it was quiet and dark.
thick glass ringed the room, floor to ceiling. the abyss of space lay just beyond it.
she sat alone, cross-legged, upon the cold floor.
a flame kindled in her open palm. she looked into it longingly as it danced there. she positioned her other hand just to the side and poured the flame, as if it were as fluid as its greatest enemy, into it.
she repeated this over and over.
bits of fire dripped between her hands like sand in an hourglass. some of it spilled to the floor where it hissed out of existence.
"clever trick." his voice came from behind her.
her fingers quickly closed over the flames, snuffing it away. she did not turn.
"What do you want?" she asked acidly.
"to see you. to talk. i can't do that now, pet?"
"no," came the tart reply.
he shrugged - she could not see it, but she knew that he would - and moved to take one of the seats near to her position on the floor.
"i just wanted to know some things, pet," he said, rather casually, relaxing into the seat.
"don't we all." she turned away from him and leaned down, cupping her hands together and making another flame.
it cast her flickering shadow upon him.
"someone's a bit touchy tonight, i see."
"piss off," she said.
"you're beginning to push your luck, pet."
"yes, and you're a bastard. if a, then b. it works out quite logically."
a pause.
a long one.
silence.
he ignored her.
"something i've been wondering," he began. she bit back another remark, preferring instead to poke at the flame in her hand, snatching off dollops of it as if it were a mound of whipped cream.
"where is it that you learned to fly?"
"i wasn't aware i had sprouted wings."
"you know what i mean." he kept himself from adding you insolent little whore. "where did you learn to fly atmospheric and interplanetary craft?"
"a girl taught me," she said simply.
"a girl."
"she was like a big sister to me," she said, standing, holding the flame in one hand. she turned to look at him. "i loved her."
"did you, now."
she raised her other hand and flicked at the flame, sending some of it towards him. it landed on his arm and began to burn him - he quickly swatted it out, turning a furious gaze on her, but she spoke before he could.
"i did. she was very dear to me...and i loved her very much." she raised the flame in front of her face and blew on it gently - showering him with sparks and little bits of fire as she turned and walked to the door, her bare feet making almost no sound on the metallic floor.
"see you later, Scheißkopf." she smiled sardonically at him over her shoulder.
the door whished open and whished shut again.
and she was gone.