inaclovenpine | (no subject)

(no subject)

Some days a spirit just needs to let off a little steam.

Or, more accurately, a little lightning.

Though the weather outside Milliways is technically magically created, Ariel finds it easy enough to manipulate. And oh, there is nothing like the feeling of clouds gathering, heavy with rain, electricity beginning to crackle through them.

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It is pretty nice, isn't it?

There's somebody else out here who likes the lightning.

He prefers a more direct approach, though. The kind of direct that means lining up a column of ionized air, wrapping his attention around it, and feeling how the air explodes repeatedly in the path of the bolt.

--What is that?

Ariel has never felt(seenheard) something else in her storms, not like this. She would know another air spirit; this is not one of those.

The clouds roil around that last lightning strike. There's a definite air of confusion.

He shifts his attention to a different part of the storm and does it again, this time channeling the lightning into a tree, which catches fire very nicely. Afterward, he lingers in the flames, letting them tickle his perceptions with their transformative heat.

Edited 2012-11-16 01:18 (UTC)

A gust of rain and wind bears down on the fire.

Ooh, someone's in a mood.

With the fire quenched, he looks away again, but this time he doesn't trigger another lightning bolt.

Instead, he settles his attention into a young tree—somewhat protected from the storm by its taller neighbours—and sets that on fire, just to feel it burn.

The wind coils around the fire, feeding it oxygen, while the storm continues to grumble overhead.

If fires could purr, this one would be. The flames reach out as though to ruffle the wind.

The wind tightens into a miniature whirlwind, startled.

The fire ripples, perhaps with laughter.

Rather annoyed, the wind suddenly gusts straight the fire, sending it fluttering and flaring. Another bolt of lightning cracks across the sky.

Awwww.

The fire giggles again.

The wind is taking itself up here to tear at the clouds, thank you very much.

With nothing to play with, the fire goes back to being just a fire, and whatever was laughing goes back to just feeling it burn.

The rain starts to pick up -- but it stays curiously gentle on the fire itself, evaporating into steam with a hiss.

Well, that's awfully nice of it!

Somewhere in between the hiss of the rain and the crackle of the fire, there is a sound like a woman's contented sigh.

It probably isn't just the wind.

What happens if the rain rains harder on the fire?

It doesn't seem to mind, or do anything unfirelike to avoid being quenched.

Huh.

The rain eases off before the fire can go out.

But then a bolt of lightning hits the tree.

The tree cracks in half down the middle, but something keeps it from falling apart. And another something, or perhaps the same one, keeps the lightning's path open to draw a second bolt after the first.

--Well that's very strange. Two more bolts of electricity crackle down into the tree's heart before the storm can stop them.

Whatever was holding the tree together stops. The two halves fall slowly away to either side, charred and smoldering, splintering at the base.

The storm eases off.

What the hell just happened?

Whatever it was, it doesn't repeat itself. There is no more odd behaviour from any part of the forest.

There's a grumble of thunder -- then a cold breeze sweeps through the canopy, searching.

Huh.

Over there—the air moves strangely, swirling this way and that.

That's no great trick.

The breeze blows around the disturbance, circling.

The disturbance slowly, unsteadily settles into another breeze, which ducks under the circling one and comes up to twine around it.

At which point the breeze suddenly bursts forward and away, more gale than gust for a moment.

What is going on?

The other breeze lets out a girlish giggle and dissipates.

What the hell, other breeze. What are you?

The gale settles into a whirlwind, uncertainly.

Hmm. Well.

After a moment, another breeze picks up, nudging against the sides of the whirlwind like a curious kitten.

The whirlwind abruptly switches directions, but doesn't go gusting off anywhere this time.

The questing breeze skitters in a circle, this time moving with the whirlwind's spin instead of against it.

Hmmm.

The larger storm has more or less dissipated by now -- but as the whirlwind spins, tiny crackles of lighting start to appear in its circle.

Ooooooh.

The breeze chases them.

Oh hey, that tickles!

Yes it does!

The whirlwind chuckles, in spite of itself.

The breeze laughs.

Can breezes snuggle whirlwinds? This one is trying.

No, because this particular whirlwind has no concept of the term "snuggle." As the breeze tries to get closer, it takes off for the sky, blowing down branches along he way.

Edited 2012-11-17 17:22 (UTC)

The breeze spins in place for a second or two and then dissolves.

. . . Is the other thing gone?

The rain starts to pick up again.

Well, if it is still here, it's not doing anything much.

Except maybe—

Near the ground, the rain moves strangely, as though it's hitting an obstacle and dripping around it. A person-shaped obstacle. But there's no person there.

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