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Chapter Text

1

Amanda Loves Akko

"Miss Kagari, I, more than anyone, am very excited that you can finally fly a broom," Professor Nelson said.

"Thanks, professor!" Akko said.

"But that doesn't give you free reign to fly around at all hours of the night!"

Akko, who had been brimming with pride, wilted under the professor's scolding.

"Tch, come on, Nelson. She can get off the ground, but she has a lot of catching up to do," Amanda O'Neill said, lacing her fingers behind her head.

"And you think you're the one to help her, Amanda?" Nelson asked.

The flight grounds were dark, save for Nelson's lantern. Amanda's broom was tucked in the crook of her elbow while she stood tall and lithe and nonchalant. Akko was leaning against hers like an old woman with her cane.

Amanda felt a familiar mixture of irritation, anger, defiance, and shame. It was like this every time she and Professor Nelson went head to head. Usually it was the irritation that won out, but right now it was the anger. It was one thing to go after Amanda.

But Akko was off-limits.

"I'm the best flyer in the whole damn school. I'm better than the fourth years, I'm better than Diana, hell, I might even be better than you," Amanda said. She stood up straighter and gripped the broom like a warrior with a spear. Nelson stood steady and unblinking.

"You might be right, Amanda. I've already told you that you have more talent than your grandmother, and she was the best. But you're going to get yourself hurt, or worse, because you won't listen to me. The sad thing is that I've come to terms with that."

Nelson leaned forward. Amanda was taller than the professor, but Nelson felt fifty feet tall.

"I will not come to terms with the idea that you'll get Miss Kagari, or any other student, hurt because of your recklessness."

It took every once of willpower Amanda had to keep stone-faced. For the first time, the shame was winning. And the shame was turning into sadness as her favorite professor turned and picked up her lantern.

"Next time I catch either of you flying outside practice hours, I'm telling Hollbrooke."

Nelson held out a hand, and her broom rushed into her grip. She swung onto the handle, and was out of sight within moments.

Akko sighed.

"That was close," she said. Akko's shoulders were drooped forward, and she was leaning almost all of her weight onto the broom.

Amanda swooped in and held her close.

"You shouldn't have been so rude to Professor Nelson," Akko said. Her voice was muffled because Amanda was pressing her into her chest.

"I couldn't let her talk to you like that," Amanda said. She was suddenly very glad it was dark, and that Akko wasn't looking at her, because she had a feeling the blush on her cheeks was a bright as her hair.

Akko looked up at her. The moonlight twinkled in her eyes.

"Always my knight in shining armor. Always my protective prince."

"Shut up you big dork," Amanda said.

She leaned forward and kissed Akko.

--

That night at the flight grounds was two weeks after May Fair, the day that Akko finally learned to fly.

It was the last beautiful night Amanda had with Akko.

The next month and a half was a whirlwind. Amanda had planned to stay at Luna Nova over the summer break, but she got the message from home that Nana wasn't doing so well, and that she needed to head back. She and Akko had promised to keep in touch, to send emails and messages and texts and scrolls and enchanted memories sealed up in those tiny green bottles.

But Akko was Akko. Amanda only got two messages, and they were both corrupted because Akko hadn't done the spells right.

It was equal parts cute and annoying. Her helpless, reckless, little Akko.

Amanda rode her broom into the night sky and was cold. She never thought she'd have a chance to fly above the harbors at Martha's Vineyard, but now that Akko had restored magic to the world, there was more than enough power to take a little jaunt. She didn't even have to hide it - in fact, the few people that saw her cheered and waved and sent more magic into the air.

Amanda flew to the beach, then beyond it and over the waves. The ocean was a roiling expanse of ink beneath her.

She stood on the broom and looked down at the abyss.

If she slipped, that would be the end, she thought.

Amanda had gotten one last message from Akko. She received it about an hour ago. Amanda knew right away that something was different. This message was an enchanted scroll, a piece of parchment that unrolled itself and then magically created a quill pen that wrote out the message. Only the intended recipient, Amanda, could see what was written.

This was very delicate, very classy magic, Amanda had realized. Akko didn't know how to do that.

Dear Amanda,

I miss you a lot! Summer has been hard without you around. How was staying with your family? Is everything all right with your grandmother?

Don't worry about me. I've been staying with Diana the last few weeks, and we're having a great time.

When we get back to Luna Nova, let's have a long talk, okay?

See you soon,

Akko

A long talk.

That couldn't be good.

"See you soon," Amanda repeated, her words being carried by the wind. Not "love." Not "love you."

Just "see you soon."

--

It was Amanda who asked Akko out.

Her classmates were not surprised when word got out about Amanda pursuing Akko. After all, wasn't Amanda always so cocky? So dashing? So hot-blooded and reckless? Of course Amanda would go after what she wanted.

Of course Amanda would put herself out there.

But the truth was, it was a lot harder than it looked from the outside.

Amanda knew Akko was different since the day of the race. She had tamed the legendary broom, gone toe-to-toe with Amanda, and had a hot-blooded, indomitable spirit that Amanda found sexy and inspiring. If she could have dated her right then, she would have.

Except it's never that easy.

Is she straight? Bi? Lesbian?

This question weighed on Amanda for weeks. She watched Akko out of the corner of her eye whenever she could, looking for clues. Did she ever check out the other girls? Did she flirt or kiss any of them, even as a joke? Did anyone know anything about her past? Had she dated a guy before? A girl? Anyone?

The only hard evidence Amanda had was Andrew.

And all that went out the window after she and Akko snuck into Appleton Academy.  

