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Drift was supposed to be here 15 minutes ago.
That's all AJ can think as she leans against a tree, her foot tapping incessantly. Sure, Drift isn't the most punctual person in the world - she gets distracted easily, a fact which AJ knows extremely well - but 15 minutes is a lot. Or, at least, it feels like a lot when you have nothing better to do but count blades of grass. They'd agreed to meet here, at this exact time, yesterday: there's no way she could've forgotten this easily, right?
Maybe she just doesn't care enough, whisper's a voice from the deep recesses of her mind, making her heart rate pick up, maybe you overestimate your importance to her.
Which is ridiculous: AJ doesn't just think she's hot shit, she knows it. Drift- Drift had said herself that she didn't hate her, and with how flustered she gets there's no way to hide the effect she has on the earth mage. She likes to pretend otherwise, but Drift likes being around her, likes their teasing, likes the tension between them. She gets this spark in her eyes everytime, like she's high off the adrenaline.
Entertainment does not equal adoration, the voice coos, and she shivers as a freezing caress passes over her cheek, perhaps you are just a fun plaything, a dalliance to pass the time.
No, she- AJ was more than that. Drift had joined the rebels, kept her secret, covered for her more times than she could count. She wouldn't do that for someone she doesn't care about...
... right?
The darkness suddenly feels suffocating, and the tree branches surrounding her no longer feel like a protective barrier, but arms reaching out to grasp her and bury AJ in their roots. She can't be here anymore (there's no point, anyways, it's not like Drift is coming, and it's fucking creepy out here) so she kicks off the tree and strides towards the academy.
Despite her fast pace, the walk back feels like it takes forever, like every step is taking her further away instead of closer. She walks for ages, the stairs before her seemingly doubling every time she looks up, until she finally reaches the entrance. She's pants, doubled over, hands on her knees, and curses Flick out for not returning yet. Probably lost, the stupid bird: that's the only reason he wouldn't be back yet with Drifts note. That's fine, an apology in person would be so much sweeter: being able to hear the panicked lilt of her voice as she realises she had grievously wronged AJ - and oh, whatever could she do to make it up to her?
The decay mage strolls down the halls, shit eating grin firmly in place, and fails to notice the glaring discrepancies in the buildings. She walks confidently down halls that she doesn't recognise, but somehow knows lead to Drift's dorm. The carpets colour and patterns shift like a kaleidoscope, but AJ's boots take no notice. Her head is held high as she reaches an elegantly carved door, with Drift etched above it.
"Open Book!" she calls, pounding on the door, watching as the poppies that grow out of it shudder and shake, "I know you don't want me in your room, so you better come out!"
Only silence answers her.
She tries again.
"Drift! I need to talk to you, get your ass out of bed!"
Nothing. The intricate designs carved into the ash door warp, and she could swear it's laughing at her. Pathetic.
She feels her cheeks flush. Drift- she had stood her up, made AJ walk all the way here, and now won't even answer her? No, absolutely not, AJ thinks, fishing a lock pick out of her pocket, the cool metal grounding her somewhat. She would talk to Drift, whether she liked it or not.
"I'm opening the door!" she shouts before gasping, the hand resting against the door flooding with pain, as if the wood was biting into her. Probably just a splinter. "Speak now or forever hold your peace!"
The only sound she's met with is the click of the lock coming undone. She gives it a second, then another, then another (just in case), before taking a deep breath, and pushing the door open.
Drift's room is stunning. It looks like a greenhouse: natural light floods in from tall glass windows, and filters through hanging crystals that make it bounce everywhere in an explosion of colour. The ground is soft grass, and the walls look to be real living trees. Mossy boulders poke from the grass, making a facsimile of a cozy sitting area. It should be uncomfy, but one touch reveals that the moss acts as a soft, plush blanket. It feels nice enough to sleep on.
She wanders further in, face bathed in warmth from the sunshine. She brushes past patches of flowers, marvelling at the brilliant array of shades and colours, before reaching the end of the room where Drift's bed lies. It's by no means traditional: a small hummock of grass, with flowers interspersed within and around it. Lilies of the valley, roses, and orchids all mixed together, with one notable wither rose poking out by the pillow. It all looks so soft, and she has to fight the temptation to lie down and take a nap here and now.
The whole place is breathtaking. In fact, there was only one way Drift's room could be better: if Drift was in it.
AJ's heavy breathing fills the room, bouncing off the trees and gems and stones, echoing back into her own ears. Drift isn't in her bed, at her table- she isn't anywhere here. She tears apart the bed, crushing the delicate flowers between her fingers as she searches frantically for some sign - a note, anything - about where Drift could be. She pulls back, panting. All she has to show for her efforts is a messy bed and a single bruised and battered wither rose. The moonlight streaming through the windows glints off the petals, highlighting the rips from where she had crumpled it underhand. It looks sad and small in her palm. She closes her fist. Pathetic.
