From the Vast

Chapter 18: Cowardice

"^Cinder.^"

The vixen stood on the opposite side of the dirt street, red eyes glowing dimly in the dark. Every single part of her body was tensed up, muscles twitching as if about to act. Her left paw gripped her wand, the flame on its tip roaring in intensity once Aria had joined the scene. It gradually melted the surrounding snow as it lit up the fox, and everything that marred her.

Cinder's fur was charred in a handful of places; the sheer inferno required to do that taking Aria aback as she tried to imagine it. Dried mud covered much of her skirt and arms, adding to her demented appearance. Especially when combined with her narrow, unflinching expression.

The expression of someone preparing to fight, befitting her impenetrable mind.

Aria was no stranger to focusing on one's psyche to make it unreachable for other psychics. What she felt here couldn't be further from simply wanting to stop Cadence from eavesdropping on her conversation, though. There was not a single thought she could spot, only sheer tense anxiety and immense focus. No thoughts, no fears. Just Cinder wielding her wand and being poised to unleash it at any point.

With the vixen preparing to fight, the fairy could only do the same.

She couldn't sense Cinder even trying to probe her mind, but that didn't mean she wouldn't leave it exposed. Aria's body grew tenser by the moment, winding herself up. Her mind was torn between recalling defensive techniques to protect the wounded and children inside the medical tent, and getting ready to use the few offensive moves she knew to incapacitate the Fire-type.

That first possibility made the Gardevoir almost lose her composure. Not even Cinder would hurt or kill so many innocents just to take her revenge on Anne; Aria was sure of that. As sure as she used to be that Cinder would never assault her brother out of sheer, misguided wrath.

Nowhere near as sure as she wished she could be.

Aria felt her hand clench subconsciously. The innermost part of her had to be forcibly dragged away from immediately springing to action with a Shadow Ball. Every passing moment of silence ratcheted the tension even further. The atmosphere went from frozen to dangerously flammable, liable to go off with as little as a single spark. A spark that the Gardevoir had to increasingly focus on not letting loose there and then.

Protecting them all came first, but what if, in order to do that, she'd need to be the one to land the first blow? What if Cinder was just waiting for her to falter before going for a swift execution? Aria didn't know, couldn't know. A myriad of increasingly horrible possibilities wormed their way into her mind with each passing moment. Their cacophony only ever grew in intensity. The tension demanded an outlet.

Demanded bloodshed.

Instead, came a soft swoosh.

The quiet sound forced Aria to finally look at what was physically happening in front of her. To see Cinder's wand laying in snow beside her. Extinguished, powerless. The Delphox's facade was shattered, stone-like expression cracked and revealing one of steadily building despair. Before Aria could even speak up, the vixen followed her wand; the thud of a pair of fur-clad knees collapsing onto the snowy dirt, taking the Gardevoir aback half a step.

And with it came quiet, heartbroken words.

"I'm... I'm sorry."

Aria didn't react, didn't dare do anything in response, mind much too wound up to even immediately recognize the shift in the situation. The somber silence following Cinder's muttered words gradually cooled them both down to varying extents. As the Delphox's body language shrunk, expression focusing on the muddied snow before her, the Gardevoir's remained focused.