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 Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2019 6:28 pm
There was only a split second from when Cybele spoke and she ran, or maybe less; Alya couldn't tell, but he didn't question what he was going to do.
She said run, so he ran, shameless and free, to a white door he hadn't even seen before she pointed it out.
Alya was long-limbed in a way that made him lithe and agile; it had always been an asset in his modeling, but he hadn't ever really run. As a child he hadn't had much of a backyard to play in, and growing up that had never changed. His exercise was indoors, and even when he ran on a treadmill it was different.
You didn't feel the wind in your face, the way the air caressed you as you ran, the way the scent of flowers caught in the breeze. The soft ground beneath your feet.
Everything was clear, everything made sense.
Everything was at peace, and for a moment, he was too.
He didn't care if he lost the race, somewhere halfway through he felt like he'd run fast enough that the stress, the burden, of all his worries and concerns had rolled right off of his shoulders; he slowed down, not enough to stray too far behind Cybele, but enough that he was able to appreciate and embrace the gift she'd given him.
He slowed his pace a bit more as they neared the door; his breathing had picked up just a bit, but it felt like he was breathing for the first time in weeks.
Alya laughed and shook his head, wanting to close his eyes and soak in the calm that seemed to radiate, but he didn't want to lose the clarity, the focus, in the world around him.
"...I didn't know the world could be so beautiful," he said after a second, eyes finding the sparkling lights of the city on the horizon. He watched as if he were staring at some beautiful star in the sky, relaxed and entranced and without any cloud of doubt or concern in his mind.
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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2019 9:34 am
She won. She practically slammed into the door, grinning even as her breath caught and her back arched. There were two more seconds of perfect clarity, everything falling into place, and then, when she tried to straighten and turn back, the magic faded. That was always the rough part, even though she was used to it by now. It wasn't just Cybele and the wind anymore. There were car horns in the distance, and the distinct smell of old cigarette smoke in the air, and all the memories of the hard stuff they'd been talking about before threatening to come out from the back of her mind again. This time wasn't too bad. It could be quite a shock in the middle of battle, but right now she still had endorphins going, and a new acquaintance that it seemed she'd managed to make happy instead of scaring off. She took a few steps back to close the distance between them again, and peered up at the sky where a star or two was visible, even with the city lights. She kept up her smile. "So beautiful," she agreed, "If you remember to look for it. Even with the magic, I often don't." She took another moment to let that sink in, to appreciate the breeze and the trees as much as she could. Then, she turned back to him, since she was here for connections and all. "What about you? Apathy, you said? That sounds like it could work for stress relief."
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Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 5:26 pm
Alya was laughing when he reached her; he slowed down to a trot so he didn't run into her. When he was standing in place, he shook his head, drawing in a deep gulp of air. He didn't want the magic to end, and when it did he let out a long, wistful sigh.
"Oh, your magic is wonderful," he sighed; he missed it already. He wanted it, that clarity, that drive. "I have apathy, yes. It's very good if you don't want to care about anything for a short while, I figure. Good if you need to stop feeling about something and look at it from no emotions? But in that same vein, not very good because you're a little too lethargic to do anything. But it's helped me in battle, so I can't complain. People probably don't miss it as much as they miss your magic."
He let out another sigh, closing his eyes and trying to cling to the last traces of how wonderful it was, or just remember what it was like to feel so good.
"I don't use my magic often though, outside of battle. I haven't really find a good use for it except to buy a little time."
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Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 6:27 pm
Cybele couldn't hold back a smile when he came face to face with her again giving compliments. She liked showing off her magic, and watching the effect it had on people. It tended to be popular among her allies, but she hadn't seen anyone who had ended up in quite such a euphoria from the effects. "It has its uses," she said, keeping her eyes on the ground to keep from looking too proud. She looked back to Alya when he started describing his magic, though, nodding along with a smile that was mostly real. It seemed he didn't think it was that impressive, at least outside of battle, and even though Cybele hadn't seen in in action herself, she was always interested in talking about magic, and trying to find better uses for things. She pressed her lips together as she tried to quickly rattle through possibilities in her mind. "I know there are times I'd rather not feel anything," she said, "And I'll take a guess that other in this war feel that way, too. Panic attacks are unfortunately common after the big battles." Magic wasn't a permanent fix, but it seemed like a few seconds of apathy could help some of the sobbing messes she'd seen in her time. "It seems like our magic is mostly made for battle, though. Yours sounds powerful. Changing people's emotions can really cripple them." It could be used offensively or defensively, too, unlike hers which always seemed to try to drive her towards the kill rather than towards safety.
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:13 am
Alya found himself humming thoughtfully. “I don’t get into a lot of battles these days. It makes me feel like I need to do more but,” he just seemed thoughtful. “...maybe I just haven’t found my purpose. I’ve been floundering a bit, to be honest.”
It wasn’t something he really wanted to confess, and he ran his fingers through his hair a little rougher than he needed to as he tried to get control over where his thoughts were wandering. “But I think...you’ve given me a lot to think about. I don’t know, it feels like maybe I’ve not been looking at things from the right angle. But,” he considered for a moment more, “Even just this bit of time with you has put me on a better track, I think. It’s something to think about, what use my magic has. Though, I suppose if I’m going to be as effective as you I should experiment with it more in battle.”
His eyes lifted to the sky again and he wished he could see it with the same clarity he’d had when she’d shared her magic with him. “Or outside of it. Maybe I can find more uses for it.”
It was a good distraction, at least; it let him think about something other than all the other problems he was having. He smiled, a soft, genuine smile; there was relief in it, and hope. “Thank you. I think I needed a little push. You’re very inspiring.”
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 6:31 pm
The more Alya talked to more that Cybele saw herself in him. She'd felt lost many times in this war, and she tried to cover it with smiles. The only difference was that sometimes she'd try to get through it by hunting things, too. "There's more to life than fighting. More to the war, even," she said gently, looking over to him with a softer smile. "I need to remember that, sometimes. I liked your app, and now you have my contact information. You can get in touch if you want to talk, or someone to fight by your side, or even just a magic pick me up. I'll be here." She gave a deep, sincere nod. If she could help someone just by using her magic on them, she would usually be more than willing to do so. "With luck, it will give other people those connections as well. Being called inspiring was something else entirely, and Cybele shifted her gaze to the ground, not sure how to respond. "I hope you find your way," she said after a long moment. "And I'm always glad to help." She managed another smile. "It really was nice to meet you, Alya."
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 5:46 pm
Alya smiled, genuinely seeming relieved. "I appreciate that. I'll try my hardest. It was nice to meet you, too, Cybele. I'll keep you in mind."
The evening was getting later, and though he didn't want to admit it, now that his adrenaline had faded it had left him feeling a little drained. A good night's rest, some good food--everything he needed to take it easy and plan for the future.
"I had a good night. And I hope that you know, if you ever need company, or anything, you let me know, too, all right? I hope I see you soon."
He raised a hand to wave goodbye; she had given him a lot to think about--and now he just wanted to put those ideas into action.
He wanted to be better.
For whatever reason, he wanted to make her proud.
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