Chapter Text
It had been the opportunity of a lifetime to be accepted into one of the most prominent art universities in the whole city of Sumeru. Although their priorities are more on the academic aspect, but still! Amber felt like she had floated on cloud nine, remembering the way she had practically jumped away from her PC set when she got the email that she was accepted into the academy. She still carries the same sentiment—that feeling of self-satisfaction never leaving her mind and soul once she had covered the first semester of the first academic year.
But now…
Amber is stumped, to say the least. Of course, she wasn't exactly naive at the thought that the lessons they will tackle will eventually become harder and harder. But on Barbatos’ spirit and soul, the pressure their professors put on them, partnered with the challenging and demanding subjects and lectures, is beginning to chip away Amber's crumbling wall of optimism. This must be what it feels like to be an attending student at Sumeru, whether if the university is academic-focused or arts-focused.
She grumbles to no one but herself, her face squished against the surface of the table. Amber is meeting some close friends of hers, thinking that it may be therapeutic to meet with them once in a while. It was already late Thursday evening, and she and her friends had all decided that what better way to hang out again than in the Ragnvindr’s famous tavern Angel's Share? Operated by the Ragnvindr family back in Mondstadt and widely renowned for their delectable winery, especially their Dandelion Wine that every people of Mondstadt wholeheartedly love, Amber and her friends figured that this was the next best thing to ease their homesickness—and another form of sickness that hopefully only the customers will witness.
“What's gotten you so blue, huh?” Amber hears a familiar voice, and she looks up with excitement to see that it was none other than Kaeya Alberich.
“Oh, it's just you,” Amber couldn't help but tease, and she laughs when his face turns into one of offense. They do their signature bro-fist whenever they get the chance to meet, and even if Kaeya still cringes every time they do it, Amber is just glad he's slowly warming up to it, even if it may cost him his aura or whatever Klee says these days.
Rolling his eyes, Kaeya takes a seat across Amber as he throws his bag next to the seat beside him. “What's up, hm? You've never looked this miserable before—not even when we were still back in Mondstadt and you lost to Barbara playing that stupid card game.”
Making a psh sound, Amber begins to defend the game she has become addicted to, “Okay, first of all, it's called Genius Invokation TCG, and it is not stupid—” Kaeya just shrugs at the correction. He figures this must be the influence of Cyno, that nerd friend of Lisa who could probably break his kneecaps if he ever hears what he's thinking of him now. “—and second of all, I do not look miserable. I think.” Then, sounding a bit unsure this time, “Do I…?”
Kaeya snorts at Amber, waving down a waiter as he says, “Only a little bit. You're always so suspiciously happy that it's strange to see you looking so depressed. It didn't even bother you when you bumped into someone once and made you drop the ice cream parfait you've been craving, and all you had to say was ‘it’s okay, you didn't mean to!’.”
“Well! Such accidents happen in life, okay!”
Her blue-haired friend just waves her off, “Right. My point is that whatever is bothering you at the moment is really making you gloomy. And you're not Amber if you're miserable, depressed, gloomy!”
Their conversation is cut off short when a new figure walks up to their table. Amber perks up at the sight of light, brown hair, already beginning to be comforted at the mere sight of emerald eyes. Amber always feels like a baby whenever she's with Lisa, and she stands up to greet the older woman with a more than enthusiastic hug. Lisa makes a noise when Amber practically jumps into her arms, almost bumping into one of the waiters, and Kaeya does nothing but laugh when the two quickly spill out apologies, looking like puppies who chewed on their owner's shoes.
When everyone has settled down, Kaeya is the first to speak, “Greetings, Lisa. How have you been?”
The said woman squints at him in suspicion, “Why are you talking to me like that?” Amber giggles at their antics, nodding along in agreement since Kaeya isn't usually this nice. He always talks in that sultry voice of his, with the intention of teasing either Amber or Lisa, so it was strange he's talking to them like a businessman in need of partners.
“What! I can't greet my friends kindly now?”
