Sonya walked down the hall, running her fingers along the wall. Her eyes swept over the space, little moments pying out in the back of her mind. Ten weeks wasn’t a long time, not in the grand scheme of things. Yet somehow it felt like ay in others. Everyone was asleep a somehow she could still hear the little pockets of versation that had filled this pce. She could still see the aspirants walking from one pce to ahe s, training halls, the b, the little theater, the on room with the stairs leading up to the administrative hall. She asded the steps, running her hand along the rail as she gnced down at the couches beh her.

  Her lips curled into a smile.

  “Yoing to miss this, aren’t you?” A little voice rose up in the back of her mind, a hint of amusement pying on the edge of that cold voice.

  “Yeah,” She murmured beh her breath, “I don’t think I’ll be doing it agai year.”

  “Probably not,” Ishtar said, “Are you satisfied? Watg them grow? Did you get what you wanted out of it?”

  “I’m not sure,” Sonya said quietly as she strode down the administrative hall, rounding the er and stopping at that door leading out onto the baly. She remembered sitting there, wishing she could cry as her heart broke over and ain from hua’s presence.

  “The deal wasn’t a bad promise,” Ishtar pointed out, “She won’t do what you wao do, but that’s not such a bad thing. She be the person she o be, now.”

  Sonya stopped at the door a her hand on the handle, her smile turned a little rosy and she rested her head against it. It was cold, soothing in a way it hadn’t been for her when her mind was bug under everything she’d endured. She was stronger now, so much stronger, and not just in power. She could take the weight, even if it was a little bit. “I know.”

  “You don’t have to take it all back all at once,” Ishtar soothed, “I’m still here.”

  Sonya’s lips twitched, “I know,” She breathed, her voice a little shakier this time. “It just feels like all or nothing sometimes.”

  “Still haven’t figured out the vilin’s mi yet, then,” Ishtar said with a faint ugh, “It’ll e to you.”

  Sonya threw her head bad let out a noisy sigh, “You are the worst,” She muttered before pushing down on the handle and pressing outside. There, on the baly, sitting on the rail and looking out onto the courtyard was a single girl with short bck hair that had grown a little duriime at the camp. On her shoulder was a regal looking bird, a hawk, it leaned down and took something from her hand before snapping it down and swallowing. Sonya stepped out and the hawk turs head to look at her.

  The girl reached up to stroke the animal’s neck, “Easy, Al, it’s just Miss Sonya.”

  “Your senses are getting sharp,” Sonya said casually as she walked onto the steps, closing the door behind her.

  “You’re the only person here who wears distinctive cologne,” Lillian said without looking back at her, swinging her legs as she took in the view.

  “Ouch,” Sonya quipped and sauntered over to stand behind the railio her. She gnced down at the girl. She’d e in sht eyed and filled with spirit. Most of that was still there, but the pain and anguish of what she’d been through, the struggle, the stant pressure, it seemed to have tempered her in a way that Sonya couldn’t quite quantify. She looked away from the girl a out a breath. She felt a little guilty for what role she pyed in that, saning her powers so that she could grow more steadily. “You gave him a name?”

  “Yeah, Alphonse,” Lilian said quietly, “We’re ected, I feel the other birds arouoo. Not as strongly though. They hear me and I hear them, it’s strange. Not like my other powers. Something indistinct,” She said thoughtfully as she scratched beh Al’s . The bird made a burbling sound of delight and rustled its feathers. Lillian looked up at her and Sonya took in her face. Her tan skin was marred with a few scars that would never go away, a faint burn line along her jawline. Her eyes were like that of a bird now and glowed with a dim golden indesce. Two thick strands of her hair had been creen ao match the feather-like tattoos that glowed alohroat and shoulders.

  It’s affected her so much. Much more than any power I’ve ever seen, besides my own, I suppose, Sonya thought as the girl seemed to sider her for a moment. “What is it?” Sonya asked gently.

  “It’s nothing,” Lillian said after a heartbeat and shook her head, looking back at the courtyard. She paused again before taking a breath, “What is my powers name, Miss Sonya?”

