Chapter 90: Failure
"Why don't you just heal your arm?" Aisha asked Vega, who grimaced, head jerking in the direction of her destroyed limb for a split second.
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"Healing magic doesn't work on people with a lot of mana." She explained. "After a certain point, the healing magic is rejected. The church won't be able to heal me. Well, unless Ifrit decides to personally heal me. But I doubt that."
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Vega didn't miss the way Aisha's expression hardened, and she raised an eyebrow, stopping in the middle of the path to face the girl directly, having to look downwards to meet the short girl's gaze.
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"Got a problem?" She asked. "Ya gonna get mad that I said his name?"
"No." Aisha muttered, barely hiding the seething anger inside herself. "The opposite."
"Ah." Vega nodded. "Got a problem with the church?"
"You could say that."
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"Hm."
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Vega kept walking, and Aisha and Sui simply followed her, as she collected Kayle from the outside of the magistrate building. She gave a curious glance to the boy's distant look, but regardless, dragged him along to the upper-division guild building.
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Arriving at the musty, inn-like building, Vega took a brief sweep of the building and was immensely disappointed, when the only person she saw was the clerk. She just sighed and plopped herself down at a table, motioning for the three others to sit down next to her. They obliged, looking at Vega with expectant looks, the tall woman cringing at the attention, clearly unused to leading.
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"Ok, gang." She sighed. "We're not going to be enough to fight that… thing. We're-"
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Suddenly, white flashed in front of Aisha's eyes, and she could smell the sulfur - the searing agony of white-hot plasma burning through her skin, her organs - the feeling of her body slowly being shredded into pieces. The helplessness. The feeling of being completely and utterly outclassed. The light. The sounds. Cowering on the ground, with that tightness in her chest, and that prickling, overheating sensation in her head-
"Wait!" Aisha whispered hoarsely. "I don't…"
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Vega took a look at Aisha's guilty expression and let out a breath of immense frustration, rubbing her forehead furiously.
"This isn't the time to be backing out of this." She said, gritting her teeth. "You're the second strongest here."
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"She didn't say that she wanted to back out!" Sui protested.
"Then what?" Vega sighed. "What did you want to say?"
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Aisha was silent.
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"Friend…" Sui's voice trailed off. "Why?"
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"I… don't know if we can beat it." Aisha whispered, hanging her head. "I… don't want to."
"Are you scared?" Vega asked, in a completely neutral tone, such that her emotions were unreadable.
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"...Yes." Aisha whispered.
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"I know you have no personal attachment to this whatsoever…" Vega sighed. "But I need you. You're strong. And I think you'll get stronger. Come on."
"But…"
"What's your stake in this?" Kayle asked quietly, looking at Vega. "You're willing to risk your life for some money?"
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Vega couldn't cross her arms, so she settled for just leaning back in her chair, grabbing her side with the one arm she did have. Her eyebrows furrowed, her lightning-blue eyes hard and masking her emotions.
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"Shinra asked me to do this." She said "I've never seen her ask anyone for anything, or… well, show any emotions. But when that thing hurt the guild, she practically begged me to go."
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Vega furrowed her brows, a bit of anger, and a bit of concern showing through her weathered exterior.
"She looked so guilty." Vega muttered. "It… it hurt her. It hurt the guild. That's enough for me to stake my life on."
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The tall dragonslayer shook her head, turning her eyes back onto Aisha, and the rest of the shorties. She laid out her hand in front of her with an open palm, as if she was offering something.
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"But regardless…" Vega sighed. "If you do this, I can promise you, at the very least, a personal reward. I can also ask the guild for payment."
"Vega-chan!" Sui gasped.
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"It's a work expense." Vega muttered, before grabbing one of her knapsacks and dumping the contents out in front of her, on top of the table. "Although I should hope that this is enough."
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Glimmering jewels and stones twinkled brilliantly in the lamplight, practically casting a reflection onto the adventurer's faces with how radiant and perfect they looked. Every single item in the pouch looked priceless - and probably were. Almost every item held an almost visible aura of incredible magical potential - and almost every single object glowed.
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"Wow!" Sui breathed out, gingerly touching a piece of worn-looking brown paper, the dingy scroll practically pulsating with essence. "T-these are… this is a scroll from the infernal court!"
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"Everything here is… well, quite literally, too valuable to sell." Vega grimaced. "From years of adventuring. Items that are one-of-a-kind. You can have one if you help me."
"Wao!" Sui repeated. "One of those!? They all look so shiny! Oh… Which one should I take?"
