Completed To Bleed Enough

[Henk]

The Dreadlord beside her chuckles a bit, shaking his head as he turns away from her to collect his belongings. They were done for the night; they'd made a mountain of progress in a very small amount of time, and while Livia may not feel it yet, she would be completely drained by the time her head hit a pillow. Best to get out of here now, before he wound up having to carry her back.

"Not for me to say what they'll rank you, but don't take Fourth Rank so lightly. Some of the strongest Dreadlords started below whatever rank they ended up peaking at. You're young, you've plenty of time to impress them the way you've impressed me."

As the two of them climbed the ladder back out of the hidden cavern and onto the Academy grounds, Henk stretched under the moonlight illuminating the old shack. It was too late to trek back to the city, so he'd probably end up laying out here for the night. The stars were relaxing, and it wouldn't be the first time he'd counted them to lull himself to sleep.

"If you remember anything that I've told you tonight, Quinnick, remember this." Henk threw his jacket back on and closed the door of the shack. His hands still shimmered dimly with the power he'd had to summon up to protect himself from her. Turning to look at her, he focused his eye on hers carefully.

"Even if your Father forced you to have this power, only you can dictate how you use it. That's something that nobody can take away from you."

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

They had been similar words that Zana spoke to her.

Livia looked at Henk with a mixture of emotions.

"I do not know where to begin with this magic... all I have tried is to disrupt the magical flow of Proctor Urahil's healing." And used her magic against her, but Livia had no control on that.

She brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes and exhaling heavily. "I am going to talk to my brothers. I must be missing something from my father's journals..." Her hand dropped to her side, and the Initiate looked agitated. "Thank you, really. I will see you next training day."

Livia's thoughts were restless, unable to remember that Henk was far from anywhere she could imagine was home.

---

Two weeks had passed, and Livia had been nowhere to be seen at the last training session. The second, she strolled in with her silver hair braided down her back, Initiate's combat uniform in pristine condition, and ignoring the open stares from her colleagues on the Taskforce. Her face was strangely void, differing to the many other times she had this same expression.

There was anger still within her, the source of it unknown.

She had gotten there early, already stationed at the archery field and retying the bowstring to one of two bows she had brought with her.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Livia's absence had been noted by all, but none more so than Henk. The girl had assured him that she would return on the next training day. There were murmurs and rumors abound regarding what had become of Quinnick, but Henk's lips remained silent. He did not worry. What he'd witnessed in that cavern had answered any lingering questions of the young woman's fortitude that may have nagged at him.

Livia was preparing. When she was ready, she would return.

Return she did, her steps full of purpose and her face empty of emotion. Her hair and expression drew stares from all who saw her, the murmurs returning twofold now that she'd made herself known with such a drastic change in her appearance. It was no surprise that she blew past them all, and headed directly for the archery field where she could be alone with her thoughts.

She wouldn't be isolated for long. The poor soul sparring with Henk found himself quickly flipped onto his back as Quinnick entered, and staring up would see only the departing form of the Dreadlord as he moved to follow the woman to the field.

It was time to see how far she'd come.

"You've kept me waiting, Miss Quinnick." Henk moved to stand between her and the targets on the far end of the Archery field, his arms crossed over his chest and a toothy grin resting on his scarred face. "But I know you don't expect to go back to business as usual."

Just as he'd done the first day they spoke, Henk uncrossed his arms and slowly slid into a fighting stance before her, the scales of his armor sliding open to allow sunlight to begin soaking into his flesh.

"It's time. Either attack me or prepare to defend yourself, Livia."

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia did not lift her head up to meet Henk's challenge, but her eyes peered at him through dark lashes.

"Oh, I am preparing to defend myself." She answered, nimble fingers making quick work of tying knots to the string, moving her longbow to comfortable position and pretending an arrow was nocked as she tested the yield. Once satisfied, she hung it up on the stand beside her other bow, one she had told Skender she would not forget this time so that they could boast of their near death experience in the belly of a beastly ruin in the Empire.

Livia now studied Henk's stance before slowly moving to stand adjacent of him.