Metamorphi vestes to look like a prince. A dashing sword fight with another young man to show her skill. Saving Akko from the clutches of a bunch of over-horny, repressed young men, to show her that men were overrated.

And Amanda had been right.

Maybe she had been hopped up on the adrenaline of defeating that enchanted set of armor. Maybe she had been a lot closer to death, and new that risks had to be taken.

Whatever the reason, she asked Akko to go on a date with her that night as they stood in the dormitory hallway.

And Akko said yes.

That yes was an impossible yes, to Amanda. She felt unstoppable at that moment. She was on top of the world. She had found this adorable young woman: confident and fiery and passionate and determined, but balanced with a tender, helpless quality that made Amanda want to take care of her forever.

And now, she was going to see her "soon."

And they were going to "talk."

Fuck.

--

"I'm going to lose her," Amanda said.

"What's that, dear?"

Amanda's whole body seized up, her eyes wide.

"Nana! I didn't know you were awake," Amanda said, hurriedly. "Are you okay, can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine, Amanda," her grandmother said, her words lilting with her Irish accent.

Nana was convalescing at her small cottage. It was one of Amanda's favorite places in the whole world. The cottage had been built by Nana and Grandpop on a tiny island off the New England coast, not too far from Martha's Vineyard. The island didn't show up on any map, and it was long ago enchanted so that passing sailors would just ignore the place.

Everything was made of rough hewn wood, either by Grandpop's two hands or Nana's magic. There were ancient books, drying herbs, a potion brewing table that would make Sucy drool with envy, and a strange curios cabinet with items of sentimental and magical importance. The walls had tapestries and paintings from Ireland, but mixed in with lots of New England décor: seashells, paintings of boats, that sort of stuff.

This was where Amanda had learn to ride a broom and cast her first spells. This was where Amanda had learned that she had come from a long line of cailleach, the Irish witches. This was where she felt most at home, where she could be comfortable with who she was.

Grandpop had died ten years ago. Nana was going to follow soon.

Amanda wasn't sure how she could live in a world without her.

"Who is it you're going to lose, Amanda?"

Amanda sat in a chair beside Nana's bed. She gripped her knees and felt herself folding over, trying to make her tall figure as small as possible. She hadn't told anyone in her family that she was gay. Not that it mattered. Nothing Amanda did was good enough for her parents, anyway.

What was one more disappointment?

"No one, Nana."

"Do you love her?"

This caught Amanda off guard. She sat up, looking over at Nana, whose eyes were green and twinkling, still full of mischief.

"I may be old, but I still remember what it's like to be a young woman in love. You've been sad and distracted since you got here."

"Sorry Nana."

"No need to be sorry, dear. I'm dying, there's nothing you can do about that, and you've given up your whole summer break to be with me. I can't ask for more. But enough about that, stop dodging the question. It's the Kagari girl, isn't it? What was her name, Aiko?"

"Akko," Amanda said. The name lifted her heart and spread a smile on her face.

"Ah, there it is. The smile of someone in love."

"I'm going to lose her, Nana."

"Why do you think that?"

"I just…am. After what happened, when Akko and Diana stopped the missile…it hasn't been the same."

"You stopped the missile too."

"Not like they did. Yeah, I helped, but I wasn't there at the end. I didn't wield the Shiny Rod. I didn't kill the beast."

"And you wish you had?"

"I…I don't know. I wish Akko hadn't done it with Diana. Ever since then, they've shared something that I don't understand. And now she's spent all summer with Diana at the Cavendish estate. I've only received one message from her, and it was that we needed to talk when we got back to Luna Nova."

"That does sound bad…"

"Nana!"

"I have to be practical, Amanda. And so do you."

"So I have lost her."

"You have, if you give up right here. Come here, dear."

Amanda stood and sat on the edge of her Nana's bed.

"Your Akko is quite the young woman, having found the Grand Triskelion, used the Claíomh Solais, and brought magic back to the world. But the most important thing she did was give the message of hope to the world: to chase your dreams and follow your heart. You should do the same."

"I do follow my heart," Amanda said, her voice edged with defensiveness and defiance.

"You sometimes follow your heart. And sometimes you follow your temper in order to protect your heart. You're sad that you might lose your Akko, and if you're not careful, by the time you get to Luna Nova you'll be angry about it. And in your anger, you'll do and say things to keep everyone believing that you're tough, even though your heart will be asking you to do something else."

Amanda wanted to argue. But Nana was right.

"Follow my heart and Akko will come back to me?"

"You don't even know that she's left you, dear. You're making a lot of assumptions, which comes from your insecurity," Nana said, pushing a finger into Amanda's arm. "But let's be practical. She might not come back to you."

"Then why bother?"

"Because when you get to be my age, the worst thing you can have is regret. You'll regret if you don't pursue her with all your heart, even if it ends in heartbreak."

Amanda's heart ached. But it felt better than the despair.

She might get hurt. But she wasn't going to quit now.

Not for her Akko.

"Nana, do you mind if I go to Luna Nova tomorrow?"

"I insist on it."

Chapter Text

2

The Everyday Musings of Akko Kagari  

"Ooohh, Luna Nova is going to be so boring in the summer!"

Akko Kagari slumped onto the cafeteria table, rattling the dishes. Normally, this would be when Sucy made fun of her and Lotte offered some kind words of support.

But nobody said anything.

That was a because there was nobody else there.

Final exams were over two weeks ago. Sucy left last week on some expedition for another rare mushroom. Lotte left yesterday to spend the summer with her family.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Lotte had asked. "My parents really like you, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"Thanks, Lotte! But I'll be fine. I have all summer to practice my magic and make up for lost time! I still have to work hard if I'm going to be a great witch!"

