-unedited-

He walked over to the desk and hopped up so he was sitting on top of it. "Magic doesn't work like food in your stomach, where the energy taken from your food's chemical bonds is translated into energy you can use. No one knows why magic has energy, and why some people can harness more energy than others can.

"Like with sound waves, magic travels easiest through things that are liquid. Objects that are in other states, like gases and solids, are harder. That's why Diving is so tricky. It's in air, a gas. Air requires a lot of concentration since its matter is so spread out. Solids are not difficult to affect, but they require a lot of energy to maintain.

"Think of it as if you had a baseball of solid water versus a baseball of solid lead, which would take more energy for you to move?"

She nodded, "The lead one of course."

"Right." He smiled and pulled out a bottle of water. "So we're going to start with some water."

He opened the bottle and held his hand over the top, "You don't need to use your hands, for many of us it simply helps to connect us to the magic. For me, I imagine a force pushing the water towards my hands and bending to them. For others it's different." He gently curled his fingers inwards and a tendril of water came out of the bottle.

"Cup your hands, maybe physical contact will help," he said. She did as he told her. The water gracefully danced through the air and then landed gently in the palm of her hands, spreading out until it made a small pool.

She closed her eyes and tried to grasp those same threads of magic that she had felt before, but there was nothing. It was like trying to find a grip on a smooth wall.

Adrien pulled the water up again and danced it around her like he had when they were children. She gazed around and the droplets, but could not muster that sense of connection she had felt before.

Adrien continued to move water around her for another hour, but she couldn't find any way to grab onto the power she had once felt. Amelie could feel Adrien's patience waning.

They were sitting cross-legged on the ground, facing each other. Adrien was controlling two large water droplets and spinning them around her at a lazy pace. Amelie abruptly reached her pointer finger out and let it pierce through a spinning droplet. She giggled girlishly and glanced at Adrien. He was smiling slightly as well.

Her grin turned mischievous and, in a split second, she leaned forward and took a bite out of one of the droplets. Adrien chuckled this time.

Amelie stood up and bared her teeth like an animal. She ran towards the remaining droplet and, just in time, Adrien caught onto the game. He started moving the water droplet around the room, allowing her to chase it like a child might chase a bubble. At some point the game changed to Amelie ducking and weaving to avoid the dozens of tiny droplets that Adrien had zooming around the room.

After about ten minutes, they were both gasping with laughter and covered in water. She decided to stop while they both were back in good spirits. She was ready to keep trying, but she could tell he was tired and she did not want him to lose his motivation to teach her.

As they walked out of the waiting room, he held open the door for her and she could feel his hand hover over her back protectively. She blushed slightly.

Once they had waded back through the entryway, she asked, "Is it okay if I practice at home as well? I mean, I don't expect it to work, but I want to at least try."

He shook his head. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. I don't think it will work, but if it does, magical energy is traceable, and if anyone feels it, they will wonder why someone not registered with the Bar is practicing magic. They expect magic to be coming from this place, so you're safe to practice here."

"Do you think we should tell someone about me? I don't want either of us to get into trouble for keeping it a secret that I might be Elven."

"I'll take care of it. Just try not to get noticed right now. I already told the others here at the gym that someone from my Realm might be coming, so we won't have to confess to them just yet," he said.

"Okay," Amelie said. "Are you free tomorrow for me to come back and practice?"

"Yes, I can do that. Come by around the same time, okay?"

"Sounds good." She started to set off in the direction of her apartment when Adrien began speaking.

"You want me to walk you back to your apartment? It's late to be out alone."

"I'll be fine, Adrien. I'm a big girl. Thank you for the offer," she replied.

"Mmhmm," he said, noncommittally and turned around.

She spent her whole walk home looking over her shoulder, unsure if she was looking for a man in a grey suit or one with honey-blond hair.