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Lessia...ached.

Given the sort of life she lived, this in and of itself was not unusual. Since foalhood, she had been attracted to the rough and tumble; hunt and racing, cliff diving, water skipping; if there was physical exertion or adrenaline involved, chances were that Lessia had tried it. Strained muscles, scrapes, concussions, broken bones, lacerations; all had been experienced at one point or another (sometimes more than once!), their pain acknowledged and experienced until healed, either by the ministrations of her alicorn friend Seyx or the passage of time.

But this ache was different. Unlike the many physical aches she'd experienced in the past, this was an inner ache, an ache of her very spirit. She was no longer aware of any physical affects from her most horrifying and life changing experience ever, but the damage to her spirit and emotional well-being were proving far harder to overcome than any bodily injury ever could.

~~~~

It had been a blessing from the spirits that things had worked out as well as they had, she knew. It would have been so easy for them both to die, or, far worse, for Seyx to die and she to live. Her gentle alicorn friend was no fighter, but because of her careless, her lack of awareness regarding the greater world, he had been pulled into a battle that nearly cost him his life. Even though she had never meant for either of them to be involved, hadn't even known such a thing was a danger until it was almost on top of them, she still couldn't forgive herself for that.

So with a long recuperation ahead for the both of them, she had left Seyx in good hands for care and rest. She herself had sought out her place of refuge, the woods, to ponder and reflect.

And for an adrenaline junkie, that was easier said than done.

Lessia emerged from the forest pool feeling a great deal calmer and more relaxed than she'd been when she'd gone in. She'd never been much of a swimmer before, finding even water racing to be dull and tiresome when she could be diving into the water from a cliff, or dancing across the surface without either sinking or lifting her feet from the surface. But since the day of the battle, when she'd been left with a broken wing and more lacerations then she knew what to do with, she had found the water to be a new, previously unimagined source of soothing. She had to stretch and work her wing regularly, so that it didn't heal poorly. After all, Lessia fully intended to fly again, with just as much energy as she had before.

Still, there came times when the soreness and pain became too much, and she sought out water to support her, soothe her, and revive her.

She knew she had to look a sight. Her appearance had always been startling to those who weren't expecting her. After all, she displayed no traces of her wind heritage, looking in height, build, and feature like a Kalona. Her stark whiteness paired with her blood red mane were eye catching, and her pale, iris-less eyes could make even the most seasoned of Soquilis' skins crawl. To all of that, when she was wet her hair hung about her like a limp, bloody shroud, especially now that she had given up even trying to braid it.

Wing spikes weren't really good for that sort of activity.

She had enjoyed her soak, though, and stretched herself and her wings experimentally as the water ran off in rivulets. Still achey, but less than before her soak. Now if only she could get the water to work on her brain, she thought, before exhaling with a gusty sigh, "Ugh."

Surprises were not Lessia's favorite things, not now. The other mare had moved so softly and quietly that Lessia hadn't even realized she was there, the sounds of her footfalls masked by the water in Lessia's ears. However, when the mare switched to a faster stride and called out her greeting, Lessia couldn't help but hear and rapidly whirled to face Amaltheia; her reflects might not be as good as they used to be, but her sense of self-preservation was stronger than ever.

However, a quick glance at the mare was enough to soothe Lessia's jangled nerves. Nothing about the mare suggested she was a Kalona, and that was good enough for Lessia. Giving the mare a slight nod, she stepped aside to allow the mare full access to the pool, offering an equally slight smile to go with it. "Go ahead; I've found the water to be extremely therapeutic." Great conversation, it was not; still, even the longest journeys had to start somewhere. She might not be a bubbly conversationalist at this point, but at least she was talking...

Talking to a mare who, as far as outward appearances went, was the least threatening thing she'd ever seen!