That Magnificent Man and his Flying Machine

[[God] - Gale Windess]

Gale's eyes were sharp. They had to be. Anything in the winds can intercept, and anything could happen with open air about. She noticed Cayde's gesture and let the plane glide out as if he was actually landing the craft. The goddess followed the craft, floating just above the ground before she was more or less at a complete stop.

"Thank you! I hope that I'm good enough with wind magic to help you get you and your craft home safely, otherwise there would be quite a bit of trouble." Gale would simply smile to Cayde while quietly adding into her mind,'After all, I'm the Queen of Winds.'

She only seemed surprised when the boy suddenly hugged her, which turned her smile into a warm, but awkward one. "I'm afraid I'm better with magic than trying to use contraptions for transport. It's not really my style, you know? But I do appreciate the offer." Gale's attention swapped to the bird immediately, letting out a whistle that sounded more like bird song than an actual whistle to call the bird over. Regardless on if Ava had glided over to her or not, Gale would redirect her attention back to Cayde. "Tea would be lovely.", she answered simply after the boy's bubbly babbling.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "You're definitely really skilled with your magic! You must have trained for a long time to do stuff like that, I mean, lifting a plane can't be an easy thing." Cayde paused and tapped his chin. "Well, though I do s'pose that because it's an aerodynamic frame, it could be a bit easier as long as you have the ability to push enough lift under its wings. It's just directing it forwards that would be the part you'd need to practice I assume."

    Ava would hop up and flutter over, stopping to land on Cayde's head, before launching off and flying over to Gale. The falcon seemed to happily perch upon the goddess's shoulder. As the young pilot readjusted his flying hat, Ava would squawk at him, causing the blond to perk up.

    "Oh! Right! the tea! Hahah, yeah, let me go whip some up right now." If Ava were a human, she would have sighed, one could tell just by looking in the bird's eyes. Cayde would cheerfully bound into the home, bubbling and brewing with excitement. The first time he'd ever had a real guest! This was truly a great day for him. As the sounds of pots clattering around within reached the outdoors, his voice would call out. "Make yourself as comfortable as you'd like." 

    The boy's head would poke out from the doorway. "If you'd like to come inside, feel free. There's chairs and a couch and all that stuff you can sit down on. If you'd prefer outside, though, don't be afraid to hang out on the porch." 

    The porch was well tended to, with a few potted plants here and there. A wooden bench was set beside the door, positioned under the dining room window. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it fit the quaint, homey feeling Cayde's house gave off. 

    Regardless of what Gale chose, the young pilot would soon return to her with two cups, offering her one with a warm smile. "Would you like anything? Sugar, honey, milk? I just drink mine plain but my young sister loves dumping a lot of sugar into hers, and I've heard people putting things like cream or cinnamon in theirs so I obviously gotta ask. It's not everyday I get to make tea for anyone besides myself. Actually, to be fair, I usually make myself a cup of coffee. Or hot cocoa. Mostly hot cocoa."

    If he were being honest, this was the first time he made tea for anyone besides himself since his mother's last visit. And that was some time ago. Plus, that was family. If the young man excluded family then this was the first time he'd made tea for anyone else period. He... hoped he did well. 

[[God] - Gale Windess]

A long time... Well, he wasn't entirely wrong. Because of Gale's position and her creation, she's been attuned to the element all her life to where it was intrinsic but she also needed to learn control of it and that lead into eons of discovery. But, Cayde didn't need to know that. Instead, she kept her appearance as a laid back and kind looking lady, softly scritching the bird on her breast while she was perched on the goddess' shoulder.

Gale looked around, each step a turn to look at the home and a little smile to herself. What a charming little home. She looked at the plants for a bit before stepping in the home and looking around. "A lovely place you have here. It's small but charming and lively.", she said while still browsing. "Hmmm... A little bit of milk please." Gale settled down at a seat that was next to a table, holding her hand up to Ava to hold the bird and look over her features a little bit better. "If I may ask, did anything happen to your family?", Gale asked him. His home was vacant from people outside of him and this bird. Are they still around?

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Ava enjoyed the attention she was getting from Gale, and when offered, the falcon would gladly hop onto the goddess's finger. She was of the Peregrine breed, and as such, was a bit larger than her male counterparts. Obviously, that meant she couldn't sit on just Gale's finger, and had to perch a bit more comfortably on her full hand. Despite this, Ava showed great care with her talons as not to potentially hurt the goddess.