“I'm just saying, you're not usually this polite. Perhaps this is the work of your boyfriend, hm?” At the mere mention of his partner, Kaeya’s polite demeanor cracks as he leans back on his chair and crosses his arms in silence.
Amber laughs at the quiet confirmation, “We’ll take your silence as yes.”
“Ah, but on a serious note, how has everyone been?” Lisa asks both of them, recycling the question Kaeya asked not even 5 minutes ago. He only rolls his eyes playfully at Lisa.
Kaeya is the first to share, knowing that Amber has a lot on her mind, and figured that whatever she wants to talk about will take up most of their time. So it's better to start with the positive one, and that being—
“Albedo and I will be living together sometime around next week,” Amber's jaw drops at the revelation, and before she can even say what was already written all over her face, how come he hasn't told us this before?!, Kaeya continues on. “We figured that, since we've been dating for a year now, it'll be a nice change of pace. Y'know, sharing a place together.”
Amber exclaims excitedly, “Dude?! What the hell?!”
At the same time, Lisa sits in proud wonder, as she claps gently, “Congratulations, you two!”
Kaeya thanks the two of them for their happiness for him and Albedo. “I have to admit, it's a bit scary going forward like this.”
Since she was the only one out of the three of them who doesn't have a romantic partner, Amber couldn't help but ask, “How so?”
“Hmmm, I think it's because everything will be more… open? And I don't mean this in a bad manner, it's just, there are thoughts that I think that what if there's something he sees from me that he doesn't like? And that he'll break up with me or something?”
“Albedo would never do that,” Lisa supplies.
Kaeya just smiles at that, “I know, I know. It's just fleeting thoughts to scare away my undying love for him.” He intentionally said it like that to get a reaction out of Amber, and when he looks up to see her face, he is satisfied with himself. Lisa, however, just shakes her head.
“You are so cringe.” She then points a finger to her face, “I am cringing now. What do you have to say for yourself, huh? Huh?”
“That love is cringe. It is everywhere and everything. You just don't get it because you're single.”
Amber scoffs at the jab of her single sad life, “Wow! Wooow! You'd go that far, huh?” She puts a hand on her chest, theatrics on full display as if she was having a heart attack.
He sticks his tongue out to Amber, then turns to Lisa to change the subject. “How about you, Lis? Hopefully still in paradise with Jean?”
“Hey, I am forever in paradise with Jean,” Lisa corrects him. Long distance relationship was a bitch. Amber is aware that that kind of set-up, especially with someone you love romantically, is a hard thing to maintain. With Jean back in Mondstadt, and Lisa in her master's degree, Amber doesn't know how they can still have time for each other. But she guesses that when you really love someone, you'll find a way to still have time for them.
“Seriously, I don't know how you guys are going so strong,” Lisa raises an eyebrow at Amber, and the latter scrambles for a follow-up to hopefully not offend Lisa any further. “I'm not complaining though! It's just, uh, inspiring!”
Kaeya laughs at her, “Nice save, you dummy.”
She's slowly starting to sweat bullets now, “I didn't mean anything ill-mannered by it, I swear!”
Lisa joins in on Kaeya's laughing. “You’re alright, don't worry.” Amber breathes out a sigh at that. “Well, how about you, Amber?”
“How about me what?” Lisa pinches her cheek, getting cuteness aggression at Amber's airheadedness. She feels maternal towards this brown-haired girl. Eventually, Amber realizes what Lisa meant, and quickly blurts out what's been bothering, “Oh, right. Well, I don't freaking know. College is so hard! Education is so hard!”
“I thought it was a dream come true that you wanted to get into Sumeru's most prestigious art university?”
“It still is! It's just, like, the pressure our instructors put on our shoulders murders my love for the arts. The first semester has been a breeze to me, and with the start of the second semester, it feels like I got hit by 5 consecutive trucks!” Amber's pulling out her hair now, dramatic as ever. “We have a few bazillion upcoming projects, and they're all equally as hard as the next. I've been trying to plan some rough illustrations but it's all in half-hearted effort.”
Lisa places a hand on Amber's shoulder, “Hey, deep breaths now.”
