"A good influence?" Balthazar repeated when Yeva said she hoped she would still be considered one despite her theft.
"Of course you are. Though maybe don't tell the children you stole someone's drink at a bar. I think it makes you interesting but some- not me- might call that a bad influence." Balthazar said with a small laugh. He noticed the chill seem to settle over Yeva and couldn't help but a think a few bits from now it would pass. All the same there was an impulse to help. Balthazar, likely the warmest person in Scalvoris (some could argue he could be described as the hottest human), thought about stepping a little closer to Yeva. He always felt warmed drunk and he was normally pretty warm to begin with... so when he was drunk he must have been like a bonfire? At least that was what he thought. Fortunately Yeva stepped closer to him after playing with a little fire and so Balthazar didn't have to make a decision.
He kept working at the rock in his hands while he listened to Yeva.
On an orchard? That must have been nice. He wondered what types of things grew in her orchard... but she'd moved to the city at a young enough age apparently that Balthazar wasn't sure if she would remember. By Yeva's account, she hadn't been traveling long. He was going to ask another question, something about Ahart, but he felt Yeva moving towards his hands and it distracted him for the trill before she asked if she could see what he was doing.
"Sharpening a rock." Balthazar said as he offered it to her.
Balthazar couldn't help but grin at the expression on Yeva's face as she began looking over the sharpened rock. Then she took his hand to examine it and the smallest breath escaped the amused mage when Yeva reacted to the shock. He was thinking thoughts he ought not to be thinking now and tried to shake them from his head but it made him wobble.
"Did you think I'd have stone fingers?" Balthazar asked Yeva once she was done looking at his hand.
"It's alright, I was worried that might be a mutation as well."
Where was he from? Balthazar always thought that question was harder to answer than it was... but he tried his best. He couldn't help but want to share after the number of drinks he'd had, but he tried not to share too much.
"I was born a little south of Yaralon." In a hut where rioting villagers killed my mother and father. "My mother and father lived dangerous lives. When they were gone, I moved a little north to work with a farmer and his family." Well they took me from my crib and raised me until they could use me as a farmhand. "Then one night someone- not me- left a candle out and the farm burned down so we all moved to the city. I met a Defiance mage named Xanax and became his apprentice." And Isabella, who I had a romantic relationship with before she killed my master. "I spent a few arcs in that city and was initiated into two different magics." It totally sucked both times. The first time I was buried alive and the second time I found out what really happened to my parents. "Eventually my master was betrayed by someone he trusted," Me. "and he died. So I moved to Yaralon. Lived there for a few arcs... good arcs... but eventually I had to move on. I stopped in Viden and eventually made my way here." Where I found the woman I was looking for and we agreed not to kill each other.
"Alright, time for a little magic." Balthazar clapped his hands, finally ready to show Yeva the magic trick. Her little shadow bunny was adorable but he couldn't watch her play with her shadow all night.
"I learned this ability earlier today when I was sparring at the Proving Grounds. You may not want to watch this next part, but don't worry, everything is under control." Balthazar explained to Yeva as he took the sharp rock firmly into one hand. He turned his body just a little bit away from Yeva so she wouldn't have to see what he did next. A cut wouldn't do. His hand would heal the cut before he could really do the trick.
"You said you've read a lot of books, so I'll try not to disappoint." It happened in a swift motion. He brought the sharp rock up, and then drove it down through his palm. Balthazar's eyes widened and he let out a noise similar to a squeak as he tried to keep from revealing how much pain he was in. He quickly pulled the rock out and applied pressure to his hand. The wound was too large for his mutation to burn shut quickly, just what he had wanted... but it didn't feel great.
"Don't worry, I'm a Yari, we get stabbed all the time." Balthazar tried to keep Yeva comfortable while he struggled with his bleeding hand.
Balthazar let the rock drop to the floor and tried to make sure he didn't get any blood on his shirt. He turned only enough so that Yeva could see his hand had been truly wounded and then he reached out towards the torch beside them with no caution. The flames wrapped around his hand, dancing down his wrist but no further as his bleeding hand began to shimmer. Balthazar took a deep breath in through his nose and then out through his mouth, trying to calm his mind and ignore the pain enough to coax his spark into the right action.
Help me. He urged the fire with his mind and soul. His skin seemed to blacken beneath the flames at first but Balthazar didn't seem to be in pain... in fact he seemed relieved.
The blackened skin seemed to burst and in a trill Balthazar's hand had become one with the flames encircling it. The fire dancing around his wrist seemed to rush forth into the gap in the flaming hand where Balthazar had stabbed himself. Balthazar took another breath, still trying to focus on his magic but distracted by wanting to see Yeva's reaction. Another trill passed and the fire seemed to turn back to the torch and away from Balthazar, leaving only the hand of fire. Then, slowly, those flames began to fade as well, revealing Balthazar's now undamaged hand.
"Ta-da! Healing with fire."
