Nathan stretched like someone who had been asked to carry a mountain. He groaned, twisted, then muttered something under his breath about flexibility training and unrealistic academic expectations.
Adrian wandered toward the exit first. He paused near the door, balancing the empty bottle on his head like it was some sacred relic.
Liliana walked past him without a glance. "Drop it and I'm not helping clean it up."
"It's empty."
"That won't stop glass from existing."
Elara moved beside Merlin again, her pace matching his like it always did. Not rushed. Not guided. Just… there.
The walk to the exit felt quieter.
Not because no one spoke. But because the space between them had shifted.
They stepped out into the hall.
The light from the courtyard filtered through the upper windows. Warm, sharp. Dust floated in it, spinning slow patterns above the staircase.
Adrian let the bottle drop into a bin. The soft clunk was weirdly final.
Nathan stopped beside him, arms crossed.
