Mira was hurt badly. She staggered through the alleyways of the
slums of New York. She wore a stolen trench coat against the pouring rain.
The wound in Mira's stomach wasn't bleeding so badly any more, but that
could have been from simple blood loss. Her hands and feet felt numb, but,
once again, it could have been the blood loss. She'd underestimated the
SWAT team.
Mira was a Proxian. Her father was Saturos's brother, Thade. She'd been honored with the task of cleansing Manhattan of humans and partbloods. Being an Adept afforded one an involuntary Psynergy shield that could repel firearms with ease. However, the barrier was not totally impervious. Enough stress could eventually wear through the energy. Such was the case with Mira's shield. The bullet that shattered her barrier had been slowed enough that the wound wasn't immediately fatal, but her condition was worsening.
The Proxian woman fell to her knees, splashing water up off the cement. Her vision was blurring, and she felt increasingly dizzy. She tried to pull herself back up to her feet, but her legs gave out again. She found herself lying in a puddle. She crawled out of the water and collapsed on the ground as her consciousness left her.
Tyler saw the woman collapse in the alley. He rushed over and turned her over. The light was too dim to make out much, but her skin was cold and pale. He took her pulse, which was very weak, and then lifted her over his shoulder. He could do more for her when he got to some more light. He mad his way quickly to his home, a studio apartment a block away. Once inside, he put her on the couch and reached for the light.
The light came on, and Tyler was shocked. A Proxian! She was hurt pretty badly. There was a bullet wound in her abdomen. The wound wasn't very deep. He rushed off to get a pair of tweezers, and returned to extract the bullet. Tyler carefully slid the tweezers into the wound, found the slug, and managed to pull it out. He quickly tossed aside both the tweezers and the bullet and put his hand over the wound.
Tyler focused his Psynergy to use Ply. Light blue energy flowed from Tyler's hand into the Proxian's stomach. The Psynergy closed the wound, repaired most of the internal damage, and Alchemically restored some of her blood. Suddenly she woke up. She sat bolt upright and grabbed Tyler by the throat. She shouted something in the Proxian tongue, then winced at the remaining pain in her abdomen. She threw Tyler over the coffee table and stood up. She headed for the door, lost her balance, and toppled to the floor. She was out cold again. Tyler got up and went over to her. He picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. He set her down on the bed and left the room.
Mira slowly opened her eyes. She was still in the partblood's home. She managed to pull herself off the bed onto her feet. Her head was spinning. She staggered toward the closed door when it suddenly opened toward her. There was the partblood, a Lemurian as well, to make matters worse. Mira raised her hands and tried to use her Psynergy, but she was still to weak from her injury. She lost her footing and fell forward. The partblood put his arms out to catch her.
Though she still struggled against him, the partblood pressed his hand to Mira's stomach and closed his eyes. He bagan using Psynergy. No! In her weakened state, a Mercury Psynergy attack at this range could finish her. Mira redoubled her efforts to escape and found that she actually had the strength to do so. The partblood was healing her! With her greatly restored strength, Mira grabbed the partblood's arm and threw him on his back. She swung one leg over him and pressed down on his throat with one hand.
"Why?" she hissed in the partblood tongue. She felt dirty speaking the cumbersome language, almost as filthy as touching the savage's flesh. "Why heal me?" She relaxed her grip enough to allow him to answer.
"Y-you were hur-t," he choked. "I h- to."
None of it made sense. Mira's uncle Saturos had always said a partblood would sooner try to kill a Proxian than look at one. Yet this Lemurian partblood had undoubtedly saved her life. Why? If she'd encountered him with at least half of her full strength, she would have killed him without a second thought. Yet he saved her. Why?
"Let...me finish," the partblood gasped. "Plea..."
Mira relaxed her grip enough to allow the Lemurian to breathe freely, but not enough that she couldn't snap his neck if he tried to attack. No such action was necessary, though. As before, the partblood placed his hand on Mira's stomach and used his Psynergy. She felt more and more power filling her. Renewed strength flowed in her blood. When the partblood took his hand away at last, Mira stood and looked herself over. She found not trace of her injury, and she'd never felt stronger. She looked back at the partblood. He was still seated on the floor. She still didn't understand.
"Tyler," said the Lemurian pointing at himself. His name, apparently. Mira found herself responding in spite of herself.
"Mira."
The partblood started babbling. Mira picked out words she knew here and there, but the meaning of what Tyler was saying eluded her.
"Hate your words," Mira said.
"Then teach me yours," he replied.
Mira scoffed at him and started for the door.
Fucking partblood, said Tyler's voice from behind her.
The Proxian whirled around and glared at the Lemurian. His face mad it obvious that he had no idea what he'd just said to her. She strode back over to him, grabbed his neck, and threw him against the wall.
"Teach me," Tyler groanded in his own language. Mira crouched down and put her face close to Tyler's.
"Franali taintae, very bad, don't say," she scolded, advising him never to say those two Proxian word's he'd picked up.
