Ch 2.42: Hollow

“Prisma… is engaged to Waine?” Elaina was having trouble comprehending the words even as she said them. She knew what they meant of course, but couldn’t recognize them as being true. After all, she’d heard those two girls talking in the hallway, saying the Ferris Fireguard engagement was called off. Except that had also been true, of course, just not in the way Elaina had wanted.

“Yeah,” Koh said. She looked sad still, but now almost piteous more than upset at her own situation. “Don’t be sad though, Miss Weaver. I’m fine, really, and I can’t go having my new students thinking I’m some blubbering child.

“Right,” Elaina said, still trying to fight back tears. Gods, why was I so fucking stupid?

Was she really stupid though? Carline was sitting there, head down. Koh had said that “we” all knew it was going to happen, and it certainly seemed like that “we” included Carline. For that matter, Flora was also uncharacteristically quiet right now. Only Tira seemed as shocked as Elaina herself was.

“I’m gonna go finish packing,” Elaina said, pushing her chair out and grabbing her bag. “Just come get me when it’s time to leave.” Everything was already packed of course, but that wasn’t the point.

She thought she should feel more hollow as she walked up the stairs, feel that hole in her chest she’d felt when Prisma had told her they couldn’t be friends, but it wasn’t there. There was an emptiness, sure, but it was different, just a sort of space that was there inside her now, no pain with it. She realized that Tira was the one who had the key as she reached their room, so she decided to just sit down on the floor instead.

“Elaina, are you alright?”

She almost jumped at the sound, having forgotten she wasn’t ever truly alone if she was carrying Temmie around. “Uhm, yeah… I mean, no, but yeah…”

“I may not be human, but I can still tell when you are distressed.”

“I’ll be fine, is what I mean. At least I finally know what’s been going on.”

“Understood. If you would like to speak, I am available to you.”

Temmie’s words had an air of warmth to them, a sense of concern that made her feel even more human than normal, despite what she said. “Temmie, who are you?”

“I am the System, otherwise known as Temmie, the moniker your party ascribed to me.”

The obvious answer, and an incomplete one. Elaina wanted to know more, but she didn’t exactly have the energy to press further.

“Elaina?” a timid voice said from the stairs, Carline’s voice.

Elaina stayed on the ground, continuing to look at the opposite wall. She didn’t really want to see Carline at the moment.

“Elaina, I’m sorry, I just—”

“How long have you known?”

Carline’s footsteps stopped, the bustle from breakfast below the only sound remaining. “About two years, I guess… But it’s complicated; no one really knew that it was going to happen, not for sure…”

Elaina nodded, biting her lip. She had been angry at Carline before, when she thought Carline had been holding back knowledge of an engagement that had been called off. Now though, she couldn’t find it in her to be angry, could only find that emptiness inside her instead. “How come you didn’t say anything? Why did no one say anything?”

Carline sat down next to Elaina. Elaina didn’t really want the company, but she was afraid to say that, afraid she’d lash out and say something she’d regret. “Until a few days ago, Koh and Waine were still officially engaged. I wanted to tell you so many times, but it’s just— it’s not something we’re supposed to talk about at all. When you know something, but it isn’t official, especially when it’s not about you, but about someone else…”

Not when it’s about someone else. That was the worst part. Elaina wished Carline had told her, but she wasn’t mad at Carline for not. She knew Carline wasn’t the type to gossip about other people like that. Flora certainly would be, but they hadn’t known each other as long, and had only met a handful of times besides. Prisma though? She herself could have told Elaina, should have told Elaina. “I get it.”

The words hung in the hall as the two sat there. Eventually Carline placed an arm around Elaina’s back, a head on her shoulder. Elaina thought she’d recoil to the touch, but she found herself leaning into it, feeling at least somewhat relaxed. “I saw Waine crying the other day.”

She thought Carline may be shocked, but the girl simply nodded. “He’s always had a crush on Koh, since we were all kids.”

“I told him… I told him I was glad that whatever he was crying about happened. He told me I should be careful what I wish for, that the same would happen to me too if I did…”

Elaina felt Carline wince as she nodded again. “That wasn’t… really kind of either of you.”

Elaina sighed, slumping back even more. “Yeah, I know.”

“But he does kind of deserve it…”

Elaina looked down in shock, laughing out loud as she saw Carline burning red. “I think hat’s the meanest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Carline said, covering her face with her hands and backing away. “I shouldn’t say stuff like that.”

“I think everyone’s allowed to be a little mean, sometimes.”

“Well, I’m still sorry… For not telling you about Prisma and Waine earlier too.  When I learned it was official I tried to tell you right away, but things kept coming up… I though I could just tell you before we got back to school, but then Koh showed up here somehow…”

“It’s okay,” Elaina said, pulling Carline into her arm. “Like I said, I get it.”

“You two are doing alright, I guess?” Tira’s voice said from the stairway. She was carrying her bag over her shoulder, looking a little concerned still.

“Yeah,” Elaina said, standing up. “Everything okay down there?”

“Well, not gonna lie, it got pretty awkward down there when you to left. The new prof doesn’t really get what’s going on, but she knew something was up. Flora kept her company for the most part though”

Elaina winced, nodding. “It would’ve been more awkward if I stayed, I’m pretty sure.”

“By the way,” Tira said, “correct me if I’m wrong, but was she really upset that she’s not engaged that brat anymore? Like, does she actually like him?”

Carline pursed her lips, struggling to find a response. “He was always nice to her. Honestly, he used to be nicer to everyone. He’s never been the nicest person really, but he wasn’t really the way he is now when we were younger. Not until things went wrong with the engagement…”

There was more to that story, obviously, and Elaina was honestly curious, but she didn’t really want to hear about it at the moment. “Is it time to go,” she said?

“Yeah, time enough,” Tira said, glancing back down the stairs. “Uhm, Elaina, it’s probably the polite thing for us to offer to go back to school with her, since she’s our professor and all.”

“Oh, Elaina said. “That… makes sense. And it’s fine. I won’t make it awkward anymore.”

“Good, well, let’s head down.”

Flora and Koh were laughing when they got back downstairs, like nothing was amiss, up until Koh noticed the other three coming down the stairs. “Oh, welcome back! Uhm, did you get everything packed alright?”

“Yeah,” Elaina said with her best fake smile as she patted her bag. “All good to go.”

“We were about to leave, I think,” Tira said, “since it looks like Flora’s finished eating. Do you want to come with us? We have a carriage arranged to take us back, and it shouldn’t be a problem to have you join with us.”

“Oh, uhm…” Koh looked down, seemingly embarrassed at the offer. “I would love to, but I have special arrangements made for transportation. I have to wait until I’m escorted there.”

“Escorted?” Elaina asked. Was that some weird propriety thing she wasn’t aware of? “Can’t we be the ones to escort you?”

“Ah— no, I’m afraid not,” Koh said, ending the sentence with a fake, polite laugh. “That’s very kind of you, but I quite literally can’t enter the school without Headmaster Stormshine.”

Elaina looked to her group of friends. Tira seemed just as confused as she was, but Carline and Flora were once again doing their best to pretend the conversation around them wasn’t happening.

“Oh, right…” Koh said. “Sorry, I forgot that non-nobles aren’t always aware of noble gossip and such.” She sat up straight, taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes, completely composed by the time she opened them again. “I have to be escorted by the headmaster because of the school’s barrier. I’m actually a dud, so I don’t have an aspect and can’t enter alone.”