Stefani sulks in despair as she hears the words come from Maggie’s lips. “I thought we were finished?!”
“With the arrows, silly! We still have so much more to work on!”
The cheerful nature in which Maggie so casually, yet enthusiastically geared up for another training session was a massive departure from the strict, disciplinarian style of Sophia, but the heart of it was still the same. The two women absolutely loved to fight. They loved the thrill of the adrenaline and possibility to overcome an opponent. They thrived on the power it gave them.
“I don’t know what you need to do to defend against this, I’m no Anaar, but we will start out slow. I won’t dive right into wind blades, we will instead see if you can block simple gusts.”
“Maggie, I have seen your ‘simple’ gusts. They are like mini tornadoes.”
“That is why I said simple! I won’t do anything to create a confluence of different temperature winds that would create a vortex.”
“You make it sound so simple…”
Smiling cheerfully, “It’s not! I just happened to luck up into being able to do it. I thought I was simply making two masses of wind hit each other and they spin around. Of course it was Anaar who explained to me how such things actually form, and I somehow had been subconsciously amplifying the moisture and temperature when doing it. He rambled on for about thirty more minutes about it, but I won’t bore you.”
“Right…”
“Alright! Get ready! When you think you are all set just give me a signal.”
As Stefani apprehensively placed her flute to her lips, she thought about how familiar this scene was. Though she got injured far less than she did with Sophia, something she attributed only to the logistical fact Maggie could not open a portal directly to the hospital, Maggie pushed her in ways she could never imagine. Though Sophia was not exactly disinterested in her abilities, she made it very clear she did not understand them and did not want to understand them. To Sophia, her status of being the wielder of a unique manifestation meant she would not need to tactically confront it in the future, so it served no purpose to learn about it.
Maggie was the direct opposite of Sophia. Whether it was due to her having a unique manifestation herself, or the influence of the lovable if not obsessive Anaar, she was constantly testing the limits of not only her own skills, but Stefani’s as well. Stefani and Maggie had fought side by side a number of times, so if anyone should have a better grasp of them it would be Maggie, but Stefani sometimes wondered if Maggie’s fervor was not a projection of the perceived limitations of her own powers.
Giving a little nod as she was playing, Maggie had her cue. Not sure what to expect, Stefani squeezed her eyes tightly shut for fear she would lose her nerve without it. It did not help that wind for the most part was invisible so having them open would do her no good anyway. All at once she felt herself yanked from the ground as if by a large hand, and though she still had her eyes closed she was could tell she was airborne. It was impossible to tell how far she flew, but she hit the ground very hard. If it had not been for her changing her songs intent at the last moment, she was positive she would be in bad shape.
Sore from the fall, but otherwise unharmed it seemed, she realized just how far she had traveled when she saw Maggie frantically running toward her. Stiffly sitting up, she took stock of how breathless she was and could have only imagined how much worse it should have been. With Maggie now by her side she looked up into the concerned brown eyes of the small woman.
“Stef, are you okay? Do you need a hospital? Where does it hurt? I’m so sorry I just presumed that was weak enough. It is really hard to tell with these things you know. I’m not an Aerokinetic, I don’t exactly talk to the wind and come to an understanding. Do they talk to the wind? Either way I am so sorry! Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?!”
“Maggie, calm down, I’m fine. Winded, but fine.”
“I’ve never really thought about what happens to people when I do that. Should I stop doing that?!”
“Well I can assure you that while I can manage some things, I am no Defender. Though I am not sure if they can properly protect against that either.”
“Did you have your shield up?”
“I am pretty sure I did. Not that it made much of a difference.”
“Maybe it was the area of the attack. The same way a smaller object has more penetrating force, the gale was simply too big and it took you and the shield with it? Where is Anaar when you need him?!”
“We agreed to not lean on him so much. He’s a big brother now and Seles needs him much more than we do.”
“I know. I still wish he were here though. It is sweet how much he cares about her. He says it is slow going, but they are making progress with her powers.”
“I couldn’t imagine having such a scary ability like that. Anaar himself has mentioned just how much control it takes to keep his own in check, imagine a 10 year old.”
“Do you think we should be attempting to have a relationship with her? Anaar seems to be doing an okay job, well it is him so he is probably doing an amazing job, but wouldn’t it be nice if she had some big sisters to help her? What happens when she gets her period, or she starts thinking about boys?”
“She has the Headmistress and the best care money can buy no doubt. We didn’t have sisters and we turned out fine. None of us have the type of relationship Anaar has with the Headmistress so it isn’t as if we can just waltz up to the gate and ask to see her.”
“She did like us when she met us though.”
“True. If you are that serious about it, maybe you could ask Anaar next time you see him?”
“I think I might do that. It seems like the right thing to do. With that I think we should officially be done with training for today. We made good progress.”
“With no need for a hospital visit! As ridiculous as it seemed, I miss Sophia’s almost instantaneous portals to the hospital. I was spoiled. Do you know how hard it is to go from being portaled so frequently to nothing? I guess it is just more activity to keep this figure.”
