Official Stasis Summary:
Post Manga. Mai's powers are beginning to get out of control. Two years away from Naru, and things have only gotten worse. Waking up to herself screaming is fine, but destroying an entire house and causing massive poltergeists? Not so much. So what do her friends do? They reluctantly ship her off to England where a less than enthusiastic Naru awaits to train the young girl. Cases ensue, but not without a little chaotic romance and nightmarish visions to add into the equation. Mai and Naru.
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Stasis: The state of equilibrium or inactivity caused by opposing equal forces.
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File I: Euphoria & Horror
Part IV: Behind These Hazel Eyes
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Location: B.S.P.R HQ, Cambridge University, England (UK) . . .
Date: June, Day IV . . .
Time: 9:04 a.m. . . .
The Observation Room was silent, but questions and queries lit the air in suspended bafflement.
Martin was a little bewildered by what had occurred in the room below, Luella was covering her mouth for fear of letting her jaw extend to the floor, Madoka was choking back laughter, and Yasu was smiling at the devil incarnate beside him, and just about burst himself.
"Did…" Luella didn't seem to know how to project her opinion without sounding hysterical. "Did Noll just have a-a-a…"
"I believe that's what one would call a 'lover's quarrel', Mrs. Davis," Yasu supplied excitedly, ever the archive of information. "But don't worry, back in Japan it was quite common for them to squabble."
The woman's bright royal eyes were wide with wonder. "Truly?" Although the argument between Noll and Miss Taniyama had been rather explosive to say the least, the fight displayed by her son was abnormal and purely astonishing. Nothing ruffled her son's feathers even when the most sensitive topics were mentioned in his presence. Never mind the fact that Miss Taniyama was experiencing extreme mood swings and had blatantly disregarded her son's help in the investigation, Luella Davis was marveled by how she'd gotten an actual, argumentative if not emotional reaction out of her son.
And then there was right before he'd intended to conduct the interview, when Miss Taniyama had been predicted to have been something more than friends with him, he'd reacted defensively. The fact that her son had actually shone anything other than clear apathy or logic was an interesting development that she would most certainly observe in the future.
Although, it could also be considered that he did merely consider Miss Taniyama a former friend and colleague. Noll was far more compassionate than many gave him credit for when it came to those he deemed worthy of his time. But this in and of itself was incredible! When Noll had told them that a young girl and former member of Japan's temporary base at SPR would be arriving with a serious case of PK troubles, Luella had been immediately intrigued to hear of it, if not a little worried for the girl. However, Noll had never made any stride to fully explain his adventures in Japan in any other fashion than by basic facts, and Lin had not been any assistance in assuring her of that, either. So, to hear that Noll had been sincerely close to Miss Taniyama only reinforced her beliefs that this girl could be the one she'd been hoping to find for such a long time!
As for Miss Taniyama's obvious wrath towards her son, well, she could contribute that to both Noll's attitude and her overall situation. So, if anything, Luella could only be sympathetic to the girl, for she had seen first hand how taxing PK control could be when first attempting to maintain it behind closed doors. Noll had taken and mastered it, of course, but there had been instances such as the ones displayed by Miss Taniyama in the last several hours that were similar to when Noll had first begun. However, she'd been calmed pretty easily by Yasu, so, really, it was clear that Miss Taniyama held something over her son that forged a gap of ill will towards one another.
She could only wonder what had happened.
The gleam of mischief glowed in Yasu's glasses as he grinned. "Oh, yes, Mrs. Davis," he assured. "Truly."
At her side, Martin was a bit curious himself. "So, he really was friends with this girl, wasn't he?"
Madoka smiled at her mentor's words, as if aware of something no one could ever even imagine. Luella, taking notice, took it upon herself to ask. "Why, what are you grinning over, Madoka? I know that look of yours. You know something about those two that you haven't yet said, I can tell."
"Noll may never admit it aloud," Madoka said, but this time her smile was tinged with rue. "But he always thought Mai was like Gene in many ways. I think it confused him for awhile, honestly, but quietly accepted it when he knew she was at SPR to stay. He… He was fond of her, I think. Definitely more than anyone else at the time. They… They connected well." The pinkette seemed to get lost in her words of explanation, and eventually a frown settled upon her lips as if pondering over a sudden revelation she'd only just discovered amid her recollections.
