----------------------------------------------
RESPITE GUARD TRAINING GRONDS - MIDDAY
----------------------------------------------
Gareth stands in a sparring circle, a training blade casually resting against his shoulder as he grins down at a soldier he's just gotten through knocking about a bit. He spends a moment letting the dust settle before he goes to help them back up. "Good moves, lad, but ye still leave some angles open. All it takes is one good hit." He pats the disgruntled soldier on the back and nudges them towards the circle's edge, "Go on, get those bruises checked out. Ye got yer trainin' fer the day, aye?"
Narrator: The guard grumbles and nods as he shuffles out of the circle, a bit sore, and clearly a bit hurt somewhere in the vicinity of his pride.
Elizabeth walks towards the training ground, one hand in the air as she feels the direction of her magic. The skunk is dressed as fancily as she always is, in a long flowing dress that looks just a tad too hot for the weather. Regardless, she walks tail held high and eyes open, her goals fairly clear after some contemplation: she wants her magic back, whatever it takes. She stops at the edge of the grounds, lightly resting her hand on a fence as she homes to look at Gareth quietly for a moment.
Gareth gives the training blade a deft flip as he decides he's had enough training for the moment and starts to make his way out of the arena. It doesn't take more than a moment, though, for him to sense someone staring at him. His ears flick and he looks around, quickly spotting Elizabeth gazing straight at him, and he adjusts his stride to make his way towards the skunk. "Ye seem interested in somethin', lass. Can I help ye?"
Elizabeth nods slowly, smiling at the wolf as she leans on the fence: "You could say that, yes. Allow me to introduce myself... and my dilemma." She gives a formal courtsy: "My name is Elizabeth Catherine O'Williams. I believe you possess some of my magic."
Gareth dips his head in turn as he spins the training blade around and grabs it by the middle, rather than the handle. "And me name's Gareth Gwynn, and also 'Wrath' if ye happen to be familiar with bounty hunters." He tilts his head curiously, "Yer... magic? Not sure I understand."
Elizabeth lifts her hand, purple swirls of magic dancing around her claws. She glances at her hand, then at Gareth: "This does not look at all familiar to you, then?"
Gareth eyes the swirling aura around Elizabeth's claws, then frowns a little as he shifts his gaze back to her face. "Same stuff as the magic that went flyin' out o' the generator buildin' some months ago. That stuff's yer's?"
Elizabeth nods, having pieced as much together about her magic scattering to the winds: "Yes, that is the unfortunate way my magic went. I went unconscious at the time myself, only heard about it hitting you a short time ago." She lets her magic dissipate for the moment, frowning: "...I need your permission to get it back from you." There's a slight distaste in her voice, as though the skunk is not all that used to saying 'please'.
Gareth raises an eyebrow, getting the sense that Elizabeth isn't exactly one for saying 'please', but shrugs. "Sure. Not like I was usin' it, anyway. Never did figure out how the stuff worked fer me at all."
Elizabeth nods, satisfied with the answer. She raises her hands in front of her towards Gareth, claws sparkling with tiny jolts: "Very well... this might hurt a bit."
Gareth hums as his gaze refocuses on Elizabeth's hand. "Wait, right here and now? What's the process even involve? Ye aren't touchin' me unless I know what all is goin' to happen."
Elizabeth pauses, if only slightly: "Drain my magic from you. Sooner you are rid of it, the better, yes?"
Gareth gives Elizabeth a flat look. "That much was obvious, lass. I mean what all do ye need to do, what do I need to do, things o' the sort."
Elizabeth gives the slightest of shrugs: "Nothing much, just stand still and stay strong. It depends how tightly my magic has rooted itself into you, really... but also the more you fight it, the more it will hurt."
Gareth shrugs in turn, standing pretty casually. "Easy enough, then. Have at it, Ms. O'Williams, it's yer magic, after all."
Elizabeth nods with a smile: "Now, as I said, this might sting..." She goes quiet as she starts focusing the Flow, Gareth currently having more of it than she has left innately. Her claws twitch as she finds the threads of magic, grasping onto them as she is able. As the magic starts flowing from the wolf to the skunk, it goes with relatively little resistance... at first.
Gareth stands still as Elizabeth instructed. Other than a weird little itch in his chest, he doesn't seem to feel much of anything uncomfortable or sore at all... yet. As she continues to work, though, the magic seems to grow a little more stubborn, getting almost "stickier" as more and more of it gets pulled away from him, though through no effort on his own.
Elizabeth lets out a small twitchy groan as she has to double her efforts, the magic definitely resisting her attempt of getting it back. She strains against her own magic: "It's... resisting... does not want to leave you..." She continues further, even though a part of her mind is reminding her to cut her losses before something irreversible happens to them both...
Gareth tilts his head, only to flinch a little as a jolt seems to zip over his chest. "Doesn't want to leave? So... what's that mean, then? Yer goin' to keep tryin', right?"
Elizabeth nods, groaning under the strain, giving Gareth a sharp look: "...t-this might hurt... a lot." With that, she gives the Flow the biggest figurative yank she is able, forcing the magic back to herself come hell or high water.