    The falcon would puff her chest out a bit, poofing her feathers ever so slightly, as though attempting to make herself look bigger and better. Admittedly, she was a bit of a showoff. But with how much attention she was used to getting, it was only inevitable that such a spoiled bird would become a bit more full of herself. 

    Cayde would smile at Ava, happy that the bird was enjoying the new company just as much as the pilot was. The young man added a touch of milk to the goddess's tea and slid the cup over to her before sitting down. At the sudden question, however, the boy would show a bit of confusion. As if the idea of anything bad happening to his family was quite a wild assumption. 

    "Hm? No, my family is still around. They just don't live with me anymore." Cayde hummed and took a sip of his tea before continuing. "My parents got a divorce sometime around my seventeenth birthday. My father is a scholar, so he left to go explore the world to collect new knowledge and relics. My mother stayed here for a while until I was eighteen and could live by myself. After that, she essentially gave ownership of the home to me and took my sister to Pillar Steppes so she could invest more in her magic. My mom would come ever week or so to make sure I wasn't dead, and then every other week, and then every month. Now she comes every holiday to celebrate with me, though sometimes she pops in ever so often to surprise me." 

    "I still send her letters though! You know, keeping her up to date on my exploits and making sure my little sister isn't getting into too much trouble!" The blond laughed and rubbed his head. "I'm sure she doesn't appreciate her older brother nagging her, but I can't help but worry about how my baby sis is doing. She's always been bad at making friends."

    "What about you, Ms. Windess? Any family?" He sipped his tea quietly as he watched the woman, silently hoping he made the tea right. It would have been a nightmare if he messed it up. First time he gets to make tea for someone in years and he botches it! Cayde hoped he didn't, and Gale liked it. 

[[God] - Gale Windess]

"Ah, apologies. Most young persons I visit tend to be orphans.", Gale said while scritching Ava's breast. "It's good you keep in contact with them though!" Stroking along the bird's wings, Gale seemed to have a pause. Oh gods how would she describe them in the least revealing way possible? "My family's quite extensive. I come from, well I suppose you could call it a lineage of incredibly gifted and strong mages." Should she tell him who she was? She might. Did she care? Well, she didn't want another soul suddenly treating her like actual royalty when she'd not doing official business. While it was nice, she preferred to just be treated like a person too. Avid followers seem to forget that some gods want to be able to have a casual conversation without it being treated like a blessing or fate that a god so much as looked at them.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Aw, that's a little sad. I can't imagine growing up without my parents. It's thanks to my father that I'm even chasing my dream. You don't have to worry too much about me in that regard, though. I'm quite thankful to have had as good of a life as I've had." Ava let out a happy trill as Gale continued to give her attention. This was the good stuff. Cayde laughed a bit. "Jeez, look at you Ava. You're always hungry for attention, aren't you?" 

    Ava would poof up her feathers and glare at Cayde for a moment, before returning to leaning into Gale's scritches. Cayde let out another laugh. "My father found her when she was just a little hatchling. Apparently she fell out of the nest. My mother thought he shouldn't have brought her back, and my sister just expected her to pass away anyways. But I was determined to nurse her back to health."

    "I studied up a lot of my father's books on birds to make sure I didn't fail, and low and behold all my had work paid off." The young pilot beamed with pride. "We've been inseparable ever since."

    Ava squawked in response, giving her own sound of agreement. 

    "Of course, my sister wasn't too thrilled about Ava taking up permanent residence with us because of how vocal she is, but I think Ava probably thinks the same about my sister." The blond would cover his mouth slightly to stifle a bit of laughter. He loved his family, he really did, but as the elder brother he couldn't pass up a chance to make a few joking jabs at his sibling. 

    It was legally required. Honest.

    "So you come from a big family, huh? That must be really nice! There must not have been many dull moments growing up! We should trade stories about our respective siblings at some point. I have so many, honestly. Especially from when my sister started learning wind magic! Oh boy, one time she accidentally blew herself up on the roof and none of us could figure out how she did it. My Father and I had to make a ladder just to get up there to bring her down. Good thing we kept it too, cus the very next week she did it again!" Cayde slapped his knee as he laughed heartily. It was a bright, wholesome sound. 

