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Alright. Let me take your hand and just...

[She moves and reaches for his right hand, taking it gently by the wrist and then turning it over, palm side up.]

I'm just applying some of my magic in the form of a rune; this one is just for soothing and relaxation.

[Her finger carefully traces the rune above Gale's palm. It's a singular character that encompasses one of the many languages of magic she's had to master. The emerald green letter hovers for a few seconds before settling on his hand.]

Tell me how that feels.

I trust you— though I do appreciate the explanation. I would have had to ask, otherwise.

[There's no turning off that inquisitive mind of his, after all. His smile pulls to one side, his fingers giving a faint twitch as he lets his hand go lax in hers, letting her do what she will. He watches with interest, his gaze following the trace of the rune and the green energy that follows. The immediate feeling he gets is warmth, soothing, just as promised.]

It's pleasant. Soothing, as you said, and— oh.

[His reaction is accompanied by a purple glow emanating from the center of his chest, bright enough to shine through the dense fabric of his robes, but even brighter where it creeps along the vein-like markings that snake their way up one side of his neck and fan out beneath his left eye.]

That's... interesting.

[Interesting and concerning. Amelia's brows knit together again the purple glow emanates from his chest and all the way up to his left eye.]

... That's not supposed to happen, is it?

[Gale doesn't sound like he was hurt by that, just mildly surprised by the result.]

Is that the affliction you were referring to? The rune didn't do anything else, did it?

[The distress in her voice is notably rising and she wills the rune away from the surface of his palm and lets it hover in the air between them.]

It's hard to say what's 'supposed' to happen with this particular ailment, I'm afraid, given it is without precedent, but I don't believe any harm was done. It's not painful, at least— perhaps a bit warmer than usual?

[He gives a thoughtful little frown, laying his free hand over his heart and finding it a bit warmer to the touch than he might have expected, but compared to what he's felt as a result of the orb's activity in the past, this is nothing. A faint tingle, at best.]

I'm afraid this is another affliction entirely— though one of my own making. I don't believe I'm in any danger, but it's clear enough to me that my magic is reacting to the presence of your own.

[Well, 'his' magic. The orb is an entity all its own. Regardless, he remains calm, if puzzled.]

[The witch frowns.]

Then at least my magic hasn't done anything drastic to you, though the rune wasn't malicious to begin with. On that note, I won't proceed any further.

[Amelia's quiet as she reaches out to her rune making it disappear in her grasp.]

Maybe it's best to be cautious of other magic users unless they're native to your world; you'd know best how to deal with them. The nature of magical energy most likely varies from realm to realm so crossing magical energy streams seems—

[Ah, she realizes she's still holding his hand. Let her just drop it unceremoniously and awkwardly.]

—Like treading on unknown territory.

[Nailed it.]

Quite the contrary, I enjoyed the opportunity to see your magic at work, however briefly. It was quite pleasant, before I found myself startled— and that's hardly on you, Amelia.

[Still... her advice is sound. His thoughtful frown remains, and he gives a small nod of agreement.]

I'll be certain to practice due caution. It would be unforgiveable if I were to be careless and someone else were to be hurt because of— this.

[He lightly pats his chest with the hand that still rests there, having allowed the other to remain in hers— until she drops it. He'd almost forgotten about that, distracted as he was. Ah. When was the last time he'd—?

No, none of that, not just now.]

I do owe you a bit more explanation, it would seem, though I do not wish to cause you alarm.

[Amelia has her fingers intertwined and fiddles them together.]

There will probably be other opportunities to see my spell casting. I think I just want to make sure it's not directed towards you.

[When Gale offers her an explanation, the witch pauses. And then shakes her head.]

It doesn't have to be now, Gale. You don't really owe me anything. We should probably see what this floor has to offer, right?

[In fact, the floor they've stopped on seems to be a grassy grove of sorts and in the distance, they can hear the sound of water falling...]

[He exhales a sigh of relief as she shakes her head and deters him, his chin dropping slightly as his smile pulls to one side.]

That we should. Another time.

[It's not a secret he should keep from people he's sharing living space with, just as he'd not wanted to keep it from his companions back home, but there will be other days. For now, he doesn't believe his self-wrought condition to be a danger— that should be enough.

He turns his head towards the sound of water, curious.]

Is there a waterfall nearby? I can't say I expected to find all this, but it's actually quite lovely.

[Without wasting more words, Amelia takes several steps forward and pushes aside the branches of the trees that obscure their view. Her eyes widen and a soft "Oh," escapes her lips. Several vividly colored butterflies flit past the witch and wizard and they can now fully take in what the floor has to offer.

