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

Sunday, post Trial 3

[violentenvies]

[Hi there, Hester. Salieri's back with a knock on your door, and a tray of tea and pie. He looks tired and worn but, like her, is covering it up with some make up]

[tailor_made]

Come in, monsieur. [Hester's voice is soft, nearly too soft to really be heard beyond the door. When he opens it she's hunched over her desk, her forehead resting on a small stack of papers in front of her and her fingers laced behind her neck.

Like the last time he visited after a trial, it doesn't look like she's had time to change out of her costume yet.]

[violentenvies]

[oof. He'll...do that then, coming in with the tray and, as before, setting at the corner of her desk]

Mademoiselle Hester. [he sounds tired and doesn't bother trying to hide it] Good evening.

[tailor_made]

Hi. [She lifts her head slowly, grimacing at the light, but still manages to give a weak smile when she sees the tray.] You didn't have to bring me anything.

[violentenvies]

[he frowns a bit, concerned] I...may not have had to, no, however...[he sighs] I felt I needed to stop in anyway, both to see how you were doing and...I believe I need to offer you both thanks and an apology.

[tailor_made]

An apology? For what?

[violentenvies]

For the scene that I helped cause. Peregrine was correct in coming to you and I didn't listen to her when I should have, and took matters into my own hands instead. So I apologize for that. And I also wanted to thank you for...[here, his voice wavers, eyes going glassy]...for your assistance.

[tailor_made]

...You were grieving. [She lifts her head more, wincing as the ache in her head and behind her eyes intensifies but powering through it to look him in the eyes.] Are grieving.

People make a lot of bad choices when they lose people they love. [Her jaw tightens, just a little.] ...It just felt like the right thing to do. For you guys and for him.

[violentenvies]

[something in his chest tightens at that--at the mention of grief. But that doesn't mean he misses that wince]

...still. I did wish you express my thanks.

[he pauses a moment, hesitating, looking concerned before asking:]

Are you...alright, Hester? Are you well? [he's been getting so used to touch lately that he automatically reaches out, moving to gently touch the side of her head if she'll allow it]

[tailor_made]

[She doesn't flinch away, something that surely would get her in trouble with someone less trustworthy. It doesn't feel like there's any kind of wound or bruise to be found but she does feel very warm to the touch. She might also just...lean into his hand a little.]

Just a headache. I, uh...I haven't been sleeping well this week. Weird dreams, waking up at weird hours and not being able to get back to sleep.

[violentenvies]

[that sense of worry increases in his chest]

You feel like you have a fever. [he shifts his hand so it presses to her forehead, gently]

You should be laying down, at least. I'll get you a cold compress.

[this, he can focus on this, rather than his grief. Hester's not feeling well, and though he may not be able to fix it, he can help]

[tailor_made]

No, no, it's fine. Peregrine was just in here fussing over me too but I'm- [She gives up her protests pretty quickly as the ache in her head spreads down her shoulders and she folds her arms on her desk to rest her head on them.]

...okay.

[violentenvies]

...forgive me for saying so, mademoiselle, but you don't look "okay." [gently, and he shifts, moving to come around her desk uninvited, so he can rest a hand on the back of her neck]

Do you have somewhere you can lay down?

[tailor_made]

[It's very easy easy to get to the other side of her desk by just lifting the wooden divider. Her neck is definitely warm and she nods her head slightly, practically muttering.]

I have a couch.

[Behind her desk there is indeed a dark green leather couch! It's already got a fuzzy golden yellow blanket draped over the seat and back. Surely that's been here the whole time but it also seems like a hard thing to miss, even behind her desk.]

[violentenvies]

[Salieri glances back towards it, a little surprised, but...well, he's not about to question it now. Instead he'll just get down to her level]

Come on, then. I'll take you over there--just put your arms around my neck and I'll do the rest, understand?

[he sure is planning on just carrying her over there rather than risk her being too woozy and falling and hitting her head or something]

[tailor_made]

[Hester looks unsure but nods a little in understanding. She forces herself to sit up despite her body shouting at her to Please Do Not and loops her arms around Salieri's neck.

Lift away, monsieur.]

[violentenvies]

[in that case, he'll scoop her right up, slowly and gently so as not to make her dizziness worse, before carrying her bridal style over to the couch, where he'll gently lay her down. ]

Now...stay here a moment, I'll return with a cool compress.

[tailor_made]

[He's going to notice pretty much immediately that Hester is very light, which makes sense since she is on the thinner side to start with. She takes very little effort to lift right out of her chair.

When he lays her down she reaches up to carefully wiggle the tiara out of her hair and sets it on the sofa's arm. She gives him a small, pained smile.]

I don't think that'll be hard.

[violentenvies]

[Salieri rests the back of his hand against her cheek cheek a moment, looking concerned about how hot she is]

If anyone comes in, tell them you're resting and they're not allowed to disturb you. No matter what your duties are. [he's moving to grab that blanket and place it over her] If they have a problem, they can take it up with me.

[tailor_made]

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.

[violentenvies]

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

I'll return shortly.

[tailor_made]

[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.]

[violentenvies]

[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]

[tailor_made]

[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.

[violentenvies]

[he'll take that second towel and dip it into the water, wringing it out before starting to brush it over her face where it's not covered by the other one]

Oh? He sounds like a kind man.