MAEGYA | ii. "ONE STEP FORWARD AT LAST." THE HOLY TRIO
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IT WASN'T THE jubilee of the audience that kept Theadora smiling all night than it was that cardboard tracking meter nearing close to full with red ink next to May. They had finally raised enough money to suffice all the displaced persons left homeless by the Snap and for a moment, life finally had a semblance of normalcy. Thea leaned against the drywall in the backroom as Peter paced back and forth in front of her. The metallic finish of his Iron Spider suit glimmered in the soft light filtering through the curtains. His eye lenses glowed a gentle blue as he whispered words of encouragement to himself.
"Relax, you're doing a pop-up, not speaking at Capitol Hill," Thea chuckled, pushing herself against the wall.
"I know it's just I'm not the best at public speaking," Peter breathed. His nanite mask unfurled and revealed his paled face. "Are-are you hungry? May said there's vegan lasagna. That... sounds good, doesn't it?"
Thea smiled in amusement. Her fingers curled around the corner of the olive green and she took a peek at the full, buzzing audience. "Look out there, Petra. You mean so much to people."
In the crowded cultural center, she could narrowly spot Serafina at a table in the far back with Bex next to her. The War Master was bored to say the least, nursing what presumably was her third flute of champagne within the hour. Still, Thea was glad she accepted the invite. Her busy schedule of overseeing the renewal of the Valoqar diaspora and silently tracing Rhaegon and Vissera couldn't afford it but at some point, the Celtigar accepted Peter and his aunt as pieces of their shattered family.
A small chuckle made her turn around and grin. "What?"
"You know when I first met you I thought you were intimidating. Like terrifying—"
She blinked. "Terrifying?"
"No, no— not terrifying!" he jumped to correct himself. His ears were tinted pink, eyes blown wide in embarrassment. "Just..."
Thea's eyebrows dug together. "Just what?"
"Like, you know, cool," he stammered.
It fell dreadfully quiet between them until a sudden rouse of applause drew their attention to a female voice, declaring, "Good evening, everyone!"
"That's you!" Thea urged as his mask folded over his reddened face and she nudged him along. "Go, go, go!"
The audience began cheering as he disappeared in front of the curtain. Thea brushed off his adorable stammering though what he said was more harmless than concerning. She was a dragon and no one could tame a dragon. Many would be scared, awed, or threatened but she tried to uphold herself the best she could. A smile grew to her face as she caught a glimpse of Peter's stiff, rock-like stance next to his exuberant Aunt May.
