"Come on Reid just five more minutes." I strain out the sentence, heavily panting and clenching onto the chair with all my might. "I.....can't..." he manages as well, the tips of his hands practically digging even more into my scalp, messing up my hair. "Come on." I strain out again, practically on the edge of passing out but I don't care. He has to master this mind delve.
"Garth you need to relax." Reika commands from the opposite end of the room, her eyes locked on the both of us. Rivulets of sweat cascade down my cheeks and arms and my back drenching me down sodden as I hang on to keep my mental barriers up as Reid tries his best to break them. I don't even know why I agreed to this in the first place. Reika's telepathy is like a fucking hurricane to my brain when Reid uses it, and I'm this close to breaking (or dying at this point). But this is the only way he can practice getting better at his mind delve then he can move on to practice on Telena.
"Well I'm trying but you try having your own ability used on you for a change." I shoot at her. Reid isn't practicing on her at the moment because with Reika's many abilities it will be way to easy and toy with his mind so he's with me. "Reika I..." Reid strains heavily breathing now and that's when I notice the tips of his fingers have gotten noticeably warmer by now. "Reika he needs to stop I warn her. "Just a little bit...." she starts out But I cut her off.
"NO!" ....I bellow as I force myself off the chair, shooting her a look that could kill. Fuck she really was a fucking weapon to lack sympathy for her man when he was burning out from channeling her. "You do fucking realize that he's burning out don't you?" I shoot at her but she doesn't cower, she matches my ferocity and steps forward to me, she's only two inches shorter than me but takes up so much space in the room its suffocating.
"This is not about him being my man in this room you know." She says in a lethally calm tone. "This is about him being a reliable agent, and it's not like I was forcing him to hold on." She scorns pointing at Reid, who was currently leaning on the chair catching his breath, all sweaty and tired. "I know that he's burning out, but you also know he's selfishly stubborn and that he won't stop until he's mastered it."
"A trait the both of you share. You just don't seem to know when to stop." I seethe. Her facial features stay in place. Not even a passing emotion crosses. Damn, it was like ever since she got her memories back she became an immovable object, and Reid her unstoppable force.
"To you that might be a bad thing at the moment but let me remind you, that it was you who showed up with a bloody femur injury last year. And not to mention tampered memories. I'm becoming a Sage in three months time now and we still do not have any reliable leads. So not to burst your bubble, but we are in a fucking crisis." She says, still not raising her voice, and for whatever reason her calm tone terrifies me.
Something about Xenna and how she appeared in front of the world was truly mesmerizing. It's not that she didn't feel things now that she had her memories back, it's that she feels everything. She was just never trained to learn how to show them. Even now when everything was resting on her shoulders, she didn't shout at me or panic.
Reid started moving behind us, looking like he might collapse at any moment. "Come on I'll help you." Reika said walking up to him and helping him.
Fuck you're really drained aren't you she said to him telepathically
This time Reid channeled me to avoid the overwhelm that came with channeling her telepathy.
I was almost there, I swear love I was just....
shhhh I know. Come on She coaxed as she helped him out of the room. Her mental shields were up the moment they stepped out of the room. Fuck. I hate this period we're in more than everything, the constant haunting feeling of helplessness keeps creeping in on us and it's not just me. I can read it on almost everyone I see this days.
Everyone is secretly waiting for the impending doom that the sages will unleash on us. No one's man enough to accuse them though, and no one else knows one of them is using chaos magic sans the meridian board, Reika, Reid, Cal, Ameira, Caden and I. I stride out of the training room making my way for the elevator that leads to the roof. I need a fucking cigarette break.
I mindlessly step off the elevator and I'm immediately greeted by a gust of air to my face that ruffles my unruly hair.. I take of my shirt and a slight groan escapes my lips as I stride onwards. My body welcomes the much needed cooling effect the breeze carries after the litres of water I was sweating down there. i'm nearly at the edge when someone clears their throat behind me. I turn to find bright green eyes locked on mine, though leaning on the wall next to the elevator entrance.
Cigar in hand, shirtless as well with suspenders hanging off his combat trousers, he looks like an absolute meal with sweat rivulets cascading down his shoulders and abs. There's two gun holsters strapped to both his thighs and and a sword lined with runes sheathed and strap hanging off his shoulder. Was Caden always this fucking hot? The question invades my mind still as his green eyes bore into mine. We both look exhausted beyond help, none of us speak though.
Taking my lighter and cigarette out of my pocket, I bring it to my mouth and light it up, drawing in the familiar sweet scent of mint and nicotine. I lean on the edge of the brick railing, my index and middle finger holding the cigarette in my mouth as I smoke. The two of us watch each other as we each smoke on, blowing off much needed steam.
I reach for his thoughts and as if sensing me coming, he shuts me off and averts his eyes. Somehow I feel a pang of an emotion I quite can't place in my chest. I try once more but his mental shields are like a wall of fucking concrete. Might as well be with him being a Terramancer. I try to shift my body but I instantly trip on air. I look down to find my feet trapped in the concrete. fuck Caden.
"Shouldn't have pushed it Lard."He says puffing smoke from his mouth. His lips.
"I'll know better next time." I say completely relaxed because I'm too exhausted to move, let alone bicker. "Just talk to me." I add on.
"Nothing to talk about." He says completely relaxed as well. And that pisses me off because why would one of my best friends be constantly shutting me out? Exhausted of even having to ask at this point, I force of the concrete and he lets me and I start making my way back to the elevator again. So much for a cigarette break. "Wait." He says, getting off the wall and facing me. He puffs out his cigar and steps on it.
"I know its weird, I'm sorry, it's just there's all this tension and angst right now."
"With me?" I ask and an emotion I can't place shows in his eyes but it goes as quickly as it comes.
"No, just all of the things that are happening, It's insane with how much little we know of it. And I feel like Reid and Reika are shouldering more than they offer to tell the group....and that bitch Phemora's been teasing me shapeshifting into people I know and engaging in ferocious combat...." I quickly cut him off.
"What do you mean Phemora.... the girl can barely hold her defense....." I pause as quickly as the realization dawns on me....