The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 13

13

"Please, sit." Ryoko gestured to the floor, which wasn't exactly inviting, but hey... Why not?

"What are you doing?" I asked, gesturing to the small chopping board, the array of ingredients, and the steaming pot. The academy came with kitchens and free meals, like advertised.

"Cooking," she replied dryly.

"I can tell. I meant... Why?"

The Dragon tilted her head, a thoughtful smile on her face. "Because I'm hungry?"

Infuriating answer, but I wasn't going to let it get to me. I didn't have the energy to fight. Instead, I crouched down and fell on my bum. "What's wrong with the dining hall?"

Ryoko shrugged. "The food is decent, but it's nothing compared to a good, home-cooked meal."

"So what are you making?" I asked, crossing my legs to be more comfortable. The floor was hard and cold, but if the Dragon was doing it, so could I.

"Rice, cabbage and mushrooms, and some pickled carrots on the side."

"Nice?" I said, not wanting to be impolite again. Still, I thought it was an unusual meal. She seemed to like her rice, judging from the massive bag she had stashed under her bed.

Ryoko stirred the vegetable mix, filling the air with the aromatic smell of savoury and sweet. As the scent curled up in my nostrils, it made me realise just how hungry I was. I missed lunch and there'd been no snacks in the infirmary. Still, I sure wasn't going to head to the dining hall with everyone judging me out there and I didn't want to impose on Ryoko. Between those two options, I'd rather go hungry.

My stomach rumbled violently, betraying my ordeal.

The girl across me chuckled. "Hungry?"

"Just a little," I admitted, looking everywhere but her cooking pot.

"Would you like to have dinner with me then?"

I hesitated. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to go hungry."

She shook her head, her eyes sparkling with a golden glint. "No, I'm happy to share. I made plenty." She sprinkled some chopped herbs in the cooker, splashed some mysterious sauce in and finished it with a squeeze of lemon.

Carefully, she scooped up a generous serving in a bowl and pushed it towards me. "There you go."

"Thank you." I reached for the steaming plate and inhaled the delicious smell swirling up.

"What's wrong with your arm?" Ryoko asked, pointing at the bandages around my wrist.

Oh right. I'd already forgotten about those.

Before I could answer, she shuffled over to me and inspected the white wrappings. "Did you get hurt?"

"Yeah, I, ummm... I got bitten?"

"Oh no. By what? Another student?

I laughed, despite the continuous strain on my body. "No, by a dusk wolf."

The Dragon frowned, barely wrinkling her face. "What are those?"

"They're a breed of wolves, born from the shadows," I explained, earning a blank look from my roommate. Maybe that didn't really clarify things... "They're like a Valkyrie familiar type of thing. They help with... Hah... I don't actually know with what they help. Anyway, the point is, we're supposed to form a bond with them."

Ryoko nodded. "I'm guessing from your bite it didn't go well?"

"No... I don't know if she completely rejected me, but it certainly didn't go as planned."

"Sorry, that's not nice." She pointed at my arm. "May I?"

I nodded,

For the second time, someone unwrapped the bandages. Her fingers brushed along my skin like butterflies, surprisingly tender in a completely different way than Flavia. I just couldn't figure out why.

"It looks bad. Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't. I hardly feel it," I replied, puffing up my chest and drawing a casual smile to my lips.

She nodded thoughtfully. "That's good. Would you like some ointment on it though? I brought some from home. My grandpa made it."

"Ummm..." I stared at her, hesitantly. Did I want some weird oil on my wound?

"It's not dangerous, I promise. It's just made from herbs and plants. It'll make it heal faster."

I stared at the Dragon, weighing my options. She wouldn't do something to hurt me, so why not try? I wanted to be rid of this bad memory as soon as possible.

"Yeah, why not," I decided.

Ryoko smiled. "One second." She rummaged through the bags under her bed and pulled out a couple of dark vials. With a very soft touch, she poured some oily substance onto the wound.

"Ouch. It stings," I protested.

"Sorry. It'll get warm in a moment." Carefully, she rubbed circles along the jagged edges of my wound. A concentrated smile played around her lips, somehow lightening up her whole face.

A warmth spread through me, just like she said it would. I hadn't expected it to be in my stomach, but maybe the oil had a strange effect on me or something.

Not able to look away, I stared at Ryoko as she tended to my arm. She shared her food and now she was taking care of me, and I wasn't even nice to her. I should really stop being so rude. She didn't deserve that.

"There. That should certainly help with the pain."

"Thank you."

The Dragon looked at me, a smile spreading across her face.

I chuckled, a little bewildered. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied, but the hidden smirk revealed there was something. Like she discovered a mystery, but didn't want to tell anyone yet.

"Alright." I sucked in my lip, trying to contain the lightness fluttering in my chest. What was that?