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"You want one for yourself?" Vega raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would want to give it to Shinra?"
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"..."
"..."
"The genius doctor would never need something like this! I am sure she has more than enough powerful artifacts."
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"You're coping." Vega smiled. "What about you, kid? Are you-"
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Vega's lips curled into a frown when she saw nothing but an empty chair where Aisha once sat. She glanced at Kayle, who just looked at the door to the tavern - and sure enough, a breeze swept through the open door frame, right on cue.
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Vega shook her head. "Oh lord."
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By now, the feeling of the wind rushing against her face was quite familiar to Aisha, along with the feeling of her heartbeat pounding in-between her ears. Before, she hadn't known what the sensations came from, but now, a new feeling of dread entered her heart, knowing exactly why she felt that pounding rush.
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She was scared.
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She was scared out of her mind. She always had been. There just weren't any excuses any longer. Thoughts rushed through her mind like a torrent, a jumbled mess of emotion - her own voice, Amir's, Vega's, Sui's -
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(I don't want to die.)
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Her voice was hoarse, even in her own head. It was something that was difficult to accept - for the longest time, she threw herself into those damn contracts headfirst, fueled by nothing but a lack of care, fueled by her own self-contempt.
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She had come close to death so many times, but it had never been like this. She had never felt so lost.
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(Aisha…) A small voice in her head whispered, but the pounding in her ears drowned out the noise.
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Aisha wrenched open the door in front of her, almost ripping the thing off of its hinges, as she stumbled into Celeste's new apartment, tripping over the doorframe.
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"Run away with me!" She cried desperately, panting as she scrambled up to her feet. "L-let's leave! Let's…"
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"Darling…"
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Celeste walked into view, her bright blue eyes now dull and tired. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and for once, her hair was done up nice and combed, and her dress was free of wrinkles. Aisha instantly knew something was wrong, and her stomach sank.
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"Where's…" She whispered, as she looked past the tall woman into the bedroom. "Where is she…?"
"She's gone." Celeste said quietly. "Dead."
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Terror seized Aisha's heart, and the pounding in her ears turned into a searing pain, as her throat closed up, and for a few moments, she forgot how to breathe.
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The fey woman fell to her knees, eyes wide in panic, as she attempted to say something, anything, but found that she couldn't even muster up a breath, as her throat dried up.
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It felt like her body shut down. None of her muscles could move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't feel her heartbeat. Everything hurt. Her entire body felt icy. She couldn't even register the pair of arms that wrapped around her, and the face that buried into her shoulder for comfort.
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For Aisha, there was nothing but that awful, awful, feeling that she had failed. That there was something important that she had had to do, and she hadn't done it. That feeling of intense regret, wishing that she had done anything different, everything different.
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The room no longer smelled of sex or succubi, but Hana's essence still lingered in the room.
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The traces of her soul felt like… sadness.
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She had been too late.
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"Aisha?" Celeste whispered into the small fey's shoulder. "Are you ok?"
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A lack of response prompted the enchantress to pull away, looking Aisha in the eyes, and seeing nothing but despair.
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Her eyes didn't even meet Celeste's. And on closer inspection, the girl wasn't breathing.
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"Aisha!" Celeste cried, louder.
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That prompted a bit of movement out of the little girl. Her breathing resumed, small and pitiful, and she hung her head, looking down at her hands. She opened and closed them a few times, as if she could grasp Hana's soul from the ether, and bring her back.
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"No…" She whispered.
"Aisha…"
"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this." Aisha whispered. "It-it-"
"It's not your fault." Celeste muttered.
"But it is." Aisha choked out. "It's all my fault- a-and I couldn't- I-I-I couldn't make it right. I killed her. It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault…"
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"Aisha…" Celeste said, her voice tired. "Do you know what she said, before she passed?"
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The words hit Aisha like a bullet to the stomach, reminding her that she hadn't been there. When Hana needed her most, she had been off on a contract, getting into a fistfight with Kayle and his friends. She had abandoned her. To die without her.
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It clearly showed too, as Celeste was quick to correct herself.
"I didn't mean it like that." She sighed. "I meant… she knew that you would blame yourself."
"It's because it IS my fault." Aisha said miserably. "I'm the reason… she…"
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"That's not what matters!" Celeste said angrily, cutting Aisha off. "Can't you listen, for just a single second!?"
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Aisha's face showed equal parts shock and hurt, and her mouth felt dry. The expression on her face very much was reminiscent of a child who had just been yelled at by their parents, her eyes wide and misty, and her ears drooping low.
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"She said that she wanted us to have fun." Celeste said simply, getting up on her feet.
