Round 138 Transcript

I watch Jeane's energy spike dangerously—her magic tearing at the barrier like a wild thing—and feel the field waver around us. This is bad. Very bad. "Jeane," I say, voice sharp and even, "You're pulling too much. The field won't hold if you keep this rate." I trace her spine with my palm, grounding gesture, trying to help recalibrate the flow before it tears itself apart or worse, her apart from the inside out. "Let me help stabilize it."

Her wings flicker at my touch—she's too far gone in lust and anger to really hear me properly—and I can taste the ozone on my tongue as the magic snaps and sparks around us. Hera's trying to scream warnings about Abby, but the sound won't come out right. The invisible bonds I set hold firm—good spellwork, at least—but panic makes people stupid and strong. I need to get Jeane under control before she hurts someone or herself. And I need to figure out what to do with Hera's reckless protectiveness without letting Abby bolt like a startled deer. This situation is unraveling faster than my usual finesse can handle, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up. So I step closer to Jeane—into her space—and press both hands flat against her back, pouring steadying magic into the flow as much as I can manage without overwhelming her systems completely. The barrier groans under our combined power but steadies fractionally. "Pull it back," I tell her. "I've got you covered, but you need to rein this in before it gets messy." I keep my voice level—no panic, no urgency that might make her react instinctively instead of thinking. Just a calm statement of fact. Because right now? This is just another problem to solve.