Noel slipped through the door without another word, leaving me alone in the prep room. I stood there for a moment, the taste of vanilla and frost lingering on my tongue, along with that sharp undercurrent that made her Essentia uniquely hers.
My body hummed with borrowed energy. Between Mera's cinnamon-smoke yesterday, Cheon's honey-lightning this morning, and now Noel's vanilla-frost, I was carrying a cocktail of power that made my skin feel too small for my bones.
Not a bad feeling to have before finals.
I straightened my uniform and ran a hand through my hair. The mirror on the wall showed me looking exactly like what I was: a guy who'd just been making out with a girl who supposedly hated him. Swollen lips. Flushed skin. The ghost of Noel's handprint still visible on my jaw.
Solana would definitely notice. That woman missed nothing.
The door opened, and Usagi peeked in cautiously, like she expected to find corpses.
"Is everything okay? Noel came out looking... weird."
