i know places [aidan]

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Early April 2028
Cusco, Peru

Autumn descended upon purple mountains of the Andes, which stretched as far as Brígh could see. It only made sense, as the second longest mountain range in the world. She'd never spent much time in this part of the world, and when Rhys had reluctantly written to inform her that he was to bring her on his next assignment to explore some of the ruins connected to the ancient Incan empire, she'd been quick to accept. It was the main reason Brígh had decided to become a curse breaker in the first place - not for the gold, but for the promise of adventure. Once she was fully qualified in a few months, Brígh would hardly have time to stop over at home. She knew her relationships would change, with Addy, with Cheese... but she couldn't bring herself to worry. This had been calling her for longer than she'd known anyone.

There was a pang in her chest when she considered how infrequently she'd be able to see Aidan when things kicked off properly. At the moment, they barely saw each other a few times a month, despite their proximity. Schoolwork had devoured any semblance of a social life Brígh'd once had, and Aidan was also busy preparing to complete his veterinarian studies. It was hard to imagine that they'd been together for years now - sometimes it felt like just days, others like centuries. One of the best parts of their relationship was the spontaneity with which they both regarded life. So when Brígh had spoken to Aidan the day before last through their magical mirrors, she was delighted but unsurprised when he accepted her invitation to join him in Peru.

The portkeys had been arranged (thank goodness for being magical!), the tents pitched and now, all there was left to do was wait for his arrival. Brígh had told Rhys that she'd invited her boyfriend along, but he wouldn't disrupt their assignment. She'd gotten a grunt in return. She would never understand that man - maybe Aidan would have better luck with him than she ever had. Brígh knew that Rhys had a grudging respect for her mettle, but beyond that, it was hard to get a kind word out of him. Or more than 5 words at a time, really.

Moisture hung in the air as Brígh stood outside the magical tent she'd brought to share with Aidan. The actual cursebreaking assignment wouldn't begin for a few days, but she was keen to get a feel for the area, and she knew that Aidan would be excited about the local wildlife. A grin spread across her lips as she considered this, and excitement bubbled in her chest. A light breeze ruffled her brilliant red hair, which glinted in the freshly risen sunlight. She inhaled deeply, appreciating the natural beauty around her and the fresh air that filled her.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Early April 2028

Aidan felt a little weak in the knees. Sure, it wasn’t a totally new feeling. He remembered that same Jelly-Legs wobbliness the first time he’d transformed back from his Animagus form. The whiplash from suddenly needing to use four legs instead of two had left him off-balance, and then transforming back to his original form had left him feeling off-angle (like he was suddenly trying to walk upside-down or with legs that didn’t belong to him). He also remembered that same unsettled churning after his first dinner on the mainland. There were many lovely things to say about Hogsmeade, but…after his family’s farm-raised fresh food, British cooking left his stomach feeling like a volcano about to erupt.

And of course, it was a normal feeling around Brígh. She’d come crashing into his life like a (very graceful, beautiful, divine) Erumpent and he’d since realized that there was no way he could ever go back to his life how it was. He eagerly kept his mirror propped up by him in case she wanted to call, even if he was knee-deep in dragon manure or locked up in the hippogriff paddock. And instead of fleeing home at the start of every weekend or holiday, he went running towards her so they could maximize their limited time together. They didn't see each other as often as he might have liked, but even so...she was always there when he needed her, and time passed in a different way when they were together. Like there was all the time in the world, but it wasn't enough at all. Sometimes it was hard for him to wrap his mind around some things, like her strange desire to travel all over the world without really setting down roots anywhere…well, it was so different from everything he'd grown up with. But he wanted to understand. That was the sort of realization he’d never have been capable of a year or two ago, but their relationship had slowly started to wake him up to the fact that there was a whole world out there.

And he was starting to see the appeal as he gazed in wonder at the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen -- at least since leaving Hy-Brasil. The way the intense Peruvian sunlight glanced off the many colors, the gentle trills of wildlife around them, the knowledge that he was far from home but why on earth had he waited so long to do this…Aidan knelt so he could better admire the Fire Dwelling Salamanders that were curled up cozily in a slow-burning fire. Yeah sure, they had salamanders back in Hy-Brasil, but not like this. These were a brilliant purple and the fire danced across their scales as they curled up in the flames. He knew that was one of the reasons why Brígh had suggested this trip -- because even the island didn't have all the creatures of the world, and Peru was supposed to be an explosion of magical wildlife. And as usual, she was right. The excitement continued to rise inside him until he decided that Brígh literally needed to see this before he exploded.

