97: A Whirlwind Reformation

97: A Whirlwind Reformation

Each of Celeste’s footsteps, no matter how hard she tried, created a slight sound as she set her heel down. Having combat-rated boots with a harder sole just made walking across metal floors near impossible. To her, the sound seemed like bombs exploding, and the worry alone made her hands quiver as a never ending geyser of sweat drenched her palms—no matter how many times she wiped her hands against her combat outfit.

Under the artificial lighting of the metal box of a gymnasium, though, she managed to ease herself closer than any of their previous attempts. At some points, Nyssa had twitched, sending Celeste’s five guards into battle positions, but not a single attack came flying outward.

Albion, for one, bit back the urge to comment on this fact to Titus, shaking his head to refocus on the task at hand. He chanted a mantra in his mind, repeating it from the top every time he reached the end.

A second of delay could mean the difference between a safe distraction and an injury. Just remember the time that you injured mom, Albion. C’mon. A second of delay...

“She’s close,” Titus murmured aloud, echoing everyone’s thoughts as he used the words to stay focused. “She’s just a few steps away from getting within touching distance.”

“Yeah...” Conrad crouched down a little more. He, along with everyone else, held their breaths as they watched Celeste take the final few steps.

One.

... Two.

... ... Three.

“Nyssa...” Celeste reached out, touching the surface of the transforming sphere. She leaned in closer, her voice shaking a little as the reality of Nyssa’s situation registered in her mind. Her next words came out as a whisper, quiet enough for only her and Nyssa to hear. “Come on, wake up will you? I... I... don’t know, I miss seeing you. I don’t know what to say...”

Nyssa doesn’t feel like flesh.

That thought dominated Celeste’s mind as she ran her hand over the surface of the ever transforming sphere. It felt more like a river of sand. It felt possible, trivial even, to plunge her hand inward if she wanted—of course, with whatever risk it might’ve brought.

Particles came in from the whirlwind, helping to fill out the last bits of Nyssa’s figure. They helped finish her arms and her legs, and, once a couple minutes had gone by, the shadowy cover began flaking off of Nyssa.

While the shadowy cover disappeared, giving Nyssa her corporeal form back, her clothes began reappearing. Still in tatters from the fight, they shimmered back into existence from the necklace still around her neck.

“Oh... uh... hmm,” Celeste murmured aloud to herself as she noticed the sorry state of Nyssa’s clothes. Rips, holes, burn marks, dirty streaks, and creases, it had it all. With a smooth pulling motion followed by a few shrugs, she unzipped and took off the outer layer of her own battle suit. Tossing it on the ground to retrieve later, she floated upward, preparing as the last few shadowy flakes came flying off.

“Uomph, gotcha,” Celeste sighed in relief as she scooped up Nyssa out of the air. The moment she made contact though, she froze up as a couple of groans slipped out of Nyssa’s mouth. Pausing in the air, she adjusted her carrying position. “Everything okay?”

Some inaudible groans left her mouth before Nyssa shifted and clung onto Celeste, looping her arms around Celeste’s neck.

Celeste, breaking into a small smile as her shoulders lightened, hugged Nyssa close. Carrying her girlfriend in a princess carry, she came back to the ground, laid her on the floor, and covered her up with the outer layer from earlier.

At the same time, the whirlwind stopped and most of the shimmering particles disappeared, with the last few floating back down to the ground like glitter after the firing of fireworks in someone’s backyard for new year’s.

“You all can come now,” Celeste called out to the rest of the group as they relaxed and stood up from their battle positions. “Everything’s fine, it was just a bit of a trippy experience.”

“How is she doing?” Electra asked as the first to arrive after appearing beside Celeste in a flash of lightning, a movement so fast it seemed near instantaneous.

“I think she’s fine, she’s just asleep, probably very deeply. The common symptom after losing control of your powers,” Celeste relayed while crouching down to brush Nyssa’s white hair out of her face. “She did acknowledge me earlier so I think she’ll wake up fine.”

“Good, good,” Electra put her hands on her waist as the others arrived, asking the same exact question.

Chuckling, Celeste stood back up. “I think she’s fine, she’s just asleep...”