Ch 2.42: Hollow


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Prisma… is engaged to Waine?” ina was having troubleprehending the words even as she said them. She knew what they meant of course, but couldn’t recognize them as being true. After all, she’d heard those two girls talking in the hallway, saying the Ferris Fireguard engagement was called off. Except that had also been true, of course, just not in the way ina had wanted.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah,” Koh said. She looked sad still, but now almost piteous more than upset at her own situation. “Don’t be sad though, Miss Weaver. I’m fine, really, and I can’t go having my new students thinking I’m some blubbering child.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Right,” ina said, still trying to fight back tears. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Gods, why was I so fucking stupid?</i>


    <span style="font-weight:400">Was she really stupid though? Carline was sitting there, head down. Koh had said that “we” all knew it was going to happen, and it certainly seemed like that “we” included Carline. For that matter, Flora was also uncharacteristically quiet right now. Only Tira seemed as shocked as ina herself was.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’m gonna go finish packing,” ina said, pushing her chair out and grabbing her bag. “Juste get me when it’s time to leave.” Everything was already packed of course, but that wasn’t the point.


    <span style="font-weight:400">She thought she should feel more hollow as she walked up the stairs, feel that hole in her chest she’d felt when Prisma had told her they couldn’t be friends, but it wasn’t there. There was an emptiness, sure, but it was different, just a sort of space that was there inside her now, no pain with it. She realized that Tira was the one who had the key as she reached their room, so she decided to just sit down on the floor instead.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“ina, are you alright?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She almost jumped at the sound, having forgotten she wasn’t ever truly alone if she was carrying Temmie around. “Uhm, yeah… I mean, no, but yeah…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I may not be human, but I can still tell when you are distressed.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll <i><span style="font-weight:400">be </i><span style="font-weight:400">fine, is what I mean. At least I finally know what’s been going on.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Understood. If you would like to speak, I am avable to you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Temmie’s words had an air of warmth to them, a sense of concern that made her feel even more human than normal, despite what she said. “Temmie, who are you?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I am the System, otherwise known as Temmie, the moniker your party ascribed to me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The obvious answer, and an iplete one. ina wanted to know more, but she didn’t exactly have the energy to press further.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“ina?” a timid voice said from the stairs, Carline’s voice.


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina stayed on the ground, continuing to look at the opposite wall. She didn’t really want to see Carline at the moment.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“ina, I’m sorry, I just—”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“How long have you known?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Carline’s footsteps stopped, the bustle from breakfast below the only sound remaining. “About two years, I guess… But it’splicated; no one really <i><span style="font-weight:400">knew </i><span style="font-weight:400">that it was going to happen, not for sure…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina nodded, biting her lip. She had been angry at Carline before, when she thought Carline had been holding back knowledge of an engagement that had been called off. Now though, she couldn’t find it in her to be angry, could only find that emptiness inside her instead. “Howe you didn’t say anything? Why did <i><span style="font-weight:400">no one </i><span style="font-weight:400">say anything?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Carline sat down next to ina. ina didn’t really want thepany, but she was afraid to say that, afraid she’dsh out and say something she’d regret. “Until a few days ago, Koh and Waine were still officially engaged. I wanted to tell you so many times, but it’s just— it’s not something we’re supposed to talk about <i><span style="font-weight:400">at all.</i><span style="font-weight:400"> When you know something, but it isn’t official, especially when it’s not about you, but about someone else…”


    <i><span style="font-weight:400">Not when it’s about someone else. </i><span style="font-weight:400">That was the worst part. ina wished Carline had told her, but she wasn’t mad at Carline for not. She knew Carline wasn’t the type to gossip about other people like that. Flora certainly would be, but they hadn’t known each other as long, and had only met a handful of times besides. Prisma though? She herself could have told ina, <i><span style="font-weight:400">should</i><span style="font-weight:400"> have told ina. “I get it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The words hung in the hall as the two sat there. Eventually Carline ced an arm around ina’s back, a head on her shoulder. ina thought she’d recoil to the touch, but she found herself leaning into it, feeling at least somewhat rxed. “I saw Waine crying the other day.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She thought Carline may be shocked, but the girl simply nodded. “He’s always had a crush on Koh, since we were all kids.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I told him… I told him I was d that whatever he was crying about happened. He told me I should be careful what I wish for, that the same would happen to me too if I did…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina felt Carline wince as she nodded again. “That wasn’t… really kind of either of you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina sighed, slumping back even more. “Yeah, I know.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“But he does kind of deserve it…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina looked down in shock,ughing out loud as she saw Carline burning red. “I think hat’s the meanest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I know, I’m sorry,” Carline said, covering her face with her hands and backing away. “I shouldn’t say stuff like that.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I think everyone’s allowed to be a little mean, sometimes.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I’m still sorry… For not telling you about Prisma and Waine earlier too. When I learned it was official I tried to tell you right away, but things kepting up… I though I could just tell you before we got back to school, but then Koh showed up here somehow…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s okay,” ina said, pulling Carline into her arm. “Like I said, I get it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You two are doing alright, I guess?” Tira’s voice said from the stairway. She was carrying her bag over her shoulder, looking a little concerned still.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah,” ina said, standing up. “Everything okay down there?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, not gonna lie, it got pretty awkward down there when you to left. The new prof doesn’t really get what’s going on, but she knew something was up. Flora kept herpany for the most part though”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina winced, nodding. “It would’ve been more awkward if I stayed, I’m pretty sure.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“By the way,” Tira said, “correct me if I’m wrong, but was she really upset that she’s not engaged that brat anymore? Like, does she actually like him?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Carline pursed her lips, struggling to find a response. “He was always nice to her. Honestly, he used to be nicer to everyone. He’s never been the nicest person really, but he wasn’t really the way he is now when we were younger. Not until things went wrong with the engagement…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">There was more to that story, obviously, and ina was honestly curious, but she didn’t really want to hear about it at the moment. “Is it time to go,” she said?


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, time enough,” Tira said, ncing back down the stairs. “Uhm, ina, it’s probably the polite thing for us to offer to go back to school with her, since she’s our professor and all.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, ina said. “That… makes sense. And it’s fine. I won’t make it awkward anymore.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Good, well, let’s head down.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Flora and Koh wereughing when they got back downstairs, like nothing was amiss, up until Koh noticed the other threeing down the stairs. “Oh, wee back! Uhm, did you get everything packed alright?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah,” ina said with her best fake smile as she patted her bag. “All good to go.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“We were about to leave, I think,” Tira said, “since it looks like Flora’s finished eating. Do you want toe with us? We have a carriage arranged to take us back, and it shouldn’t be a problem to have you join with us.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, uhm…” Koh looked down, seemingly embarrassed at the offer. “I would love to, but I have special arrangements made for transportation. I have to wait until I’m escorted there.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Escorted?” ina asked. Was that some weird propriety thing she wasn’t aware of? “Can’t we be the ones to escort you?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ah— no, I’m afraid not,” Koh said, ending the sentence with a fake, politeugh. “That’s very kind of you, but I quite literally can’t enter the school without Headmaster Stormshine.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">ina looked to her group of friends. Tira seemed just as confused as she was, but Carline and Flora were once again doing their best to pretend the conversation around them wasn’t happening.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, right…” Koh said. “Sorry, I forgot that non-nobles aren’t always aware of noble gossip and such.” She sat up straight, taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes,pletelyposed by the time she opened them again. “I have to be escorted by the headmaster because of the school’s barrier. I’m actually a dud, so I don’t have an aspect and can’t enter alone.”