upontheplains | 18th Katti: [Action]

[Lyn has been trying for over a year now to actually get enough strength from Kipinn to fly. The most she's ever been able to do, however, is hover an inch off the ground.

So today she's trying a new tactic. Her wings spread wide, or as wide as the tiny Filial wings can get, she forces the wind into them directly, giving herself something to push off of as she begins to flap.

With this wind combined with the air pooling around her feet, pushing up against her, she begins to rise... one inch, then two, until at last she's a foot off the ground. She beams widely, ready to celebrate her triumph over gravity...

When the wind abruptly rips a few feathers from her wings. This is incredibly painful, and she gasps in pain before losing control of the wind, which dissipates. She falls to the earth, landing in a heap. A foot isn't that far to fall, but the way she dropped was twisted enough to give her a nasty gouge on one of her arms and a scraped hand and knee.

She lies on the ground for a moment before the shock caused by the pain in her wings wears off, then crawls her way to her feet, wincing.]

Spirits, that hurts... I think I've tried everything now.

... I wonder if there are any healers nearby.

[Grimacing, she starts to make her way back into the village.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

N-n-not as bad? T-then what were you...why were you...I don't...

[Her tone changes from panicked, to panicked and accusatory.]

W-why did you think this was a g-g-good idea?

[When Florina's getting mad at you, you know you've done something wrong. She winces, and looks down at the ground, a little guilty.]

I... I've actually been trying to do this for about a year now.

[Well, that catches her off-guard. She had assumed this was a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing.]

I, um, I don't...but...But t-the filial wings? You've been t-trying to fly for a, a whole year?...

[She just stares dumbly at Lyn as she tries to comprehend all of this.]

I never really brought it up, but... yes. I made a pact with Kipinn partly for that purpose, actually.

But...but...I...It'll never work! Filial wings are m-much too small to get the, um, the proper lift. Even if you got into the air, you'd, you'd strain them before you got a few feet above t-the ground! I-if you want to fly, y-you're going to have to make something that's, um, well, a-at least as wide as you are tall on both sides...

[She pauses, still looking down and chastised for a moment, as something abruptly occurs to her... she's been going about this wrong the entire time.

She raises her head again and gives Florina a curious look.]

What else would I need?

[Florina picks at the basket handle absently while she thinks for a moment.]

W-well, it would have to be light, but sturdy. It, um, it needs to be able to adjust to the winds, so there n-need to be flaps or flexible m-material that can handle any s-sort of updraft. You need to make sure that it, um, it tapers at the edges so the wind won't just snap it and twist it...plus it would need a hollow frame that can s-support it, erm, like, well, like a wing, so it's not adding that much weight to your body...

[Lyn keeps walking as she listens to Florina talk, but she partly wishes she could right all this down. It's all so fascinating, and she can't believe she didn't think to ask Florina for advice earlier.]

I see... so some sort of light but strong wood, perhaps, covered by cloth?

Y-yes, that would probably work, erm, p-p-provided the cloth is thick and will resist the wind. A thinner cloth will let too much air t-through, and then t-the force of the wind will p-probably tear through it. It,um, n-needs to be sleek, too. Y-you need to make sure the wind can go over it, and, um, and under it without stopping. I-if it gets stopped, the pressure will build up in that spot, a-and that's dangerous. Anything that's n-not, uh, smooth risks snapping or ripping at higher speeds, o-or altitudes.

That's... a lot to remember. How do you keep track of it all?

Ah! Well, actually, just..y-years of training. I-it's not really that m-much to handle when you study it often...

B-but you need to know all of that if you want to be a pegasus knight...If your pegasus, um, g-gets an injured wing and, er, you don't know how wings work, y-you can't help her.

[The mental image of Florina's pegasus with an injured wing, Florina standing right next to her but utterly unable to help in any way, abruptly appears in Lyn's head. She shudders.]

I see what you mean...

It's really...

[She stops dead and stares at Lyn in confusion.]

Wait. Why d-do you, um, want to know all this? Y-you aren't thinking about building something, a-are you?

Well, you already explained that I couldn't possibly do it with the filial wings. So I guess I have to if I want to get off the ground.

Well, I...Y-you probably s-shouldn't. Just...

[She twitches a little. No hovering, don't fuss...must resist urge to suggest a safer idea. With a sigh, she puts on the closest thing she has to a determined face.]

I-if you're going to do it, l-let me help you.

[She's surprised by that offer, and gives Florina a surprised glance, but it quickly turns into a warm smile.]

Of course I will... thank you, Florina.

A-and don't use any, er, m-materials that aren't sturdy! I just, you...

[She pauses for a moment and tries to get her nervousness under control. Her determined face looks a little more legitimate. In fact, she almost looks a little excited. Cautiously excited, but excited nonetheless.]

When do you want t-to try this? We're going to need a lot of, um, different things. I-if you think you can, um, get the magic right, t-then you should probably start gathering whatever you n-need.

I won't. I'll take risks, but I'm not suicidal.

[Florina actually looking excited about this, however cautiously, gives Lyn a great deal of heart.]

Soon, before summer ends... But after these injuries are completely healed, especially the ones to my wings. I have to draw some sort of line as to how far I'm willing to go.

18th Katti: [Action]

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