Tyler nodded. Mira's curiosity was perked. She decided to teach him enough to carry on a decent conversation. She didn't quite know why, but there was something she found very intriguing about this Lemurian.
Mira was a Proxian. Her father was Saturos's brother, Thade. She'd been honored with the task of cleansing Manhattan of humans and partbloods. Being an Adept afforded one an involuntary Psynergy shield that could repel firearms with ease. However, the barrier was not totally impervious. Enough stress could eventually wear through the energy. Such was the case with Mira's shield. The bullet that shattered her barrier had been slowed enough that the wound wasn't immediately fatal, but her condition was worsening.
The Proxian woman fell to her knees, splashing water up off the cement. Her vision was blurring, and she felt increasingly dizzy. She tried to pull herself back up to her feet, but her legs gave out again. She found herself lying in a puddle. She crawled out of the water and collapsed on the ground as her consciousness left her.
Tyler saw the woman collapse in the alley. He rushed over and turned her over. The light was too dim to make out much, but her skin was cold and pale. He took her pulse, which was very weak, and then lifted her over his shoulder. He could do more for her when he got to some more light. He mad his way quickly to his home, a studio apartment a block away. Once inside, he put her on the couch and reached for the light.
The light came on, and Tyler was shocked. A Proxian! She was hurt pretty badly. There was a bullet wound in her abdomen. The wound wasn't very deep. He rushed off to get a pair of tweezers, and returned to extract the bullet. Tyler carefully slid the tweezers into the wound, found the slug, and managed to pull it out. He quickly tossed aside both the tweezers and the bullet and put his hand over the wound.
Tyler focused his Psynergy to use Ply. Light blue energy flowed from Tyler's hand into the Proxian's stomach. The Psynergy closed the wound, repaired most of the internal damage, and Alchemically restored some of her blood. Suddenly she woke up. She sat bolt upright and grabbed Tyler by the throat. She shouted something in the Proxian tongue, then winced at the remaining pain in her abdomen. She threw Tyler over the coffee table and stood up. She headed for the door, lost her balance, and toppled to the floor. She was out cold again. Tyler got up and went over to her. He picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. He set her down on the bed and left the room.
Mira slowly opened her eyes. She was still in the partblood's home. She managed to pull herself off the bed onto her feet. Her head was spinning. She staggered toward the closed door when it suddenly opened toward her. There was the partblood, a Lemurian as well, to make matters worse. Mira raised her hands and tried to use her Psynergy, but she was still to weak from her injury. She lost her footing and fell forward. The partblood put his arms out to catch her.
Though she still struggled against him, the partblood pressed his hand to Mira's stomach and closed his eyes. He bagan using Psynergy. No! In her weakened state, a Mercury Psynergy attack at this range could finish her. Mira redoubled her efforts to escape and found that she actually had the strength to do so. The partblood was healing her! With her greatly restored strength, Mira grabbed the partblood's arm and threw him on his back. She swung one leg over him and pressed down on his throat with one hand.
"Why?" she hissed in the partblood tongue. She felt dirty speaking the cumbersome language, almost as filthy as touching the savage's flesh. "Why heal me?" She relaxed her grip enough to allow him to answer.
"Y-you were hur-t," he choked. "I h- to."
None of it made sense. Mira's uncle Saturos had always said a partblood would sooner try to kill a Proxian than look at one. Yet this Lemurian partblood had undoubtedly saved her life. Why? If she'd encountered him with at least half of her full strength, she would have killed him without a second thought. Yet he saved her. Why?
"Let...me finish," the partblood gasped. "Plea..."
Mira relaxed her grip enough to allow the Lemurian to breathe freely, but not enough that she couldn't snap his neck if he tried to attack. No such action was necessary, though. As before, the partblood placed his hand on Mira's stomach and used his Psynergy. She felt more and more power filling her. Renewed strength flowed in her blood. When the partblood took his hand away at last, Mira stood and looked herself over. She found not trace of her injury, and she'd never felt stronger. She looked back at the partblood. He was still seated on the floor. She still didn't understand.
"Tyler," said the Lemurian pointing at himself. His name, apparently. Mira found herself responding in spite of herself.
"Mira."
The partblood started babbling. Mira picked out words she knew here and there, but the meaning of what Tyler was saying eluded her.
"Hate your words," Mira said.
"Then teach me yours," he replied.
Mira scoffed at him and started for the door.
Fucking partblood, said Tyler's voice from behind her.
The Proxian whirled around and glared at the Lemurian. His face mad it obvious that he had no idea what he'd just said to her. She strode back over to him, grabbed his neck, and threw him against the wall.
"Teach me," Tyler groanded in his own language. Mira crouched down and put her face close to Tyler's.
"Franali taintae, very bad, don't say," she scolded, advising him never to say those two Proxian word's he'd picked up.
Tyler nodded. Mira's curiosity was perked. She decided to teach him enough to carry on a decent conversation. She didn't quite know why, but there was something she found very intriguing about this Lemurian.