Muttering a quick charm under his breath, Aidan scooped up a handful of fire and salamanders and ran off to find his girlfriend. He hopped over a patch of blooming flowers and skidded to a halt by Brígh (who of course looked like some kind of phoenix goddess that had set down on earth and was admiring the view). He slung his free arm over her freckled shoulders, allowed himself a moment to lightly kiss her cheek, and then waved his fist of fire around excitedly. “Brígh! Peruvian salamanders!” he explained happily, opening his hand to watch. A couple had curled up in the palm of his hand to enjoy the gentle heat, but another had started to run excitedly around his fingers as it chased the flames, almost falling off before it caught itself on his thumb and climbed back up tentatively. “They live in volcanos, mostly. Life will always find a way,” he said admiringly, marveling that he’d waited so long to do something like this. But that was Brígh – new inspirations, new ideas and new adventures.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh flourished in the continual changes that life threw at her. She was best off flying by the seat of her pants, never making plans and keeping spontaneity a core belief. It was part of the reason why curse breaking suited her so well - as such, she benefited from the extemporaneous nature of the role. One day she could be called to research a set of ruins in the deepest recesses of the Nepalese highlands, and the next to the savannas of Tanzania. She adapted quickly and easily, never setting down roots wherever she went. Brígh had always been like this, and itched for adventure when she was forced to stay put. In Hogwarts, it had led to her discovery of so many hidden passages, let alone having gotten help from the chief prankster herself, Lily Potter.

In reality, Brígh had never expected to even nurse a desire to stagnate her ever changing life. She thought staying still to be a curse. She would never settle down, but always would clamber up to the next quest, eager for a new chance to demonstrate her many capabilities. But then, she had met Aidan, and Brígh had wondered what exactly it would be like to slow down, just for a little bit. That hadn’t happened so much - they’d both grown so invested and busy with their own careers and their own lives, Brígh finishing her final year at LIFE and Aidan completing his apprenticeship to be a magical veterinarian. So the whirlwind of activity continued, and there were few stolen moments and months of wishing they could spend more time together.

Finally, time appeared to be on their side in the form of a mission for Brígh in Peru, and a break in his apprenticeship for Aidan. Half of Brígh had expected him to decline her invitation to join her in Peru, but he’d readily and greedily accepted. When they first met, Aidan had expressed how he went back to Hy-Brasil often and living in wizarding Britain had been a massive change for him. But as they’d gotten to know each other better, Brígh had discovered a veritable adventurer in him, one to match her own spirit.

With moisture thick in the air, Brígh pushed through the magical tent flaps to find Aidan kneeling over the fire. She hadn’t expected him quite yet, but giggled to herself as he looked on with extreme interest. Brígh approached silently, peering over his shoulder to examine what had caught his eye. She was about to approach him when he muttered a spell, stuck his hand into the fire and scooped out a congress of salamanders. As she stood with her hands on her hips, Aidan bounded over to her, exclaiming at his discovery. Brígh had baited Aidan with the promise of a menagerie of creatures, but she hadn’t expected him to be so excited by the little things. It was her own mistake - Aidan got excited about the little things all the time.

Aidan dropped a sweet kiss onto her cheek, and Brígh’s chest warmed as she beamed back at her boyfriend. ”Mental,” she replied, peering at his flaming fist as the purple things skittered around inquisitively. ”It’s hot as a witch’s tit here, so I can imagine them thriving in volcanoes,” Brígh added with a grin as she pulled her t-shirt, already sticky with sweat, from her stomach and fanned herself. ”Chances are we'll see some dragons too. I’ve never seen a grown one up close - you have to promise to charm them with your cute druid ways,” she exclaimed, looping an arm around his middle as he continued to be amazed by the salamanders. ”I imagine the wild ones will be quite dangerous. Can’t wait for the adrenaline rush!” she added with a smile that teetered over the edge of sanity. ”Hopefully Rhys doesn’t ask me to do too much since we’ve finished most of the prep and we don’t start for a few days. He’s awfully grumpy. I won’t bother with an introduction, because he’ll probably just call you Red too,” said Brígh with a frown. ”But no bother. This is for us. There’s so much here to explore… and we’ll be alone,” she added, arching a brow mischievously.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