Akko had hugged Lotte beneath the emerald glow of the Sorceror's Stone, and the bespectacled witch lifted off into the Ley Line.

Akko hadn't been lying. She and Professor Ursula had a plan to spend the summer doing extra magic practice for a few weeks. Then, Amanda would be back halfway through the summer and the two of them were going to go on a trip somewhere. Akko had been hoping for the beach.

Except that Amanda's short trip back home had lengthened when her grandmother got sick.

And then Professor Ursula left too.

"I'm really sorry, Akko. But the Ordo Iuris Magicae is requiring me to give testimony about everything that happened."

Akko had met with a woman from the OIM, too, after she and her friends had stopped the magic missile, the Noir Rod. It had taken all day, but Headmistress Hollbrooke had been there to help and to protect Akko from the more aggressive questioning. In the end, the OIM decided that Akko was a hero to magic-kind, and had given her a commendation.

Akko kept the big shiny award on her wall next to the poster of Shiny Chariot.

"Why? I answered all the questions I could about the missile."

"It's…not just the missile, Akko. It's everything. Croix. The Shiny Rod. The Dream Fuel Spirit. The moon."

"What…" Akko felt the color draining from her face, and her heart filled with a sudden dread for her teacher and idol.

Professor Ursula existed in an odd space in Akko's mind. On the one hand, she was the caring mentor she had never had in her life, the woman who patiently guided Akko through the basics she should have learned long ago, the older sister or aunt that Akko never had.

But on the other hand, she was Shiny Chariot.

Her idol. The witch that inspired magic into Akko in the first place.

But she was also the witch that made Akko’s use of magic so difficult in the first place.

In Akko’s mind, there were three people: Shiny Chariot, Professor Ursula, and the Chariot du Nord who had stolen her magic, then did everything she could in her power to save her friend and set the world back again.

Akko had hoped that spending the summer with Professor Ursula would create a new person that Akko could look up to and trust.

“How long are you going to be gone?” Akko had asked.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’ll tell you as soon as I know.”

So that was it. No Sucy. No Lotte. No Professor Ursula. No Amanda.

Just Akko, alone at Luna Nova.

“Waaahh…” Akko moaned into the table.

“If you stay there any longer, you’ll get soup on your hair.”

Akko shot up, rattling the dishes again.

“Diana!”

Diana Cavendish stood with a haughty expression, looking down her nose with her cool blue eyes at Akko’s tray. Akko had put her head precariously close to the soup. There were also three pudding dishes, two empty, one slightly smudged.

“You have pudding on your ear.”

“Ack!” Akko rushed to clean it off with a napkin. Diana sighed and snapped out her wand. With a flick of her wrist, the dishes were surrounded by a green glow. They dutifully floated off to the cafeteria. Diana pulled the chair across from Akko and sat in it primly, her posture perfect, her legs crossed.

“Thanks for telling me, Diana. Hey, what are you still doing here? Are you going to stay at Luna Nova for the summer too?”

Akko made no attempt to hide the hope in her voice or her face - her eyes were as wide as saucers by this point. Diana let out another sigh, though this time it from smiling lips.

“No, I leave tomorrow. You’ve been to my home, Akko, you know I can’t leave it unattended for a whole summer. Not with how things have changed.”

“Oh, right.”

The memories of the Cavendish household came rushing back. Diana’s Aunt Daryl, her strange cousins Maril and Merril, and their tendency to trade on the Cavendish family name to fund their lavish lifestyle. Bringing Diana back to Luna Nova had been the first time Akko saw Diana as a real person, not just as the perfect future savior of all witchkind and magic.

 “How are things going over there?” Akko asked.

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure. With magic returned to the world, there is a lot to be done. I’m sure Aunt Daryl is going to find a way to use it to make as much money as possible, though I’m not sure how. She’s a trained witch, but she never took her studies of Beatrix’s arts very seriously. She always resented my mother for not monetizing her ability to heal. Ironic, since Aunt Daryl can’t heal at all.”

“So you’re going to go back and make sure it doesn’t happen?”

“I’m going to go back and see what’s going on and try to guide the situation as best I can.”

“Sounds tough.” Akko said, but after a moment gave a hearty nod and a huge thumbs up.  “But you can do it, Diana! I believe in you.”

A very strange moment settled between the two of them. Akko had expected Diana to reply…well, with something. Anything. Earlier in the year, she would’ve expected Diana to dismiss her encouragement as unnecessary. Lately, though, they had been getting along, and Akko would’ve expected her to graciously accept it.

Diana sat there, staring at her feet, her face completely unreadable. Akko held her thumbs up for a few more seconds.

“Diana? What’s wrong?”

“I…”

Akko watched as Diana looked up.

From the moment Akko had met her, Diana was a beauty. Her skin was so smooth and creamy, her eyes so icy and entrancing, and her blonde locks were soft and glamorous. But now, Diana was looking up at her with cheeks damasked red and white - the softest hint of a blush. Her eyes also glimmered with tears that had gathered around the edges.

“Akko,” Diana said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and started again, this time in full command of her speech: “Akko. If you’re not busy this summer, I was wondering if you would come with me. I…I’m not sure I can do it alone. And you were a big help last time.”

“What? Really?”

“Akko…please don’t make me ask you again.”

“Yes, yes, yes, of course I’ll go with you!” Akko threw herself across the table, arms wrapped around Diana. Diana stiffened at first, then gave in to Akko’s embrace.

