Elara didn't answer right away. She lowered her goblet, the sweet moon-nectar floating in faint, pale ripples as her small hands tightened around the crystal glass. The lighthearted warmth that had filled the Azure Haven just moments before seemed to evaporate into the damp air, leaving only the soft hum of the turquoise water.
She looked up at the sea queen, her golden eyes dimming into a cold, flat stare.
"Life choices," Elara said softly.
Just two words. No grand story, no defensive justification, and no trace of the cheerful, teasing girl who had been choking on her drink seconds prior.
Seraphina let out a long, light sigh, her silvery-blue hair shifting across her bare shoulder like liquid silk. "I see..."
