11-28-2025, 10:06 AM
Rachel smiled at Zhenya’s confirmation that Emily’s power struggles were due to her pregnancy. The touch to her leg seemed almost motherly, and reminded Rachel of her own mother. The memory didn’t come with the sharp pain that usually accompanied it, even if it reminded Rachel of how much she missed her. Zhenya was also a mom, so it made sense. Her mention of Auri, brought the little girl’s face to mind. She had been adorable in her cute little dress at the wedding. Emily had told Rachel Auri had asked if she was a princess. She was sure that Emily would probably be approaching Zhenya with other questions about motherhood.
Her smile broadened when Zhenya mentioned experimenting with the power. Rachel was up for that. ”That would be great. Em has been a big help with getting me to embrace the power, even if I’ve been inconsistent with it. She said it would be beneficial for me to learn from others though too. The idea being that what works for her might not work for me as well. I know she asked Natalie to help too. I’m really excited to learn about it.”
Rachel hadn’t been this excited about learning in awhile. It sort of reinforced that maybe going to school wasn’t the best idea as well - that deciding to take a break was a good idea. ”Glad you won’t be as recalcitrant teacher though. Not sure how well I’d deal with that. You know with the…trauma.” it was brief, but Lucio came to mind then. He seemed to sneak in occasionally, but was continuing to weaken. She didn’t attempt to hide the slight tremor that came to her hand, but did notice it wasn’t accompanied by the nagging feeling that she needed him. She was still gaining ground in her recovery.
Rachel reached out and took Zhenya’s hand, closed her eyes, and took a couple deep breaths. ”Sorry,” she said, opening her eyes and looking back to Zhenya. ”Im okay - really.”
It was a true statement. She had recovered quick, but she was beginning to recognize the signs. It hadn’t been Zhenya’s fault. When things like this happened, it could be anything that made the connection to Lucio. She squeezed Zhenya’s hand and let go, grateful for the woman’s strength.
Her smile broadened when Zhenya mentioned experimenting with the power. Rachel was up for that. ”That would be great. Em has been a big help with getting me to embrace the power, even if I’ve been inconsistent with it. She said it would be beneficial for me to learn from others though too. The idea being that what works for her might not work for me as well. I know she asked Natalie to help too. I’m really excited to learn about it.”
Rachel hadn’t been this excited about learning in awhile. It sort of reinforced that maybe going to school wasn’t the best idea as well - that deciding to take a break was a good idea. ”Glad you won’t be as recalcitrant teacher though. Not sure how well I’d deal with that. You know with the…trauma.” it was brief, but Lucio came to mind then. He seemed to sneak in occasionally, but was continuing to weaken. She didn’t attempt to hide the slight tremor that came to her hand, but did notice it wasn’t accompanied by the nagging feeling that she needed him. She was still gaining ground in her recovery.
Rachel reached out and took Zhenya’s hand, closed her eyes, and took a couple deep breaths. ”Sorry,” she said, opening her eyes and looking back to Zhenya. ”Im okay - really.”
It was a true statement. She had recovered quick, but she was beginning to recognize the signs. It hadn’t been Zhenya’s fault. When things like this happened, it could be anything that made the connection to Lucio. She squeezed Zhenya’s hand and let go, grateful for the woman’s strength.