A bit of conjury
Aubrey frowned as she settled down on moldy wooden plank that served as a bench in the run down hut she was currently sheltering beneath as the gray clouds which had been massing all morning finally let loose overhead. Not that it was much of a shelter, the thatched roof was as water tight as a wicker basket, waterfalls of water turning the earthen floor into a soupy, muddy mess. It had once been a cozy shepherds keep, the small hearth had been well made for what stones hadn't been pried free by thieves were still standing exactly where they'd been laid. The shelves were layered in dust and cobwebs and the leavings of flying animals, but it wasn't hard to imagine carvings and spice bottles and the myriad of other sundry things one needed when caught afield in bad weather or on a particularly cold night. There would even have been enough room to fit a decent sized herd of goats which were the usual livestock in these parts.
She sighs and holds up a gauntlet-ed arm, carefully positioning her fingers before snapping once. Flame lept into sudden life at her fingertips, the women smiling - and snapping again. The flame went out.
Snap - fire.
Snap - smoke.
Snap - fire.
Snap - smoke.
Snap -
"Aubrey."
She started, turning with a fireball crackling at the ready in her now cupped palm only to find herself face to face with the hulking armored shapes of her twin guardians, Hati and Skoll, sighing.
"You're both far too quiet for your size." the mage rumbled as she turned instead to the empty grate and gently lobbing the fire inside where it instantly caught on the semi-damp wood.
By the time the two warriors were inside, the hut had warmed considerably and their clothing was beginning to steam, Aubrey glancing at their identically impassive faces before sighing.
"We're roughing it tonight." she said, more as an acknowledgement of their silent answer to her unasked question, hands coming together in front of her as if in prayer as she paced carefully cross the muck, rumbling a soft spell as she went before making an opening gesture.
The inside of the hut glowed softly red and the rain no longer came pouring through the roof, nor did drafts worm their way in through the cracks in the walls, Skoll raising an eyebrow as she glanced to her brother who was already unhooking the broad sword from his back to set down against one of the now weather proofed walls.
"I can't do anything about the floor but there's another long bench that might fit at least one of you. The hearth should be dry enough to lay on by nightfall and I can sleep there." Aubrey said as she dusted her hands on the leather front of her vest before crossing the rest of the space and holding out her arms, palms up.
As one the pair began to strip themselves of weaponry, placing what there was to be hooked on the slender mage's offered arms until she was trembling beneath the weight of swords and daggers and other odds and ends. Hati smiled, reaching out a calloused hand to rest lightly on Aubrey's head, then sliding down the length of her deeply auburn curls as Skoll relieved the smaller women of her over sized burdens to set them on the shelves and over the fire place where they would stay dry and out of the way. Only when the last item was placed safely away did the pair begin to strip off their wet things, Aubrey finding some twine in one of their packs to string across the length of the hut, whispering another charm to make sure it would hold before beginning to place the twin's things up to drip dry, leaving the pair to forage their provisions for dinner, the only sound to be heard that of rustling cloth, the cheerful snap of a brightly burning fire, and the occasional snort from Skoll whenever Hati silently said something outlandish.
She sighs and holds up a gauntlet-ed arm, carefully positioning her fingers before snapping once. Flame lept into sudden life at her fingertips, the women smiling - and snapping again. The flame went out.
Snap - fire.
Snap - smoke.
Snap - fire.
Snap - smoke.
Snap -
"Aubrey."
She started, turning with a fireball crackling at the ready in her now cupped palm only to find herself face to face with the hulking armored shapes of her twin guardians, Hati and Skoll, sighing.
"You're both far too quiet for your size." the mage rumbled as she turned instead to the empty grate and gently lobbing the fire inside where it instantly caught on the semi-damp wood.
By the time the two warriors were inside, the hut had warmed considerably and their clothing was beginning to steam, Aubrey glancing at their identically impassive faces before sighing.
"We're roughing it tonight." she said, more as an acknowledgement of their silent answer to her unasked question, hands coming together in front of her as if in prayer as she paced carefully cross the muck, rumbling a soft spell as she went before making an opening gesture.
The inside of the hut glowed softly red and the rain no longer came pouring through the roof, nor did drafts worm their way in through the cracks in the walls, Skoll raising an eyebrow as she glanced to her brother who was already unhooking the broad sword from his back to set down against one of the now weather proofed walls.
"I can't do anything about the floor but there's another long bench that might fit at least one of you. The hearth should be dry enough to lay on by nightfall and I can sleep there." Aubrey said as she dusted her hands on the leather front of her vest before crossing the rest of the space and holding out her arms, palms up.
As one the pair began to strip themselves of weaponry, placing what there was to be hooked on the slender mage's offered arms until she was trembling beneath the weight of swords and daggers and other odds and ends. Hati smiled, reaching out a calloused hand to rest lightly on Aubrey's head, then sliding down the length of her deeply auburn curls as Skoll relieved the smaller women of her over sized burdens to set them on the shelves and over the fire place where they would stay dry and out of the way. Only when the last item was placed safely away did the pair begin to strip off their wet things, Aubrey finding some twine in one of their packs to string across the length of the hut, whispering another charm to make sure it would hold before beginning to place the twin's things up to drip dry, leaving the pair to forage their provisions for dinner, the only sound to be heard that of rustling cloth, the cheerful snap of a brightly burning fire, and the occasional snort from Skoll whenever Hati silently said something outlandish.