Snippet #2421309

“Please.” The voice was strained. “Can’t you see he’s suffering?”

A hand, a little too thin from malnutrition, gripped firmly around Ksenia’s wrist. It was less than iron-clad, something proved as she broke the hold with little more than a shake. The pleading persisted, much to her distaste. The desperation was leaving a bitter taste in her mouth and she contemplated helping by putting the pair out of their misery.

“Piss off.” She all but spat, adjusting the sleeves of the robe that had just been disheveled.

The woman was aghast, gripping her boy as if to protect him from some invisible assailant. Still, she moved to block Ksenia’s way as she took a step, ready to leave the uncomfortable encounter far behind. Eyes, a brilliant blue, turned back to the frail frame that blocked her way with a look akin to storm clouds gathering right before a storm. It was that look that struck fear in others, not her small five-foot-four stature or slender frame. It was that look and what usually followed.

“B-but you’re a healer, you can’t fool me. You are marked.” The woman’s eyes shifted from Ksenia’s to the three white lines forever burnt into the flesh beneath her left eye.

Sen’s fingertips instinctively brushed her cheek, feeling the lines that hadn’t faded in time. Her demeanor softened a little and the storm raged inwards. It was true, she had been branded a Child of the Light; it was a fact that she could never forget. Still… “That was a life time ago.” Her voice was soft, eyes on the ground as she tugged her hood a little further down.

When her vision rose there was a shadow of a smile on her face that didn’t reach those eyes. Her hand darted out, firmly gripping the child’s arm directly on top of the burn in question. She heard him cry out in pain, though she spoke over it. “I am Magica, now.”

A word, not quite heard, was mumbled under breath and the child’s crying stop. Goosebumps rose across the boy, testament to the coolness that spread across his skin. It was a simple ice spell but it was doing the trick. Ksenia knew that try as she might, there was no way she could access the power to heal that should have been passed down inherently.

When she dropped her hand she was already walking away, not pausing to look back at the confused thank-you’s of a protective albeit annoying mother. Her mind wasn’t on the alley, or the lower class citizens. They were far away, lingering between nostalgia and failed self-expectations; a place no respectable Magica should be. Xavport’s lower levels had that effect. You could find anything you wanted in the city, and plenty of things you didn’t. If you weren’t careful one could find themselves tangled in the dangers that lurked just below Xav.

“Fucking bring it.” She sighed, steeling herself and raising her chin as she rounded a corner and headed towards the busier area of bustling seaside town. She didn’t have time to wallow in ancient history when there was business at hand.