Linnea Selanne-Niemi (everflowing) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-03-30 14:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-08, linnea |
Splish splash
Who: Linnea and Noelle + Strike and Calder (NPCs)
Where: The river near to her home
When: Earlier morning
Seeing Bradley the previous day had been like being recharged almost. In most ways. In some Linnea was left feeling worse than she had before he came and that was probably why she had not extended an invitation for him to come with her on her morning swim. Well, that and she really wanted to just play with the water and she could get a little sulky when an earth elemental stole the attention away from her. And the last thing that Linnea needed on top of everything else was for her element to be upset with her. Water could be very difficult to deal with at the master level when she was not pleased with you. Linnea had experienced a few more times than she cared to remember.
Stop sulking and play already, Strike suggested. He was curled up on a flat rock in the early morning sun, diamonds on his back soaking up the light instead of reflecting it like the real things. Linnea smiled at the sight of him just laying there. Most people would be afraid but her? She knew that he would never bring any harm to her. "I'm getting to it," she informed her familiar as she let her feet slip into the water with a content sigh. It was going to be another hot day and she was going to need to carry this with her throughout it. Closing her eyes she held her hand up, easily calling up a column of water, stretching from the surface of the river to her hand, swirling slightly while a little fish that had been swimming by slipped back down from the top, causing the blonde to giggle quietly. Things like this were why she preferred the river to her pool.
Noelle had the morning off, which was unusual enough in itself that she didn't feel right just sitting around the house or wasting all day on errands. So instead of getting right to work on laundry and grocery shopping and any number of things she needed to do, Noelle packed her things to go swimming and headed down to the river. She picked the closest spot, loading Calder in the car, and headed out.
When she pulled up, she was somewhat startled to see someone else already down on the bank - a water elemental, if the column of water she could just see under the woman's hand was any indicator. Noelle approached with a small smile, Calder at her side, but her approach was halted by Calder's sudden, low snarl, the big gray wolf shoving his shoulder against Noelle's leg to push her away from the flat rock she'd been about to approach. Noelle was just about to ask him what was wrong when she spotted the snake, curled up and sunning on the riverbank. Noelle froze, spotting the telltale rattles on the end of its tail, and cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she called to the woman in the river. "There's a rattlesnake very close to you." Calder was mentally assuring her he could take care of it, kill the creature, but Noelle couldn't do that to an innocent animal. Surely it was easier for the humans to move than to frighten the poor creature.
Someone's coming, Strike informed Linnea lazily. He could feel the vibrations in the ground and did not move, perfectly comfortable where he was. Before Linnea could turn to see who it was she heard a snarling noise and the column of water dropped back into the river and on the bank, Linnea's concentration broken. Oh look, I scared them and I didn't do a thing. Strike sounded amused and Linnea chuckled as she turned to face the snarling creature and the girl that was with him.
"Mmm yes, he thinks that he's terribly frightening too," Linnea's voice was amused. She had her feet in the water and it was hard to be in a bad mood despite all of the things that were happening. That was why she had come after all. "Please don't be alarmed, it's only Strike. He's my familiar as I'm sure that wolf right there is yours. "
Noelle laid a hand on Calder's head, fingers drawing furrows in the thick fur between his ears in a move that was already habitual. She could feel the big wolf relax against her slightly, though his ears stayed up, his eyes watchful but calm. "To be honest, I was more concerned for you," she admitted with a smile. "You're closer. But it's nice to know, all the same." She ventured a little closer, Calder pacing along at her side. "This is Calder," she introduced, indicating the wolf. "And I'm Noelle. I hope we're not intruding."
I'll have you know I am frightening, Strike's voice was dry in her mind. As you could see by how alarmed they were by my presence. Linnea just shook her head. She could not see what might be even the least bit alarming about her familiar. Because he was hers, but she overlooked that as well. "Isn't that sweet of you, Noelle. A pleasure to meet the both of you." She inclined her head towards them both, feeling almost a sort of kinship with the girl. Sort of like what existed with her daughters outside of just the mother-daughter bond. Another water elemental, perhaps? That would be a delight. "I'm Linnea and that, as I already said, is Strike. It's not very often that we come across others here so early in the morning. Out for a swim, perhaps?"
"Swimming, a little playing," Noelle said, nodding. "I don't get out here as often as I'd like. I had the morning off, so I figured I might as well take advantage." As often as she'd like being every day or at least every other day, but between working and performing, she rarely had that kind of time. Playing with water in a glass of water or a bowl at home was kind of ridiculous (and something she only did when home alone), but it was better than nothing. And water was water. "I see you're here for much the same?" she asked. "Do you mind if we join you?"
Trying to imagine not being able to come out to the river on a daily basis was almost impossible. The advantage of living right by the water, Strike approved of it. That was he could be his normal self and still hunt as he wished without having to risk his life by traveling too far. "Not at all, please feel free to." Normally Linnea played by the water with her daughters but she was allowing them to sleep in so that they would be less grumpy about getting woken up in a bit to see Kajsa. "I actually quite enjoy meeting others like myself, kindred souls and such. Are you... very far advanced?" There were few people that Linnea had met who did not react to the sight of her playing with water and making it do things it should not do. And the few that she had met who took it well were elementals themselves, or relations of one.
"Level five," Noelle said with a smile, taking a seat on the riverbank beside Linnea after kicking off her flip flops. She slid her feet into the water with a happy sigh, dipping her hand into the water and emerging with a perfectly rounded sphere of water nestled in her palm. "And hopefully slowly working my way up. And yourself?" She saw no reason to hide what she was; Linnea obviously wasn't upset at being made as an elemental, and it was obvious Noelle was something by Calder's very presence at her side.