“Some of us never got the luxury so I can’t miss what I never had.”
“Anyway, it is your turn!”
“Stef, I know I said I wanted to do this, but I think I may have been overstepping…”
“If Sophia taught me anything, it is that people tend to say their true desires at the outset and then let doubt deter them along the way. We made a promise to this… cross cultural studies program and we are sticking to it.”
Sulking as she eyed Stefani, Maggie thought about perhaps making a run for it.
“Don’t try to run, you know I can catch you now. I know where you live anyway! Let’s go.”
Together the two made their way back to Maggie’s room to clean up and begin their next training session. Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, Maggie pouts as Stefani gives her an encouraging nod. With her face properly moisturized, she held the applicator and the foundation in her hand as if they were rapidly giving her cancer.
When Ripp had first left, Maggie knew Stefani had come much too far to fall by the wayside. She made it her duty to keep Stefani moving forward since she would no longer have the influence of Ripp to keep her focused. She had only just started dating Dan at the time, and so she was still very unsure if she was girly enough for him. As such, she decided as an incentive to get Stefani motivated, she would let Stefani teach her about hair, makeup, and all things fashion, if Stefani allowed her to take Ripp’s place as her training partner.
So far things had not been too difficult. Stefani had gotten her a myriad of new outfits, makeup products and styling tools from her mother, and they started with very basic practice. If Stefani felt Maggie had a gentler teaching style than Ripp, she herself was the fiery redhead’s second coming. There were no warm loving words from Stefani as she taught Maggie about properly accessorizing or blending makeup techniques. There was only the stern vigil, followed up by exasperated
huffing or hand popping when she got it wrong.
“No, no, no, no, no! That is too much! That is why I tell you to put it on the back of your hand so you can control it more!”
“But when I don’t use this much it feels like I didn’t do anything.”
“That is because you have amazing skin that you seem to like to complain about. When you put this much on you just look like a circus clown! The only place you need to put a little extra is where your scar is. Other than that, you are fine with one pump honestly.”
Continuing to nervously blot her face, Maggie feels as if Stefani is staring daggers into her. Instead of focusing on herself, she begins watching Stefani when suddenly a hand lashes out and swats her.
“Not so heavy around the eyes! We are going to be using concealer anyway. I have told you over and over how I feel about pancake makeup!”
Even though there was no specific occasion she was getting made up for, the entire process took well over an hour, mostly due to her complaining about the work she was doing. With her makeup done, they moved to her hair. With how much complaining she had been doing with the makeup, even though it was extremely basic, Stefani thought better of doing something more elaborate, and instead went with something simple.
Maggie was the type of girl who washed her hair, combed it and let it airdry. On a special occasion she would potentially spread some mousse through it to define her curls, but that was the extent of her abilities. Stefani decided since she was somewhat functional with her curls, even though they could use much more love, her natural pattern allowed her to get away with a low maintenance routine. As such she wanted to get Maggie comfortable with the other extreme which was straightening her hair.
Stefani was quite envious at how resistant to tangles Maggie’s hair seemed to be, despite her constant neglect. It never crossed her mind before, but she wondered if her attunement extended to her hair, because Maggie kept her hair in the same ponytail every day, and her comb and brush were nearly free of loose hair. Though Maggie was quite anal about cleanliness, she doubted it would extend to cleaning her brush so thoroughly.
“Now it would have been better if you had just washed your hair and we started with a blowout, but we won’t worry ourselves with a bone straight look. Even though with how thick and long your hair is it would look good on you, I think it is always best to have a little more body thrown in there for good measure. Now where is that flat iron I gave you?”
“It’s broken.”
“How do you break something you don’t even use?!”
“It’s not my fault! It happened when Dan had his outburst that destroyed most of my room. Even though they got it fixed in record time, I didn’t discover the flat iron got destroyed until much later.”
“Is that why he doesn’t come over much anymore?”
“Yeah, the poor thing still feels absolutely awful about it. Not a day goes by that he isn’t trying to apologize for it or is overly cautious. Since then he has been taking his training on his powers far more seriously than I have ever seen.”
“Then let’s give him a present!”
Stefani heads over to Maggie’s closet and after some rummaging is not satisfied. Moving to a dresser she looks more, not bothered by Maggie who is just happy she was saved from the hair tutorial. When she finally locates what she is looking for she could not be more upset.
“Why does this still have the tags on it?”
“Because I haven’t worn it.”
“Maggie I gave you this lingerie months ago! You mean to tell me you have never given Dan a little treat?!”
“It just doesn’t feel like me! It isn’t like we plan out when to have sex, it just happens!”
“You two don’t have a date night every now and then?”
“I cook for him.”
“That isn’t a date night Maggie…”
“Then no.”
Sighing, “We know Dan is a very simple guy, that is probably what makes him so charming. He never tries to put on airs for anyone. He has been going through a lot lately though, don’t you want to do something a little extra for him?”
