Winter 10, 124

Kage sat on a tree branch looking down at the children playing around down below. They were the future of aelheim and it gave him a certain sense of nostalgia as he watched them learn what it meant to be an aelf. He caught the eye of one of the caretaker aelfs. Kage gestured towards the kids and made a motion like he wanted to scare them. The caretaker nodded and smirked as Kage slowly melded into the branch and travelled through the bark.

He popped out behind the group of children and said "Boo!" in a deep voice which caused more than one of them to yelp in surprise. They turned to see that it wasn't a monster and then started laughing.

"What brings you around here?" the caretaker asked Kage as he walked up to chitchat.

"I'm looking for Fagr," Kage said. "I heard she's involved in training the youth."

"Your daughter? Yes she comes here from time to time. I believe she said she was going to be training on her own today." He pointed and tilted his head with a half shrug.

"I'll be on my way, then," Kage said with a smile. He started to jog. He jogged a lot more now that he had this enhanced body. Surgery had been one of the best choices he'd made in a long while.

"Master please wait!" called Fluffy from behind. Kage had forgotten that she'd even tagged along. She wasn't as fast as him, not anymore and not while in that form. She would have to take to another form if she wanted to keep up. Kage sighed and slowed down, knowing that she was only slow because he'd told her to save her energy. Maybe next time he'd have to have Fluffy enhanced as well.

The two of them walked the rest of the way until they came across a clearing where they saw Fagr. She was looking at the trees as the wind blew and tousled her hair. She yawned as she looked out at the patches of missing grass from the training she'd just done. She looked behind her to make sure Lya, her familiar, was there.

Unlike most aelves she dedicated herself wholly to keep growing stronger and becoming one of the best aelves there was.

"Kay' here we go. Let's make some rocks." She circled a small patch of missing grass and thought of the spell she wanted to practice. She walked through the area and came upon another spot that had a hard ground and small rocks in every other direction. Fagr remembered the instructions to the technique and sighed. She started focusing aether into her hands and made the gestures she needed to. She let go of the held aether, forcing it into the ground, planting both her palms on the ground.

She focused the aether into the soil, and she felt it grab and pull materials in the ground, searching for anything that would go into forming soil. She thought to pull the materials together using the aether, and accidentally did it. But when she realized she didn't really know how to do this, the aether stopped flowing out of her hands. She sighed and looked at her hands. Her gloves were getting wet but she still formed the needed gestures again, focusing aether to her hands and putting her palms near each other on the ground. "Come on Fagr..."

Lya started her training as well, because Fagr had. Lya then began to focus her aether and breathed in before forcing out the breath she had taken in, only to see a tiny little bit of fire spurt out. Lya sighed as she thought to herself, "how pathetic."

"Fagr," Kage said as he made his presence known.

She looked up in surprise and locked eyes with him. "Oh, father, it's you. I'd heard you were back from your missions."

"That I am. It looks like you've taken on more magic while I've been gone. Terra and Fulgur, by the looks of it." He frowned, knowing that she knew that he didn't approve of his children participating in Galdr magics. The risk of initiation was far too high and he'd lost children to those initiations before.

"I survived," she said with a coy smile. "So, what brings you to my part of the woods?"

"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to see what you were up to." Kage wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug that she reciprocated.

"Uhuh, sure. What is it you're really after?" she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

Kage chuckled, "why do you always think I'm after something?"

"Because you usually are. You and your conniving ways. Your job rubs off on you in the wrong way at times."

"Fair," he said. He really hadn't come here looking for anything from her, but it wasn't as if he couldn't think of something that he wanted to ask for. That was part of being a spy – he had to think about what he could get out of people and how he could go about doing it.

"I see you brought Fluffy," she noted as Fluffy finally caught up. She was all sweaty and out of breath but she'd made it.

"I tend to bring her along. Believe it or not, she's a Boggle now. Quite the improvement since you've last seen her."

"Oh? That's impressive. You should be very proud of yourself." This was directed more towards Kage than Fluffy.

Fluffy and Fagr had a complicated relationship. They played a lot when they were younger but now Fagr had outgrown Fluffy's company. They gave each other an awkward smile and Kage decided to break the tension. "Do you know an aelf named Engill?"

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Kage had been followed by Engill for some time, melding into the trees as she moved and reappearing just enough to stay in sight. She was good at this, better than most as one of the ascended druids of aelheim. Every so often she would come out for a brief moment to make sure she wasn't losing him.

She had seen the way Kage slowed down for Fluffy, the way he made it so that she could keep up with him. She couldn't help but be irked by it more than she wanted to admit.

Her jealousy was broiling when she finally emerged and Kage stopped in a clearing to speak with Fagr. She watched as he hugged his daughter. She decided she'd seen enough and stepped out of the nearest tree with fluid motion, her presence sudden and deliberate.