"Oh really?" Linnea watched the sphere of water as Noelle brought it back up. Perfect, not a dip or break anywhere in it. Very nicely done. "I have a daughter who is that same level and it's so much fun to watch as she learns new things and catches on to what I show her." Linnea was proud of what all of her children did, but seeing her two water elemental daughters work their way up through the ranks delighted her on a completely different level of pride. How could she be anything but proud of them for their accomplishments? "I'm a master." Sometimes I think you're overly proud of that and at other times I think you completely forget. Ahh, it was always nice when her element spoke up. "It runs in my family... is it the same in yours?"
"Really?" Noelle asked with a smile. "You're the second I've met in Scarlet Oak. It must be wonderful." The mention of her parents dimmed her smile a little, and she released the sphere back into the water. Calder laid his head comfortingly on her thigh, big wolf body pressed against her. "No, it's just me," she said in her soft manner. "My parents were both human." She tunneled her fingers through Calder's fur again, feeling the softer undercoat slide against her fingers, the rougher outer coat coarse against her palm. "How old is your daughter?"
"It is." Knowing that there were other water elementals around her and having two in the same house was a delight to Linnea. It was almost like being home in Finland where her entire family had been made up of them. Such a wonderful thing to be and share with others. They were all like streams connecting to a bigger river and no, Linnea did not think that seemed corny even in the slightest. She enjoyed every metaphor for water that she thought up. But something about the way that Noelle answered, the dimming smile and way she released her perfect sphere of water gave Linnea pause. Perhaps something happened to her parents? Had she been someone else then she might of asked, but no, that was not the sort of person that Linnea was. "Yes, I have a daughter who is human, not that there is a thing wrong with that. Oh, and she's nineteen. Are you around that age too?"
"Not quite," Noelle said with a small smile. "I'm twenty-four." But she supposed it was to be expected that she didn't advance as quickly without any mentor; she'd progressed quickly when she'd lived with her parents, but that pace had slowed after the accident, when she'd moved to New York to be on her own. "I'll get there eventually, I suppose."
Oh. Linnea supposed that progressing was more difficult without a teacher. It is harder, her element chimed in her mind, almost laughing. Don't you remember when you came away from your mother? I thought you'd never progress! Oh... that was very true, a time Linnea was not fond of recalling because it had been quite unpleasant for her. "It's always easier when you have someone to help you," Linnea acknowledged. Her element was encouraging the next statement just as much as her usual desire to interact with those who were like her and her daughters. The more water elementals the better. "Would you like any help? Progressing, that is."
"That's a very generous offer," Noelle said, surprised but pleased that it had been made. Andrew had given her his info for a similar reason, but she'd never heard from him past that one meeting at the coffee shop. "I'm afraid I don't have much to offer in return, but if it wouldn't take too much time away from your family, I'd be very happy to accept." She felt like she made slow but steady progress on her own, but she was never one to turn down an opportunity to improve faster when it was presented to her.
Generous was a word that Linnea had had applied to her several times, usually by friends and never by another water elemental. But then she had never really dealt with many outside of her family. "It wouldn't take too much time away from my family," the blonde assured Noelle. Actually, it might according to their definitions but it did not matter much to her. She would still give her daughters their necessary attention and training, though she knew them well enough to know how jealous they would be of someone else learning from her. "Though later in the day is better, they're used to getting their lessons later and I know they would not be too welcoming to a new face."
"That would work best for me, as well," Noelle said. "I work early mornings into the afternoon, then again in the evenings, usually around eight or so. For most of the midafternoon to early evening, I'm almost always available." She blinked at the last admission. "I certainly wouldn't want to intrude," she ventured, unwilling to cause any kind of familial upset just for training. She wasn't suffering on her own, she just wasn't progressing as fast as she otherwise might. It had never been about progression with Noelle, more a celebration of her ability and a desire to be close to the element that had so gifted her.
Linnea shrugged at the mention of intrusion. "You won't be." What they did not have to witness would not hurt them and it might be nice to work with water with someone outside of her family for a change. "Especially if you're avaliable around those times." Satu usually had practice of some sort and Dagmar almost always had something to occupy her time with. "Not because you need to press on, but because it's always enjoyable to do something new and feel a closer kinship." That was what had always mattered for Linnea. Well, that and the fact that it could be used occasionally to make her feel better or show off on the very rare occasion. "If you'd like, I can give you my number and when you would like you can call and we can see what can be done."
"Certainly," Noelle said, pleased. "I've usually got performances in the evenings, but my afternoons are almost always free, whatever dates and times work best for you." She smiled and scratched behind Calder's ears, the big wolf giving her knee a covert lick as he sensed her happiness. Reaching into her bag, she managed to find a pen and paper. She ripped the paper in half, jotting down her own name and number, then handed it and the pen over to Linnea. "Thank you," she said again. "I certainly will call."
Accepting the number, Linnea nodded and folded it before putting it in her purse, and writing down her own number - home and cell. If she was not at home then she did not want Noelle to feel as though she were being ignored and these days it was hard to tell where she would be. "I'll be looking forward to hearing from you then, Noelle." We should probably get going if you want to see Kajsa. The reminder of her daughter and the visit that she intended on making with the other two in tow gave Linnea a bit of a jolt and she began to gather up her things. "While I hate to chat and run, one of my daughters is in the hospital and I am about to go pay her a long overdue visit." In truth she already visited daily, but Kajsa had not been awake for them and therefore they did not count. "Be well! And you too, Calder."
"Of course," Noelle said instantly, "that's quite all right. I hope your daughter recovers quickly." She thought she might stay a little longer, play with the water some more. She took the paper she was handed and put it with her things where it would stay dry. "Thank you, Linnea; have a lovely day. It was nice to meet you as well, Strike." Calder, though he didn't speak to Linnea, dipped his head in acknowledgment.