What had started as just a stroll through the forest had suddenly turned in to something quite different. Before she knew it, a young kid had slapped her hard on the back and shouted tag, starting off a bizarre turn of events. Now, she was dashing after the little sprites, being given a piggy back by Blaziken, her chicken type spirit. The kids absolutely loved him and were screaming and laughing like made, which brought a smile to Leliana's face. This was just what she had needed, a simple diversion and one that she was going to take advantage of. It was not all that easy to catch the kids though, as even with Blaziken's powerful jumping abilities, they were awfully agile and kept dodging as she leaned down to tag them back. They just kept managing to avoid her at the last second, driving her absolutely nuts. It was all in good fun though and she was enjoying herself quite a lot. The forest was a becoming a beacon for the other kids in the area too and soon there were at least twice as many joining in, much to the bemusement of the mage. What had she got herself in to here?
The game lasted for about an hour all together and Leliana did end up managing to catch them all. As a treat, she then brought out a few of her other spirits to show the kids and their eyes lit up at the sight of them. Her spirits always got that reaction from kids and it was one of the few things that could bring a smile to Leliana'a face, no matter what mood she was in. She spent the whole day with them in the forest and although it wore her out, she did not mind all that much and soon lost track of time. It was only when the sun started setting that the voices of parents could be heard and the kids started to wander off home, eventually leaving the mage on her own. It had not been a job in the traditional sense but she took as much much satisfaction from it as she would if it had been. She had made a few young friends and the mage hoped that they would do well. Perhaps one of them would end up growing up to be a mage too. A thought that made her smile. Content, she then leaned up against a large tree to watch the sun set and eventually fell asleep, feeling at peace for the first time in a while and hoping that it would stay that way for a time. Her last waking thought was of the smiles that were plastered over the faces of the kids and that was the reason why she truly wanted to become stronger. She was not interested in becoming all powerful for the sake of it or for a feeling of superiority. No, it was simply so that she could use that power to help those in need and to make others happy. It was no more complicated than that.
(519 Words)
The game lasted for about an hour all together and Leliana did end up managing to catch them all. As a treat, she then brought out a few of her other spirits to show the kids and their eyes lit up at the sight of them. Her spirits always got that reaction from kids and it was one of the few things that could bring a smile to Leliana'a face, no matter what mood she was in. She spent the whole day with them in the forest and although it wore her out, she did not mind all that much and soon lost track of time. It was only when the sun started setting that the voices of parents could be heard and the kids started to wander off home, eventually leaving the mage on her own. It had not been a job in the traditional sense but she took as much much satisfaction from it as she would if it had been. She had made a few young friends and the mage hoped that they would do well. Perhaps one of them would end up growing up to be a mage too. A thought that made her smile. Content, she then leaned up against a large tree to watch the sun set and eventually fell asleep, feeling at peace for the first time in a while and hoping that it would stay that way for a time. Her last waking thought was of the smiles that were plastered over the faces of the kids and that was the reason why she truly wanted to become stronger. She was not interested in becoming all powerful for the sake of it or for a feeling of superiority. No, it was simply so that she could use that power to help those in need and to make others happy. It was no more complicated than that.
(519 Words)
