Tripping Over Air

AMELIA - All It Is, It's a Leap of Faith

AMELIA had never felt more at ease.

She'd finished her classes for the day, the weather was decent, she'd been texting Jace on and off all day, and she was heading to the house on Beaker Street. A place that much to her surprise had become something of a home for her over the last three years. A thorough surprise given that she hadn't had any real connection prior to working with Connor on a project their freshman year. Still, she took to the chaos like a fish to water.

Didn't mean she didn't hesitate.

Edward was right, she wasn't an official member. Not because none of them wanted her, but because none of them wanted her because... well, emotional wounds heal slow, and she was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.

No, she wasn't going to let those thoughts bring her mood down.

She unlocked the door and shed her shoes, jogging upstairs to drop off her bag and plug in her laptop. She'd look over to see if any of her required screenings would make for interesting movie nights later. Right now, she had to make sure Evie and Henry hadn't gone crazy trying to cook for everyone. It was why they A) did it on rotation and B) only did it once a week. She tugged on comfier socks and wandered back onto the main floor, with commotion coming from the kitchen.

"House check?"

"Downstairs!" Evie replied.

"Thank you," Amelia replied, jogging down the stairs into the basement. It was there she found the Greece Siblings, Kassandra and Alexios; Connor, and the recliner extended but otherwise unoccupied.

"Jacob's in the bathroom." Connor said before Amelia could even ask the question.

"I hate it when you do that," she muttered as she chose to risk it and sat in the recliner. The group was watching cable TV, a luxury afforded to them by the benefit of Auditore Money, but it wasn't anything intensive, just background noise so they could chat if they wanted to. The door to the bathroom opened and out popped Jacob Frye who was only jokingly annoyed to find Amelia in his spot.

"Are you gonna get up, or am I gonna have to provide incentive?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye. Amelia chuckled and carefully rolled out of the chair enough for him to sit back down before she unceremoniously collapsed on top of him.

She chose to ignore the looks she was getting from Connor.

"So, who's the friend you invited to dinner?" Kassandra asked.

"Oh, Jace! According to Eds, she's a visual arts major. She transferred here this year, I thought she needed friends." Amelia explained with a shrug. "I know the first dinner back is usually for initiation talks, but she said she was probably gonna be able to stay for the meal."

"Assuming she doesn't back out," Alexios chimed in.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You introduced her to Edward first, if that didn't sour her on the whole group, I'll consider it a miracle." Kassandra joked. It was no secret that even amongst those who cared about him, Edward Kenway was what most scholars would call an acquired taste.

"Technically, I introduced her to Adé first, Eds introduced himself." Amelia was quick to defend, "besides he was pretty well behaved."

The group continued to chatter, gaining Adé and Edward at some point on the couch, making it a seemingly normal and ordinary evening. Until Amelia got a text

from: jacelyn !

hey, i'm super super sorry for the last minute notice, but my brother's dragging us to some "first day back" dinner. i won't be able to make it. apologize to henry for me!