Her blue eyes, usually sparkling with mischief or some grand plan, seemed duller, weighed down by something far heavier than the usual troubles of student life.
"Are you okay?" Rylan asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Ariana hesitated, then sighed softly.
"Not really, no. I just finished talking with Livia's parents. I was seeing them off." She nodded toward the gate where the carriage had disappeared.
"It was… hard."
Rylan's brow furrowed. He didn't know too much about Livia, just that she'd been close to Ariana.
From what little he had heard, Livia had been a kind-hearted student, but her tragic death had sent waves of grief through the academy.
Rylan wasn't good at comforting people—he never had been. But he had to try.
"I'm sorry," Rylan muttered awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
