(Third Chpter finally up! Sorry for the delay! Please read and review, of course. Oh, and all characters except for some belong to TP)
Daine smiled as she watched Numair conversing with Pieter. They were seated cross-legged in the grass (ignoring the wooden bench two feet to their right), a patchy spot of soft lawn in the otherwise wild yet tamed gardens, which were beautiful, a testimony to Margory's hard work. Daine was glad to see Numair and Pieter getting along, despite previous events.
"It's not wild magic?" Numair practically shouted at Daine when she informed him after the dinner party. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"Well…it might be wild magic, because it's certainly not the regular gift, not from what they've told me. Not animals though."
"But…plants?"
"Is there really that much of a difference?"
"Yes, yes there is. Plants are nothing like animals."
And then there was what Pieter had said when he met Numair.
"So you're my competition, eh?"
Numair had almost choked on his tongue when he heard that. Fortunately, he hadn't held it against Pieter. Daine hoped that Pieter wouldn't keep up courting her for long, though. She didn't want to know what Numair did to students who annoyed him constantly.
Daine tried to pay closer attention to what Numair and Pieter were talking of, but it was difficult. They had decided that if Pieter's magic was not wild magic, Daine could not do much to help him. It was up to Numair again to learn what he could about this new branch of gift and teach Pieter how to control it. Exactly as Numair had done with Daine not too many years ago.
Daine found herself watching the flight of an enormous bumblebee that hovered around the radiant flowers and occasionally landed on them, coming away with soft patches of yellow pollen clinging to its legs.
"Well, plants don't really think," Pieter was saying. "But they need things, like food and water, and they sense things, like light and dark. When I communicate with them I just…I'm not sure how to say it…well, I just express to them my needs and then they try to help me out. It's…sort of hard to explain."
"Can you do other things with plants?" Numair asked. "Make them grow faster, bring them to life, change their nature?"
"I…don't know. Maybe. Not on purpose. Margory says that the gardens never thrived so much before I came to work in them."
"So possibly you affect plants just by being around them, but not consciously. Just like Daine and how animals are always smarter when she's been in one place too long."
Daine heard her name and looked up. "Hm?" she asked. Numair and Pieter stared at her.
"Have you been paying attention at all, dear?" he asked in an amused voice.
"No," Daine retorted. Numair smiled.
"I was just thinking of teaching Pieter how to meditate." Numair said. "Would you like to help?" Daine made a face. She disliked meditation, and found that though it sometimes eased her mind, it was too boring when she was not stressed.
"I think I'll pass," she said, getting up off of her knees. Numair shrugged and turned away, nonplussed. Daine knew that once he got going with something scholarly it was hard for him to be distracted. She had experienced it herself.
"Goodbye!" called Pieter as Daine turned to leave. When he saw her looking back at him, he winked. Shaking her head, she exited the gardens.
Fifteen minutes later found her brushing dirt out of Cloud's coat in the stables.
Storkman won't be reachable for a long time now that you've found that plant person. Cloud was informing her.
For me he will be, Daine answered.
"We have hostlers for that here, you know." A voice startled her out of her silent conversation. Daine looked up to see a twenty-or-so year old man in fine clothing standing in the entrance to the stables, smiling. It was Lord Yorin's son, Daron. Daron was a handsome you man with mousy brown hair who had flirted copiously with Daine the previous night despite Numair's repeated glares.
"I prefer to do it myself," Daine answered politely.
"It's a beautiful horse." Daron said, moving closer. He stepped forward to stroke Cloud on the nose, but Cloud jerked her head away quickly and produced a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snarl.
"Mithros!" exclaimed Daron. "Did your horse just growl at me?" Daine suppressed the urge to laugh.
"Sorry about that. She doesn't like people much." Cloud! She warned. He's nice!
"She seems to like you just fine."
"Oh, well, I have a way with animals." Daine finished brushing Cloud and set down the curry comb on a stool.
"A way with animals!" Daron laughed. "More than that, from what Master Numair told of you last night at dinner. Besides," he continued, "I think I've heard of you."
"Lots of people have." She answered, folding her arms and smiling at him, though she was wondering where this conversation was supposed to be going. Surely he wasn't speaking to her just to be polite. What is it with men in this area? Are the women all that ugly? She asked Cloud.
All Two-leggers look the same to me. was Cloud's impertinent answer.
"Your teacher…" started Daron, "I don't think he liked me much. Did I say something to offend him?"
Daine suddenly realized that if Daron had heard news of her, it could not have been very recent. Numair was no longer her teacher at all, and obviously Daron was not aware of their relationship.
"No," answered Daine, "He just has a rash." Daron looked taken aback.
"A rash?" he asked, looking disgusted, "Really?"
"Well, I doubt you'll ever find out." Daine replied, grinning. Then she turned and left.
He's going to think you're playing hard-to-get! Cloud called after her.
Good for him. She retorted. At least it will be entertaining to see what he tries next.
What's a rash? She heard a young colt ask its mother. The mare didn't reply.