The world didn't stop turning, but it sure felt like it did when Astra turned her gaze on Eydis. Or perhaps the students themselves had quieted, curious to see what would happen next between the infamous Ice Princess and the equally infamous outcast.

Crimson eyes traced Eydis's features, lingering just long enough to mean something.

Eydis had a dozen sharp replies ready, but none of them mattered when Astra finally spoke.

"You alright?"

Surprised. Eydis found her voice just as quickly and let it turn playful.

"A curious question, but misdirected, roomie. The true person of interest sits a few trays down, drowning her sorrows in whatever that…" She gestured at Natalia's tray. "…is supposed to be."

Across the table, Natalia froze and hugged the pie as if it had feelings.

"Eydis," Astra exhaled. "Straight answer would be nice."

"Straight? How uninspired." Eydis tilted her head, entirely missing the way Astra's gaze sharpened at the unintended subtext. "A little ambiguity makes things far more exciting."

Seated beside her, Colette nearly inhaled her sandwich.

"Are you?" Astra asked.

Something in Astra's phrasing made Eydis wince inwardly. Had she just butchered another one of these… idioms?

"Am I?" she parried.

"You're deflecting."

"It's a learned skill," Eydis teased. "The same way I've trained myself to interpret your minimalistic three-word statements."

Astra's lips twitched. "Minimalistic? At least I say what I mean," she said quietly, abandoning her usual three-word replies, "while you hide meaning under layers of flowery nonsense."

Eydis's smirk wavered. She was used to unchallenged control, yet Astra matched her, step for step. Ice Princess? No. More like a blizzard with lightning buried inside.

Slowly, Eydis pushed herself up from her seat and brushed a stray silver strand behind Astra's ear.

It was meant to provoke.

"I didn't realise you were paying such intimate attention to my…" the pause lingered near Astra's skin, "…vocabulary, of course."

Her fingers grazed soft hair and, for one ridiculous moment, she almost asked what shampoo Astra used.

Astra, surprisingly, didn't pull away. Just a faint hitch in her breath. "You're the one who asked for more 'bonding time,'" she murmured, lashes dipping. "Disappearing for a week wasn't subtle."

So that empty dorm bed had been noticed.

"You missed my stimulating presence? How touching."

"Never mind. Just watch yourself. Tiffany's people are missing."

Tiffany's people?

As Astra began to turn, Eydis caught her wrist, leaned close, and let the lie slip smoothly.

"Library staff room's been my hideout lately. Turns out, books are better at stealing hours than most people are at keeping them."

A half-truth, but it would do.

"However," Eydis added, voice dropping intimately, "since you're clearly showing signs of Eydis withdrawal, I suppose I can end your suffering tonight."

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Astra turned away too quickly, masked it with a scoff, and walked off without a backward glance. "Eydis withdrawal. Of course."

She was vanished into the crowd with the dignity of someone determined not to look like they'd just fled. The onlookers hurried their lunches, trying hard not to stare at the retreating Ice Princess, or at Eydis, who remained where she was.

Eydis flexed her fingers, still tingling with Astra's pulse.

Captivating, she thought, smiling to herself. I may need a thorough re-evaluation of that very elusive roommate.

Colette squealed. "Did you see that spark? I swear I smelled barbecue. Also, why is everything always roasted here, never grilled?"

"Open flame is hazardous, Col," Birgit said, sipping her juice. She turned to Eydis, starting, "Wait, are you finally making a mov—" before Colette's hand clapped over her mouth.

Eyes still on the doorway Astra had gone through, Eydis answered absently, "A move? Oh, no. Not even close. Yet."

Astra's power wasn't something you confronted head-on. It eclipsed even Envy. To challenge her outright would not simply be reckless; it would be self-destruction. For now, she'd keep her distance.

The Koala Twins gasped collectively, obviously misinterpreting.

Natalia's gaze darted towards the shadows beneath Eydis's eyes before asking, "Are you still captiva— I mean, losing sleep over… it?"

