As Penny heard footsteps approaching the door, she quickly moved back to the middle of the room. She did her best to act bored and like she had just been standing there, waiting for Ms.Dowling to return. What did they mean with all of that? What had they been talking about? None of it made any sense to Penny; all she knew was that it sounded dangerous.
She glanced at Mila to try and figure out how she was taking the new information, unable to really understand what was going on. Clearly there was more at play than Penny realized. She wondered if she would be able to figure out any more information without alerting the headmistress, but that was a worry for another time. Right now, Penny mostly wanted to get out of this situation without Ms.Dowling knowing that she and Mila had been eavesdropping.
So Penny stood there, acting nonchalant and not allowing her mind to race with questions about what she had just heard. She could wonder and research that on her own time, right now there was still a mind fairy nearby and Penny didn't want to be thinking about a conversation that she wasn't supposed to have heard.
Mila darted away from the door at the same time as Penny to avoid getting caught. But she stood in the middle of the room, pacing as she let thoughts of Ms. Dowling's earlier speech run through her head. Though she couldn't help but wonder what all that meant between her and Mr. Silva. She thought she remembered hearing about Burned One's but not much other than their venom being lethal…
She shook her head and forced those thoughts to the back of her head. She and Penny could talk about this later in their dorm.
After another few moments of thinking in silence, Farah turned around and re-entered her office, shutting the door firmly behind her.
"I'm sorry for the interruption, girls," the headmistress apologized as she circled around in front of them. "However, it was necessary, and I hope you can forgive me for keeping you waiting. Would you like to continue?"
She glanced up and noticed slightly different emotions coming from them. At the discovery, she leaned back against her desk and arched her eyebrows. While Farah couldn't tell what their specific thought processes were, she could pick up on the fact that they were forced. Normally, thoughts flowed easily from one idea to the next to the next and rarely paused on one specific thing for too long.
But as she identified Penny and Mila's lines of thought, it was like they were frozen in place. Stuck on that one specific thing… like they were trying to keep from thinking about anything else. Like people did when they wanted to hide something. Mental defenses were something she would have to work on with them, she supposed.
Ms. Dowling's eyes narrowed slightly, and she stood up straighter. "Were you listening to my conversation with Headmaster Silva?" she asked pointedly. "Don't lie to me either. I won't tolerate deceit."
Penny's stomach dropped. Well, shit. It made sense that a fairy as talented as the headmistress had made that connection. She couldn't quite keep her face from flushing, which was probably a dead giveaway. She crossed her arms defensively, standing straighter as well.
"You looked so concerned," Penny replied evasively. "I wasn't sure if we were in danger or something, and if that was the case then I wanted to know. Can't defend yourself from something you don't know is coming. I knew that you were keeping something from us." Despite her bold words, Penny was nervous about Ms.Dowling would take this. Hopefully not too badly. Penny really didn't want to get expelled, especially over something so stupid. But she also wouldn't back down just because she got caught.
Mila wasn't as surprised that she had failed to hide something from Ms. Dowling. But getting caught still made her heart jump. Unlike her roommate, the blonde lowered her head and nodded as Penny answered. “Yes, Headmistress.” Though she raised a brow at Penny’s last comment. “It was my idea. We were worried. I've never seen you or Headmaster Silva look so… distressed.” she admitted. “I… I’m sorry.”
Farah stiffened a bit at Penny's words, particularly her last words. I knew that you were keeping something from us. Oh, if the young fire fairy only knew. There was a reason why the headmistress of Alfea was so private, keeping to herself more often than not. And she didn't plan on revealing any secrets just now.
"Headmaster Silva and I have the situation under control," she replied shortly. "The dangers here at Alfea are very few. There is no reason to be worried and nothing to defend yourself against." Not if Farah had anything to say about it. She protected her students as a mother protects her children, though she wouldn't make the comparison herself. The fear of getting too close to anyone else still lingered in her heart.
"However," she added quietly, "it would be best if you don't go talking about this with the other students. If there was anything to be particularly concerned about… I would tell you."
Penny scowled, arms still crossed. So the headmistress was determined to keep them in the dark. Logically, she could see why that made a lot of sense. She was the adult here, and adults were expected to handle everything. But technically, Penny had also reached the edge of the majority, so she was an adult too, wasn't she? She hated being treated like a child, like she wasn't allowed to know. Ms.Dowling was also much more powerful and experienced than either of the girls, and probably didn't want to alarm them by telling them about things that didn't exactly concern them, but Penny would be lying if she said that she wasn't a little bit annoyed about being left out of it.
At least the headmistress seemed honest enough, causing the redhead to release a sigh. She did believe her. Well, maybe not all of it but at least the last sentence. She could understand why they wouldn't involve students in things that weren't theirs to deal with. Still, something about the exchange still irked her.
"Fine," she huffed, pausing afterwards to add a little more humility into her tone. She was constantly told by her parents that she needed to respect her elders more, and Ms.Dowling hadn't exactly done anything wrong either. "I understand."
Mila was easily less reluctant to believe her teacher and understood Ms. Dowling’s concerns. “Yes, ma’am.” she replied with a nod.
