Felicity’s very life was brightened upon hearing Yvonne’s gentle reply. Waves of relief rolled in on her, soothing her in a fresh ocean breeze. As she gulped down every ounce of the young woman’s words, the liquid was like a soothing tea – despite the bits of tea bag grains still left in.

She looked away as Yvonne finished. Well, Felicity was quite the selfless soul. She despised the idea of hurting any of her friends. She would defend the innocent, fight for the weak… yet, one thing she struggled to do was love herself. It was ironic. Really, Felicity was much more of an individualist. She followed her own stars, dressing and acting the way she wanted. She was not a traditionalist or conformist… yet, she hated herself. She refused to follow any crowd, but she hated herself.

She still did not know why.

To make her matter worse, she could easily see how scared – no, terrified – Yvonne was. The half-dwarf was as tight and bunched up as the redhead. She hugged herself in fear, anxiety, over the mere topic of magic. It threatened to kill Felicity. She could barely watch her. The promise she made, however, to face her fear together if it meant helping Felicity, it was real. Raw, made in a pact of steel. Strong as the quality weapons forged in the half-drow’s hometown. Felicity went pale over it, but how could she turn her own? Especially when her stipulation for forgiveness was a little self-respect.

The teen’s chest was tight, throbbing, in her own anxiety. She felt a need for relief. Maybe, a thrill-seeking moment of excitement? Whenever she was faced with a problem, Felicity turned to whatever external freakshow she could find. The adrenaline, excitement… was a double-bladed sword. An alchemist and botanist, Felicity knew very well to stay away from the unhealthy, sickening drinks and drugs. Some people intoxicated to relieve their pain. Felicity coped by putting herself in the most extreme of situations, like a random hike through a foreign continent, in hopes of that next thrill high. Little did she realize at this time, that maybe her external focus was just as deadly to herself and others. Right now, however, she was stuck here. With duty and loyalty binding her to the situation, she stayed. Held captive and imprisoned by her feelings of warmth and friendship, she looked Yvonne in the eyes. Paranoid grey met devastated green.

The teen sighed. Desperate, she was willing to do anything for her select few friends. Her very fear of rejection forced her to say it, “Deal. Done.”

Her thoughts drifted towards her comments about the alchemist, Daisuke Toivonen, and how Yvonne addressed him. The girl shook her head. As she pulled greasy strands of thick red hair behind her ears, she spoke. “The alchemist, Daisuke, is… sort of a friend?” Even Felicity was confused about him, “He and my previous teacher thought it would be a good idea to help me grow stronger. By giving me powers. He had focused on a making some sort of serum a long time ago but remembered it when I came along.” The teen shuddered, “I was willing. I mean, Eiskaltian neanderthals have an affinity towards magic, what could go wrong?”

By the shaky tone in her voice, it was obvious. A lot had gone wrong.

The berserker looked down to her right hand, her mind scrutinizing over her abilities, “How they work, well. Every time I bleed, I become impervious to pain and get stronger. If I get hit a second time, third time, etcetera, it stacks. I get stronger, the nuclear energy trapped inside me gets more intense, and –“ She took a sharp breath as her anxiety continued to get worse. Her words were quick yet filled with so much bitterness and woe it could be just as potent as her nuclear radiation. “- I get angrier…”

She squeezed her hands as she continued on, “After all the research I, and others, have done. We still don’t know why.” Her desperation pierced the air, “But I lose control, lose my sanity, whenever this thing is activated.”

A humorless laugh briefly was let out. Her joyless smile shone like artificial moonlight as she shook her head. “Don’t ask me why. Daisuke made this potion and he doesn’t know. It’s a blessing and a curse. I appreciate the fact that I have this sort of power, I really do.” She lowered her head, “I just wish I could control it more than it controls me. It isn’t voluntary, I can’t make it turn off or on. It’s always there. I accidentally cut myself while cutting herbs? Boom! I fall and scrape my knee? Terror time. It-it always hounds my steps. It forever haunts me…”