Simply put, it's breathtaking. In the distance, the sky is blue with soft white clouds in the distance. Amelia immediately recognizes the long flat structures that are floating in the air, that being giant domino pieces. You'd think that'd be at odds with the otherwise beautiful nature around them but there's whimsy and dreaminess from the brightly colored mushrooms, both small and tall, the autumnal leaves, the sound of the running water, looking as clear as crystal...

And is that a humungous snail shell that's part of the cliffside?? And six-sided dice, the size of boulders?

There's a lot to explore. There's no way to compare grading papers and sending emails to this.

The witch turns to Gale and her green eyes are barely hiding their excitement.]

Gale? I think we've found something rather special.

[He follows just behind her, allowing her to take the lead, but he doesn't miss a single opportunity to take in the details of their surroundings as they go, admiring the trees and passing butterflies as they draw nearer to the source of the sound.

When they're at last in a position to fully appreciate the view, he lets out a breath, feels himself smiling as he takes a moment to appreciate the wonder of it all. It's like no natural landscape he's ever seen; dice where he would expect outcroppings of rock, game pieces suspended in midair. The mushrooms remind him strongly of certain parts of the Underdark, bright and beautiful, and though the scenery is lovely, peaceful, there's something about it that seems almost achingly lonely, as well.

Simply put, it's breathtaking.

She turns to face him, and he meets her excitement with an eagerness of his own, his smile pulling just a touch wider as his own excited gaze flits past, towards the nearest cluster of mushrooms.]

Amelia, I do believe we have. It would seem we chose well!

[He takes a few steps forward, reaching out to lightly, carefully touch the edge of a nearby mushroom, though he doesn't venture past her.]

I wonder how far on it goes? In all my travels, I've never seen anything quite like it.

[There are giant marbles too; Amelia has to squint before realizing that's what the large transparent and globular structures are floating alongside the dominoes and some lay on the ground next to the dice and...]

Huh. Jacks.

[Referring to the spiky metal-looking objects with rounded tips. Also bigger than the both of them.

Amelia takes a few strides ahead of Gale and replies to his question.]

Maybe it goes as far as it needs to. Cryptic but I think it's less about finding the end and more about how much time we'd like to spend to explore the possible corners.

I think we should find the source of the waterfall. It'll make for a nice late-night walk... Even though it looks to be about high noon here.

[Not only a nice walk but there will be lots of platforming as they'll both soon find out... In fact...!]

The quality of the air here feels... Light? It's a bit difficult to describe but I feel like I can move and glide with ease across the ground.

[He laughs warmly at her response, letting a fist come to rest against his hip.]

Ah, the true scholar's approach— you're quite right, it's hardly about the end. All in the journey and the exploration, yes?

[He's eager to see what might be tucked away in this place, as well. He gives a nod of enthusiastic agreement as they start to make their way along the stream and towards its source. He, too, notices there's something different in the pressure of the air, and he pauses to give one foot an experimental tap against the ground.]

It is a bit different. I've felt something like this before— I've an idea.

[He angles himself to move past her, taking a few steps before jumping forward. He lands on a mushroom that's low to the ground, serving as a shrub, and lets out thoughtful noise of approval.]

The gravity isn't nearly as strong here as what we're used to. Give it a jump!

Oh—!

[Before she can even reply, Gale is already ahead of her taking a literal leap of faith that perfectly demonstrates the type of gravity they're working with. When he invites her to jump, Amelia wrinkles her brow.]

I don't... Well. Fine. I brought it up after all.

[She takes a few steps forward, past Gale, and more towards one of the steeper ledges that leads further into the glade.]

Let's see, I'll just...

[Amelia takes a deep breath and jumps. And instead of a rough landing, she makes a soft landing on the grass and only barely stumbles.]

Okay... Okay, I see what you mean! [She looks behind her again and then calls out to Gale.]

I think we'll have to be jumping a lot. There's flat ground, yes but if we're going to navigate this floor, the terrain isn't going to a stroll in the park.

[He gives a soft chuckle when she lands steadily— this is, so far, much gentler than much of the leaping about he recalls having to do while traversing some less-than-forgiving terrain along the Sword Coast. Of course, there are always spells to help in such situations, but in this case... why spoil the wonder of the thing?]

It may surprise you to learn that I've done a bit more cliff-scaling than one might expect from a wizard!

[He grins, then prepares himself to take another leap forward of his own, joining her on that steeper ledge with the difference of only a few steps between them, preparing himself for a much stronger impact than he finds himself faced with. It will certainly take some getting used to, but it's not so different from the aid of a well-timed Feather Fall.]

