I shrugged and signed back,
She giggled and shrugged back and answered,
She let out a deep breath and looked up into the sky. The sun was lazily drifting off, bathing the entire forest in its warmth. There was a slight chill to the air, not enough to be uncomfortable or bring forth snow, but this far north, it was only a matter of a few weeks before the first drops would begin. Hopefully, we would be far away by the time any storms rolled in.
The forest itself was eerily peaceful. The sounds of wild birds, animals, and insects could be heard in all directions. It was easy to forget what kind of dangers lurked around, even this deep into the forest. But for the moment, it was tranquil and even relaxing.
Cerila looked up at a tree not too far away and grinned.
I just watched for a moment, briefly stunned by her abilities. Cerila may have been tall for a woman, but she was far from bulky; she moved with a strength and grace that belied her appearance. Bounding up the tall tree with a giant sword wrapped up on her back that was nearly as tall as her. Sometimes it was easy to forget that the little girl from a small village had nearly ascended to the pinnacle of power that most would never even be able to approach in multiple lifetimes.
Well, I'm not far off either.
Cerila settled herself on a branch and waved for me to join her. I could use gravity magic to nearly levitate myself up to her. But where was the fun in that?
Mana flowed through my veins as I felt my muscles pulse with power. I leaped up and bounded off a nearby tree. I swung off branches and climbed higher and higher, throwing my entire body upwards with tremendous strength. It felt easy to climb so high, and in a matter of moments, in no few steps as Cerila did, I perched onto the same branch as her.
The two of us were putting a lot of faith and trust in a single branch to hold our combined weight. But even a fall from this height was of little concern. Mostly.
We were about halfway up one of the taller trees, and from it we could see over the wide expanse of dense forest. The snow-capped mountains seemed so much closer than before, but in reality, we still had another week or more at our current pace to even reach the base.
Even so, it didn't distract from the otherworldly mystique. It was the kind of picturesque scene a painter would drool over. Or, at least I think one would, not like I had painted anything in my life.
I felt her gaze and looked into Cerila's amber eyes as she smiled as she signed,
She rolled her eyes at me and nudged me playfully.
"Kill a god-like being or two, overthrow a tyrannically false religion hellbent on controlling the world for the nefarious desires, and then cement his unshakeable and unquestioning power in the world so none may dare stand before him as an equal?" a deep voice said in my head.
Not now, please.
Cerila just smiled as she let her legs dangle below her.
I sighed and looked up at the sky. I signed.
Cerila looked at me with wide eyes for a moment, seeming conflicted before slowly nodding to herself and signing back,
I just chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. It was getting long now and would reach past my mid-back before long. Perhaps I should get a trim when I get back.
We sat for a few moments in comfortable silence before I heard the light flutter of wings. On a nearby tree, a plump grey bird roosted on a branch. It was a familiar creature; Elowen had caught one a few days back, and it was remarkably tasty when Durak got his hands on it.
It's a bit awkward of a firing position, and I'm a little rusty, but… that bird does taste damn good.
A silver recurve bow appeared from thin air, the blue accents across its limbs shone in the sun as I drew the Black Orc tendon back. In a single breath, I lost the arrow, and I'd like to say I was at least close to hitting the mark, but…my bow skills were severely behind my others these days. I just didn't have the time or need to practice as much. The arrow flew off into the leaves, and what would have been a tasty dinner flapped away to a safer location away from my poor attempt at a hunt.
I sent the bow back into my ring and sighed as I started to sign,
Cerila's gaze softened as she giggled and signed,
All I could do was chuckle awkwardly as I scratched at my warm ear.
Cerila let out a short breath as she let her legs kick freely beneath her.
What, Sylvia never mentioned that to me? Have they been seeing each other often? Since when? Then again…it's not like I'm with Sylvia at all hours of the day, so it's not like it's impossible or anything.
I didn't even get a chance to respond before she signed,
My heart sank slightly at the ease and calmness with which she said that. It's not as if I felt shameful or was keeping it a secret on purpose or anything; I just hadn't told that many people or made an open declaration. I know, almost for a fact, that there are some bitter feelings lingering in her heart or head about it. But maybe I was completely wrong; she doesn't seem to be the least bit bothered by it.
Cerila smiled softly at me and signed,
Cerila hopped slightly on the branch as if she remembered something and signed,
…
"You know, Padraic may be on to something about the dangerous women theory…" Kronos muttered.
Cerila's eyes widened as she smiled from ear to ear. It was indeed a beautiful smile. I'm not sure how she's swept me along like this. But perhaps that's destined for me at this point. It hadn't been long since my birthday, and the tasks we had set for each other, and it seems I was the one lagging behind. But it's also clear I wasn't the only one who's changed significantly recently.
She took off her choker carefully and let it rest in her hands before giving it one final look and forcing it into mine.
She clasped my hands shut and, for a moment, stared at me with a deathly seriousness in her eyes before sitting back as she signed,
Cerila shut my hands again and shook her head before signing,
She signed with a wave.
…
Cerila giggled as she shrugged and signed,
I was going to retort back but I didn't get a chance. Cerila acted a hair faster than I, and that meant she was at least able to grab the branch above. Our faith and trust in each other may have grown some, but the branch below us, not so much.
I swiped at the air, trying to grab the one above me, but only caught air that soon left my lungs as I hit the one below me. But that was the limit of my suffering as my gravity shifted and I fell "gracefully" back down to the forest floor.
I just lay in the wet grass as Cerila stood over me with a grin and signed,