Royal Pride (Leona Kingscholar/Yuu)

24 ~ Where Are You

Kalim returned with a bunch of snacks from the school store and the two had moved over to where she was so they could talk better (though it was mostly Kalim doing all of the talking).

Hours passed, and Leona hadn't come back.

'It's because he never liked you in the first place.'

She smacked her cheeks, surprising Kalim who was mid-sentence. "Sorry," she apologized dazedly, still unfocused. She couldn't come up with a rational explanation as to why he hadn't come back yet.

Even Ruggie hadn't come to visit her, and she expected him to be one of the first people to. Silver had come along with Sebek, Lilia, and Malleus, and they had a lengthy conversation about the incident. Even her more distant friends like Riddle and the Octavinelle trio showed up, yet her Savanaclaw friends had yet to come to see her.

She was seriously grateful that Kalim and Jamil stayed with her since she really didn't want to be alone with her head. She was grateful for Kalim's endless prattling, as it distracted her as well as caught her up on the things that she'd missed. Not only what she had missed while she was abducted, but things that had happened when she spent her days at school and afternoons at the Lounge.

Eventually, though, they had to return. Jamil was injured, yes, but it's not as though an injured hand rendered him completely unable to carry out his responsibilities. Scarabia needed the two of them.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," she told them, plastering a smile on her face when the two kept pestering her about if she needed more company. Finally, they left, leaving her alone in the darkness.

She subconsciously felt herself curl up into a ball, but it was not as though she was focused on her physicality. Her mind was taking up most of her attention.

Eventually, she managed to drift off, hoping that Leona would be there when she woke up. But alas, she was greeted with an empty room, an identical vial to the one she had been presented yesterday, and a similar note from the nurse. This one read: 'Make sure to drink up! You should be good to go in a few days.'

Maybe it would be wise to not compete in Spelldrive this year. She'd already missed quite a bit of practice with her busy schedule and kidnapping, not to mention the newfound damages to her mental health.

A few days passed with this cycle—lay in the infirmary, have a few friends come to visit, think about miscellaneous things, think about more harmful things, no Leona and Ruggie, go to sleep.

She had sent the two several messages, yet few replies. And even when they did reply, they were things like 'sorry, can't talk rn' or 'I'm a little busy' or 'hope you get better soon!' and her favorite, 'I haven't been ignoring you, just super busy'. She felt frustration boiling up inside of her, yet she could do nothing to quell it.

There was a click at the door, and her attention snapped towards it. Every time she heard motion at the door, she hoped it would be one of the two, yet every time she was disappointed.

This time was no exception, though the person at the door was rather curious.

"Jack," she said softly. He walked over to her bedside, glancing around suspiciously before turning his gaze back towards her. "Mind if I sit?"

She nodded, and he took a seat. They sat in silence for a good while, until Yuu finally broke it. "Is there a reason you came to visit?" Her voice was still a bit scratchy, but it was a great improvement from the first day.

"Well..." He started shifting his gaze around the room once again in such a suspicious manner that Yuu couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. "What's got you so worried?"

Jack crossed his hands in his lap, staring at his feet. "I...have something to tell you. About Leona and Ruggie."

Her pulse quickened at the mention of them and she felt her temper flare, but she nodded, urging him on. "I really hate to be this guy, but my morals are telling me that this is the right thing to do," he sighed.

"Get on with it," she said tersely, not bothering to cover up her tone. She needed a reason as to why two of the most significant figures in her life had suddenly decided to ghost her.

He fiddled with his hands. "You know all of the increased accidents that've been happening lately?"

Oh.

Oh no.

"They're behind all of them. They're trying to guide Savanaclaw to victory..." Yuu couldn't help but tune him out after that. She felt her mind cloud over with anger. Jamil had been injured, Riddle had been targeted which resulted in Trey ruining his ankle instead, and so many other students fell victim to the so-called 'clumsiness' that'd been plaguing the school lately.

She gnawed at her thumb, deep in thought. "Please leave," she said in a curt tone before catching herself. She definitely wasn't mad at Jack. "Wait, I didn't mean that."

Stretching out a hand, she patted between his ears with a smile. His cheeks turned bright red. "I'm proud of you for telling me, okay? I'm just... a little upset by this, is all. Thanks for going out of your way. Really. I appreciate it."

"A-anytime," he stammered, nodding his head before heading towards the exit.

"Whaddya think you're doing, frosh?"