It was strange to think that Aidan was gazing down at something no member of his family had ever seen, but that was the way of it. His clan was the typical sort of druid – farmers, herbologists, simple people who wanted simple things. They thought about their home (for as many generations back as anyone could count), and the local intrigues of the island, and not much else. It hadn’t really been so long ago that Aidan had been the same way. His body could be on the mainland but his thoughts and his heart and his soul was always back on Hy-Brasil. And it had been a slow change, one little step after another on a path he hadn’t quite been paying attention to, until Aidan had finally realized that he was using words his parents didn’t know, and expressing feelings he’d never said out-loud before, and wondering things that had never crossed his parents’ minds.

And he wasn’t sorry about it. The thought flashed across his mind as he easily draped an arm around Brígh while the salamanders danced across his hand. She was watching them with the same sort of curiosity that he’d seen painted on her face a million times, wondering about all the ruins she’d explore with her mentor or speculating about the trouble her friends had gotten themselves into while she’d been gone. He’d been completely fixated on the purple salamanders from the moment he’d first noticed their bonfire, but it was easy to forget about them and grin at Brígh as she chattered about the heat (using a new British expression that Aidan hadn’t heard before, but he filed it away for later to try out at work with Eli). He’d learned not to parrot Brígh’s colorful language directly to his boss but rather to let his trusty friend explain first what was what.

She must’ve said something about dragons, but he’d completely missed it -- truly, what was the world coming to? But in that moment Brígh had started to fiddle with her t-shirt and Aidan found his eyes catching on the brief glimpses of smooth skin he could see as her fingers pulled the edges of her t-shirt up and away from her stomach. She turned to look at him and his eyes pulled up so fast he thought there was a chance they might pop out of his head. Grinning sheepishly, Aidan tried to remember what she’d said. “Dragons aren’t dangerous,” he explained thoughtfully, “They are…who they are. No dragon seeks to do harm.” He thought about his experiences for a moment and then added sagely, “But you should not try to hold on to their tails while they fly. They do not like that.”

Now that Brígh had planted the thought of dragons in his mind, Aidan glanced around and craned his neck searching the skies. But there was nothing above them except for endless blue and the heavy weight of the Peruvian sun. Brígh had started to think out-loud and Aidan frowned slightly at the mention of her mentor. The werewolf. It was hard to forget all the stories he’d heard about Dark creatures and the warnings the Elders had sent him off with once he’d announced his apprenticeship. Brígh seemed to like him – or at least, respect him – but Aidan found himself more skeptical. He didn’t protest her ultimate decision not to introduce them, but instead nodded along to her train of thought. “We’re completely alone,” he agreed happily, “You, me, and the triplets.” One of the salamanders began to scurry up his arm while the others continued to explore his fingers, and he laughed at the ticklish sensation.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh mulled over Aidan's observation thoughtfully. More thoughtfully than she usually did. No dragon sought harm, they were just doing what they could to protect themselves and their kin. She'd always maintained a healthy fascination with the species, but that fascination also included respect for distance between them. Brígh appraised Aidan for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose you're right. I guess that makes them all the more cool," she added with a grin. At his next comment however, Brígh guffawed. "Are you speaking from experience?!"

The prospect of spotting dragons appealed to Brígh less than she wanted to admit. Sure, they were clever and everything. But one wrong move (and she always tended to make those) and she would be dinner. Brígh wasn't particularly accustomed to fear, but it crawled down her spine as she considered how she could become a meal with just one bite. Trying to smooth out the worried lines from her face, Brígh donned her fearless mask and commented on how alone they were. She raised a brow suggestively, hoping to tempt Aidan into a little bit of fun before he got too distracted by the myriad of new creatures to discover. One of the salamanders skittered up Aidan's arm and Brígh smiled at the innocent chuckle that erupted from him. She was struck by a sudden vision of three little red haired tots, faces spattered with freckles, wreaking havoc in a way that could only be described as Brígh-like. She chewed her lip, tearing her gaze away from both Aidan and the salamanders, looking out over the wide expanse of the mountainside.

