the fire healer
Shadow Man says he uses magic for his mask and it just makes it that much cooler. Some magic scares me (especially Momma's), but then there are some I've met that have the coolest powers. I feel a little jealous and wonder if I'll be able to get any magic some day. Deep down, I will always hope it's nothing like Momma's. I don't want to hurt anyone. I never want to.
I shake out of my dark thoughts when he calls me Phoenix and it makes me smile. I'm happy with my new nickname and identity. I notice smoke comes out of his mouth like a dragon and I just stare at him in awe again. Shadow Man is probably the coolest person I've ever met.
"That's okay," I say when he says he's not good at parties and things. "This is my first one ever. We can learn together!" I'm not even sure if there are rules to parties, but at least we both have some kind of costume together for this one. That had been the entire point of it after all. Almost to create a new identity just for this night and that's exactly what we were able to do.
Then he says my name is beautiful! I don't even know what to say. I'm so speechless and my cheeks feel warm. No one has ever said that before and I think Momma would be happy to hear about it. "Oh, um, th-thank you. I was named after my great grandmother," I finally manage to say. "I don't know if she was a phoenix, I guess I'd have to ask Momma." If Shadow Man thinks it's fitting for the bird, then maybe she had been one. Maybe that's where Momma's fire comes from.
Tendrils reach out to me, almost a mix of shadows and smoke. It makes me step back for a minute. It's not until they start to play with my hair that I realize it's probably coming from his magic again. He doesn't seem to be bothered knowing I'm the Regent's daughter. In fact, he says it's a rather good thing.
I guess I never really thought of it that way with her fire. It gives off such a bright glow to match the anger in Momma's eyes. At the same time, she can be very protective of me and I know that she would never let anything bad happen to me. I think if anyone tried, she'd probably hurt them really bad. Not that I want anyone hurt, but I guess if someone was trying to kill me, I wouldn't want them to get away with it.
Shadow Man says such things that make me wonder just how old he is. He talks like he's been around for centuries and has heard all of these interesting stories. My eyes are wide and my smile returns.
"Th-thank you," I say, gushing. Maybe Momma isn't that scary after all. I mean, she is the Regent so there must be a lot that look up to her too.
I know that I would be a gentle phoenix, despite being able to control fire. But then, I almost wonder how I would even do that. Fire can still be unpredictable. I learned about what a wildfire is and how once it starts, unless a fire mage comes to get rid of it, it can destroy a lot. Shadow Man has said all these nice things, but there's still doubt and fear in my mind.
"How do I make sure I won't hurt anyone with the fire? How do I be brave?" These are things I wonder all too often, even without fire magic. I just could never find it in me to ask until now.
@Tenebrae <3
