Ivy's brow furrowed, her posture uncharacteristically crooked as she stood before Anya. The princess had seemingly claimed a seat with her looming bodyguard. Yet more than ever, an additional presence could be felt in the room. Her position was unimpeachable.
"I'm sorry about your friend," Anya nibbled on what appeared to be a cracker from Yrix's human-oriented pantry. "I heard she did well."
"She'll live," Ivy huffed.
The princess smiled, "Please, take a seat."
She wasn't alone at the table, for it seemed she had chosen a second figure of interest. Ivy took a moment to gander before audibly hissing.
"Oh, goody," she glared.
"Nice to see you too," Alia waved.
"Apparently," Anya spoke with her mouth full. "She's royalty as well. We share a similar name, isn't that wonderful? I must confess to overlooking so many of you. Such a shame I don't have enough time to get acquainted with everyone."
Alia shrouded her true feelings with a skillful tongue. "Indeed, this is a learning experience for me as well. Ivy doesn't talk much to anyone outside her circle."
The dancer was flaunting her figure as always, sitting with open legs and a relaxed posture, smirking at Ivy with supreme confidence.
"Alia here is quite the conversationalist," Anya cocked her head as Ivy took a seat in front of her, evidently failing to detect the tension in the room. "I wonder, why are you so different?"
The heiress sat in a more reserved manner, making sure to fold her legs before shooting a judgmental nod at Alia. She had already predicted the rival student would speak first.
"She has a type. That Earthling, as I'm sure you noticed. But did you know that's her favorite cracker in your hands?" Alia chirped. "Shaped like a fish. It reminds her of her childhood."
Ivy bit her lip, resisting the urge to fling a mace at the dancer's head. For her to peer into Lila's mind was an act of war. More importantly, it proved her intentions.
She can't have her.
She's mine.
"So forgiving," Alia whispered into the heiress's head, making sure Anya was none the wiser. "And delectably bold. Such a good choice. I'm glad she likes me. I like her too."
Ivy didn't respond. She merely stared at the princess, observing as the frail girl inspected one of the crackers.
"What happened? Nothing to say? You were so nagging during that first week."
The heiress produced a genuine smile, grabbing one of the crackers from Anya's bowl before giving it a try. She didn't have to fake her reaction as the thought of Lila entered her mind. From what Ivy could feel, the Earthling was still alive.
"I've noticed it. Have you? The way she stares at my stomach. I wonder if she'll kiss it one day."
Alia finally ceased her bombardment, having realized she couldn't get through to Ivy. In some ways, she seemed even a bit impressed. The heiress from a month ago would have snapped.
"Mhm," Anya munched. "Lila has good taste. How dreadful, maybe I overlooked her, too. Yrix finds all the best ones, doesn't she?"
Ivy tilted her head to the side with a squint. "It's a bit childish. But...that's what I've always liked about her. She's a pure soul. Doesn't let anyone's judgment stop her."
"She's a popular one, isn't she?"
Ivy's face twitched, tuning out the rest of the conversation as an image of Lila appeared in her mind. No amount of set-dressing could change the fact that she was alone for her first night at the Aerie. And the heiress, more than any, had despised Lila during that time.
"Got anything stronger than that?" Ivy gestured towards Anya's teacup, interrupting the conversation.
A hint of kinship washed over Alia's face. For the briefest of moments, she seemed to understand where Ivy was coming from. They were both acting after all.
Why not make it easier?
"Oh," Anya's eyes widened. "Well...I suppose I do. You two must be very stressed. Truth be told, I don't pack that sort of thing, but my father insists I prepare for guests."
The golden Canere looming over the table reached into its own mass of tentacles, retrieving a pale vase decorated in blue ornamentation. Its lid consisted of a simple crystalline plug.
"Classy," Alia quipped, tucking her legs in as a new set of dishware appeared in front of her. "Your father must be an enthusiast."
