Magic

Magic

"Check it out, Tiny!" said Skrie when her half-orc partner in crime entered their hovel.

The diminutive halfling spoke the arcane word the sisters had drilled into her, and the door Tiny had left open behind him slammed shut with a bang. Her friend jumped.

"I can do magic!" she said with glee. Another arcane word and the candle flared, one more and a low rumble of thunder rolled across the room.

"Yer makin' me nervous," said her friend, eyes darting around the room, all the while ducking his head.

The candle calmed to normal, and the noise faded, all the while Skrie stood grinning at him like the carnival fool.

"I would'a showed you sooner, but I hadn't perfected it yet," she said. "I needed to make sure I got it right every time before I showed ya. I didn't want to hurt you."

His eyes shined at her words, and again, the affection she felt for this big oaf welled up in her chest. Tiny had been her father, mother, brother, and closest confidant since he'd plucked her off the street all those years ago.

"It'll come in handy on our jobs," Skrie continued. "I can make diversions if we get trapped."

Tiny nodded slowly. She knew he had to think it through before he'd be able to accept her new abilities. Like most half-orcs she'd met, they hated magic. Skrie was convinced that it was because they were afraid of it--with good reason, mind you.

"I promise I'll only use it if we need it," she said to soothe his suspicions. "I'm learning another that can save your life if you get hurt too bad, so it ain't all bad," she finished with a grin.

Tiny wrapped her in a hug, "fer us, then," he said.