I'm quite curious to see where this all leads— especially given that this place is hardly confined by the physics one might expect of a non-magical inn. It could truly lead anywhere.

[There's undeniable excitement in his gaze, in his voice; they've truly come across something quite thrilling.]

Much better than grading papers, don't you think?

[He smiles cheekily before heading forward; coming from him, such a remark is near blasphemy, which speaks volumes about just how intrigued he is by this opportunity of theirs.]

[There's only a small flareup of annoyance that flits across her features at his remark about grading. It passes quickly since... Well, it's clear that it's a gentle tease, not a deliberate annoyance.

She finds that she currently doesn't have it in her to be snippy at the wizard.

The witch crosses her arms and just. Glances around.]

Let's keep leaping around then. [She'll let Gale take the lead but deliberately walks behind him.]

Waterfall first, then we'll follow the trail of any other notable details.

[This is supposed to be a fun stroll and yet her excitement levels have, well, leveled out. It's as if she's not allowing herself to be too enchanted.]

[Brief though that display is, he does manage to catch it, and is smart enough to bite his tongue and refrain from making any comment, even if his smile does pull just a touch more to one side. Amelia has openly referred to herself as having something of a thorny exterior, but aside from brief moments like these and the very first moments of their first breakfast together, he has yet to see much of it.

Perhaps she's not so difficult as she'd like to think, though he can see now that her excitement seems to have eased a bit. Intentional, no doubt, though he doesn't think that can last— not in a place like this.]

As you say— waterfall first.

[He does take the lead, leaping forward to the next ledge, but pauses to wait for her before continuing onward, extending a hand to assist with her landing when she follows, should she need it.]

Take care— even with gravity on our side, I don't believe either of us came wearing the proper footwear for such an endeavor, and it's a bit uneven here. [He does pause, raising his eyebrows slightly.] Are you alright? You seem a touch less eager than you did a few moments ago.

[Amelia is difficult and has acknowledged it as such because she's very vocal with her thoughts of how things ought to be, what manner it should be done, and will be the first to point out errors. She's not exactly smug about it either; it's all done with joylessness.

She had been much more hardheaded years before and it was out of a sense of survival. A part of her realizes she's been ebbing in and out of being cautiously open with Gale and wanting to maintain a strict facade of composure.

And she's not sure why.

He jumps first and his question snaps her focus back. Amelia shakes her head.]

I'll be careful. That's a good point about the even terrain.

[Not gonna directly answer the question about her lack of excitement, NOPE.

Amelia makes her jump and although she floats down, she anticipates that the angle at which she'll land will be awkward. Gale's outstretched hand is most fortunate and she grasps for it the second her feet touch the ground.]

Oof!

[... And she stumbles forward which causes her to take hold of Gale's arm with her other free hand so that she can reorient herself.]

[In hindsight, it's a good thing he'd thought to offer his hand, even if he'd been half-convinced she would eschew it— and it's also quite good that despite being the scholarly sort, his reflexes are rather sharp. He's quick to catch her as she stumbles forward and takes hold of his arm, bending just enough so that they both keep their balance in the process, his own hand having caught against her waist to keep them steady. The weakened gravity means leaping from place to place is a great deal easier than it would be otherwise, but it also means staying put can be a bit tricky when there's momentum involved.

Fortunately, he manages to remain solid, as does his hold on her.]

Are you alright?

[It would take more than that to do any real damage, but one wrong angle can mean an unpleasantly twisted ankle, or something else of that sort. His brow is knit with concern as he looks her over, drawing back to his full height to help them both to regain their composure, and somewhere along the way he realizes how very close they are.

He feels a bit warmer than he had a few moments earlier, he's sure, and he softly clears his throat before giving her another smile, boyish despite his years.]

No harm done, it seems.

[But— he'll maintain that hold for just a moment or two longer, to be certain.]

[Amelia just. Grunts. It's very graceful of her as she loosens her grip on Gale's hand and arm and regains her footing.]

That could have been better.

[Is she aware of how close they are? Well, that's for her to know and for us to not find out!

(She's aware).

Amelia is the first to pull away from Gale and uses her hands to straighten out her skirt and wipe away invisible dust.]

It's going to be cumbersome at this rate. I might as well cast some magic for the really hard-to-reach areas.

[He lets her pull away easily, suddenly smoothing out the front of his robes if only for a sudden need for something to do with his hands that he is, admittedly, painfully aware of as he collects himself.

Right. Exploration. The joy of the journey! He'll focus on that, and hopefully help Amelia to rediscover it along the way. Fortunately, she makes a suggestion that immediately lends itself to that very venture.]

