Interaction(s): NonePreviously: I Write Sins, Not Tragedies
The crisp, fresh, Autumn air felt good in Lorcán’s lungs after being cooped up inside the infirmary for the last couple of days. He made his way across campus, a freshly cut bouquet of tulips firmly clasped in his hands while he surveyed the throng of students for the familiar copper hair.
The student body was bustling today, seemingly with everyone in between classes as Lorcán tried to navigate the crowd before pushing to the side and taking a slight breather. He was feeling a little dizzy from the extended exertion after spending three days bedridden and barely conscious.
“Looking for Aurora?” A female voice asked as Lorcán turned to see Leah standing beside him, her eyes darting from the bouquet back to him.
“Uh yeah, brah,” Lorcán replied, “Where did you come from?”
“I’ve been studying ninjutsu online,” The small blonde woman said, before shaking her head vigorously, “But that doesn't matter right now, Aurora was having lunch with Kelcey in the Mess Hall. What’d you do wrong?”
“Dudette, what makes you think I did something wrong?” Lorcán asked innocuously, fully knowing the answer was quite obvious as he looked down at the bouquet, but still, any insight he could garner was going to be useful. Everything had happened so fast over the last hour, he hadn’t even reached out to his other teammates, and he doubted Cass would have unless explicitly told to.
Which meant he was essentially a ghost walking around campus.
His mind started to race as he realized that something must have happened in the three days he had been unconscious. Did Gil think he was mad at him? He hadn’t visited when he should have been. Did Rory burn down their dorm trying to microwave soup for himself? What about Harper? She was no doubt still blaming herself for the Trial. He should probably thank Amma as well, was she still in the infirmary?
“You’re holding flowers and Aurora looked like she had been crying.” Leah’s astute observation brought Lorcán out of his thoughts before he replied to her.
“Brah, are you also taking private investigator lessons online?” It was snippier than he meant it to be, but the girl seemed not to notice as her face lit up in a smile and she nodded enthusiastically.
“Actually yes, but again that doesn't matter. You should probably hurry. Aurora never takes long to eat.”
She was right of course, Aurora was a grazer. Lorcán had witnessed many times how Aurora would prefer to snack over sitting down to a full-course meal. He had often wondered if it was due in part to her abilities giving her a higher metabolism.
Resuming his pace across campus, Lorcán closed in on the Mess Hall, spotting one of Aurora’s roommates still at a table underneath the exterior awning. Noticing a pair of trays at the table, Lorcán felt his heart flutter before racing to the table and approaching the auburn still seated there.
“Hey Kelce, brah, I’m looking for ‘Rora, is she around?”
“Depends on who’s asking,” Kelcey responded coldly, “Is this the boy next door who’s madly in love with my girl, or the dick who keeps her on a string and breaks her heart with the first pair of legs to walk into his life and bat their dark eyelashes at him?” She asked with an icy glare, “Don’t you think you’ve already done enough damage, Roth?”
Lorcán was taken aback by her words. Is that really what Aurora thought? Kelcey was one of her closest friends, she was definitely someone that Aurora would be honest with. Lorcán wasn’t trying to lead Aurora on, but he never thought she liked him in that way. If she had, why didn’t she say so? All the time they spent together and sometimes Lorcán was still caught by surprise.
Letting the glare of Kelcey’s dark eyes roll over him, Lorcán locked eyes with the shorter woman before replying as he ignored her barbs.
“Brah, is she here or not?”
“No,” The woman replied, “She left to find a dress for the dance.” Lorcán nodded, it was a purposefully vague response. But it was unlikely she went to the mainland this time of day, which meant she was still on the island. The real question was, would Aurora try and borrow from someone, or try her luck in the Alumni village? His thoughts were interrupted as Kelcey suddenly spoke again.
“Oh, and Roth,” Kelcey said before Lorcán turned to leave, “She already found a date, so if that’s what you were going to ask her, don’t.”
