Cassidy was clad in a tank top and leggings that hugged her body. A small towel was draped around her shoulders, and wet strands of hair hung loosely over her sweat-covered face. Her heavy breathing brought special attention to her vivacious assets. Somehow, her exhausted figure was even hotter than usual.
If it was anyone else, herself included, Aena would be mildly disgusted at the body odor, but somehow, Cassidy's scent was bewitching: the mixture of sweat and a faint flowery scent truly captivated her.
Focus. Aena shook her head to rid any unnecessary thoughts.
Aena realized she had been unscrupulously staring at the girl for a few seconds already, but the black-haired girl didn't seem to care as she similarly seemed quite baffled.
Casiddy snapped out of her stupor first.
"Why are you here?" She questioned in a stony tone.
"I-" Aena couldn't help but clam up in front of such pressure. No, it wasn't just the pressure. It was the halo of power that she exuded unconsciously. A feeling that beseeched her to bow down in front of a higher being.
Aena mustered her courage and began once again.
"Why did you… I mean… I heard you carried me to the hospital ward," she managed.
"That's right," the girl looked amused at the question as if it was a senseless one.
They stood awkwardly in an uncomfortable moment of silence.
"That's all?" Aena uncontrollably blurted. The corner of Casidy's mouth curled into a small frown.
"Ah," Aena quickly covered her mouth. She shouldn't have been so blunt.
"But… what's the reason?" Aena smoothed over the rude remark with a question.
"Do I need to have one?" Cassidy casually rebuked.
Aena was left without words once more. She was exasperated by this insufferable girl. On the other hand, Cassidy only stared at Aena's attempts to keep a calm face with barely-contained amusement. She tried to hide her entertainment at Aena's inability to speak, but it couldn't escape Aena's perceptiveness.
Feeling miffed, Aena decided to be more forthright.
"Can I come in?" she boldly intoned. "There's more I want to talk about."
Cassidy cooly crossed her arms.
"No?" she answered flatly.
Aena sighed internally.
"At least tell me why you went through all the effort to carry me," Aena compromised.
"You didn't have to do that," she pointed out. "You could've just called the school—or even better, just pretend nothing happened. It's not like you would care," she snorted softly.
"I don't think I am that type of person," Cassidy replied, her normal stony face growing even colder.
"So you carried me solely out of pity for a weak, uncouth little girl," Aena responded sarcastically. She took a step forward until their faces were inches apart. Aena stared into those obsidian pupils. Gods, she was beautiful. Wait, no.
Aena knew she should stop. But this girl made her emotionally sensitive for reasons she didn't understand herself.
Was it Cassidy's arrogant demeanor, her stunning looks, or was it Aena's own stubborn nature?
"..."
Cassidy stayed silent. 'Oh boy, look what I've done this time,' Aena thought. Cassidy's eyes were unfocused as if she was actually seriously contemplating what she had said.
"That's true," she finally admitted. "But I don't want ghosts haunting the place." She wrinkled her nose. "Also, dead bodies smell."
Aena just looked at her stupefied. There was more she wanted to say, but she bit her lip. It wouldn't serve any good to create any more animosity than she already had. She had already said more than necessary. She swiftly turned her body, her long hair fanning out in a small act of defiance, and stormed out.
She stomped back to her room with angry strides, each step expressing her emotions.
She took deep breaths to calm herself. Breath in. Happy thoughts. Breath out. Happy thoughts. She repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists. Her eyebrows twitched as she thought of Cassidy's behavior.
'That woman!'
Arriving in front of her door, she scanned her identification. When the small light flashed green, she twisted the handle and pushed. She was glad to be back within the refuge of her own room.
Boom!
The door promptly fell over.
'What the…'
Aena was mind-boggled. Just when she thought there couldn't be more surprises, another one appeared out of the blue. How in the world does a door just end up falling over? Thinking of possible cases, she reached a conclusion.
Cassidy. It must've been her.
'Argh.'
Aena marched back to Cassidy's door.
She knocked furiously, not bothering to be polite this time. Like the last time, the door didn't open immediately, and Aena was getting more impatient by the second.
When the door finally cracked open, Aena immediately demanded an explanation.
"My door," she spoke meaningfully. "What happened to it?" Her voice was quiet, like the calm before the storm.
"When I heard the scream and came over, I knocked but there was no answer. So I had to take additional measures," she said simply.
"What? How?" Aena asked weakly.
"A well-placed donkey kick. The girl then slowly demonstrated it to her as if validating herself.
Aena stared at the girl's silly actions… that wasn't what she was shocked about. What the hell was this girl? Were her muscles pure steroids?
"Why did they put the door back up then?" It wasn't lying on the floor as one might expect from a kicked-down door.
Cassidy shrugged.
"I-," Aena opened her mouth, then closed it again. Aena thought of something more to say, but couldn't think of anything. She was just that dumbfounded.
"Thank you," she muttered at last. She knew that Cassidy had done what she did with good intentions. Aena was a very paranoid person, a trait partially inherited from her Mother. From what she had gleaned, Cassidy hadn't saved her out of any malevolent intentions.
Cassidy just nodded in acknowledgment.
Aena slightly bowed her head and left calmly. She still had some reservations about talking to Cassidy, but all in all, Cassidy didn't seem as bad as the student body outed her to be.
Well, at least now she knew Cassidy had kicked the door in. Thinking of which, that was still kind of troublesome. She stared at the empty door frame with its empty hinges. Just what was she going to do about that?
…
She ended up calling the student assistance department to request a new door, but that encompassed its own difficulties. The office was extremely busy a lot of the time despite the prestigious resources due to high volumes of student affairs. Part of the work was managed by the student council, but there was still enough to overwork the entire staff.
It was even worse since there seemed to be increasing domestic tension in recent years. The bordering Nation Lanatos was getting more aggressive. At the worst time possible too, there was also a mishap at an event that led to many houses aligned with one faction to withdraw support or their children from the academy.
Aena also felt quite awkward slowly explaining her situation to the desk lady. It was hard proving why she needed a new door. She then took an even more aggravating amount of time to explain exactly how it happened and prove it wasn't just some prank call.
"Yes, Ma'am I need a door."
"No Ma'am, as I said, it was a necessary action."
After an exhausting argument session, they finally registered her request. They told her they were incredibly short-staffed, so she shouldn't be expecting the door until next week.
After the emotional rollercoaster of a day, Aena just wanted to lie down and let her tomorrow self worry about her other problems.
However, she still dragged herself to the stress-relieving showers. She wouldn't miss out on such a pleasurable activity; even if she wanted to forget her worries, they wouldn't just magically disappear. But at least she could find a moment of reprieve in the showers.
She felt revitalized under the running water. Aena remembered, she still hadn't set up the watch she had gotten from Instructor Rutherfield earlier in the morning.
It was time to see the new gadget she had acquired.