Something new swelled in Akko’s heart. A longing to protect her dear Diana. A fierce sensation that…she couldn’t quite describe.

“Oh my gosh, I need to pack!” Akko said, leaping away from Diana. “I didn’t even do my laundry, waah, are you sure we have to leave tomorrow? Maybe we can wait an extra day so I can get all my stuff organized? And I need to send letters to Lotte and Sucy and Professor Ursula, and Amanda, and…”

“See you tomorrow, Akko.”

--

Chapter Text

3

Diana's Envy

As it turned out, Diana didn't have much cause to be worried.

Magic power was being restored all over the world thanks to the incident with the magic missile. In her worst nightmares and worries, Diana had thought of her Aunt Daryl hurling serpents at various aristocracy and celebrities, demanding money for protection against "Cavendish Curses."

"Diana, I'm so relieved you're here!" her aunt had swooned when she stepped off the boat. "Oh, and you brought along Miss Kagari. Even better."

Diana narrowed her eyes and did not lower her hood. She was shorter than Aunt Daryl, so the more threatening she could look, the better.

"What is it, Aunt Daryl?"

"Well, you've restored magic to the world, my dear."

"Akko did that."

"Well, you were there, and everyone saw that. And that's precisely why you're needed here."

Aunt Daryl descended from the top steps. Normally a woman impeccably dressed and accessorized, Diana's aunt had a frazzled aura about her. Yes, she wore an expensive dress, but her shoes were simple flats, her hair looked as if it had been done yesterday, and she wore no makeup at all, which betrayed the bags settling beneath her eyes. She even walked with a weary slouch that Diana had only seen in her most despondent, or drunkest, moments.

"You have brought great honor to the Cavendish name, and many, many people wish to discuss opportunities with…well, you."

Diana smiled. She lowered her hood and gave her golden locks a tousle.

"I understand. They won't speak to you, and now you're worried I'm going to kick you out of the manor."

"Please, Diana! Aren't I a Cavendish too?" Daryl said, hurling herself to her knees. "I still have the blessing of Beatrix, and I know all of these people! You've been at school, so you don't know how things have changed! I can still be useful to you, please!"

There was a cruel joy bubbling in Diana's heart. It would be beyond beautiful to do just what Daryl feared: throw her and her insufferable daughters out and take control of the family once and for all.

But Daryl had a point. She did know more about Witch Society at the moment. And she was a legal adult - sometimes these situations required regular legal contracts that Diana wouldn't be able to sign.

And, Diana realized, she wanted to go back to Luna Nova.

"You and I will set things up over the course of this summer," Diana stated, her head raising ever so slightly, her spine straightening. "And I expect to get regular updates, and for you to follow through on what we agree on. No more selling artifacts, no charlatan schemes, am I understood?"

"Yes, Diana, absolutely."

"Akko will need the guest room prepared. The one next to mine."

"Yes, Diana."

"Make what calls you have to. We will begin promptly tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Diana."

"And stay out of my way for the rest of the day. We're tired from traveling, and I want a quiet evening. Including dinner."

"Y-yes, Diana."

And with that, Daryl bowed and shuffled her way back up the stairs.

Diana let out a long breath and slumped forward.

"Diana, that was amazing!" Akko yelled, rushing off the boat. "It's like you were your old grumpy self back at Luna Nova!"

Diana managed a weak smile and turned to Akko. "Well, it went better than I thought. I guess she really needs me."

"Haha, I knew she wouldn't be a problem! Not after the way we beat her last time."

"Strictly speaking, Akko, we didn't beat her last time. I didn't complete the ceremony."

"Well, you know what I mean!" Akko pouted. Diana laughed.

"I do know what you mean." She paused a moment, and thought about the situation. "I…I'm sorry I brought you all this way. I guess I was worried for nothing. If you want to go back to Luna Nova-"

"Whaaa? You're throwing me out!?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I was simply saying that if you didn't want to stay…"

"Of course I want to stay! Geez, are you going to doubt my actions all the time? It's not like I just came to help you. I was going to be lonely at Luna Nova."

Diana felt a small blush rising on her cheeks, though she wasn't exactly sure why.

"Akko, you don't have to be so blunt…"

"Plus, the food here is really good! The last time we ate, the meal was super awkward, and I didn't get to finish my plate, and there wasn't a whole lot on it, to begin with, so I was actually really hungry that night, and-"

Diana shook her head and sighed again. But it was a dreamy sigh, accompanied with a smile.

"Akko…"

--

The thing that had irritated Diana most about Akko was her boundless enthusiasm.

Akko had declared her love for Shiny Chariot at every chance she had.

Akko blurted out spells, incorrectly, with bad pronunciation, at the top of her lungs.

Akko had stood with tears in her eyes, practically shouting at Diana to follow her dream of protecting the Cavendish House.

Looking at it now, though, Diana understood that it wasn't that she found Akko irritating.

She was jealous of her.

Jealous that Akko had managed to get to where she was without losing the same childlike wonder at the world that Diana had once possessed. Jealous that she got to love Shiny Chariot for as long as she did, while Diana had to hide it away in a box.

But that jealousy was gone now. They had been through an incredible ride together, and now they were…

Friends?

The two of them were out amongst the rolling fields that surrounded the manor. Akko was rushing around from wildflower to wildflower, examining each one with that same unbound enthusiasm. Akko was wearing a pair of brown shorts and a red tank top.

