Fire and Lightning
Seth then made his way towards Chris' shop, so he could tell him the news about the trip, at that same moment Autum turned as Sally emerged from the back. "Well, I'm headed for my lunch break. Maybe I'll pay a visit to our partners in business." She hopped off the stool and walked to the back door. "I'll see ya later Yesenia." Then Autum walked through the beads to the back room.
Seth walked up to Chris, who was at the counter. "Do you really need me Friday?" He asked.
"No, why?" Chris asked.
"I'm thinking about taking Friday off, and possibly the weekend." Seth explained.
"Alright. Anything else?" Chris asked.
"I need a few things." Seth replied.
"Help yourself." Chris said, pointing to the back room. Autum skipped down the back ally and walked into the storage room of Chris's shop.
"Chris! Sally said to bring you food!" She shouted and held up the bag overstuffed with food.
Seth jumped when Autum came in. "Oh, hey. Chris is up front." Seth said, pointing to the other door.
"Mmmkay. Would you like a cookie?" She reached into the bag and pulled out a cookie. "Chocolate chocolate chip." She held out said cookie.
"No thanks, I'm good." Seth said, pulling a nice looking sword from a large wooden case.
"More for me and Chris." Autum shrugged and stuffed the cookie in her mouth. She then closed the bag up and skipped to the front. Chris was sitting at the counter, doodling on a piece of paper. Autum walked out from the back. "I know I'm supposed to use the front door, but Sally made baked goods and told me to deliver them." She handed the bag to Chris.
Chris looked up at Autum. "Oh, thanks." He said with a smile as he took the bag.
"By the way, I'm stealing your apprentice next Friday."
"So he said. Is he still in back getting some stuff?" Chris asked.
Autum grinned. "He's playing with a big sword."
Chris sighed, shaking his head. "Him and his weapons." He mumbled.
Autum smiled. "Well, I'm heading back to harass him some more, see if I can make that blush come back." She turned and headed back to the backroom.
Chris grinned. "Have fun." He said.
Autum smiled. "I will!" Seth was now putting some survival gear into a bag as she walked into the room and stood behind him; the sword was now strapped to his back. "So, what was that large sword you were playing with earlier?" Seth jumped again when she spoke.
He then turned to face her. "Oh, it's a sword Chris and I made." Seth said, pulling his sword from it's scabbard to show her. Autum looked at the sword searching for something to say about it.
"It's...uh...very shiny."
Seth grinned. "The blade is made of pure stainless steel. This baby can cut through wood like butter." He said.
"That's...nice." Autum said in reply.
Seth put the sword back in it's scabbard. "Not into weapons, are you?" Seth asked.
"It's not that, it's just that when it comes to battling without magic, I'm clueless. Sure, I can form my fire into the form of a weapon, and I can use a bow and arrow, but that's about it." She set her hand flat in front of her and sparked a small ball of fire.
"Yeah, well I'm the exact opposite." Seth said with a slight chuckle.
"Don't you know any magic?" she asked.
"Nope." Seth answered.
Autum tilted her head. "None at all? Not even a little bit?"
"Nope. No-one ever showed me any." Seth replied with a slight shrug.
"Then I guess it's time we paid a visit to Yesenia's store. Everyone has some magic in them." Autum grabbed Seth's wrist and pulled him out the back door.
"Um...okay." Seth said, letting himself be led out the door. Autum ran at a slow pace and led Seth to the magic shop. Looking around, she guessed that Yesenia hadn't come back yet.
"Ok, come over here." She let go of his wrist and led him to a wall filled with the tester staffs. Autum slid on the clear glasses sitting on a hook on the wall. "Here," she handed Seth the oldest looking and somewhat rusted rod. "Hold this like you would hold a sword."
"Okay..." Seth said removing his hands from his pockets and taking hold of the staff. Autum watched as the staff turned yellow and started crackling. She smiled and took off the glasses. She reached over and took the rod and put the two items back on the shelf.
"It seems that you can wield lightning, or thunder as it's also called. It all depends on where you go. It's not really enough that you can summon it bare-handed. But with some training, you should be able to get it with the help of something metal, like a sword!" She smiled.
"Um...okay." Seth said, trying to understand all that she said.
Autum heaved a big sigh. "C'mon, let's get some food into ya, and then I'll show you what I mean. Thunder and or lightning are very close to fire, so I can show you the basics of what I mean."
"Okay." Seth said with a slight shrug. Autum lead Seth back to her shop into the back room. She went to the storage shelf that held the magic revival potions.