"He trusted her, too," Yasu cut in, stealing the moment. "Mai has these instincts of hers that made investigations more clean cut. Big Boss often referred to them as 'animal instincts,' much to Mai's dismay, but it was true. She'd have these gut feelings and convince Boss to do something differently, if not a bit more carefully. He trusted her."
"Yes," Luella spoke quietly. "Noll said she had rather animalistic instincts, but he never mentioned that they were quite so important." Typical Noll, only giving away information of imminent importance. Probably to lead them astray with his apparent connection to Miss Taniyama. He'd probably checked it off as 'irrelevant'. Boy did he use that word a lot.
Madoka chuckled at her statement. "Mai is someone Noll deems as worthy of his time, but it's not like he'd ever tell anyone that."
Luella could not help but smile a bit. "Typical Noll."
"Typical Noll," she agreed.
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9:10 a.m.
"Tell me, do you remember what happened in your dream?"
Mai sighed, "Just the same thing as usual."
Lin paused in his typing to look up at her. "The usual?"
"Extreme horror, sadness, and terror with the normal black space of it all. I can't see, hear, taste, smell, or physically touch anything. It's... Just emotions."
"You realize you failed to mention these details during your first interview, Mai. Was this time different from normal?"
Mai's face flushed. "Umm, no. That's pretty normal. I guess I just expected you to understand what I meant. Sorry."
He spared her a one of his cold glances and continued to type. "I see." Although not Oliver's cold belittlement, it was still embarrassing to be subjected to Lin's deprecating stare even for a second. She remembered all those days spent before the Bloody Labrinth case, back before she'd accused him of hating her for no reason at all. Those days had been nothing more than distant loathing, if not cold indifference. Those stares had been more than common, too. Even now, they brought a quantifiable awkwardness to pass between them that Mai often did not know how to remove without worsening the situation. So, she decided to simply let him ask the questions and she'd answer to the best of her ability.
"Why did you return to sleep exactly two minutes and thirty-two seconds after you awoke?"
He has the exact time from when I woke up to when I fell back asleep? I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. He and Oliver were always extensively thorough during cases. "That… That was because Gene pulled me onto the Astral Plane."
Lin made no indication whether this was new information or not. "Go on."
"We mostly just… Talked. He saw my dream too, but he didn't know how to decipher it, either. Apparently, he'd only just woken up the moment right before Monk called Oliver about helping me, and convinced him to take my case. I'll probably see him again tonight, but that's only a prediction. I could be completely wrong."
As the interview continued on in its monotony, her thoughts returned to seven, no, eight minutes ago, back when Oliver had been attempting to conduct this very interview. She… She knew she'd been out of line. She knew that snapping at him without real reason was… Wrong. But even the small amount of regret she felt was there for her to consider, it was surmounted by the heaping amounts of heartbreak still crawling its way into her very heart and outward into existence. Just seeing him broke her control. Just knowing that he didn't care, broke her control.
It was stupid and idiotic and simply pathetic, but it was true.
Seeing him for the first time in two years was different than nine minutes ago when she felt her emotions rise and rise and rise until they burst. It was different than yesterday when her PK had ran her emotions out the door from sheer exhaustion. Now was different.
When he'd given her that picture of Gene and himself, she'd cried. His last day at Japan's branch of SPR had been bittersweet and somehow lovely, but afterwards, when the heartbreak had settled in and all was final… It'd torn her apart.
Oliver's departure may not be the cause of her PK, in fact, it was certainly not the original cause, but it was a factor of her outbreaks now. All those chaotic emotions: rage, depression, lost love, dismissal, fear, rejection, and loneliness had all become entangled in one large ball of negative energy. His presence, in one sentence, did not help. He may understand her lack of control, but he did not understand what she felt for him. And for that, she could not bare to look at him anymore. It was too much.
Oliver Davis was too much.
"... ai. Mai. Mai, are you listening to me?"
The girl in question snapped to attention in an almost frantic manner. A fraction of the table rose from her fright before returning to the ground. "S-Sorry, Lin… I'm embarrassed to say that I've probably tuned you out for the last minute or so…"
He gave her another one of those stares, and it took everything she had not to cower under that gaze. Eventually she saw that his laptop was off, and the whole of his attention was planted firmly on her.
