tailor_made | The Principal's Office

[Hester very nearly pulls her hand away in surprise but relaxes after a second, letting her fingers slide through Maya's hair a touch.]

Oh, Maya... [Her voice is soft, her tone nothing but sympathetic.] I know things are hard and I'm...I'm so, so sorry. But yeah, we can do that this week.

[Hester's office is dark when Eurydice comes in. The assistant director herself has her head resting on her arms when Eurydice comes in and she lifts her head slowly, blinking a few times before she can fully process another presence in her office.]

-oh, Eurydice. [She yawns and forces herself to sit up properly.] Sure, of course. What did you want to know?

[ Oh, no, was Hester...napping? ]

Sorry to wake you. I can come back later, but I was just wondering -- who's Floral?

[ Eurydice has checked the Yearbook and she's definitely not there, so what gives? ]

[Considering their previous interaction, Maya is surprised that she gets even that. She closes her eyes at the brief level of comfort.]

Thank you. Whenever you're ready, come and find me.

Mmhmm. That should put the fear of God in them.

[She hums softly, letting her eyes close to block out the stinging light. It's a little nice, she has to admit, being fussed over like this. The Wizard looked after her, obviously, as much as someone her age needed looking after. He checked in on her often, made sure she was eating, how she was feeling. All around the things any good parent would do, despite their lack of blood relation. But more and more lately it was feeling like she was his caretaker.

So this attention, this fatherly affection from someone who'd just lost his son...it's nice. And it gnaws at her gut like a corvid picking at a carcass.]

Merci beaucoup, monsieur Salieri.

Of course. [he pauses a moment to smooth her hair back, before pushing to his feet]

I'll return shortly.

[AAAAAAAND WE'RE OUTTA HERE]

[When he leaves she pulls her knees to her chest, a cozy yellow cocoon in her cozy little office. The quiet is...helping? She thinks. It reminds her how bone deep tired she is, that she really should eat some of the pie Salieri had brought even though she's not particularly hungry or drink some tea but it's easing the pain in her head and replacing it with a hazy fog of exhaustion.

While he's gone nobody comes knocking so Hester just settles in and waits for him to come back.]

[he'll return as swiftly, then, with a bowl of water and several small hand towels, which he carries over to the couch, pulling over a chair to sit beside her and rest that bowl in his lap. He takes the first towel, wringing it out]

Now, keep your eyes closed. This'll help block out some of the light. [he'll fold the towel in half, length-wise, and gently lay it over her eyes. It should feel nice and cool, and also block out that pesky light that she's dealing with]

[Hester hums in acknowledgement, letting him know she's still awake. The towel feels nice and near instantly she starts to relax.]

...you know, it's been a long time since someone fussed over me like this. Not since I was little. My- [She shifts a little, hugging the blanket under her chin.] My favorite foster dad. He used to do this for me too, when I get headaches.

Floral...? [She furrows her brow, like the wires aren't quite connecting in her head.] Oh! With the bones. [She rubs one eye, covering her mouth with the back of her hand to hide another yawn before continuing.]

I don't know who she is, exactly. The Wizard knows about her, I think, but he doesn't always clarify those little things with me. All I know is that she has a pretty name and I think she's afraid of bones.

[...You know, it's been over a few weeks. Cass has to breach the topic eventually. Might as well do it now.

In the afternoon, once everyone's back inside from the story, she goes looking (with candle in hand) for Hester and the principal's office.]

Hester? Are you still in here?

He shares things with me. [She bristles then grimaces, the ache in her head getting abruptly sharper.]

Your memories are gone because that's part of the process. It's a reward, like with the new areas of the school- you solve a case, you get something in return.

[Angus wants to believe her...but it's difficult when everything is a mystery. A sick reward for killing each other, and an excuse for Angus to be of no help.

He sighs loudly.] Go rest. I must figure out what this all means on my own. And ask the wizard for a break, you're out here all day.

[Hester is here today! She's just not at her desk for once. Instead she's sitting on a dark green leather sofa behind her desk that you are positive was not there when you investigated. She has a green towel draped over her head to cover her sopping wet hair and a bright yellow one draped over her shoulders. Laid out next to her on the sofa is a white bathrobe covered in cupcakes.

It looks like she just got out of the shower- but only if she'd gotten in with all her clothes on.]

-Cassandra? What's wrong, do you guys need more candles?

[Huh Mental note reserved for the sofa later. Right now, she's looking respectfully at it... and the woman sitting on it.]

Uh, no. [...] Maybe. But I was actually coming up this way to check on you.

...Seems like you're doing pretty well for yourself despite the blackout.

Oh...that's really sweet of you.

I'm- [Hester pauses, squinting a little like she's trying to find the exact words she wants but they keep flittering away. She hugs the towel over her shoulders a little tighter around herself.] Yeah, I'm doing okay. I don't mind the dark too much.

[Come and find me
I'll help get you through]

I...I will, Maya.

[And then she proceeded to have a mental and emotional breakdown the rest of the week.]

It's the least I can do.

[Really. She hasn't spoken directly to Hester in Some Time, so it's not entirely any skin off her nose. She steps into the room proper, hovering a little awkwardly next to Hester's desk.]

Yeah, me too. The darkness is fine, it's just what's in the dark that bothers me.

[Typically, Will still travels normally for the most part, and especially around Hester. He enters her office via the door; he walks backstage with her. It makes him feel a little more...human. But today, he dispenses with all of that - in a panic, he simply brings them both right back to her office. It's a less graceful transition than a true narrator might have made, but it gets the job done.]

Hester! Are you okay?

[It had all happened so fast. Her emotions getting the better of her with the song, Mr. Weidman taking over, Discord, the explosions-

Her ears are still ringing when he wills them to her office, gripping her shin.]

I'm- [She pulls her hands away and watches rivlets of blood run down her leg. The wound isn't nearly as bad as it could be, a few burns and some tiny pieces of glass sticking out of her skin. But seeing the wound isn't what makes her stomach sink.]

Why doesn't it hurt?

Oh, no.

[Will doesn't even register her question immediately; he's too focused on the blood running down her leg. But he's seen far too much by now to be taken aback for long. He forces himself to focus.]

Okay, sit down. I can fix this. [He moves to guide her over to the couch. This...he can fix this. He can definitely fix it.] It'll be okay.

[She lets him help her to the couch, limping on her wounded leg- does she need to though?- and settles on the couch, the shock of everything finally truly settling in.

She looks at him, pale and wide-eyed. She feels pain. Her headaches, those hurt. But has anything else? Stubbing her toe backstage, banging her elbow against her desk, pinching her finger in a door- normal day to day things. Had any of that even happened or did she just not notice because she didn't feel it?]

Mr. Weidman, my leg should hurt. Why doesn't it hurt-?

Must be shock.

[Is it? He doesn't...really know. She's alive. She can bleed. Why would she not feel pain? He knows there's been some problems with her lately, he's been trying to figure them out, but -

- but maybe this isn't one. Why would he want her to hurt?]

Let me just get this fixed. [Hester's leg is fixed, like nothing ever happened. It works, it happens; Will lets out a small sigh of relief to see the damage abruptly vanish.] There. Is that better? How does it feel?

[Considering everything that's been happening, Maya hasn't been able to make it to Hester's office to check on her. She changes that Sunday morning, knocking on the door once before stepping inside.]

Hester? Are you here?

The Principal's Office

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this is a hell of my own making

:)

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Thursday; afternoon

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Week 5, post-execution

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