The moment Lumina stepped into the dining chamber, a warm aroma greeted her, a mingling of spiced wine, roasted meat, and the sweetness of fruit pastries still warm from the oven.
She paused just inside the doorway, her pale eyes unseeing, yet her other senses smeared the room with shocking clarity.
Ashen was already there. She could hear the sound of him rising to his feet, the soft shift of boots against the ground.
"You came a bit late," his voice reached her worried yet carrying a subtle note of relief.
Lumina lifted her chin slightly, "It's not like the classes I attend," she replied, still not forgetting she was mad at him in the morning even though she was playful about it.
She began walking toward the table, with the help of Stella.
She heard him move closer, so he extended a hand toward her, but she did not take it.