Of course, the ever watchful gaze of Dreadlord Marks bore hard into Quinnick.

"Henk stressing you out?" He chuckled, but Livia could hear the curiosity, the wondering of how the ends of her hair now took over the previously brunette.

Livia's hardened face remained fixed on Henk, who was quick to challenge her so soon after her arrival.

"I barely slept these past few weeks." She said simply, a brow deepening. Her outward appearance looked healthy, her movement sharp and her gaze alert. The magic unleashed inside her had kept her functioning, like the fabled stories of a Dreadlord being able to withstand a substantial loss. "All I could think about was plummeting to those depths again..."

Henk

 

[Henk]

"Some say the second time is harder than the first." The smile on Henk's face grew as she approached, moving to stand across from him in a way that mirrored their initial encounter. Aside from her hair, Livia looked the same. Inside though, she'd changed. The energy within her had grown denser, more concentrated. The aura she exuded was no longer one of constant fear of herself. Even the way her feet fell against the grass was heavier, with more poise and confidence. "Before, you could unleash it without recompense. Today, you must control it. No explosions, no shockwaves. Only within you, Livia."

Quinnick was a strong-willed girl. To be confronted with the fact that her own mind had been what was holding her back would have been a frustrating ordeal, even after overcoming it. Henk knew firsthand the tears he'd shed before deciding to step outside of his zone of comfort and reaching out for the strength he needed most. Now, she faced the hurdle of conquering her new strength.

"Last time we fought, the first strike you threw was parried away easily." Henk had sent her onto her back in short order, and while she eventually had managed some offense, it had taken her some time to find her rhythm. "Now I know you have the power to take me by surprise. I want you to hit me, and do not hold back because we are friends."

Henk's fists tightened, and the flaps of his armor seemed to open in what almost looked like an intimidating flex. Dim beams of light shot from the Dreadlords arms, and even the katars on his hips began to shimmer. Slowly, he would slide forward, dragging his boots through the dirt to make his way towards her.

"Because, if you hesitate, I will strike you down."

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Her gaze upon him did not waver, until it came to assess how she should respond. All her previous attempts came to mind, and Livia flicked her gaze back up to the singular eye that Henk had left to see out of.

"Alright then."

He had moments to prepare before she would be in striking range, but that was what she intended to happen as he no doubt would block her various fists from landing upon him. There was anger in her throws; determination that dared to become retribution flaring in her.

And then her magic burst like licking flames from her skin.

Tongues and embers of corruption magic would just reach Henk as Livia's speed and strength did not let up, not allowing him a time to get a countermove in and most likely bring her down on her back again. She was aggressive, feeding off the fire of her magic as it came to life with her emotions. Maseno probably would not approve of her lack of control, but she at least was directing it other than towards herself and letting it stew.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Livia approached him quickly, much faster than she had several weeks ago. Henk was able to defend himself, but only barely; the window that Quinnick offered had shrunk dramatically.

Her speed was not all that had improved: The power behind her blows as they collided with the armor covering his arms was thunderous. Even with his protection, the strikes shook his bones and caused his limbs to ache from the sheer impact he was taking.

Through his focus on defending against her attacks, Henk found a fledgling sense of pride lingering in the back of his mind.

"Very good, Quinnick. I can feel these ones..."

The smartest strategy would be to focus on protecting himself until Quinnick wore herself out with this ferocious offensive, but Henk was not content to simply defend-- He wished to see how far she'd come, wished to test her newfound power in a way that she wouldn't have been able to do herself.

The next time her fist landed against his block, it would not find his armor, but a precisely placed barrier of light formed underneath her fist. On impact it quickly began to expand, pushing her fist back with it and creating a brief window for a counterattack.

Briefer than it should have been; that crackling corruption magic of hers ate away at the barrier sooner than it would have dissipated on its own.

Still, it was just enough time for him to throw a punch at her midsection, leaning forward on one leg as he threw his other hand back and released a burst of heat from his palm, pushing him forward in an attempt to launch Quinnick away and create space.