Narrator: The magic finally snaps with a soundless 'THOOM' that feels like it reverberates across the field, the strings of magic splitting in the middle, most of the it going to the skunk though some of it flowing back into the wolf as well. Both of them are knocked into the ground; the magic definitely did not want to go that way...
Gareth practically feels the tug as Elizabeth pulls on the Flow, even though no actual force is applied to him whatsoever. The effect, however, is roughly the same as he grunts from a sudden, painful shock across his chest and staggers forward a bit. As Elizabeth continues to tug, he grits his teeth and bows over a bit, trying to weather the burning sensations coursing through him.
Gareth reels back as the magic snaps, the tension and pain suddenly ending. He regains his footing, his grip loosening on the training sword and letting it fall to the ground as his other hand slowly reaches up to his chest. Before he can really make contact, though, he flops over face down on the ground like a marionette whose strings just got cut.
Elizabeth lays on her back, breathing hard, looking up to the sky. Unable to focus or think, just barely aware what just happened although having difficulty understanding why. Several of the black strands in her hair have gone gray in an instant. "...hnnh... what...?"
Gareth remains face down on the ground for several seconds. With a labored grunt, he slowly braces a hand against the ground and rolls himself onto his back, leaving him flopped on his back now, likewise staring up at the sky. "Ugh... just like that damned generator incident..."
Elizabeth gives a soft sigh-grunt, turning her head enough to glance at Gareth: "...you c-can say that again. Why did it resist me so...?"
Gareth tries to lift his head to answer, but finds the motion just a bit too painful to do immediately after all of that. "Can't say I know, lass. Yer the mage out o' the two o' us..."
Elizabeth sighs deeply, hmm'ing as she lies onto her side: "It's like it... wanted to stay attached to you, or some part of it..." She grunts and swirls a bit of her magic in her claws, noting that the purple has a definite blue tinge into it now: "...colored by you?" She turns to look at Gareth: "You're not any kind of mage, then, at all? I guess I'd have felt if you were..."
Gareth grunts as he slowly rolls onto his side and pushes himself up onto his knees, the effort alone being enough to make him cough a bit. "No magic, far as I know o'. Never manifested anythin' at all, and none o' me siblin's or relatives are mages."
Elizabeth hums at this, frowning: "Then... then it might be impossible to tell why." She gives a small grunt as she tries to make her way up to sitting: "It's done as far as I am able to now, possibly ever, anyway."
Gareth coughs again, then scoots forward to help Elizabeth up. "Then ye managed to get all o' yer magic back, and some o' my... colorin', or whatever it was ye said?"
Elizabeth gets up with help, giving a weak smile: "Yes. I think, I get the feeling that it having been this long, it has... maybe affected it. Not sure, will need to study..." She then shakes her head, slightly dusting off her dress: "I will find out. Thank you."
Gareth casually sits down properly once he's helped Elizabeth up into a sitting position. "Yer welcome, Ms. O'Williams." He grimaces a little as he lifts a hand to rub at his chest, "Goin' to be feelin' a bit tender fer a bit, I think, just like the first time... how're ye feelin'?"
Elizabeth gives a weak smile: "Definitely not all there yet, but I imagine things will settle just fine." She looks at her hand thoughtfully: "...eventually. Right now I feel like there's a conflict going inside me."
Gareth hums and nods. "Then maybe I should let ye go and get some rest, aye? Probably goin' to want to do the same, meself, after all o' that..." He lets out a little laugh and grins lopsidedly at Elizabeth, "Remind me to not snag yer magic the next time somethin' like that happens."
Elizabeth chuckles softly: "Will do. Thank you, Mr. Gwynn. I hope next time our paths cross in this town, it is for a less important reasons." She starts getting up, dusting off more of her dress as she does.
Gareth pushes himself back onto his feet as well, seeming to absorb the pain a fair bit better than his initial reactions might have shown. He takes a few seconds to dust off his own pants and coat. "Hopefully, aye. Glad we got that sorted, at least, and resolves one mystery."
Elizabeth chuckles: "Certainly does." She gives the town around them an idle look before shrugging slightly and turning back to Gareth: "Thank you. I hope any ill effects... well, aren't. Shouldn't, since all the magic is now back in me."
Gareth looks around, noting some of the guards are at least curiously watching the events as the excitement dies down from a few seconds before. "I'll keep ye up to date if anythin' happens. Or... I guess I can get Fiora to find ye if I can't." He shrugs, "Either way, hopefully it's all fixed up, now, fer ye."
Elizabeth gives Gareth a cordial nod: "Let us hope so. This is my problem to figure out, and now back mine to figure out..." She flashes a small smile: "Be seeing you, perhaps."
Gareth nods and smiles in turn, giving Elizabeth a casual salute. "Aye, be seein' ye around, Ms. O'Williams. Take care." He turns a bit and locks eyes with one of the guards who has yet to go back to their own business, "As fer ye, lad, are ye lookin' fer a spar or somethin'? If ye are, then get over here and ask properly. If not, quit starin' at the lady, it's rude."
Elizabeth chuckles at Gareth's words, then turns to go, having a lot to figure out from all this. Why were some of the strands of the magic blue...?