[ The abrupt intensity of that final flare seizes The Knave's senses by the neck and wrests her into a low curl. Her laughter dies in her throat as her vision flashes white, the sear of agony thrusting into the final vestiges of her being.
Mercifully, it passes quickly. The mannequin is no more — good riddance, an immediate balm on her mind — and so the pain releases its grip on The Knave, leaving only numbness and exhaustion in its wake. She kneels for a while longer, collecting herself just enough to know that when she stands again, she won't sway or stumble.
She's conscious of the man waiting there all the while. She doesn't assume it's out of the goodness of his heart. If he wants to get his favor from her sooner or later, he'll naturally need to know who she is. She finally stands slowly in answer to his question, collected and impassive. The blood that should be running from the self-inflicted lacerations on her face simply isn't there. ]
You have my thanks. That creature was quite the nuisance.
[ She won't complain about that last bit of extra fire. As he surmised, it was what she asked for. ]
no subject
Mercifully, it passes quickly. The mannequin is no more — good riddance, an immediate balm on her mind — and so the pain releases its grip on The Knave, leaving only numbness and exhaustion in its wake. She kneels for a while longer, collecting herself just enough to know that when she stands again, she won't sway or stumble.
She's conscious of the man waiting there all the while. She doesn't assume it's out of the goodness of his heart. If he wants to get his favor from her sooner or later, he'll naturally need to know who she is. She finally stands slowly in answer to his question, collected and impassive. The blood that should be running from the self-inflicted lacerations on her face simply isn't there. ]
You have my thanks. That creature was quite the nuisance.
[ She won't complain about that last bit of extra fire. As he surmised, it was what she asked for. ]