Edgedancer: Chapter 17

Lift becomes awesome and doesn't care whether people see her. She leaps away from the assassin and then bungles her own intention by slamming onto stones, falling into a tumble, dropping to the ground, and rolling into a heap. Scrambling back up, she runs toward the slot that will take her to the orphanage. She could see in her mind how she should be able to Slick across the empty city, but she couldn't do it. She tries again anyway and ends up sprawled on the ground. So, she runs and stops outside the orphanage with exhaustionspren swirling around her. The amphitheatre across from the orphanage is empty. A scream comes from a nearby alley. Lift is out of awesomeness. She can't beat two trained and awesome soldiers. A voice asks her what she's doing. It's the Stump. She criticizes Lift, calls her an idiot, accuses her of wanting what she has. Still, she brings Lift inside the orphanage. Lift does have one meal left. The Stump then leaves the room.
Lift listens to the concerns of the children around her and is reminded of all the places for forgotten children she'd been in. She discovers that she wants control of her life. Wyndle finds this to be a reasonable desire.
She then encounters the boy, Mik, who was dropped off at the orphanage the first night she was there. She doesn't remember healing him.
The Stump returns with a large plate of pancakes and begins handing them out to the children. She gives Lift two. Lift thinks that maybe the Stump isn't all bad.
Having eaten the pancakes and restored her awesomeness, Lift sneaks back outside with Wyndle when the Stump's back is turned.