she had... but she could learn to keep it shut... She hoped.  "But if I do slip up, and people realize what I am you can just come save me!"  She giggled and smiled at him.

[Anonymous]

Pal also knew that there were quite a few islands everywhere, out there somewhere amongst the sea he could feel the ocean's mist, lazily being burnt away by the sun. However it wasn't just on the ocean, there was more land out there, different land out there somewhere. It was...well strange to feel really. He did like islands, always surrounded by water and it was never too far away from you, a perfect feeling for any being made somewhat of water and what not.

Pal probably hadn't described a city properly but he had been trying to put it into terms that Thalia would be familiar with, and he believed she had only seen the ocean town. Still, he had to try and describe it to her so she'd understand what she was going to walk into now.

"Oh! Of course! I love being the hero!" Pal exlaimed with a bright grin. "But every time I do rescue you I'd like myself a reward. A kiss would be nice everytime I do, right on the cheek." Pal said as he tapped the side of his cheek, grinning still at her. "I think it's only fair after all, I go ahead and rescue you, I should get something for my own! If you don't mind of course." Hm, that actually raised an interesting question to him.

"You know how to kiss of course? Just pucker the lips a little and go straight for it! Wait...or is that whistling...no whistling you blow...but...wait...." He made a few kissing noises as he tried it out on the air. "You gotta sorta...huh...I'm not even sure how to explain that to you. You gotta do something and pursing your lips is one of the things."

[Anonymous]

Thalia turned her head to the side a little as Pal went on to describe these things called "kisses".  She hadn't heard that term before.  However, as she described it, she remembered seeing travelers do similar things to what he described.

"Oh!  You mean something like this?"  She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.  Laughing, she explained.  "The travelers that go by or through the woods are sometimes intimately involved.  So I've seen kisses and such before.  I just didn't know that's what they're called."

"Anyways, I'll be glad to exchange a kiss for any time you save me!  Now let's get ready to go!"  She pushed herself up and walked out of the water.  Thalia paused to squeeze the water from her hair back into the pond.  She ignored the water that was dripping down her skin; there wasn't much she could do about that except wait for it to dry.  She went over to where her clothes were hanging, and began to put them on.  They were still a bit damp, but it didn't matter since she was soaked anyways.

[Anonymous]

It was just a little impossible for him to explain it, you just...well if you didn't know then...well you'd figure it out. Kissing was just like that. You'd see it, and you'd know how to do it.

Either that or he was just really bad at explaining things.

Nah!

He blinked when she leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek, making him grin afterwards and nod. "Yes! That's exactly what I mean! Hah! Good, don't have to explain that part then! Excellent!" That was one less thing! Still he really wanted to demonstrate it to her but it was alright, there was time for that later after all. Heh, like in the city when there was a nice comfy bed and all that. Probably wasn't the smartest idea to try and do /that/ stuff out here in the wild where...bugs and dirt and...yeah. Better to wait.

"Excellent. We'll count that kiss just now as to when I rescued you back in the town." With that they could just start off at zero after all. It worked out when you thought about. Standing up Pal headed to his clothes to inspect them. Hm. Still a bit damp...

"Let's see if I can still do this." Pal pulled his clothes on, making sure to pull his hood on as well as he entered the phase that was being in wraith form. The water on his body was gone now, but he had to fix things with his clothes...and her clothes and her damp...wet body. Ahem. Pal closed his eyes as he focused on his clothes, drawing water from it to create the only thing that was easy for him. Mist. Fog.

Already a thin layer was forming around him, but that didn't stop as he reached his gauntlet out to her for a moment, placing a hand on her shoulder as he focused carefully. He was drawing the moisture and water left over from being in the water. Finally the water was gone from her and her clothes, forming just a light mist around them. Pal grinned as he pulled his hood down, laughing to himself. "And there we go! That should be good...it's easier when things are a bit damp, getting all that water out can be...well with people being made of water and all, it could just lead to disaster." Plus he really didn't want to accidentally like...suck her blood out using his magic. That would have been...well it wouldn't have been just a little bad, it would have been REALLY bad.

[Anonymous]

Thalia squeaked a little as Pal rested his gauntlet covered hand on her shoulder.  She knew Pal wouldn’t hurt her, but she still didn’t like having the metal touch her.  Before today, she’d only seen metal shaped as weapons; weapons that were often used to capture or hurt her clan members.  All the same, her nervousness was driven away by her curiosity and wonder as she observed what Pal was doing.  She felt her clothes dry against her skin and looked in marvel as it drifted out of the woven threads to form a thing fog that hung around the two of them.  She lifted her hand up through the fog, enjoying its coolness and watching as most rushed out of the way of her hand, while some got caught in her palm and slowly escaped through her fingers to trickle back down in to the larger mass.

Her excitement was dimmed a little as Pal talked about how things could have gone wrong.  She forced out a nervous laugh and nodded.  â€œThat would definitely not be good.â€?  She paused, and smiled as an idea formed.  â€œBut you’d never hurt me on purpose, right?â€?  She asked with a small giggle.  Before he could reply, she spun around and began to head in the direction of the ocean.

That was a fun bit of flirting!  At least she thought that it could be called flirting.  She really wasn’t sure about the whole thing.  Maybe she shouldn’t have walked away.  Pal was probably considerably confused now.  She forced herself to resist the urge to turn around, that would be even more bizarre!  Oh well, it was too late to do anything about it.  Once she got to the city she’d be able to observe how humans really interacted.  Then she could flirt with Pal properly, instead of creating these awkward situations.  However, she’d probably still produce weird situations like this, with her tendency to blurt things out without thinking them through.

[Anonymous]

Pal never would have hurt her, there would have been no point to do anything like that. He did want to get them all nice and dry though, so they could head off toward the city and be able to show her the wonders that human civilization could build. Plus he just loved to make fog, because it was really fun! And it felt neat as well. With it swirling around yourself, the cool feeling of it, it was really tingly!  He just hoped that eventually Thalia wouldn't be so scared of him. He didn't believe he was that scary of a person after all.

He liked to think he was more adorable than anything.

"Not an ever! That would be just wrong of me." The other wraiths of his homeworld might do something like that, but nuts to them they weren't here right now so hah hah on them. They weren't here to do anything now!

"Ah, not that way Thalia. We're going to a city. That's...erm..." Pal begin to look around for a moment, pulling his hood up over his head. A bit of mist escaped from his hood, and he began to wave his hand through it. He was communicating with the mist so to speak. It didn't talk back of course, but it allowed him to sort of know what was going on. And where some things were. Like the city! Hah! There we go, that's what he wanted. Bit of clouds going through the sky. "There we go. We wanna go this way." Pal said as he pointed his gauntlet towad a direction.

"That's where the city is, and that's which way we're gonna walk." He told her as he pulled his hood back down, allowing himself to be human once more, grinning slightly. "Hope you don't mind a bit of a trek!"