Helpless is the drowning soul, for all their effort, may they never truly break the surface, never truly gasp in a gulp of air - of life. That's what it was, wasn't it? Magic was a slow drowning. Once you've drenched yourself in it, it'll wrap around you until it's swallowed you whole. Still, she's drowning. The whispers are getting worse by day, and by night, the magic calls to her. As if she were still basked in the darkness of the crag, choking on her realizations, on her naivety. She was still shaken from last night, the transformation had been abrupt, uncontrolled. It was a strange thing, this magic. Though it wrought nothing but despair, leaving a broken tattered mess in it's wake, the young woman couldn't help but feel privy to such things. It had chosen her. In a way, she cherished it, basking in the glorious pain and wreck it left for her. 

She was losing herself in the storm, falling farther and farther into the abyss. Light could barely seem to breach the crack now, but...It was still there - somehow the illumination was still there, waiting for her, calling her back. The pull from both sides left her head aching, and heart confused. The power was intoxicating, but she knew the cost. It had gotten worse lately, that familiar tug at the back of her mind, the whispers, her demeanor had even taken a plunge. Alexia knew that the headache could no longer be the route of the problem anymore. She knew what it was, though it was horrifying to imagine. The water was rising, pushing away any part of her that once was, making room for the vile magic that consumed her - that was slowly pushing forth, close to reaching the surface. Only one of them could breathe at a time, and she knew - Oh did she know, her time at the surface was diminishing. 

Opening her eyes slowly, avoiding the stranger in the mirror, Alexia hurriedly changed into her velvet trimmed, red dress, admiring the soft feel of the attire before gathering what remained of herself, and heading out of her room and into the main hall of the Inn. Her hair neatly tied back in a soft brown braid, the woman scanned her still tainted eyes about the room, measuring up all those inside. So far, the day had been relatively quiet, compared to it's normal bout of laughter enough to rile even the sanest priest. All in all, today was quite the day. A day to seize, nevertheless. Clenching her fists, and providing the most pleasant smile that could ever adorn the human face, Alexia strode about the room, commanding glances her way. A promising start, now all she had to do, was ensure that she maintained this composer. She was still shaken, and though she could do it well, she could only cover up the involuntary twitch in her hands for so long. Hopefully she could muster enough willpower to keep going, she had a reputation after all, meetings to attend - money to smooch off of others, and perhaps a little stop at the town square would do her some good, fresh air couldn't hurt.