Moonlark Turned Evil

Inktober Special: Fire

I started this chapter expecting way more scenes and when I finished writing two and felt like i couldn't add anything else i was like wha

*insert surprised pikachu*

The thing with Jin Ling's uncles is actually the plot of MDZS, I kid you not

"Brant!" a voice called.

Brant looked up from his book, a smile spreading over his face as he saw who was running towards him. Jolie Ruewen came stumbling to a stop before him, almost loosing her footing. She latched onto his arm to keep herself steady.

"Hello there," he said teasingly as they started walking.

Jolie pouted. "It's not my fault I'm clumsy. It's the road, alright?"

"Of course," he assured her. "It has nothing to do with the fact that you really can't walk in a straight line—"

She reached up to smack him over the head with her ornate fan, and then opened it in front of her face to hide her silent laughter. Her shaking shoulders gave her away, though. "Hey!"

"Hey," he said back, more gently.

Being a Bad Match certainly had the downside that you couldn't enjoy an outing because everyone within earshot would be gossiping rather rudely. Which was why they were meeting up today in the dead of the night, in Atlantis.

The dome glimmered far above them, and the balefire in the towers flickered, reflecting against the silver lined buildings. Somewhere beyond the protective barrier and the many levels of the city was water, constantly rushing and creating a soothing backdrop.

"Atlantis is beautiful," Jolie remarked suddenly as they walked. "It makes me want to write a poem about it."

"If you do, I'll make sure to quote it every time someone mentions the city," Brant replied.

"Oh, you!" Jolie said, poking his chest. "Must you be such a flirt?"

"I can't help it," he shrugged—one shouldered, since their arms were linked. "I know I'm bad at it, but it just spills out."

"Too many romance novels," she diagnosed. "I think we need to have you reading more action and adventure."

"You can never read too many romance novels, Jolie!"

"You can, actually, and you have. How many have you read in the last two days?"

Brant thought about it seriously. "I'm in the process of reading five different slow burns today," he counted off slowly. "And then there's a mafia romance I started yesterday. I'm almost finished, but I got sidetracked by one of the slow burns."

"That's too many."

"Never."

"Imagine how you could've used that time to study instead," Jolie huffed. "And you've wasted it all reading fiction."

"There's no use in me studying." Brant grimaced slightly. "I can't do the elite levels for Foxfire."

Her bright expression dimmed a little. "Yeah. It's such a stupid rule, making Pyrokinesis the same as being Talentless. It is an ability, and it's an impressive one. Beautiful, too."

"I can't control it."

"And you would be able to, if you actually had someone to teach you, like how I had someone to train me in Conjuring."

It was an old conversation, reused and recycled. Jolie's points were logical and very easy to agree with, but the truth was that her ideas were not the way the elvin world worked. Pyrokinesis didn't count as a ability, and that was that. No argument could change the way Councillor Emery ran their world like his own personal playground.