{our voices shook hands} Meghan

[Lulu]

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well died saying something but didn't mean it
everyone's life ends but no one ever completes it
dry or wet ice, they both melt and you're equally cheated
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Growin' up with more siblings than I could count, I'd had my fair share of fighting practice. Most of that was hand-to-hand, like when one of us would take something of the other's and it would come down to a full-out brawling match to decide who earned possession, or when one of them would make fun of Pyrian because he couldn't hear the insult and I would have to stick my fist in their face to teach them a lesson. So I had that experience, at least. Weapons, though—now those were a different story. I guess I was pretty good with my hands from years of dealing with fire, so I could manage the smaller, lighter ones, but when it came to the heavy ones my upper body strength was definitely not something to shout about. I would need to do a hell of a lot more weightlifting if I was even going to contend with some of the monsters that were supposed to be my competitors.

One morning I decided to practice swinging an axe, and after about five minutes I deduced that the real battle was with the weapon itself, rather than the person I'd be trying to use it on. I could lift it, but my arms shook, and when I brought it down on the training dummy it made nothing more than a feeble scratch. Over and over I tried, bringing it over my head, swinging, and pulling back, until finally I was able to connect with the places I aimed for, almost. I was feelin' pretty proud of myself—tiny little Gypsy Keeni, holdin' her own with an axe almost bigger than her—and then I saw one of the monsters I'd been referring to a few feet away, clearly just about ready to show me up.

He was big and rough-looking, and his training suit told me he was from Two. A Career, probably, here to stomp all over the weird little girl from Six. I scowled at him, hoping he would see, hoping he would get the message and realize that I wasn't scared of him, not one bit. You may have strength and size but I've got fire on my side, and that could tear you to shreds any day. Angrily I turned to swing my axe one more time, but because I wasn't focusing too hard I nearly missed the dummy entirely; the blade only brushed its side. Pathetic. Shrugging off my failure and deciding I was in the mood for a little provocation, I scampered closer to the massive brute and crossed my arms, axe dangling from my grasp. "Hey, you! If I wanted a show I would've asked for it, y'know."

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well an endless ocean landin on an endless desert
well it's funny as hell but no one laughs when they get there
if you can't see the thin air then why the hell should you care?
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