A court of water and worlds

Chapter #9

Gwyn didn't know what was happening. All she knew was that she couldn't stop laughing.
All she wanted was some tea. She was not expecting to be tickled at two in the morning.
Who was tickling her anyway?
Gwyn was now on the floor still laughing.
"Well, stealing my shadows again, are we?" She heard him say, and she opened her eyes to find that his shadows had been the ones tickling her the whole time.
She inhaled heavily as his shadows returned to him.
"Did you seriously just try to tickle attack me with your shadows?" Gwyn asked, trying to catch her breath.
Azriel furrowed his brow, "I didn't do anything, you keep stealing my shadows," he said, watching his shadows curl around his fingers.
Stealing his shadows, what was he talking about?
"I didn't steal your shadows," Gwyn said sitting up,
"I came down here to get some tea and your shadows attacked me."
Gwyn was annoyed on why the shadowsinger would accuse her of stealing his shadows, she couldn't even control them.
"I sent my shadows out because I heard a crash, but they never came back to me," Azriel said, holding out a hand.
Gwyn took it, and he hauled her to her feet.
"So you didn't tell your shadows to attack me?" Gywn asked, confused.
Azriel shook his head and chuckled "I would hardly say they attacked you," he said, lips twitching with amusement.
"I was Incapacitated," Gwyn said defensively, crossing her arms.
"Yes, the tickle monster is a very worthy opponent, but I have to say I'm a little disappointed you didn't defend yourself better." Azriel said, trying to hide his smile.
Was he being serious right now? Gwyn had never wanted to hit him more.
"First of all, I couldn't even see them coming up behind me, second of all tickling isn't even a fare move to pull in a fight, and third of all," Gwyn said now fuming at the shadowsinger, "I don't even know how to take down shadows, because their shadows!" Gwyn whisper-yelled the last word.
Azriel was now laughing hard.
"Shut up" Gwyn said, hitting him, "you're going to wake up the whole damn house."
"As if you dropping a teacup didn't already," azriel said, catching his breath.
Gwyn looked to where the broken teacup pieces lay on the floor, she went over and started picking up the pieces.
"In my defense, I tripped," said Gwyn, who had been wearing one of Nesta's robes which was a little too big for her. Gwyn was the shortest of her friends so their clothes didn't exactly fit her. When she was walking over to the tea pot earlier she tripped over the robe, and dropped the cup.
She went to pick up another piece of glass but it sliced her finger, "mother above" Gwyn said standing up to throw the broken pieces away.
"What's wrong?" asked Azriel.
"Nothing," Gwyn said, walking over to the sink.
"It's not nothing," Azriel said "I smell blood, you cut yourself."
She turned to him, showing him the small wound that was already starting to heal.
"See," she said, "not a big deal."
Azriel nodded and Gwyn turned off the sink as her cut healed completely.
"The other night at Nesta's wedding, I saw you in the fountain walking on water, how did you do that?" Azriel asked which took Gwyn completely by surprise.
"That is a really random question," Gwyn said, turning to him.
"We'll I have learned that I have a lot of random questions for you," Azriel said leaning against the counter.
"So," he motioned with his hand for her to go on.
Gwyn smiled at the impatient shadowsinger.
"Well," Gwyn dragged out the word "it's called water walking. It's one of my abilities being part water nymph. I am able to manipulate the surface tension of water when I focus."
"So, why were you doing it in a fountain?" Azriel asked not with amusement but genuine Curiosity.
"Sometimes when my emotions run high I can feel my powers buzzing throughout my body, and if I don't release some of that tension..." she paused.
"What?" Azriel asked.
"Well, the power would find another way to relieve itself." Gwyn said, grabbing another tea cup, "do you want some?" Gwyn asked and Azriel nodded.
She then poured him and herself a cup of tea and went over to the small table by the window, and Azriel followed.
"What do you mean the power will find another way to relieve itself?" Azriel asked, sitting down.
"Well," Gwyn said, nervously fidgeting with her teacup, "I have other abilities and if I don't find a way to free my power through more mundane things like water walking, my magic will find another way to relieve itself out of my control."
She looked towards Azriel who looked utterly confused.