Diana put on a pale blue, sleeveless sundress with delicate embroidered lace along the hem of her skirt. The summer sun was enough to prompt Diana to put her golden locks into a ponytail. She sat on a folding chair that the servants had brought out for her. There was another chair for Akko, and between it, a small round table with refreshments. The footman had also set a large umbrella to provide shade and was standing nearby in case there were any other instructions.

Akko continued leaping from flower to flower.

"These are so beautiful! I've never seen so many wonderful flowers in one spot, it's like a painting."

Diana took a long sip of her lemonade. How Akko managed to leap around in the grass with most of her legs and arms exposed was beyond Diana, she would already be itching from top to bottom. Then again, Akko always had her skirt short at Luna Nova.

Too short, per the student handbook. Not that anyone ever called her out on it.

Of course, she wasn't the only one. Amanda had her skirt short too.

Amanda…

--

It was a Monday morning. Hannah and Barbara were waiting outside of Diana's room, talking a mile a minute.

"She told me that she saw someone sneaking out of Amanda's room. And you'll never guess who it was," Hannah started.

"Who?" Barbara asked.

"Akko."

"No."

"Yes!"

"But what about the other two?"

"The heavy one was back home for the weekend. Who knows where the little quiet one goes, it's like she vanishes for days at a time."

Diana had opened the door.

"What's going on?" Diana asked.

"Diana, you're never going to believe this," Hannah said, pushing Diana back into her room. Barbara followed close behind, and they shut the door.

"Akko was with Amanda all night. And I heard that they could be heard, if you know what I mean," Hannah said with a leer in her eye that was usually reserved for her discussions about Night Fall.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean at all," Diana replied, trying to look disinterested. She spoke in a tone that was well-practiced among the aristocracy; a tone that communicated "I know what you're talking about, but that topic is inappropriate and I do not wish to discuss it further." Maybe, if she were lucky, Hannah and Barabra would pick up on the meaning and-

"They were having sex," Barbara said.

So much for luck.

"Doesn't that figure? Akko and Amanda, the school's two disgraces," Hannah started.  

"The girl who isn't from a witch's family and the girl who barely counts. I mean, who counts an American anyway?" Barbara continued.

"And now they're gonna be dykes on top of it all? How sad for them."

"Enough!"

Both girls recoiled, clinging onto each other at Diana's shout.

"You may judge Ms. O'Neill and Ms. Kagari on their individual merits as witches and their ability to use magic, but I will not allow you to sully this school with such hateful judgment," Diana said. She felt six inches taller, and her voice resonated like commanding, imperious thunder.

"There is enough hatred and mistrust in the world. Judging someone for who they love, regardless of gender or identity, is wrong. I expected better of you girls, and I expect you to take a good long look at your hearts later and get rid of that hate."

"Y-yes, Diana," they stammered.

"I also expect that you will cease spreading this vile gossip and tell others to do the same. And while we're at it, that other witch's name is Jasminka, not 'the heavy one.' Am I clear?"

"Yes, Diana. Sorry, Diana."

Diana turned her back to both of them.

"It seems I have other matters to attend to. Go to breakfast without me."

And they did.

Leaving Diana to sort out her feelings, alone. Hearing Amanda and Akko were together had stirred something in her heart.

Something…angry?

Disappointed?

Envious?

--

That same confusing feeling Diana felt the first day she found out about Amanda and Akko as a couple had seized her heart.

Envy. She was not envious of Akko and her enthusiasm.

Amanda, who got to share quiet, special moments with Akko.

Amanda, who despite her brashness, boorishness, and uncouthness, had won Akko's heart.

Amanda, who got to see Akko…naked…

"Are you feeling okay, Diana? You look really flush," Akko said. Diana looked up, Akko's face mere centimeters from her own.

"I-I'm fine! It's just a bit warm out here," Diana said. She grasped her lemonade and took a deep drink. Akko plopped down into the chair next to her.

"It is a lot warmer here than last time," Akko said.

"You were hardly here a day, I'm surprised you remember what it felt like."

"I remember everything about that day," Akko said. Diana looked over to her.

Akko was staring off into the distance. Her eyes were, surprisingly, sad. She seemed far away right then, staring up into the sky.

"Akko?"

Akko shook herself and smiled bright again. "Say, you want to race back to the manor?"

Before Diana could reply, Akko was already rushing headlong down the hill. Diana stood and set her glass on the table.

"What was that about…" she said to herself. "What's going on in your head, Akko?"

Chapter Text

 Diana's feelings for Akko grew more complicated.

Diana's days were busy - in the mornings, she would rise early and head down to the ancient library of Beatrix, where she would spend a few hours repairing the damage years of neglect and brought on. She filed books, rescued them from the reflecting pool, and cast the Repair spell more times than she cared to think.

It seemed every day had a luncheon with an important person. Some were with government officials. Some were with members of the magic and witch world. Some were very wealthy doctors, interested in the possibility of rediscovering the magic of Beatrix, now that it had bloomed all across the world again.

Once the luncheons were concluded, she and Aunt Daryl would meet in the study and discuss what was talked about, draft a plan, and then document everything in triplicate - one for the library, one for Aunt Daryl, and a copy that Diana would take with her back to Luna Nova.

It was exhausting.

But the late afternoons and evenings were for Akko.

 Akko had let slip that she had planned to spend her summer training with Professor Ursula to improve her mastery of basic magic. Diana was all too happy to take up the slack. She had found her old notebooks, the self-made magic regimens that Diana had developed as a child to build up her magic strength.

Then she made Akko practice.

All morning.