Brígh opened her mouth to speak, but a cry reached them from a distant peak. She turned abruptly, her hair fluttering around her as she narrowed her eyes to discern where exactly the noise came from. The beast - for she presumed it was a creature making that noise and not some enchanted rock or bush - cried again, but Brígh could no better tell it's origin than from the first time. She glanced over at Aidan, who she knew would be interested in investigating more. And Brígh, ever the adventurer, wouldn't turn him down. "Shall we have a look around?" asked Brígh, mischief lighting up her hazel eyes as she scanned Aidan's face for agreement.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

One of the many things he loved about Brígh was how sharp she was. Nothing escaped her attention, and it was a breath of fresh air because he wasn’t like that at all. His head was usually up in the clouds with the Abraxans, or deep in the earth with the nifflers, and so things happened around him and changed without his noticing. Sometimes he’d sit up and glance around and the world would be completely different. Sometimes people would look expectantly at him and he’d realize they’d said something and were waiting for a response. But Brígh noticed everything and she was quite good at piecing things together. So Aidan smiled sheepishly and nodded at her question. “I wanted to fly,” he said wistfully, “And my ma caught me trying to transfigure my arms into wings. She, uh…had thoughts about it.”

After craning his neck around, there definitely weren’t any dragons in the vicinity. But Aidan wasn’t disappointed, because Peru was positively crawling with them and they’d show up sooner or later. He only looked down once the salamander reached his sleeve and he could see the singed edges where its little padded feet could reach. At that point, he gently scooped it up along with the others and set them down on the hard-packed dirt. They scampered off and set a little patch of grass on fire as they went. He'd been nervous about the thought of traveling so far away from Hy-Brasil and all the familiar places he'd started to recognize on the mainland, but those concerns felt far away now. Because Peru felt alive with magic in a different way than what he’d known, but it sent a thrill through him to be seeing it all with his own eyes.

One moment Brígh was right next to him, and a moment later she’d whipped around to search for the distant source of noise that echoed in their valley. Aidan’s head turned towards the mountain too, and even if he couldn’t see it he recognized what it must be. “Firebird,” he said thoughtfully, although there was no way to narrow down what kind just by how it sounded. No doubt some species he'd never seen before, which made him extremely eager to go chase it down and see. His eyes drifted back towards Brígh and he smiled at the way she lit up at the call of adventure. His hand trailed down her arm until he could twine their fingers together and pull her closer. Aidan never got to see her as much as he wanted to, what with his apprenticeship and her classes, so he wanted to treasure every moment of the trip and the chance to be with her. He tilted her chin up so he could kiss her softly, knowing that he could linger as much as he’d like in the deserted jungle where nobody could see them. “I’ll follow you,” he said after a few moments, because that was just a fact of life. Dragons nested before laying their eggs, jobberknolls remembered every sound they’d ever heard, and Aidan would follow Brígh anywhere.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

There was a softness to Aidan's admission, one that touched Brígh's heart deeply. She surveyed Aidan thoughtfully, imagining him with wings. Somehow, it just made sense. For Aidan to be whatever he wanted to be - dragon or pup or anything in between. "I don't know about dragons, but there are lots of ways to fly. Though I kind of wonder what it would be like too," Brígh admitted. "But don't tell anyone I said that. Addy and Cheese love flying, but on their brooms. I just... a stick seems so unsafe. And uncomfortable," she added after a moment. "But to fly without having to rely on an enchanted broomstick or another creature... that would really be something," Brígh replied.

The pair remained in silence as Aidan replaced the salamanders on the ground, watching as they scampered away, igniting patches of grass as they went. Brígh couldn't help but grin, watching Aidan with a full heart. Merlin, how could she do anything but love him? He was so... pure. No secrets, no hiding. Just honesty and clarity. Loving him was as easy as breathing. She opened her mouth to speak, but was disrupted by a shrill cry from the middle distance. She whipped her head around to seek out the source, but she spotted nothing. The cry came again, and Brígh glanced towards Aidan, who was certain to have better experience with these sorts of things than her. She raised a brow, looking from Aidan to the presumed firebird, before suggesting they follow the sound.

Unsurprisingly, Brígh lit up at the idea of adventure - and the spark was alight in Aidan's eyes as well. He kissed her softly and she reciprocated, her free hand tangling in his hair, feeling as if their souls were melding into one. She smiled at him as she pulled away, then without another word, set off, with Aidan's hand in hers.