She called, "Kage," and her voice had just enough edge on it that her irritation was clear. She glanced at Fagr briefly, then at the other woman. "Who's this? Someone you've been seeing?"

Kage heard Engill's voice and thought he was hearing things again. He was still hearing things now and then. It was getting better, but ever since his surgery something had been off. Part of him told him that he was finally going crazy like most aelves did when they reached his age. He reasoned that could all be fixed with a trip to a trusted Deep One, if things didn't improve within a few years.

"Engill, we were just talking about you," he said with a smile. "This is Fagr, my daughter. Well, one of my daughters. Fagr, this is Engill. We have been living together lately."

"Pleasure," Fagr said with an interested expression on her face. Leave it to her father to go after one of the youngest available aelves. It made her stomach twist but she didn't make a big deal out of it. She would likely know Engill as she was involved with training the youths, particularly in the matters of physical combat.

"I guess that explains what you've been up to since turning of age," she continued, "though I heard you've become a Fiadhaich. That's very impressive. I always knew you would do great things with druidism, having shown a talent for it at such a young age. Even my father hasn't achieved that level of power yet."

"Alas, I don't think it's for me," Kage said with a gentle laugh. It wasn't so much that the process was complicated, but he was generally averse to doing things that put his own life at risk. What if the ascension failed and he died? Her certainly couldn't have that happen – not before he tried to ascend as a vitae practitioner. Even that was going to be a risky endeavor, but it would be worth it for the chance at further extending his expected lifespan.

He coughed and said, "Engill here is quite good at carpentry as well. I don't know how she does it. I simply lack any talent for the arts. I've always thought that was something women were skilled at than men."

Fagr wanted to roll her eyes. The man was just bragging about his new girlfriend. She tried to change the subject. "Well, I think I'll get back to my training, unless you want to tell me why you've come to see me. The truth, I mean."

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Fagr complimented Engill's achievements and her face flushed a soft pink as she stepped forward. Nervously she clasped her hands and let out a gentle laugh. "Ah, thank you, Fagr. It's a lot coming from someone like you. I owe you an apology. There was no misunderstanding or discomfort intended."

Her blush deepened and her eyes softened. Looking to Kage she wrapped her arms around without hesitation and hugged it warmly. "I've actually been trying to convince Kage to do the Förengsrit ritual with me. I've dreamt of it for a long time and I thought... maybe it could be something meaningful for us."

Her tone was bright but sincere as she glanced at Fagr again. "I hope you don't think poorly of me for that. He means so much to me."

Engill had been happier than she'd ever been with Kage which was saying something since her life was a good one.

"The truth is I just wanted to see you. If you want me to ask for something, then I will – slice me off a bit of flesh so Fluffy can take your form. I may find good use for it in the future." He was kind of annoyed at Fagr's attitude. Maybe she was lashing out at him as children tended to do.

He blushed a little at Engill's words. He felt strongly for her, but the age difference between them made him feel like such a ritual wouldn't be in Engill's best interests. He just needed more time with her. Once he knew that she was wholly devoted to him… then he could justify making such a bond. Young love came and went like the wind. He knew she would regret it for centuries if she rushed into a bond. Kage was also wary of getting too attached and dying, though one of the benefits of being married was having the ability to resurrect one another.

He shook his head, "give it time, love. It hasn't even been a year since you've left your nest." He tousled her hair with his free hand.

Fagr smiled at the both of them and said, "I didn't take any offense. You two look good together." She paused, then continued, "do you really need my imprint?"

"No, I was being sarcastic. It looks as though we interrupted your training. I'll leave you to it. Engill, let us go pay Abraia a visit. I think it's due time that I had her make me some armor. I could really go for a new bow and some arrows too. Sure, I could make one that's good enough… but craftsmanship has never been my strong suit."

They weren't that far from a portal mage. In fact, the aelf he'd talked to not too long ago was one. "Goodbye Fagr, you should stop by sometime."

"Goodbye Father, Engill, Fluffy," Fagr said with a nod.

Lya, the familiar, jumped off a nearby tree trunk as Kage left, "I think I've taken a long enough break." Lya looked around her area where she was practicing. Since she burned most of the bushes, she had to find a new target, "Eh... hmm maybe I can find big pieces of tree trunks and set them up on this half tree trunk and use it as a target." Lya immediately got to work looking for big-sized pieces of tree trunk and found one several yards away from where she wanted to step up the targets.

Fagr helped to set up some targets, wondering if she really supported Engill and her father's relationship. It wasn't really any of her business. Lya stepped back a little bit, concentrated her aether, and finished canting for the technique. She breathed in and placed her hand back to her mouth, and released a small spurt of flames. It was progress. It hit the piece of tree trunk and burst into small flames and slightly charred the piece of trunk.

