Reaching for the Stars

Chapter Forty-Three

Andreas bursts through the crowd leaving the competition hall and finds me, his grin is wide. "You were amazing, Elianna! Hellebore poison! I can't believe you did that in under two hours, let alone when you forgot to get enough pollen. The others who finished before you had a much easier time of it, you will be in the top section of the rankings for sure. Come, come, let's get an early dinner, its my treat. I've booked the best restaurant in the city." He tugs on me, forcing me to go with him, though I admittedly don't struggle too hard, as I glance back at the blank boards where the rankings will eventually be posted.

But my growling stomach let's me know that I can actually eat before the rankings were posted, and Andreas would at least distract me from thinking about it. I had no idea where my teachers or even the other Ashara Academy competitors are, but I don't really care to know if any of them made it into the next round or if they were eliminated, all I know is that I am safe to proceed to the next round at least.

Andreas does indeed take me to the most popular restaurant in the city, which happens to be his favorite, it was bustling with people, many of which included competitors from the competition, with their teachers or others, many of them were getting treated to meals by members of strong clans in the Valena Empire. Everyone wanted a strong herbalist by their side, and it would be much easier to woo someone if you got to them before they earned the title of best herbalist in the Valena Empire.

"Ugh, it smells of sickening sweetness from all the words laced with honey coming out of these fools." I smirk, smothering a laugh as Orpheus' words sound in my mind, feeling much like I agree with him.

"Why are you smirking?" Andreas was still a little sore that even though he had a reservation he couldn't get the private room he preferred, instead he was stuck eating in the main hall, he was always so funny to get upset over silly things like that.

"Oh, just wondering if you've brought me here at your parents bequest to flatter me into going into your families service like all the other people have brought these competitors here to do." He takes a look around, finally noticing what I had noticed the moment I walked in here.

"Ah, no, sadly my family would prefer I don't associate myself with a Khiradian, but I've never let them tell me what to do, besides they underestimate your skills in herbalism, they think you'll lose, actually they thought you'd lose in the first round, little do they know that I am confident you'll make it to the last round, and maybe even win, but I know you and they do not, and you are rather unassuming at first, at least until you open your mouth of course." I roll my eyes at his mocking attitude, more than used to it now after months of friendship.

"You like my comments, they amuse you too much for you to ask me to stop." He nods his head easily agreeing with me, but soon our food comes so we stop chatting and begin eating with relish. After having skipped lunch today, I was rather hungry, and the stress from the competition only made me all the more starving. Before long a loud bell sounds, and everyone in the restaurant becomes silent, knowing exactly what it means, there is a moment of calm before a mad rush begins to pay the bill and leave, for that bell meant that the rankings were posted.

Andreas looks eager as well, but I wave him off, as I continue eating my food. I was eager to see the rankings as well, but I knew it would be hard to push through all the other people rushing there, so I may as well wait. "Calm down, lets finish our meal, there is no rush to get to something that will not change even if we do get there a minute or an hour after it has been posted." He looks at me worriedly, likely unnerved by how calm I was being, but it was exactly as I had said, they wouldn't change even if we shoved through all the people there, we may as well finish and go there in a calm fashion once it has calmed down.

So even as the restaurant emptied out, Andreas and I stayed there finishing our meal, even having dessert, when close to an hour has passed, we finally decide to get up and head over to the ranking boards, to my surprise and annoyance the crowds are still decently thick, but they don't seem to be pushing to look at the boards, more discussing the rankings on them.