"Here," she pulled down a blue green liquid. "Drink this, it tastes disgusting, but it will help you to start." She handed Seth the potion and went further down to grab a small bottle of the liquid and a box of strength crackers. Seth looked at the liquid, and then downed it quickly. He made the face that anyone makes when they eat something disgusting. "There's a practice field a few miles down the road, it's not the forest, so we'll be safe from creatures." Autum stuck the crackers and jug into a bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"Alright." Seth said with a nod, wishing the taste would leave his mouth.
"You'll get used to the taste after a while." Autum said, turning onto the road.
"Lovely..." Seth said, following her. Autum smiled and continued leading Seth to the field. When they finally got there, she set down the bag. From inside, she pulled out a very long sword.
"Here, take this and get into a ready stance." She handed it to Seth and pulled out a second one. Seth nodded, taking the sword and getting into a ready stance. "Ok, now listen very carefully. Close your eyes and feel deep inside yourself. Feel around for a small spark, take that spark and focus it into your sword." Autum explained. "You have to have complete focus." Seth nodded, and then closed his eyes, concentrating as hard as he could. Autum watched as the sword started to lightly crackle with power and smiled. "Keep focused on that, I'm going to attack you, using the same magic." she filled a bit of thunder into the sword and jumped at Seth. While still concentrating, Seth opened an eye when he heard her movements. He lifted his sword into and upward defensive stance, all the while still trying to concentrate on that spark. Autum observed as the lighting around Seth's sword staggered when he opened his eyes. She eased the power around her sword as the electrified metals clashed. "Good, keep that focus Seth." Seth nodded, still concentrating. He kept his eyes open, but slightly out of focus. That way, he's concentrating on the spark, but can watch Autum at the same time.
Autum sprung herself over Seth's head and threw the blade down, lacing it with less thunder than before. "Seth, I've been told the best defense is a good offence." She whispered into his ear as the swords clashed again.
"That it is." Seth said with a slight grin. Now that he knew about his 'spark' and where it was, he could concentrate a little more on his sword that the spark. With that, he swung at Autum, but not as well as he would if he wasn't splitting his concentration. Autum landed successfully, but barely managed a block.
"Seth, remember that I'm not that great with normal weapons." She squeaked out as the thunder crackled around them.
"I won't swing so hard then." Seth said. Autum rolled over and stood in front of Seth.
"We should stop for now, you'll probably get light-headed soon from using the thunder, and I don't think that I'll be able to carry you." She stuck her sword into the ground and walked over to her bag. Seth nodded, following her over to the bag while still carrying the sword. Autum pulled out the crackers and jug. She handed some to Seth and ate a few herself. Then she lifted the jug and drank a bit. "Here," she held out the jug for Seth to drink after he had eaten the crackers. "Regain your strength." Seth nodded, taking a slug of the juice.
"You know, this is kind of fun." He said.
Autum tilted her head. "What? Fighting, or hanging out with me?"
"Both." Seth replied.
Autum smiled. "I'm enjoying myself as well. Not even Chris has been around me this long without sparking my temper."
"Yeah, Chris is like that." Seth said with grin.
"Chris and every other guy on the island." Autum sat down in the grass and motioned for Seth to sit next to her. Seth walked over and sat.
"Are you hitting on me?" He asked playfully.
"Maybe." Autum replied with a wink. His cheeks turned a shade of red as he laughed. Autum smiled. "Knew I could get you to blush again." She flopped back into the grass.
Seth smiled. "You know, you're kind of cute yourself." He said with a grin. This time it was Autum's turn to blush.
"No I'm not. I'm just the tomboy that runs the supplies shop."
Seth smiled. "I like tomboys. I can actually have a conversation with them." He said.
"Yeah, and I like guys like you who don't assume things about me because I'm a girl."
"Nice combination, huh?" He said with a grin still on his face.
"Hmmm." Autum nodded. "The only thing that's true would have to be the fact that I tend to get a bit emotional when I'm on my period."
Seth laughed. "My mom was like that." He said, lying back on the grass.
"Seth, please tell me anything that you believe someone can't do because of being a girl, because I'd like to prove it wrong."
"In my mind, girls are just as good as guys." Seth said, putting his hands behind his head.
"I love you." Autum said in an overly serous voice with a straight face.
"Eh?" Seth said, looking up at her.
"I'm kidding! If I were serious, I wouldn't act so...well serious." Autum smiled to try to show more that she was not serious.
Seth laughed. "I figured, but still." He said with a grin.
"'But still'?" Seth just smiled, closing his eyes.