Lorcán had never felt his heart sink quite as much as it did in the seconds following Kelcey’s statement. Swallowing hard, all he could do was nod before leaving the Mess Hall behind and continuing his wild goose chase. Even if Aurora was planning to go to the dance with someone else, he still needed to try and set things straight. He had to explain that he didn’t say Amma in the way she heard it but rather was trying to tell her about his recovery. She had to believe him.
But would she?
Aurora had been hurt by the forest incident, no doubt this reopened those wounds and cut them deeper. But Lorcán wasn’t trying to hurt her, he loved her, he knew that. Yet Kelcey was right, maybe he did just keep leading her on. Every time they got closer, one always pulled away. His mind raced through tender moments the pair had shared and how every time their lips were about to meet, they always seemed to stay apart.
His thoughts went back to the night before the Trial. It was only days ago now, but it felt like it had been months ago. His powers intertwined with Aurora’s, they had briefly become one. He had felt her, all of her coursing through his body, his hands on her skin, her breath against the hairs on the back of his neck. Hands drifting to her hips.
And suddenly, the only thing Lorcán was kissing was the ground. Tripping over his flip-flops, he tumbled hard onto the grass beside the walkway. Pain coursed through his wounds as he landed with a dull thud before a hand was thrust towards him.
“I always thought Rora exaggerated how clumsy you were,” Maddy giggled as Lorcán looked up at Aurora’s curly-haired roommate.
“I wish it was an exaggeration, brah,” He replied, accepting her hand as she helped him to her feet. “I spend more time chin dragging than a sponger,” Lorcán lamented while brushing himself off, “Jawin’ ‘bout the Lady Dude, don’t suppose you’ve peeped ‘Rora lately eh?”
“She was having lunch with Kelce,” Maddy offered before noticing the look that Lorcán shot her. “But based on your expression that went about as well as I should have known it would,”
“I think the group chat said she got asked to the dance, so I imagine she’s scrambling to find a dress. She might have been heading to the Alumni village, said something about an idea your cousin gave her.”
Ripley.
“Thanks, Mads, that’s very helpful, brah.”
“Anytime, but uh Lorcán,” Maddy offered a small smirk, her nose wrinkling with the playful grin, “Try to stay on your feet heading over there.”
Lorcán waved a shaka at Maddy, smiling in return before patting his pockets for his phone. The last time he had seen it was before he had been attacked and in his hurry to get ready, he hadn’t checked to ensure it was among his clothes.
Thankfully, someone had ensured it made its way back into the pocket he always kept it in. His hand wrapped around the device before a pulse against the back of his palm reminded him of Jonas’ ‘birthday gift’. Releasing the phone, Lorcán gave the object a squeeze as its warmth pulsed through his body, his pain lessening for a second before he took hold of his phone again. Digging it out, Lorcán unlocked the screen before calling Ripley.
“Is this where I congratulate you or yell at you?”
“Where did you tell ‘Rora she could get a dress?” Lorcán asked, ignoring Ripley’s statement.
“Leo! That’s so exciting! Well in case, ‘Rora forgot I told her your mom probably had something she could borrow.” Ripley’s voice was ecstatic, misreading the situation at hand.
“Ah,” Lorcán replied, his eyes looking across campus towards the Alumni Village beyond the horizon.
“What is ‘Ah’?” Ripley asked accusingly from the otherside of the line.
“I’ve been hoofin’ it all over campus like a kook trying to find ‘Rora, my flowers are wilting, I’m covered in grass, this is crazy.” Lorcán grumbled.
“What do you mean find? Wait! YOU HAVEN’T ASKED HER YET?” Lorcán had to pull the phone away from his ear as a couple of students gave him a look while passing by.
“I thought you were helping her find a dress! LEO! Why is she looking for a dress if you haven’t asked her?” Ripley continued as Lorcán exhaled harshly.
“Someone else asked her.”
“Someone else-” Ripley paused, “I told you this would happen if you didn’t learn to COM-MUN-I-CATE!”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it, I’m a total grommet,” Lorcán muttered, “Look, I still need to apologize, so I have to let you go.”
“You need to fix this-” Ripley began before Lorcán ended the call and re-pocketed his cell. Taking a deep breath, he began walking towards the Alumni Village.
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