Maea
I am out with lanterns
Barely had their palms connected before Liz tore her hand away, tumbling back to the ground with a look on her face Maea had never seen before. Not on her, the unflappable one, who was always so composed and put together, so in control that the ancient oftentimes felt a bit silly for her own displays of emotion. Like now, when cold agony seared her insides from what she saw as a clear rejection of her aid, like a confirmation of her quiet fears. She had asked too much, and now Liz was being polite, smoothing down ruffled feathers by pushing through anyway.
Inhaling softly, Maea straightened. Glued on the usual mask with the same habitual resignation as she locked her feelings into the ribcage, out of the way of the immediate task of finishing the spar. "'That'? It's nothing, don't worry about it," she replied, thinking Elizabeth was talking about taking her hand back. "If you're sure... Slower it is."
Backing away, this time as Maea summoned her magic, what separated her from the therapist was a complex puzzle of flame consisting of moving parts. A column of jets shooting from the ground into the sky, then silence, only to return again. A ring of fire rising from the ground and upwards, then back down again, in a loop. Blocks of flame that traveled from the far edges of her reach, met in the middle and then separated once more. While it seemed chaotic at first, there was a pattern in there. A way through, if the woman could spot it, and moved with enough determination. It was supposed to be a deterrent after; if it made her turn away at this level, then Maea had won already.
It certainly forced her to concentrate, to separate her energy and attention in order to keep the different parts moving at the same time. Perfect timing: she was grateful to be spared the need to think about what had just happened.
3/4
Inhaling softly, Maea straightened. Glued on the usual mask with the same habitual resignation as she locked her feelings into the ribcage, out of the way of the immediate task of finishing the spar. "'That'? It's nothing, don't worry about it," she replied, thinking Elizabeth was talking about taking her hand back. "If you're sure... Slower it is."
Backing away, this time as Maea summoned her magic, what separated her from the therapist was a complex puzzle of flame consisting of moving parts. A column of jets shooting from the ground into the sky, then silence, only to return again. A ring of fire rising from the ground and upwards, then back down again, in a loop. Blocks of flame that traveled from the far edges of her reach, met in the middle and then separated once more. While it seemed chaotic at first, there was a pattern in there. A way through, if the woman could spot it, and moved with enough determination. It was supposed to be a deterrent after; if it made her turn away at this level, then Maea had won already.
It certainly forced her to concentrate, to separate her energy and attention in order to keep the different parts moving at the same time. Perfect timing: she was grateful to be spared the need to think about what had just happened.
3/4
Looking for myself