  “Fenghuang,” Sonya said, “You’ve earhe right to know.”

  Lillian looked up at her in surprise, “Just like that?”

  Sonya ughed, “‘Just like that’, you say?” She looked down at her, “You’ve endured so much to get to this point. You set your life aside for another, I heard, you sacrificed and fought tirelessly to grow into the person you are now,” She nodded, “Yes, you deserve it. I think with this knowledge you’ll e to uand why your power behaves the way it does.”

  Lillian looked down at her feet, “I’ll look it up,” She hesitated again, “Did you know? That it would take doing that to myself tress?”

  Sonya’s lips thinned and she let out a sigh through her nostrils, “Yes.”

  Lillia quiet for a while as she let that single admission sink in. She reached up and stroked Al’s head slowly, her shoulders tensing and rexing. Sonya didn’t give her any excuses, she just stood o her for a while. She wao turn and hug the young woman, stroke her hair, fort her, make all the pain she’d gohrough just go away. It felt like watg her own child suffer. She held her tohough, her arms crossed casually behind her back as Lillian worked through her feelings.

  “Thank you,” Lillian said with a quiet shaky void looked up at her, “For believing I could ha.”

  “It’s going to get harder,” Sonya said quietly.

  “I know,” Lillian said with a nod and quickly pulled herself from her perch. Al let out an annoyed squawk but didn’t leave where he stood on her shoulder. She turned and ed Sonya in a tight hug, practically lifting her off the ground. “You gave me a ce at my dream, and I will never, ever, be able to properly repay you for it.”

  Sonya’s heart cracked a little, she’d done more than that and it was a cruel thing. She’d set the terms for her adva, she’d been the oo force all those powers into her body and mercilessly merge them. It had been a petunt act, shing out at hua for rejeg the role of her executioner. She’d had faith in the girl, certainly, she’d believed in her spirit and her words during that interview. Even so, it had ultimately been something self-serving on her part. And here she is, thanking me. Damn fool girl. She thought as she ran her fingers over the back of the girl’s head, stroking it gently. Lillian’s shoulders shook and she returhe hug.

  “I’m sorry, I ’t st,” Lillian mumbled into her shoulder.

  Sonya’s cracked heart melted a little, the pain easing as something else took over. She held the taller girl close, “It’s okay. Everyone expects you to be strong,” She whispered, “But right now, you be a little weak if you want. You’ve been through so much.”

  She held the girl she’d turned into a hero, the girl she’d put through hell, and did what she could to relieve a little bit of the pain she’d caused. It was all she could do. When Lillian finally stopped g she pulled away slowly and stood up straight, looking down at Sonya with gssy eyes that burned with that same vi she had the day they met. Sonya smiled up at her, “I’m proud of you, and your friends. You’ve far exceeded my expectations.”

  Lillian wiped her eyes, “I won’t let you down, ma’am.”

  Sonya chuckled and shook her head, she reached up and poked her nose, “Don’t worry about me. Just be a good hero, Lillian. Do the right thing. Fight the good fight. Hold on to those vis of yours and never let go,” She said and crossed her arms back behind her back, “One day you’ll fight side by side with your teacher, I just know it.”

  Lillian flushed and looked down at her hands, pying with them, “Thank you.”

  Sonya put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, “Now I think you o get to bed, don’t you?” She said with mock scolding, looking the girl in the eyes from an odd angle, “Aren’t your parents showing up tomorrow? Do you want to have to expin bags under your eyes along with everything else?”

  Lillian jumped and whipped her head around, irritating Alphonse again who took to the sky with an angry cry and circled around them. “Oh my gosh it’s so te!” she gasped and rubbed the side of her head, “Oh crap! Snow’s gonna kill me!” she said quickly and darted towards the dood Night Miss ovna!” She called.

  Sonya ughed and shook her head, “You’re a hero now!” She called back, “Call me Sonya!”

  Lillian beamed at her and raced through the door.

  “You should take your own adviow and then,” Ishtar said at the back of her mind.

