𝕷 𝕰 𝕿 𝕬

  she  smiled   softly   at   the   calming   words   .   her   powers   certainly    managed   to   frustrate   her   at   any   given   moment   .   she   wished   there   were   no   need   to  stifle   them   ,   that   she   could   fall  into   the   spirit   realm   so   totally   she   would   not   eve   exist   here   .

 “   how   long   do   you   think   it   takes   ,   usually   ,   i   mean   ?   “

hazel eyes took in the other. leta noticed her youth, memories flooded her. the first time knowing she was part of the gifted. the sudden need to understand everything that happened around her. that need never truly went away in her point of few. 

he brushed a strand of hair behind his ear, and in doing that, his fingers slid over his temple, and he took a peek into her mind. what he saw was the truth he had suspected, that she knew exactly who he was though he kept up the pretense that he didn’t remember. he couldn’t bear it, how he’d shared so much with someone he knew so little. he wasn’t the most sincere of men, peering into his soul one might discover little more than surface thoughts and emotions. he hid quite well, and always had.

“ only particular poisons. yes. ” he squinted, and this time he didn’t hide it when he pressed the tips of his fingers to his temples and allowed himself to succumb to her thoughts. with a frown, he pulled his fingers away and leaned in close to the girl, only now looking her in the eye. “ that was not yours to take.”

the swirls within the wood seemed to interest her, in truth it was a way for her to control her own powers. the fair girl wasn’t one to enjoy to pry into others powers. it seemed invasive, wrong, yet at times it seemed like another part of her thrived because of it. a juxtaposition, the brunette could never make sense of. yet the gentleman beside her knew that and much more about her. a sense of dread filled her stomach, no one knew what he did. and yet, she couldn’t trust him. not now anyway. 

“Have you ever used any other focusing tricks?” He asked curiously, sliding his hands into his pockets. It occurred to him that they were still facing the wall, but it felt right somehow. “They teach a lot here, depending on the class and who happens to be doing the lecturing. For me, visualization always worked the best.” Levi squeezed his eyes shut, an image already appearing in the dark, taking shape and helping him find a place to channel his power. After a second, he opened one eye. “But it’s not everyone’s favorite.”

“oh, I’ve used loads. “a smiled appeared. she remembered trying by herself before she joined the academy. There were times when her brother would help her out, it didn’t really end up doing much, given that they didn’t haven’t a clue as to what they were doing.  Hazel eyes watched as he closed his eyes and spoke afterward. “I actually like using visualization, but I believe different techniques work in different situations, you know?”

Dimitri’s brow furrowed at her question, surprised by it. “What could be more important?” He wondered. They were here to learn how to use their abilities, and what better way than by pitting themselves against one another?

hair fell to her shoulders as she looked over at him. hazel eyes finally took him in, broad shoulders and a strong yaw. “the union of everyone? “wasn’t that the point? the war that seemed to keep growing outside the castles walls was proof of it. 

there were times he missed those days, decked out in armour with appreciative looks thrown his way no matter where in the country he went. powerful, strong, even when his powers hadn’t made themselves known to him. he wouldn’t give this up though, not ever, not for theworld.

“ why not? most of us are adults. i doubt the teenies are lapping this stuff up. ” he didn’t quite look at her, afraid she might truly remember him despite the time elapsed since their first meeting. though he suspected she already did. he didn’t like to hold onto those he met whilst drunk, they clung to him at times, but it had been so easy to leave them behind when he had a war to go fight.

dust seemed to fly by her, hazel eyes closed. the word war was whispered, not out loud, it was his voice, she was sure of it. could he have spoken so softly? his strong voice spoke again and she understood the difference. this was his power. soft hands gripped the side of the table, her powers were taking notice of his and they were strong.