    He would continue to laugh for a bit as he remembered the story himself. His sister had looked so clueless and confused while sitting up there on the roof. It would have been adorable if they weren't all panicking about her potentially falling off and hurting herself. Looking back it was something they teased her about occasionally when she got too full of herself. When the boy called down, he would let out a hefty sigh as he dried some tears from his eyes.

    "Ah, oh boy. Heh, man, just thinking back to her clueless expression is just honestly so funny to me. She's off at some fancy magic academy right now, trying to improve her skills a whole bunch. She's one of the top students in her class, and I'm really quite proud of her. Her dream is to be part of the... uh... shoot... what're they called. Storm Chasers? Er... Tornado... Titans...? Windsurfers! Windsurfers was the word I was looking for. Yeah, she would always talk about how she dreamed of fighting alongside Goddess Something-or-other and serving in the Windsurfers." The young man took a sip of his tea before continuing. "I think she could probably do it. As long as she learns how to control her attitude of course."

    "You know, I've always kind of wondered something." Cayde would pause, tapping his chin slightly as he switched gears. "Do you think the gods get lonely? Like, sure, they have each other. But you'd think that them being all immortal and all-powerful and stuff kind of makes it harder for them to get close to people. Wouldn't you say? Obviously, even if it weren't for the life span difference, you'd still have people bowing to them like royalty and all that. I mean, sure, there's probably some who like that but I can't imagine all of them do. You'd think there might be some who just want to have a normal conversation once in a while, right?" 

    Cayde went quiet for a moment, his smile fading. "... I think that's kind of sad."

    Oof, bummer. The blond would quickly perk up as he realized he was kind of bringing the mood down a bit, letting out a bit of awkward laughter. "Sorry, sorry. You probably don't want to talk about sad stuff like that. Besides, I don't even know how you follow your god, or if you even follow one at all. Forget I said anything. Eheh... er, anyways, what's your profession, Ms. Windess?" 

[[God] - Gale Windess]

"It seems you have yourself a familiar!", Gale said. She didn't tamper with soul magic, not her thing. But she's been around enough to know strong bonds linking souls could turn a companion into a familiar. Though, Maisha or Incarnidine would need to be the real judges of that. Ava's plumage puffed up, raising as if she was happy with that thought. How adorable. "Launching herself onto the rooftop at such a young age! I could only imagine how crazy that must be indoors."

Gale would take a sip as she heard the young man ramble, expression changing ever so slightly to shock as he started to talk about the Windsurfers and the gods. She'd put on a smile, trying to hide that this was quickly becoming awkward for her. "I won't deny that calling them Storm Chasers is cooler, but I don't think Lord Fulmen or Lady Rain would like that." Gods do you know how awkward it is to use formal names of gods when you've been informal with them for years? Most don't care for formalities, these two were no exception. It's really the fancier ones that still care.

"Well... It's true that the gods do sometimes get lonely. It's why they're always out and about in the open and mingling with everyone wherever they are." But was that her making an observation or talking from experience? Would Cayde be able to tell the difference? She took a sip of tea, almost like she was just taking a moment before answering Cayde's question. 'Here we go again.' She set the now emptied cup down and closed her eyes for a moment. Even Ava started to act somewhat differently as she was placed down onto the table. The bird stepped back a little as Gale stood up and cleared her throat. She opened her eyes, staring directly at Cayde, an intense aura suddenly around her and a smile on her face. "I am Gale Windess, Daughter of the Arcane Father and Lady of Autumn. I am the wind goddess."

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Oh wow! That's neat. No wonder you're so powerful." Cayde blinked with a bit of surprise, but little else. He didn't seem like he was going to start up and groveling to Gale, or even treating her differently at this rate. The young man simply said "cool" and moved on. After a moment's pause and taking a sip of his tea, the pilot would suddenly laugh. "Oh boy, I just thought of how my sister would react if I ever told her I was friends with the goddess she looks up to. I doubt she'd ever believe me."

    "You know, I did wonder for a moment how you knew so much, but I honestly chalked that up to religious hoo-haw and what not." Cayde would reach out and give Ava's head a gentle scritch before continuing. "I don't see what all the hubbub is about. Sure, you're super strong, but you're no different than any other person. Well, save for the immortality thing. Wait, that's not rude to say is it? I'm sorry if it is." 