"I'm assuming you said something important…?" she tried to prompt.
Her attempt proved to be fruitful in the way that he was no longer exacting his 'cold stare' right at her, and moved onto another look entirely. One of cool patience. Or, whatever patience Lin had.
"Since you practically ordered Noll leave, I am to begin your instruction. Is that fine by you?"
"O-of course that's fine by me..." She couldn't tell whether he found her... Argument with Oliver amusing or annoying. Really, she supposed, it didn't really matter in the end. Lin was willing to help her either way, and she'd be insane not to enlist in his help.
"Good," he allowed, then stood. "I want you to sit on the floor."
Moving several meters from the table, she did as instructed. "Alright… What else?"
"Define 'stasis'."
"... The point between euphoria and terror…?" It was what Oliver had explained yesterday, albeit she hadn't exactly been in the best state to receive information.
"That's an example. I'm asking for the definition."
Mai blinked, and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. After a good moment of her being completely tongue tied, Lin answered for her.
"The definition for stasis is: the equilibrium or inactivity caused by opposing equal forces."
Mai's head fell. "Right…"
"Then what is stasis, Mai?" he asked, crossing his arms. At least a solid 190 centimeters in height, Lin Koujo was a wall of pure darkness in front of her. To say that she was not at least a little intimidated would be a lie.
"Is?" she voiced quietly. "Didn't you just say what it is?"
"The definition is not entirely adequate to the reality. I'll ask again. What is stasis?"
… How did he just expect her to know this at the top of her head? She'd barely been in the category of 'alive' when Oliver had given her this lecture yesterday! But Lin was asking, and he was obviously expecting an answer, so she racked her brain for any recollecting details.
What had Oliver said?
Something about… Had it… Something about 'mental stasis' or another. Hadn't he stolen the word from some other science field…? Had it been a physics term? What was 'mental stasis'? What did that even mean? How did it help with controlling her PK again?
Then all at once, the answer became clear.
"... Focus."
"Care to repeat that a little louder, Mai?"
Her head snapped upright. "Focus," she blurted out again, this time certain. "Stasis is focus. That's what it is, right? The point between two opposite forces—for mental stasis, anyway—is focus."
The hinting of a smile morphed on Lin's pale lips. "Precisely."
"But…" There were so many questions left unanswered, so much confusion left untended by the hands of clarity. "What exactly is that supposed to mean? I mean, two opposing forces? Shouldn't that create, I don't know, an explosion?"
"With the way you're putting it, perhaps."
Now Mai was absolutely discombobulated. Shoulders slumping, head tossed to the side, her mouth formed a perfect, "Huh?"
Lin sighed, apparently exasperated by her lack of comprehension. "Close your eyes, Mai."
The girl blinked, paused, then… "Okay…?" Eyes closed, the world of color fell from her senses and an expanse of deepest ebony was left in its wake. It was a stark contrast to the opaque walls surrounding the Blank Room that appeared to go off into eternity. This darkness was almost as seemingly infinite, but after only seeing white, it was a pleasant change in scenery. If it could even be referred to as 'scenery' in the first place.
"I want you to imagine a world of black," Lin instructed.
Eyes still closed, she raised a brow as if to brace a silent question that basically said, "What exactly do you think I am seeing, right now?" Not that she actually asked this, but-
"Noll's first example for stasis was what?"
She'd answered this already… "Euphoria and terror."
"Imagine euphoria as a tangible concept in the blackness of your mind. What do you see?"
Oddly enough, she didn't visualize the emotion as something as seen through a smile or laugh. In fact, she didn't see images of people at all, but as a combination of colors. Really, it added up to a multitude of something close to a gaseous substance, as if a nebula of stars. It was a vast variety of greens, a general combination of hues she saw as positive and purely good for the sake of good. Life-bringing and earthen, natural. This nebula also moved slowly, deliberately in her imagination, as if wanting to express itself in such a way. She stated as much aloud.
"Good, now move to the opposite spectrum. What is terror made tangible?"