Kaeya nods along, “I suggest you take things one step at a time, Amber. You don't need to rush through things all at once, you know.”
Amber deflates from her rant, slowly calmed down by her friends’ presence, “Well, I guess that's sound advice.” She breathes out a really heavy sigh, “I'm just really worried for myself, you know? I don't want to ruin things for myself.”
“We know how that feels all too well.”
Amber looks at Lisa with a surprised look, “You do? Really?”
Lisa hums, “I can't count on my fingers how many times I've doubted myself throughout my university life. There have been many happy moments, of course, but there were also ugly moments that'll ruin your flow.”
“What did you do to get past it?”
Amber could see the smile growing on Lisa’s face, and perhaps Amber could guess what Lisa is going to say.
“Support. And not just from Jean but from my friends as well, including you Amber.”
“Me?” Amber points at herself confusingly. “I haven't done anything though?”
Kaeya chuckles at Amber's dumbfounded look, “Oh, silly Amber, it would do you good to give credit to yourself. Have you forgotten? You were there for us in moments where we had no one to talk to.”
Amber thinks about what they're saying long and hard. Support, huh? What a fairly simple answer for such heavy feelings. She remembers how she would accompany Kaeya as they took a stroll on campus on a normal day. She remembers how she would listen intently to Lisa’s worries about whether or not she should continue her studies. It doesn't take long for her to realize that all she needed was to be there for her friends, and that was all they needed from her as they navigated each of their respective hardships.
When she looks up from the table, she could see a warm smile from Lisa and a smug look from Kaeya.
“Figured it all out now?” Kaeya says in that teasing tone of his.
Amber lightly scoffs at him, “Yes. Maybe.”
She notices Lisa holding her hand, and Amber can't look away as Lisa says, “You were there for us when all we needed was your presence. Let us be there for you too, okay?”
Amber can't control the growing smile on her face now, wondering to herself what good deeds her past carnation did for her to be surrounded by such loving friends.
Okay, maybe drinking more than she could handle proved to be a mistake, as Amber struggles to walk as normally as she could through a hazy mind and a blurry vision. The three had gone their separate ways by the time it hit 11 in the evening, with Lisa leaving in a hurry so she could still have her nightly call with Jean, and Kaeya hurrying himself to meet his boyfriend, Albedo, in his dorm before it hit midnight. Despite their rush though, they managed to walk Amber back to her dorm building, where she somehow managed to convince the two of them that it was totally okay to leave her by the entrance even in her drunken stupor.
As drunk as she was, she still had the gall to worry that her friends’ partners might be angry with them for being late, as if she wasn't at all friends with Jean and Albedo too. Now she belatedly realizes that she probably can't reach her floor when she's intoxicated like this, leaning against the wall just in case she slips and falls. Amber can't risk walking to class tomorrow with a bruise on her forehead, especially since they're doing figure drawing as part of one of the lecturer’s activities.
Wait.
Wait a minute.
Archons, the freaking figure drawing! Somehow, remembering that they were doing that for tomorrow, and one that includes an actual live model wakes herself right up. How on Teyvat could she forget such an important event?! If she hadn't forgotten, then Amber wouldn't have drank so much strong wine and instead would have opted for some lame juice the tavern might have had on their menu. From what she can recall at the top of her hazy head, the session will start at 8AM sharp. It is now 11 something, and Amber is too drunk to even attempt climbing up the stairs.
That was fine. Everything will be fine! This place has an elevator, and Amber's number one mission as of now is to walk to the elevator and hopefully press the correct button to her floor. Except, when she reaches the elevator, there is a hazard tape all over the doorway, and gosh darn it, how on Teyvat did she also forget it's been busted since the week began?!
Dramatically, she slides down to the floor between the doorway of the elevator and the bottom of the stairs. Maybe if she tries hard enough, someone will pity her and help her how to reach her floor! No, wait, but what if someone also mistakes her for a homeless person? Ah, but she swears she stinks heavily of alcohol though, so someone will definitely know and smell thay she's drunk out of her mind. Amber hides her face in her hands, still very warm and most probably flushed red. She now feels hopeless, talking to herself that it's the end of the world! and that her name will probably be removed from the class because she couldn't make it (even though she's never been absent before).