She trusted the older woman and silently planned to focus more on her studies, including these private ones. Ms. Dowling was right. It would be better to be more prepared and able than frantic and vulnerable.
Farah inhaled steadily as both girls accepted her words. She didn't need either of them getting into trouble, especially not with the first Burned One in sixteen years on the loose. Well, not on the loose. It was still contained in the barn outside the barrier. Farah had at least made sure of that before she and Saul had left it alone. The sight of the creature lunging for her, awake all along when she'd thought it to be asleep, was etched in her memory now and made her stomach wrench. If only Ben could make more of the Zanbaq just a bit faster…
It was too lofty a hope, especially for Farah. Alfea's headmistress was nothing if not a realist when the situation demanded it. Saul was also a realist, but in a way that was usually more opposed to Farah's perspective. The opposition between them was typically the reason they argued in the first place, mainly about Farah's safety. She tended to be more willing to risk herself for the sake of others while Saul consistently urged her to air on the side of caution.
But Farah was eager, bordering desperate, for a solution to the Burned Ones. The memories that accompanied thoughts of the monsters were not ones that she wanted to get into at the moment. Memories that she'd locked away dutifully for sixteen years.
The headmistress cleared her head and glanced between the two girls. "I'm sorry girls, but if you don't mind, we can pick up the remainder of this session tomorrow. I have some urgent work to do." She didn't say what the work was, but after the conversation they just had, it was abundantly clear what urgent work she had to do.
Penny figured that this would happen. She was certain that whatever it was that had caused the headmistress so much distress was important, so this was hardly surprisingly. At least this seemed like a genuine problem instead of a lie to get rid of the problem child, like she had dealt with in the past on occasion. As soon as she became too much to handle, "something urgent" had come up. This seemed different, though. After their conversation, it was clear that there really was something going on here, and despite what Ms.Dowling said, Penny wanted to get to the bottom of it. Maybe if she did, she could be an asset instead of a hinderance for once. But also, she was just genuinely curious about this whole affair. The more secretive Ms.Dowling was, the more interesting this whole thing became.
She glanced at her roommate, trying to gauge her reaction to the words, before looking back at Ms.Dowling. "See you later then," she remarked without much fanfare. "Good luck with your urgent work."
She waited for Mila to say her goodbyes as well. She might as well put some effort into actually being friends with her roommate, and if they walked out together, they could talk about what they had learned. Mila seemed like a smart girl, so maybe the two of them could figure out what was going on together.
Mila nodded again at the instructions and gave a small smile at Ms. Dowling. “Yeah, good luck. We’ll see you tomorrow for our next lesson.” she said with a bit more hope than her roommate, waving as she followed Penney out of the office. Though she didn't say anything more until both of them were back in the hallway and headed back to their dorms.
“So… Sorry we got caught.” she apologized awkwardly. “I should have seen that coming. I don't know why I suggested we listened in but… I’m sorry.”
Penny glanced over at her roommate, shrugging. "Eh, it's not exactly surprising," she responded, brushing it off. "I'm not sorry we were listening. I hate being kept in the dark."
She understood why Mila was upset, but getting caught hadn't really done much to put out Penny's fire (metaphorical fire, not actual fire this time). She was still curious, and while she likely wouldn't try directly listening in or interfering with Ms.Dowling's business again, she had hardly dropped the topic. She wanted answers, if only to satisfy her innate curiosity and give her something to do other than listen to music and stew. She wanted to know more, and she had a feeling that things weren't quite as open-and-shut as Ms.Dowling made them seem. Did she really have things under control, or was that just a lie to get them to stop asking about it? One thing was sure–Penny was going to find out the truth.
“Yeah.” Mila agreed. “I won't deny that I was curious. I had never seen Ms. Dowling like that before.” she admitted. “I… I guess I'm more sorry that I… I kinda feel like I broke her trust.” the air fairy sighed, wrapping her arms around herself.
Penny did feel a bit bad as her roommate seemed to fall in on herself a bit. She wasn't exactly happy that she took advantage of Ms.Dowling's trust, but right now her curiosity and need to know what was going on was stronger than any guilt or unease she felt. She frowned, trying to look like she had anything else on her mind besides doing as much research as she could to learn more. It was most likely under control, sure; Ms.Dowling was known for being an incredibly strong fairy. However, Penny couldn't help but feel things were bigger than the headmistress had assured them. It was just like being a little kid and having your parents tell you they had things under control and something wasn't a big deal when it looked a lot worse than they claimed. Penny hated it.
She might have tried to get Mila on board if she thought that the other girl might actually join her in this newfound quest, but something about Mila's obvious upset from being caught by Ms.Dowling told Penny that the other girl might not approve of her snooping. So Penny would keep her interest a secret. She was going to find out all she could on her own, and no one would stop her. Still, she had to be careful. She didn't know where she would turn if she got expelled, and her family would certainly not be happy that turn of events. Somehow, she would have to prove that she wasn't as bad as people had seemed to think in the past while also finding out as much as she could. Her mind was made up.
"That makes sense," Penny replied, nodding along. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to head to the library. I need to actually study this year if I don't want to flunk out." She gave a weak smile at that, hoping to play it off.