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia was not able to evade the blow to her midsection, nor the force he threw her way. It was enough to topple her, but she was trained to fall, to correct her mistakes and do so safely. Livia rolled against the ground, finishing in a position she was able to kick herself back onto her feet and rise.

She glowered at him, "Had enough already?" He used his magic against her, and Livia curled her hands into fists. Did Henk not want to see her new power at play? To see how much stronger it made Livia?

Quinnick did not wait, running at him again, but her attack came before her fists did. The air crackled between them, almost suffocating the air from it's pure form with the rise in energy. It was as if she were now a storm cloud, crackling before the lightning struck in a series of aimed punches and jabs.

All her emotions came to rise, causing her to tear up and grit her teeth as the past few weeks all rolled back into her.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Quinnick was down, but not for long. Only a second would pass before she had sprung back to her feet with a taunting growl. Henk's merely tightened his brow, his lip twitching at the antagonizing question. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You've only just started."

Taking those hits had been an important part of this fight-- Now he knew he couldn't defend against her in close quarters without a significant magical defense.

But she was reckless. Already she lunged forward again for a second assault. Henk used his time well, backpedaling a step and throwing his arms forward to fire spheres of searing light from his palms to intercept her. Even if she avoided them, they would slowly discharge small bolts toward her, forcing her to defend herself from too many angles at once.

It was a reliable technique, but it left him open, and regardless her first flurry found him flush. With every punch that successfully landed, the crack of thunder reverberated through his skull, causing his ears to ring. It wasn't until Henk caught one of her incoming punches and gripped her arm with scorching palms that he regained some measure of control, twisting his body and using her arm to attempt a throw over his shoulder.

His ears still rang, and the taste of copper filled his mouth after the hellacious punches had rocked him to the core. His fire burned strong, but he could not toy with her as he had before.

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Pain registered in her arm, burning through the wool of her training uniform, until it seared into her flesh. Livia growled through gritted teeth, cementing herself and twisting before he could use the momentum against her and land her on her back. Her skin scalded, protesting as she yanked herself out from his grasp. Liv put some distance between them, looking down at her arm as she twisted it from side to side to assess the burns he caused her.

They were bad; the pain not quite hitting her at the moment. She lowered her arm, anger darkening her eyes, but it was anger she had building inside her for weeks. Henk was just a way to get it out, to go all out and see what she could do now that fear of her magic no longer held her back.

Livia called on her magic then, become a disruptive beacon of corruption, flicks of electricity crackling in the ears of many Dreadlords around them.

"Quinnick!" Called out Dreadlord Marks, watching her with caution. "Take it down a notch!" His magic was to manipulate air, but standing within twenty feet of her, he could not begin to feel the air call to him. The magic she was wielding disrupted the channeling of others too, all but Henk before her.

"I... cannot stop." She whispered, panic slowly filling her olive eyes as she stared at her mentor. "Henk..."

Henk

 

[Henk]

Livia escaped the throw; even through the pain from Henk's scalding skin, she was far more prepared to defend against such an attempt than she was when first they'd fought. As she twisted away, Henk stumbled forward and dropped briefly to a knee, coughing up a small bit of blood from where she'd opened his face with her fists.

Well, it wasn't as though he could get any harder on the eyes.

If the fight had continued at this pace, with the two of them continuing to battle at this level, Henk didn't see himself winning. At least, not without tapping into the new powers that Zana had pulled from him. No, if it came to that, he'd stand down and give Quinnick her victory. For all the work she'd done it would be a well-earned one.

Their battle never had a chance to reach such a definitive conclusion, unfortunately. As Henk lifted himself back to his feet and steeled himself for another volley, he felt a wave of magic collide against his back, washing over him and dimming the light inside his body dramatically. A sudden fatigue fell upon him as he spun to face Livia, grimly knowing exactly what to expect.

The air crackled and sparked with power around Quinnick, her magic at a boiling point. She'd mastered some level of control over it while calm, but now, with her emotions heightened by the fight and whatever turmoil she'd internalized during her isolation, she was losing her grip.