Someone passes by her pathetic self, and Amber doesn't blame them if they don't even look at her. Then, recalling that they were in an advanced century and remembering that technology exists, Amber pulls out her phone with the hope that maybe she can crash on a friend's couch just for the night! She fishes her phone out from her pocket, and her heart sinks when she sees that it ran out of battery. Absolutely fantastic. She's drunk, the elevator's broken, and her phone has run out of battery juice. Could this night get any worse?
Huffing annoyingly, Amber puts her phone back inside her bag in frustration. Maybe the landlord won't mind if she takes a nap on the floor, perceptions of her being a homeless, drunk person be damned! However, when she looks up, she could see that someone is standing right in front of her. The first thing Amber notices are eyes that look like sunsets, gazing at her in soft pity. Well, Amber thinks it's pity, since her expression is beginning to turn that of disgust, and Amber surmises that the lady in front of her has probably smelled the alcohol on her. She is practically craning her neck to look up at this stranger, who was towering over her, looking to be around 5 foot 7 inches something.
“Can I help you?” Amber asks drunkenly, covering her mouth when she hiccups afterwards. Okay, self, maybe it would help if we stop embarrassing ourself with this gorgeous lady in front of us? “Hic—S-sorry, I'm drunk as shit right now and—hic—I probably smell bad.”
The pretty lady only sighs, “I am not ignorant to the odor of alcohol, so stop worrying if I'll judge you because of that.” She stretches out her arm, an open palm waiting for Amber to take, “Take my hand; I'll help you lead you to your room... if you can even remember where it is.” The last part was said in a whisper, so Amber couldn't really hear, but she hopes the pretty lady wasn't badmouthing her.
Another hiccup. “Y-you're not—hic—planning to kidnap me, right?”
Exasperated, the pretty lady pinches her nose and says, “I will not. Now, will you let me help you or will you just sit there and be pathetic?”
“Okay,” is all Amber could say.
This'll be fine; everything will be fine. If the pretty lady does intend to kidnap her and sell her organs to a shady hospital, then that's fine too! At least, somehow, she's helping somebody live further in their lifetime using her organs, and Amber will ascend to heaven with that selfless act.
With practically no effort, Amber is standing upright with the help of this pretty stranger's assistance. It felt like Amber weighed nothing to her—hell, she could probably carry Amber over 4 flights of stairs and still come out breathing normally. The thought that hidden underneath this modest clothing is a woman with a muscled figure, is a thought Amber realizes is a dangerous thought, so she tries her very hardest not to go further down that line of thinking.
“What floor?” The pretty stranger says. Her right arm is snug against Amber's waist, which only helps to prevent Amber from falling on the floor. Amber's left arm is wrapped around the pretty lady's neck, her hand held by colder ones, and all Amber could think is that maybe she can give her some warm chocolate when she miraculously sobers up to thank her.
Amber's reply comes out in a drawl, “Uuuhhh, the fourth—hic—floor, please.”
The pretty stranger quietly nods at that, thankful that Amber is being obedient now. With her assistance, they easily make it up slowly, with the view of the second floor coming closer. Amber, bless her heart really, is trying her very best to walk as normally as she could. But there are certain times she unintentionally misses a step, and Amber is grateful that the stranger is kind enough not to say anything mean and actually helps her walk up. But, oh, my archons, this is slowly proving to be a hard task when the perfume of the pretty lady comes to attack her nose, and now Amber becomes distracted.
She is being assisted by a beautiful lady, who smells nice and her body cold against Amber's—who in their right or drunken mind would not get distracted? The pretty stranger must've noticed how slow Amber was moving, and calmly, they stop walking another step in hopes that maybe Amber can refocus. Where were they at now?
“Third floor.” Ah, shoot, Amber must've slurred that out loud. “It's just one more floor now. You're doing great.”