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Aisha's lips parted, but nothing came out, although she looked like she wanted to say something. Celeste could see the turmoil in her face, her expression shifting between confused and anguished extremely quickly.
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"You're a lot of trouble, you know that?" Celeste sighed. "Playing with our hearts all the time…"
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"I'm sorry." Aisha whimpered.
"No, it's not…"
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Celeste shook her head, gripping her hair in a frustrated gesture, showing off a bit of the weariness in her body. She didn't know how to get through to the stupid little girl, how to get her feelings through.
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She also felt sad, like a pit had opened in her stomach. Hana had been… Well, if anything, she had been interesting. And she had enjoyed their time together a lot. Celeste had been unbelievably angry at Aisha, at first, when she had abandoned her, but… In the end, she really was just like a child, and she knew that it hadn't been out of a lack of care, just a lack of understanding. Of both her feelings, and theirs.
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Celeste sighed again as she bent down, scooping Aisha up into her arms and patting the girl's head. She supposed that she had also come to a better understanding of her own feelings. She no longer saw Aisha as a romantic partner - rather…
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"Aisha…" She mumbled. "I don't hate you, okay? Just stay with me."
"B-but…" Aisha's voice quivered.
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"If you want to make things right… Then make up for that time that you didn't spend with her. Make it up with me." Celeste whispered.
"I-I'm never going to get that time-"
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"Stop."
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Aisha had never felt smaller than she did in that moment. Tears began to run down her face, and she began to shake, as she was cradled in Celeste's arms.
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"So what are we going to do now?" Sui whispered.
"I don't know." Vega muttered.
"W-what!?" Sui blurted. "But-"
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"This is why I work alone." The tall adventurer mumbled. "Everybody's too emotional."
"Then what do we do now?" Kayle asked.
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Suddenly, at the sound of his voice, Vega turned to the teenager, furrowing her browns af if she had just realized that the boy had been there the entire time. She looked over the kid for a split second, before shaking her head.
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"You're not doing anything." She said resolutely. "You're going home."
"...Why?"
"Look at you. You're just a kid." Vega frowned. "And you're still in silver!"
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"You don't have to protect me." Kayle whispered. "If I become a liability, you can leave me behind."
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Vega just stared blankly at the boy, perplexed.
"Why?"
"I need to go." He said quietly.
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"For what reason!?" Vega squawked indignantly, eyes wide and confused. "You wanna just throw your life away!? You were there! You didn't do anything!"
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"Why do you want to go, mister Kayle?" Sui asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. "
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"I just… I have to." Kayle mumbled, looking at his boots.
"That's not going to cut it." Vega shook her head. "I'm not going to send a kid off to die for nothing."
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"I'm not a kid, dammit!" Kayle shouted abruptly, chair creaking as he stood up, pushing it backwards. "I can… I can make my own decisions. And I wan- I NEED to go!"
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Vega rolled her eyes. "Sure. Fine. But you have to tell us why you want to throw your life away."
"Revenge." Kayle offered, but everybody in the small inn could feel the half-hearted nature of his reply. "It killed my friends. That's reason enough."
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"That's not the real reason." Vega muttered under her breath. "But whatever."
"Whatever?" Sui chimed, concerned. "Shouldn't you be a bit more concerned?"
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"I'm tired." Vega sighed. "Maybe when the other kid comes back, we can discuss this, but for now I just want to go to sleep. Meet here again tomorrow afternoon. Goodbye."
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Sui reached out a hand to protest, but Vega quickly got up from her seat, hastily pushing it inwards and leaving the tavern. Sui glanced at her back with a worried expression - not that anybody could see it, but despite that, she felt a sense of unease in her stomach. She decided to stay in the lodge for the time being, watching as Kayle too left, leaving her to idle in the dimly lit building.
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"Friend…" She whispered.
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Soon, night fell, and while the capital slept, Aisha faced the cool night air, sitting on top of the roof to Celeste's apartment with her arms around her knees.
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They had spent the rest of the day together, Aisha keeping Celeste company as they wasted the day away.
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Aisha had taught the big woman how to cook. They had read a book together, and soon after, Celeste had grilled her on her reading skills. Celeste talked to her about her day.
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But Aisha had been out of it.
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It all felt hollow.
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Aisha felt hollow.
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(...What should I do?) She asked her shadow-partner.
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(I don't know.)
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Aisha bit her lip as she looked into the moonlight, watching the large object slowly float its way across the night sky, dragging the stars along, like flower petals in the wind.