Tears start to prick in her eyes. No. This was silly- she was being silly. Drift was probably just somewhere else in the castle; she'd be back any moment, pissed as hell that AJ had destroyed her bed, and AJ would valiantly offer her own to the earth mage. They would flush, and bicker, and everything would be normal. She just had to wait.
AJ stares out the window, watching the moon creep higher in the sky. She blinks, and it's suddenly hanging high, looming above her, and she feels like a defendant staring into the uncaring eyes of a judge, helplessly awaiting their verdict. Branches bend towards her, rustling and murmuring among themselves, and the whole room waits with baited breath. She's frozen; she can't tear her eyes away from the radiant beauty and simultaneous piercing horror of the celestial being, a duality that leaves her shaken and painfully seen.
The door behind her slams open suddenly, the force shaking the walls and sending petals flying everywhere. AJ whirls around, and comes face to face with the last person she expected to see: Ros.
"You." She advances on AJ, forcefully shoving her further into the room. "What did you do?"
"Hey, hey! Hand's off, Teacher's Pet - What's going on?"
"I know. We all know what you did- how you poisoned the kitchen and almost killed everyone. You're a rebel."
Ros's face is shrouded by shadow, but AJ can feel the vitriol- the hatred in her voice. Her blood freezes in her veins and for once she's speechless. She's cornered like a trapped animal with nowhere to run.
"I- I don't-"
"You do though! God, you lie about everything, it's infuriating! There's no point denying it - Drift told us everything before she left."
AJ's heart stops. No... No, she wouldn't. Drift would never-
She's left you before, hasn't she?
She had, but she'd promised- she said never again, and AJ believed her. They were a team, or something like one. Why would Drift betray her now, after everything. What had she done wrong?
"Drift..."
"-Called a meeting this morning." Ros confirmed, moonlight only illuminating the whites of her eyes. "She said that you recruited her, that she agreed so she could get more information on you. Told us she was disgusted - that she couldn't do it anymore." Somehow, Ros's eyes shine even brighter, and she slowly advances towards her.
"She said that she hates you, AJ. Drift left because she never wants to see you again. Everyone said goodbye to her earlier; she's long gone by now."
AJ barely hears the life mage over the ringing in her ears. She can't wrap her mind around it, that it was all a lie. That every moment they spent together was fake - some calculated move on Drift's part to destroy her. That she could just shatter AJ into a million pieces and leave without a word. That she'll never see her Open Book again.
Darkness encroaches on her vision, and the world spins. She drops to her knees and all she can see is Ros standing above her, looking down at her with nothing but contempt. She's shining even brighter now, the biting winds that surround them whipping her hair around her head like a halo. The gust twists into a tempest around them, and AJ is helpless. The tittering of clinking gems and giggles of rustling leaves weave through the gale, mocking her inaction. Pathetic, they laugh, as they circle the mages who make up the eye of the storm.
AJ wants to beg- to plead with Ros, but her face is smooth as stone. As she draws her sword, AJ finally realises that Ros will not be her salvation, but her absolution. She cannot bring herself to be surprised.
Ros speaks with the voices of everyone in the academy layered together as she lines the blade with her heart:
"This is inevitable, AJ; justice will always prevail."
And in one swift motion, the steel pierces clear through her chest.
The world goes dark, and AJ dies.
----
Drift is going to kill whoever is banging on her door at 3am.
That's what she tells herself at least, as she hauls herself out of bed and shuffles into her slippers. The knocking doesn't stop, just pauses for a second after she shouts a quick "Coming!", before returning, albeit softer.
She doesn't really know what she was expecting, but it wasn't this.
AJ is at her door, bodily leaning on the frame. Drift wants to scold her for making so much noise, or to tease her for showing up at her dorm without an invite, but she stops short. The decay mage is heaving like she's just run a marathon, and sweat drips down her brow. Her face, usually a cocky mask, is open and vulnerable, showing genuine worry. She seems shaken, and it throws Drift through a loop.
"AJ what- what's going on? Is there a monster or- or a shadow person?" She leans out into the hallway, looking both ways, already on high alert, but she sees nothing. AJ shakes her head, face still all twisted up.
"No, nothing like that Open Book; everything's fine. I just- I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"
Drift frowns at the woman, cocking her head.
"You want... to talk?"
"Yes."
"Is it urgent? Is it serious?"
AJ purses her lips, and avoids Drift's eye. "It's- no. Nothing crazy."
"So it's not an emergency, but you need to talk to me about it so bad that you came banging on my door at 3am?"
"Yes."
"... Is this just an excuse to see my room?"
AJ's mouth quirks up, and her shoulders relax a touch. Drift takes it as a win.
"Would that be a problem?" She asks, leaning in and falling into her trademark grin. Drift's heartbeat picks up against her will.
"If that's your only reason, you're not getting in. You're gonna have to try harder."
The tension returns to AJ (not by much, but Drift has a bad habit of noticing things about her these days), and she internally curses. One step forward, two back, like some tango she keeps fumbling the steps to.