“It just doesn’t feel like he would care.”
“You won’t know until you try!”
“I would be so uncomfortable and awkward in this though!”
“Then that is what we will work on! Get dressed, you need to become comfortable feeling sexy.”
“Now?!”
“Yes, now! You have been getting out of these types of things for far too long. I have been giving you a little time because I knew this was all still very new to you, but tonight is the night you knock Dan’s socks off.”
“I don’t get why I need to wear this to do it though. He is just going to take it off anyway. It is all lacey and strappy, he will probably not even know how to take it off. He still struggles with my bra sometimes! I don’t think we should do this.”
Stefani gets a devilish look in her eye as she creeps toward Maggie quietly humming to herself. “If I can deal with death tornadoes, you can deal with some lingerie!”
Maggie gulps and thinks to run away, but she did not realize Stefani had been becoming quite adept at inconspicuously enhancing herself, and much to her dismay, there was nowhere for her to go.
19
Through all the trials, hospital visits, and doubts about themselves, Stefani’s class had finally made it to the end. There were many wonderful times interwoven into their Freshman year of Sophangence as well, but nothing could give them more of a sense of accomplishment than coming out the other side stronger than they had been before.
It seemed like their growth in just a year and a half was impossible. Anaar had gone from closed off prince of perfection to a much warmer and open prince of perfection, who even showed his flaws and weakness from time to time. Maggie had blossomed into a dependable woman, the girl who belted out a myriad of questions or comments before awaiting a response moving to the background. Her work with the Seeds had revolutionized the organization, granting them increased funding and purpose.
Dan, though it had been some rough times for his home life, had easily become the most improved on campus. Once he relegated himself to mediocrity and ignorance, but like a phoenix reborn, the man he had become soared the skies on the wings of his battle prowess and his newfound thirst for education. Stefani, much like Dan looked like a very different person than she was when she had first arrived. Her confidence in her music had become much more wide reaching, affecting her combat capabilities, and bringing others on campus together in a way it had never been done before.
Each one of them had something to look back and beam with pride at. All of them did extraordinarily well on their final exams, putting their cluster at the top of the class in most areas. Unlike their first Principles of Combat final exam where they made it through, but only barely, they dominated the competition, making it seem as if they had years more experience than their classmates. Rather than relying on Anaar as a crutch, they all shone brightly in their respective roles.
Because everyone else was so proficient, Anaar spent most of his time like a general ordering around his troops. Since he was not on the front lines, his uncanny perceptive abilities were put to their full potential, leaving the team with no blind spots for ambushes, despite their class’ attempts. Just his status and his presence gave their assailants pause because he was unhindered by direct conflict, and could strike at any moment from any direction.
Dan made a showing of just how versatile he truly was. Gone were the days where he struggled to keep up a defense for the team. With is paper body armor and lightning fast barriers, he was the main target for soaking up the damage. Learning to embrace his duality, he took many an opponent by surprise by turning the very thing protecting the team into a deadly weapon. So long he had seen himself as only a Defender when in reality he was so much more.
Maggie rained punishment onto the battlefield with the power of a Demolitionist, and the precision of an Artillerite. A
s the team’s primary damage source, she was given free rein to shoot, slice and hammer her way through the other teams with impunity. Most likely due to their relationship and his desire to protect her, Dan’s defense let nothing slip past it to harm Maggie in her assault.
Back in a position she found most comfortable, Stefani proved to be the crux of the team. Her support made them all stronger, faster, and have seemingly bottomless stamina. If her songs were amplifying the other team, it was impossible to tell due to the speed at which they were dispatched. Thanks to her, they were able to absolutely ravage the other teams, even though they could be made up of a maximum of six people. She may had come into her own when fighting alone, but that did not diminish her true calling as a supporter for others.
In recognition of her profound efforts, the team dedicated their term ending celebration to her. It was only made more special by the fact it was the final one of their Freshman year. Spirits were high, and according to Dan, spirits would be flowing at the party. Instead of celebrating at The Rack or in Haxby, much to everyone’s surprise Anaar recommended something more intimate, hosted at his room. Never one to look past such rare generosity with his private space, everyone happily agreed to his terms and was extremely excited for the party.
There was one person who in all the excitement seemed less than elated. Though she put on a sparkling veneer most of the time, she could not hide from the ever watchful eye of Anaar. He noticed as they made plans during dinner for the celebration, Stefani was reticent and disconnected. When she was directly questioned, she did a good job of picking up the thread and responding accordingly, but it was far from her normal engagement, especially when doing something such as planning a party.
When they all parted ways to retire to their rooms for the night, Anaar stayed with Stefani since Dan and Maggie were going to the same location, and their buildings were nearby. For a while he simply observed her in silence as the usually loquacious woman made no move to engage in conversation. Halfway through their trip back to the north end of campus he finally decided to engage her directly.
Apotheosis (Song of Sophangence Book 3) Page 24