"You're panicking." Henk's bloodied lips twitched as he stepped forward in defiance of the raging corruptive magic that flowed from her every pore. "Breathe, maintain your hold on it..." Even as he spoke the words he knew she was beyond the point of recovery. He'd have to act fast if he was to mitigate the damage to the rest of the Taskforce.

Summoning up the light that hadn't been fizzled out by her corruption, Henk held out his arms and fired it towards Livia in bright, arching beams. As they snaked towards her, careful to avoid the ripples of corruption, they wrapped around her body in a protective dome, like the one Henk had protected himself with in the cave.

This would be harder; this time he was trying to keep her magic in. Until the surge had subsided.

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

It was clear she needed to burn it out.

Trapped in her own storm of corruption and energy, Livia could not hear the words of others, but their mouths moved as if she could hear them. She dropped her gaze to the ground, before inevitably closing them shut tightly and letting her magic burn through her. She could feel the shield of light around her, struggling against the counter effects of her magic, but Henk held fast against her. He would weather this with her, and it was with that thought that Livia could trust him to keep them safe as she gave one last push of her magic until she felt it fill the air and suffocate her.

Like a flame choked of wind, Livia struggled to stay upright, and fell to her knees. She keeled over, whimpering and struggling to keep upright. The pain was registering in her arms, and through her very being. A burn out was not a fun venture, and with a large intake of breath, the Initiate let out a pained wail.

"I'll get the Healer!" Called someone, and despite the distance away from Livia, their voice pierced into her ears, leaving her to wince.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Containing Quinnick's fury pushed even Henk's ability to the absolute limit; Her corruptive energy ripped and chewed on his barrier, whittling it away with every passing second. It was all that the Dreadlord could do to maintain the sphere of light, the reserves within himself quickly dwindling under Livia's relentless might.

By now, the rest of the Task Force that had been training had turned their attention to the two of them, dropped weapons clattering on the ground as bodies rushed to offer aide. There was little they could do; Even Henk felt his body aching with exhaustion, the thunder of his own heartbeat in his ears as he exerted himself to the utmost in hopes of keeping Livia contained.

For a moment, he wondered if perhaps it would take pouring his very being into the barrier to restrain her. With his new power, he could break down his very being into light and wrap around the human cataclysm before him until she petered out. The only point of contention would be whether or not he could come back from such a stunt.

Luckily, he need not find out. With a final surge of energy, one strong enough to shatter the barrier around her, Quinnick was spent, and dropped to her knees in exhaustion with a cry of agony. Henk was first at her side, a hand on her back and his body positioned to shield her from the eyes of onlookers as a medic was fetched.

"Breathe. It's alright. You're going to be fine..."

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia flinched at his touch, but could do nothing but ride out the pains that wracked her body. Never had she felt pain like this, enough to break her composure. She was glad Henk was there, to be the only thing she could see as she twisted and writhed. Tears spilled from her eyes, looking up at him like a lost and broken thing.

All she wished was that Silas was there to comfort her, but right now, things were back to being distant... or at least that was an ever constant with her. Every time she pushed him away, she wanted him near her ever more. The Taskforce was just another secret she was keeping from him, and telling him of her involvement would result in something perhaps far worse than the burnout she was experiencing now.

"I am... sorry." Livia's bottom lip quivered before wincing through her teeth. She had no control, not like she had the night Henk helped her reach the pit of her magic's well. No... today she had been angry. She had bottled things up the past couple of weeks and took it out on her new ally. "Henk... I am so sorry."

Livia did not like to fail. Losing control like that, she deserved feeling this.

"Quinnick?" Her named being called was to catch her attention, but she was unable to look up at Henk. Livia did not even register that the voice belonged to Perrine Urahil, a Proctor brought in to operate as a Healer for the Taskforce.

 

[Henk]

Henk paid no heed to any apologies Livia tried to make, her voice weak enough that he could pretend he did not hear it. Despite her remorse, she had done nothing wrong. The control over her untapped power that she'd attained was still young, and she could not be faulted for mishaps.

Kress knows Henk had lost himself more than once before he'd found his balance.