"I'm distracting you."

Ryoko handed me a spoon and pushed the bowl of rice and mushrooms back to me. "I hope it's still hot."

"It looks hot," I replied, my voice strangely high. What was going on there?

The Dragon chuckled, shaking her head to hide her amusement. She portioned herself some rice, a serene look falling on her face. She folded her hands and bowed to her bowl of food, mumbling something under her breath that I didn't understand. With a happy smile, she nudged at me again and motioned to my food. "Eat, please."

The strange tension continued to hang between us while I took my first taste from Ryoko's dinner. Despite the time passed, the rice was still piping hot and the cabbage was wonderfully tender. The mushrooms savoury with a slight bite and the pickled carrots just wonderfully sharp.

"That's good!" I exclaimed, surprised by the foreign flavours. It wasn't something I'd ever have made for myself, but it was delicious. Savoury, a hit of sweet, a little tangy. Hmmm. I could eat a whole bowl of that.

"I'm glad."

She shot me another mysterious smile as we ate in silence. Not that I minded. I was so hungry, I felt like I was ungracefully shovelling all the food down my throat. It was just so hot and full of flavour. It was easily the best thing I ate since I got here, including the roast at Flavia's dinner party.

Without wanting to waste one bite, I fished the last grain of rice from my bowl. "That was fantastic."

Ryoko blushed. "Thank you."

"You're a great cook."

She mopped up the last of her bowl, folded her hands again, and mumbled some more things I couldn't understand. I wanted to ask her about that, but maybe not today. I didn't want to ruin the nice moment.

Which reminded me... "I forgot to say... Your potato salad was a real hit. Everyone liked it."

A deeper colour added to the blush on her cheeks. "Oh. Thank you."

Another silence fell over us, but that wasn't a surprise. Despite being roommates and having lived together for a week, I hardly knew her. Most of our conversations had started and ended in me snapping at her, not that I really had any reason for it. It was a miracle she was still talking to me, let alone being so nice.

With a newfound appreciation, I stared at the girl across me. Now that I'd alienated myself from the rest of the Valkyrie students, there was nothing holding me back from getting to know her better. No barrier, no reason I couldn't associate with a Dragon.

Ryoko furrowed her brows. "What?"

"What?" I asked.

"You're staring at me."

"I was?"

She chuckled softly. "You were."

"Sorry. I was just thinking..." My breath hitched as her gaze intensified. Her eyes were on me, almost penetrating in a way. It left me feeling naked and bare, but in a strangely comfortable way. How weird...

"Yes? You kind of stopped mid-sentence," she prompted.

"Oh, sorry. I was thinking... Why are you so nice to me?"

Ryoko shrugged. "I was brought up to be nice."

"Even to people that are rude to you?"

She shot me an amused look. "Especially to those."

I wrinkled my nose. "Sorry about that."

"Thank you."

"For?"

The Dragon stifled a smile, but it still burst through on her face. "Your apology."

Damn, she was nice. I could learn something from her. Only one week in the Academy and it was already opening my mind in different ways than I expected. Befriending a Wood Elf, apologising to a Dragon? Unthinkable when I first arrived. But right now... That didn't seem too bad.

With a strange grin, Ryoko reached across to collect my spoon and bowl. Part of her cheek got caught in the last glint of sun of the day. Golden scales rippled across her skin, just as beautiful as I remembered. Faint markings curled elegantly across the plates, almost invisible. If I hadn't been sitting this close, I'd never have seen it.

Come to think of it, I was very close. I could smell the summer on her skin and count the light freckles around her nose. Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with the same warmth I associated with the sun. How could eyes be this dark and light at the same time?

She was beautiful, not just for a Dragon. She was beautiful all around.

"You're staring again," she noted, her voice softer than before.

"Sorry," I said, but I didn't stop staring. I couldn't avert my eyes. Colours I'd never seen before danced in front of me, flashing in spots and shadows. A strange sensation curled in my stomach, somehow drawing me towards the Dragon. My wind magic crackled in my veins, almost unnoticeable, and yet so clearly there.

"Ylva?"

I pulled back, breaking the strange tension between us. My wind stopped whispering, the silence suddenly overwhelming. Lost for words, I searched for the one thing I could still say. "Sorry."

A strange glint of gold flickered through her eyes as she snickered. "You're apologising a lot."

Captured by a strange sense of vulnerability, I batted my eyes down. I didn't know what was happening or what I was feeling, but I hadn't experienced this before.

What was going on between Ryoko and I? Why was my chest coiled so tight? Why was I drawn so inexplicably to her? I didn't feel this way around anyone else I knew. Was this the food? The moment?

Oh. The remaining poison from the wolf's bite. That must be it.

Yes...

That was why I felt so drawn to the beautiful Dragon. Poison.