┊✧*｡ ✯┊💫⋆✧*｡ ┊

A mere week has elapsed since the fateful event and during this time, Maya has been learning more about how her powers function via private tuition with Dowling and her mother, who had complained about her daughter's limited knowledge.

"Not only can feelings affect your powers," Dowling thoroughly explained, "but also the use of substances such as alcohol and drugs can affect them and this can lead to a disorientation of both mental and physical state." Dowling paused to give her a cautionary look and then added, "You must be careful, for often the side effects can be even fatal. Your mind could be the cause of your own downfall, and being a fairy who primarily uses her hindsight, you must be ever more vigilant."

Dowling had to admit that although Lorelai had swayed her to offer her private classes, she was getting something out of it, too; after Maya had killed the Burned One, she realized the girl's potential was too big to be wasted, so by supplementing her training with specialists, Maya was going to be employed as the ultimate secret weapon in warfare.

But Lorelai and Maya were not cognizant of Alfea's headmistress' true reasons, and Fara favored keeping it between herself, as she knew Lorelai would never consent to having her daughter confront a horde of Burned Ones.

It was the day of the training with the specialists and Maya had no desire to move from her comfortable bed, too sluggish to budge a single muscle and feeling self-conscious that she would never even be able to throw a punch at any of the specialists.

Except Terra hadn't agreed with her friend wanting to ditch her workout, and had forced her, after knocking her off the bed when she had leapt on it, to move her butt and get all dressed.

Maya had sulked at her in reaction all the way to the sparring ground, where Lark and Aeden had caught up with her as they had been listening to Silva issuing instructions and assigning each person a sparring partner.

Lark had ended up with Terra, who had been shocked by the pairing and somewhat flustered by the fact that she would be training very closely with the handsome brother of her friend and roommate; Aeden had ended up with Aisha, the two getting along very well, mostly because they both exuded an aura of composure and common sense.

But when the time came for Maya's mate to be appointed, the only thing she desired at that moment was to climb up to the top of the Grand Canyon and launch herself from it; even Lark, who had seen who she was paired with, had objected with several profanities, which was recalled by a sharp stare from Silva.

Riven and Maya were in a rather fraught state; they hadn't spoken since the video event, and despite the boy's apology, forced of course by his brother, Maya hadn't provided an appropriate response.

But sooner or later the time was going to come to bring it up.

Riven had accosted Maya with his usual arrogant smirk despite the girl's disregard for him for a while, he was Riven and he had to uphold his fierce and uncaring misbehaviour.

Maya wasn't one to cast judgement on people, but since Riven had begun seeing Beatrix, he'd become more haughty than before, if that was even possible, and she'd noticed that he was becoming progressively more aloof from Sky, who was supposed to be his best friend.

They didn't talk as they trained, Maya not wanting to talk to him and Riven wanting to defy her in that, willing to see how long the absence of speaking on the girl's behalf would last; of course, that didn't mean Riven wouldn't snicker every time he would throw Maya to the floor and see her grumble under her breath in annoyance.

Maya was not one to rely on her physical strength and would never do so, as the mere thought of spending the day exercising would make her feel sick.

"You're wimpy." Riven noted, after knocking her to the ground for the umpteenth time, "And you don't seem to want to do this at all." He stretched out his hand towards a distraught and perspiring Maya, who was panting for breath and her hair tied back in a tail, was utterly disheveled.

"Because I know I'll never make it." With her hands resting on the mattress, she glanced at the outstretched hand towards her tentatively, and Riven grinned when he realized she had finally spoken to him. "I'm not strong and sturdy like you, I'm a fairy for that reason goddamnit." She finally grasped his hand, Riven pulling her up easily and rather close to his chest, Maya backing away from the proximity and looking at him sighing, "I'm sorry they assigned you to someone like me, it would have been better to have someone of your level."

"You finally talked," Riven smirked broadly, Maya rolling her eyes in response to his obliviousness to what she had said up to that point. Riven cleared his throat, the smirk gradually dispelling as he thought back on her words, "Then it's time to teach you some proper techniques," he winked, "and not just in the practice aspect if you know what I mean."

Maya shook her head but didn't mince words, frankly used to his flirty, ruin-worthy remarks, but she was uncertain about his suggestion; she didn't know how she was going to keep training with the lad and mostly in very proximity that made her feel queasy and emboldened, and she was afraid to carry on, oblivious to the unusual feels she had each time she was close to Riven.

And whatever they were, she was frightened to uncover them.

They both felt there was something, but they were too gutless to face it at all, whether it was pride or obstinacy.

And both of them didn't notice right away that their hands still hadn't detached.

So, I'm aware that Riven and Maya's connection is a slow one, but the beauty of love stories is just the slow burn and incremental build up.

I think season 1 is more beneficial for seeing the initial feelings bubbling up and with a basis of friendship, and utmost affectionate gestures such as hugs or hand-holding, but having them both confess their feelings, which are still not entirely clear to them, is a step too rushed.

I prefer a slow, progressive kind of romance with several stages of adversity and not one that is rushed and has no basis whatsoever like, for example, the one between Bloom and Sky, since they honestly barely spoke to each other during the series.

So, if you want a rushed, illogical love and a kiss by the end of this season then I think this fanfiction is not for you.

Love is a sensitive thing to me, having never experienced it in my life, but it's still important to me to try and describe it as realistically as possible.

I'm not literally kicking you out of my story ahhah, but it was just to inform you that anyway their love story will be a step-by-step process and not a frantic one.

That's it, I wish you all a good evening and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I would add that there's not much left to the ending❣