Juniper sprawled across her oversized bed, dramatically sighing as she stared at the ceiling.

  Alice was curled up on one of the plush armchairs, still looking a little dazed, like she wasn’t entirely sure if all of this had been real.

  Noelle stood by the window, arms crossed but no longer tense, just watching them both with an expression that was almost...fond?

  Then Juniper broke first: "Soooo," she drawled, stretching out like a lazy cat before rolling onto her side to face Alice and Noelle with wide eyes. "You guys gonna talk about what just happened orrrr?"

  Alice opened her mouth, to say what exactly even she didn't know, but Noelle cut in smoothly:

  "No."

  A beat passed where Juniper looked absolutely betrayed before flopping back down again in defeat.

  ...Silence settled once more.

  But this time? It felt different somehow.

  Juniper smirked from her position on the bed.

  She knew damn well Noelle was only snapping so harshly at her because she couldn't think of a better reply, not because she was actually upset. But instead of commenting on that, she replied with false innocence: "What?"

  The corner of Noelle's mouth ticked slightly, betraying the fact that Juniper's smartass remark had actually made her feel better. Not like she'd ever admit it out loud.

  "You really do need to work on that smart-ass mouth of yours—”

  "Heyyy," Juniper sat up, mock-offended. "I happen to like my smartass mouth very much, thanks. It's kind of my trademark at this point y'know! You think anyone would find me half as interesting if I were nice all the time?"

  Noelle let out a snort of slight amusement. "You do realize how narcissistic that sounds, right?”

  Juniper gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest like she’d been wounded. "Narcissique? Moi?" She batted her eyelashes at Noelle with exaggerated innocence. "I’m just stating facts! Without my legendary wit, who would keep you two from wallowing in your tragic backstory angst all day?"

  Alice finally cracked, letting out an actual laugh this time as she shook her head. Even Noelle’s glare softened slightly despite herself.

  "More like your legendary mouth," Noelle retorted dryly, though her expression was already noticeably less closed off. "You do know you don't have to fill every second of silence with witty quips, right? We’re all adults, we can handle a little quiet once in a while."

  Juniper shrugged nonchalantly, as if to say: What can I say? I'm just the comic relief character.

  This time it was Noelle who snorted, trying to bite back a smile as she muttered: "You're hopeless, you know that?”

  "I prefer the term: hopelessly awesome," Juniper quipped back, grinning with satisfaction.

  Alice, who had been quietly watching their banter with amusement, decided to finally join in: "Hopelessly annoying is more like it."

  "Hey!" Juniper protested. "I am delightfully annoying thank you very much."

  "More like insufferably annoying," Noelle added dryly, but there were traces of genuine affection behind her words now.

  "Pfft. Y’all are just jealous you can't think of witty retorts as fast as me," Juniper retorted, sticking out her tongue like a child. "Banter aside..."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Juniper turned to Alice, "Wanna explore the rest of this luxury hotel?”

  Alice hesitated for a second, glancing at Noelle as if silently asking for permission.

  Noelle rolled her eyes but nodded once, sharp and quick. "Don't wander too far." Her tone was stern, but the underlying don’t make me worry slipped through anyway.

  Juniper didn't miss it, grinning like she'd just won something as she grabbed Alice's wrist and yanked her toward the door with zero grace: "C'mon! I saw a spa earlier that looks way too fancy to not snoop around in!"

  Alice let out an undignified "Eep—?!" before being dragged out into the hallway by someone who clearly had no concept of personal space or patience.

  ...Left alone in the suite again.

  Noelle stared at where they'd disappeared down the hall like maybe this whole thing had been a mistake after all...

  But then quiet settled over the room once more, and oddly enough?

  It didn’t feel heavy anymore.

  Just...peaceful now.

  Noelle exhaled slowly, letting some tension leave her muscles that she hadn't even realized she was holding.

