Tal stormed down the steps, his boots clomping as his jaw clenched. After all this time, after everything Korsha had done, she still felt no remorse. A furious hot rage swirled within him at the injustice of it all. Yet he tamped down on such emotions. He'd learned long ago that giving into such emotions was pointless. It only made him feel better for a moment and there were better ways of venting.

He'd imagined this moment, when they would meet again. It had been years, and he could see in her eyes that they hadn’t been kind. The encounter hadn't gone anything like he’d thought. What bothered him still was that she was still the same obedient recluse she'd always been. That's not true, she was fun back when Deidra was with us. Just thinking Deidra’s name stabbed him in the heart. It brought up old memories, ones that he used to lose himself. As he marched through the village streets, he found himself drifting back to one of those moments. A time that had been simpler. A time before the harsh realities broke his vulnerable naive romanticism.

It had been back in their days at the academy, under the strict tutelage of the instructors. He'd walked into the locker room, searching for Deidra and Korsha. His exams had run long and so he'd miss their own exam. It had taken him long to notice the difference between the way he was given exams in the way the mages were. His were more academic, showing practical application of his skills, while the mages were forced to compete against each other in physical combat. The harsh reality of their divide had come at watching one mage die and then casually be pulled out of the arena as though they had been garbage. The killer was never seen again. Whether that was because they were imprisoned or pressed into imperial military service through rewriting, he didn’t know.

Striding between the lockers, Tal was still riding the euphoric high of having taken krush, the narcotics prescribed to his station. The hexotic drug always made him feel incredible. Powerful. When on it he was like an unstoppable force. The fury of the Imperial Goddess made manifest. It made him wonder if that’s what mages felt like.

A hard metallic bang caught his attention. Making his way over, he saw an indent in the locker across from Deidra.

"Dammit." Deidra said.

He rounded the corner and saw the two girls. Deidra was leaning against the lockers. Her muscles were tense as she panted through clenched teeth. Korsha, ever the contrast to Deidra, sat on the bench leaning against her knees, her head bowed.

"That bad?"

"Worse." Deidra spat, shoving off the locker.

"What's our master going to say?" Korsha said, her shoulders trembling. "Last time…"

Deidra paused, then turning she wrapped her arms around Korsha’s smaller form. She made soothing shushing sounds as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"It's gonna be okay."

"What happened?"

Deidra lifted her gaze, those deep oceanic blues that contrasted against her fiery hair and nature fixed themselves upon him. Her freckled face was pinched together, a bitter expression that unsettled Tal.

"I pushed and Korsha couldn't keep up."

Korsha flinched, her head falling even farther. Her shoulders heaved up and down in rapid motions as she became more wound up. Deidra's eyes widened as she hugged Korsha tighter.

"I'm sorry." Korsha rasped as her voice cracked, “Why can't I be strong like you?"

Deidra shushed her, "It was my fault. I'm the one who ran off. If it weren't for me they would've never gotten to you." Deidra's lips pinched together in frustration, "But how else am I supposed to fight, dammit?"

Tal nodded, starting to understand. He already knew of Anadrovs plan to match him as their technomancer. The thaeruun had spent considerable resources to have Tal’s own patron release his claim. So in the end, it was his job to help them improve. He'd been watching them over the last several fights trying to assess where they needed improvement. When they won, which was fairly regular, it was through overwhelming force on Deidra’s part. Often that, in part, wasn't due to their skill but the lack thereof by their opponents. It seemed that this time they had faced an actual challenge and the flaws had become glaringly obvious.

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Unlike Korsha who had to concentrate, anticipate and use her magic with intention, Deidra fueled her magic with emotions. It was an odd combination but who was he to question Anadrov. The man was a brilliant tactician and had proved himself out in the dreaded Imperial Exterior.

"Tell me what happened."

