<span style="font-family:Calligraffitti"><span style="font-size: 26px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffffff">Chapter Twenty-Two - Judgement</span></span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffffff"><i>The Next Day</i></span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ccff99">Ayla had woken up that morning, Lucian’s arms wrapped tightly around her. But despite the reassurances of her Master and her twin, she had not been able to eat much more than bread all morning. There was a knot in the pit of her stomach that simply wouldn’t go away. After fighting shakily with her hair, she’d gone to track down the staff woman who seemed more approachable than the others, asking for her assistance. Now, waiting alone in the room below the testing hall, Ayla took several steadying breaths, looking herself over in a mirror. Her hair was braided in a tight ring, almost like a crown. She was wearing clothes in her usual androgynous style, having taken great pleasure in matching her brother, who had his own hair pulled back into a braid, though not circular like her own. <br/>
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At the sound of incoming footsteps, she turned, watching the four people who would procter her exam arrive with their assistants in tow. </span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ffcc">Alexi had spent the night in his own bed, knowing his sister needed Lucian’s presence. Though it was getting to be more common for one of the twins to spend the night with him, most of the time they still shared their own room. He’d gotten ready with Lucian, letting his sister have some time to herself, and his…,boyfriend seemed the wrong word though he couldn’t come up with anything better to call him, had braided his hair after laughing at the young man struggling to make the front cooperate. The two entered the observatorium, looking around.</span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4dffa6"> “Why… are there so many people here…” </span><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ffcc">he murmured, looking worriedly over at lucian, before seeing someone waving at them frantically in the distance.</span><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4dffa6">“And Ordenel is saving us seats, it would seem…”</span>