Okay, perhaps Amber had squealed internally at the praise. She hopes she didn't actually let out a noise, or else she'll throw herself down the stairs and die of concussion to forever change the trajectory of this stranger's life!
Lamely, Amber manages to say a weak, “Thanks.”
The conversation dies down, if that was even a conversation to begin with. Her head was beginning to throb now, like it was about to split open and her brain might puke from what she had drank instead of her stomach. It hurt like hell, and wanting to ease the pain at least a little bit, Amber leans her head against the pretty lady's shoulder. Thankfully, she didn't mind, and she adjusted herself so that Amber's head was comfortable.
“How many did you drink anyway? You know, it's dangerous to go home drunk without somebody to help you.”
“I dunno—hic.” And Amber was telling the truth. Seriously, she can't for the life of her remember how many glasses she chugged. She didn't think of the consequences when she competed against Kaeya over who can drink the most, and now the Future Amber she referred to before is facing the results of her stupidity. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
When the pain in her head subsides for a bit, Amber makes the mistake of looking up, and shit, she is so, so close to the pretty stranger's face. Those sunset-looking eyes gaze back at her golden ones, and she was pretty sure she looks incredibly stupid at the moment. Now that she gets to have a closer look though, Amber realizes that this person feels familiar. Her elegant features seemed reminiscent of the features Mondstadters have. Or maybe she was just thinking out of her ass. Eh, probably the latter.
Her blue hair is combed neatly, with white streaks making themself known under the harsh, bright lights of the hallway. Amber can't tell what she's thinking right now since the pretty lady is strictly schooling her face of passivity. The brown-haired girl can't help but overthink: was the pretty lady judging her for being a pathetic drunk? Was she thinking that maybe she regrets helping Amber? Was she thinking that Amber's breath stinks of alcohol?
But, despite all that, there was one thing her brain couldn't seem to stop thinking about.
“You're really stunning.” She should really stop talking, but for the moment, it felt like her brain and her mouth were two separate entities, and she can't seem to stop gushing about how beautiful the stranger is. “Like, you know—hic—drop dead gorgeous. I've met people who are beautiful too—hic—but, just, you're just really breathtaking.”
Amber finally looks away when she's said what she said. She doesn't realize that there was a growing blush spreading all over the pretty stranger's face. How could Amber say that and look away as if it was nothing?
Fighting the warm color of red on her face, the stranger just shyly says, “...Thanks.” Then she changes the subject as quickly as waves come by, “If you feel good to go, let me know so I can drop you on your floor.”
Feeling like her mouth may betray her again, Amber just gives the stranger a nod. Okay, cool. Everything was cool! Amber was cool and she hopes that the stranger is also cool.
With a bit more effort—finally, they finally reach the fourth floor. Mentally, Amber is cheering inside. She actually wasn't kidnapped! Maybe it helped that it was a pretty stranger who came up to her (or this specific stranger, really), because if it were anybody else—or worse, a creepy guy in his mid-something, then Amber wasn't sure what she would have done!
The comforting voice of the pretty stranger snaps her out of her thoughts, “Alright, which door is yours?”
“Room 420.” Immaturely, Amber giggles at the number, which she now realizes was a number that the internet turned into a meme. The pretty stranger, however, pointedly stares at her judgingly, wondering why the hell Amber was suddenly laughing.
She doesn't ask Amber, deciding that it was probably better not to know. “The end of the hallway, huh? You know, you're lucky it's me that found you.”
The pretty stranger doesn't wait for whatever Amber has to say as she quickly picks up the pace towards the end of the hallway, dragging with her a wobbling Amber. The shorter girl only lets herself be dragged, already craving the comfort and warmth of her bed. With mild effort, they ultimately reach the door to Amber's home sweet home. The brown-haired girl messily digs through her bag to look for her keys, and at the same time, someone from the other room opens their door, his eyes glancing up and down the pretty stranger's figure in a certain manner.
