Mythshaper

"I hate how backwater this place is," Rosalyn complained after pouring a mouthful of water down her throat. "If it was even Klearon, I wouldn’t have to waste half my time on the journey, forgetting that I practically forgot the way to your house. I had to go to the Magistratus' office and ask someone for directions."

Rosalyn was almost an adult now, standing a full head taller than me, even though I’d grown a lot since the last time we saw each other. Her features were more feminine, but her expression held a hardened look that hadn’t been there before. There was still a bit of the Rosalyn I remembered in the girl, mostly in how arrant she acted, though I liked the willful part about her.

"I’m surprised,” Mum said, “Mother or Emi even allowed you to make the journey on your own."

"Please," Rosalyn snorted. "I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions. It was a pain to get approval for my leave of absence from the academy, though. I swear they make the paperwork overly complicated so that we can’t leave easily."

"While that might be the case,” Mum said, hugging her from the side, “I’m delighted that you chose to visit us during the little vacation time the academy allowed."

Rosalyn’s cheeks turned a startling shade of red. "Well, I’ll be too busy next year with final terms, and you know how stupidly wasteful the academy can be with your time."

Exhausted from her journey, Rosalyn flopped down on the couch. She could have picked any free space, but instead, she pushed me to the side and slouched, dangling her legs over the armrest.

"Ah, that was a fun time," Mum said wistfully. "That reminds me, how did your first year go? Anything you’d like to share?"

"I did well in the final assessment," my aunt said. "But trying to outdo my two overly overachieving big sisters was impossible from the start. I’m in the top ten overall if that’s what you wanted to know."

Mum shook her head. "That’s not what I asked. I wanted to know how your academy life was going. I knew you’d do well, little goblin."

Rose hesitated. "I don’t know how to say it. It’s exhausting and yet somehow fulfilling?" she said, sounding unsure. "I have to practise constantly, trying to meet everyone’s expectations. Some of it was hard, some annoying, some as easy as eating pie."