The evening sun painted the sky in bruised shades of purple and orange as the Academy gates finally closed behind us.
Ariana's hand felt small and warm wrapped in mine. We walked shoulder-to-shoulder down the bustling commercial streets toward the estate, the cool breeze offering a much-needed reprieve from the day's endless lectures. Lately, she had remained happily buried beneath towering stacks of alchemical research in her new workshop, but tonight, she had insisted on walking back with me.
"You're quiet today," I noted, squeezing her hand lightly.
Ariana looked up, her violet eyes catching the fading light. "Just thinking," she murmured, a faint, cryptic smile playing on her lips. "It's nice to just... walk like this. Without a dozen people staring at us."
I chuckled, pulling her a little closer. "I'll take the quiet whenever I can get it."