Diana had to check on her pretty regularly. The girl was determined and hard-working, but not very patient. Most times she found Akko throwing her wand across the room, cursing in Japanese at how long it was taking her to master things like the protective barrier, the illumination spell, and even the simple sparkler spell that every witch child knew by the time they were seven.

But once or twice, she found Akko just staring at the wall.

Blank. Lost. Forlorn.

Diana was not a professor, but she felt she had enough understanding of Akko to know that she couldn't keep pushing her without a break. After all, how many times had Diana heard Akko's soft snores drifting through the lecture hall?

So they played the Shiny Chariot collectable card game.

"Ha, double damage, I win! That makes it 6 in a row for me!" Akko said.

Diana had the bakers work double time for new confections.

"Oh my gosh, Diana, what is this? I could eat a dozen, no, two dozen of them!"

They did magic for fun.

"Bluuuh, look at me, I'm a girl made of muuuuud," Akko said under the effects of the metamorphie faciesse.

And for those few hours a day, Diana felt like…well, a teenager. The cares of the world all melted away, and it was just her and her Akko, having fun.

Not my Akko, Diana corrected herself. Her heart belongs to another.

But it was hard to keep that in mind.

Akko had never ridden a horse before, so Diana had to take her riding. And Akko had specifically requested to wear the "cute thing you wore the last time we were here."

Diana ordered her a set of the riding gear she herself wore: men's style knickers, long socks, a matching coat, vest, and hat. She had it done in summer silk, so that they wouldn't melt out in the sunshine. For Akko, Diana had ordered red - the color that seemed to define every aspect of her personality.

Bold. Vibrant. Irrepressible.  

"How does it look?"

Diana was so stunned she let her jaw drop open.

Akko struck a chord in Diana's chest that she didn't know existed. Akko was still clearly feminine, in her unique hairstyle, in her soft features, in the modest swells of her body beneath the clothes. But that masculine energy that always simmered beneath her surface was brought out in the clothes.

"Diana?"

"It looks great, Akko. Really great."

Akko smiled, and Diana felt like melting.

--

It was 1:47 AM.

Diana had spent a long day in negotiations - one at lunch, one at dinner. She should have been exhausted, especially since these hadn't gone very well.

She stood on the balcony of her room, wearing soft white silk pajamas. The star-scarred moon was out in full force, bathing the estate in silver light. The unicorn horn swirled, an emerald beacon in a world of midnight blue.

Right before bed, she had knocked on Akko's door. But she wasn't in her room.

Diana searched throughout the manor, until she finally found Akko in the secret library of Beatrix. She was staring up at the old witch's statue, that same forlorn and heartbroken look on her face.

Diana didn't interrupt her. Instead, she had come back to her own room, and began standing on the balcony.

She'd been there for hours.

She told herself that it was because Akko needed help. Her friend was clearly hurting, and without Sucy, Lotte, or Amanda around, it was her duty to help.

It was a Cavendish duty to heal.

But not even Diana could make herself believe that for very long. She had spent the hours pouring over every memory she had of Akko.

Snatching her hand at the broom relay.

Watching her heal the ghost of Vajarois at Samhain.

Akko coming to her rescue in her very own home.

Diana finding Akko in the snow, her fiery spirit dampened, her skin ice cold.

That was it!

That was when Diana had seen Akko with that look on her face - when she had learned Shiny Chariot had consumed her magic, when Akko's whole world was falling in around her.

But what could be causing Akko that much pain now? It didn't make sense. She had done everything she set out to do: she had met Chariot, she had restored magic to the world, she had friends and a girlfriend.

What could be weighing on the heart of Akko Kagari, the girl with the indomitable spirit?

Diana shut her eyes. A single tear sparkled from each eye and splashed onto the stone railing of her balcony.

"I wanted to leave Luna Nova because I was envious of you. You were closer to Chariot than I ever could be," the words of her speech to Akko in the Last Wednesday Tea Room echoed back to her.

"That was a lie, wasn't it?" Diana said to herself. She took in a deep breath and looked up at the star-scarrd moon.

"It's time to face facts, Diana. Stop running from the truth," she scolded herself. "Speak the truth now. Put meaning into the words, and let them set you free."

She took a deep breath. She could feel magic stirring inside her, as if she were about to cast a spell.

"I love Akko."

She watched the world, waiting for something to change.

But nothing did.

Chapter Text

Summer Solstice

In the dream, Akko and Diana stood on the legendary broom, just as they had.

The world sparkled beneath them.

The moon glowed behind them.

And in the dream, Akko turned to Diana.

"Thank you, Diana. You made all of this possible," Akko whispered.

"Akko…" Diana whispered back.

Akko slipped a hand behind the witch's blonde locks, feeling the nape of her neck. She raised herself up on her toes, and tipped Diana's lips towards hers.

And then Akko would wake up.

She looked around the guest room at the Cavendish manor. The room was far too big and empty compared to the Luna Nova dormitories. A slash of silver moonlight cut through the window.

"That dream, again…" Akko whispered to herself. She reached around for a pillow and hugged it tight to her chest.

"What does it mean…?"

--

If Diana had hoped that confessing her love of Akko to herself would release her of it, she was very wrong.

It was worse.

It took everything Diana had to stop from stammering her words around her. It took tremendous self-control to not stare at Akko's legs whenever she walked by.

This was why she had never fallen in love before. It was so draining.

Akko was blissfully unaware of all of this. Diana wasn't sure if that was better or worse. If Akko had figured it out, they could at least have the "I have a girlfriend" talk and then be done with it. But as it was, Diana couldn't help but transform every little interaction with Akko into something meaningful.

Like when their hands touched when they both reached for the same book in the library.

