Thought Contagion

Xina had stopped her incessant circling of the sapling as her mother pulled her in with the words. Xina watched the ivory woman weave through her students as she wove in the words of how to play the game of perception with a mask made of mirrors. She could do that, she had always done that. In a sense, less a mask to hide with and more a mirror to learn from.

Control was not a strong suit of Xina's but as she narrowed her eyes and raked her gaze over the others she almost felt this mask shift into place. A mask where she could control how her body moves even if her emotions roiled within.

She could win a fight if she controlled the players. To wear a mask was to control the stage, show them what they wanted to see while planning her next move. Fight with a mask. Doubt, hesitation, impatience, and overconfidence... the true enemies.