[Z_] and Eclipse

[Just Before An Eclipse]

Leona actually was quite excited at the list that he could do. If she'd had that ability--harshly she forced away the what ifs. She blinked a little, confused at what he seemed so excited about. Looking down at her hands, she asked, "What thing?" And spreading them before both of them, she continued, "You mean heat up my hands? It's the only way we survived after we agreed no fire. It can get pretty cold at night in Opalescent."  

[[Z_]]

"Exactly," Miles nodded, grinning. "If you're creating heat then you're almost to fire," He said, rubbing his hands together. He mimicked what she did, letting the heat pass through his hands. as it reached his little fingers he tensed and flames burst from his tips. "See?"  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

((Sorry for the long delay; I've been crazy sick lately.))

Leona flinched back, the memories of the fire still fresh in her mind. “I…I’ve never managed to get a flame…what do you do?” Ignoring fears was a great talent of Leona’s, as she ungracefully shoved the thought into a far corner of her brain. Then taking her hands, she held them in front of her. She tried to get the heat to go through her hands. Practice brought the warmth throughout her palms and to her fingertips with ease. But that was all that happened. “Do I make it hotter?” she tried that first, trying desperately to raise the temperature.
 

[[Z_]]

(Don't worry about it at all)
"I wouldn't say, hotter," Miles paused, scratching his head. "So much as... Let it out," He shrugged, having never explained this to anyone before. "It's kind of like, instead of heating the inside of your hands, try for the outside," He suggested, going through the steps he took in his head. "Keep it simple, just try for a small flame on your little finger," He said, allowing a small flame to dance at the tip of his own.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

‘He makes it look so easy.’ The young girl thought to herself while her small face contorted as she fell into a deep concentration. Staring at her smallest finger, she could feel the warmth leaving her palm and collecting at the tip. It seemed to fill the digit, spreading down the length instead of rising up. Annoyance boiled inside of her, and she closed her eyes remembering her mother’s teaching that anger leads to disaster because you lose control. She knew enough about magic that keeping control was vital. A frown creasing her brow, she started to push the heat upward. In her mind’s eye there were already flames encircling the finger. But all she could manage physically was a little puff of smoke coming off her fingernail. She’d learned the warmth spell quickly in order to survive, but without that incentive, she didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. She let out a frustrated groan, flicking her hand away. Amazingly this led to a small spark. She, in her annoyance, didn’t notice.  

[[Z_]]

Miles snapped his fingers, reaching into the fire pit and retrieving a burning log. "Let's try a different approach. It seems like you will be able to create the fire, but I think what you lack is control," He held his open palm to the log, a small flame flipping and twisting through the air as it leaped from the wood and into his hand. He allowed it to run circles around his arm before returning to his hand where he snuffed it out. "That's really the hard part I suppose," He grinned, placing the log in front of her.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

With it at a distance, Leona watched the flame circle with the tenseness one watches a snake through a thin plane of glass. She didn’t expect him to offer the burning wood to her. Her eyes widened, seemingly taking up her entire face, and she flinched as the heat reached her face. “I’mnotapyromater” she stumbled over the words, mispronouncing it in her rush. Her dark orbs never left the flickering flames, but she was scooting backwards without realizing it. She remembered the pain of fire. Her leg still held the rough scars from it. And she could still hear the echo of Raylan’s screams. Feel his body resist her dull knives, then the color spilling out over his blackened body. Somehow she managed to grow greyer, the memory absorbing all of her attention as she stared at the flickering log.  

[[Z_]]

Miles waved his hand over the log, snuffing the flame. He lifted it and placed the wood back into the pit. "It's alright," He assured her, smiling. "You'll get it eventually, just take it slow. Fire is a very powerful thing, I understand it can be a bit scary at first."
Kraid noted the fear in her eyes, grinning. "You need to let go of that fear," he knelt next to her, staring into her eyes. "It only gets in your way."  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

It took a few blinks for Kraid's face to come into focus. With a noticeably loud swallow, she shook her head, pushing the fear back deep into her core. "You're the one who doesn't burn. You don't have anything to fear." Her voice was cocky, as if willing to taunt him a little. Which she was, considering distraction was the best tool against fear and most other negative emotions. Even a smirk grew on her face. She was curious about this Kraid. Miles was more obviously Avin. She felt like she understood him more. But Kraid. Kraid was probably viciously insane. Insanity she could deal with, it kept one from worrying when they'd snap, but viciousness took that comfort away. For the threat of pain was always there.  

