In The Shadow of Our Choices

Chapter 35 - A Tale of Two Birthdays: Part 1

Monday morning found Elizabeth's stomach feeling slightly sour, but the rest of her positively giddy. She was loath to crawl out of bed, but she had Arithmancy first period and thought she ought to at least try breakfast. It was slightly later than she ordinarily headed down, so she was surprised to find Ominis pacing outside the doors to the Great Hall, looking preoccupied.

"Ominis?" She asked as she neared. "What's wrong?"

He froze at her voice, turning and smiling tentatively.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," he said, "How are you doing?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow when he didn't answer her question.

"I'm fine, thank you. But is everything okay? Did Sebastian...?"

Ominis hesitated for a moment, then let out a sigh.

"No, no, nothing to do with him... I just... wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. I realized this morning that I may have let the wine do a lot of the talking... I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Elizabeth's heart sank a little, but she forced a smile.

"Oh, no worries, Ominis," she said, "I had a good time last night, actually."

Ominis gave her a small smile in response.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said, "But I still feel like I need to apologize. I didn't want to give you the wrong impression."

"Of course. I understand completely," she said, feeling a pang of disappointment. "Well, I should probably go grab some breakfast before class."

"Right, of course," Ominis said quickly. "I'll let you go then. Have a good day, Elizabeth - I'll see you in Arithmancy."

"Thanks, you too," Elizabeth replied.

As she walked into the Great Hall, Elizabeth's thoughts were a jumble. Had she read too much into his actions and words last night? It felt like he'd just drawn a line between them. She tried to push the thought out of her head and focus on the day ahead.

-------

"Lizzie -"

"Go away, Sebastian."

"Listen -"

"No, Sebastian."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a dog-"

"Then stop following me around like one."

Sebastian caught her arm, bringing her to a stop in the hallway.

"Do you think I want to?" he demanded.

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact," she said, glaring at him.

Sebastian sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You haven't gone to see Professor Yaxley yet," he said, "She's driving me nuts - asking me about you after every class."

"Then why doesn't she ask someone else to come fetch me," Elizabeth said sourly.

"Look," Sebastian said, "I have no idea what she's doing, but... I don't trust her."

Elizabeth looked at him, letting both her indignation and bafflement show on her face.

"Sebastian," she said, "I really don't know what games you're playing now, but this is ridiculous."

"I'm serious, Lizzie." he insisted, his grip on her arm loosening. "There's something off about Yaxley - I think you should be careful."