Fagre tried as well, focusing aether to the palms of her hands, and slammed them onto the ground. She released the aether focused to her palms, using it to grab and pull materials needed to form rock closer. She kneeled with her palms on the ground, waiting for the materials to be pulled closer and closer.
Fagr squeezed her eyes closed and grinned as the materials got nearer to her. By the time she finally formed a ball of the exact mineral she wanted, Kage and the others would be long gone.

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Engill stood up on her toes, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. With a playful tug she hugged his arm and pulled him gently from the clearing. She smiled, "Your daughter is nice. And she sounds like she cares about you."

Their relationship made Engill smile, and her grip on his arm tightened just a little more. "By the way, if you want a new bow I'll make it for you. I've been meaning to make something special and a bow from a whispering yew would be perfect. I think you'll like it."

Engill said as they kept walking, "Abraia should be at the house. I allowed her to have a workshop set up. I figured it'd be good for her so she won't have to travel back and forth. We should be able to get everything done soon between the two of us."

She started to explain her plan in making the bow. "The first thing you do is pick the right part of the whispering yew tree. Its wood is strong, flexible and is great for making a bow. Once I do all the carving then you have to string it just right and it should be a whisper bow. I'm too weak to use one so I never made one for myself."

Engill started right in when they got to the house. She used all of her saol reserves to create a massive log and she shaped three pieces that looked respectively like they could be used for a longbow, shortbow, and a crossbow. Normally this would knock a druid on their ass but she was an ascended druid so this was all free to cast.

"Abraia!" Her voice carried through their shared grove. "Come here! "Help me with something!"

"Today we're going to make things for Fadir. I am making a longbow. You can help me however you can and use your magic. I also want a full armor set made for him." She was bossy but she had been working with Abraia for months now to fulfill orders.

"We've got a long history. That tends to happen when you're as old as I am," Kage said with a sigh. Sometimes he didn't know what to do with her. He did try to maintain good terms with his kids, it was just difficult when he had to leave for decades if not centuries at times.

"In that case, you can make it," he told her while trying to keep up with what she was saying about the crafting process. He couldn't make a bow from scratch – or he hadn't done so since he was young. But he could one directly with druidism, which is what he always resorted to if he needed one. Doing things the old fashioned way? He took no pleasure in crafting.

The mention of the whispering yew did make him wonder how she had bonded to such a tree, but he wasn't going to pry. He assumed she got it from someone since he didn't take her for someone who was going to go somewhere that dangerous.

When they got home he took a seat to watch the ladies do their work. Even Fluffy was around to give a hand if need be. He sat in deep thought for a while then said, "actually, let's do something a little different."

He trailed off and went inside. Moments later there was a scream and Kage walked out with two fingers held in his hand. One was White's, one was his own. He tossed them to Fluffy who chomped them down and swallowed quickly.

"Fluffy, transfigure me as best as you can into a mix between White, myself, and any other forms that you think would make sense. Make me a little over 5 feet tall, brownish to black hair, white's complexion and womanly features, while maintaining my own strength as best as you can at that size. I know it's a lot, but I think you can handle it."

Fluffy furrowed her brow in concentration for a minute but then nodded. "Yes, Master." She walked up to him and put her hands on him. Nothing happened or a minute as she channeled her saol into him, then he instantly changed into exactly what he'd asked for.

He looked to be a jin'norai – a white skinned one. He was smaller, but still felt a lot stronger than he should be. He wasn't as strong as he was in his natural form… but he was still just as strong, proportionally. Fluffy had really done a good job.

"Excellent," she said in new voice. "You can call me Galinn while I am like this."

"I will assume this form next time I am in Jian. Make the bow to fit this size. Abraia, you may make me a set of lightweight armor. If you can't work with leather then do your best with metal. As for aesthetics, try for black and red. Something stealthy enough to hide in the shadows but also impressive in the light. I don't know what you can do for the bow, but perhaps your magic can make it take on a similar effect."

Kage nodded to then then walked off to test out his new body. Fluffy wanted to follow, but she had used every last bit of saol she had to make that transformation. She curled up into a ball and took a nap right on the spot.

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The request was unusual. She would have to ask him why he would do such a thing when they got alone together. She remembered that he had said he'd spent a long time as members of other races so this might not have seemed like a big deal.

She then used floramancy to shape the longbow into the right shape then applied the principals of carpentry until she finished the bow. It would take a very long time so she would spend the next week on it.

She made an identical one in tandem with the first so that she would also have a whisper bow. She wasn't nearly strong enough to use it, but here in her grove she could fire it using floramancy. When she got bored of bow making, she spent time fletching arrows. These she could make rapidly because they were small and simple. She made one hundred for herself and another hundred for Kage.

When it came to armor, Engill told Abraia "Let me make the bulk of the material for the armor. We don't have any good metal for you to work with that can compare to whispering yew." She let Abraia take the lead for design and looks.