Terror was… Well, in a word, jagged. It was a collision of lightning bolts, dark violet and some tinged an unholy scarlet. It sliced through her mind in an malicious way, striking and violent. In her mind it was a cloud without actual cloud; make purely by lightning, it was a cloud of shattering bursts of crackling, fractured electricity. It appeared abruptly and without warning, vanishing as soon as it came yet maintaining a portion of her mind and stayed there, implanted without actually being present. It was a ghost, for lack of a better translation, staying long after it died. She said this aloud.
"Then tell me, Mai. What exactly is in the middle of these two?"
… Her mind went blank.
Slowly, she began to visualize a line, solid, yet thin and stringy in texture. It connected the two opposites. She didn't imagine them colliding this time, but merely being there on opposite ends of the universe, existing without touching, without interfering in each other's own vocation. And the point between…
Stasis is the state of equilibrium or inactivity caused by opposing equal forces.
Opposing equal forces.
Opposing equal forces.
Opposing equal forces.
Opposing forces did not exactly mean they would openly fight one another. No. They could oppose without striking. They could simply exist without causing an explosion. They could become…
Equilibrium.
Focus.
Stasis.
She stated as much aloud.
Mai's very being cleared. Her breathing calmed, her heartbeat slowed. But her mind expanded and soared and flew and stabilized.
She'd found something… Something close to stasis.
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10:01 a.m.
"So that idiot actually did it."
The statement was quiet, to himself, and half spoken to the glass in front of him. Oliver was stationed at the corner of the Observation Room, unnoticed by the rest of BSPR who'd taken it upon themselves to watch the monitors and PK readings emitted from Mai's PKD Bands. The girl was currently undertaking the basics of mental stasis by Lin's instruction, and was doing relatively well for her first time.
You sound surprised, Noll.
And there he was, the man he'd been hoping to speak with. Still sixteen years old, his brother was all but a carbon copy of himself three years ago. Not much had changed for Oliver himself other than gaining a few centimeters and losing some remaining baby fat from his face, but the details were recognizable to any keen observer.
You sound impressed, Gene, he rebuked. Don't be.
With how much you rattled her up an hour ago, it's surprising that she's this calm. Oliver caught Gene's glance, one that spoke volumes of chastisement. Oliver's blood heated up.
In case you weren't paying attention, Oliver thought defensively, my job here is to help the girl. If she opposes my presence, there is nothing I can do about it.
Sure you can't. Gene's sarcasm was uncharacteristically scathing. You're just being stubborn.
I'm being stubborn? It was a quiet, lethal question. A single brow rose in the air, elegant, yet calculating. I willing accepted this case. It's not my fault if Mai Taniyama is intolerable of my presence.
You're right—
I'm always right, Gene—
But so am I, Gene interrupted, continuing on with his previous statement. This isn't some single personed relationship that needs fixing. This is a two sided, connected relationship that requires both ends to comply for a positive outcome. How quickly you forget that you are not the only person in the room, Noll. Mai is your equal. Make amends, and get this angel back to where she's meant to be.
Without a mention of goodbye, Eugene Davis disappeared from his reflection.
Thereafter, Oliver didn't deign to speak the remainder of the day, securely locking himself in his office to think without distraction.
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8:56 p.m.
Rivulets of water slithered down the concave of her back, warm and fine and concentrated in a streamlike waterfall that Mai could not help but moan over. Darkness and light were awash of abrupt changes in color along the curves of her body, diverging from grey to stygian by mere separation of shadow.
Although she was not entirely sure why, BSPR had its own locker room and shower stalls. Mai had decided to leave the room mostly dark, a personal preference after staring at the white walls of the Blank Room all day. So as it was, her form was contorted with a mess of light and darks, not wholly bright but neither was she completely succumbed to the abysmal black. Mai almost considered the idea poetic, given her current situation.
Lathering the density of her short locks with strawberry shampoo—courtesy of Madoka—she thought about her day.
It was what? The fourth day since she'd destroyed Monk's house? Memory surged forward despite her best attempts to keep it at bay, but it came back like the crack of a whip, quick and relentless. She shuddered, forcing her hands not to rip her hair out, and let them fall limply to her sides. Letting her head rise, freshwater steamed onto her face and she closed her eyes, allowing it to rain without reprieve and breathed life into her lungs. The memory fell away, but a reminder stuck in her head. She needed to call Monk and Ayako if only to let them know she was alright, but also to hear their voices.
