CECILY: Wall of Ice. -7 Spell Points.
Astra found herself waking up without ever intending to sleep, slumped over her desk with the remains of a half-eaten sandwich caking her cheek where she'd apparently used it as an impromptu pillow.
Great. I can't even get something this simple right. At least I ate some of it...
Cleaning her face with a handkerchief, it was only at the renewed knock on her door that she realized why she'd woken up in the first place.
"Just a second," she muttered, stowing the sandwich at the bottom of her wastebasket before straightening her skirt and brushing greasy strands of hair from her face.
She opened the door. Cecily was waiting for her. Before she could even get a word out the girl began, a gigantic breath giving wind to her chattering voice.
"Hi, Astra, I just wanted to let you know that... that I... hmm... right, I helped get all the stuff unloaded real good! Krysti was having a hard time getting this big ol' crate down the ramp, so I just made an ice ramp for her and it slide right down! Whoosh! Hahaha, and then we slid all the others down, and then I slid down too! You should try it sometime, it was really fun, although I didn't have my glasses on and the reflection on the ice was pretty bright, so I can't see to good at the moment, but I'm sure you look really nice, you always look nice..."
Astra could almost feel the girl's statements sapping the marrow from her bones as she stood there. For all she loved her, Cecily could be incredibly exhausting to deal with. It was probably something wrong with her to find such joyful enthusiasm fatiguing...
"Cecily."
"And then I said to Mia, I bet we could roll you down the ramp and you'd make it halfway to the town square, haha, she got really mad but it was really funny, and then -- oh, sorry Astra, what did you want to say?"
A sigh that couldn't quite be as exasperated as she probably had the right to be. "Come here, you silly thing."
She led Cecily over to her bed and sat her down, noticing the wizardess' dilated eyes behind her glasses. Astra slid them off carefully and set about cleaning them, half afraid for a second that she'd pulled out her sandwich handkerchief by mistake.
"These are filthy, it's wonder you can't see anything."
"Nah, nuh uh Astra, I still can't see anything."
"Well, you need to be more careful, then. I can't have you going blind, we're going to need your spells soon."
Blinking in sudden excitement, Cecily grinned up at her. "I get to blow stuff up?!"
"Yes. But it won't be a game, Cess. You're going to need to watch out for enemies, and strike without mercy. Those will be human beings you're blowing up in some cases, and they'll want to kill you if they can."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. They had us practice on sheeps back in school. I blew up sooooo many sheeps, Astra. Then we ate them! Haha, they were tasty. Besides, I'll have Mia with me, she can slashy-stabby anyone who gets close."
I just hope she won't have to heal a wound like mine for you... or even worse.
Setting Cecily's glasses back in place, Astra couldn't help hugging the girl tightly, overcome with fear and love. "Promise me you'll be okay, okay? That's all I need to hear right now."
The wizardess's returning embrace wasn't quite so fierce. She was probably confused, as ever. "Ohh... yeah, I promise, Astra. It's gonna be fine. You'll come up with the best plans and I won't even be in any danger. That's how it always goes, ha... ha... I think you might be suffocating me, Astra..."
That was how it was supposed to be. That was why she'd started this company. Letting them down was unthinkable, but living up to what they all expected of her, at this moment, seemed even more so.
This always happened, though. The less she obsessed over it and let her instincts take command, the better off they'd all be. She could get through this dinner easily, coasting on reflexive social graces. Could plan a grand strategy in a single night if she just smothered that voice of fright for long enough.
Best to get the first hurdle out of the way before worrying about the second. It was time to go.