"Enough of that." He muttered softly, holding her up off of the ground as he turned his head to watch for a medic. "You could have wiped this entire encampment out if you didn't have the control you did. The fault lies with me for pushing you so harshly."

In that, he felt guilt; Just because his talents had been dragged from his body with the ruthlessness of the old ways did not mean he'd needed to antagonize her to get those same results.

Finally, a familiar face pushed herself through the onlookers and rushed to their side. Perrine Urahil had become a dear friend to him over the last few months, but today was perhaps the happiest he was to see her.

"She's been practicing with unfamiliar magic." He explained to Perrine, sliding aside to let the expert do her job. "It got away from her; she had to burn out."

Perrine Urahil

 

[Perrine Urahil]

"Talk to her. Calm her." It was all the blonde said to Henk as she put her hands either side of Quinnick's face. A golden glow came from their combined skin, the signs of the Healer's magic beginning work.

After a few short seconds, Perrine jumped and pulled her hands away.

"Quinnick you need to disengage from your magic." Periwinkle eyes flick up to her friend's singular eye. "Her corruption magic, yes?" Perrine knew it was, had remembered the stinging zap Livia's magic had on her months ago when she first asked the Proctor for assistance with the secondary magic she possessed. "Henk, if she cannot stop channeling, even a little, she will need nullifiers."

"Please, Proctor... please make it stop..." Livia whimpered, her body curling up as she gasped at the pain she experienced.

"Nullifiers!" Perrine called out, hoping someone had a clue as to where some may be kept.

Henk

 

[Henk]

There was only so much he could do to calm Livia, what with the corruptive elements of her magic still searing through her veins. She was far more subdued than she'd been before Henk had contained her, but still she writhed in unbidden agony, calling out for aid even under the healer's magic.

It did little to help her. As Perrine pulled her hands away it dawned on him that she could do little to help when Liv's corruption magic likely prevented her healing from working with any effectiveness. Giving a nod to Perrine's question, he looked back down at Quinnick with a mixture of concern and frustration.

"She spent whatever energy she had left stopping her energy from lashing out around her. Nullifiers, at least until she's stable." Henk hated to use the damned things, but they wouldn't permanently effect her. Right now, they needed to save her from herself. Raising a hand and snapping his fingers to draw attention, he pointed to his bag of belongings near the wall. Marks, of all people, quickly ran over and opened the bag, retrieving the engraved cuffs and tossing them to Henk.

"Relax, Livia. You're going to be fine." He muttered as softly and assuredly as he could manage as he clicked the cuffs over her trembling wrists, the magic-killing runes cutting off the flow of her corruption almost instantly. "Breathe... let the power dim and extinguish."

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia gasped for air; a blade so sharp it felt as if it pierced through her lungs to let them deflate.

Pains caused by magic ceased, leaving her to finally hold clarity without her compass magic constantly searching and finding. The corruption no longer filled her veins, and the Initiate found herself rolling to one side and wheezing. It was as if she needed to learn how to breath again.

Perrine Urahil placed her hands back on the girl, and Livia could feel her organs and being work once more with ease. No longer gasping for air like a fish out of water, no longer suffering beneath magic she had no measure of control.

Finally, she lifted herself to sit, and closed her eyes. The cuffs at her wrists were the heaviest thing without her magic, or perhaps she was still recuperating. "Sorry..." She whispered. Knees came up to rest her head against them, her arms wrapping around her silver hair.

"Sorry..." Livia said louder this time, now left alone to deal with emotions she had not been able to process in the few weeks. There was no sobbing from her, but it was clear in her voice that tears were at least present.

"You need to rest. Take her to the infirmary, Henk." The Healer lifted a brow, a silent request that the Dreadlord give the young Initiate some company.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Quinnick apologized to nobody. Henk did not wish for her remorse, Perrine was merely doing her job, and the rest of the Taskforce undoubtedly had her safety at the forefront of their concern. What had just occurred was not a failure of Livia, but of he himself. It weighed heavy on his heart, another mistake to tally into his wounded soul.