Back to her day. Her spat with Oliver this morning had certainly not been civil, but her training with Lin had gone well for it being the first time. From what Lin had said, she'd been under heavy meditation for several hours from after she'd begun. Lin had actually had to rouse her from the meditative state to inform her it was time for her to eat lunch. He'd left after that, and Yasu had replaced him, along with a chipper Madoka. The two troublemakers had been a source of amusement and a small amount of laughter for Mai in the following hours. The two had stayed at her side for hours until Mai had decided to call it a night. Luckily, graciously, Madoka had asked if she'd wanted a shower beforehand.
Tomorrow we will begin training with your PK, Lin had said before leaving. Moving objects, among other things. It's better to understand how it works than blindly allowing your emotions control over you powers.
It was a frightening idea. A terribly frightening idea. In truth, she'd nearly refused. She'd stood there, unable to move from the fear slicing down her veins. But had somehow found the courage to give a barely perceptible nod.
So as the water slowly burned down her skin until it chilled her into submission, Mai swallowed and let the rivers run their course.
Later, when the halls of BSPR were dark and only a single light lit the corridor outside the locker room, Mai slid down the wall and to the floor. Goosebumps crumpled up her arms and legs from the coolness of wall, but after a steaming hot shower the cold was a pleasant sensation.
Scrolling through her phone, she located the number she'd been hoping to find. It was early in Japan, very early. Rising just past five in the morning. But the sun was bound to be up and ascending. Such was the way of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Not too unexpectedly, Monk answered on the second ring. "... Mai? Wait, is this Mai?!"
A fond smile breached her lips. "Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry to call you so early, but I kinda have a set schedule here, and have to be in bed by a certain time. Stability purposes, apparently."
"You don't need to apologize to me, Mai." The familiar sound of Monk's voice was a comfort that she hadn't realized she'd missed. "You can call me anytime, and if now is the only time, then I'll consider you my new alarm clock. I wouldn't mind. I need to get up in thirty minutes, anyway."
She chuckled softly, "I wouldn't want to be a bother."
"You? A bother?" Monk scoffed. "That's quite literally impossible."
A quiet descended between them. After a moment, he asked, "How are things, Mai? I mean, really? It… It can't be easy with Naru there."
The smile fell. She leaned her head against the wall, staring lifelessly at the ceiling. "It's definitely not easy," she confirmed. "Oliver is… Well, for lack of a better word, he's Oliver. We had a pretty bad fight this morning. It didn't end well… And I-I miss you, Monk. I miss you and Ayako so much..."
"We miss you too, Jou-Chan."
The old nickname brought a warmonger of tears to her eyes, but she forced them back. "Jeez, Monk, you're going to make me cry!" she told him, laughing amid her tears.
"It's not like I'm trying to make you cry!" he protested.
"I know… It's just been a long day. I think it's getting to me. The stress of it all, I mean."
"Want to talk about it?"
"I-I'm sorry, I'd rather not relive it... Maybe some other time. Tell me about yours, instead?"
So he did, and Mai fell into a sweet serenity that night amid her dreams.
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June, Day V
8:02 a.m.
"Is this really a good idea?" Yasu asked, scratching the back of his head.
"Noll's stubborn, you know that. I doubt he'd let us interrupt his lecture so quickly."
"But Mai looks like she's about to slam him into the wall within the next ten seconds."
"Intentionally, she wouldn't, but unintentionally…"
"That's my point exactly."
Madoka bit her lip, her charisma officially gone. This was a tumultuous situation at worst, and a catastrophe waiting to happen at best. Honestly, Koujo should be in there in the case of an emergency. Although Noll was almost incapable of allowing his feathers to be ruffled, Mai was a lethal exception to that law. From the stories told by Yasu, Noll had broken the uncompromising promise between him and his parents to destroy the Ebisu with PK after Mai had provoked him into action two years ago at the end the Cursed House case. The idiot didn't seem to realize it after two damn years, either. And if the severe drop in temperature he'd caused during his last argument with Mai was anything to go by, it was logical to surmise that Noll was still affected by her. There was also the fact that he hadn't even seemed to acknowledge that he'd riled her up more than necessary during his failed attempt to interview her, which was both unprofessional and irresponsible. Two very un-Noll-like qualities. Something was getting to him. What reason would it be other than Mai herself? All things considered, sympathy for Mai's situation was hardly a viable idea after his last conversation with the girl...
