Aria felt the fire building up in her hands again and she pressed them against her body as if to block the flame. A cool, almost slippery sensation around her hands, dulling the burning, and she looked up to see Aura smiling at her. "Relax, Aria. I'm shielding you. You won't light anything on fire tonight."
Somehow she gathered the courage to speak. The downside of being shielded by helium was that she invariably inhaled some, and now had to talk with a high voice further made squeaky by the helium. "What... what are you? And why do you stare at us like you hate us? Have we ever wronged you?" She whispered, scarcely daring to look up lest those dark eyes ensnare her again. He was quite handsome, in a dark way. [i]God, no. Aria, don't you dare even look at him that way. No no no no no, he's bad for you, he hates you, if the way he's looking at you is any indication. Don't get your heart broken because he's the first boy like you that you've ever met.[/i] "I just wanted to talk to you to ask what you know about... this... And about how you cope. Because it seems that you've adapted to the powers far better than I have."