Kids These Days (MJ)

The morning dawned bright, and Arasine woke feeling a bit restless. Things had gone so nicely in the Mountains, better than he had expected. The Plains were in front of them, though starting his morning on a barge heading up the river toward Torre (the city, how confusing!) was making him a bit… well not seasick, but the river equivalent. He was quite thankful when his hooves hit the docks of Torre, shaking out his coat completely with a barely hidden cringe.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Thalor, his guardian, teased. Arasine gave the kirin a bit of side-eye.

“It certainly was,” he griped. “All that motion… blah.”

“We just went through a suspicious portal… and a gentle river is what upsets your stomach?” Thalor replied with a snort.

“Oh, shut up,” Arasine muttered, not quite over it yet.

A loud commotion drew their attention, a bit away from the docks. A pink and white Quirlicorn seemed quite fired up, and while Arasine was quite ready to not deal with that, a gentle prod from Thalor had him walking over to see what the issue was.

As they got closer, Arasine noticed the pink and white mare had strange horns, and was also surrounded by… balls?

“Uhm, excuse me, miss, but we couldn’t help but notice the commotion. Is everything okay over here?” Arasine asked, looking around what seemed to be a half trampled garden filled with balls of various sizes.

The mare let out a frustrated sigh. “Some of the kids were having a… I don’t know, extreme dodgeball? Well some kind of game that involved a lot of balls. Well they didn’t clean them up, and the unusually strong winds we have been having blew them into my garden! My poor plants…”

Arasine was silent for a moment, not quite knowing how to help. “Well… I’m Arasine, and this is Thalor. Can we help in any way?” Arasine finally said, figuring it best to just ask if they would be a help or a hindrance.

“I’m Cerah… Actually, yes. If you could help me get these balls out of my garden - carefully mind you - it would be a huge help! And please don’t destroy any more of my plants,” Cerah replied, and Arasine nodded.

The stallion moved carefully, stepping around and over plants and generally doing his best to not disturb them. He didn’t want to cause the mare any more distress, after all.

One thing he had discovered accidentally on the boat was his new Shield Magic. One surprisingly strong shift of the boat had a magical shield coming into being around the stallion, much to Thalor’s amusement.

So Arasine put it to the test, creating small shields around the plants to protect them as he carefully began to move the balls out of the area.Cerah watched with a careful eye as he did, but seemed to relax as she saw the care he was showing the plants.

“Where did you learn that kind of magic?” Cerah asked, as she watched him create another shield around a rosebush.

“Uh… On accident actually. I traveled by boat down the river, and well. Apparently water travel does not agree with me. We hit some rough water and it just kind of… happened,” Arasine explained.

“It seems like artifact magic to me,” Cerah said. “You don’t remember crafting it?”

Arasine shook his head. “Not really. I had never even heard of it,” he admitted.

“Strange,” Cerah said. “I wonder what artifact is bound to you. Is that the only magic you have?”

“Well… I met a Mystic and she gifted me with Regional Transformation. And I recently discovered I have Cyrokinesis,” Arasine admitted.

“Did you know Cyrokinesis can be a very useful magic for gardening?” Cerah asked, her eyes lighting up. “Some plants grow best if you make small bits of ice and put them on their dirt to melt slowly, giving them water over time instead of giving them water like you do regular plants.”

“I did not,” Arasine admitted, realizing that his magic had more uses than he thought.

The morning faded to afternoon quickly as Arasine, Thalor and Cerah worked to move the balls away from the plants. Arasine and Thalor carried them back to their normal storage place, before returning to Cerah’s garden.

“Do you normally stay here?” Arasine asked, as he watched Cerah work.

“Not always,” Cerah admitted. “Sirona, the baroness, asked me to help out with the gardens in the area when I am here, and well… I guess I get a bit protective over my plants. They are all unique, just like you and me… Would you like to learn more?”

Arasine was intrigued, so he agreed. He found himself enjoying learning about plants and their uses, as well as nurturing habits as he helped replant some of the plants that had been damaged by the balls. Cerah was informative and it was clear she really enjoyed talking about the plants, as well as sharing her knowledge of the uses of various plants and how they are beneficial to the environment.

He was sweaty and covered in dirt, but Arasine had to admit that it wasn’t the worst outcome for the morning.

“You know, these herbs here could help your stomach next time you travel by boat,” Cerah suggested, pointing out a few.

Arasine grinned. “Would you mind if I took a few? I have some business here, but I am trying to see each region. Khaalida suggested I travel to the lands of her allies, but… well one of them is an Icy Island,” Arasine replied. “If my stomach was this upset by just a river, the ocean….” Arasine paused and shuddered. “I don’t even want to imagine it.”

“Of course, since you helped!” Cerah replied with a gentle smile, carefully gathering some of the herbs into a little pouch.

“Thank you so much,” Arasine said, gratefully taking the herbs.

“Thank you for your help,” Cerah said in return. “It would have taken me a lot longer to get things back in order without you.”

“It’s no problem,” Arasine said, feeling a bit embarrassed. “It was a great way to practice my magic.”

“You should probably introduce yourself to the Baroness,” Cerah said, gesturing to the city. “I’m sure Sirona will have some tasks that you could help her with too as well!”

Arasine laughed at that. “Farewell, Cerah!” he called as he and Thalor began heading to the city.