And strange as it may be, there was something between them. Something… Beyond her capability to understand, but it reminded her of the feeling she had always felt whenever Gene and Noll had been together. She may not be a spiritualist or a psychic, but Madoka had always been intuitive and extremely observant.
There were a few possibilities to this theory.
1.) She was simply wrong and miscalculated her surroundings. Which would be a feat in and of itself.
2.) Noll was in denial, and didn't care to admit there might actually be some supernatural connection between him and Mai.
3.) Noll really didn't know it was there.
As she was forced to stay and watch the fiery exchange between her former student and sister-figure from the safe protection of the Observation Room, she couldn't help but wonder what was going to ensue.
For all likes and purposes, Madoka Mori was worried.
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June, Day V
8:02 a.m.
Stationed in front of the notorious Oliver Davis—a distinguished doctor of parapsychology, extraordinary psychic, and an exemplary paranormal investigator with genius level intellect—was Mai Taniyama. And she was glaring at him as if he'd murdered her best friend. Why this was, he could spare a few hypotheses, none of which held solid evidence, nor a true follow up, so, really, for once Oliver Davis was stumped. Not that he portrayed any of this vile frustration outwardly, but it was a curious thing that would no doubt bother him until he solved the puzzle that was Mai Taniyama.
However, he would tred carefully with how volatile she acted towards him. And despite how much it irked him to admit, he'd made a mistake during Mai's interview, stirring her up as he had. Mistakes were intolerable in his line of work. Mistakes got people killed. A single mistake could kill him too. Oliver was well aware that he was not immortal. And if the building static in the air was enough to tell him to get down to business, then he would.
"Calm down, Mai," he said aloud. It was the first and only statement he'd bequeathed since arriving. "Unless, of course, you'd prefer to learn nothing, and remain in the state you're in."
"You're the one being rude, staring at me like you are," she bit out. "Also, try being nice for a change. It might just work in your favor."
He would not sink so low as to lash out that she was, in fact, the person who'd begun straining their progress with useless animosity. Instead, he flatly enquired, "Is taking this case not nice enough for you, then?"
She tisked, breaching a topic of importance, "Let's just get this over with."
Providing her with a final glare, he let it go. "Fine. Let's begin."
Fiddling with his front pocket, Oliver pulled from his side a deck of cards, and from it, a single card. The Jack of Spades. The rest he put back in his coat for future tests. There, he held it between his middle and forefinger for Mai to examine and view as she pleased.
"Take this from me," he dared.
"What?"
He explained, "Yesterday, you managed to put yourself under a method of mental stasis. It was shallow at best, and certainly not very thorough, but you managed it on your first attempt. Well done. Now, I want you to apply it."
Mai's jaw fumbled. "What—? I thought that was meditation—"
"Meditation is focusing your energy," Oliver interrupted. "Such is the way of controlling PK. This time try it with your eyes open, and closing all your focus onto this one card. Remember what I explained about the point between two opposing forces, as well. It'll sharpen your mind."
"You can't seriously expect me to just take that card from your hand, can you?"
"Considering that you can create cracks in solid concrete, and upsurge objects without thought—yes, I expect you can quite easily given some practice." It was clear she didn't know how to interpret that statement. On an ordinary day Oliver couldn't have cared less, but with how she had an disdainful aversion to his company he would've preferred the positive.
Finally, she shook her head as if dissuading herself of any negative emotions, and glared head on at the card in this hand.
One minute…
Two minutes…
Three minutes…
"Holding your breath is not going to help, Mai." It was true, and the pallor of her face was similar to that of blood. Releasing her breath, she coughed for a moment before regaining some normalcy.
"Fine." She raised her hands in mock surrender, but she was far from content. "What am I supposed to do that I'm not doing right."
"For one, you're concentrating too hard."
Her shoulders straightened. "But you told me to concentrate on the card!"
"Yes," Oliver agreed. "But being frustrated is not how to maintain stasis. Find the point between frustration and contentment."
Her brows knit. "How—"
"Imagine it."
Mai was skeptical, but eventually gave in. This time, she placed herself on the floor, posture erect, yet relaxed. And he stood there, waiting, watching.
