Heavenfall

"True... and I know ogres aren't always peaceful either - before the slave time, they were warriors and conquerors themselves... so it isn't like I can pretend there isn't any violence in them... or me, I suppose, for that matter."

Ryoko sighed, contemplating her own hands. "I think if they had met a different tribe, my mother's people would not have become as they are."

"Maybe. I don't know," Agasha replied. This was uncomfortable. They were outside of her area of interest now. How did one comfort someone?

She reached out and took the ogre girls hands in hers. It seemed like a good start.

Ryoko laughed, and patted her hand. "It's all right, I suppose I'll just have to find out."

Gazing around the clearing, she added, "Do you suppose there are any good ways to improve my... talent? Magic? What should I call it? Ways that you use for your own powers?"

"... Practice. Lots and lots and lots and lots of it," she explained. "There's not really a special way to get better at much of anything but that. Though you should also experiment. Trying new things will help you find and push your limits and the limits of magic as a whole."

"Mmmm. So more bubbles and rocks and sparks..."

She laughed. "All right then... I'll do just that. Maybe in time, I'll figure out how to do more than move a little bit about."

She nodded several times. "I think the more you practice holding onto it, the easier it will be to concentrate. Eventually you may be able to do with without much attention on it at all, and be able to do other things while you're doing it!"

"I'll keep trying. Maybe I'll learn to do even more impressive things! Like breath fire, or fly, or... or... make a huge wave!"

Ryoko jested, with a small hint of hope. "Wash this evil realm back where it belongs!"

Agasha seemed to take it perfectly earnestly, throwing her arms in the air with a bounce in the water. "Yeah! I wonder if eventually you could take advantage of underground lava?"

"Underground what?"

Ryoko looked confused.

"Is that a metal?"

"Um... You know how metal melts if you get it hot enough?" She asked. "Turns out rocks do that, too."

"Oh... there is fire under the ground?"

Ryoko seemed surprised. "I didn't realize that fire could exist under the earth."

She nodded. "I don't know why there's fire underground yet, but I want to find out."

"How do you know it is there? Did you dig down and find it?"

Ryoko had never heard of this 'lava.'

"Are there lava mines!?"

"... No, it's 'cause there are volcanoes in the northern mountains," she replied in confusion.

"What's a volcano?"

Ryoko replied, equally confused.