Leisha sat with the other Magecrafter and ordered her food. They chatted, people-watching as they discussed the minutiae of their days. After a few moments, their food came and the conversation lagged.

"Oh," Tennille said. "There's Kyle and Josiah."

Leisha froze, her heart skipping a beat, before she turned to see two more Magecrafters at a table several feet away. Tennille called out to get their attention and waved them over.

Kyle dropped into his seat with a squeak from one of the hundreds of joints in his exoskeleton-brace. "Waddup?"

She flashed him a smile, then turned to Josiah, who was carefully sitting himself in the chair next to her. "How are you guys today?"

Kyle mumbled something about his work, but she watched Josiah from the corner of her eye, waiting for him to speak. The British Glammourist was withdrawn on a good day. His ability made him skeptical of people, and he had a dry, aecerbic wit. Combined with PTSD from something in his past which he never spoke of, he simply didn't get out a lot.

Suddenly, his clear pale blue eyes were focused on her. He spoke, and she scrambled to pull herself together and listen to what he said.
"I am well," he said, his accent giving his words a formal tinge. "Kyle dragged me out, I'm afraid, so I am here."

Leisha smiled. "I, for one, am glad to see you out and about."

Her smile faltered as the man's nostrils flared. She wondered if he thought she was simply being polite and would respond with the biting comments he was becoming known for, but Josiah only raised his brows in a twitching movement.

Tennille and Kyle began bickering, talking about some philosophical difference regarding Alchemist potions versus innate power. Leisha ignored them, her natural reserve playing into her desire to choose her words carefully in Josiah's presence. She knew why she was driven to impress the man, but she certainly wasn't ready to admit it, even to herself.

"Did Kyle make you go to the mall?" she asked after a long silence.

Josiah flashed her a half-smile, the left side of his mouth quirking up into a deep dimple. "He tried, but I stayed strong against his influence."

Leisha felt her stomach tumble when he said "ah-gaynst", pushing more rolling vowels into the word than she was used to hearing. She sighed. She could listen to him all day, watching the skin around his eyes crinkle as he spoke or changed his expressions. "I'm sure you did," she murmured.

The man's eyes nearly twinkled as he continued, humor coloring his words. "Well, I do like to think that staying strong is my forte."

Leisha laughed aloud, then clapped her hand over her mouth, shocked that she had done so. Her mama had always taught her to be delicate in word and deed. She glanced over at Josiah, but he grinned at her.

"Glad to see not all Americans are completely without vocabulary," he said.

She opened her mouth for what she hoped was an equally witty reply, but a server dropped a small stack of plates just behind them just then. Leisha jumped at the sound, then nearly flinched away when Josiah grabbed her hand and squeezed.

She looked into his face, shocked, as his eyes grew wider and the pale blue deepened into a bright turquoise. Colors began to spring up around his head, pale and transparent at first, but slowly growing more solid around the expressionless features of his face. She could feel the pressure of the illusions in her mind, pushing against her thoughts.

Leisha reached over with her other hand, encompassing his vellum-paper hands into the warm ebony of her fingers and dark dusty rose of her palms. She tugged at him, bringing them closer together. Her cheek brushed his as she brought her lips close to his ear, whispering reassuring nonsense to him in a soft croon.

Then it was over.

The color flashes faded with the mental pressure, and Josiah blinked his eyes back into the washed out blue they'd been before. Leisha sat back, still grasping his hands, putting enough pressure on them to let him know she was there. She took a shaky breath at the same time he did. She'd never seen a Glamourist lose control like that, and it left her feeling tense.

Kyle was suddenly behind Josiah, helping him to his feet, pulling his hands from hers.

"We better get that Brit noggin checked out," he muttered. "You two stay and keep the norms settled, though I don't think any of them got more than a few stray images."

"B-but-" Leisha started to rise, trying to find an excuse to stay with Josiah. "What if it happens again?"

The Glamourist's eyes darted around for a moment, then locked back on Leisha's face. She reached for him and found his hands grasping for hers.

Leisha noticed Kyle's face over Josiah's shoulder. She fought the blush as Kyle's expressions flickered through realization and understanding.

After a long moment, Kyle nodded. "Then you take him to get checked out." He glanced at Tennille and nodded at her. "We can deal with this."

Josiah stammered, half apology and half protest. Tennille dropped her pale hand on his shoulder. "No, Josiah. Dr. Cundiff will want to talk to you while your memory is still fresh."

Josiah stared into Leisha's eyes, but nodded at Tennille's words. Leisha patted his hand before dropping it to hug her friend.

"Take it slow," Tennille whispered into Leisha's ear.

Leisha pulled back and gave her friend a searching look. Tennille smiled encouragingly and nodded.

Leisha turned to walk with Josiah to the car. They barely made it to the door before his hand had sought hers out again.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

Josiah stared into the distance. "I think so. The noise." He hesitated. "It reminded me of the night my parents died."

Leisha swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Josiah shook his head. "I don't talk about it. But Dr. Cundiff says I should. Something about opening up to friends." He turned those blue eyes to her again. They flashed turquoise for a brief moment. "Our Fountain was attacked. I was the only one who made it. And I saw everything."

Leisha's eyes filled. "Oh my god. That's horrible."

Josiah nodded, turning to stare over the rooftops again. "Thank you."

Leisha waited a moment, giving him a chance to regain some kind of emotional balance. Then she gently pulled on his hand. "Let's get back to the Manor."

Josiah gave her a sad smile. "Are you going to make certain I see the good doctor?"

Leisha offered him a shy smile. "Only if you want to. Otherwise, I guess I will help you hide from her."

Josiah's smile grew wider. "My hero."