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Before, she hadn't realized why her shadow thought it was so beautiful. But now… she longed to join the stars, floating in the sky, looking down on everything.
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Untouchable.
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"Are you there?" She whispered, into the empty wind..
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It took a bit, but eventually, she felt the dust next to her stir, and her… acquaintance showed up, arm slung over a bent leg casually.
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"Isn't this a first." The tall woman mused. "What?"
"What should I do?" Aisha whispered quietly into her knees, almost whimpering. "I…"
"..."
"I… should I… I'm scared…" She whimpered. "But I…"
"I'm the last person you should be asking about this." Feng muttered.
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"You're the only person I can." Aisha cried desperately. "Y-you're a god, right? H-help… help me… please…"
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"I'm not a god." Feng said harshly, furrowing her brows at the girl with a hard look. But her expression quickly softened, seeing the broken, lost look on Aisha's face, seeing… a familiar look.
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She sighed.
"If you're feeling lost, then… focus yourself." Feng mumbled. "What's your main goal?"
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"I want my mistress." Aisha answered almost instantly, voice breaking. "I want to hug her again. I want her to comfort me. I want her to make the bad things go away, and love me, and-"
"Okay, stop." Feng interrupted. "That's enough. Is what you're doing right now going to help you do that?"
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A storm of emotions rushed behind Aisha's eyes, as the girl thought hard about her actions, but Feng could tell. The answer was a resounding "No." But Aisha couldn't stomach leaving Celeste, abandoning her, after she had abandoned Hana.
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"W-when you said that I should e-evolve, what did you mean?" Aisha asked desperately, avoiding the question. But by the way her eyes locked onto Feng's, she understood that the tall woman knew her answer.
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Feng sighed, letting out a breath that no longer misted in the cold air.
"It's a basic rate problem." She muttered.
"..."
"If you want to get stronger at a quicker rate…" Feng continued. "You have to improve at improving. You have to find a more efficient method of getting stronger. If you try to learn the same way as everyone else… you'll only improve as fast as everyone else."
"I… I have to… improve faster?"
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Feng fidgeted with the buttons on her coat.
"I knew a kid when I was in third grade." Feng said quietly. "He was considered a child genius. He was better at math than most adults. I looked up to him. We were both in the advanced math classes… but while he was hanging out with his friends, flaunting his genius… I was home, reading my parents' old study books..."
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Feng paused.
"By middle school, I beat his score on the 4M. By high school, I was already seeking apprenticeships, while he was still taking classes. And before I knew it, he was barely even a speck of dust…"
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"I didn't even come close to his genius. He was far ahead of me, but he was content to take the same path as everyone else. And I cut my own."
"But I never looked back, a single time." Feng said miserably.
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Feng looked over at her short companion, and her face softened, seeing the anguish and turmoil lessening, slowly being replaced by a genuine curiosity.
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"To take… a different path?" Aisha whispered.
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"My dad used to always tell me…" Feng mumbled. "If you do what everyone else does, then you're going to end up just like everyone else."
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Aisha nodded, thinking. But Feng soon narrowed her eyes, turning to her short companion.
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"But again, I'm not the best person to take advice from." She said suddenly. "You don't… you don't want to end up like me. To take your own path means that you leave everyone else behind."
"That doesn't sound too bad." Aisha muttered, fantasizing. Of a life where she didn't have to worry about other people. Of not having… the responsibility of friendship, of companionship. Now, more than ever, such a life felt more appealing than ever.
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"You of all people know what loneliness feels like." Feng muttered. "I'm the one who doesn't know what the opposite end is like."
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"...If you could go back, would you have… tried to change that?" Aisha whispered.
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A deafening silence fell between the two women, and for a long time, Feng didn't respond, staring instead off into the streets, the long cobbled paths and tall buildings. She didn't look like she was thinking particularly hard, but Aisha didn't dare disturb her, fearing that she had asked something wrong. But eventually, Feng turned her head back to face Aisha, an unreadable expression on her face as she shook her head.
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"Unfortunately, that's not a question I have an answer to." Feng whispered.
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And just like that, her form turned once more into a cold mist.
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[
"Aisha!" A voice whispered.
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"Aisha!"
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"Kitten!"
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Aisha groaned as she forced her eyes and body into wakefulness, forcing herself out of the sweet realm of sleep. She would be annoyed if it was anyone else. But for some reason, she found it so difficult to get mad at the playful woman.
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"Yes?" She groaned, her voice deep and gravelly.
"...I can't sleep." Whispered a bashful voice from above her.
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Aisha groaned again, letting out a high pitched whine. "What do you want me to do about itttt?"