Or when she fell asleep against Diana when they were watching a late night movie.

Or when Akko sincerely thanked Diana for helping her with the time reverse spell. Her hug was so tight, her eyes brighter than starlight, and her voice a trumpet of enthusiasm.

This was all preposterous. She was a Cavendish, she had to get control of herself and these feelings before she did something she would regret. Or before they consumed her entirely.

If a confession to herself wasn't strong enough, then perhaps a confession to Akko would do. Rip off the bandage. Make a clean break.

The Summer Solstice would be ideal.

The Cavendish Estate was an old, old thing that operated much like other English estates: the mass of land the Cavendishes owned was rented out to the local people for their farms and for the little village that was nearby. Of course, much of it had been sold off in recent years to keep the Cavendish coffers full, but there was still a strong sense of community between the Cavendish family and the little village of Rosterham.

"A festival!?" Akko said, the delight rising in her voice. They sat at breakfast, with steaming cups of tea and fluffy Belgian waffles sitting between them.

"Yes. The Summer Solstice is very important for witches, and Rosterham has a very close relationship to Cavendish manor, even after all these years. It's a great festival, with food and music and dancing. In the old days, there was a ritual performed by a Cavendish to honor the sun. Of course, the power of the sorceror's stone here at the manor wasn't strong enough to reach Rosterham."

"But now that magic flows freely through the world…?" Akko was leaning on the edge of her seat now, hands planted on the table, practically leaping out of it. Diana smiled.

"Yes. I think I can perform the ritual. And I wanted to know if you could help me."

"Yes, of course I will! That sounds amazing!"

"Splendid. But it is a complicated ritual, Akko, so we will need to practice-"

"Don't worry about a thing, you can count on me! I'm gonna work hard!"

As if to prove how hard she can work, Akko sat back down and gobbled her waffles at a breakneck pace.

Diana let out a little giggle.

--

"We are here to honor the life-giving sun, a blessing of nature that gives to all life," Diana said.

"Let us not forget the many bounties you have brought us when the winter comes," Akko said.

"Let our crops be bountiful, and our families fed," Diana said.

"Let us enjoy the beauty of the rolling hills," Akko said.

They had both been speaking solemnly, their wands held up to their noses. Now they both swirled their arms in wide circles, while the ends of their wands glowed green, then yellow.

"Solari honorium!" the witches said in unison, poiting their wands to the space between them.

A massive ball of light appeared, then exploded all around them. Heat and pressure waved over the girls. Diana drew up her hood to hide her face, and immediately breathed a protective spell around her. A moment later the light cleared.

Akko didn't get her protective spell up. She was crumpled on the floor.

"Akko!"

"I'm okay…" Akko raised a feeble thumb into the air. Diana dropped her shield and rushed over to Akko, helping her to her feet.

"Sorry, Diana."

"It's a very gentle spell, Akko, but a steady one. You must direct the energy continuously, but evenly. Too little, and the sun will not appear. Too much and…well, that happens."

"Aw…" Akko said, her head drooping low.

"It's all right, we'll try again. It's difficult, the spell calls for three witches. Considering that, we're doing very well."

"Yeah. It's too bad Amanda's not here," Akko said, dusting off her legs. The statement struck Diana straight through the heart, and she felt herself frozen in a block of jealousy and hurt.

"What…?" Diana found herself saying.

"She'd be good at this. Well, she'd probably say it was stupid and boring, but I'd convince her to help."

"You are quite good at convincing people to go along with your plans," Diana said, trying to joke, trying to sound cool and indifferent.

"This is your plan!"

"True, true," Diana said. "How about a break?"

"But the festival is tomorrow!"

"I think it'll be just fine. Believing in yourself is your magic, after all."

--

The Summer Solstice festival felt like the date Diana would never have with Akko.

The little village of Rosterham was about as old as the Cavendishes themselves, and the festival was always held in the old village square.

Akko's face lit up with wonder when they first saw it.

"It's like going back in time!" Akko gasped.

And it was. Many of the buildings were very old, and many people wore traditional clothes to celebrate. There was a maypole set up in the nearby field, and a steady stream of young people danced around it. A jaunty band played on old handdrums, chirping flutes, and strummed on lutes, filling the air with music that made Diana's heart beat a little faster and made her toes tap a little.

"Wow oh wow, this is amazing! We should do something like this at Luna Nova, it would be totally fantastic. I want everyone to experience this!"

"I'm glad you like it," Diana said, sincere. She had worried the whole thing would come across as dinky and quaint. But maybe that was just because Diana had been to it so many times before.

"Wow, look, a whole turkey leg!" Akko said as they passed their first fair food vendor.

"I can't believe they're cooking that at 10 o'clock in the morning, who would be interested in eating-"

"I'll take one, please!"

Akko was already chewing it by the time Diana turned around.

There were a number of local artisans who had booths set up all around. The two girls strolled from one booth to the other. Akko was once again clad in shorts and a tank-top, though she had a sun visor on over the brunette waterfall that was her hair. Diana, who was well-known to the village, had to keep up appearances, and wore a cyan blue sundress with a dark indigo ribbon that tied around her waist. She held a parasol primly over her head.

Villagers sometimes stopped her to pay their respects, or say hello, or to thank her for stopping the missile crisis. It seemed rude to accept these things with Akko around, especially since the last one was mostly Akko's doing, but every time Diana turned to introduce her, Akko was doing something else.

Like sitting at the kid's table, making a beaded necklace.

Or looking for a hand-carved wooden sign with her name on it. (She didn't ifnd one - not a lot of "Akkos" or "Atsukos" in England.)

