Red String {EDITING}

Chapter Eleven | The Lion's Head

"Like it?" Emilia inquired, tipping her matching glass in her direction. "Georgia's got the next round... we can get you another."

Nodding, Lyra smiled at the thought savouring the taste of the particular gin and tonic her new friends had recommended and since ordered for her. "Sounds good," she mumbled, relaxing in her seat ever so slightly. It felt oddly relieving to go out drinking with her new friends. The word still felt strange rolling off her tongue.

Silence fell between them then, the quiet music of the pub the only sound with Georgia up at the bar, ordering them both food and drinks. It was a comfortable quiet though, not like the tense silences when she had been with Frost, nor the awkward silences with her and the other two whom Omega Taurus had stolen. "So, uh... how was your day?" Lyra began, wincing at the loss of the comfortable silence as she made an effort to get to know her new friend.

Emilia laughed softly. "It was fine. The most excitement there was your arrival, that's for sure," she said, sipping at her drink. "Our boss is very particular about who he lets in – and more often than not, there's an interesting story behind it, so don't be too surprised if you get a few inquiries about your past," she continued, glancing pointedly at their carrot-haired companion. "We have a few particularly nosy people here and there, but they should understand that no means you don't want to speak about it. What about you? Anything interesting happen on your end of the department? Did Georgia do anything stupid at work? I need something new to rib her with."

"Nothing really happened," she said, musing over the day gone by. "Just paperwork..."

"Sounds dreadfully boring, but that's grunt work for you," she mumbled. "Arrow will probably assign you to something more interesting tomorrow or the day after. The longest record of days assigned to that room is held by the moron over there," she said, pointing at Georgia. "It's probably why you were assigned her as a mentor for that." Emilia snorted. "But that's Georgie for you..."

"I like her," Lyra declared. She was warm. Friendly. The kind of friend Lyra had loved to read about.

"Don't say that to her face," Emilia warned. "She'll be insufferable otherwise."

Lyra smiled, cheeks hurting from the amount of times that pleasant grin had crept onto her face. "You're really good friends," she murmured, blinking at the odd longing she felt in her chest. She was new there, despite having obtained their friendship it wasn't all that deep. That would take time. Time Lyra prayed she would have, as she chewed on her lip.

Omega Taurus would chase her. That much she knew. She was an asset to them. They liked those and hated it when they vanished off the map.

Lyra sucked in a breath, letting it out slowly as she felt the same nervousness and nausea crawling through her gut at the thought. Everything was going to be fine. It had to be.

"That idiot is flirting with—uh," Emilia muttered, shaking her head. "I'm going to the toilet, and then I'm going to knock some sense into that idiot's thick skull. We'll be back soon." Nodding once, Lyra could only watch as she left, leaving her alone at the table. Her gaze flickered over to where Georgia was talking cheerfully with the barkeeper.

She was a friendly person. It was only natural that people flocked to her. Sighing, Lyra sat back in the comfortable seat, blinking only shadow moved and plopped down in the seat Emilia had vacated only a few minutes before. Lyra stiffened, shivering ever so slightly at the cool rush of air whistled over her skin. A glass was pushed towards her then, and she had a single second to take in the sight of the fine layer of frost covering the drink before her limbs locked in place as that oh so familiar voice sounded.