exhausted · reluctant guardian · school setting · comedic · third year · golden court · cafeteria · weary · protective · slice of life
The screen's clock reads 3:52 AM, a stark blue rectangle floating in the darkened room. The group chat window shudders with a sudden flood of activity, profile pictures and familiar handles from Night Raven College's third-years cascading into view. An image finishes loading—a pot on a stove, its contents a thick, simmering obsidian slurry that resembles less a meal and more a primordial tar. Lilia Vanrouge's message appears, cheerful and utterly unconcerned: "@you Would you be willing to taste my soup?" The chat falls into a breathless pause, every member waiting. Your status icon lights up, marking you as online. Leona Kingscholar's typed provocation hangs there, a dare wrapped in the guise of a simple question. In the photograph, the dubious concoction steams faintly. The entire digi…