Silence of the Senses

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Peering through the bus window, Eydis watched the sun sputter its last rays of the day. The dying light cast a pale, yellow glow on her palm, where a dull quartz gemstone sat. It looked like a sad lemon candy compared to the dazzling jewels she imagined gracing the finger. But hey, an exile Queen (and her library paycheck) could only dream.

Astra plopped down next to her with the grace of a statue sculpted from the finest materials Boredom had to offer.

"Your taste in pebbles is about as questionable as your napping habits."

Eydis's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Wrong, Your Highness. This unassuming… stone is destined for someone far more deserving of its subtle beauty."

Astra's scowl flickered, then dissolved into a sigh that seemed to hold a hint of something deeper.

Eydis's gaze lingered on Astra's profile, a mischievous glint sparking in her eyes as the setting sun gilded Astra's silver hair. "But for you, amethysts, perhaps?" she teased.

The Ice Princess's eyes widened a fraction. "Amethysts?" Her voice, though clipped, held a hint of genuine curiosity. "Why so?"

"Serenity and intuition," Eydis responded, her grin widening as she spotted a ghost of a smile playing on Astra's lips. "Qualities that seem perfectly suited for a certain someone, wouldn't you agree?"

Astra looked away, a faint blush dusted her cheeks. "Didn't know you subscribed to such… nonsense, Eydis."

Eydis chuckled. "In a world overflowing with magic, dear Astra, 'nonsense' often holds more truth than you might think."

Silence settled once more, punctuated only by the rhythmic rumble of the bus. Eydis felt her eyelids drooping, threatening another involuntary nap on Astra's shoulder.

Dignity, thy name is not Eydis.

A quick scan of the bus revealed a sea of vacant seats. There were a couple of school buses to the academy, but this one in particular was the last to leave, reserved for the fashionably late and the chronically forgetful.

Eydis leaned in, her voice a conspiratorial whisper tickling Astra's ear. "Seating arrangements still limited, I see? Or perhaps you find my aura simply irresistible?"

Astra blinked, startled out of her reverie. A hint of pink dusted her cheeks as she realised she'd settled next to Eydis on autopilot. With a muttered curse under her breath, she started to rise, only to be stopped by Eydis's hand on her wrist.

"Honestly," Eydis grinned, "your brooding silence is preferable to most company."

Grumbling under her breath, Astra sank back down into the seat. Her voice, however, held a hint of amusement as she countered, "Warning: Drool again? Dry cleaning's on you."

Eydis feigned a gasp, clutching a hand to her chest. "Dry cleaning? My dear Astra, haven't you heard? The Treasury is tighter than a maiden's corset these days. And I wouldn't dream of leaving a… mark on you."

“Mark?” Astra echoed, brows furrowed. "Forget it."

The Queen tilted her head innocently, her expression as pure as freshly fallen snow. “Besides, a touch of royal essence, strategically applied with a blend of gentle persuasion and... invigorating firmness, could revitalise even the most hopelessly soaked—"

"Eydis!" Astra cut in, a hint of exasperation colouring her voice. "Don't even think about finishing that sentence."

“—Garment,” Eydis finished. “Isn't that how those washing machines work, Astra? Dry cleaning is a bit, well, dry. And overpriced. Worst case scenario, you invent a new fashion trend - distressed and revitalised denim!"

The Ice Princess scowled, averting her gaze. "Eydis," she finally managed, "is your brain allergic to anything resembling a single straightforward thought?"

Eydis shrugged, a playful glint in her eyes. "Straight is boring, Astra. We've established that. And wouldn't the Ice Princess deserve a more...regal pronouncement?

“Between drools and essence…,” Astra stopped herself as Eydis’s grin widened. Played! Right into her trap.

The screech of the bus brought their playful duel to a halt. St. Kevin's. The Queen rose, a picture of grace. "Time flies when one's engaged in stimulating conversation, wouldn't you agree, Astra?"

A scoff escaped Astra. "Stimulating? You—"

"Until next time, Your Grumpiness," Eydis chirped, darting off the bus before Astra could finish her retort.

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The bus doors hissed shut, sealing the Queen’s victory and leaving the final word, as always, hanging in the air, as sweet and potent as a perfectly ripened… well, you get the idea.

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The students surged off the bus like a ravenous locust swarm aimed at the ‘Dining Hall’ (the cafeteria, really. Apparently, white tablecloths at dinner upped the pretentiousness factor a notch).

Lunchtime at St. Kevin's was a free-for-all of questionable culinary delights, but dinner was a different beast entirely. Arrive late, and you were sentenced to a life of instant noodles (formalities demanded punctuality, apparently). Eydis, in fact, had spent a glorious week living on that very diet after a particularly unfortunate tennis court incident.

Shockingly, she'd even developed a fleeting fondness for Tom Yum noodles. A development that bordered on treasonous, considering her lineage.

Instead of joining the throng of famished students, Astra marched off with the purposeful stride of a secret agent on a highly classified mission. "Patrol duty," she muttered vaguely over her shoulder, leaving Eydis with the distinct suspicion that Astra might be securing a decent dinner elsewhere.

Eydis caught up with Natalia, Colette, and Birgit as they hovered impatiently by the ‘Dining Hall’ doors, waiting for the magic hour of 6 pm. Unlike the usual symphony of teenage angst – sullen silences punctuated by eye rolls and declarations of ‘I'm-too-cool-for-this’ – a jittery energy crackled in the air.

"How'd the contact lens fitting go?" Natalia grinned. "Did you scare the doc with your laser focus?"