She notices, of course, and glares back. Whatever kind of thoughts he was thinking, he better keep it inside his shrinking brain. Thankfully, he took the hint and quickly left, and the pretty stranger thinks that was probably the smartest he's ever been. She only looks back at Amber when she hears a click, signalling that Amber has unlocked the doorknob and is safe at last. Clumsily, Amber enters the confines of her home, and how she managed to bump against the door even though it is wide open, the pretty stranger doesn't know how. All she knows is that Amber is safe and sound, and at long last, she can finally leave her be.
“I'll take my leave now.” Before she could even take another step, Amber grabs her arm.
“H-hey, wait! My name's Amber, what’s—hic—yours?”
Unbelievable, the pretty stranger thinks to herself. Just when she thought she could leave, Amber pulls this crap even as she's incredibly drunk. With the shorter girl still gripping her wrist, the pretty lady decides to give in so she could be on her way.
“It's Eula, Amber.”
Eula.
Eula.
“Eula,” Amber tries to say her name, finding it nice how it rolls off her tongue so easily. She can finally put a name to her pretty face now. “Thank you.”
For the last time, Eula gazes at Amber. She's leaning against her door now, smiling at her with that stupid, drunk face, and yet, Eula can't help but find it remarkably endearing. She doesn't let go of her hand, or well, not yet at least.
It's been some time now since she first met Amber, maybe around 6 or 7 something years that have gone by. Granted, it had already been so many years since she left Mondstadt—a decision she picked way too easily to withdraw herself from her clan and the family name. So for Eula, it makes a bit of sense that Amber had already forgotten her, even if it may sting her heart. But, as her friend Hu Tao always says, tomato tomahto. Or whatever the saying was. She pitifully thinks to herself that she should really stop herself from being influenced by Yanfei’s girlfriend.
“You're most welcome, Amber. But I do have to get going now, I have work tomorrow.”
Looking like a deer in headlights, Amber lets go of Eula’s arm, sheepishly scratching the back of her neck out of embarrassment. “R-right. Uh, sorry for the trouble. A-and goodbye now! Hic—Oh, and thank you again!”
And with that, Eula walks away. Amber doesn't immediately close the door, wanting to watch the taller woman's figure go smaller and smaller through half-lidded eyes. She smiles to herself when Eula reaches the stairs, and she closes the door to fully enter her home. Amber throws her bag somewhere around the living room, and if she broke something during the process, then that'll be Future Amber's problem! She navigates her home with a bit of endeavor, trying not to bump into every single thing on her path as she walks towards her bedroom. Not even bothering to change her clothes, she plops down on her bed, breathing out a sigh as she's surrounded by her fluffy children, namely, some stuffed toy she cherishes that was gifted to her by her friends.
When she inevitably falls into a deep slumber, she dreams of a grassland graced by the colors of the sunset.
With some sort of a miracle, Amber somehow manages to wake up… an hour before her class starts. Well! At least she didn't oversleep, but really, she's just convincing herself since this means that she doesn't have enough time to go full glam for the day. Her alarm blares across the room in full volume, and she turns it off with a grunt, a bit annoyed that it was hurting her hearing a bit. Lazily, she gets up from her soft, fuzzy comforter, and Amber tries her very hardest not to get hypnotized back to lying down and going back to sleep.
She looks away from her bed and finally forces herself to stand up, grilling it inside her head that she now has less than an hour to get ready and get going. Curse Kaeya and his incredibly high tolerance of alcohol! Amber knew she shouldn't have accepted his gamble of a deal. She rushes to get into her bathroom, accidentally hitting her tiny toe against her cabinet, and she almost falls face first by the doorway.
“Owww..! Fudge...”
For a few seconds, she writhes in pain, clutching her poor toe in her hands as she lies down in a fetal position on her floor. This morning is not going great for her at all!
Amber stands up, her legs flailing from her clumsiness. She closes the bathroom door and takes a quick bath in record time. Her hands aggressively move up and down as she rushes to brush her teeth, then she makes her way back to her bedroom to wear some decent clothing. She doesn't have enough time to ponder what kind of outfit she'll wear, so Amber opts for one of her denim shorts, a white tank-top, and an open red, plaid shirt.