"That's putting it lightly," the princess giggled bashfully. "But he has the finest taste among the stars."
A poignant smell rushed towards Ivy as the Canere served her table, causing the heiress to flinch. She had never been one to concern herself with alcohol. Perhaps, in a way, Lila was rubbing off on her.
Or at least her sudden recklessness was beginning to encroach.
Alia, on the other hand, seemed at home with herself.
"Very well," Ivy muttered, watching the dancer hold her cup with unbridled confidence. "Seems I'm in good company."
Anya observed with visible curiosity as the students tried their hand at the beverage, her tail curling up beside her in a manner befitting a certain Infestare. Ivy clenched her fist after a single swallow, but managed to keep it down. She had certainly been through worse than a sour aftertaste.
Like wine with less dryness.
"There you go," Alia smiled, unmoved by her own swig. "Tough stuff, heiress."
"Can I ask, *hic*, where you learned to handle this sort of thing?" Ivy leaned back. "It's a bit strong."
Anya didn't partake for reasons she seemed too embarrassed to admit. But that was fine with Alia. She was surprisingly more comfortable speaking with Ivy all on her own.
No cunning strategy needed.
"My parents were high-functioning alcoholics," Alia shrugged, flipping her black hair to the side. "I picked up a trick or two. Holding your liquor as a girl has its perks."
Ivy took note of her words, latching on to the vaguest omission of them all.
"Your Mother," the heiress spoke softly. "I understand. Father gave me some vices of his own. I guess they never expected to hand down that sort of thing. Ironic, isn't it?"
A hint of sorrow flashed in the dancer's purple eyes before disappearing entirely. But her intent was clear.
Regret.
"To inheritance," Alia toasted mockingly. "And all that we won't get."
Ivy was surprised to see Anya join her with a little cup of tea, a humble expression forming on her face. Only then did it become clear what the princess was searching for. There was no kinship to be found in an empire of aliens.
So certain of themselves.
The next swig was easier than the last.
- - - - - - - - - - -
"Three?"
Sonera rose slowly, her head numb as a solemn realization washed over her. The noise was gone. And for what seemed like an impossibility, she felt like just a girl again.
Her hands were her own, sensitive to the touch and covered in warmth. The left side of her body, however, seemed oddly frigid. It was sorely lacking something the rest of Sonera seemed to bathe in.
"луна," Sonera muttered in her mother tongue.
Few had ever witnessed Sonera speak in such a manner. Not even Three, ever since she grew up. Lunae, however, could sense it in her slumber, stirring with a weakened breath.
"Did we make it?"
"Are we dead?"
Her surroundings were painstakingly clean, an effort befitting a worried heiress with too much time on her hands. But the quick stench of alien soon alerted Sonera to the truth. She had survived her trial.
"Lunae..." She looked down at the princess in shame. "I'm...sorry."
Sonera wanted to lean down and kiss her bare, pale shoulders. But she felt unworthy. In fact, a sudden wave of contradiction filled her heart at the thought of every girl.
"Lila...Ivy..."
She felt as if they were all lecturing her at that very moment. And while Sonera did not regret her triumph, the realization that her near-death-escape came at a cost finally breached her frigid soul. There was a value in life.
Even hers.
Sonera pressed a metal palm onto her own chest, realizing she was in another nightgown of sorts. The hole in her chest was gone, and surprisingly, she felt only a thread of pain. But something was wrong.
Her Psionic power was gone. And with it, her growing bond. She was alone.
A certain fragility could be seen in her eyes as the assassin held her partner near. Sonera didn't wish to wake Lunae. Yet never before had she felt so desperate.
"Why did you choose me?" Sonera's breath hitched. "They would have taken such good care of you. Lila and Ivy."
It wasn't lost on her how grave Lunae's decision had been. She only pretended to be frugal with her choices. But an Infestare princess always had a plan.
Even if that plan was not to have a plan.
"Please...wake up," she whispered. "Lunae...I...ugh."
Why me.