Ch 3.12: Intrusions


    <span style="font-weight:400">Flora always did her best to project confidence. It was usually easy, just letting her general aloofness shine through, but every now and then the person she thought she was didn’t show up to y, and the person she was afraid she was showed up instead.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Her hands were calm as she opened her room, though she let out a sigh of relief when she found it empty inside.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Her uniform was off in a matter of moments, neatly folded up and ced in her dresser as her underwear was tossed to the corner. She was in her bed only secondster, and she finally let the hold she had on her [Nature] rx.


    <span style="font-weight:400">She started shaking immediately, hands most of all. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation, but it was better than holding it in for thest half hour.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Why again…” she muttered to herself, tossing the covers over her head and groaning. She really didn’t enjoy hiding herself away, but sometimes being away from everything else was what she needed, whether she needed it or not.


    <span style="font-weight:400">She sat there like that a while, hands quaking, eyes watering. It was freeing at least, not having to hold things back with her aspect, but she couldn’t help but long for the days just a year prior when things like this didn’t ever happen.


    <span style="font-weight:400">She threw her walls back up as she heard the door lock, tossing the covers off her and sitting up as the door swung open.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Maribeth, her roommate, took a small nce at Flora as she walked by, but didn’t pay much attention. She’d long be used to Flora’sck of attire in the dorm room, and while she didn’t show any interest in it the matter didn’t seem to bother her either.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Heya, Mari,” Flora said, [Nature] already back up, body rxed again even if her mind was still screaming. “What’s up?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Not much,” the girl said, cing a book on her nightstand and flopping onto her bed, letting out a long sigh of her own. “Didn’t expect you to be here on a rainy night.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I did my stormwatching earlier,” Flora said, throwing herself back onto her pillow as well. She wanted to sigh herself, but she didn’t want to worry Maribeth. “Just trying to rx for now.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Still not even sure what rxing is for you,” Maribeth said as she pulled her book up. “You’re <i><span style="font-weight:400">always</i><span style="font-weight:400"> rxed.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yep! That’s me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Evenst year during that practicum, you were fine, which was wild. I would’ve been fucked up for days.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“More like months…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Huh?” Maribeth said, looking over the rim of her book.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“My new team’s going pretty well,” Flora said. “Sorry about ditching you all.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Maribeth shrugged, looking back at her book. “It’s not a huge deal. Teams always change a little bit at the start of the new year with people graduating and stuff. I’m sure we’ll be fine when we actually get sent out. I just hope I don’t actually have to <i><span style="font-weight:400">do </i><span style="font-weight:400">anything this time.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Maribeth’s memory seemed to sh with Flora’s own. She didn’t remember anyone but herself stepping up when the caravan they were supposed to be escorting together was attacked, but that wasn’t worth bringing up. It would only make keeping herself in check even more of a drain on her mana than it was already.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I think I’m going to sleep early tonight,” Flora said.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, should I turn themp off? I mean, I kind of need it right now, for at least an hour.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No, it’s fine.” Flora tucked herself back under the nket, pulling it tight over her head. “It’s dark enough like this.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Maribethughed at that, but Flora ignored it. She was just happy to be alone again for the time being.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Alright, I’ll let you know when I’m gonna turn the lights down.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t bother. I’ll just sleep like this tonight.”