Celestia Academy

105. Reassurance

"Don't forget! There's an opportunity for extra credit. For every Anemo-related limerick you bring to class, I'll give you three additional points for the day." Venti stood with an apple in hand, munching away as the rest of us prepared to leave for our next class. His eyes caught mine, and he pointed a finger at me. "You won't let me down, right Lumine? I can see those poetic gears turning in your head already!"

Quickly, I dropped eye contact and pretended not to notice. Me drafting verses was at the far bottom of my list of assignments and otherworldly concerns, and my grade didn't need the boost. Amber, on the other hand, was already mumbling rhymes to herself.

"Glider and lighter—that should work," she said. "Lumine, what do you think about this one? Whenever I soar with a glider, my body and spirit are lighter; I continue up high, like a bird in the sky, and...um..."

"And I become a better fighter!" Huffman came out of nowhere with a beaming smile. "How's that?"

Amber shook her head. "Not exactly what I had in mind. What does fighting have to do with gliding?"

"'Brighter' might work better than 'fighter,'" I suggested. "Don't ask me how to tie that in, though. Poems aren't my expertise. I didn't know you needed extra credit."

"It might come in handy later. l just like to be prepared. Plus, if we end up tying in grades, the extra credit will give me an edge over you. Best gliding champion at Celestia Academy, here I come!"

"Is that how it works?" Huffman asked thoughtfully.

I rolled my eyes. "Nope. If anything, the Grand Tournament will determine who's a better glider."

"Then, my real opponent is your brother," Amber gasped softly. "I might have to practice more in that case. He introduced himself at breakfast, you know. When you were talking about star stuff with Mona, he spilled all the embarrassing secrets from your childhood."

I stopped cold in my tracks and thought about what that meant. Embarrassing secrets? Did I have any? Probably. Which ones did Aether tell them about? For a naïve moment, I had forgotten that as my sibling, Aether was well-equipped to make fun of me. Archons, I should have at least stopped by the table to make sure he wasn't gossiping.

Amber's sudden laughter drew my attention. "You should see the look on your face! I was kidding. He didn't say anything bad."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Yet," she teased. "We only had enough time to go around the table and introduce ourselves before he left to join you."

"Would he really tell your secrets?" Huffman once again placed himself in the conversation. "From what I can tell, Aether seems super nice."

Amber's laughter died down when she eyed Huffman. Normally, it was just me and her returning to the main campus after beginner's gliding. I certainly didn't expect him to take our reconciliation as a sign of close friendship, but at least he wasn't being a bother. Amber didn't seem annoyed, either. Still, there were certain things Amber and I talked about that I'd prefer Huffman to stay out of.

"Huffman, you might want to steer clear of Aether for the time being," I said. "And by extension, me."

"What? Why?"

I sighed. "He thinks you like me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Huffman confusion was visible with a frown. "We've made up, after all. Unless you mean that...a crush? Me? Crush on you?"

It was Huffman's turn to laugh now, though I didn't understand where he found the humor. It had been a while ago, but I unfortunately still had the memory of Huffman's confession to me in the library. To be fair, if I were him, I'd want to forget about that moment, too.