Ch 2.13: Free


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina was pretty sure she had everything she needed for their practicum trip packed into her bag. Spare shirts, spare underwear, spare socks, spare Temmie. They were only supposed to be gone three days, and Tira was supposed to take care of food, so ina was pretty sure that was all she needed.


    <span style="font-weight:400">She did want to make sure they brought Temmie’s subcore with them, of course. Three days was a long time to be out of contact with her, and even longer to leave her alone where she could potentially be found by someone else. ina was pretty sure she was in Waine’s sights again after the previous day’s confrontation, and she wouldn’t put it past him to try and wreck her room.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I think I’m ready,” she said out loud, not really to anyone in particr. Carline was still in ss, so she’d be meeting them out front.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Do I really have to be stuffed next to your underwear in your bag too?” Temmie asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Underwear’s really the only thing I have to bring.” The spare jacket and skirt were too big to fit in ina’s small satchel, and she shouldn’t need them anyway. “I could wrap you up in one of my shirts, I guess.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No… I would rather not be wrapped up entirely.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Then this is what you get.” ina racked her brain for anything she might have been forgetting, and then remembered one final thing. She went over to her dresser and pulled out her carved star ne, slipping it into her pocket. She hadn’t worn it much since arriving since it didn’t really work with her tie, but she was pretty sure she could get away with not wearing the tie in the woods, so she thought it’d be nice to have a chance to wear it again for once.


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina threw the bag over her shoulder and headed out. Themon room was mostly empty, but once she made it out into the halls she could feel the change in energy. Students were talking louder, stepping with more haste as they made their way around the school. It was Fifthday after all, thest day of sses before their two day break. ina herself had special permission to leave early since she was done with ss and had an assignment, bute the official end of day all the students would be free, including being allowed into the castle town.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The idea intrigued her, but ina didn’t really know what was so special about it. The small town she’d lived in wasn’t much to be excited about for sure, and she was overall much morefortable in the school than back home. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Maybe people just don’t like being cooped up.</i>


    <span style="font-weight:400">It certainly seemed that way, as talk of going out over the weekend was what filled the air more than anything. One group of students was talking about going to some ce to eat, another about shopping, but one conversation caused ina’s head to jerk as she heard it.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You hear the Ferris-Fireguard marriage is officially off now?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No way! Does that mean Waine and Prisma…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I think so.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina stood frozen as she watched the two students continued down the hall, oblivious to her eavesdropping. “The Ferris-Fireguard marriage… is off.” She sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. But they had been engaged then? <i><span style="font-weight:400">That exins… everything.</i>


    <span style="font-weight:400">There was a lot she still didn’t understand, really. Chief among them being why <i><span style="font-weight:400">no one </i><span style="font-weight:400">had told her about the engagement. Prisma could have of course, but surely Carline would know, right? And she’d been talking to Flora about arranged marriages just earlier that week. She frowned at the thought, annoyed at having been misled for two weeks by seemingly everyone around her. Tira might not have known, but even that she wasn’t sure about.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Still, things were going to be okay now. She knew it didn’t magically make her and Prisma best friends, but having an understanding of things wasforting at least. <i><span style="font-weight:400">And now there’s a chance we can start over, maybe.</i>


    <span style="font-weight:400">Conflicting emotions rolled through her as she exited out into the garden, but she was going to try and stay positive. It would have been an awkward thing to bring up to her she knew, even if she would’ve preferred having been told.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll ask them about it after we’re back,” she muttered to herself. “No need to bring up something like that when we’re all supposed to be focused on work.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What was that, ina?” Temmie asked.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Nothing,” ina said, shaking her head.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Very well. But it is not wise to let things that must be said linger in the air. It often makes it difficult to breathe.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s nothing, I said.” It wasn’t really <i><span style="font-weight:400">nothing,</i><span style="font-weight:400"> but it wasn’t worth making a huge deal out of. Flora and Carline wouldn’t have held back information without a reason, that much she was sure of.


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina squinted as she came up to the school gate. Shethought for a moment that she recognized Flora and Tira, but the two people standing outside of the gate couldn’t be them. One of them was wearing a bright yellow sundress, and the other a dark brown vest with matching pants.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Except it definitely was them. Flora in the dress, Tira in the shirt and pants. “Uhm, what are you two wearing?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The two turned around, both having been facing out towards the road. “I’m wearing far too much clothes for myfort,” Flora said with a smile, “but you’ve got me beat by far.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“ina, you know you can wear street clothes on campus after ss on Fifthday, right?” Tira said. “You can’t just hang out around school in them, but it’s fine if you’re heading out of the castle grounds.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina blinked at least a dozen times before she managed to understand. “I… No one told me that before...”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Flora giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Guess Carly’ll get to enjoy watching you change into your regr clothester, huh?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I, uhm, I don’t have regr clothes…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Tira took her dozen blinks. “Wait, you’re nning on wearing the uniform the entire time?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I thought we had to!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Uhm, hey everyone!” someone said from behind. ina turned to see Carline, still in her uniform, running towards them. She was panting as she stopped, staring at ina, a concerned look on her face. “Sorry I’mte, uhm, had an issue.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s fine,” Tira said. “Carriage isn’t here yet anyway. We were just talking about how ina apparently didn’t know street clothes are allowed.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina blushed, looking at Carline. “You too?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, no, I uhm, have a change of clothes in my bag…” Carline looked down towards the ground, biting her lip. “ina, uhm, is everything alright?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, just a little embarrassed I’ll spend the weekend in my uniform, but I’ll live.” She sighed, once again falling victim tock of knowledge that everyone else seemed to take for granted.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah,” Flora said. “You would’ve found outst week when you saw people walking around if we weren’t under curfew. At least you know for next time!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina smiled. It was hard to be upset when Flora was smiling and happy—or maybe it was just that ina could tell Flora wasn’t wearing a bra under that short, thin sundress. Regardless, she’d still get to spend the whole weekend with the three best friends she had at school, and they’d hopefully get some information about the missing subcore besides.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah,” Tira added, “she isn’t the type to let a little wardrobe mishap ruin a good time.” She smirked at her ownment, eyes directed at ina and filled with mischief. “Isn’t that right?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">inaughed, waving Tira off. “Who knows, maybe I’ll manage to keep my clothes on for the whole trip.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Not if <i><span style="font-weight:400">I</i><span style="font-weight:400"> have anything to say about it,” Flora said, causing Tira to do a double take.


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina was about tough again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Hey,” Carline said, “you’re really okay?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Uhm, yeah? It’s not that big a deal, really. Are you okay?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Carline nodded, but her eyes still hung low. “I’m fine. Just worried about you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina smiled, wrapping her arms around Carline and squeezing, careful not to hug too tightly with her increased strength. “I appreciate you, but I’ll be okay. Let’s focus on having a good trip.” Putting actions to words, she let Carline go and turned back around, stepping out of the gate, out of the school grounds for the first time in two weeks. “For a couple days at least, we’re free!”