[Training] psychological warfare

Elizabeth

She was too close to stop. 

Her hand reached out, unprotected by the robes and much too close to Maea for her to react before the fire formed a cocoon around the Ancient. The pain didn't initially process, neither did the heat. What hit her first was the realization that had her eyes widening in a moment of panic, wishing she had the strength or skills to stop the forward momentum of her lunge. 

"Oh sh-" The curse cut off in a hiss as her skin blistered on contact. It started as just heat, so strong that she was fairly certain some of her hair had singed - not that it was her top concern right now. Her hand jerked back before her mind registered the full sensation, a gasp already forming on her lips from the shock as she stumbled trying to put distance between the threat. 

Only a few heartbeats had passed, a single breath, before it finally hit. A searing pain radiated up her arm, the tender flesh already red and inflamed along the palm that had been outstretched to tag Maea. Tears flowed quickly as if the water might cool the unbearable heat that burrowed into her skin. Elizabeth cradled the hand close into her hunched body to guard it against further damage, doing her best not to touch the burn that was making it hard to think beyond the strained breaths and the uncanny blazing sensation that made it feel like her hand was still pressed against the fire. 

Maea was forgotten as she did her best to calm the overwhelming signals firing to her brain, resorting to controlled, hissing breaths through the clench of her teeth along with the occasional whine from deep in the tightness of her throat.

He who lives in harmony with himself
lives in harmony with the universe.

Maea

I am out with lanterns

Look what you've done.

A father's voice, barely contained rage turning his voice colder than the Deepfrost storm raging outside. A bedroom in shambles. Glass glittering among swirling snowflakes upon the floor, a broken window no longer shielding her from the elements. There had been such judgement in his eyes. Such terrible fear disguised as disappointment that she turned out to be even more useless than he'd thought. Maea had cleaned up the room herself, to a longwinded lecture on the woes of magic.
Look what you've done.
Frost coated a bar counter, spreading across the floor,  creeping up walls and crystalized on bronze taps and liquor bottles. Sunjata backing away from her, a look in his eyes she'd never seen before. Why did you do that? What were you thinking? Why, why, why –

Stunned into utterly stillness, the flames sputtered out and disappeared. Elizabeth staggered for the fool, plunging a scalded hand into water. Maea couldn't breathe. Every single thought drowned beneath the surging panic that turned guilt and regret into paralysis. She should do something. Had to fix... ah, but how? She'd thought she had control over the fire, so how could she hurt Liz like this? If the dragon fell and the fire betrayed her and she couldn't trust her judgement while sparring, what was left?

She'd been such a fool. So idiotic, for thinking she could ever do anything but harm to people around her. As a child of Dygra, what else was there for her but to wreak havoc, sew chaos, burn bridges and betray trust... it was so obvious, and as usual she'd been too thick to understand. But she got it now. Loud and clear.

Like a sleepwalker, Maea raised an arm to her lips. A rending pain drowned out the internal turmoil for a blissful moment; and though a red glow extended from dribbling blood towards the kneeling woman, it brought Maea no comfort to mend what she had broken. Nothing she did could ubdo the truth of her actions, nor erase the memory of pain from one who should have been allowed to stay safe in her presence.

No one was. Better to accept that already.

[FIN]

Looking for myself