"It's not. I do genuinely need to talk to you, somewhere private." The smirk returns. "I promise I won't tell anyone I was here."
Drift flushes and, against her better judgement, pulls the door open wider, before turning and walking back inside. "Come in, then. But if you annoy me I reserve the right to throw rocks at you until you leave."
"Yes, ma'am." AJ calls, sauntering into the room with a low whistle. Drift busies herself with tidying a few bits and pieces she had thrown about in her hurry to collapse into bed. She's not too worried about the room looking messy: it's mostly clothes, and she's sure AJ's seen worse. Her own room had random gears and pipes strewn about, so at least Drift doesn't have any major tripping hazards. "Nice place you've got here."
"You mean it?" Truth be told, Drift is a little insecure about the state of the room. Sure, it's mostly tidy, but that makes the lack of furniture more obvious. "I haven't had much of a chance to decorate yet: just the wall decor and some other bits. It'll be better once I move all the chests out. I mean, if you want a super cool room you should see Pyro's, or Scott's-"
"Drift." AJ interrupts, watching her from her place against the wardrobe, amused look on her face. "It's nice; it's homely. I like it. Stop spiraling."
If possible, Drift blushes harder. Right, this was AJ. She didn't need to impress her- didn't want to impress her. It was just...
"Thanks." She mumbled, turning away to fold some of the clothes, letting her hair fall into her face. "You needed to talk to me about something?"
"Yeah." AJ's voice trails off, and she can hear her tapping at the mahogany of the dresser. They're both silent for a moment, before AJ takes a deep breath.
"Are you... happy?"
The question catches her so off guard that Drift whirls to face the other mage. They're not looking in her direction, instead staring at a painting on the far wall. The tapping is still going, rhythmic and reminiscent of the ticking of a clock.
"Happy? Happy about what?" She can't wrap her head around what she means, or why this was suddenly so important. She watches as AJ runs her hands through her hair, making it stick up even more.
"Just... happy. With being a part of the rebellion, with helping out. With... everything."
With me. It goes unsaid, but hangs in the air nonetheless. Both feel it's weight, but neither acknowledge it. They don't need to.
Drift nods slowly. "Yeah, I think so. I mean, it- the methods aren't ideal, but I get it. It's a necessary evil. I'm not stupid enough to think that the academy will change if we just ask, or that any of this will end peacefully. I know what I've signed up for."
"But do you?" AJ strides towards her, desperately but gently grabbing her wrists and pulling them towards her. "It's only gonna get worse from here, and you might have to do things you don't want to. I'm gonna have to do things- more than what I've already done. And I-", her face scrunches up as if she's in pain.
"It won't be good. I'm not a good person, Open Book: I might have to do things you don't agree with. And that's fine - it's my job, I signed up for this - but... I'm scared.
"I don't want it to push you away. I don't... I don't want to lose you, Drift. And- and I know, I know it's selfish and horrible, because the kinder thing would be just to give you an out now before things get even worse, but-!" the grip AJ has on Drift's wrists tighten a fraction, and she can hear her voice falter, "- I can't. I just can't. I couldn't blame you if you did want to leave, but I'm asking you to stay."
AJ's eyes desperately search hers, and she can't look away. The moon shines in through her tiny window, and illuminates the unshed tears in her eyes. She's always so confident, so self assured, so far out of Drift's reach, but right now? She's just a scared young woman. She's in Drift's room at 3am, terrified of the future and things she can't control, asking for some reassurance. She's asking if Drift can be her rock: a hand to hold as she walks into the storm.
Well, Drift thinks, giddily, I've always been somewhat of an immovable object.
She frees one hand from AJ's grasp, despite a quiet noise of protest, and brings it up to their face. She watches as they close their eyes and melt into the touch.
"You won't lose me." She whispers, moving her thumb back and forth across the decay mage's cheek. "I'm a big girl; I know what I signed up for. I'm not going anywhere."
"Swear?"
"I swear."
AJ hums, resting her forehead against Drift's. They stand there for a few seconds, swaying slightly to the rhythm of the wind outside, content to just enjoy each others company. That is, until AJ gets a sly look on her face, before leaning in and stealing a quick peck from the earth mage.
She splutters, face red, as AJ laughs and tucks a piece of Drift's hair back. She reaches to mess up the other woman's hair in retaliation, but she's already across the room, waving and reaching for the door.
"Thanks, Open Book, that's all for now! I won't impose on your hospitality any longer." She swings the door open, before pausing and tossing a Cheshire grin over her shoulder.
"By the way, love the pjs, Princess!"
With that she slams the door, and Drift can hear her faint cackling fade away. She looks down, and feels her whole body warm up.
It's probably the most feminine thing she owns: a long, loose, silk nightgown she had smuggled in with her traveling gear when she first left. It has layers and layers of delicate lace that frill out elegantly, puffed sleeves, and ruffles encircling the wrists and hem. She dares a glance in the mirror and groans, before falling into bed and pulling the blanket over her head.
Yeah, she was never living this down.