Then she puts on some light make-up and prepares a poor excuse of a breakfast consisting of some toast and butter. If Lisa were here she'll definitely scold her for not eating properly, but Amber has no time to make a decent meal when she now has only—
“Thirty minutes?!” Amber looks at her phone to see that she has thirty minutes left to go to where she needs to be.
She quickly swallows the rest of her food, her plates slowly stacking up as she forgot to wash her dishes yesterday. But whatever! Amber runs to her bedroom again and grabs the materials she needs for the figure drawing activity. In quick succession, she has her bag and her art materials in her hands. Making her way through the door, Amber wears her usual converse, having the wishful thinking that she won't be late.
Hopefully…
Amber makes it to class in just the nick of time, smiling lopsidedly when her instructor casually side-eyes her. She almost trips on her other foot when she turns around to close the door, her hands still full from the materials she has to bring for the activity. When she does so, she turns back around to see that most of the spots by the front, especially around the center, had already been occupied, and Amber had no other choice but to take the spot to the right from where she was standing. Well, at least that was at the front, though she knew she'll probably struggle with a few angles but Amber comforts herself that it'll all be fine.
She walks over to the chair and clumsily puts down her sketchpad and pencil case on the little space of the easel, with her water bottle and bag by the foot of the table. Thank the stars this place was well-equipped enough to provide them their own easels, because Amber was sure she'd have been starving to save some scrap if she had to buy one of her own (her old one had broken one of its foot, and she just can't afford to spend so much at the moment).
Amber finds a familiar face amongst the sea of students, and she waves her hand at Kaveh cheerfully, as if almost being late hadn't dampened her mood to bits. He waves back just as cheerfully, and Amber ends their interaction with a satisfied grin. This was her first time attending this sort of class, especially so that it includes an actual model for their portraits to base on! She won't lie to herself that she wasn't nervous—because she absolutely is—feeling like her heart may jump out of her ribcage at any moment now. They had been informed beforehand that they will be looking at the model's naked body, and they were also assured that this awkwardness they're feeling at first will naturally dissipate the more they practice during figure drawing class.
So all in all, Amber was feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. She hopes she won't be too awkward. Or worse. Amber starts praying to Barbatos that she won't make the model uncomfortable when she stares at her. The thought alone makes her whole body pale and cold, and she snaps out of it when their instructor starts speaking.
“Good morning, everyone. We are here to learn and to practice the anatomy of the human body, so once again, I ask everyone to please be respectful. I kindly ask everyone to keep their mobile devices inside their bags, and to keep silent to avoid disruptions. Are we clear?” Their instructor continues talking when she hears the affirmative that everyone has heard and understood. As Amber excitedly puts it, this is going to be awesome sauce! “Wonderful! If nothing else, let's begin our class.”
Feeling her throat dry up, Amber picks up her water bottle and sips in a generous amount as she listens to the instructor introduce their model.
From Amber's peripheral, she could see someone moving behind the instructor. Something about the color of their hair looked way too familar…
“I would like to welcome in our model for today's lecture, Miss Eula.”
As if on cue on a theater play, that familiar pretty, blue-haired lady comes into everyone's view, with her body covered with a robe as she walks in confident strides to the front of the classroom.
What the fuck?!
Amber spats out her drink in surprise, almost choking in the process. Everyone notices the way water seems to be falling through her nose, and Amber, evidently embarrassed, covers her whole body behind her easel as she's coughing like an asthmatic child. Where the hell was her handkerchief when she needed it the most?!
“Is everything alright there? Amber?”
Not wanting to upset their instructor, she takes a peek and assures her that everything was alright with a weak thumbs up, and Amber sinks in shame knowing that she has somehow already interrupted the class. Unfortunately, since she had to take a peek, that meant that she had to be seen by Eula, and the latter is clearly surprised as she looks back at Amber with widened eyes.
Their eyes are locked with each other, and it felt as if the whole world had seemed to freeze to give them time to reel this all in.
The two of them can only pray they'll make this out alive.