    Cayde let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. He doubted Gale would really be offended. The woman didn't seem like the type. Although, to be fair, she did seem hesitant to reveal that information to him in the first place. Could she have had bad experiences in the past? Maybe that's why she hid her identity this whole time?

    If that was so, the boy felt a bit bad. Gale was a very sweet woman, she deserved the chance to make friends just like everyone else. That does it. Cayde's gonna be Gale's friend even if it kills him!
    
    But, that was enough of the sad stuff. Cayde wondered if it was true about Ava being his "familiar," because if so, that would be really cool! He had no idea what that meant but that still sounded super cool!

    Whatever reaction Gale expected, it was likely not the one she actually got. Especially with how quickly the young man switched topics. Her being a goddess took second place to Ava being whatever the hell a Familiar was. But hey, at least she got what she wanted, the boy wasn't on his hands and knees kissing the ground she walked on. The reaction was simply "oh, cool, moving on then."

    Such is life.

[[God] - Gale Windess]

Friends was quite a jump but... It was a good thing, the goddess supposed. Cayde was taking this alarmingly well, but it seemed as though he was essentially godless. Mayhaps the passive wording and use of 'hoo-haw' gave it away. Gale settled down and placed one hand over the other on the table. "We're more than just super strong.", she said simply, though it was more in a tone of as if she was teaching something rather than being uppity about it. "We represent our elements at hand. I am the four winds, all that the breeze sings speaks to me. Actually, my birth was fabricated of raw winds.", she told him with a smile. "Many of the gods are conceived by the womb of the element's domains. Some are created by inheritance of apprenticeship of a god. A champion, if you will. Some champions are fabricated by a god very much in the same way they were conceived, claiming the title of an Avatar. Other gods are born through force, taking over the domain from an old god or a new domain recognizes its master and they are driven into the element's desires."

The goddess leaned back, softly scratching the top of her hand. "While not all of us are related, the Pantheon does see each other as family. Champions and Avatars are also just as close knit usually. Our military forces and following are extended." Though it never appears to be the same case between gods. Some treat others much more formally than familiarly. "You said your sister wanted to be a Windsurfer? What's her reason for joining?" Gale seemed genuinely curious for his sister's reasons.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "You were born from the wind? That's really, really cool! So you must have known about my flights already! Here I was just thinking you stumbled on me by chance. Still, that also means you don't have parents... that's kind of sad, don't you think?" Cayde scratched his chin. "Although... I guess having the other gods as family kinda helps. But wait, I thought there were romances between different gods? Wouldn't that be like... incest?"

    Cayde visibly cringed there. That was the first time his expression actually broke into something more than just "slightly somber" or "genuinely happy and cheerful." It was almost a bit odd to see an expression like that appear on the pilots face.

    The boy had to shake his head to try and get the thoughts out. It probably was better that he didn't think about that kind of stuff. Maybe Gale was just the only goddess to think of the rest of the pantheon as a family. 

    Thankfully, Gale brought up a different topic, and Cayde perked right back up.

    "Oh! My sister's always been proud of her magic. So when she started to learn how to properly master it, she always wanted to try and use it to make the world a better place." he hummed a bit as he recollected his sister's motives. "My father used to tell us stories all the time while growing up. You know, him being a scholar and all, that was kind of his thing. So he would always fill our heads with tales of heroes and different victories. She clung to that. I dunno if it's just that she wants the world to be a better place, or she likes the idea of being called a hero. I can't tell you, she never told me."

    "I remember when I grew up, my father would also tell us legends of floating islands, places where mankind rarely touched. I think those stories resonated more with me than they did with my sister though. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to fly in the first place. Aside from wishing to be up in the clouds, I always dreams of finding one of those islands. Even just seeing one would be a dream come true. I know they probably don't exist though."

    "My sister said pretty much the same thing. I think she prefers her more realistic outlook. Even if she knows she probably can't single-handedly change the world, it probably sounds a lot more reasonable than sky islands." Cayde shrugged. "I believe in her. Even if she thinks my dreams might be foolish, I still want her to succeed." 

