Nepenthe • Something that can make you forget grief or suffering.
Never feeling like they belonged was a feeling that Lissa Dragomir lived with, even with her family and life long best friend, although they aided in that feeling not being so strong...
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The gym buzzed with a restless, electric energy that seemed to seep into the very bones of St. Vladimir's Academy. Rows of bleachers rose along one side, already crowded with Novices shifting in their seats, their voices overlapping into a low, constant murmur. The polished floor reflected the overhead lights in long, sterile streaks, broken only by the dark uniforms of Guardians and the scattered movement of students finding their places. There was anticipation in the air—sharp, metallic, and impossible to ignore.
Kate moved through the crowd with quiet purpose, her posture straight, her expression composed in a way that masked the tight coil of nerves in her chest. She acknowledged those she passed with small nods or polite murmurs, her respect unwavering regardless of rank or reputation. It was instinctive, ingrained. Moroi, Dhampir—it didn't matter. They were all part of the same fragile world.
She spotted Eddie first.
He was slouched against the bleachers with a kind of careless defiance, one foot propped against the bench in front of him. His usual sharp edges were still there—tense shoulders, guarded eyes—but there was something quieter beneath it today, something frayed. Mason stood beside him, leaning back casually with his arms crossed, his presence warmer, easier, like a buffer between Eddie and the rest of the world.
Kate approached them without hesitation. "Mind if I join you?" she asked, her tone even, respectful rather than expectant, though she and Eddie had made up a few hours earlier.
Mason's face lit up immediately, his easy and charming smile instantly on his lips as he said "Kate, please. Save me from whatever mood he's in today."
Eddie huffed, though it lacked real bite, in fact there was a ghost of a smirk there, a hint of his former self "I'm right here." he reminded, running a hand through his blond hair.
"I know," Mason shot back lightly, "that's the problem."
Kate allowed a faint smile to touch her lips as she settled beside them, punhing Mason's arm softly, her gaze flicking briefly across the gym before returning to the two boys.
"You both look like you've been arguing."
"We haven't," Eddie muttered, looking away from Mason, while a blush crept up his neck dangerously.
"We have," Mason corrected at the same time, then shrugged with a smirk on his face, before leaning back and glancing around the gym as well.
Kate exhaled softly, folding her hands in her lap, her leather gloves creaking slightly, but she leaned forward, the restlessness in her body still evident as she spoke "Then I'll assume it's something neither of you actually wants to talk about."
