TinkerToy Mage

34

.^^ Duncan ^^

— Fa Shiro —

The bay of the flyer slowly opened, allowing me to walk the princess down towards the front door of the modestly sized home at the top of the cliff.

"Say what you want about the house, they have a King's View..." she murmured, gazing out over the city.

I nodded. "That's true. And they're very militaristic people, when it comes to decoration and building styles, but I hear good things about their music."

She smiled, gently knocking on the door. "I hope they're true... there's nothing I love more than good music or a beautiful blade."

The door opened, revealing the same giant of a man, Knight-Captain Roland. He grinned, and bowed his head respectfully, then whistled sharply in the direction of the stables.

I noticed a smaller building, on the very edge of the cliff, and hummed, as Duncan came out of it, wiping chalk dust off his hands. "Oh! Hello, Princess! And Shiro, yes?" He held out a hand to me.

"How'd you tell?" I asked, shaking it and then looking at the chalk on my hand morosely.

"Sorry, chalk. And it's your hair. Yours has bits of red in the roots. Did you dye it at one point?" He asked curiously.

"It was a phase when I was younger." I shrugged.

He nodded, and held out his arm to the princess. "Right This Way, then, I've got something cool for you to see."

She smiled and gripped his elbow. "Do tell!"

"See, you said you liked music, last time we spoke, Yeah? Particularly Western Flutes?" He asked, leading her towards the small shed.

I hummed, narrowing my eyes, but relaxed at the simple interior, filled with masonry tools, and a portion of the ground was covered in slanted holes of different shapes.

She responded. "Indeed, Yes, and?"

"Well, I like Chalk Art, so I figured I'd hit two birds with one stone! Watch this, and cover your nose with this." He handed her a silk handkerchief, and covered the lower half of his face with a bandanna, handing me one as well.

I raised an eyebrow, just as a soft series of precise flute notes flowed out of the holes, playing a tune, and then jettisoning chalk powder onto the wet canvas, finally choking the room with dust. I covered my mouth and nose quickly, and then blinked in shock at the beautiful mixture of colors on the canvas as the dust began to settle quickly.

The princess gasped, as soon as I nudged her and told her she should open her eyes. "How did you do that? Do you have Wind magic?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Nope. Just good timing. See, that wind was the Northeasterly, which hits that specific part of the mountain every five minutes. So, I carved some tunnels down to the spot, then I made molds, so I can change the shapes as often as I want, and I just put the chalk in there, and then wait for the magic to happen on its own! And it's beautiful, either way, the sound or the colors."

She grinned. "That is masterfully Done... but speaking of colors..." she looked down at her ruined dress and hair.

He blinked. "Oh! Oh, right, uhhhhhhh, OH! Wait, I've got it somewhere... aha!" He poured some glowing water on his hand, and suddenly all the chalk turned to mist, leaving his skin steamed perfectly, his hair shiny and slicked back, and even his clothes in proper order. He offered the canteen to us, and I took it, testing it warily.

The chalk all went away, and I hummed, pouring some in her cupped hands. The chalk turned to mist, and Her hair righted itself immediately, something her famous platinum spikes hadn't managed, to my surprise. Her makeup also disappeared, to her surprise.