[The Bronze Wood] First Time for Everything (Sturlin)

[Eris]

Cherry? Really? Eris wasn’t sure whether the man was joking or serious. She watched in fascination as he manipulated the black gas, molding it until it began to take shape. She brought up her left hand at the last moment to catch the item. She turned it over in her hand, examining it from every side. Seeing the man lower his axe, she decided that it would simply be impolite to keep her dagger out. With a quick moment of her hand, she slid the blade back into its sheath.

“I’m Eris, by the way – though Cherry works just as well,” she said with a small smile. She had little attachment to her name, seeing as she used as many as five different aliases in a given week when on the road.

She looked intently at the marble sculpture, trying to understand how it was made and utterly failing. For the moment, all thought of her job were gone from her mind.

“And what may I call you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. Then after a beat, she added, “What sort of magic is this? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

[Sturlin]

"Sturlin. You may call me Sturlin. It is my magic. Be careful who you show it to. Some can tell how it was created. They may mistake you for a magician and attempt to steal it. You look as though you could handle that. Still, it is good to be cautious." He carefully sat his axe on the ground and sat down, crossing his legs and folding his hands in his lap.

"I am normally much more private. I do not like people to know that I am a magician. It carries certain stigma. Yet you have found me practicing magic. There is not any point in denying it. I chose not to react rashly. My friend would be disappointed. So, Cherry, it would be best if you did not share this with others. I cannot stop you, of course. I can only ask."

Reaching up he ran his scarred hand over the scarred surface of his bald head. He released a sigh as some of the tension went out of him. Preparing for battle with an unknown adversary was enough to coil anyone up like a spring. The knowledge that he could kill if he had to did not mean that he enjoyed the feeling. After the sigh his deep voice broke the silence, "Nice dagger."

[Eris]

She nodded in agreement to his warning. “Certainly, I won’t speak of this to anyone.” Not that I have many to speak of it to – except Rhine, of course. But Eris doubted her horse would blab the secret to anyone else. She took the man’s sitting as an invitation to sit as well. And if it wasn’t one to begin with, she didn’t much care. She had never met a magician before and most of what she’d known of them came from books and travelers’ tales. This was her chance to gain some first-hand experience in the subject and Eris rarely passed up a chance at a good story. Eris dropped to the ground lightly and tucked her legs beneath her, the marble sculpture resting in her lap.

She raised an eyebrow at the compliment, her fingers momentarily gliding over the worn hilt of the dagger . “It was a gift… It has been a good friend to me for the past years,” she said, almost wistfully. For a moment, a memory seemed to draw a haze over her eyes, but she dispelled it quickly. No need for reminiscing now.

She wondered who the friend was that Sturlin mentioned. There was something odd about the way he spoke of this friend. And in truth, she had not expected this solitary-looking man to have a friend whose opinion would matter to him. How could he have reacted rashly? By hurling the axe at her or by somehow using that black mist? And if he were so private about practicing his experiments, how was it that he had a friend who – by the sound of it – knew about his magic. “So, this friend of yours – does he know that you are a magician?” she asked casually.

[Sturlin]

"He does. To some extent. He remains back at our camp." Reaching into the pack which had been laying near him he removed a water skin and took a drink. Once he had done so he held it out toward her in case she was thirsty. She may have had her own water, but he considered the sharing of drink to be an important trust-building exercise when two strangers met in the wilderness.

His eyes flicked over her face. Her shade of hair was quite charming. It reminded him of when his own hair had caught fire. Though, he mentally corrected himself, that had nothing to do with him finding the hair charming. It looked much better on her than fire had on him. "You look curious. An expression I am used to seeing in others. It does not bother me. You also have quite a journey ahead of you. Unless the man has hidden your prize nearby. Would you like to rest before continuing on your hunt?"

[Eris]

Poison. Eris felt like slapping herself, or rather slapping the conscience that kept twisting every thought into paranoia. Just to prove herself wrong, she accepted the water with a smile. Deliberately, she took a sip and let the water flow straight through her throat, without stopping to taste it on her tongue. No doubt, Joel would have admonished this kind of careless behavior, but at the moment, she could care less about Joel.

“Thank you,” she said simply, retuning the water skin back to Sturlin.

Eris hadn’t planned on resting, but if that wasn’t an invitation to spend some time with the intriguing magician, she didn’t know what was. “Rest is always welcome on a hunt,” she said, adding after a moment of thought, “If you do not mind my being curious, than would you tell me why you have chosen to practice this type of magic?”

It was a strange question, even in her own mind. She had rows of questions lined up that she could have asked, but for some reason she chose this one. I don't even know how this magic works yet and this is what I ask… Always find out people’s motivation first. It looked like Joel’s training wouldn’t be leaving her any time soon. Even in a non-hostile situation, she seemed to revert to using his tactics.

