[Cottage] Denial

[Kokuten]

"Thank you, Mr. Flynn," answered Drysi cordially, her smile showing just how she had settled in. "I quite like the cottage. For a while, I think I got too caught up in the wi-fi bein' weak down her', doncha' know. Once I figured out my hot-spot, I think it's perfectly hom--..."

Her eyes opened like bright gemstones on a cave-wall, their color all the more radiant against the pale that took her face. Carefully, she opened her mouth, and then closed it. Without thinking she had let out something very precious, and Mr. Flynn had barely reacted to it. In fact, his reaction had been so muted, it pushed back the realization she had said something very secret. Once it had sunk in, she tried to back-pedaling, crashing the course of the conversation.

"...I ... I was wrong, that was... That was wrong..." she started to stumble over her words, "I think... Loathe... I meant to say... lo-..."

Drysi's voice dried in her throat and she looked away from Mr. Flynn.

"I didn't mean--... I didn't mean what I--..."

His apprentice hunched over her cup, looking up at rugged scholar with breathless anxiety.

"Master Flynn, yer' not goin' to tell the R.A, are you? You won't tell Willow? Anyone? I'd die. Worse, they'd move me to a new dorm."

[Straken]

Setting his cup down, Ruarc leaned forward on the table and laced his fingers together. It was clear this was a serious matter, or rather that Drysi took it seriously. Then a warm smile grew on his otherwise stern face as he looked at his apprentice.

“Drysi, I will never divulge anything you tell me in confidence,” the druid started. “As your mentor, it is not my place to tell you how to live your life, but simply to provide you with guidance and advice so that you can get the most out of it. That said, given the, uh, nature, of the matter, I would caution you on the matter. Teenage romance can be volatile in many ways.”

“And,” his tone shifted, becoming more formal. “As the headmaster of this school, I must also tell you that should the situation become problematic; such as becoming disruptive to your’s, Willow’s, or anyone else’s academics, I will have a responsibility to address the matter. Understood?”

[Kokuten]

"Understood," Drysi answered, more reflexively than out of any honest understanding. Nothing followed after that for a passing moment as she appeared to think on the words. Once she felt that she wasn't in trouble, she stopped hunching over her tea. This sort of trust was new for her, at least between her mentor and herself.

"Thank you... for understanding, Master Flynn," she nodded her head, taking another of the treats, and looking a little shell-shocked. Once she sank her teeth into the shortbread, the color seemed to return to her face. "I'm sorry I dumped that on you. I promise it's not all screamin' and cryin' with me, sir."

She stared into nothing as she chewed, "I think I'm so deep in the books, I've had nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. I've been so afraid of the whole animals part of bein' a druid, I've tried constructin' this idea that if I know all the books, it won't matter if I can't look a deer in the eye."

[Straken]

"Well, for what it's worth, not all Druids deal with animals," Ruarc explained. "The Order is more about tending a close relationship with the natural world. Animals do play a part in that, but unless you want to join the Circle of Beasts you wont need to worry about them in your day to day. They are the ones that deal with the management and welfare of mystical critters. My circle, the Circle of Keepers, acts as the police force of the Order. We find people and other sentient entities that either try to harm our territory, break the rules laid out by the Central Council, or pose enough of a threat to warrant a Special Assignment; my assignment that originally brought me to Japan, for example. Then there are Circles like the Sages, or R&D. The Sages are the ones who always have their noses buried in books; studying and preserving our histories, organizing ceremonies, and acting as political advisors and ambassadors with other organizations. R&D, the Circle of Magical Application, are the newest Circle in the Order, and provide valuable research aimed at creating modern artifacts and magical items. I use a number of pieces cooked up by them myself."

Sipping his tea, Ruarc's mood seemed lighter as he was able to talk about something outside of paperwork.

[Kokuten]

"The eighth, fifth, first and third circles, respectively," Drysi answered dutifully, eager to prove her intelligece in regards to the druid order. She had dug deep into what she could to learn about the order, keeping in mind that her classmates could challenge her on the knowledge. "I don' think I knew that it was that specialized, though. I had always pictured us as an order that dealt with all aspects of nature all tha' time."

With a thoughtful sip, she considered the different circles. "I'd almost say the Sage's would suit me, but I don't think I like talkin' with people that much. Could picture Willow as a Keeper, I could."

Drysi smiled, kicking her feet as her eyes betrayed careful calculation of eating another cookie. "Bein' you are a Keeper, Master Flynn, does that mean you're Ms. Caoranach's parole officer, of sorts? Is that why she has to check in here all the time?"

[Straken]

Ruarc paused for a short while, visibly thinking following Drysi's recitation and following question. She had been spot on across the board, or at least almost. Careful observation would betray a fault in Ruarc's demeanor as a faint blush tinged the space between his eyes, just under his glasses.

"Uh, ahem well, um," the Irishman fumbled as he was now faced with his own personal relationship, and as such had no idea what to do or say. While he could of course lie about the matter, that felt disingenuous especially after his apprentice's own confession.