[[God] - Gale Windess]

"The winds did tell me of your adventure. Though I've known about previous attempts, this was your longest flight to my understanding. And that alone is quite an achievement.", Gale said. She seemed to stare into the boy as he went on the topic of her family, completely missing where she said Father Arcanus was literally her creator. "The Arcane Father, Arcanus, if by technicalities my father. My mother is the element of wind, but I wasn't conceived in that way most births happen. I'm the first soul bound to the element of wind." She sat up straighter in her seat, hand going up to rub the back of her head as Cayde seemed to hit a concept she knew hit mortals than it did immortals. "While most of the firstborn gods share a creator, our relationships are perceived by our interactions throughout the ages. My relationship with the Fire Lord isn't seen as an incestral relationship, but more an actual. Some gods do see each other as siblings, friends, lovers. But that's to each their own. Our familiar bonds are not quite the same as yours.", she'd tell him, hoping that would clear something up.

When Cayde swapped topics, Gale would listen. To make a world a better place? Now what would the definition of that be? Of course, it's likely earnest. But there have been so many staking the same claim that would act on a much more selfish variant of the phrase that Gale had held suspicions whenever she heard anyone say that. Even the most righteous weren't the most earnest when it came to the grand scheme of things. But it wasn't like Cayde would catch onto Gale's thought process. She kept that pretty well hidden. To Cayde, it would simply seem as though the goddess was just enjoying herself and listening to the boy chatter on.

At the mention of something in particular, Gale seemed genuinely surprised. "Floating islands?" Very few mortals would enter a region like that. Of course, there were floating islands here too, but if they were nothing more than floating islands with vast forms of life... Gale knew exactly where that was. "I can only assume he means the floating islands near the seas.", she said, doubting that his father meant the floating islands.

The ones that can be found on the mortal plane were magnificent, but they aren't able to support life. Bound together by an extensive vine network, these islands are rooted to a cliffside high on up where they touch the clouds. But the other islands... Some were connected to one another with vines or root systems ages old and lined with raw magic. Most islands were disconnected, floating freely and surrounded by a storm of gusts that would shred almost anything that touched it. These islands were massive, the largest with a few extra islands connected into large biomes while smaller ones were clustered with magic networks. These islands were special. These islands were within the domain of wind's raw dimension.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "No, no! He meant actual floating islands! like in the sky! Not like those rocks or whatever. Here, here, here! I have a painting he gave to me before he left!" Cayde excitedly hopped up and ran up the stairs, stumbling near the top to no one's surprise. Ava would make a trilling noise as she watched the boy go. When she looked back to Gale, her head would cock to the side. 

    Of course, the falcon would perk back up as the boy came stumbling back down the stairs, a big old painting in tow. Cayde seemed positively giddy, like an excited child on Christmas morning. He was practically bouncing and bubbling as he put the painting on the table. The way his eyes shone, it was obviously one of his most important possessions. The painting showed grand islands floating in the sky, brimming with life among the clouds. A few had old structures, and the one in the forefront even bore a waterfall, the water flowing down a mountain and a few streams coming off the side of the island itself. A few flying creatures were dotted about in the air above and around them.

    "My father told me stories of how there used to be islands floating in the skies above, brimming with different creatures and forests. He said that there were legends who spoke of brave and mighty adventurers who braved the journey and found ways to climb upon them. Balloons, wind magic, sky ships!" Cayde actually started bouncing as he turned the painting back towards himself. "I always dreamed of finding one myself!" 

    "What creatures would be there? What kind of people would live on them? What kind of fruits would grow on the trees? Would it be warm? Cold? What would it be like to have the clouds be like a rolling ocean around the shores?" The blond danced and jumped around excitedly. He could picture it now. Flying through the clouds, breaking free of them and cresting over near the shores of a grand land in the sky. The sun shining bright and warm, wind cool. The rustling trees, the bubbling rivers. And the view! Looking down from the side of the island onto the world below. How tiny it would all appear! 

    Cayde stopped jumping and looked upon the painting wistfully. With a sigh, he turned and hung it up on the wall nearby, so they might be able to look upon it as the boy sat back down. Ava would break away and flutter over to the boy, landing upon his shoulder. The young pilot meanwhile would continue to gaze towards the picture, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. 

    "Now that I'm older, I know that the stories are just that. Stories. Legends and myths, nothing that was really ever real to begin with. The only ones that are around are just hunks of rock, nothing big or grand like the tales my dad told. But it's still a nice thought. " Cayde's lips parted as he let out a soft breath. "Heh... who knows... maybe one day I'll be lucky enough." 

