Fire Song, Part 2

Hi all, back with a part 2 of Fire Song! Tags: @Mira Ghosh @Charcat . Now onto the story!

I glide out of Marella's dark amber room, into a rose quartz hallway. Take a left, and then I'm rushing down a set of spiraling ivory staircases, my forest green silk robe trailing behind me. After seeing the the hand shaped burn on Marella's neck, I suddenly feel much more awake, more alert. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I practically sprint down the jade hallway, and take a left into the medical room, which happens to be the only room not made out of some rare gem. Sometimes I wonder if the Black Swan cares more about the decoration of their hideouts, than the safety of their people. Without hesitation, I quickly grab some elixirs and creams, and place them on a small tray, before running upstairs.

When I get into Marella's room, she's sitting there, propped up on some pillows, just like I left her. I set down the tray, and let out a sigh of relief, which seems to startle her.

"Alright," I say, probably sounding a lot calmer than I should have been. "You ready to treat your burns?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." says Marella, with her usual carefree smile.

I pull out an elixir in a small blue bottle. "Drink this," I say, back to my calm and collected self. "It'll make some of the pain go away." I hand Marella the bottle, and turn back to the tray, looking for the burn cream I had grabbed.

"Ugh, this burns. Is it Yeti Pee elixir or something?" Marella says, only half joking.

"No, but it is a fast working painkiller, so it shouldn't taste the best." I reply. "But it will save you from most of the pain this cream creates. You should get comfortable, since this might take a while." As Marella moves around, I prep the medical supplies. The burn Marella gave herself was light enough for me to treat it myself, thank quintessence, since we'd have to explain why Marella had a hand shaped burn on her neck. Imagine that.

Ever since Marella started having the nightmares, she promised me not to tell anyone, unless it got out of hand, which it never had. This was the first time she actually burnt herself, and even now, I knew how to treat it myself. I also didn't want word getting out about this, since Mr. Forkle would think I was a bad mentor. In the beginning, we were both so afraid, and didn't know what to do. But as they went on and never escalated, and we we started to develop a routine, we actually bonded through it. We would be up all night, talking about anything and everything. I feel like over time, I developed a deeper connection with her than I had with anyone else, even Tam. She just got me in a way he never could have.

Sometimes I want us to be more than friends. But who am I to judge that? I just wish I could know if she wants the same.