“Hmmm, normally I wouldn’t disagree with someone about a wall, but if you ask me, it’s one of the more boring ones around here.” All he could do was wink playfully to show that he was merely kidding. Sometimes, he felt like he didn’t know how to joke around. It was good to use those muscles every now and again. “Ah, I understand that. The breathing thing never really worked for me, though. I could never clear my head with that alone.”

a laugh escaped her, what an odd conversation they were having. though maybe it was one that she needed at that moment, her skin felt at ease now, no powers were being absorbed and she was glad she was controlling it right then and there. “i understand, not everyone is the same.”

she was in-between classes when she caught sight of her, a figure deathly still but for the rise and fall of her chest. romi glanced around, and seeing no one seemed overtly concerned, she approached the woman. “ are you alright? ” concern laced her voice, and she looked over her face with worry. she seemed to be between two places, eyes glazed over and focused on something beyond them.

    a tone of worry was detected, a small blush crept its way upon her fair features. the hazel hued girl, had not meant to startle anyone. sometime sit was heard, understand the powers that passed through her, ever changing and each a new need to learn to control them. so, with a slow move of her hand she spoke. “oh, yes, sorry if i startled you.” 

he remembered her. almost instantly he did, fuzzy memories of soft skin and softer lips, a rain battered tavern on a freezing cold night. he was drunk, he had been a lot back then, even more than he was now. a day of duties ended with a mug of mead and a shaky fall into his bed.

and she had joined him one night, taking his fancy quite immediately. pretty, he had always liked pretty.

the recognition didn’t show on his face, however, bram’s eyes darting to hers a moment and returning to the liqour in his hand. “ how would you know what i like? ” he asked her, his head tilting to the side as he reached over to offer the glass. “ take a sip. see how it treats you. ”

   all of it had taken her by surprise. the fair woman was not one to want to wallow in her sorrows with a mug of mead or anything similar. there were always others alternatives, though leta knew that within herself there was something that wouldn’t let her be the person she thought she was. the decision had been quick, words were spoken, words that were deep within her.

   hazel hues looked his way, when he had spoken. even when they were sitting, he was still towering over her. the implications of his words, come to no surprise. he was handsome, he probable had loads of beautiful maidens after him.

   “oh, just a guess.” eyes were long gone from him, they were focused on his hands around the glass. a soft laugh escaped her. without giving it a thought, she took a small sip, and blimey, it was quite strong. “well, it sure isn’t something i would have thought they would be giving out here.” slim fingers moved the glass back to him. fingers were so close to his hand.

  she   smiled   sharply   ,   her   lips   pressed  together   tightly   to  form   a   thin   black   line   .   the   other   had   picked   up   on  her   with   such   ease   .   she   was   pricked   with embarrassment   at   having   been   found   out  .   the   voices    hummed   around   her   still    ,   but   she   tried   to   pinpoint   her   focus   on   conversation   for   a   moment         .  

   “   yes   ,   i   try   ,   but    ,   “      she  paused   ,  her   delicate   features   curling   into   a   cringe   .    “    it   doesn’t   seem   to  work   very   much   sometimes  .   “

    without meaning to she heard the others thoughts; this wasn’t something she had wanted to do. it was still hard to manipulate the powers she picked upon. her intentions were misunderstood and her body tensed, leta hadn’t meant for the other to feel uncomfortable.

Dimitri always liked to find out what powers the new arrivals at the academy had; he always wanted to know how they might be able to challenge him. He was strong, sure, but he always wanted to get stronger, to find new ways to fight, to push himself. And here… well, this was the perfect place for that.

He’d heard about the waifish girl before him. She didn’t look like much, but then, you couldn’t judge a person’s powers by how they looked. He cleared his throat as she stared at the wall, but when she didn’t turn, he frowned, speaking anyway. “I hear you’re pretty fast.”

     muscles seemed to expand on their own. hazel hues hardened, there was no doubt what the stranger’s powers were. a deep breath and a blink later she looked over at the other. his broad shoulders and strong jaw gave him away. competition was clear on his tone. 

   “is that important?” this didn’t mean to come out as harsh, an honest question was more like it. this was a safe place, a place where that shouldn’t be a priority, r i g h t ? 

“Looking at something interesting?” Levi wasn’t being sarcastic - nor was he trying to make a joke of whatever was going on, though his tone was light. He knew that not everything was as it seemed with so many people learning how to control and use their abilities. “Or are you just trying to focus? Sometimes I have to pick objects to focus on to ground myself.”