sunlit meadows, waning brooks

chapter seven // clouds

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January 15, 1995

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          "Leo." Sitra tapped the boy's shoulder, her voice tinged with reluctance. "As much as it pains me to bring this up, we really need to work on our Divination project."

          "Mhm," he muttered, not even glancing up from the clutter of papers strewn across his desk.

          "So..." she hesitated, studying his unusually cold demeanor, "Are you free tonight?"

          "Uh-huh."

          "Right... where should we meet?" Sitra asked, trying to keep her tone light despite the frustration building within her.

          "I don't care."

          Her patience, already worn thin by his recent behavior, began to fray. "Leo!" she finally barked, her voice sharp with irritation.

          "What?" he groaned, dropping his quill with a sigh. Ink splattered across his writing, but he didn't seem to care. When his eyes finally met hers, the usual spark, that competitive glint she'd grown accustomed to, was absent. It was like staring into the eyes of a stranger.

          Exasperated, Sitra repeated, "Where should we meet?"

          Leo sighed heavily as if the conversation itself was an unbearable burden. "My dorm," he said flatly, crumpling the ruined parchment and tossing it aside, "at five."

          "Fine, then," she replied curtly, turning on her heel before he could see the flicker of concern in her eyes. Normally, she would relish seeing Leo falter—he was, after all, her rival. But this time... something felt different.

          When the clock struck five o'clock, Sitra found herself standing outside Leo's door, her knuckles hovering just inches away from the wood. She hesitated, her mind replaying the awkward exchanges they'd had in the last few weeks, the way he seemed distant, almost hostile, which was very out of character for him. She didn't understand it, and it made her anxious in a way she didn't want to admit. Why did it bother her so much? She was just here to get the project done, to secure the top grade like always. That's all this was—just business.

          However, for said business to be done, Sitra needed him to get back to normal so he would actually talk. There was no way they were going to get this done if he was going to shut her out. Sitra decided that she would attempt to be nice to him just this once, so Leo might feel comfortable enough to confess what was bothering him so much; then, maybe he would be his old self again. Which was a necessity for the assignment... nothing else.

          It's just for the project, she reminded herself, though the thought felt hollow.

          Taking a deep breath, she tapped the door gently.

          "Come in," Leo's voice called out, muffled and devoid of the usual confidence dripping from his words.

         Sitra turned the knob and stepped into his dorm. The room was cluttered with textbooks and notes on every available surface, and a couple of sweaters were haphazardly tossed over the back of a chair. The smell of coffee lingered in the air as she noticed several empty cups sitting on his desk, which was piled high with even more books.

          Leo was perched on the edge of his bed, his gaze fixed on the open textbooks before him. In his lap, a sleek black cat with golden eyes lay curled up, its curious chirps breaking the silence as it watched Sitra enter the room. The moment she closed the door, the cat leaped from Leo's lap and padded over to her, its lemony eyes wide with curiosity.