[[Z_]]

Kraid sneered, shaking his head. "You are the one who doesn't know fear, Child," He growled, moving his face closer to hers. "I have seen things far worse than you could possibly imagine in one of your twisted little night terrors," He began to explain, holding his hand before him, palm up. He curled and uncurled his fingers one by one, still staring into Leona's eyes. He studied her, attempting to see into her mind through her eyes.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

Leo met his eyes boldly as she laughed. “Fear doesn’t care what you’re seeing Kraid. It’s what you feel when someone’s life is slipping out of your hands.” Her eyes showed nothing of the terror she’d seen. The punishment for thievery was death on the spot, if you’re caught of course. The method depended entirely on the “victim’s” whim. She remembered clearly one young boy being caught. He wasn’t in their close knit group, but she knew his face. When he was caught, his ‘victim’ was quite creative. He pinned the poor boy to the floor, with the help of four eager volunteers, then slowly and carefully pulled his spine out, starting from the pelvic bone. That was when Leona had learned he wasn’t human. Never did his spinal cord snap, as his punisher was far too careful. Instead, his screams spread throughout the streets until his backbone was separated from his skull, finally breaking that fragile cord. In an instant the young boy was silent, with his cries still echoing after him. She flicked her dark eyes down to his hand and uncertainty grew in their depths. She could easily guess he was about to do some magic, but what? Her entire body tensed, as she waited to see what would happen. It was the testing point; to see how much harm the two of them would bring to her. Her instincts told her Kraid wouldn't hurt her, but they could be wrong. And that would be quite bad.  

[[Z_]]

"Hands!" Kraid burst out laughing, stepping back and twirling about. He faced her again, swiftly moving back to his original position. "Do you know what it's like to have the very life stripped from your bones? To watch in silent terror as your skin and muscles melt away; the pain amplified by the face that you, and only you, chose this for yourself. Well? Do you?" He growled, harshly grabbing onto her cheeks. He stared intently for a short while before releasing the girl. "Though, you could be right..." He stepped back and folded his arms across his chest. "I haven't known fear for quite some time now. Fear and pain aren't mutually exclusive, I suppose, Miles, however, knows of fear," He grinned, looking to his brother.
Miles shook his head, shifting logs around within the fire pit. He wanted nothing to do with this conversation. His mind, however, had been going non-stop the entire time. Memories of fires, dragons, and demons flooded through him, threatening to bring the boy to tears.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

Leo frowned. She understood facing fear, for a purpose, but what he said didn't make sense. Why would you chose to let the very skin of your hands die. She couldn't stop stroking the soft skin on the back of her palm. Her palms and fingers were rough from constant work, but that always remained tender and soft. She glanced at Miles, curious if he knew why Kraid would willing do such a thing and instantly forgot what she was going to say. The older man looked positive wretched. Her heart wrenched, and without thinking she moved towards him. Her hand laid upon his shoulder before she realized the awkwardness of the situation. The two of them hardly knew one another. With adults, it seemed that showing emotion was limited to intimacies. Children always made things simpler. She wasn't sure of the boundaries that society formed. What could she say without upsetting him further? What could she do without embarrassing him? She had no answers, so she squeezed his shoulder, then ran her hand gently down his back. She kept silent, waiting to let him talk if he wanted.  

[[Z_]]

Miles tensed at her touch, turning to face her. He smiled and relaxed, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me," He laughed, turning away and wiping his eyes onto a sleeve. He looked back to the fire, finding comfort in it. He bit his lip for a moment, considering outcomes. Once he'd decided, Miles took fire into his hand and slid away from Leo, turning to face her. "Fire," He began, rolling the flame between his hands as if it were a ball. "Fire is like raw power. It has the potential to create great things, while at the same time, it has potential to destroy. You know this better than most." He admired the flame, allowing it to dance between his fingers. "Hold out your hand," He looked to Leona, keeping the flame nearer to himself.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

A mixture of pride and memory let Leona trust Miles enough to offer her hand. They were burned too, during the fire, but they healed. If they burned again, she told herself, they would heal once more. A part of her didn't believe it, but not wanted to be caught scared again made her straighten her back, taking on an air of grace and dignity as she offered her hand, palm down to the man before her. She ignored Kraid, keeping her head held high.

The nosy part of her wanted to ask Miles what was wrong, but she'd learned adults could hide their secrets if they wanted. Children it hurt almost instantly, to need to bury their pain, but with adults their hearts were larger, and therefore they had more room to hide under. So she kept her lips shut, as her mind reeled over possibilities of what upset him. More than likely it was related to Kraid's flesh peeling story. Had Miles been forced to watch? The thought made her want to shudder, but she kept still instead focusing on Mile's eyes, trying to ignore the dancing flame in his palm.