23.2 Fic: Mirage Reflection 5

The tone is muffled but distinct as it winds its way through the cracks in the polished door.   “ - I think you’ll find that this depiction of Aurian ingenuity is far superior - ”   Inhale.   “ - the beauty of the Igneans defeat here is contextualized by -”   Exhale.   Despite her body’s insistence on allowing the air trapped in her lungs to escape, Mirage is frozen, every muscle coiled to spring. The pounding of her heart is so loud she’s sure everyone in the room must be able to hear it.   Run.   Nimbus drifts in a trail of fog along her cheek, but the sensation doesn’t register - nothing does but the fact that Amir is two rooms over, entertaining Ta’lok, Cri, and Saeldor with Aurian battle stories, and she can’t breathe.   Don’t pass out, don’t freeze up. Not now, not like this.   Despite all her efforts, Mirage can’t make herself step away from the door, even though Cypher needs to know what’s going on, they need to come up with a plan -   My cell is just around the corner. He’ll open the door and find me standing here, I can’t stay, I won’t get thrown in there again -   “Marwa?”   A single hesitant voice cuts through the deafening chaos of her mind, and like a drowning woman, she clings to it.   Distantly, she hears herself mention Amir, but all she can focus on is the blurry image of Cypher’s face, his expression full of worry, as he takes her hand and leads her further down the hallway.   “Okay. Breathe, okay?”   She’s trying, but the edges of her vision are darkening and her chest hurts.   No. Not like this.   Without thinking, Mirage throws a hand out, laying her palm on the flat of Cypher’s chest. He’s warm, his tunic scratchy under her fingertips, but she can’t think beyond the fact that she needs to breathe. Placing her other hand on her own chest, feeling the thudding of her heart, she tries to sync her lungs’ movements with his.   Inhale.   It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay, I’m not alone. He’s here, he promised he wouldn’t let me get caught, it’s okay.   Exhale.   She feels his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.   “What do you need?” He murmurs. His expression is uncertain but he’s the clearest thing in the room right now, his gaze tethering her in space, and she knows that if she can focus for just long enough, her breath will come back.   Mirage shakes her head and croaks, “Okay?”   Before she can finish the question, he’s already slowed his breathing, taking exaggerated breaths through his nose and exhaling slowly.   “Para você, yes.”   Her fingers instinctively curl into the fabric of his shirt, and the pressure in her chest begins to ease.   Inhale.   The roaring in her ears abates. The sound of distant conversation, the groan of creaking wood, rushes back in as her senses shift outward once again.   Exhale.   His eyelashes are so long, she thinks. Her gaze follows the slope of his nose, trace the scars on his jaw, the hair pasted to his forehead with sweat. The stubble on his chin, the shape of his mouth. The sudden impulse to let her fingers drift over the planes of his face fills her before she brushes it away.   The longer they breathe together, the more confident he becomes, and the safer she feels. He’s nodding in encouragement now, offering gentle reassurances in that soothing tenor, “You got this.”   Of course I do. Right? Suddenly he looks up and glances over her shoulder. “Company?”   As Mirage turns to look behind her, she can see Nimbus hovering near the door jam, confirming Cypher’s guess.   Nimbus flashes a series of images into her mind, detailing his last scouting mission, and she takes a moment to step back, dropping her hands. She misses the feeling of his steady warmth beneath her palm instantly, but they don’t have time for this.   “They’re with him in a guarded office.”   “Guards are posted, not patrolling?”   She nods.   “Boa.”   “What?”   “Good. Sorry, good. Marwa?”   He’s looking at her with an emotion on his face she can’t name.   “Yeah?”   He pauses, clearing his throat.   “Look, we can go. We can slip out how we came in, wait for Boss and the others to leave, and nuke the place if you want. But listen, if you feel like we're not done here, then like I said - like you said, you're not here alone. Not that you need the backup, but I really hope you don't think I came here to stand idly by."   He cracks a small half-smile, and she feels herself mirroring it.   The cadence of his speech, the conviction in his tone - it’s grounding. She lets out a shaky breath and remembers her talk with Ta’lok on the airship. She’d promised him she could do this.   A thing happened to me, and it was awful. This man took me from my friends, my life, my home, made me feel unsafe, made me lose faith in myself.   But I’m not alone this time, the refrain is a mantra.   In her thoughts, she sees the image of her friends in the Naiad, standing between her and a fey creature. Of piggyback rides from Saeldor, dancing with Cri, hugging Cypher.   And I’m not the same person he kidnapped all those weeks ago.   Moments continue to dart by - befriending Cobbles and Asmira, outflying the Teeth, recruiting Uloth and transforming into mist. Disabling traps, slipping past guards and electric nets, unleashing the hurricane within her. She did all of that then. What more is she capable of now?   Resolve settles in her gut and the trembling in her hands stills.   As if following train of thought, Cypher smirks and says, “Fuck that guy, yeah?”   Adrenaline pulses through her veins, reigniting her purpose.   “Fuck this guy.”