He could only offer the support that he'd not received after his own stumbles, the comfort that he'd sought so desperately in his weakest of moments. Nodding to Perrine, Henk leaned forward and wrapped his armored arms around Livia, holding her for a moment as she woke from her living nightmare, one that Henk knew all too well.

"No apologies. You did admirably, Miss Quinnick."

The words came softly to her ear, before Henk rose, lifting her up to her feet with his strength and supporting her with his weight when she inevitably stumbled forward. Quinnick would recover from this, she would take this fight as a lesson and see those lines she'd crossed next time she approached them. She was resilient like that.

She'd already proven that to him.

"Thank you for your timely help, Perrine. I continue to rack up debt with you."

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Perrine rolled her eyes, but gave Henk a smile. Before she made to leave, her periwinkle eyes gave Livia one last look over, gaze finishing on the nullifying cuffs.

Livia shuddered at Henk's touch, but was weak to fend off his assistance in helping her to her feet. She managed to grumble something nondescript as he supported her and guided her towards the infirmary. "How am I going to survive out there if I cannot keep myself from burning out?" Her voice weighed with weariness, but her bitterness, her disappointment in herself, could be heard in her tone.

She was months out from graduation, but she was determined not to leave the Academy and be a lowly Fourth Rank Dreadlord like the Proctors and other Initiates thought of her. Livia had felt the power that came with corruption, and it filled her with confidence it would be enough to set her aside from others. Not many Dreadlords were gifted with a second ability, and even if her own was stolen and thrust upon her, she was going to make it work for her.

Henk

 

[Henk]

"You've had access to this level of power for a relatively short amount of time, Livia." Henk spoke quietly as he carried her from the Taskforce's training grounds to the infirmary. "You are not incapable, but overzealous."

While Quinnick was too weak to protest his aide, he was mindful of her pride, and took a longer, more discreet route than what would have been the fastest; Weaving around the main hall and avoiding the view of the dormitory would offer less chance for her to be seen by her peers in this condition. "All things considered, it's a miracle you controlled it for as long as you did. With time and patience, you will learn to control yourself."

Patience, he knew, that did not come easily to her. With a deadline such as Graduation looming on the horizon, it drove one's desire to grow stronger by any means necessary, as quickly as possible. He too had felt that pressure, though its end had made him wish he'd accomplished more.

"Tell me, Livia. Have you ever wielded a blade that was too heavy for you?" Henk looked down at her as they entered the infirmary, relatively quiet at the moment. "You can swing with great power, but the extra weight causes the sword to pull you with it, or the hilt to escape your grip completely. It is the same with magic."

Finding an empty cot, Henk gently laid her atop it and placed his hand upon the cuffs. The buzz of magic was still coursing through them, but it was lessening; She was beginning to come out of the burn.

"When wielding a power greater than you're accustomed to, it becomes a matter of controlling it, and not allowing it to control you." Henk trained his eye on her as he unlinked one of the cuffs. She would feel a momentary surge, but nothing she couldn't handle as her body vented some of the excess energy.

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia hissed as the bite and burn of magic filled her veins, but not to the degree she had experienced minutes ago.

She managed her way to a cot in the infirmary, wincing and gritting her teeth as her body ached from the movement, but she all but fell back against the soft pillow and looked up at the stone ceiling. "I need to control it. All of it." Her thoughts still muddled, stunned and recovering after that amount of discharged power lost her.

Liv stared up, blinking fast. "So much has gone wrong since I saw you last and I just... wanted one thing I could control and hold onto."

Absently, her hands came to rest at her navel, one hand wringing around the other that was free from the cuff. It felt like a burn unseen, but felt beneath the layer of her light skin. It burned and itched, remnants of recovery lessening the feeling by the minute. "I got caught up in things, and... now I feel like an idiot for going against my gut in the beginning."

She had lost some friends, or at least, they no longer spoke or acknowledged Livia. All because she pursued a boy that gave them company too. Even when she threatened to lose it all, to be done with all these attachments and friendships, it felt as if one of her throwing knives were being twisted deeper into her chest.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Henk did not wring her for further information on her woes. There was no point in him knowing, when the damage had already been inflicted upon her. That Quinnick sought control, that she desired some facet of her existence to have stability was only natural.