Five minutes later nothing happened, and Mai near exploded. "Alright, that's it!" Returning to her feet, she stormed up to him, prodding him in the chest. "You need to leave. Right now."
"I am—"
"Not helping!"
Oliver's frown deepened, etching onto his lips in a cold downward curl. "I have done nothing to warrant this behavior from you. I am trying to help."
But Mai would have none of it. "You—" She seemed to be grasping at straws, but her expression was torn between fear and fury. "I can't deal with you! You—You're too much! Your very being disrupts my composure! I-I can't do this with you! It's just too hard with you around! Everything is always too hard whenever you're around! You make my life Hell just by being in front of me! I can't deal with it!" As a result, the air thickened and static charged the oxygen particles surrounding them.
Securing the Jack of Spades back in its container, Oliver crossed his arms and glared at her. "Calm down, Mai."
"Calm down?" she repeated incredulously. "Calm down?! How do you expect me to calm down when you're standing smack dab right in front of me?!"
For what reason would my being physically close cause you to be mentally bothered? Other than the reminder of Gene. "May I remind you that you walked up to me," Oliver mentioned crisply after that last thought. "Not the other way around."
This seemed to shift her attention, and she took a step back. "But still! I can't do this with you! Not you!"
"Does my attractive physical appearance bother you so much that you're unable to concentrate?"
Now this made her blow up. Teeth bared, and fists clenched tight enough that the bone of her knuckles showed white, a solid clump of ceiling fell from above, landing precarious behind him. Not but centimeters from his feet.
"OLIVER DAVIS, DON'T YOU DARE START WITH ME!" Oliver. Although not bothered by the change in address, it made him further ponder the motives behind her disdain. It might be able to help piece together the mystery behind these emotional tirades.
"Mai." Speaking her name, he grabbed at her wrist for reasons unexplained, and something, something enflamed in that contact. Suddenly frustrated, Oliver snagged her other arm and made her face him. "Mai, you need to calm down."
But she wouldn't listen. The contact of skin ignited a terror in her that Oliver thought he felt himself. She threw herself from his hands and shoved herself away. "Get-Get off of me!" she shrieked. Crashing onto the floor, newly implemented lines spit the tile where she landed, and Oliver could not get to her.
Something laid beyond his feet. Something impenetrable.
"Mai," he said again. "Mai, you need to let me in." Buzzing electricity imprisoned her within a forcefield made of pure PK. Or, perhaps, locked him out. She shook her head frantically, fighting against him.
"Mai, you don't know what you're doing," he snapped. "You're letting your instincts control your judgement."
His attempts were for naught. They made no dent in her decision, intentional or otherwise. He resorted to taking the only option he had left, and all but bellowed down the tattered connection with his brother, Eugene, get her out of here, right this instant!
There was no voiced response, but it quickly became clear that the order came through. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and every force in the room died with an instantaneous snap of disconnection. Oliver caught Mai's head before it could hit the floor, the strands of hair entangling in his fingers. Wordlessly, he hoisted her into his arms, and released a sigh laced with vivid irritation.
He was done here.
.
"I told you everything, opened up and let you in,
You made me feel alright, for once in my life,
Now all that's left of me, is what I pretend to be,
So together, but so broken up inside,
'Cause I can't breathe, no, I can't sleep, I'm barely hangin' on,
Here I am, once again, I'm torn into pieces,
Can't deny it, can't pretend, just thought you were the one,
Broken up, deep inside,
But you won't get to see the tears I cry,
Behind these hazel eyes."
-Kelly Clarkson, Behind These Hazel Eyes
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Stasis
Author's Note:
THANK YOU FOR OVER 100 FOLLOWS AND 40 REVIEWS ! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!
Okay, guys, I honestly have no idea how Naru really learned how to control his PK other than he used Qigong, which was instituted by Lin. This is just a possible way that I thought might be some inkling to what he'd done. So, I really hope no one is really mad about that. If you have any intel on what he actually did or some ideas/knowledge on Qigong, feel free to inform me so I can change it, please! I'd be much appreciated. Anywho, now we enter the dangerous game of life and death with Mai and Naru in the next chapter. Visions gone wild, and much like when Jean Grey from X-MEN went crazy with power. Have a lovely day!
-Cassandra