"Oh boy," the words sounded a bit resigned as he ran a hand through his hair, messing the combing up further. "In a sense, yes. That said, parole officer is a rough comparison. I was given the special assignment of subduing an entity that had escaped from an ancient gaol. Such assignments are left up to the Druid as to how they are handled, a la wanted dead or alive. The... encounter... was one of the hardest nights of my life; however at the end of it what I saw was not a monster, but a young woman who was lost, scared, and hunted. And I couldn't bring myself to strike her down; instead opting to seal the lion's share of her powers. Now this is where the comparison comes in, as the Council considers the matter unsettled. If Caoranach were to run off and start raising Hell, I would be held responsible, and punished accordingly. I gave her the benefit of a doubt, let her go and live her life as she chose, and she decided that was best spent harassing me over the years."

A slight smile grew on his face.

"Coming and going whenever she felt like it. We eventually shifted from adversaries to... being close."

Remembering himself, Ruarc cleared his throat.

"But that is irrelevant."

[Kokuten]

Urrrrt. Urt. Urt.

Ruarc’s apprentice inched her chair closer to him, hunched over her tea-cup with all three of her eyes wide. She looked as though she had just taken a hit from a barrel of sugar, and bounced in lightly as he finished.

“Are you serious!?” Drysi’s voice climbed, as her mind raced with the story she had just been told. “You two were enemies and now you’re… You’re…”

She squealed, kicking her legs as her face turned red. “I can’t believe it! You’re datin’ a fae! A fae you used to fight! That’s so romantic! It’s like an anime! Is that what it’s like to be a druid? You meet people, beastly beauties… in the wild... and you fall in love!? You get sent to foreign lands to fight beautiful people and get counseled by beautiful familiars!?”

It was quite evident to both parties that Drysi’s mind was racing with the possibilities, her eyes were glowing like green stars. A more mindful triclops would have caught themselves before they tipped off into a spiral. Although, it was difficult to be a more mindful triclops when one’s blood was pumping with caffeine and sugar. So, Drysi leaned into it, giving Ruarc the most expectant of looks as her brain spoke from her heart of hearts.

“Will my familiar be beautiful too? Like Ms. Laoise!? A shape-shiftin’ dove? Will I have a dove? A cute girl dove? It’s gotta be a dove. Am I also going to fight attractive fae women? Am I in danger of falling in love? Oh. What would Willow think? No… She’d probably fight them too.”

Drysi gasped.

“What if she falls in love with who she’s fightin’? Oh, I can’ have that. But… Would I care if I’ve already found my frenemy? What if we’re not meant to be. Oh god, we’re not meant to be, are we? Hell’s bells. Is that the lonely road I’ve picked? No. I’m getting ahead of myself, I don’ know…”

Drysi gasped again, which seemed dangerous, as she had yet to breath.

“What if they all like me? My lovely familiar lady, my pretty lady friend, and my beautiful fae enemy!? All at once!?”

Urt. Urt. Urt.

Scooting closer, her frantic visage stared up at him, looking for answers. “Is that something I should be preparing for!?”

[Straken]

Ruarc stared with stoic grace as the absurdity of his life was parodied by an overexcited teenager. As it turns out when his life was laid out like that it was all rather silly. Most druids, even most keepers, led rather straightforward lives. What he wouldn't have given to have been born in Luxembourg. Word was the keepers had been good friends with the duchy since the country's founding, or at the very least whenever Keeper Anika showed up to Circle meetings she dressed the part. As for his apprentice's expectations he was unsure what to say. The possibility certainly existed that everything could play out just as she fantasized, but there were a lot that could go differently.

"Prepare for everything, and you'll never be surprised," Ruarc encouraged. "You are free to prepare for exactly what you described, but at the same time you should prepare for the alternatives. My personal hope is that you have no enemies to begin with."

[Kokuten]

The words seemed to be a cool bucket of water, washing away the sugar-turning-caramel heat over Drysi's heart. Ruarc's calm, collected demeanor to her antics only seemed to illicit more fantasy in her mind, even though she could never imagine herself so collected. Yet, further still she cooled off as he conveyed his personal hopes for her in a future that all of the Menagerie were striving for.

By this point, she was nearly sitting next to him and considering what he had said. Again, her teacup took her attenion, and then, she brought her thumb to her mouth, biting on it as some emotional tremor shook her. When the feeling passed, she looked up at him with a steely intent that was not meant for someone her age.

"But I already have an enemy."

[Straken]

A stolid hand came to rest on Drysi's shoulder. Ruarc had shifted in his seat to better face his apprentice. He knew the situation to a degree, and it stood as one of the cause of any trepidation he had for training any student; Drysi to a greater degree. By default, training under Ruarc would bring Drysi closer to a number undesirable elements, many of which had ties to the very Order Drysi was studying under.

“Not if I have any say in the matter,” Ruarc said. He was unsure of how else to approach the matter, but if he had any say in the matter Alexei would be nothing but a footnote in Drysi’s history. Tightening his grip ever so slightly, the Irishman followed with a light pat before withdrawing his hand.