Lady Ravasha Witchhawk

Playing with Fire

At age 12 I was inducted into a coven of mages. They taught me how to play with fire: Controlling the ambient temperatures around me, conjuring flames and even flashes of bright hot lights. They did not expect me to rise in the ranks quickly. It was a slow burning endeavor they said. Occasionally they would match up the new students with other new students to practice what we learned.

My opponent was an orange haired girl named Delirissa. I was told nothing about her beyond that she too was training with the fiery arts. She looked like she ate and drank reasonably well and her dress suggested that she came from a well to do family. I did too yet my mother and father rarely supported me with gifts of money. Truth be told I was jealous of Miss Delirissa.

We met in the center of the classroom and exchanged our names and a greeting.

"I am Ravasha Witchhawk. My House demands that I must show my strength by defeating you in the training exercise." I said somewhat shakily and girlishly. Looking at her out of the corners of my vision before regarding her right in her eyes with as intimidating of a stare as I could manage.

"My name's Delirissa Hearthheart. No pressure on either of us to win. Just do your best, okay?" She replied cheerfully.

We paced away from each other and then turned to face the other. We were armed with practice wands. I flicked my wrist and streamer of flames erupted from my wand towards her face. Her makeups were running as she ducked beneath the ribbon of fire and unleashed a small explosion beneath my feet. Feeling my high-heeled shoes heat up I danced to the left and cast my weakened version of Combustion. Unleashing two short blasts of flames at her arms to disable her.

Delirissa grabbed at her right arm in pain before parting the second blast like a curtain. Fire lapped around my body like an aura. I could feel I was coming closer to setting up my real move. She smiled devilishly and flung a fireball at my hair, which was hanging in pigtails around my shoulders.

All the products in my hair allowed the flames purchase and I felt my skin heat up uncomfortably. I put out the flames before they damaged me forever. Even though we were two trainees playing children's games we could still get burned or scarred. The image of a red dragon's head appeared above me as I inhaled and then exhaled a huge river of short-lived flames at my opponent.

She winced and tried to control the temperatures around her to take less damage from my attack. Smiling evilly I advanced and unleashed a Pyroblast towards her. I was always good at fiery spells. With the aid of Combustion the Pyroblast was unleashed almost instantly though with my age and inexperience it wasn't as devastating as it could be. Her hair was down and I targeted her hairdo and face. The explosion and smoke from my spell could be felt and smelled around the classroom. The other students watched silently with trepidation in their expressions. Delirissa could not shake the entirety of the spell off and was left with a permanent scar on her cheek and a singed hairdo.

My teachers instructed me to help her so her scars were not too deep. I extinguished the Pyroblast with my force of willpower and collected all the fire left in the air into a small harmless ball above us. It showered tiny sparks and then died. The orange-haired woman curtsied to me and I to her. We were told that we were going to be partners from then on in practice games.

Delirissa explained that though her family mostly practiced the Frost Arts she had chosen the path of Flames. I told her that my family was distant, as were most of the classmates. She seemed concerned yet said nothing.

In truth "distant" was all I felt from those around me. It was true that I advanced quickly in my spell craft yet that was all I had. My young mind was plagued by thoughts of inferiority and my classmates smelled it on me like a thick cloud of smoke. They often mocked me for being too weak. And my mother and father never disagreed with such assessments--They simply told me to become stronger.

I became friends with Delirissa for our duration training with the coven. We discussed our girlish concerns between classes. She worried she was not advancing quickly enough so I gave her some tips. In turn she explained that love from your family was not all that mattered if you received love elsewhere. I thought her remark was odd and told her so.

"'Love elsewhere?' Like from who?" I asked with a slight catch to my breath. Afraid and yet excited that I knew just what she meant.

Delirissa smiled mysteriously and then kissed me softly on the cheek.

On my thirteenth birthday she was among the only children who even came to my party. The others--two of them--came to offer me their hands to date and earn reputation as a woman instead of a girl. From that day forward I started to come into my looks. My features became more soft and feminine. I grew several inches to the height I have today. Yet that distance from my peers and mother and father remained. Delirissa too distanced herself slightly as she saw that I was receiving requests from others.

One day I told her how her advice had affected me back when we were twelve. She said not to worry about it she was being friendly because she liked me. And I told her I liked her too. We shared a short kiss and then agreed that we would not get too close... mostly at my insistence that I was not ready for a true relationship. In honesty I was dying for her affections yet my family's urging to become stronger got in my way. I told her that I must concentrate on my studies for my House and family's sake.

Delirissa insisted she could be professional if we had a relationship so I relented much to my relief. She was my first true love. Yet because of our promises to each other we never went public. Even in a lesbian love I died for I could never openly admit that she and I were a thing. And we shared more hugs and kisses in private only. "Distance" was a word I had come to love and hate dearly.