Sparks and Shadows

19 - How Can I Fix This?

[7:45 AM]

"You're slow today, mija. And also sloppy. And you're hardly paying attention to what's around you. Tell me, what could possibly be plaguing your mind enough that you would not take this training seriously?" Reyna asked.

Her voice was slightly threatening, but Neon knew her well enough to detect the concern that was hidden behind her words. The speedster sighed in frustration as she sat herself down on the training room floor. Her head was pounding now, and her body was trembling with overexertion thanks to how much energy she expended on this training session. But she wasn't satisfied with the little progress she made, and she knew Reyna felt the same.

"It's nothing, Reyna. Let me just...just give me a second here, and we can start again. Ugh..." the Filipino girl grumbled.

"It doesn't seem like nothing, Neon. 'Nothing' wouldn't be impeding your training. If it's big enough that you are unable to focus, then I suggest you take care of it before this starts to affect your progress." The empress said, approaching the girl.

Neon almost growled. Almost. This wasn't something she could just 'take care' of. After what happened with Fade yesterday, she had been unable to sleep, or even concentrate on what was right in front of her.

They had almost kissed.

They. Almost. Kissed.

She had taken a leap of faith when she noticed the mood in the room had shifted drastically yesterday. She thought she read Fades actions properly, and that she actually wanted to do something. But the hesitance she felt from the other girl, and the almost fearful look in her eyes when Neon opened her own was...scary. She had messed up big time, and now Fade probably hated her. Especially with the way she told her to leave, and the screams she heard afterwards...

Neon felt immeasurable guilt from the knowledge that she was the one that made Fades Radiance act up.

"Neon. Mija. The longer you sit here and do nothing, the more your thoughts are going to fester within and tear you up." Reyna said, cutting through her sulking.

"This is...this isn't that big of a deal, Reyna. Well...it is to me, but...god! I don't know!! I fucked up so badly!!" Neon suddenly shouted, splaying out on her back.

She didn't know if she should be telling Reyna of all people about this. But she was certainly a better option than others considering the older woman was also breaking the No Fraternizing rule, and was surprisingly very secretive compared to most. Then again, Reyna also wasn't the best person to have a heart-to-heart with since her love language seemed to consist of violence and even more violence. Nonetheless, the older woman stood over Neon with a hand on her hip and a raised eyebrow.

"You fucked up? As much as I'm interested in how you managed to screw up badly enough that it's making you mess up your training, I also wonder if you truly want me of all people to listen to your teenage problems." Reyna said, giving a smirk.

"Hey! I'm almost twenty!! Stop treating me like a kid! This problem is much more important than some teenage drama. Probably. I think I accidentally misread someone's intentions and pushed them into an uncomfortable situation!" Neon said, sitting up and covering her face with her hands.

There was a long pause from the older woman, which immediately made Neon nervous that she said too much. But she pulled her hands from her face, and looked up at Reyna to see an unrecognizable look in her fuchsia gaze.

"Well...that certainly is a problem..." The empress said. "Care to explain more? From the sound of it, this is a situation only a select few can know about. If I'm correct in assuming that you're also ignoring Brimstones rule with this person?"