A Place to Call "Home"

Those flames may be beautiful, but they are just as destructive.

    Before, a wind chill or even a slight breeze would have been enough to put her out. The frozen, wintery landscape of Mount Hakobe had been to blame for that but now, that year was behind her. That time she spent living in a metaphorical cage locked away from the outside world by the snow and ice, it was all over. The fear and the pain was gone, or at least it was dwindling. It was done and she felt like she could finally breathe.

    She had always dreamed of seeing the ocean, had pictured it in her mind even as a child. The cerulean waters bumped up against an even bluer sky that was virtually cloudless with the sun shining brightly on her cheeks, warming her body and her soul. Only then was that dream becoming a reality. It was an unbelievable feeling; the mixture of the ocean spray and the sunlight on her skin tingled refreshingly as if she were being cleansed just standing near it. She had her elbows propped on a concrete barrier wall that separated the walkways from the rocky island edge on the other side. She stood on the tiptoes of her bare feet as she leaned as far forward as she safely could and had her eyes closed with her head tipped back to fully immerse herself in the environment. She inhaled deeply and felt the air, both cool and warm, course through her lungs before it came back out as a heavy sigh. She could have stood there for hours until the sun began to set and even past then and into the night when the stars came out and twinkled like she hadn't seen in decades. What a sight that would be.

    After a few more moments of relishing, she opened her eyes and went back to standing flat on her feet. By the looks of it, the time was around noon and supposed some exploring was due. Her entire morning had been spent there by the water as she had been so awestruck by it that she lost track of time as it slipped from her grasp. She couldn't have been bothered to try and catch it. She turned away from the ocean and looked on into the city, fixing her hair into a braid that reached mid-thigh. Once it was tied, she looked about on the ground to find her shoes, having forgotten where she had placed them. The boots were spotted quickly and she slipped them back on, sitting for a bit so she could rewrap the linens that went around her calves. When she had the ends tucked in and secured, she stood and grabbed her leather jacket where it was laid over the barrier's edge. It was warm enough still that she wouldn't need it on so she carried over her shoulder with the collar hooked on her fingers.

    Katherine had never been one to particularly enjoy a crowd, but in comparison to the isolation she had been subjected to prior to her and Aemon's arrival, the surplus of people around her was nothing more than small inconvenience depending on the situation. Right then it wasn't a bother, rather, it was a comfort. The island of Tolgalen was safer than any place she'd ever been and she wasn't worried in the slightest. She was paid no ill-mind, never pulled aside or interrogated, never hurt intentionally. In fact, she seemed to be accepted. The populous held a large variety of people and even though she was quite unique in her own sore-thumb kind of way, she fit in. There wasn't such a thing as an outcast there. She had no need to hide or constantly be on the run, as she had before.

    Overall, she was relieved. She had all of the best things in life, by her own standards of course, and those were pretty low in comparison to the modern person. She was safe and in good company, she had a home, a strong sense of security. The cherry on top was this new freedom she had acquired. She could do whatever she wanted and there was no one around to tell her 'no'. There was nothing holding her back from moving forward and doing what was best for herself.

    Hell, she could even exercise her magic if she wanted to. It had been a long time since she'd even thought about exploring it's abilities further. Even with the knowledge of how flexible and personal it was, it hadn't been a priority. Now, it could be. There was no telling what more could be done with it. After all, it was her magic energy in its physical form, tangible and with endless uses.

    The only concern was finding a place to advance without inflicting harm on anyone or anything. That concern was small though, as she had heard that there was a training ground in the more forested area of the island. That, was where she would go.

Those flames may be beautiful, but they are just as destructive.

    As she turned away from the barrier wall to face the city and had her hair prepped between her fingers to braid, she came to face her partner. She ceased for a moment, not sure what to make of his presence, with her lips parted and her eyes like a child who's just been pleasantly surprised with their most favorite thing in the world. Her cheeks warmed, but this time not because of the sun. They turned a soft pink as she stared at him for what felt like an eternity but was in actuality only a minute.

    "Yes," she finally said, blinking out of her session in space. "How long have you been standing there?" She would continue to fix her hair and put on her boots with her linens. When she stood again she would meet his eyes and smile as he was, the expression quite contagious coming from him. Of course, his compliment was also a cause and while it still caught her off-guard that he referred to her in such a way, she no longer questioned it. Beautiful, he called her. As still as her heart was he made it flutter as if she were fully alive and the feeling was something she could never grow sick of.

    "Uh," She started, interrupting herself with a soft giggle and then biting her lip gently for a second. "I heard there was a training ground somewhere on the island. I wanted to go there and... get back to the way I used to be." Then as she slung her jacket over her shoulder she said, determinedly, "Strong."