Queen vs. Cafeteria

2

image [https://i.ibb.co/9gP5RS6/toppng-com-line-dividers-png-1000x200.png]

The cafeteria buzz dissolved into white noise as Eydis and Astra locked eyes. Crimson eyes swept across Eydis's face, lingering a beat too long, a silent search.

Eydis’s mind raced, crafting witty retorts and analysing escape routes. But none prepared her for the unexpected softness in Astra's voice.

"You alright.”

Eydis plastered a playful smile on her face and tilted her head back dramatically. "Good question, but misplaced concern, roomie. The true damsel in distress resides a few trays down, over a pile of... juice cartons, currently drowning her sorrows in a dubious concoction they call 'mystery pie.'"

Natalia, ears perked like a startled cat, darted a glance at Eydis and Astra but otherwise remained silent, clutching her pie tighter.

“Straight answer,” Astra muttered. “Would be nice.”

"Straight? How dreadfully uninspiring. A little playful ambiguity is the spice of life, wouldn't you agree, roomie?" Eydis grinned, oblivious to the unintended double entendre that caused a brief flash in Astra's icy stare.

Surprised murmurs swept through the onlookers. Even Colette choked on her half-chewed sandwich. Eydis, however, remained blissfully unaware, her attention solely on Astra's reaction.

"Are you?" Astra pressed, lowering her voice.

The Queen couldn't help but wonder what exactly Astra was referring to - her well-being, Natalia's predicament, or perhaps something entirely different? Here she was, the master of riddles, left grappling to decode Astra's unspoken thoughts.

She sighed internally. Had she just butchered another one of these... modern idiom?

"Fair play,” Eydis clarified with a playful jab. "Just like how I decipher your cryptic pronouncements hidden within those three-word sentences.”

Astra didn't scowl as expected. Instead, a hint of amusement danced in her icy crimson eyes (an irony, really), a spark of warmth momentarily melting the frost around them. "Eydis," she said in a hush voice, "I doubt your impressive vocabulary is anything but a smokescreen."

Eydis's lips twitched as she tried to hide a genuine smile. Accustomed to effortless dominance, the Queen felt a rare hitch in her usual composure. Her roommate, the girl with an allergy to complete sentences, was unexpectedly competent at trading witty banters.

Ice Princess? More like a blizzard with a hidden lightning storm.

Eydis rose with an elegant grace. As she leaned down, her fingers brushed a stray strand of Astra's hair, tucking it behind her ear. The contact was a deliberate provocation.

"Didn't realise you were paying such close attention," Eydis purred in Astra’s ear, “...to my vocabulary, of course." Her touch lingered, unable to resist the unexpected softness of the silver strand that slipped through her fingers.

A mischievous thought flickered across Eydis’s mind: ‘borrow’ Astra's shampoo.

Astra met Eydis' gaze unflinchingly, her eyes a storm of hidden emotions, vanished quickly by a confident lift of her chin. She didn't shy away from the touch, but a barely concealed tremor ran through her voice.

"Considering a certain someone requested more 'bonding time,'" Astra began, her perfectly mascaraed lashes fluttering ever so slightly, "'keeping tabs' seems logical. Though, your little vanishing act... that wasn't exactly the best way to go about it, was it, Eydis?"

The empty dorm bed, her strategic dodging of Astra, the week of self-imposed library exile even during meals—it all clicked for Eydis.

"So that's how you see it?" Eydis countered, easily deflecting Astra's accusation. "Missing a certain someone's... stimulating presence, wouldn't you agree?" Her smirk widened as Astra's facade faltered for a fleeting moment.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The Ice Princess regained her composure with a shrug. "Never mind," she said. But she quickly added, a glimpse of genuine concern hidden beneath a layer of indifference, "Look, be careful. Tiffany's associates… well, some of them haven't been seen lately."

Associates?

Just as Astra turned to leave, the Queen reached out, giving her wrist a playful yank that sent a jolt through them both.

Eydis smoothly lied into Astra's ear, their bodies close enough for their breaths to mingle. "Just been burying myself in dusty tomes at the library," she breathed. "The usual nerd routine. But since the slayer of Tiffany seems to be suffering from a chronic case of Eydis-deprivation, how about I grace our humble abode with my presence tonight?"

Instead of recoiling, Astra held her ground. "Eydis-deprivation? In your dreams,” she scoffed. With a mumbled farewell that sounded suspiciously like a breathless "fine," she melted back into the stunned crowd.

Eydis watched Astra leave, a faint, disbelieving smile lingering on her lips. Could she have glimpsed a rare hint of a smile on the Ice Princess’s face? The frantic pulse of Astra's wrist still felt against Eydis's fingertips. The Queen found herself captivated by this new facet of her roommate.