    One day...

    Now that he was an adult, he knew that it was just some fictional bed time story his father told to help him sleep. Even with all the magic in the world, a floating island the size of the ones in the painting would be practically impossible. And even if it was, there was no way they would be as beautiful or grand. 

    They'd likely be barren and dead. Just hunks of cold, lifeless rock. 

    Nothing as magnificent. Nothing as special. A soft smile graced the boy's features before he spoke again. "I know that it's just a childish fantasy. But at least I can use that to make something real. You know?"

[[God] - Gale Windess]

If it wasn't the floating islands in mountain ranges and cliffsides... Oh. His father must have been one of the few who managed to survive entry into her domain. "Oh, those islands." Gale lightly scratched her chin. "Well you see... With those islands... It's not easy to get there. In fact, most people enter there on accident or dead." Actually, that was the case for everyone that's gone there that wasn't Gale or her champion. Even then, it her champions almost never go there. Brave and mighty might have spun that tale a bit far.

The winds that guard the boundaries of that realm shred almost everything they touch. With what Cayde had now, it would be pure shrapnel and its pilot a visceral storm of blood. "There aren't really people that live there though. It's not habitable for mortal life.", she said, trying to put it in the most polite way possible. Visitations? If you're lucky. Living there? People are sent out as quickly as they come in by the winds. At least the boy's enthusiasm was something to put a smile on the Goddess' face. The smile vanished as Gale seemed shocked that he was repressing something like that though. It was almost sad. "With a bit of magic, almost anything can be real." Gale couldn't deny that place didn't exist. She actually confirmed it was real. Or at least, she hinted to it.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Cayde blinked and listened to Gale speak. Slowly, bit by bit as realization started to sink in, Cayde's eyes would start to shimmer more and more. Excitement and hope bubbled inside him, visibly showing in his gaze and his expression. The islands were real! They weren't just some childish fantasy! 

    And then just as quickly as hope had been placed within him, it was dashed away. 

    "Ah. I see." His smile very slowly dropped as his body sank with a silent resignation. Ava would look at him with a slight bit of curiosity and worry. She had never seen Cayde like  this... ever... and it confused her. "Magic... huh...?"

    It felt like there was a lump forming in Cayde's throat. His mind felt... a lot more muddled than usual and he couldn't put his finger on it. It was like his heart was being squeezed. Was this what real sadness felt like? The pilot had obviously felt sad sometimes, he was human after all, but comparing what he'd experienced before to what he was experiencing now. It felt different. A lot more... strong.

    "Heh. I knew it was a stupid dream." A sad smile formed. His eyes still shimmered, but not with the same cheer. At least when he didn't know, he had this simple hope, a strong urging for adventure just to see what he could find. But now that he knew they were real and that he would never, ever be able to lay his eyes upon them... it... it felt like a punch to his gut. 

    The painting, the stories, these were things he had dreamed about for so long. Wishing. Hoping that he'd one day maybe be able to lay his eyes upon them. But because he had the misfortune of being unable to learn magic, he wouldn't even get a shot at that chance. The boy sighed and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, quickly sitting back up. 

    "It's probably for the best... at least I can focus on more productive dreams. Instead of just some childish fantasy." Cayde was trying to put on a happy smile again, look on the bright side. He could still fly. He could still do so many things. Go so many places. The islands weren't even the primary goal, it was just the chance to fly around in something of his own creation. So... why did he still feel like he wanted to cry?

[[God] - Gale Windess]

'Father Arcanus, grant me strength.', she thought to herself. The poor boy looked like his dreams got shot down despite her trying to keep them up. But was it really that unexpected? It shouldn't be considering the magic around. Even those who lived here without magical ability themselves understood that this world was made and ruled with essences of raw magic. Well... Most did. Those who didn't strayed off, collecting into a spot of the world and effectively killing it of magic on their emptiness. "It's not a childish fantasy, Cayde. I cannot promise anything. But if you do find your way there, I'm hoping by the cardinal winds that you make it there safely along with your vehicle." Her gaze looked down at her cup, turning it to observe details. Even if it was a plain cup without anything to decorate it, she seemed to focus on a shine at the lip. This was suddenly more uncomfortable than it ever had been and Gale didn't feel right that he seemed to be so dashed over magic so suddenly.