Quiet Kind of Storm

Far From Red Flags

When Musa woke, Riven was there, waiting with a tray full of pancakes,
"I reckoned you wouldn't want to brave the cafeteria this morning, so..."
She couldn't quite identify the expression on his face, and as always, Riven's emotions were all over the place, but one stood out, and she realised he was nervous. She almost laughed, she was the total mess that broke down in front of him last night, she should be the nervous one. Yet here he was, handing her pancakes in bed, looking like she might bolt at any second. Who the fuck bolts from someone giving you pancakes? Nerves looked so strange on him, he always expelled smooth confidence, whether it was real or not, but Musa liked this, seeing the person behind the wall, he was finally letting her in.
"They're perfect, thank you, Riv." The smile that lit up his face was bright enough to illuminate the whole room.

After breakfast, Musa heaved herself out of bed, swaying slightly, ready to face the onslaught of emotions she knew was heading her way, but Riven was by her side in an instant,
"Woah there, take it easy"
"I need to do this Riven"
"I know. But you can barely stand up, and yesterday you were literally passed out in my arms, you need to pace yourself."
Musa felt a tidal wave of concern wash over her, but she kept going.
"I'll be fine, Riv."
She continued out the door despite his dubious look, but as soon as she stepped into the hallways, she found herself clinging to the door frame and taking heavy breaths. From the look Riven gave her, she needed to explain herself fast or he was going to try and chain her to her bed for the day.
"Look, Sebastian actually used my powers, far more than I was ever willing to, so now they're stronger than before, and I'm weaker from not using them for so long, it was always going to be a bad combination, I'm just going to have to become stronger, and like it or not that means a bit of pain."
She forced herself to let go of the door, despite the fact that it felt like the only thing holding her upright at that point, and launched herself into the sea of students and emotions, oh so many emotions. The pain must have shown on her face because Riven had taken up a protective stance beside her, glaring at anyone who so much as breathed in their direction. Although this would usually annoy Musa, she didn't need anyone looking out for her, she was grateful the crowd had someone else to focus on, to direct their feelings towards, even though she could still feel them it wasn't nearly as bad as feeling others dislike or distrust towards her.

Riven followed her all the way to the suite, prepared to catch her if she fell. Upon entering the dorm, she was met with feelings that ranged from confusion to disgust to curiosity, assumably due to her trailing companion combined with her absence last night.
Stella looked like an excited puppy, her eyes darting conspiratorially between the two of them, her smirk only growing, while Terra shot an icy stare Riven's way.
"Well, what have you two been up to," Stella asked with a sly sparkle in her eye.
"You're clearly not letting the near-death experience last night drag you down, are you Stell, what no hi, how are you, glad you're alive?" Musa said, trying to hide her laugh.
"Nope, this is far more interesting" Stella replied, unapologetic as always. As much as Musa would've loved to discuss this further, she needed to wrap it up if she was going to make to class on time.
"Okay, well, I really need a shower, so I'm gonna get moving" and then in a softer voice, words meant just for Riven,
"Thank you for last night, you really saved me from myself."
"Any time. I'll see you later, okay?" The look in his eyes conveyed that this was not a question, but rather a declaration. He was telling her that he would be there for her, that he would see her again. Musa just nodded, knowing he would take it for what it was, a promise.

After a long shower washing off all the sweat and tears and miscellaneous gunk off her body, Musa was on her way to prepare for class, but barely made it out of the bathroom before she was ambushed with questions.
"Are you okay"
"Did he hurt you"
"We sure you're not possessed by a blood witch or something, mind control maybe?"
"Who cares about that, the real question is exactly how much fun she had, from the way she was grinning like an idiot, I'd say a lot."
Musa ignored their questions, only throwing out a quick "I'm fine" before she concentrated on finding the person she most needed to talk to. Entering Flora and Stella's shared room, Musa shut the door and sat down next to Flora.