Felicity stuffed her face with a giant spoonful of strawberry frozen yogurt. It was splendid!

It was a large, empty diner, with many round tables crossing the black and white floor. The large, wide windows at the front gazed out into the silent nightfall. They were the only ones here, and Felicity had been given a huge bowl of her favorite sweet, Ashla's treat.

It was very near closing hours. As the shopkeeper wiped down tables across the store, Felicity crunched a frozen strawberry in her half numb, but very happy, mouth. Looking up to her old friend, she swallowed the strawberry as Ashla stroked her cat's striped coat. As the cat purred, Felicity watched with dark circles under her eyes. She was about to speak, but just as she opened her mouth, Ashla put her hand out to her, stopping her.

"Felicity, I'm sorry."

The words had enough depth to them, but Felicity was still put back. Flattening her back against the back of the chair, Felicity blinked, "… What?"

Ashla sighed, lowering her head, "I did wrong. I blew it. I let you down and I stabbed your back. I am so sorry!" She looked up again, her dark brown eye barely forming ice in the corners of her pupils. She was serious.

Felicity leaned forwards again, "No, Ashla, it's okay-"

Ashla slammed her left fist on the table, standing up as the cat jumped off. "No, it's not!"

The cat, the girl, and even the skinny man in the corner were all struck with a bout of shock and fear. As the cat's fur stood up, Ashla suddenly realized and dropped the sudden rage. She sighed, leaning against the table as her back heaved, "I-I'm-…"

Felicity got up and ran to her side, tears creeping up to the surface of her eyes as her voice slurred in her emotional break, "Ashla, look, look at me!"

Panic spread in her voice as Ashla looked up to her. Her blue eye shed tears, the other frozen over with ice. Felicity rubbed her back, silently feeling despair over the rough backbone she felt under the chain mail beneath her shirt, "Ashla, just stop. Please? I'm here. I'm okay, you' be fine…"

Felicity was trying the best she could, but Ashla had gone from zero to sixty in an instant and was obviously drowning in internal torture. Felicity shook her head in disbelief, How bad of a condition did I leave you in?

Felicity pulled her shaking companion from the seat, trying to maintain eye contact. Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to connect to the unpredictable, unhinged Icebreaker, "Ashla, just breathe. Exhale, inhale…"

As they shed tears under their broken bond, Felicity started breathing slowly, heavily. Shakily, Felicity showed Ashla breathing exercises she remembered her uncle teaching her a long time ago. They stood there, silently breathing. After what seemed to be the longest time, Ashla started slowing down. Felicity sat Ashla down in the wooden chair again. Felicity continued to rub her back, pulling her former teacher into a hug, "I forgive you, Ashla. It is okay."

Ashla quieted down. Closing her eyes, chin on her head, Felicity remembered the bouts of insanity, the angry flashes, the backhandings, the verbal lashings … it hurt her, it most certainly hurt her. Regardless, seeing her former teacher like this hurt more. As far as Felicity was concerned, she could forgive her seven multiplied by seventy-seven times… She was her mentor, older sister, and friend.

Silent as they stay there, Felicity smiled when Ashla returned the hug.


~~~


Meanwhile, just across the table, Fireleaf was licking the dish of frozen yogurt clean.