gemhunteratyourservice:
Thraece’s eyes softened in sympathy. She’d been that child for her sisters, rambunctious, curious, and often causing trouble unintentionally. She knew the look on his face and it made her warm up to him. This is what family does she thought to herself, and she didn’t need any more reason than that to help the man.
He looked at the crystal in her hands, shimmering with the energy that was within it already, and at her, and it showed his desperation that he looked at her directly when before he’d been unable to keep her gaze.
She pushed aside her awkwardness, straightened up, and nodded. “Alright, well I’ll make it count. To make it more effective, I might have to put one hand on your arm though, because your energy and hers will be similar and it would be easier to find her that way.” Thraece said it quietly but firmly, nodding when she finished, and not giving him a chance to protest, but also pushing aside her own desire to avoid contact. Before he could speak, she gently put her right hand on his forearm, and sent out a cast drawing in energy from everywhere. Normally she would never draw energy from another person and definitely never from a crowded area as it was one of the most impolite things a magic user cold do, but others would understand when they saw her cast energy for a search spell, as no one would begrudge a blink’s worth of energy on a father looking for his child. Almost immediately she felt a response. The child’s energy echoed out like a loud chime, like a cool breeze on a hot day, a giggle of pure joy, soaring over the crowd. Thraece felt her breath catch in her throat. He hadn’t mentioned the child was magical?! Not stopping to question him, she let go of his arm now that she had that trace, and putting her sisters’ good training to use, swiftly darted through the crowd dragging the man along by the barest grasp of his clothes. She followed the trace out of the square entirely towards the edge of the market, leading to the farmland. She’d just passed the meat shop when the energy flared, that soft beautiful energy that made her feel like home, was right there, a beautiful little girl, playing with animals through the fence. She would have laughed at the predictability of children if the girl’s father hadn’t been so worried. She’d stopped and let go of him as he called to his daughter. Standing back, she watched the embrace, feeling awkward, not knowing if she should leave or stay. She wanted to ask him about the magic, given that the child’s energy felt like his, but he had no magical signature like it, she thought it must be the girl’s mother’s. She held her tongue though, as it wasn’t her place to ask when he hadn’t offered any information. The child would know though, would have felt it. It was moments like these that Thraece hated being shy.
while not a new sensation, he’s still not completely comfortable with the use of magic around him. the flaring of energy that even he could feel, the way the woman touching his arm twitched in response to the arcane that she felt, none of it was new to him– but it still wasn’t something he enjoyed.
her hand releases his forearm, reaching instead for the ends of his sleeves, and she speeds off through the crowd with him in tow, slightly fascinated by how easily she shoved her way through dozens of people.
she never lets go, despite the fact they’ve long escaped the bustle of the town’s main square, wandering through the edges of the markets to the farmlands he knew so well, where he spots a familiar head of chestnut brown playing with animals through the large fences.
❝ lyra! ❞
a sigh leaves his lips as sparkling eyes of green meet his own, a wide sunshine-filled grin filling his daughter’s face as she waves a small hand to him, laughing sweetly all the meanwhile.
his daughter doesn’t take a single second to even think about it all, instead excitedly running over to him and wrapping her small arms around him, though even her hug doesn’t last very long as she takes his hands in her own, tugging him forward.
her voice is so very different to his, lacking the tone of lethargy and apathy that he seemed to carry like deadweight, rather she exudes the warmth of a summer day and is as bubbly as spring water.
❝ listen to this, papa! ❞ she begins, tugging him forward with each word that leaves her thoughts. ❝ so, those boys from across the road were bullying a cat today, so i just wiggled my fingers a lil’ and the air went ‘ba-bang’! and then the kitty ran off, so i chased it here! ❞
august’s eyes narrow briefly at how she describes the way she chased off the boys in question– two slightly older boys who were oft the victims of lyra’s pranks, but he hopes she didn’t hurt them this time.
he makes plans to speak, but just as he opens his mouth, his daughter pipes up once more, stopping in place and turning to his new acquaintance.
❝ oh, there’s a pretty lady here too! ❞
