42

The rest of dinner went by slowly as Calixta's mind was focused elsewhere. She listened in on the various conversations, thinking to herself that it had been a terrible sixty-fourth birthday so far. Or maybe not so terrible just because of Summer and Ostel. She smiled to herself, finishing her meal of fruits and nuts, then gazed off into the distance before politely excusing herself to her tower. Even a nod was given to Aegar, and she brought extra fruits just in case she got hungry later that night. No matter how slim she was, the girl could [i]eat[/i]. 

When the nymph got to the tower, she freshened up, changed into a simple shirt and night shorts, and then proceeded to finally inspect her room. It was fairly simple for the most part, with a large bed on the far side of the room, a table up against one wall and a small fountain against the other. The walls were painted the same off-white color as her door, and the accents and decor were a golden hue that matched her circlet. It was all reminiscent of home, and she smiled at all of it-- the water of Nymphe, the dresser that held all of her clothing and cosmetic desires... she could only imagine what everyone else's rooms looked like. But right now, Calixta wanted to relax. It had been a long day, and she still had other business to attend to-- business that seemed out of place at the University. Returning to the living room area, she sat in front of the low-burning fireplace and thought of Acheron, speaking in a hushed tone as if he himself could hear her from the heavens. It wasn't long before tears started to flow steadily down the girl's cheeks. 

She stopped suddenly when she heard the door to their tower being opened. Ah, that was probably Aegar. "Did you have a fun time at dinner?" she asked, half turning around so she could look at him. He looked the same as when she spoke to him earlier, but there was an aggressiveness she couldn't place... Did he speak with someone after dinner? Calixta turned all the way around then, the firelight making the trails of wetness glisten in the near-darkness. "You didn't speak much. Well, except to Summer. But then again, you [i]were[/i] looking at other...things." She knew she had to be careful with what she said now. Although Aegar was a demon, he wasn't the one who killed Acheron, and she would have to remember that... But it was hard to cage in a sadness and cold anger that she had kept inside for 14 years. 

Once his conversation with Summer was finished, Aegar ate his diner mostly in silence. There was a wide variety of foods on the table, most of which he’d never even seen before, but for now he stuck with what he knew, a meal of roasted meat, bread, blood figs and ghost grass. While he ate, he listened in on the other Sages’ conversations and thoroughly eyed the other students and the school staff just to see if he could uncover anything useful, though there was little out of the ordinary to be heard or seen.
 
Once Aegar had finished his dinner and his brief conversation with Ostel, a large part of the other students had left the dining hall already. He simply followed their example and made his way back to the tower of water and darkness, which Calixta had assumably already returned to. Once there, he found her sitting in front of the fireplace in the dimly lit room, with what seemed like tears running down her cheeks.
 
“As much fun as one can have in a room full of strangers.” He sat down on the couch across from her once again, making sure to give her some personal space. “I’m not used to being around so many people.” He doubted for a moment whether he should say something, but eventually decided he would. “Something is clearly troubling you. It has since we first met. Can you talk about it?”

"I don't know," Calixta replied rather icily, which was so far off from her own personality that it surprised even herself. "I guess it is troubling to lose a loved one, isn't it? To none other than your kin, your blood... I have absolutely no idea why Amalia would place me here with [i]you.[/i]" The tone of her voice didn't indicate hostility, but more of a heavy bluntness that reflected how she felt inside. "And you had no problem watching that demoness-- yes I saw that. You obviously know how to pick out people from a crowded room." It was hard to tell exactly what she was feeling, as the little singsong voice of hers sounded amusing even when she was upset, sad, or even worried. 

Aegar too had wondered why the sages were paired the way they were, but hadn’t sought any special meaning behind it so far. Just as he was about to reply, Calixta continued and pretty much changed the subject. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Is that a crime now? I doubt I was the only one looking.” It wasn’t the first time he’d been accused of being a pervert and at this point he hardly cared anymore. Humans, elves and whoever else always seemed surprised at how open demons are about their carnal desires. He shook the thought from him head and returned to the topic at hand. “But hey, I don’t know what reasons Amalia has for these pairings, but we’re gonna have to live together if we wanna get anything done. You’re not the only one who’s lost people, you know.”

"Yeah? And who was that, mate number 42?" 

An awkward pause filled the air, and Calixta hung her head in shame and embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Aegar, I don't know where that came from... That was very insensitive of me." Her sea foam green eyes flicked upward to meet his pale pair, and fresh tears ran down her cheeks. "You must understand then, how hard it is to sit here in this very room with you when my... fiancé was slain by a demon on this continent. It wasn't... nice." There were a few choice words she could have put there, but she opted not to use them. After all, letting this out to a demon after so much time had made most of the anger just melt away, and all that was left was a broken emptiness that weighed heavy on her heart. 

Aegar frowned in response to her rude reply. He was ready to be rude to her in return, but when she continued speaking and explained her situation, his expression softened up. He averted his pale eyes from her for a while, not sure of what to say. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. There’s a reason few outsiders visit Tenebra, it’s a cruel place. I too have suffered from it.” He felt a tide of suppressed emotion coming up from deep inside him, but he interrupted it by quickly rising to his feet. He had vowed to himself never to return to that memory. “It’s best if we both get some rest now. Our training will be starting tomorrow.”

"Yes-- yes," Calixta replied, standing up as well. "It was a nice talking to you... And please, call me Calla." She smiled then, a bright thing that contrasted with her previous emotions. She noted his own reactions, but decided to let it go; it would be too much emotion for one night. "And just for the record... there were prettier women in the room besides the demoness." The nymph smiled innocently and let out an infectious giggle, wiping the remnants of tears away. She air-kissed the demon as was the custom of her people then went to her room to retire for the night.

“Well, it’s pretty rude to stare at someone in their face.” he replied with a smile, a slightly more sincere one this time. He stayed behind in the dimly lit room for a few more minutes, simply thinking over the events of the past day. Little was left of the fire in the fireplace but smoldering embers when he too got up and went to his bedroom for a night’s rest.