He listened intently, only interrupting when he needed to clarify something. It seems that during the fight they had gotten separated. Whether this had been a strategy employed by their opponents or just their lack of cohesion, he'd have to watch the replay. Their opponents had then picked the softer of the two targets, taking Korsha quickly out of the fight before concentrating on Deidra. After they had finished, he sat there contemplating what he’d learned.

"Follow me." He said, as he headed towards the arena entrance.

Fortunately for them, there were no more exams scheduled for the day and so they could use the arena to practice. Pushing his way through the doors he entered into the arena. It was a large open space, currently set with no obstacles. Bringing his wrist up he activated his omnivice and connected to the arena's mainframe.

"Alright," Deidra said, as she cracked her knuckles.

Tal grinned at her. She'd never been one for formalities.

"Deidra your style works on aggression. That's all well and good so long as you can find the appropriate place to unleash. Like you said, ‘you lost because you both got separated.’ He then turned to Korsha, whose eyes were cast down towards the floor. "Korsha." He waited until she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes before continuing. "I've heard what your instructors say about you. You're one of the best momentum mages they've ever seen. You have to stop holding back."

"But I don't have any spirits. I have to concentrate and have line of sight on my opponents to use my magic. They were on the other side of the arena and they had the maze up. I couldn't see them."

Tal flashed her a grin, she’d stepped into his trap.

"But you don't have to have line of sight on your opponents. You have Deidra."He glanced at the fiery haired woman, "prepared to cast a burst of flame. Keep it focused, pushing for length, not width."

Deidra nodded with a satisfied grin as she lifted up her hand. A writhing amber glow formed around her fist.

"Korsha, when she unleashes her attack, grabs hold of those flames. I want you to propel yourself over there." He said tapping a button on his omnivice. A large hexagonal pillar lifted out of the ground. He stopped it when it was eight feet tall. "Go!"

The torrent of flames rushed out from Deidra's hands. Their red brilliance striking the air before her like the striking of a coiled serpent. An instant later Korsha shot past, propelled by the fire’s momentum. She jumped into the air but had to throw her arms and legs out to stop herself from smacking into the side of the pillar. He nodded. This was just as he expected.

"That was awesome! I didn't know you could latch onto things that aren't people."

"Come back." He called the Korsha. He waited for her to trot back over before continuing, "let's try this again. Deidra, you need to provide the lift she’ll need to make it over there. It's your responsibility to give her the ability to get where she needs to go."

"Alright, let's do this." Deidra said, bring up her hand before her face in anticipation.

"Go!"

This time the torrent of flame shot into the air. Instead of running, Korsha leapt and was catapulted by the unseen force of her magic. Tal watched in satisfaction as he saw the trajectory was right. Korsha landed, tumbling into a roll. She skittered over to the edge and fell off. She landed hard on the ground. Deidra called to her. Korsha, who was lying on her back, lifted her hand into the air and gave her a thumbs up.

Over the next several hours they continue to practice. At first they worked on tactics to get Korsha across the arena quicker but over time they focused on shorter and shorter maneuvers. Soon he was sparring with both of them and having a harder time keeping up in a way he’d never had to before. Korsha seemed to intuitively know when and where to latch on to their movements, drawing on the power of their momentum. He physically couldn't keep up.

Wanting to make it more of a challenge he drew upon the krush that was still coursing in his veins. He used it to negate Korsha's power midstride. The sudden loss of her powers caught her off guard, sending her tumbling to the ground. Deidra howled in excitement as she rushed in to strike him. The two of them went back and forth until he swept his arms up and wrapped his arms around her, binding her own arms to her sides.

He was suddenly aware of her body pressed against his. His heart was racing. Something told him it was now racing for a different reason. Their eyes met and in that moment an overwhelming warmth flooded into him. He opened his mouth to say something but the words caught in his throat as he lost himself in those azure eyes. Deidra grinned at him and it made his stomach flutter. She leaned back, exposing her neck to him. He licked his lips trying to understand the chaotic motions warring within him. The last thing he remembered was her head crashing down onto the bridge of his nose.

That had been the day he knew he was in love with Deidra.