Heir of Fire and Ice

???

Elentiya hadn't seen Riki since the library, and was a little nervous that despite everything, she was ignoring her. Had she done something wrong? Miscalculated everything? She was in the theory lesson she shared with Riki, who still hadn't shown up. She couldn't be ill - she would just heal herself. Really - what was wrong? Surely it couldn't be her. That would be silly. At the last minute, Riki rushed in and practically threw herself into the chair beside Elentiya.

"Is there any reason you're so late?" Elentiya murmured, "Or are you just avoiding me again?"

"If I were avoiding you, why would I be sitting next to you?"

"The fact that it's the only seat left might have something to do with it." It was true - a new girl (Xenia) had arrived last night, walked in the classroom, taken one look at Elentiya, and hurried to the back of the classroom. As far from her as possible. It didn't help matters that as of today, they would be sharing a room.

"I'm not avoiding you - I've been too scared that I imagined it to talk to you. This morning I was late because I was getting you this." Under the table, she passed a box that smelled suspiciously like...

"Chocolates! Oh - how did you know?"

"Oh, good. You like them as much as me!"

"I love chocolate!"

"Now I get to stop panicking in case you don't like them."

"Oh, so that's why you're so late."

"Sh. The lesson's starting."

Where was Riki? They were meeting every morning, to go over the Old Language. Riki was good at speaking it, but not at reading and writing. Elentiya had given her one of the books in the Old Language, asking her to write down all the words she didn't understand, a chapter a day. The first few days, Riki had returned with almost two hundred words, but it was slowly lessening. What Elentiya didn't have the heart to tell her was that the book had been a favourite when she was five, and that she had only brought it for sentimental reasons.

"Hello? 'Tiya?" She batted the hand out of her face, and replied in the Old Language.

"Never do that again. Also, why are you late? Again?"

"I slept in...?"

"And why, may I ask, did you sleep in?"

"I may or may not have been reading until four in the morning."

"Oh great - I'm not the only one!" They shared a laugh, and began the lesson.