Elsie bounced from foot to foot in the circle of gossiping girls, nodding along absently, her mind far from the conversation they were having. It wasn't her usual crowd, but she hated to turn down an invitation, though she was regretting it now. Their chatter felt tedious—empty noise that trapped her in place. She was itching to leave, to get back to something, anything, more interesting than this.

Salvation came in the form of Sav’s familiar voice. Elspeth’s heart lifted as he casually took her hand, offering the perfect excuse. “We have to talk about our, uh… project for Astronomy,” she said hastily to the girls, already letting him lead her away. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder and added, “I’ll catch up with you guys later!”

Once they were out of earshot, she let out a relieved sigh and grinned up at him. “Thank Merlin you came along,” she confessed with a playful laugh. “I was looking for an escape route, and here you are. You’re my hero tonight.” The tension melted from her shoulders, and she squeezed his hand gratefully, before releasing it.