{ Morning of the hunt / with Lyra }
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Aurora was listening intently, making sure not to miss any detail she’d have to report back, but the moment Lyra mentioned Desdemona’s lizard, a laugh burst from her lips. It was sudden, unplanned and immediately followed by a gasp as Aurora covered her mouth, eyes wide with horror. “Oh… I am so sorry!” she blurted out, her hand still covering her mouth realizing what she had done. But Aurora couldn’t help it… Everyone would react the same way after all, right? For a split second, the intensity of thinking someone might have been seriously hurt was replaced by the unexpected absurdity of it being a lizard.
That doesn’t mean she didn’t immediately regret how it might seem. She didn’t mean to be rude, it was just… thankfully not a real person. “I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you,” Aurora quickly reassured, her face softening as she saw Lyra’s expression, but a smile of relief was still hidden behind her hand. “It’s just… when you said Kiki and everything was so tense, I thought… well, I thought the worst. And now I know it’s a lizard, and I just…” She shook her head, swallowing the remaining laughter, her expression growing serious again as she saw how much Lyra was still hurting. “I understand it’s… Hard… It doesn’t matter if it’s a person or a lizard, you’re not upset for no reason.” As Lyra explained more about Kiki and the magic going wrong, Aurora’s expression shifted again, giving her her full attention again. The laughter was completely forgotten.
She could see how deeply Lyra was hurt by some recent events, but it wasn’t just about the lizard, there was something else Aurora quickly came to learn - it seemed like everything was tied to Lysander, Lyra’s brother. She heard the stories going around about him but could never figure out what the truth was. Not even her father could tell her more and in that way Aurora felt like maybe she was the one who needed to dig deeper and gain more information… Since he was a student here. Aurora never knew him, but just like she knew of everyone else, she knew of him. She knew Lyra was his sister, that was the first thing she noticed when she got a chance to glance at her papers and ever since then she wanted to reach out to the girl and possibly get her to tell her what really happened… In her own time, of course. Aurora wouldn’t force information out of someone just like that.
And as tragic as this all looked… was this the perfect opportunity for that?
It could be, but she can’t show that there was more to her caring about Lyra’s feelings, a deeper purpose.
Aurora’s heart genuinely did clench as Lyra tried to express further what she was feeling and thinking. She could hear the pain in her voice, and the guilt that had been beneath the surface for so long. She didn’t want to interrupt even as her own throat tightened… she understood the weight of family expectations. And everything was going “well” until Lyra confessed she didn’t know much about what really happened with her brother. Aurora kept her expression neutral, though inside her mind was racing. So Lyra didn’t know what happened either… That small revelation tugged at her curiosity even more, but she pushed it down, reminding herself that right now, this wasn’t about uncovering some mystery for her father or satisfying her own desire for answers… this was about Lyra. This was about Aurora trying to be a friend to someone and simply listen. About comforting her, gaining her trust, and making sure she didn’t completely fall apart.
“Lyra, I’m so sorry about your brother… I can’t imagine what you’re going through, and I’m not going to pretend that I do. But…” She finally spoke up, her voice soft. “You’re not like him. You’re not doomed to repeat what happened. And just because things went wrong with Kiki, that doesn’t mean you’re out of control or dangerous. It means you’re human, and we all mess up sometimes. And… I’m sure being like your brother can’t be that bad, he was loved here and he was a good student. There are still some qualities to be proud of.” She offered a small, almost sad smile, before adding, " Besides… it was a lizard, not a person. I know it feels horrible, but you didn’t mean for it to happen. And that’s what’s important. Magic can be unpredictable and I’m sure no one will think you did anything on purpose! I’ll help you fix this, okay? We’ll talk to Desdemona. I’m sure we can make it right. But no matter what happens, I don’t want you to think for a second that you’re out of control or dangerous. You’re not. We are all perfectly safe here, trust me." Those last words Aurora said with a hint of bitterness in her voice, yet her smile stayed on her lips, as convincing as always.
Aurora paused, analyzing how Lyra was taking in her words, before continuing carefully, slipping in just enough to plant the seed for later. “I can’t help but wonder… maybe there’s more to what happened with your brother than anyone knows. Maybe we should… I don’t know, figure it out? Together?” She tilted her head slightly, her voice gentle but laced with subtle curiosity. “If you ever want to talk about him… or look into things, I’m here for you. I can understand if it all still hurts but I want you to know you’re not alone in this here.” She didn’t push more than that. Aurora knew when to hold back. For now, her main focus was to be a calming presence, a safe place for Lyra.
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@Jass - Lyra