princessences | [IC] Inbox @ deerington

[ Allura nods, taking a seat across from Chloe on the edge of the bathtub. ]

Here, give me your hands.

[ She looks a little confused, but she also apparently can't say no to Allura, so she offers out her hands. ]

[ Allura takes Chloe's hands in her own, placing them palm to palm. Slowly a warmth builds between them, tactile, as well as a soft white glow. The crescents on Allura's cheeks follow suit. ]

[ This is... normal. Totally normal. Definitely not weird in the slightest.

.......... ]

The fuck?

[ An eloquent inquiry for clarity, brought to you by Chloe Elizabeth Price. ]

[ It's the most normal thing possible in Deerington, to be honest. ]

It's quintessence.

[ She says plainly. ]

I did tell you that I would show you someday, didn't I? If you concentrate your own, it can be very relaxing.

Shit. I totally forgot about that.

[ She's still staring at their hands in curiosity, at least. It's safe to say she's never seen anything like it. ]

How do I, uh... do that, exactly?

You have light and warmth inside you, Chloe.

[ She wiggles her fingers. ]

Close your eyes.

[ Allura closes her eyes as well. ]

You may not be able to see it right away, but you can picture it. It exists from the tips of your toes to the tips of ears. It may be stronger in some places than others and that's natural. Can you feel it?

[ Chloe closes her eyes as told, taking a breath and trying to picture this light and warmth inside of her like she said. It kind of reminds her of the times people have tried to get her to meditate. She’s never been very good at that. Feeling what’s inside her, focusing on some abstract thing.

She’s trying though. Really. Focusing on the warmth of Allura’s hands first and maybe there’s... something? Possibly? She kind of feels it in her gut.

But — ]

... All I feel is hungry.

[ She’s a dumbass, Allura. ]

[ Mediation isn't far off--it does take quite a bit of self-control and concentration to get things right. But to Chloe's credit, Allura does laugh, which causes a ripple in her own quintessence and a slight, light tickle against Chloe's hands. ]

Here, how about you listen to mine instead?

[ In contrast to how her laughter had been a tickle, Allura pushes her own quintessence forward towards the other girl. It's slow, but warm, like feeling the sun on one's skin in the height of spring. But more than just warmth is a tinge of intent. Allura's is simple--demonstration, yes, but also reassurance. This was meant as an exercise to give Chloe something else to concentrate on, after all, and Chloe will get a small pulse of non-verbal emotion, simple but clear.

This is how it's done and everything will be alright. ]

[ She can't help the look of surprise at the tickle on her hands, arms flinching like she was going to pull back on instinct but settling again just as quickly. That was weird - not in a bad way, but still something new.

She nods at her suggestion, though - and as she felt the warmth, and more importantly the comfort, her shoulders relaxed slightly, a small smile on her face.

Oh. ]

... That's really cool.

[ Allura smiles lightly in response. It's always been a part of her own life, though her skills with manipulating it have definitely grown over the course of the last year. Unfortunately in Deerington it's rarely gone as intended, but something as simple as this seems safe.

Honestly, it makes her feel a little better as well. ]

Quintessence is the one thing every being in the universe has in common. It's a language we can all understand. It just takes a little practice learning how to speak it.

[ She wiggles her fingers against Chloe's. Her markings glow as well. And for once, it's not painful. ]

Try again.

[ She nods at her explaination, scrunching her mouth up and clearly not completely convinced she’s got this. She doesn’t want to not try, though, which is... well, a lot more than she can say for how she would’ve approached this all back when she first got to Deerington. Giving up on things was kind of her Go To plan for anything that didn’t come completely naturally.

So she takes a breath and closes her eyes again, trying to concentrate and find whatever this energy inside of her is supposed to be. Mostly she just seems nervous, uncertain - and maybe that’s what ends up getting pushed through without her even meaning for it to. ]

... I’m probably overthinking this.

[ She does that a lot, she’s learned. All the years that she spent teasing Max and she was just as much caught up in her own thoughts as she was. ]

[ Allura smiles at the comment, inclining her head slightly towards Chloe. ]

Probably. But it does take practice, so don't be so hard on yourself. I'll help you out a bit.

[ She closes her eyes again and exhales quietly. After a moment, Allura's markings begin to glow and a soft, white light starts to form an aura around her. Quintessence naturally reacts to quintessence and it isn't long before Chloe will start to notice a gentle blue start to form on herself. ]

[ Of course it’s blue. That shouldn’t be the first thought Chloe has when she sees it, but there it was. The look on her face is definitely one of fascination, but she can’t help but get side-tracked some by the way the Allura’s markings glow, too. It’s like something out of a movie, nothing she ever thought to see in person. ]

... Wild.

[ When Chloe speaks, Allura opens her eyes and smiles. In some ways it's a relief to see this work the way it should--without own strange perversion as so many of her abilities have suffered through her stay in Deerington. But this is so simple and so inherent to life itself, it should stay intact, shouldn't it? Just like seeing. ]

I told you it was within you.

[ Chloe finally grins when she sees Allura's own smile, and there's definitely more of a feeling of overall calm that at least seems to have taken hold of her. A good distraction; learning new things was nearly always the best way to get her mind off of her worries.

Though. Speaking of. ]

... It's probably been long enough. [ At this point, it could almost be said that she was avoiding those stupid tests. ]

[ Allura nods, pulling her hands back to fold in her lap. The glowing fades as well, though the crescents on her cheeks are still alight with residual quintessence. ]

Shall we check?

Now or never, I guess.

[ She goes to get up and look at the tests, double checking their boxes to be sure, and she still can't help but let out the largest sigh of relief. ]

Remind me to fucking kill Keith next time he pulls this shit.

[ She waits, curious and holding herself back from leaning forward to take a peak. Chloe's relief is all the indication she needs.

Allura smiles, placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder. ]

I hope that won't be necessary...

[ Keith, wrap it up. ]

...but I certainly won't stop you.

[ That gets a laugh out of her, one that lasts a little longer than it might normally have simply because of how much of a weight feels like it got lifted off her shoulders in the last two seconds.

She goes to turn to hug Allura mid-laughter, because her being there actually meant a lot more than Chloe could put into words. The only other person she could have thought to call was Max, and considering how strange things were when it came to their relationship these days, this didn't seem like the kind of thing that had felt right to ask her to come sit with her over.

It's strange to have another girl she feels like she can actually rely on. A new feeling she's definitely not complaining about. ]

You're... a good friend, you know that? Thank you.

[ The hug is a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. There's only a moment's pause before Allura readily returns the embrace. What could have happened would certainly be a big weight on Chloe's shoulders, a point in her life that she had readily stated she wasn't ready for. That she doesn't have to confront it is definitely a relief.

She gives Chloe a gentle squeeze. ]

I'm glad that you didn't have to go through this alone. And that the results were what you were hoping for. But for as long as we're here, please don't hesitate to call on me.

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