Young Writers Society

Kynina blinked. “Against you?”

"Against anyone who didn't pay their way in," Thane said calmly. She didn't care, really. Sure, it annoyed her, but there wasn't anything she could do to change that. And she was here anyway, in spite of them, so who was really winning the situation?

Kynina took out a notebook and a pen, frowning slightly. “Do you want me to write to someone? They shouldn’t be creating inequalities between students and it looks bad on them if it’s brought to their attention and they still don’t act.” She’d already taken the cap off.

Thane narrowed her eyes. How would this girl even think she had the power to do that? Unless... she clenched her jaw. So that's what they were playing at then, huh?

Kynina paused as she put the tip of her pen to the paper, noticing Thane’s expression. “What is it?”

"You're rich." Thane didn't ask it as a question. "And I'm not your community service project" she wanted to add on angrily, even as she held her tongue.

Kynina raised her eyebrows. “Maybe. Maybe not. Would you refuse my help based on that assumption?”

"I'm not a pet project," Thane said calmly, "and I definitely don't need your help."

Kynina kept her face neutral as she set her pen down. “I don’t think of you as that.”

Thane stared at her blankly, clearly not believing her and not caring enough to argue.

Kynina sighed, tapping the pen against her desk.

“Okay,” she said with a shrug. “I get it. You don’t want to be used. But really, what have I got to gain from this? I won’t get a medal from writing a frustrated letter to a couple people at a desk who won’t be happy to get it.”

"The problem," said Thane, turning fully around in her chair to look directly at her, "is the fact that they would consider the letter if it came from you, and they wouldn't even open it if it came from me."

Railyn leaned over while in the middle of his super serious scribbling. "They wouldn't listen to me either. At least you look intimidating." He shrugged. "Just the aura we're stuck with. For what it's worth, you taught that kid a lesson in that sparring match, and isn't that the point? At least they're alive."

“I didn’t say what name I would put on it,” Kynina said, a little more softly. “Yours, mine, both, neither. I don’t know if you’d rather have them think about it or let the weight of being complicit weigh on them as they toss it out, but the part you’re upset about isn’t something either of us can do anything about.” She glanced at Railyn, a small smile on her face. “And personally, I’d love for a couple other people to learn a lesson today too.”

Thane thought for a minute, then said, "Plenty of people need to learn a few lessons here."