Suddenly, Colette’s wide eyes and O-shaped mouth stole her attention. "Did you SEE that spark? Pure sizzling KBBQ action, right there!" She smacked her lips dramatically.

Birgit pushed her glasses up her nose. "Is Eydis finally making a move on Astra?" she inquired in a dry, analytical tone before taking a long, unnecessary slurp from her juice box.

Eydis replied distractedly, "Move? Not even close...yet." Astra's power was a force of nature, eclipsing even the likes of Envy. A direct confrontation would be a suicide mission. For now, distance was the only logical strategy.

A collective gasp escaped the koala twins' lips. Natalia, however, remained silent. Finally, she muttered in a soft voice, "Are you still... captivated by whatever kept you awake at night? Those dark circles..."

Eydis blinked, a memory flashing back to their conversation before Natalia's duel. "Yes," she admitted, confused by Natalia's sudden question. Was it the glyph research, or something else?

Disappointment briefly appeared in Natalia's fiery gaze, quickly concealed by a forced smile. But why? Eydis couldn't decipher it now. More pressing matters demanded her attention. Her gaze snapped back to Astra's retreating figure, her mind already strategising.

Disappearances. Plurals. Eydis knew it wasn't just Jillian, the unfortunate soul consumed by Envy. Amanda was found with Tiffany. Then who else was missing?

And which of her infernal familiars was the culprit?

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While Eydis grappled with the mysteries at the cafeteria, another piece of the puzzle unfolded in St Kevin’s conference room.

Bathed in the cold, artificial light, Tiffany's face appeared pale and lifeless. Her once vibrant eyes were vacant, staring blankly into the distance like a porcelain doll.

Athena pushed herself out of her chair with a sigh, closing the oak door behind her as she left the room. Adrian, waiting outside, saw the haunted look on his sister's face.

"Uh oh," he mumbled.

"She's... empty," Athena whispered. "Alive, but her mind... hollowed out. Completely. We should get her back to her family, I suppose."

"I contacted her father, but....," Adrian ran a hand through his hair, frustration and worry battling in his eyes. "Another dead-end lead... and no signs of the smoke creature?"

Athena nodded grimly. "No trace of magic. No... mind to wield them anyway. This power is unlike anything we've ever seen."

Their conversation was cut short by a frantic Thomas Blackwood. He gripped Adrian's arm, knuckles white. "What's wrong with Tiffany?"

"Sir Blackwood," Adrian said calmly. "It appears Tiffany's been affected by a dark force. We need your cooperation to handle this discreetly."

"Discreetly?" Thomas pivoted towards Athena with an accusatory glare. "I'll expose this academy and its council for their incompetence! Dark force? Don't play me for a fool!" he spat.

Adrian stepped between them, his usual casual demeanor replaced by a cold, professional tone. "This remains confidential. Chaos benefits no one. We're on top of it."

Blackwood narrowed his emerald eyes. "Who decides that?"

Adrian's eyes ignited, blazing with an ancient golden fire. His voice boomed with the timeless echo, an otherworldly command that seemed to shake in the very foundation of the room.

> "Thomas Blackwood, your daughter was involved in an unfortunate incident. She's in a catatonic state. Take her home. Remember. Remember this. This is the truth, the only truth that matters."

The weight of Adrian's words pressed down on Thomas. He felt an undeniable urge to obey. “Yes, sir," he mumbled, leaving with his daughter, a limp weight in his arms.

The door clicked shut. Adrian turned to Athena. "Amanda?"

"Same as Tiffany," Athena replied tightly. "Vegetative state. You'll be the one informing their parents next, I presume?"

Adrian sighed. “Coffee. Definitely coffee first. And this isn't some isolated incident, is it?"

Athena rubbed her temples. "Four others are missing. Theo and Astra are currently on night patrol."

"How?" Adrian demanded. "Aren't there protective barriers around the academy? How the hell did anyone get through?"

"Jillian vanished from within the academy walls," Athena said, suspicion in her eyes. "An inside job, I suspect. The others..." she frowned, "...disappeared during their recent town trip."

"Town trip? And they paired Theo and Astra? What is this, Game of Thrones: Ice and Ire?"

A wry smile touched Athena's lips. "Astra's... less icy these days. Almost content, dare I say."

Adrian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Content? Based on what?"

"Her scowl is still there," Athena chuckled, the lightness returning to her voice. “But it seems less permanent. She even volunteered to guard the students' town trip tomorrow afternoon."

“Guess we can expect things to get a little less... chil-ling around here," Adrian teased.

Athena's eyes crinkled in amusement. "You and your terrible puns. Now, coffee, brother?"