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"Keep me company?" Lorian suggested shyly.
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Aisha blushed, as her mistress's words sank into her body like a flush of warm heat. She sounded so… so maidenly. So meek, so… pure, so beautiful. Almost shy, a little bit.
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It made Aisha's heartbeat accelerate, hearing it from the confident woman. The fact that SHE caused it, that nobody else could… It made her feel special. Like she might be… important.
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The massive heater in the bed shifted a little bit, and Aisha whined at the loss of that amazing comfort, as her body was caught in the tremors - soon, she found herself sat upright, legs tangled with her mistress's, as the big girl smiled adoringly. Aisha shrunk under the gaze, feeling those big eyes on her, enjoying her.
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"Mmmhh…" Aisha mumbled. "So what do you want to talk about..?"
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Lorian didn't bother giving an answer, taking a deep breath, before suddenly, she leaned forward, capturing Aisha in a big, fluffy hug, squealing in her throat. Aisha's eyes widened, hearing her mistress take a completely unabashed breath of her scent, giggling lightly.
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"M-mistress!?" Aisha stuttered, resisting the urge to squirm. "W-ww-www-www-wu-"
"You make me so happy, Aisha." Lorian whispered, rubbing her cheek into Aisha's head. "You smell so nice…"
"I-"
"Thank you." Lorian mumbled. "Thank you for giving me a chance."
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Aisha blushed.
"A chance at what?" She whispered, feeling slightly woozy, anxious for her answer.
"To love you."
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Stars exploded behind Aisha's vision, and she started to blush madly, resisting the urge to beg her mistress, to fawn over her, to climb into her arms and devote her entire being to the woman. She hated that she wanted it. She hated that she wanted her mistress to tell her that she loved her. She hated that she got so happy.
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Aisha had never controlled much about her life. She had always been helpless - and that was something that she learned to live with, eventually. But now… but now…
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Now she couldn't even control her emotions. Without even using the damn contract, her mistress could already, with just a few words, churn Aisha's stomach into an inferno.
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And she hated that she loved it.
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"I…" Aisha stammered quietly, her head steaming up. "I… bwuh…I… w-mwistress…"
"You're so adorable." Lorian cooed. "I'm… I'm so happy."
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Another spike in her heart rate.
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"I…" Aisha's face turned into a tomato. "L-llll…"
"Awww…" Lorian smiled, giggling lightly. "You're blushing!"
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Lorian's delightful teasing did nothing to quell Aisha's blush, and the girl, needing an escape, buried her head into Lorian's chest, covering her face in an attempt to hide herself from the teasing, from the danger.
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It was no use. Mistress was both the comfort, and the threat. It was a vicious cycle. Aisha would seek comfort, which would lead to teasing. And then she would seek comfort from the teasing again…
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She loved it. Ah… She couldn't… keep it in anymore.
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"I l-love you too, mistress…" She whispered, feeling the tingling wash over her, enveloping her. She felt her body relax, as the butterflies in her heart traveled downwards, washing over herself. Aisha felt so submissive. So giddy.
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Lorian blushed too, and pushed Aisha down onto the bed, cuddling the girl aggressively. God, she was so glad that Aisha was so clueless. If not, she could so easily take control of their relationship, seeing just how… head over heels Lorian was for her.
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But she liked being on top. Dominating something that she loved was like a drug to her. Any boy, did she love Aisha a lot. It was so goood… but…
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"Hey." Lorian frowned, propping herself up on all fours, so that she loomed over Aisha's frame.
"Y-yeah...?" Aisha mumbled.
"It's no fun if you don't fight back." Lorian pouted.
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"Ww-wwuh?"
"Playing's only fun if both people are trying!" Lorian whined.
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Aisha's face turned red. "P-Playing??"
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Lorian giggled softly at Aisha's expression, basking in the poor girl's embarrassment. "Yeah."
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Aisha attempted to push a bit on Lorian's shoulders, fully expecting to not be able to even budge the large woman, but was surprised when Lorian smiled, playfully laying on her back, giggling as she feigned distress.
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"Aw, you got me!" She giggled. "Now come hug me."
"...Heavy." Aisha mumbled.
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"Ow ow ow ow ow ow!"
]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Lithkren
Lithkren Sorry for the long delay! Exams are hard, but here's a chapter anyways.
I've been thinking of writing another bonus chapter, and I was thinking of writing a side story on one of the other judges. You can choose between Bariss or Tylich, or if you have something else you want me to write about, please comment, and I'll probably do that instead.
bYE
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone