[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/231117/4397e947d9496e89a02a516a94d678c6.png[/img][/center][hr]Maya’s eyes bored like daggers into the back of Renault’s head after that little comment; if she was the Scion of Fire, she was sure he’d have burst into flames. But Incepta must have had plans for the little shitheel, because he neither combusted nor was he crushed into the tile; instead, Maya stayed safely behind Edmund as he and the Prince hobnobbed with the Kaudian. 

She offered no resistance to Edmund’s suggestion; as much as she’d have liked to teach him some manners, there was no way she was stepping a single inch closer to that interloper. She’d have much preferred to turn around and leave, only to march straight into Pierre Dumont’s office and give him a piece of her mind before refusing ever to set foot in Doumerc again. Unfortunately, while she was confident the boot-licking prime minister would embarrass himself trying to convince her to stay, the offices of Parliament were a bit of a drive away, and she’d had enough traveling for the day. 

Maya noticed the look Sir Tyler gave the Kaudian; perhaps that was why he wisely decided not to stink the place up for too long. Once he was long gone, Maya finally conceded to follow Prince Lucas into the lecture hall, already working on a strongly-worded letter to the Minister of National Defence in her head. 

The professor’s work looked impressive, but Maya had no idea what any of it meant; she was no stranger to intimidating equations, but as a student of the hard sciences, magic meant nothing to her. She would, however, give him a little credit. He wasn’t the most engaging speaker on earth, but she’d endured [i]much[/i] worse. 

Of course, he was aided by the fact that the subject-matter of his lecture was so important. Maya had only a vague grasp on the mechanics of mana, but even she knew enough to know that the ability to completely [i]negate[/i] mana was catastrophic. Even the Scions themselves drew their power from mana, albeit a different type - for this sort of technology to interfere with it sounded ominously like it was messing with the power of the Goddess herself. 

When the time came to share their experiences, Maya was happy to let the others go first. She feigned thoughtfulness as she stalled on her answer, a little resentful to willfully recall her single worst humiliation. Adding to that, she sympathized a bit with Tyler; this researcher was just chatting it up with a Kaudian, that made him look suspicious. But she also knew his type well enough to know that they were rarely interested in much beyond their work; and besides, if the Kaudians had this technology, then they'd already know what it does to a Scion. She wouldn't be telling him anything new. And if he wasn't a spy, then she could clearly see the need. 

[color=7041A5]“I didn’t really feel anything, if that’s what you’re looking for,”[/color] she offered, [color=7041A5]“well, only the feeling you get in your stomach when you start to fall. But I don’t think that was this… mana negation.”[/color]

She looked visibly displeased at the memory, but pushed through. [color=7041A5]“All I really remember was this red light and a high-pitched sound. Then, a louder sound, like a [i]bang[/i], and suddenly I was falling. It was like my magic just… switched off. It didn’t come back until the next day.”[/color]
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