Yesenia walked up to the pair at the practice field and stood behind Seth's head. "Hey some kid said you guys were looking for me in the magic item shop? I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Seth opened an eye and looked up at Yesenia. She smiled back down at him, "Hey there. So what did you guys need...or am I too late?"
"I think we're good, but you'd really have to ask Autum. I don't know that much about magic yet." Seth replied.
"I just needed to see his element that was all. I used your glasses, it's the fastest way, hope you don't mind too much." Autum stared up into the clouds. "Hey, that one looks like a bird on fire!" She pointed into the sky.
Seth laughed slightly. "All clouds look like something on fire." He said with a grin.
"She teaching you magic huh? I use ice myself." She put her hands together and made an ice rose. "Good for battling and decorating, and not all clouds look like something on fire," she added lying down on the grass next to Seth to look up at the clouds.
"She's right Seth. See, that one looks like you!" She pointed more to her right. Yesenia turned to look in that direction and agreed.
Seth laughed. "That looks nothing like me." He said.
"That's because you're looking at the one that looks like a cow!" Autum said putting her head right next to Seth's.
Seth glanced at her, and then looked back up at the sky. "Well, that one looks like a dog." Seth said, pointing to a cloud.
"Uh...Seth? That's the one that I said looks like you." Autum said trying not to giggle.
"I'm not blind, and that doesn't look like me. Maybe it's the angle?" Seth said tilting his head slightly.
Autum shifted around so that se was right next to Seth and looked at the cloud with her head pressed against his. "No, I still say that it looks like you."
"Ah well, it's all a matter of interpretation. Or maybe Seth here is going blind" she says squinting to see if she can see the dog.
"I'm not blind, and I'm telling you, it looks like a dog." Seth said with a slight sigh.
"Seth, I don't see how it's a dog!"
Yesenia sighed and laughed it off, "You know we're just picking on you. Or at least I am."
"I still say its a dog." Seth said.
"I'm not picking on him! I'm serious. So are you saying that you look like a dog?"
"Aw, forget the stupid dog slash Seth cloud, it's already been blown away anyway" Yesenia said pointing to the blank piece of sky where the cloud was. She was growing tired of their disagreement.
"I don't know. You're the one looking at my face. Does it look like a dog?" He asked.
"Do you really think that I'd find the face of a dog kissable?" Autum said before she could think. Seth sat up and looked down at her. "What?" He asked. Yesenia rolled over on her side and set her face inches away from Seth's studying it carefully.
"I don't see any resemblance to a dog there." She says getting on her back again with a self satisfied shrug. Realizing what she said, Autum's face turned the color of her hair. "Uh...I said nothing!"
"So you didn't say you find Seth kissable?" asked Yesenia. Seth laughed slightly, lying back down. "Sure you did." He said, teasingly. Autum's face tuned a darker shade of red and she lowered her face into the ground. Seth smiled, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "Relax, it's no big deal." He said.
Autum pulled herself off the ground while her blushing had begun to subside somewhat. "Sometimes, having red hair really sucks." She said tugging on a loose tendril of flaming red hair.
"Why?" Seth asked Autum.
"You blush darker than a normal person would, and it's more obvious." She answered indicating her pale complexion, the curse of the red heads.
"Pft! That doesn't matter. My mom was the most blonde person anyone could be, and she turned as red as your hair." Seth said.
"What color do I turn if and when I blush?" Yesenia asked Autum.
At this point, Autum's skin had returned to its normal pale pigment. "Seth, red heads blush more than most colored hairs." She then turned to Yesenia to answer her question, "You know I've never seen you blush."
"Well I don't embarrass easily I guess. Like I can say...Seth I find you extremely kissable." She paused for a moment as if awaiting to see if a blush would creep up upon her cheeks. "See not blushing."
Autum smiled. "Lucky you."
Seth grinned. "Well, I don't know if I can let only two girls kiss me." He said with a playful smirk, lying down again.
"Getting a bit self centered are we?" Autum stated.
Seth laughed. "Maybe." He teased.
"I take back the kissable comment then." Yesenia smiled as she sat up and rolled her eyes. "Don't get a big head over that one comment. That's really unattractive, at least to me it is."
Seth shook his head slightly. "I'm just playing around, sheesh." He said with a soft chuckle. Yesenia got up on her feet dusting off her jeans thinking to herself that it was about time that she got back to her shop. Business was slow at best, but that didn't mean she could completely abandon her post at the register.
"I'd better get going." She said walking away from the pair still lying in the grass, "I'll see you guys later though."
