The Principal's Office

[tailor_made]

The door to the principal’s office is open at all hours, although you will only find Hester at the receptionist’s desk from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. This is primarily where you can have private conversations with her. Though there’s an actual office in the back, it is always closed and locked.

Comments

Thursday; afternoon

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[...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?

[tailor_made]

[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?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[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.

[tailor_made]

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.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

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.

[tailor_made]

Why, what's in the dark? [Hester stares at her, her expression blank for a few seconds before the penny drops.] ...Oh, you meant- Sorry. [She runs her hands down her face and lets the towel covering her hair fall onto the floor.]

I'm not...I'm not quite all here today. [An understatement, Hester, you dissociated in the rain for an unknown amount of time.] For a second I thought maybe that Mothman thing had shown back up again.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Uhhh, no. No mothman. [She shakes her head. It stretches the shadows of candlelight into odd angles on her face.] It's just us in here. Never thought I'd be so happy about that.

[She watches Hester, and... Yeah, she concurs. This woman is not all here.] Are you sure you're alright? You seem to be... struggling.

[tailor_made]

I'm... [She laughs weakly and pushes back a section of her wet hair.] Maybe a little. I'm guessing word's been getting around the school about my struggle bus-ing.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Just a little, I guess.

[Truth be told, she didn't feel good talking about what the group had said about Hester, for secrecy reasons or otherwise.]

...Can I ask what's up with that? I'm not going to judge.

[tailor_made]

[Hester is quiet for a long minute, twisting the hem of her wet skirt in her hands while she mulls over what she wants to say, if she wants to.]

...I don't know.. I've already talked to Peregrine about it but after the sleepover, I started having problems sleeping. Then the dreams started. I started losing time and today I- [She stops herself and squeezes a little water from the hem of her blouse.] I got stuck in the rain, out by the football field. And I don't remember how I got there.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Cassandra leans back against Hester's desk while she listens, the same one she combed through weeks prior... If she looks out of the corner of her eye, can she find the same laptop that was there before?]

You don't remember? [She frowns, returning her full attention to Hester. Actually leaning in just a bit.] What kind of dreams are you having?

[tailor_made]

[She can! It's currently open and looks like it's paused on a movie.

Hester shakes her head.] You know those dreams that are just memories but something is wrong but you don't realize until you wake up? They're like that.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Huh. Good to know that schmaltz exists in every world.]

Like... memories? [HUH] More than you know. But what's so wrong about them? Sounds like a pretty ordinary dream if things don't make sense.

[tailor_made]

[Sometimes a girl just needs her schmaltz.]

You'd think that but they feel so real. I'll be back at my old school or I'll be at a dance class and out of nowhere someone will be there who wasn't there before having a whole conversation with someone I can't see or I'll suddenly be somewhere else. [She shivers a little and not just from the chill of the air conditioning.] One time I went from a school dance to this horrible car accident.

But the worst part is that I just...can't sleep after. And then it's like two days before my body will even let me try.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Sounds like some really bad dreams.

[She rubs the back of her neck. Oof. There's... so much she could say, but what would really help?]

...Wait. Are you telling me that you haven't slept in two days?

[tailor_made]

They're...not great, let's say. [Hester suddenly looks sheepish, like she's still embarrassed to admit all the problems that have been cropping up left and right.]

...I think it might be three now? Two and three quarters if you count the hour nap I took yesterday. [THAT'S NOT BETTER, HESTER.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[THAT'S..... NOT GOOD. NOT AT ALL.]

Hester, that's... horrible! [No need to fake her concern here. It's all genuine. She knows the dangers of burning the candle at both ends.] You have got to get some rest.

[tailor_made]

I know! I know, Peregrine and Monsieur Salieri and the Wizard have all been telling me the same thing. It's just...not that easy.