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The remainder of the airship ride passed by in a blur. Since Victoria left, Astrelle stayed silent; most of the girls were asleep anyway. The crash that followed the waves of adrenaline and fear had finally caught up to Astrelle, and she had no more energy for protests or snarky remarks. She didn’t even complain as medical staff poked and prodded her body for testing, a procedure she found completely demeaning. The exhaustion also gave Astrelle some time for self-reflection, though having so much time to think was rather unpleasant. A feeling of regret lingered in the aftermath of the battle. She couldn’t avoid fixating on her disgraceful display of emotion when she had practiced composure so diligently for years. She resolved that it would never happen again.

The walk to the girls’ dorms was somber at best. The darkness concealed much of the surrounding landscape of the new home, and Astrelle had no desire to use her abilities to witness it. The dreary atmosphere spoke loudly enough for what Palmyra might’ve looked like. Her eyes focused ahead instead, at the back of the faculty member that led them through the campus, or on the damp cobblestone they walked on.

The faculty member’s tour and explanations were curt, which Astrelle appreciated at so late an hour. She was less than pleased to learn that she’d be sharing a room with someone, but given that it was mandatory, Nicole seemed more tolerable than the others. Unfortunately, bringing dates back home was not a possibility with this arrangement. The room was more spacious than Astrelle expected—she expected something akin to a small closet—equipped with a kitchenette and bathroom too, though it looked like spending was frugal on the furniture itself. Everything was, of course, painted in patriotic blues and golds, a color combo that Astrelle was surely going to tire of quickly. 

In her exhaustion, Astrelle wasted no effort in throwing her bags on a side of the room she chose haphazardly, and fell into the springy mattress—she thought softness would cushion her fall, but her back hit the cushion more roughly than she imagined. Unlike Astrelle, Nicole had been examining the amenities and her comment about the showers almost made her laugh.

A weak half-smile tugged slightly at Astrelle’s lips. [color=b699ff]“It better have hot water too. Do you want to find out first or should I?”[/color]