Is that so? I'm quite eager to see what you have up your sleeve— what did you have in mind?

[That excitement has found its way to his eyes once more, even as he takes a few steps further to look at the course ahead.]

I'd considered temporary flight, but it almost takes all the fun out of it. Still... we may not know what's the furthest corners otherwise...

[He trails off in a leading sort of way, as if to imply that would be a terrible shame— and his smile pulls cheekily to one side as he looks back at her. Whatever she's thinking of, he's onboard.]

I think I could just Envision a bridge, or stairs, or just use the materials we already have around us.

[Several giant dominoes lazily hover above them. Amelia decides to experiment right then and there and begins tracing a block of runes in the air. The magic script breaks away from its rigid lines and attaches to the dominoes that begin to move at her will.

In no time at all, she's created some stairs out of the toys that are ascending.]

There. That should work for this path.

[He watches the entire process with keen interest, rather more enchanted than clinical and academic— for despite his scholarly pursuits and and accomplishments, magic has always spoken to him in such a way. This display is equal parts resourceful and lovely, and he waits until she's through to step forward and test his boot against the first step.]

Quite clever. I imagine that's barely a taste of what you can do, of course.

[He gestures forward to the stairwell, then makes a motion as though ushering her over the threshold.]

Shall we, then?

[Amelia nods and walks up the stairs.

It's apparent by now that their late-night walk has turned into a full-on hike. Not only do they walk up and down, but the witch and the wizard jump up and down on various cliff ledges, domino platforms, and mushrooms, following the sound of running water, knowing that they're getting closer as the bubbling becomes louder. This floor is beautiful and dreamlike, with its lush greenery and flowers, and unusual wildlife. Several times, they'll be able to spot giant insects that linger next to the blue butterflies and unusual creatures that look like half-cow and half-pigs with wings.

As time passes and they move further into the glade, Amelia's physical distance from Gale has lessened. In fact, whenever he happens to offer his hand out to her, she barely notices that she's accepted it with less hesitation and reluctance. When she isn't admiring the scenery around them, the idle part of her mind thinks how this would be a much slower trip had she been exploring by herself. Meanwhile, with Gale, they've covered plenty of ground and their commentary about their surroundings bounces off of each other more naturally.

Even she had to admit to herself that this wasn't so bad. It was pleasant, taking a walk like this with someone else instead of by herself as a lone guest.

Soon, they finally come upon the source of the waterfall. Situated in between is an enormous statue of a crying girl with closed eyes, clutching her cheeks. The water gushes through her eyelids creating a melancholic but wondrous sight.

Amelia makes a softer landing into the grass as they approach and her eyes look up at falls in true wonderment and awe.]

This is... Wow. I don't think I have a proper adjective for it all but...

[She turns to Gale and for the first time since he's met her, Amelia actually allows herself to smile in front of it.]

I'd call this a success.

[More than once as they make their way through, Gale is glad he'd encouraged Amelia to join him in his late-night explorations— this floor is a world all its own, fantastic and surreal, even to those for whom magic is an everyday phenomenon. The company only grows easier as they go; he offers his aid when he thinks it may be needed, whether it's a hand up or a simple Feather Fall, and appreciates his companion's displays of witchcraft just as much as he does the scenery.

Their efforts are athletic enough that he finds himself feeling grateful for all the hiking he'd done up and down the Sword Coast these last several weeks, and when they reach the waterfall's source, he exhales as he looks up at the giant statue awaiting them, a smile spreading across his face once more as he draws up to his full height.

A quick glance shows him that Amelia has indeed regained her spark, and as much as he wants to admire the sight they've come so far to see, he finds his gaze lingering on her, instead, realizing that it's the first time he's seen her truly smile. She's been pleasant, surely, but this is different.

The hike has been well worth it, in more ways than one.]

I quite agree.

[He realizes that he's not even looking at the statue as he says so— quickly enough, he hopes, that he can avert his gaze before she notices, looking up at the stonework, eyes coming to rest on the water's source.]

I've never seen anything like it, even in all my travels.

[Thankfully(?) Amelia does not catch on that Gale's gaze was focused on her for those few seconds. Her sense of adventuring takes priority and she continues to study the statue from afar.]

I'm going to take a closer look at the water. It's hard to tell from here but there's a sheen on its surface and I can't tell if it's from the falls or somewhere separate.

[She doesn't waste another second and takes a leap off of the cliffside. The witch floats down and down until she lands in front of the pool of water. Her eyes have a better look at the water now and she calls up to Gale.]

Gale! It looks a little purple! I think it's coming from a different source!

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