Unfortunately, theirs was a title that did not breed peace and control easily. Discord was their nature, was what came easiest to the Dreadlords. It was a curse, he was convinced, that they could never truly find happiness or salvation.

Henk certainly hadn't.

"I think... I pushed you too hard, too quickly." He said, more to himself than to Livia as he lowered into the chair beside her cot, a sigh passing his lips as he slowly reached over each shoulder to unstrap the armor covering his arms and back. "I've been insensitive to your personal life, Miss Quinnick. It is easy for me to devote myself solely to training, to push all other matters out of my mind, when this is all I have left. But you..."

The armor hit the floor with a heavy thud, and Henk slowly ran his hands over the exposed skin of his arms, still red from the heat he'd expelled.

"You're still an Initiate. You have time, and people left to care about. It is not a failure to have heartache, for that means you still have a heart to pain you." Henk's eye slid away from her, almost in shame. "Perhaps I've become so cold that I forget what that is like. I apologize, Livia, for my own tunnel vision."

Livia Quinnick

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"I lost my friends. All because of a boy." Her voice was small, head bowed to keep her olive eyes on her fidgeting hands. She knew how young she sounded having such plights, but it was something those her age could afford now that the Revolution came to pass. "It is silly... it should not matter really... but, I guess I just got excited that I could graduate with my friends. It feels less scary knowing I may work with some of them on day..."

She chewed her lip, letting out a shaky breath.

Emotions were running high even after her burning out. Livia hated how uncertain it made her feel, how out of control of the situation she was, but she knew there was a tipping point. In the past few years, she had done well to stifle it all, but... she had begun to really care for her friends, and for the boy that made her soften.

"I know I am young and just a girl, and that I will get over all of this... but it just sucks that after it all, I am the one to be blamed." Because Houri had stopped talking to her. Thraah had decided to stick by Houri, and Zinnia. Gods, sweet Zinnia was starting to join in and even she gave a wide berth of Livia.

"I do not expect you to have an answer to all my woes... but... it was good taking it out all on you. No offense."

Henk

 

[Henk]

There was a painful familiarity behind Henk's pale eye as Livia spoke of her woes. Of course, he'd known a bit about Quinnick's tumultuous relationship with the Artesto boy. It hadn't exactly been kept under the tightest of wraps among the initiates, some of which were in the task force.

But it was heartache. Henk knew heartache. It was an agony he'd grown to coexist with, that he'd felt for so long that it had become his normal. As Livia finished venting, he allowed her a moment's reprieve, a period of silence. Then, quietly, he placed his hand on her knee, looking towards the waning beams of evening light shining through the window

"Did you know, Livia, that I was once in love?"

The question was poised as if there was any way she could have been privy to the knowledge, but he did not wait for an answer.

"My class were the last who were taught in the old ways. Our regimens were grueling, our training unforgiving on both our bodies and minds. Many did not survive it, and those who did learned to be cold and distant for their own safety. But there was one girl..."

Henk paused, seeming to contemplate if speaking further was truly beneficial to Livia, or if it was a selfish act of venting back to a poor girl who needed her own emotional outlet.

"She was different. Even with my flaws, she saw something in me. At my loneliest moments, on my darkest of nights, I imagined her by my side. The thought of her pushed me through."

Where was she now, he wondered? It had been months... perhaps even a year since he'd last seen her. Slowly turning his head to look back at Livia, a somber smile rested on his jagged lips. "Our graduation was upended by the birth of Gilram's rebellion. We were attacked, and I wasn't strong enough to protect her. Out of fear, out of anger at my own inability and weakness, I ran away. In doing so, I severed any chance I ever had of being with that woman I cared so deeply for."

With a sigh, Henk rose from Livia's bedside, collecting his armor slowly.

"If you truly love this boy... If his presence is the kind that pushes you through the darkness, then you must stand firm in the face of any and all trials that come between you. Be it mere drama or the end of a blade. To run is to be left with nothing but regret. And I don't wish that on you, Livia. You deserve more."

Livia Quinnick