[Sturlin]

"Father made me. He used my magic. It was not a pleasant learning experience. Now that I know it, I cannot turn my back on it. Like choosing not to use your left arm. You're born with one. No choice in the matter. Might as well make the best of it." As he finished talking he flexed the fingers in his scarred left hand, looking down at them.

Retrieving the water skin once she offered it back to him, he stoppered it and sat it aside. Reaching into his pack he removed some simple salted deer jerky wrapped in an oilskin. Taking a piece of the jerky he sat the oilskin halfway between the two of them, so that she could take some if she wished. As he chewed it he considered this strange woman. It had not been in his plans to rest either, but he could always use another break in the monotony.

[Eris]

The man’s sentences were so clipped and direct, missing the flowery transitions she had become accustomed to hearing so often. She had grown used to hearing people mask everything behind walls of half-truths and illusions. Hearing someone be so direct was oddly refreshing.

It suddenly came to her that there was no need to keep Rhine waiting some yards behind. Eris preferred to keep an eye on the mischief-prone horse when she could. She puckered her lips slightly, letting out a short, audible whistle. Rhine would hear. Despite the mare’s habit of spending far too much time chewing on grass, she could be very alert when she wanted to be.

“But how does it work?” she asked Sturlin and immediately realized how childishly curious she sounded. “The magic, I mean. Where does this-this black gaseous thing come from?”

Just as she finished talking, she heard a rustling in the bushes and saw the glow of the Gildling’s coat as she appeared through a rather large gap between the trees. The horse ambled over to where Eris sat, throwing her customary disdainful look at Sturlin. The animal didn’t seem to sense any threat from the man, which made Eris feel all the more at ease. She trusted Rhine’s judgment – sometimes more so than her own.

[Sturlin]

Sturlin did not know this woman, and like all magicians he attempted to keep a veil of mystery over his doings. He had been far more direct with Miharu on the subject than he had originally intended, and he did not plan to repeat the actions. This woman seemed nice enough, however, and it would not hurt him to offer some explanation for her question while placing more questions in her mind.

"With focus a wizard can expel this substance. Not all wizards can. There are many different kinds of magic. Mine involves this substance. Using it I can manipulate my surroundings. Specifically the elements which make up the world. The building blocks of Mizahar. Such as the rock you have in your possession now, Cherry." That quirky half smile lit his face, twisting the scars again.

The whistle had not startled him, assuming that she was calling some sort of animal. On the off chance that she was calling in warriors of some sort he tensed for attack. When the rustling had subsided and the horse emerged, he once again relaxed. Tearing another strip off the jerky with his teeth he chewed in silence, looking from the woman to her mount.

[Eris]

Eris reached up to pat Rhine’s nose distractedly, mulling over Sturlin’s words. He made it sound terribly simple, but Eris couldn’t even begin to see the depth of the magic of which he spoke. Rhine nudged her shoulder with her head, as if asking why she was sitting here, doing absolutely nothing. Even my horse can’t help reminding me that I have a job to do. Job, job, job – that’s all it ever came down to these days.

“Sturlin, meet Rhine,” she said, feeling compelled to make an introduction of sorts. She would, after all, be expected to introduce a human companion, so why not a horse?

Rhine found a nice patch of grass a few feet away and began to chew on it, obviously deep in her horsy thoughts. For a moment, Eris felt the urge to pull out her sketchbook and get this all down on paper. It felt so peaceful… and that wasn’t a feeling Eris got often. But that would, no doubt, look terribly strange and would call for some explanation. Eris just didn’t feel up to explaining at the moment.

“Do these elements include things like fire and water? You can make flame and water appear by manipulating this substance?” she asked, a ring of excitement in her voice. Surely a skill like that would make a very formidable foe. Suddenly, she felt very glad that she had decided against attacking the man.

[Sturlin]

"Greetings Rhine." He inclined his head to the beast as he would one of his own animal friends. The thought of treating a horse like a person was not a strange one to him. Mr. Pickles was more of a person than anyone he had met in his life. Francis was a layabout, but layabouts were people too. His belief in the horse's laziness did nothing to diminish his affection for the animal.

"Fire and water are among the things we can conjure. Magicians like myself. My own elements are specialized. I won't share their exact nature. No offense intended. I'm not sure how to explain. It would be like sharing your dagger techniques with a stranger. Some things are personal. Not to mention it is magic. Best not to share too much. Dangerous thing, magic."

Finishing his strip of jerky he took another drink from his water skin, giving her a moment to digest the information. Sturlin was not adept at making conversation, and the magician was more than happy to let her ask all the questions. Questions, even questions left unanswered, kept the conversation moving and put very little strain on him.