"Sorry," she chuckled nervously. "It's kind of hard to explain."
"So, you're saying that if you don't release your energy it will release itself but using one of your other abilities and you would have no control over it?" Azriel asked.
"Yes" Gwyn said.
"That's so excessively confusing," Azriel said, taking a sip of his tea.
"Yeah it is, but my abilities are far less compared to what catrin could do." Gwyn said.
"Catrin?" Azriel asked and Gwyn froze.
She never spoke of Catrin, whenever she even thought of her it was hard to hold back tears.
Gwyn cleared her throat.
"She was my twin sister," Gwyn said and immediately saw a wave of sorrow wash over Azriel's face at the word was.
She could feel the tears in her eyes.
She would not cry In front of the shadowsinger, she would not let him believe her to be weak.
"She had powers like yours?" Azriel asked, and Gwyn was thankful he didn't pry as to what happened to her sister.
"Yes, but she inherited more water nymph traits than me, so she was far more powerful than me. Like how it takes much control and concentration for me to be able to water walk, but for her it was like second nature," Gwyn said, trying to blink away the tears.
She turned to Azriel, who looked pensive.
Wanting to move away from the subject she asked "so, what cool things can you do with your shadows?" She asked.
He turned to her and gave her a confused look.
"What?" Gwyn said "I told you about some of my abilities. I want to know what you can do."
And she did, Gwyn always wondered what his shadows could really do.
"Ok," he said looking down at his cup.
—-
Azriel really didn't know what to tell her or more like where to start.
"Well, I have the ability to wield and control shadows."
"Obviously" Gwyn said with a snort, and Azriel narrowed his gaze on her in annoyance.
"Sorry" Gwyn said with a smile "please continue."
And Azriel did.
"It's kind of like having a sixth sense, and it also heightens my other senses so I am able to hear, see, and feel things that others are not."
"Is that it?" Gwyn asked in surprise.
"Is that it?" Azriel repeated her question with a chuckle,
"Am I disappointing you?" He asked and Gwyn quickly responded.
"No, no of course not, I believe you to be a very capable person, I just don't know anything about shadowsingers, I didn't mean to offend you," Gwyn finished looking down and Azriel could see her blush.
"It's ok Gwyn really, I imagine not many people know about shadowsingers just as I don't know much about water nymphs," Azriel said with a slight smile and he saw Gwyn relax.
He never wanted to make her uncomfortable. He was happy to see the light return to her eyes as well. Right when he asked about Catrin, he saw the light start to flicker out. He assumed she hadn't survived the attack at sangravah.
"I do have other abilities though" he added and Gwyn looked at him for a moment, as if saying "well, what are they?"
Azriel smiled at the impatient priestess.
"I'm not going to tell you about my other abilities until you tell me about yours. He said, and she rolled her eyes at him.
"Really?" She asked, annoyance written all over her face.
"Really," Azriel said, taking another sip of tea.
"Fine," Gwyn said, "I should probably get back to Nes and Em anyway."
He didn't want her to leave so he asked before she got up, "why was Emrie trying to punch you earlier?"
"Well," Gwyn drew out the word, "Em was getting annoyed because I would always tease her about Mor and they have been hanging out and stuff, and I think she likes her so that's why it was such a touchy subject. But we worked it all out, and she doesn't want to punch me anymore." Gwyn said with a smile.
Azriel took a breath but felt like it went nowhere.
Well, that was not what he was expecting, like not at all.
He kept staring at nothing for a few minutes or a few hours he didn't know.
"Azriel?" Gwyn asked "are you ok?"
She used his name, she never says his name.
He nodded, still trying to process.
"So Emrie and Mor are dating?" He asked, feeling surprised by how steady his voice was.
"No," Gwyn said with a snort "but Em kinda likes her—"
Gwyn cut herself off "o, cauldron this is why I have no friends I can not keep a secret for my life."
He looked up at her into her teal eyes, it helped clear his head.
He focused on the color of them and how they sparkled in the moonlight.
"I should get back before I spill any more secrets," Gwyn said smiling.
And added "don't tell anyone what I told you."
He nodded too deep in thought to make a snarky comment.
She got up and said "night shadowsinger."
And he again nodded his brain to full to say anything back.