Eydis froze. She hadn't expected that. "Yes," she admitted, unsure whether Natalia meant glyph research or something else.

Natalia laughed it off awkwardly while Eydis replayed Astra's warning: multiple disappearances. That implied more victims than just Jillian, especially since Amanda had already been found alive with Tiffany.

Then who else? And which of her Sins was responsible?

Tiffany sat across from Athena in one of St. Kevin's small meeting rooms. She didn't say anything. Maybe she couldn't.

And neither did she have to.

Athena studied her face. First, the skin. Tiffany had always been pale, but now she looked ghosted. Then the eyes. They were still technically blue, but there was no light in them, no clarity. They stared ahead, but she might not have been seeing anything at all.

Athena locked eyes with her. She began with a light probe, then pushed deeper, reaching through the mental lattice where thoughts and memories should reside. The eyes were her usual entry point.

This time, they led nowhere.

No surface thoughts, nor resistance.

She tried again, reaching further, further than she should have needed. Still nothing. Tiffany's body sat in the chair, but Tiffany herself was gone.

She sat back slowly. Then she rose, and slipped into the hallway, closing the door with a quiet click.

Adrian leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Tell me I'm wrong to panic."

"She isn't dead," Athena whispered. "but whatever makes her Tiffany isn't there. We need to get her to her father."

Adrian raked a hand through his hair. "I squeezed him earlier. Got nothing. No clue about the smoke thing either?"

"Not in Tiffany, no. No magic. No consciousness left behind. Whatever did this… it's beyond anything we've seen."

Fast footsteps slapped against tile. Thomas Blackwood barreled around the corner and seized Adrian's arm.

"Where is she? What did you do?"

" Behind that door," Adrian replied. "She isn't responding. Something dark's been in her head. We don't have the full picture yet, so we proceed with care."

"Proceed with care?" Thomas barked, turning on Athena. "Your council can't keep children safe. Something dark'? That's your excuse?"

Adrian stepped between them, his usual ease replaced by authority. "Confidentiality isn't optional, sir. Let us handle the investigation."

"And who decides what stays confidential?"

Adrian's expression turned colder. The gold in his eyes brightened, and when he finally spoke, it wasn't the Adrian most people knew.

"Thomas Blackwood, your daughter was involved in an unfortunate incident. She's in a catatonic state. Take her home. Remember. Remember this. This is the truth, the only truth that matters."

Thomas gasped, his breath catching as gold flickered in his emerald eyes before fading. His shoulders slumped and his head bowed. "Yes, sir."

He walked into the room and returned moments later with Tiffany in his arms. He did not once glance over his shoulder as he left.

When they were gone, Adrian turned to Athena. "And Amanda?"

"Same story," Athena said. "Vegetative. You ready to break the news to her family?"

"After coffee," Adrian muttered. "This isn't random, is it?"

"No. Four other students are missing. Theo and Astra are on night patrol."

"How?" Adrian asked. "Aren't there barriers around the academy? How the did anyone get through?"

"Jillian vanished inside the walls. Looks like an inside job. The rest disappeared on the last town trip."

"Town trip? And they paired Theo and Astra? What is this, Game of Thrones: Ice and Ire?"

"Astra's… warming up a little. Almost seems content, believe it or not," Athena said, amused.

"She glared at me yesterday."

"She glared at everyone," Athena said with a laugh. "But don't take it personally. This time it felt… less lethal. She even volunteered for town trip duty tomorrow."

Adrian blinked. "Astra. Volunteered. To guard teenagers."

"Miracles happen."

"Wow. Things might actually get a little less… chil-ling around here."

She sighed. "You and your puns, honestly."

He placed a hand over his heart. "I prefer 'underappreciated wordplay.'"

Athena rolled her eyes but smiled. "Come on. Coffee?"

"Only if I get to pay and pretend I'm generous," Adrian said.

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