[Action]

[ledbythewind]

[Anyone who happens to walk by on the road beside House 28 this evening will be treated to a rather unusual sight: a cloud of fireflies hovering around the front lawn, greenish-yellow lights flickering as they fly back and forth, following the movement of a tiny orb of light.

Closer inspection reveals the source of said orb of light as Richard, who is seated in the grass-- he's using a tiny bit of Hyt's power to combine with his own magic (the base for a Holy Lance, not that he's going to cast the entire thing), creating a soft white glowing sphere that hovers a couple of inches above his finger. As he moves his hand to trace mindless patterns in the night air, the orb follows it, and the fireflies follow that in a parade of blinking lights. Richard can't quite hide his amusement at this, reflected in the slight smile on his face. It may be an odd way to spend one's birthday, but to Richard, it's more than fine-- not that he doesn't appreciate what Asbel and the others have done for him. He just needs a little time to himself to unwind after all of that.

But if anyone wanders by, he'll be happy to converse with them. He wouldn't be in a public place if he didn't feel like talking to anyone, after all.]

Comments

[ledbythewind]

[Richard doesn't notice Donatello just yet-- he traces another lazy pattern in the air, watching the fireflies chase after the ball of light, then uses a tiny whiff of wind magic to toss it briefly aloft before it slowly drifts back down to hover above his hand again. It's clear that he's having fun doing this, if the little smile on his face is any indication.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don can appreciate that - despite his hesitation and misgivings he's found magic to be enjoyable.]

[He emerges slowly from the darkness to get a better look. He's trying not to appear threatening, but he kind of can't help it.]

[ledbythewind]

[Unfortunately for Don, Richard's life experiences have left him quick to startle and paranoid about being snuck up on-- when he spots the movement out of the corner of his eye, his first instinct is to grab for a sword that isn't at his waist. It takes his hand closing on empty air to realize that it isn't there and he freezes, wondering if he should try casting...]

[i_speak_softly]

[Unfortunately for both of them, when Don sees someone reaching for a weapon, his first reaction is to draw his own. He'll probably think better of that in a moment, but for a few seconds Richard will be faced with a shadowy threatening armed figure.]

[ledbythewind]

Stay back!

[Richard's next instinct is to cast a spell, settling for Vengeant Fangs, though it will take him a moment to rally his concentration enough to cast. Hopefully by then Don will realize that maybe announcing his presence would be a good idea...]

[i_speak_softly]

[Well, this looks like a misunderstanding if the Turtle ever saw one. Don readies himself to dodge, but first he tries to tell Richard to stop:]

Hey - no!

[ledbythewind]

[That voice is familiar. He can't place it right off the bat, but he knows he's heard it before and therefore it's not an enemy, and that's enough to get him to stop casting. Slowly he lowers his hand, still on guard.]

Who's there?

[i_speak_softly]

[Don edges cautiously into the light.]

Donatello. Sorry I afraid of you...

[ledbythewind]

[Richard's a little too rattled to notice Don's unusual speech just yet; once he can see the other clearly, however, he relaxes enough to give a little apologetic smile and shake his head.]

No, I'm the one who should apologize for trying to attack you like that. I let my instincts get the better of me, and I'm sorry.

[i_speak_softly]

[Don quickly holsters his bo, and approaches a little more.]

What do you do?

[ledbythewind]

[This time Richard does make note of it, though still he says nothing just yet.]

I was practicing some of my magic-- I wanted to see if I could combine it with some of Hyt's power to make the light brighter.

[He conjures up another orb of light to show what he means by that, and once again the fireflies move to cluster around it.]

[i_speak_softly]

[If Richard doesn't seem to mind, Don will sit in the grass opposite him. This is interesting.]

[ledbythewind]

[Richard doesn't mind at all! He's happy to demonstrate what he was doing earlier, resuming drawing patterns in the air with the hand holding the orb so that the fireflies will follow it.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Ever the curious scientist, Don uses the Wind magic he's learned to stir the evening air a little. Does this have any effect on the fireflies' behavior?]

[ledbythewind]

[The fireflies scatter temporarily, seemingly startled by the breeze; once they realize that it isn't going to cause them any harm, however, they're quick to fly back to hover around the ball of light. Looks like it will take a lot more than that to make them leave.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don wouldn't want to cause that - it's pleasant just to watch them. He'll go back to quietly observing.]

[ledbythewind]

They do seem to be rather determined to stay where they are.

[i_speak_softly]

[Your dancing lights attract all sorts of creatures, Richard. You probably didn't expect giant turtles when you started this experiment.]

[ledbythewind]

[Richard smiles at Don.]

What brings you out this way? Were you looking for Isamu?

[i_speak_softly]

No, I was walking.

[ledbythewind]

It's certainly a nice enough night for it. I would try the same thing myself if I didn't have an audience.

[Meaning, of course, the fireflies, who really don't seem to want to go anywhere else.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don looks around thoughtfully, before suggesting:]

You walk, they go also?

[ledbythewind]

[By now Richard has definitely noticed Don's unusual speech pattern, but his politeness holds him back from making any remarks about it. Perhaps it will come up at some point in the conversation; until then, he isn't going to deliberately point it out.]

Would you like to try?

[i_speak_softly]

[Eager nod. What self-respecting scientist would say no to this?]

[ledbythewind]

[With a smile, Richard stands, and after a brief moment of confusion as to where the sphere of light went, the fireflies follow and resume hovering around it.]

There. Shall we?