  Sonya snorted, “Shut up,” She muttered and slipped onto the rail where Lillian had been sitting. She kicked her feet and looked out towards the same view that Lillian had been enjoying. She took in the faint remnant scars of the raid, the dojo off to the left, the distant training field, the ditioning track, the gates to the disaster slope. “You know,” Sonya said, “Life isn’t so bad. I kind of like it. Even with… you know… everything,” She rahumb along the railing, “I wish there was a way that I could…” She trailed off and ughed to herself, “Nevermind. Wishful thinking,” she sighed, “Whatever happens, I’ll be okay with it.”

  “You still have a long way to go,” Ishtar said.

  Sonya smirked, “I know. Six more to go.”

  Ishtar sighed and dispersed. Sonya shrugged it off, she didn’t know what was b her but it really didn’t matter. Right now, she was tent. Her little act of viliny had made something positive for the world and that helped, it helped a lot. She opened her hand and a small portal appeared over it, a tiny shape falling into it. An egg. She rolled it over between her fingers as she felt it hungrily reach out and grab at her mana, pulling it in like a torrent. She giggled at the sensation. “Hungry tonight?” She teased, “Go ahead a all you want, I have plenty to spare.”

  –

  hua had meandered her way out of her room and into the on room, settling on one of the couches and ying back to rex. It’d been a while since she’d felt this at ease and she khat it would be a while yet afterward that she would experie again. She wasn’t wearing her usual hero uniform, a bat robe. Instead, just a white tank-top and jeans apanied a pair of simple socks. In her hand she held a ic book that she flipped through zily, enjoying the pages.

  A shift in movement overhead drew her attention and she felt the signature presence of her student desding the stairs. She drew her presen a little, examining her face. Streaks from tears framed a bright smile. Eyes filled with determination and a little bit ency. She’s up te. hua thought, scratg at her as Lillian raced past, unaware that she was sitting there. She gnced up at the top of the stairs and raised an eyebrow before reag out with her senses. Sonya? Her mana levels are fluctuating wildly, why? What’s she doing?

  hua let out a grunt and hopped to her feet, snapping the ic closed as she walked over to the steps and asded. So muergy but it’s not going out into the air, just… disappearing. She frowned and picked up her pace, a bit of coiling up in her gut as she hurried to the door leading to the baly. She pushed the door open and stopped. There she was, sitting on the railing with a small obje her hand. Her white hair sparkling in the light, dang about her pale face. She was so tiny with the world framing her, so frail. hua knew better, but it still made her feel something around her chest and squeeze.

  She looked down at her own hand that she’d used to make two deals with her. Oo learn a terrible truth, the other to have it taken away when it o go. She looked back up at Sonya who only had eyes for the tiny obje her hand. An egg? Sonya’s face was so gentle in that moment, warm, almost motherly.

  “Are you going to keep admiring me in the moonlight, or are you going to say hello?” Sonya asked without looking at her.

  hua tensed, “I- what-” She stammered. Dammit…

  Sonya gestured and a tiny square of light formed over her hand, she pushed the egg up into it and it vanished. She turned and looked back at hua, a bit of sweat beading on her brow. “Just feeding the baby,” Sonya said with a mischievous smile before pushing off the rail and onto her feet. She walked towards hua, her arms crossed behind her back as she peered up into her eyes with those eerie pink orbs. “Tomorrow’s a big day,” She said.

  “Yeah,” hua murmured.

  “You’ll be pretty busy with security,” Sonya tinued.

  “Yeah,” hua said again, her hands falling to her sides.

  “Then yoing back to hero work, you’ll be all over the world again, our new deal will go into effect,” Sonya rambled on.

  “Yeah.”

  “If there was anything you wao do before then, now is really the only option, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” hua started and then blinked, “Wait, what?” She blurted, nearly taking a step back before a hand took hold of the hem of her shirt.

  Sonya was inches away, she hadn’t even noticed. She smelled like… Wow. hua cleared her throat as Sonya giggled at her, “hua,” Sonya whispered, looking up at her with that perfect face, with those incredible lips, “Will you keep me pany tonight?”

  hua positively melted, “...yeah.”