  Her gaze traced over the plush chairs, over-stuffed bed and fluffy curtains, luxuries that should've been relaxing, but had been anything but a few minutes ago, before finally landing on the untouched caviar bowl sitting on the room table.

  She walked over to it, staring down at the glistening black dots that Alice and Juniper had refused to touch.

  ...Her fingers hovered over the bowl, hesitant...

  ...Then, before Noelle knew what she was doing, she plucked up a roe and popped it into her mouth.

  Salty, rich, and...kind of slimy?

  Her face twisted in surprise and slight disgust.

  So that's why everyone made such a fuss over this stuff?

  She grimaced, swallowing quickly before glancing back in the bowl, and grabbing another roe.

  Weird... she mused, staring at them like they were a puzzle she couldn't figure out.

  Maybe it's an acquired taste.

  Another two roes quickly followed, the salty, rich taste slightly less unpleasant now.

  Noelle knew she should probably stop. She wasn't even hungry.

  It was just...an experiment, right? That was her excuse as she grabbed two more.

  Salty. Strange. Rich. Almost addictive somehow?

  Weird.

  Another two.

  ...Maybe she liked this stuff after all.

  She didn't notice how fast she was going, roes were slipping into her mouth so fast now she didn't even have time to think about the taste anymore, until,

  Knock knock knock.

  Noelle froze, almost choking on roe.

  "Uh...who is it?" she called, trying not to sound like she'd just been caught red-handed.

  "Room service."

  Noelle's eyes widened slightly. Had they seen...no. No way.

  "Uh...come in?" she managed, voice coming out slightly higher pitched than usual.

  The door slid open, revealing a middle-aged butler in a white jacket with a cart full of food.

  "I've brought your—oh."

  The butler stopped in the doorway as he took in the sight of Noelle, still standing there with a handful of roe like a child who'd been caught eating cookie dough.

  Noelle quickly shoved the roe in her mouth, trying in vain to hide the fact she was actually enjoying it, and spoke with as much dignity as she could manage: "Um. I was just...uh...doing some taste testing."

  "For...?" the butler trailed off politely. His expression was neutral, but the corners of his mouth were slightly turned up.

  "...curiosity." Noelle answered quickly.

  The butler nodded slowly, definitely trying not to smile as he scanned the half-empty caviar now.

  "...And may I ask if you've found your answer?"

  Noelle bit her lip, fighting to keep a straight face as her cheeks burned. She had a feeling her "taste-testing" excuse hadn't fooled anyone.

  "...I think maybe it is an acquired taste," she finally managed, hoping he wouldn't notice how much her voice was wavering.

  The butler's lips twitched as a suppressed smile flickered across his face, only for a second.

  "I see," he replied, his tone now clearly holding suppressed humor. "So you like it then, ma'am?"

  Noelle groaned internally. She knew exactly how this looked.

  "I...suppose I do," she admitted, her words slow and slightly reluctant.

  The butler nodded, still trying, and failing, to hold back a small smile.

  "...I'll keep that in mind.”

  The butler cleared his throat, clearly fighting a losing battle against laughter.

  "Very well then," he said with exaggerated professionalism, though his eyes sparkled with mischief as he pushed the cart further inside. "I’ll just...leave this here for your further taste-testing."

  Noelle’s face burned redder than she’d ever admit as she watched him set down an entire platter of caviar, more than any human could possibly eat in one sitting.

  Then, before Noelle could protest: "Enjoy your meal~" The butler bowed slightly and slipped out the door like a ghost leaving evidence behind.

  Noelle stared at the platter, now very aware of how ridiculous this situation was.

  She should throw it out. Or call for the butler to take it back immediately before anyone else saw, before Alice or Juniper walked in and caught her like some kind of caviar-obsessed weirdo.

  But...

  Her fingers twitched toward another roe, almost against her will.

  ...Just one more.

  Then she’d be done with this nonsense for good.

  (She did not stop at just one.)