February Time Together 2024

Jumping off the back of her dracor, Natalia huffs. She storms to her single-room dorm when a familiar face crosses her path, completely bewildered by the student prodigy as they do. 

“Nat, hey, what’s… Are you okay?” Flaune’s eyebrows raise in both surprise and concern.

Natalia continues to walk, clearly focused on getting to her room.

Well that definitely gives them pause. “Nat, wait up! Come on, don’t be like this.”

When she turns around at the end of the hall in her doorway to face them, Flaune notices that her cheeks are wet from tears. “Oh… Oh, shit.”

“What, Flaune? What could you possibly need so much that you ran me down the hall for it?”

They frown. “You’re not okay. Can… Will…” Flaune breathes deep. “I just want you to know you always have a shoulder to lean on. Uh, if you want it, I mean. I know you’re strong and you don’t always—”

“Be quiet,” she interrupts, frustrated. That fades from her expression as it softens though, knowing she’s being unnecessarily sharp with them. “...Come in.”

Flaune does, shutting the door closed behind them. Her room is very neat and pretty, books organized. Papers lay out half written on a small wooden desk. It’s a stark difference from their disorganized madness.

The cherubun in Flaune’s bag shuffles out and waddles over to Natalia, who appears surprised by the gesture. She picks him up in her arms and gives him a gentle squeeze, before wrapping him up in her Starleaf Cloak and setting him on the twin-sized bed. 

Flaune just blinks at her, waiting until she’s ready.

“I… nodded off at the library. Which isn’t so uncommon,” she starts, eyes looking away from them. “But I guess… I was having some rather vivid nightmares.”

Flaune frowns. “Oh… Oh no. I’m sorry.”

She laughs mirthlessly. “Everybody saw me… Heard me. I’m just so tired of feeling like I have to hide.”

Finally, Flaune decides to take a seat beside her, curling their knees up to their chest. “You don’t have to… I mean, at least not with me.”

“I— Oh.”

It’s then that she glances back to them.

“Uhhhh, ah, sorry, if that was too—” They sputter out, frantically attempting to backtrack.

“Shut it Flaune,” she responds, forcing herself to look away again if only so they don’t catch the tiny smile that creeps onto her lips. “It was fine.” She turns her head back to them, pinching her smile back with teary eyes. “It was just fine.”