After a quarter of an hour walking, the cry sounded again, much closer this time. Brígh was relieved - it would have been really embarrassing to walk in the complete wrong direction. It didn't necessarily sound pained, but Brígh wondered why a firebird would be making such a ruckus. She didn't know much about the creatures, having paid minimal attention in Care of Magical Creatures. The pair scrambled up a particularly steep slope, before coming to an outcropping of rock. Before them was the red and golden plumage of a magnificent, great bird. And before that... was another one. "Two of them." Brígh breathed, as if Aidan couldn't see it already for himself.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

It was so easy to tell Brígh anything that admitting awkward childhood moments didn’t even receive a second thought. His childhood had been so different from the typical mainland experience that sometimes Aidan had trouble putting it into words. The druids didn’t think about magic in the same way, their homes were as alive as the little bits of nature that they melded with, and sometimes they didn’t even use the same words to describe what they saw or felt. But even when his English had been positively dreadful and he’d had to resort to wild hand gestures, Aidan had always found a way to communicate with Brígh. To share with her what he thought and felt, and to hear it back from her too.

He'd heard so many of her stories that he nodded along to her mild skepticism about Addy and Cheese, which was the general tone she used whenever they came up. Aidan grinned as she wondered what it’d be like to fly without a broom, and twined his fingers with hers. “We will fly on this trip,” he promised. It all depended on whatever flying creature they found first – Aidan hadn’t completely discounted the idea of finding a way to ride a dragon or a griffin. But he shared her doubt about the broom. It didn’t look nearly as fun, and besides…flying was a bonding experience as well. How could you bond with a piece of dead wood?

She pulled him into the dense jungle as they followed the piercing sound of the firebird. Brígh was definitely taking the lead in navigating through the unfamiliar terrain, which was for the best because Aidan was so distracted he barely noticed how they wove around trees and over thick roots. He might have walked into a tree if she didn’t have a solid grip on him. But his eyes were wide at the glimpses of magical birds he got through the thick canopy and the surefire sign of a Streeler colony that they passed on the way. He teetered on the edge of a rock as Brígh stopped suddenly, and a moment later he noticed why.

His breath caught at the sight of the firebirds, because he’d never seen anything like them before. They were so much bigger than phoenixes, and much more restless. They seemed to be constantly in motion, which made the light dance around them and their wings appear to be made of the fire itself. His eyes caught on the woven pattern of the feathers in brilliant bursts of purple and pink and red, and his grip tightened on Brígh’s hand. “They’re beautiful,” he whispered, unable to articulate any better thought. They seemed to be focused on something else, and Aidan’s feet naturally pulled him forward so he could get a better look (no magical creature ever seemed to get fussy around him). The two birds ignored him completely as he came closer and closer to their low branch, and eventually he ran his hand carefully over the magnificent plumage that crowned one of the bird’s heads. It leaned into his hand even as its attention stayed elsewhere. Aidan peeked down between them and his face lit up. He turned back to grin at Brígh and motion her closer.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

It was difficult for Brígh to admit how little she enjoyed flying. At least, on a broomstick. She was daring and bold, but a broom just seemed to flimsy. How Addy and Cheese were so acrobatic and majestic with their swoops and passes, Brígh would never know. And she had quite enough on her plate to be getting on with, thank you very much. Cheese nor Addy discovered magical treasures, ventured into the very depths of ancient magic, and came face to face with a number of daunting trials. No, she was brave. Just with both feet planted on the ground.

Brígh gave Aidan a skeptical look, but said nothing more on the subject. She led the way into the dense jungle, following the distant cries of the mystical bird. It was silent for a long period before sounding its pitiful cry once more, and Brígh found her feet moving more quickly than before. An eerie silence fell over them, intermittently broken by the shifting of flora underfoot. Brígh was so focused on their destination, she didn't notice what Aidan had. She was singular in her pursuit.

The pair scrambled up steeper and steeper terrain, until finally they clambered out onto an outcropping of rock. Brígh stopped abruptly, enraptured by the sight of the twin flames before her. There was a strange familiarity to the sight, as Brígh and Aidan stared down at them, and the two birds looked up, catching Brígh's gaze. They moved like a river of magma, hardly ceasing, and yet Brígh felt as if they had seen her. Aidan's whisper broke Brígh from her trance and she looked over at him, nodding. "They're sort of like us," she murmured, glancing from his soft features to his bright head of red hair. The firebirds attention was drawn elsewhere, and one made that cry again. It sounded more mournful than pained this time, and Brígh wondered how something so beautiful could make a sound so sad.

