#fakira

But love makes fools of us all. One day, Leona was in the cafeteria, trading away stories so she needed less sleep, and she looked up. She looked up, and fell in love. 

The not-girl was, by all accounts, quite beautiful. A changeling, bright-eyed and lavender-skinned. She went by Risa. Smile. It suited her. And one day, she looked up, and fell in love.

They dated for a while. No one was concerned- that was normal, it wouldn’t last. But the librarians saw something else. Their love was True, and it would be the end of them.

After a couple months, they were even more in love. They were happy. One night, Risa whispered something to Leona. Something ancient. Her name. Fakira. Thinker. It was more than fitting. It was True.

The next morning, Risa was gone. All that was left was a flower petal. She had betrayed someone, someone important. A Queen of the Gentry, perhaps. The Spring Court was rather strict. 

Leona tried to reclaim her love. Oh, how she tried. But she was injured, badly, and had to resort to the Old Ways for a cure. She disappeared.

In the cafeteria windows, there’s a shadow. Some say Leona is passed, and this is her ghost. Others say she joined the Court for love, and this is her new form. Still some say it is but a shadow, and Leona is gone. Many even say Leona is bound to the university, living among them still. We will never know.

The woman telling the story smiles wanly. She works in the cafeteria. You ask her safename. Lebyah, she says. Lioness.