Maverik and x_lilmissNINJA_x

[Maverik]

"What did you do...?" Though he knew that it was obviously magical in nature, the young mage couldn't figure out how the small sprite had managed to create such a body for herself. Gale tried pondering for a bit, but his inexperience with Fae, coupled with the lingering feeling of sleep, left him only tilting his head to the side in confusion.

Slowly rising to his feet, the young man nodded at the Fae's assessment. "Yeah... I guess so." He noticed the odd fruit in the woman's arms, and soon realized that he hadn't eaten anything since his last reprise at the forest. Reaching into his own backpack, Gale pulled out a small container, opening it and taking from it a large strip of jerky.

As he bit into the piece of meat, he couldn't help but look as his eyes gazed over Tithe's new body.

[x_lilmissNINJA_x]

"Made a skin, anyone can do it with patience and practice. It's usally easier to be animals, but hey. You do what you have to do." She replied, munching another bite of the fruit.

She nodded, sitting down next to him. She looked upwards, smiling slightly. "I like the sun. But the forest is too crowded to let alot of it in." she said. "Thats why I prefer being a Finder. You get out alot."

[Maverik]

"A skin...?" Perhaps that was merely a Fae term, but the young mage was completely new to that name, and his curiosity urged him to inquire more. "What exactly that does mean? Is it something like magic?" Gale didn't doubt that notion. The very idea of crafting a completely new body for someone to use was a technique far beyond most commonplace mages, and certainly beyond the limitations of most mundane sciences.

Listening to the sprite-turned-human, Gale met another unfamiliar term. "What do you mean by Finder?" The name seemed to associate with scavenger, but he hardly believed that was actually the case; if it was, he was certain it described something more than the term used for animals.

[x_lilmissNINJA_x]

"A skin. Made of almost pure magic. You take a little bit of what you want to be. This time, it was human, so I just used what I had saved up from my excavations. And you just sew the strands of magic together. Like, a set of clothes. But they give you the ability to do different things. They make you fill out the skin. If it was a bird, I would know just how a bird should act. I would be able to speak like one while still retaining my fea qualities." Tithe smiled, pointing to a small black spot on her shoulder. "Don't pull that or it all unravels."

"A Finder, you know? We find the materials the Fea's in the city need and take them. A fea needs a gem? We go get one from under a human bed or cupboard. Need wire? We find it. We're not scavengers or rats. We make things when we find them. I use human hair mixed with spider silk to make cloth and things. And don't act disgusted. It's all we can use. And Scorch, he was amazing with what he did. He could take anything and make something beautiful."

[Maverik]

"I've heard of magic that alters a person's appearance, but those were just illusions. I never imagined there were methods like this that actually allowed you to change this... drastically. How long does the effect last?" Gale looked curiously at Tithe, his eyes going over her body as he examined the extent of the skin. It disguise was very convincing, and the young man doubted he would've been able to guess the person in front of him was a fae if he didn't know her.

It was at that moment that a thought crossed his mind. "Wait... How many other beings know this technique? It'd be... very disconcerting if there were people who knew that who would abuse its potential."

[x_lilmissNINJA_x]

"It lasts as long as the skin is kept in order. I'll need to repair it with magic and more material but it shouldn't fall apart for a while. There are fea who use them often to trade with humans and such, as well as blend in when the animals become a threat." Tithe ate her apple, looking around curiously.

"Only the fae are born with the ability. Humans can learn it, but we do not teach it to them due to... moral and ethical implications. I mean, if humans knew they could make skins that can stretch or compress their shape... We would be in trouble."

[Maverik]

The young man nodded at Tithe's comment. "I agree... Humans are already good enough at causing trouble without the extra help." With a sigh, Gale turned his attention back to the road. It took a few paces before he realized he didn't know the area. He paused for a moment, looking around to get his bearings. The road before him was old, as few people traveled on it now that the taint had taken hold. He remembered hearing about various outposts put in place along this road, in a vain attempt to deter the spread of the taint.

"It's probably empty, but... there may be a map of the general area in one of them." The young man thought aloud, before turning to the young fae. "Hey Tithe, do you know of any human outposts near here? I'd rather try and scavenge a map or something from them than find out that we were going towards the tainted lands."

[x_lilmissNINJA_x]

Tithe nodded, getting up and following after him. "Yes, there's a few up ahead. If we look we can get into them pretty easy. But the taint is pretty strong, so keep an eye out."

She lead the way down the worn road, taking a hold of his wrist in her thin fingers and pulling him along. "Everything looks different when you're big.. But I can get it."

[Maverik]

"Alright. That'll be useful. Hopefully, nothing else pops up at us on our way there." Nodding at the fae's words, the young man slowly began walking down the road. Gale was grateful for the daylight, as he didn't need use that spell in order to see, or risk fumbling into another unfriendly skeleton. Turning to Tithe, the man spoke out again.

"You don't have to wear that if it's uncomfortable. Most people in the Mages' Guild already know of fae. In fact, I think it'd be better if you were in your normal form, since I doubt they know about your 'skin' technique."

[x_lilmissNINJA_x]

"Honestly, it's just easier to walk around this way. And I'll change before we get there. I just don't want the inconvienence. Besides, it's quite comfortable. Like it's part of me." Tithe replied, walking and looking up at the sky.

She glanced at Gale with a smile. "You're not like other human, you know. You're much different."

[Maverik]

"Well, I didn't mind when you were tagging along on me. Just felt funny to have something sitting you when you're trying to not cut and killed by skeletons." The young man smirked playfully at Tithe, before speaking out again. "Then again, I suppose it'd be an odd experience to be attacked by skeletons in general."

Her next comment caught him by surprise. Tilting his head to the side, Gale cast an inquiring look at the Fae-turned-woman. "What do you mean?"

[x_lilmissNINJA_x]

Tithe glanced back at his inquisitive look with a smile. "I mean, you're much different. There's something about you that just makes me trusting of you. And... it's nice. Like everything around you is calm when it's raining everywhere else."

She stopped, turning around and putting her hands on his shoulders, smiling. "I can trust you, Gale. I know it."

[Maverik]

"Erm... Thank you..." The young man could only mirror the fae's smile with his own. This was the first time someone had said something like this to him; most of the time, they were just thankful of his work and left it at that. Despite her explanation, he still wasn't quite sure what she meant when she said it was nice, but he was happy to know that she trusted him.

"Thank you, Tithe. I won't betray your trust."

[x_lilmissNINJA_x]

The fae smiled. "Thank you. I know you won't."

She continued walking, and after a mile or so they came upon an empty shack. "This is it, I think." She went up, pushing open the door that was half hanging from hinges and going inside. The girl went behind a low wooden counter, rummaging around and coming up with a worn, yellowed map covered in dust. "Got it." She blew it off, opening it. "So, it's a bit old, but thats alright because we only need to know where this road leads.

[Maverik]

An odd feeling washed over the young man as they approached the the outpost. Perhaps it was just the melancholic sight of a decaying building, but Gale felt some unease as he approached the building. Still, he didn't let that bother him, shaking his head to dispel his thoughts as he followed the young wom- err... fae in. As Tithe scanned one side of the shack for the map, the young man took this time to search through another spot. His attention fell on discarded plates of armor, broken and smeared with dried blood, another sign of the life that once dwelled here.

Gale turned back to the young fae as soon as he heard her voice, making his way over the counter. Looking over the old map, the young man mentally committed the image into his mind, taking note of other outposts, as well as the general direction they should be heading. "Hmm... It's more than enough to tell us where we should be going."