"Challenging indeed."It took a moment for her to recognize the prickling at her hairline, the tiny beads of sweat curling the stray wisps escaping her braid. This exertion was unexpected, but Themis was unafraid of work. She enjoyed physical challenges, but it had been decades since she could remember her magic tiring her. While called willowy more than once, Themis has toned her body through the ritualistic devotion she gave to her morning swims. The thought of her morning ritual brought recognition, wonder, and a bit of emotion.
"I recognize this; the way my magic feels. It's a distinct moment, an action, and an emotional response." She allowed her discovery to steady her heart rate and moderate her breathing. "There is a moment in swimming, just before breaking the surface when everything comes into focus. It is a moment of perfect stillness while still in motion. Below me are depths I've never reached and was never meant to. If I look up past the surface, I know the same can be said of the heavens. I am in balance with all things until the ache in my lungs begins. I can resist it for minutes, but eventually, I must breathe, and it is the first gasp at the surface that confirms that I am a living being."
Themis raised her eyes to consider the orbiting metallic structure, pride blooming in her chest at what she accomplished in this attempt. Careful to change the quality and not the quantity of her magic in this move, she set her thoughts to the temperature of the metal. She inclined to cool, and, almost as the thought formed, the metal itself seemed to compress, becoming visibly brittle. Using what little intuition was forming in her attempt, she pulled back gently to avoid shattering the copper."You gave me that feeling just now, and I am most grateful."
She gave herself another moment with her experiment, flexing the copper just a bit more to prove that she could. "I wish to continue, but I do not think it wise." It was as close as she could come to asking for this to end.
"I recognize this; the way my magic feels. It's a distinct moment, an action, and an emotional response." She allowed her discovery to steady her heart rate and moderate her breathing. "There is a moment in swimming, just before breaking the surface when everything comes into focus. It is a moment of perfect stillness while still in motion. Below me are depths I've never reached and was never meant to. If I look up past the surface, I know the same can be said of the heavens. I am in balance with all things until the ache in my lungs begins. I can resist it for minutes, but eventually, I must breathe, and it is the first gasp at the surface that confirms that I am a living being."
Themis raised her eyes to consider the orbiting metallic structure, pride blooming in her chest at what she accomplished in this attempt. Careful to change the quality and not the quantity of her magic in this move, she set her thoughts to the temperature of the metal. She inclined to cool, and, almost as the thought formed, the metal itself seemed to compress, becoming visibly brittle. Using what little intuition was forming in her attempt, she pulled back gently to avoid shattering the copper."You gave me that feeling just now, and I am most grateful."
She gave herself another moment with her experiment, flexing the copper just a bit more to prove that she could. "I wish to continue, but I do not think it wise." It was as close as she could come to asking for this to end.
![[Image: Bka0H0x.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/Bka0H0x.jpeg)