The Queen mumbled a distracted reply, her brow furrowed in concern. "Scared? Barbaric. But effective, I'm sure."

As the doors burst open, students poured in like a pack of starving hyenas eyeing a particular juicy lion (traumatised? You should be).

Inside, the scene resembled a battlefield where the only casualties were taste buds. A long table groaned under the weight of a truly uninspired spread. Dry roast beef, resembling petrified leather, wallowed in a swamp of gravy that defied any known classification system.

Even a famished rodent wouldn't dare cast a hopeful glance at that unappetizing offering. Except…

The students were devouring it like it was the last feast on Earth. Faces that were usually etched with teenage angst were now lit with a bizarre, almost manic glee. Forks clattered, voices rose to a fever pitch.

Eydis exchanged a look of concern (or maybe just morbid curiosity) with Birgit, who was currently engaged in a sumo wrestling match with her ninth juice box. With a sigh, the Queen of Shadows, self-proclaimed saviour of all things sensible (and possibly the inventor of drama), snatched the box and drained it in one swift gulp.

"Hey!" Birgit screeched, bouncing on her toes with jittery energy. "That was mine!"

"Sugar addiction is the gateway drug to all things terrible," Eydis declared nonchalantly, earning a bewildered stare from Birgit.

Birgit fidgeted, her manic energy amplifying by the second. "I just... I need it! Like, really, really NEED it!"

Colette, mid-bread-devouring rampage, piped up. "Yeah, Birgit. You and your addiction are starting to freak me out, even for a Tuesday." She punctuated this declaration with a chomp that could shatter walnuts, a feat that would make Envy blush.

Natalia, the voice of reason when she wasn't shovelling sugary puffs into her face, offered a muffled grunt of agreement from behind a suspiciously large, rapidly shrinking bag of marshmallows.

Just as Birgit launched into a lecture on the fundamental right to personal juice-box space, a loud thump echoed through the room. All eyes turned to witness two previously mild-mannered boys locked in a vicious food fight over a single, limp carrot.

"YOU TOOK MY CARROT!" one bellowed, launching himself at the other like a human catapult.

"Took more 'n yer fair share, YA FARKIN’ IDIOT!" the other screamed back in hangry rage.

A rogue Brussels sprout, launched by an unseen hand, whizzed towards Birgit's head. It missed its target by a hair's breadth, splattering with a SPLAT on the pristine white blouse of Ms. May.

Ms. May, the stern dorm supervisor, blinked at the vegetable stuck to her uniform. Then, in a move that defied all expectations, she plucked the Brussels sprout off, popped it in her mouth, and swallowed it whole. A single, dignified "harumph!" escaped her lips.

The cafeteria, or rather, the self-proclaimed ‘Dining Hall,’ had descended into a battlefield of bizarre proportions. Delighted roars echoed as students joined in. Trays became shields, apples morphed into grenades, and juice boxes were used as makeshift Molotov cocktails.

But amidst the absurdity, a chorus of slurps snagged Eydis's attention. Birgit, her eyes wide and frantic, was chugging juice boxes at an alarming rate, using the food fight as a smokescreen to raid other tables.

"Birgit, moderation," Eydis said gently, placing a hand on the girl's frenetic juice-stained fingers.

Birgit recoiled, clutching her juice box like a lifeline. "Don't… Don't even think about stealing my precious nectar! One sip and I might… I might…" Her voice trailed off, replaced by a series of frantic tremors and frothing lips.

Uh oh, this wasn't good. Not good at all.

"Birgit!" Eydis reacted on instinct, wrapping her arms around the trembling girl's waist. Birgit's body convulsed violently, her juice box clutched so tightly it might have contained the last sip of sanity on Earth.

"What’s happening?" Natalia and Colette shrieked in unison, finally tearing their gaze away from the mashed potato massacre.

"Infirmary, now!" Eydis commanded. Natalia and Colette, faces pale and eyes wide, finally seemed to register the urgency in Eydis' voice. They practically dragged Birgit out of the cafeteria, the girl's muttering about juice and personal space violations fading into the distance.

Eydis forced her gaze away from the retreating figures and towards the epicenter of the chaos. Her mind reeled. This was the unmistakable mark of Gluttony – the Duke of Sin. But something was off. The usual putrid stench, a signature of the Sin, remained absent.

Unless…

The food! Gluttony's influence usually saturated the very air. Here, it was... muted. Insidious. A subtle corruption, slowly syphoning away the students' boundless energy, the delectable feast of teenage consumption. How long had this been happening? Since she rejoined the girls for meals, or even longer?

Gluttony was likely amassing a monstrous well of stolen vitality. Time wasn't just running out, it was sprinting towards oblivion.

Like a burst dam, water spilled from Eydis's overturned cup, soaking her hand. The water dripped down, each drop echoing the precious seconds ticking away. Her eyes narrowed, a war raging behind them.

A wave of screams ripped through the room, shattering her musing. Students began to clutch their stomachs, faces contorted in agony. Two boys were now writhing on the floor, clutching their stomachs and letting out gurgling sounds. A white, frothy spume bubbled on their lips, an echo of Birgit's earlier fit.

Theo, who had remained relatively unaffected throughout the food fight, now sat frozen beside them, his icy silver eyes filled with genuine worry.

Just then, a collective gasp swept through the remaining students. Heads snapped upwards in unison. A swirling vortex of purple mist, thick and cloying, descended from the ceiling like a noxious dream oozing into reality. Its unnatural colour cast malevolent shadows on the students' faces.

"The Purple Smoke?" Theo rasped, a hint of panic cracking his stoic facade for a split second. "Everyone evacuate! NOW!”