“May I?” The curiosity was obvious in Lorrain’s voice, her hand reaching out slowly towards Ominis' wrist.
He was momentarily taken aback by the sudden touch and request, but he had figured sooner or later this would happen.
He chuckled and handed the girl his wand.
Lorra tossed aside her book and sat straight on the bed after her wish was finally granted. She closed her eyes, focusing on calming her senses, feeling the light weight of the wand in her hand. She forced herself to breathe slower, more controlled, to fill her lungs with deep, measured inhales. But the wand sat silently in her hand, its usual flicker of crimson light absent.
She strained her ears for any sound beyond the heater of the dorm, but all else was quiet.
Still nothing.
Ominis waited patiently. He knew she would see nothing, just like Sebastian and Anne had when they tried to “see” through his wand; but still wanted her to try it, just to keep her enthusiasm alive for a little longer.
"Perhaps you should try to relax?" Ominis suggested, noticing the impatience in her foot as it began to stomp on the floor repeatedly.
He reached for her free hand.
And then it happened.
His touch felt like a wave crashing into shore, calming and invigorating all at once. She gasped, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter as she felt her senses overload. Ominis' touch was exactly what she needed to finally make the wand work.
She saw bright colors swirling around her, passing through what seemed to be Ominis' silhouette, like bright ribbons of light. Though she couldn't make out any specific details, his silhouette seemed to flicker like a fire, with gentle dancing flames that encapsulated his essence.
“A-Are you seeing anything?” He said surprised, noticing how her vibe had changed so abruptly, not letting her hand go just yet.
He could hear her rasped breaths, but she didn't respond, her focus completely consumed by the blinding figure before her.
Lorra’s hand gripped Ominis’ tightly. Her surroundings had changed, bright warm colors enveloping the glowing figure, her eyes darting everywhere behind closed lids while more color joined in, yellow, white…
Ominis kept asking her what was happening, but got no response, only sharp gasps. Grabbing her shoulders and making his way up to her face, he mapped her features, he felt the clinging of her jaw, her furrowed brows and her mouth biting her bottom lip. Cupping her face he shook her gently, trying to get her out of that hypnotic state.
Finally her eyes flew open just to find everything like it was before she closed her eyes. No bright colors, no silhouettes. Just a dimly lit dorm. Everything was back normal. Well, most of it, she found Ominis inches away from her, watching her anxiously and uneased.
“Goodness gracious, woman! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?” He exclaimed, pulling his wand away from her hand. "Are you alright? You stopped-"
But she lunged towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and burying her face in the crook of his neck. It wasn’t enough. She needed to feel even closer to him, so she climbed onto his lap and pressed herself against him, feeling his heartbeat against her chest.
Ominis remained frozen, his hands hovering in the air as he hesitated what to do next. But as the sound of her cries reached his ears, he couldn't help but pull her gently against him. He could feel the contrast of their breaths mingling together, one shaken and uneven, the other slow and steady. He was certain that she had witnessed something entirely different from what he typically saw when wielding his wand.
“What did you see?” He whispered.
She pulled away, drying her tears with her sweater. She looked at him for a moment, trying to make sense of everything she’d experienced.
"I saw you... YOU. Entirely. Your essence?. I saw YOU." She cradled his face, drawing him in until their foreheads met as she spoke further. “But I felt your pain too. The one you hide from everyone else. How do you manage to endure it so easily?”
Ominis was not expecting that answer. He sure couldn’t see or feel everyone else’s pain, nor see right thru them. He tried to remain cool, thinking of a simple answer to brush off that statement. But he knew better than to lie to her.
“I don’t know. That’s just who I am. I wish I didn’t bleed so easily when things get-” But he couldn’t finish the sentence. “I can’t change it, even if I wanted to…” Ominis said, tilting his head down.
A warmth spread through Lorra's chest, making her hold her breath in anticipation. She couldn't resist the magnetic pull towards him, ending in a bittersweet kiss. Her lips felt almost unworthy of his touch, but still grateful to be able to feel it.
"You deserve so much more than this," Lorra whispered against his lips.
But he simply smiled and pulled her closer, his embrace conveying all that needed to be said. I...already have everything I need . He thought silently.