Heartstone

How about a nice, toasty - fireball?

With each determined step she took towards him, her leg became momentarily visible when it slipped through the slit of her dress. Her eyes glinted like hard gems in the candlelight. With a thought, she could rain destruction. She was beauty and danger rolled into one.

The first tendrils of intimacy that had been developing between them crumbled. Though she was obviously upset, Arwin couldn't help but feel there was something important behind it in her eyes. Confusion? Betrayal? But why?

He raised his hands to ward her off. "Please, I was being honest. I really am impressed by you."

"Don't play dumb with me. You've never even seen magic before. You'd be impressed by a chicken laying green eggs."

"Well, they would probably go well with green ham."

"You dare mock me!" She was almost upon him.

"No!" He jumped up out of the chair and moved to put it between them. "It was a joke. Let's just calm down."

"I started to let my guard down." She shook her head. "Idiot. I was so stupid, thinking you might be different just because you're from somewhere else. Because maybe you'd never have heard of me and wouldn't treat me the way everyone else in Heartstone does. But you're not different, are you? You're not interested in finding out about me; you just want to run, scared. Just another liar, pretending to be kind. Trying to fool me so you can loot my home. Just someone else I can't trust."

"What are you talking about? Where is this even coming from?" He half-heartedly laughed. She did not take that well.

"Oh, you want to laugh? Laugh at this!" She pointed.

Arwin wisely ducked behind the chair. Said chair burst into purple flames. He fled towards the other end of the table, keeping it between them as if it afforded some measure of protection. "Please, don't do this."

"Do what? This?" She pointed.

Arwin felt a burning pain in his backside and jumped. He looked over his shoulder. A tongue of flame had snaked out of the fireplace and lashed out at him. He danced away, rubbing his smoking backside.

She smirked. "Well, aren't you a real hottie."

He did a double-take. Did she just make a pun? He shook himself. This was no time to find her even more attractive. He dashed behind her chair and put it between them. "Why are you so upset? I was just trying to compliment you. I meant what I said. We were having such a lovely dinner. Let's just sit back down. Please. I don't want to fight. I enjoy your company. I'd like to find out more about you. Really. Is there a dessert?"

She gave him a thin smile. "Why yes, if you'd like. How about a nice, toasty — fireball?" She cast her hand out, and a ball of fire shot toward him.

Arwin yelped and dove to the side. The fireball exploded on the chair. Now both pieces of furniture were on fire.

The Dark Enchantress tsked. "Now look what you've made me do. Do you have any idea how old this dining set is? How irreplaceable?" She concentrated. A pair of wet, swirling vortexes appeared over each chair and extinguished the flames.

Arwin made use of her distraction. He got to his feet and sprinted for the nearest doorway. He made it about five meters before an unnatural gust of wind bowled him over and sent him sprawling to the ground.

She coyly taunted him, "Where are you going? I thought you wanted dessert."

"Well, the fireball looked delicious. But I was thinking more like ice cream?"

"Oh? You want something cold? Then how about this?"

Something sucked all the moisture from air, quickly drying it out. Then a pile of snow fell out of the air above Arwin's head and buried him.