Aidan approached the birds, but Brígh hung back, tentative. He reached out and stroked the bird's magnificent plumage, before turning back to Brígh with a megawatt grin and gesturing her closer. She picked her way through the underbrush, keeping her eye on Aidan and the birds. The two birds seemed perfectly content as they preened one another. "You have such a way with animals," said Brígh quietly, watching but still too hesitant to touch the bird. The beak looked sharp. "It's like they're connected to you. Like they know you," she added.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Not for the first time, Aidan felt the distance between himself and his island grow just a little bit wider. He had never been able to imagine leaving Hy-Brasil until the fateful day itself, and that had been his ma’s influence more than anything else. As an outsider herself, she’d seemed to understand something that the rest of the family didn’t. He’d spent the whole first year badly missing home, unable to completely immerse himself in new experiences because of a dogged (get it?) attachment to Hy-Brasil and the familiar landscapes he’d never contemplated leaving. There hadn’t been one giant paradigm shift that had caused him to change his mind. No, it’d just been a slow and gradual process of collecting a million little moments until eventually…well, until he wasn’t the same boy who’d left the island.

Because if he’d never left, then this moment wouldn’t exist. Wouldn’t be his to treasure. Aidan would have gone his whole life without seeing how the world could be alive with a different kind of magic – trees that grew higher than he’d ever seen, birds made of fire itself, mountains that stretched out to brush the horizon line…and Brígh. Even in the Peruvian jungle thrumming with life, she seemed to shine brighter than the flowers or the dragons or anything else. She was another surprise that he could’ve gone his whole life without ever knowing about – except that didn’t seem like much of a life to him anymore. She might’ve shared the same red hair and freckles that a lot of druids had, but a whole world separated them. And the way she wanted to throw herself into it, travel to far-flung places and hunt down secrets and treasures…he’d never quite find himself able to do that, but the energy infected him nonetheless.

He somehow found a way to tear his eyes away from the firebirds and turn back to Brígh. She stayed back for a moment, but in classical Brígh fashion whatever uncertainty she was grappling with didn’t hold her back. He let his hand trail through the bird’s brilliant feathers while it trilled softly but didn’t move. She hadn’t quite moved to stand beside him, so Aidan dropped his hand and moved back a few steps to stand by her. He'd never thought twice about approaching a magical creature, since it seemed as easy to spend time with them as with his friends or family. But he'd spent enough years at the nature reserve to know that creatures could react differently around the mainlanders -- which is why he'd always gotten assigned jobs like untangling hippogriffs whenever their claws got stuck in their corral.

“We are all connected,” Aidan said back almost automatically. He struggled for a few moments, looking for the right words in English to explain his thoughts. “It is like…we are different instruments playing in an orchestra. If you listen, you hear different sounds. And these sounds change the melody we are all part of.” Aidan grinned at her again and cocked his head. “Try and listen?” he suggested. His hand brushed down her arm gently until he was holding her hand again, and he pulled her a step closer. His smile turned a little playful as he teased, “Maybe they have treasure in their nest.” In many ways, Brígh resembled a niffler and it was likely the reason her treasure hunter friends and bosses appreciated her so much. That was the real reason they’d come to Peru, even if she’d also lured him with other things he was interested in – dragons, fire salamanders, and alone time.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh offered Aidan a soft smile as she watched him approach the fire bird. She thought if she had approached it, it would have taken flight immediately. She didn't have the same careful manner, the same easy elegance that had been instilled in him from birth. They were so different, the two of them. Her a whirlwind of activity and fire, him the spray of rain and serenity after a hot summers day. Aidan replied quietly after stepping back to Brígh's side, and she gently touched his arm. She considered his explanation, and oddly it made sense. "And together we compose a beautiful symphony," said Brígh, glancing over at Aidan with a smirk growing on her face.

Her heart swelled at Aidan's next suggestion. "You know me so well," she murmured, shaking her head with a grin. She'd been thinking exactly that - but had paused at the firebird's reaction to Aidan. "But I feel guilty stealing from it now," Brígh added with a frown. "Not a very good cursebreaker, me" she added after a moment. They were still, watching the bird for a few moments longer before it spread its wings and departed, but not after delivering a soft call for Aidan directly. Brígh glanced from the nest to Aidan, then took his hand. "We should get back. Rhys will be furious to find I haven't been practicing my defensive spells," said Brígh, leading Aidan back across the jungle to their camp.

[end - let's do something more recent like we discussed x]