Chapter Sixteen: Tough Love
" So Penny, you wanted to be trained" Ember turns to Penny who is still aching all over from the rough handling she had just endured.
" And you want to get stronger, but it seems like you only want this because that is what Lysette wants for you" Ember now turns to Lysette.
" And you, you are a Lycan. And from what I can tell, you are proud and you are a warrior. You are strong and you are fast so you expect the same from Penny..who is..not a Lycan"
Ember crosses her arms, as she sits down in a nearby chair and proceeds to mediate.
" If you end up overcoming Lysette, that will prepare you for anything. And that is true, she technically is far superior to humans physically. But, I don't think that is what you'd be happy with" Penny detests this notion immediatly. " How would you know what I'm happy with? You don't even know me. We just freaking met. You have no idea how deep this even goes" Penny complained, as Ember listened on.
" I am not a Lycan. But I am something else, something stronger. Something with great power that I need to learn how to control. This isn't about a competition to me. This is about controlling myself against a strong opponent so that I have the ability to hold back when I need to. And right now, I feel I have to put my everything into fighting Lysette because I still don't have control. I haven't reached my own limits. And no, violence is not always the answer" Penny looks to Lysette, Almost as if she was peering deep into her very soul.
" But sometimes it's needed. Something Lysette has been trying to teach me" Penny confessed.
" And that is fine. But do you really think pushing yourself this hard, is healthy? Do you think that pushing yourself to understand your abilities..is something that should happen immediatly? Maybe take some time to understand them before you end up fighting again. That way you know how to use them better, and don't overdo things " Ember advised which only frustrated Penny more.
" I JUST LEARNED ABOUT THE POWERS" She screamed. " Or at least..what I'm capable of doing" Penny turns back to Lysette.
" I should have told you sooner but..I realized I could...well..manipulate things the way I want them to be..like the fight we had before.." Lysette thought back to the fight where she had a hard time gaining a proper footing. And it began to make alot more sense.
" I only just learned of them, and to be honest, it did not seem like danger. And it seemed like something that would give me an edge against you.." Penny confessed.
" I just wanted to surprise you.." Penny's eyes became overflowing with tears as Lysette looked on with shock and a deep sadness in her heart.
" Kiddo you should have told me. Using your powers is something I don't mind you doing. But if you are just now beginning to access them, we need to make sure they are stable before we push ourselves in a fight.." Lysette knew that Penny was half Witch. And that whilst the powers typically manifested early on, they were normally surrounded by other witches who could help them better to harness the power. Lysette, whilst she knew a great deal, would not be able to completely help Penny in this area. Though she would still try her best.
" You know that you are different and that is okay. I understand that too. I want you to be stronger, faster and stronger but I know you have to do that your way. And with your powers manifesting, this is amazing news. But Ember..is sort of correct. If you push yourself too hard, you will have a harder time trying to control your abilities. If anything, I say we take things slow from now on, and we try to work on the abilities first.." Lysette knew that with Penny's powers beginning to manifest, that this meant they were much closer to the plan she originally designed. One that would see Penny restore the Underworld to perfection again.
" I know how to use the manipulation thing..but I don't know how to do much else" Penny admitted, trying to hold back the tears.
" Well we will help you then" Ember chimed in, much to the surprise of both Penny and Lysette. " I know you wanted me to leave as soon as Penny got better but, I'm thinking I should stick around for a while. To make sure you two don't kill one another" She smiled and though they didn't want to admit it, Ember had a valid point. This little talk had helped them progress much more than the way they had been handling things.
" Fine. But if you ever put your hands on me like that again, I will hurt you.." Penny threatened, trying her best to look intimidating though she was still in a great deal of pain.
" Well don't be a stubborn ass and I won't have too" Ember smiled as she walked away, deciding to go and find herself a room without even waiting for Lysettes consent to the situation.
" That girl is strange.." Lysette chimed in, finally be able to have the opportunity to speak.
" She is something.." Penny sighed and tried to relax as beat as she could.