Mila gave a soft laugh, both confused by and grateful for the change of topic. In the short time she had known Penny, the fire fairy didn't seem like the kind of person to let what just happened go like that. She had half expected her roommate to tell her to “suck it up” and that they “had to look into this”. Not this offhanded comment about their homework.
“Are you just saying that for my sake?” she asked with a small smile. “I mean, we both have work to do for our classes and I wouldn't mind going to the library with you but… I’m surprised you suggested that.” she admitted.
Penny was a little bit annoyed that Mila was surprised she would actually study in the library, but she had to admit that she usually studied alone in her room. Most people seemed genuinely surprised she actually studied, especially considering her less than stellar grades and general aggressive demeanor. But study she did. However, this visit wasn't actually for studying at all, and it seemed that her acting was good enough that Mila believed it was studying.
What really bothered Penny was that Mila had assumed it was an invitation. It wasn't as if she wouldn't like the company, but she figured Mila would catch on fast if she saw the sort of things Penny was trying to look up or the books she was trying to find. She could have just told her the truth, but Mila clearly seemed remorseful about the eavesdropping, and Penny didn't really want to drag the poor girl into one of her harebrained schemes. No, it would be better if Mila didn't know. Though them both going together might make keeping it a secret a bit more difficult. However, Penny felt like being weird about it would be more suspicious.
"No, I mean that," Penny responded, eyes narrowing a bit. "Despite what people seem to think, I actually do try to study once in a while." She could use her genuine annoyance for that bit. She wasn't actually a delinquent…was she? All this time she'd been here thinking she just got unlucky several times and then had to live with the consequences, but maybe she was playing into the stereotype herself. Well, whatever. That wasn't exactly the current issue at hand. Penny had bigger things to worry about at the moment.
“I didn't mean to imply that you don't. I’m sorry.” Mila replied, taking a step away from Penny. “I just meant that I was surprised you turned to studying over trying to figure out what Ms. Dowling was talking about.” she explained. “Besides, I don't think she would have offered these lessons if she thought you wouldn't take them seriously or if you weren't a good student.”
Penny nodded, accepting the apology. Okay, Mila did have a bit of a point with that comment, but hopefully she wouldn't have to know that. Penny definitely was trying to figure out what the headmistress had been talking about. She was starting to wonder if Mila wouldn't be all that averse to it, though. Hm. Better keep it a secret for now, and if she caught on, Penny could go from there.
"That makes sense," Penny admitted grudgingly. "I've had people make comments about my study habits before, so I guess I got a bit offended. It's not a big deal though. Anyway, let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we're done, am I right?" Yeah, that wasn't why she was in such a hurry, but Penny thought the lie would help cover it up. She absolutely felt that way about studying though. She had never enjoyed it, seeing it as a necessary evil in order to pass her classes, though she doubted many others her age liked studying.
“It's ok.” Mila smiled softly. “I kinda get it. Being an air fairy, there's a lot of people who think of me as being flightly or air-headed.” she admitted. “It stings but I try not to let it get to me anymore. So, if I ever make you feel like that, let me know. Ok?”
“Yeah, let's go.” she agreed. “I think I need to find some books to help me in Professor Harvey’s class.”
Well, Penny did have to admit that Mila was nice. It made her feel a little more guilty about deceiving her, but she had already started on this path, so she didn't want to admit her true intentions now. Not knowing was better for her, anyway. Dragging her into Penny's mess would only serve to worsen the situation for them both. She didn't want Mila to in trouble too if she were caught.
"I will," she responded to her roommate's question before Mila started talking again. After that comment, Penny nodded. "Sounds good."
Yeah, letting her get some real studying in and leaving her out of Penny's mess was the best option for sure. Things seemed to be going well so far, which was good. She just had to find something while she was searching in the library that would help her out with this whole weird situation.
(… Time skip? Or do we want to do the actual research?)
(i'm good with a time skip)
(Hey! I can respond probably tomorrow or over the weekend for a little… inspiration for what the girls can do next 😉 Sorry, I’ve been busy and sick recently, both of which have kept me from getting on nb a lot 😭)
(no worries! take your time <3)
Needless to say, when Alfea's Specialist headmaster called the Queen of Solaria saying there had been a Burned One caught prowling in the woods outside Alfea's barrier, she was concerned. A Solarian military caravan was dispatched immediately, Saul Silva at the head of it all. The large black train of SUVs drove down a stretch of paved road away from Alfea and snaked their way into the woods to get to the barn Saul and Farah had been describing.
Farah watched from the window of her office, her chin lifted high in a projection of strength even when there was no one there to see it. "Godspeed, Saul Silva," she whispered through the glass. Normally it was Saul who worried for Farah. Now, it was Farah's turn to be worried for Saul.
–
Beatrix seemed to be a fairy on a mission. She was striding quickly through the halls of Alfea and winding her way around the fairies who weren't exactly walking at her pace. The air fairy had a small smirk on her lips, enunciated by the dark red lipstick she was wearing. Her coat was the color of the midnight sky, and she pulled the hood over her head as she stepped outside into the foggy afternoon and headed for Alfea's library.
