The Modern Queen

eat

TW: references to disordered eating.

"When was the last time you ate?" Talitha looked at Alinora, a shrewdness in her eyes.

Alinora counted mentally, didn't like the number she reached, and waved a hand dismissively. "It was recent enough ago. I'm busy." She made to turn back to her books, but Talitha was already tugging them away. "Oi! I need that."

Talitha rolled her eyes. "They're not going anywhere." She grabbed Alinora's bag off the back of the chair. Alinora reached for it, but found her normally quick fingers too slow to catch it. "You, on the other hand, are. You need to get some food in you."

Alinora scoffed. "I'm fine."

"You are not. Shlynn said she's pretty sure you didn't grab breakfast, and you know how detail oriented that woman is–"

"She hates that nickname," Alinora reminded, but Talitha ignored her.

"You didn't meet us for lunch. I asked Flint if you stopped by the campus cafeteria, but he said he hadn't seen you. Asked a couple others, too, but as far as anyone knows, you haven't left the library all day. Which means you haven't eaten at least since last night, but knowing you, it was probably lunch. And Lynette said you didn't each much then either."

"Oh, have your sister spying on me now, do you?"

"Well, since someone seems incapable of caring for herself," Talitha snapped, "it becomes a necessary precaution. And anyway, it's not spying. Lynette's concerned about you, same as I am. She's the one that pointed out your low appetite." She finished packing away Alinora's things, batting away Alinora's attempts to stop her.

Alinora frowned. Normally she was stronger than this. Perhaps there was some truth to what Talitha said.

Still, she wasn't going to just... admit that. Or go down without a fight. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

(For half a moment, she considered that perhaps she and Aishlynn were a lot a like. But then she dismissed that thought.)

Talitha slung Alinora's bag over her shoulder and grabbed her arm. "Come on, now, princess. Let's go get you some food."

Alinora scowled, and remained in her seat. "I don't think so."

Talitha rolled her eyes again, and tugged a bit harder. This time Alinora couldn't find the strength to refuse, and found herself being tugged along. She snatched her purse out of it's chair as they passed.

"This is for your own good, princess."

Alinora considered smacking Talitha upside the head with her purse–but then thought that might be a little too cruel. And might get her kicked out of the campus library completely. Which, might not be too bad, as the town did have another library. But then again, it wasn't quite as close to her home as this one. So instead, she allowed herself to be pulled out of the library, and down the hall, towards the cafeteria.

The smells wafted out, and her stomach hurt, it growled so hard. Her vision was swimming a bit. Perhaps she had gone too long without eating. It happened periodically, not that she'd admit it. She just had so much else to do.

Talitha glanced at her. "Don't worry, princess. I'm gonna take care of you."