"Nah. I've got to stick near you 'till you're all registered but I've got a phone, so no biggie."

"Thanks!" She will do spear drills for ten minutes and then try doing two-handed flames again.

Marxie looks on interestedly.

She can hold it much better this time. She's still constantly on the verge of losing it, but she can keep it like that, even turn or adjust or point it a bit, now.

The third thing she could do is so close. Just a little more and she could try it out.

She wants the third thing! Come on, thing! In the meantime, double fire with one side deliberately hotter than the other.

She can make one side a bit hotter than the other. The exercise in concentration - the stretching and feeling of trying something new - is significant. The magic feels almost satisfied, if you can apply feelings to something that feels a bit like an invisible intangible limb.

She could do the third thing now.

"Oh wow, experimenting feels good."

"I got my first spell! Want to see it?!"

"Yep! Exercising your magic, growing it, is really nice. And, definitely."

She pulls the newly available mental lever, and her arms and hands sprout bright red scales as her fingernails grow and harden into sharp-looking claws. She shifts her weight unconsciously, adjusting.

"Woah, dragon arms!" Under the surprise, her posture is subtly more . . . predatory.

"A transformation spell! Interesting. Dragon? Hm. Probably a strength and toughness boost there, and... Yeah, looks like it's got some instinct in it too... Hey, fight me. See what you can do."

She blinks a couple times, then tries to backhand Marxie, not really expecting to hit but not wanting to puncture her if she's wrong there.

Marxie dodges back sharply, grinning, and is suddenly holding a short staff that looks like a magic spear's handle, with no blade.

"Nice try. Use the pointy bits, we regenerate, remember?"

She whips the staff out at Margaret's knees.

She jumps back, then comes in again with the pointy bits, trying to fake Marxie out with her left hand and then get in with her right.

The claws give her swings a bit of extra reach and momentum.

Marxie dodges the first and blocks the second with her staff - "oof!" - then tries to shove Margaret away and steps back again, staff lowered to point at her.

Margaret steps sideways and then in, pushes the staff sideways with one hand and attacks with the other.

The staff lances out and hits her in the torso, hard, arresting the motion. Though Marxie does take a scratch on the upper arm.

The torn fabric and blood on Marxie is already disappearing, even as she pulls the staff back into defensive position again. 

"Technically that's first blood on me. Lotsa bouts stop there."

"Oof. Technically, maybe, but you gave at least as good as you got there. I'd be down for another go if you are, though."

"Sure, why not. But just one more. Like I said, not really a spearwork kinda gal. Just take a breather for a moment - feel anything new? If you do, that's unwinding."

(Not really. Apparently the gut-shot wasn't damaging enough to do that. Also, she's becoming aware that it's taking constant effort to keep the scales and claws active.)

"Keeping my arms like this counts as exercising my magic, it feels like, but nothing new per se."

"So the transformation is actively maintained. Good to know."

Marxie focuses a moment and her staff acquires a short metal point, turning back into a proper spear. She looks up at Margaret. "If you get stuck or sliced, it hurts, but only for a moment. You okay with that?"

"I don't like being hurt but I'll be okay, especially since it'll heal fast. I wonder if I can wield my spear like this." She tries to manifest her spear in her claws.

"Monsters won't care that you don't like being hurt. Just sayin'."

The claws aren't very grippy. Maybe she could lose the claws but keep the scales?

"Yeah, I gotta learn to fight sometime, and learning to get injured is part of that. Monsters need to stop." Scaly fingers: happen!

The scales are pretty good at holding the spear! Magically so, one might suspect. She still feels stronger, tougher, more aggressive, even without the claws.

They fight again - Marxie doesn't hold back. She's not great at it, but she's more experienced than Margaret, and wins with a feint that turns into a stab at her upper leg. The flash of pain is over almost as soon as it starts, but now there's a very light touch of - strain, sort of - in the back of her head. It'd be hard to even notice if not for the contrast.

Fighting is definitely more enjoyable than she'd been expecting. Being stabbed is also better than she was expecting, bringing it up to "tolerable". 

"Win for you, and that felt weird." She gestures at the back of her head with the hand no longer holding the spear. "I think it was the unwinding thing you mentioned?"

"Buzz in the back of your head? Like being tired or stressed, except not? Yeah, that's unwinding. Nothing to worry about in little doses."