“Tessa?” Dimitri gently nudges Tessara, noticing how she appears to be out of it. She hardly moves in response to the nickname and the gentle touch, as he sits beside her on the bench at their table inside. Blaze and Desirae sit across from them. Blaze appears to be concerned, most likely witnessing the same look that Dimitri is trying to gently draw Tessa from. “Love?”

She slowly turns her head towards him, her eyes shimmering as she glances into his eyes in turn. His brows knit together, realizing just what is going on. He nods at Blaze, gesturing to him that everything is going to be fine, even as he rises to his feet, holding his hand out to Tessara. Her movements are slow, but she takes his hand, and lets him help her up, walking outside of the building for fresh air.

The sound of gasping breaths follow soon after, as Dimitri feels Tessa’s grip on his hand tighten, walking with him around the corner, until she’s able to rest her head against the outer wall of the hall. Her eyes flutter closed as she tries to control her breathing, focusing on every burst of cold air that filters in through her lungs, trying to not let her breath shake as she exhales slowly.

Dimitri simply stands there, holding her hand, waiting for her to calm enough for him to start talking to her. A few elders in training walk by, reaching for their weapons, rushing towards them. Dimitri quietly waves them away, nodding at Elder Maya, who raises a concerned eyebrow at the two of them. She places a hand on his shoulder, telling him that if they need any help to bring Tessa to her. Dimitri promises that he will take her up on the offer if the situation calls for it.

As he turns back to the shaking girl in front of him, he feels a tug on his hand, as she begins to lower herself to the ground. He follows suit so that she doesn’t hurt herself, keeping his other hand ready in case needed. Finally her eyes flutter back open, a few tears escaping them.

“You’re alright, I’m here,” Dimitri whispers gently to her, as she reaches for his other hand. She nods, tracing the lines in his palms, mentally counting each one. “Talk to me love.” He hears the somewhat shaky breath that she sucks in, glancing up from their joined hands to look at him.

“I can see you,” she begins, making Dimitri breathe a soft sigh of relief, as he begins to smooth his thumbs over the back of her hands in little circles, helping to stabilize the calm slowly washing over her. “The training grounds behind you, the cloudless sky.” She pauses, thinking.

“Two more,” Dimitri reminds her.

“ I can see the grass underneath us, and the branches of the trees bending in the wind,” she whispers, this time, her breath stable, no longer a tremor as she speaks, her body completely still, not shaking. Before he can ask what was the cause of this anxiety attack, she offers an explanation. “I don’t feel ready for tomorrow. I think Desi reminding me about the ability assessment may have pushed me over the edge. It’s not her fault, but I definitely forgot about that today. I’ll have to go see Elder Maya in a bit to get that done. I’m sorry for scaring you.” 

Dimitri shakes his head, bringing her hands to his lips, making her giggle. He presses his lips to her forehead, bringing one hand to tuck a few stray curls behind her ears.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Thank you for always letting me help,” he replies, receiving a glowing smile from Tessara. “Also Elder Maya just passed by earlier, I can go with you if you’d like. I know I can’t go all the way in, but I can be waiting for you when you leave, and be there when you go in.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, standing with him. “I’m ready.”