Or volunteering for the street performer who asked her to stand on a bucket while he draped a snake around her shoulders.

Akko had the biggest smile on her face the whole time.

"Hey Diana, what do you think of henna tattoos?"

"I have mixed feelings about it. I understand the desire to adorn yourself with mystical markings of the solstice, but henna isn't exactly very English. The plant only grows in tropical climates like India, so to be quite honest there's a bit of an Imperialist bent in using henna. So I suppose I'm not a big fan."

"Oh."

Diana looked at Akko to see her awkwardly bending her legs.

"Akko?"

"Hehe…don't be mad."

She showed her left leg. It had a long henna tattoo of vines crawling between a very long celtic knot. It ran from her upper thigh all the way down to her ankle.

Diana laughed.

"It looks good," she said. Akko let out a breath of relief.

"Sorry, I guess I should've asked first."

"You certainly don't need my permission to get a henna tattoo."

"It's a good thing I was wearing shorts. The robes will cover it up later for the ceremony."

"Yes, it will." Diana said, taking another long look at Akko's legs. A question leapt into Diana's mind and out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Why do you wear such short skirts all the time?"

"Huh?"

"It's just…you modified your uniform. And now you have these very high shorts."

"Oh no, am I breaking some sort of rule?"

"No, not at all," Diana said. "I'm just curious."

Akko shrugged. "They're my best feature, why not show them off? I don't have a lot else going for me."

She gestured at the rest of her figure.

"Don’t sell yourself short, Akko. I think you're lovely."

What on earth are you doing, Diana, get a grip! She has a girlfriend!

"Thanks, Diana."

They moved on, mercifully, to a booth that sold silver jewelry with semi-precious stones. Akko found a set of earrings, and was trying them on, peering at a small mirror the vendor hung on the pole.

"What do you think?" Akko asked. The earrings were delicate bits of silver, shaped into the shape of the big dipper.

The Claíomh Solais.

The Shiny Rod.

"It's a nice piece," Diana said. Akko glanced in the mirror, then slipped them off. She went over and paid for them, and the earrings were put into a thin paper bag.

It was afternoon now, and it was finally time for Diana to eat. She let Akko convince her to skip going to one of the cafes and instead buy a couple of berry tarts and iced tea. It wasn't much of a proper lunch, but Diana was going to live a little today.

They found a tree to sit under and eat. Akko finished first, to nobody's surprise. Diana noticed that the earrings were sitting in their thin brown bag, laying between them.

"Aren't you going to wear your earrings?"

"Nah. My ears stick out too much to wear earrings. I don't have the kind of face that can pull off the dangly kind."

"Then why did you buy them?"

"For someone who looks great in earrings."

Diana tried to picture Amanda wearing earrings. But before she could, Akko reached over and tipped the earrings into her hands. She leaned over and brushed Diana's hair over her shoulders.

One at a time, in slow, gentle, intimate motions, Akko put the earrings on her.

"There. That looks perfect."

"Akko…I don't know what to say."

"You could say thank you," Akko suggested.

"Yes, thank you. But you didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to."

Akko smiled. Diana smiled.

Diana was going to get her heart broken by this girl.

--

Sunset.

It was finally time for the ceremony.

Diana had procured a couple of traditional witch's cloaks made of golden cotton and boldly embroidered with red thread. They both wore golden yellow witch's hats with a short brim and squat point, much like the one Chariot used to wear at her shows.

The square was packed. Everyone was watching Diana and Akko on the humble stage.

"Hello, people of Rosterham. The time for the Summer Solstice is nearly over."

Cheers erupted from the crowd. Someone yelled "we love you Diana!"

"As a final thanks to the sun and all it provides, we will be performing the Solstice Ritual for the first time in four hundred years."

The crowd cheered. Akko walked to one end, Diana the other. They drew their wands.

Diana took a deep breath and made eye contact with Akko.

She winked.

It was all the courage Diana needed.

"We are here to honor the life-giving sun, a blessing of nature that gives to all life," Diana said.

"Let us not forget the many bounties you have brought us when the winter comes," Akko said.

"Let our crops be bountiful, and our families fed," Diana said.

"Let us enjoy the beauty of the rolling hills," Akko said.

Once again, the witches drew circles with their wands. The tips turned from green to yellow.

"Solari honorium!"

The spell ignited.

A perfect globe of yellow light appeared between them. A miniature sun, warm and round and ever-present.

Akko had done it! She had used just the right amount of magical power. The delicacy of such a spell was so difficult, and without the third witch to provide stability, the two of them had to be in perfect synch! This was incredible, this was -

"That's it?" someone called out from the crowd.

Diana's heart sank. She turned to look. Everyone else looked unimpressed as well.

Panic seized her. If the village no longer thought the Cavendish family could use impressive magic, would they turn against them? Had she just brought about the downfall of her family's house?

"Do some more!"

"Do the missile thing!"

"Turn into a llama or an elephant or something!"

Diana gripped her wand tighter. There were other things she could do, more spells she could cast, but she couldn't remember any of them. Her whole mind was blank. Her vision became cloudy, and it was suddenly hard to breathe.

"Hey everyone!"

Akko!

She stood in the front of the stage, striking one of Shiny Chariot's showwoman poses.

"Didn't you hear what Diana said? The sun is magic! It provides light and life to all of us!"

Akko flourished her wand.

The sun broke apart into hundreds of tiny suns, floating in a cloud of light. The murmurs in the crowd hushed. Every eye was on the new cloud of light.

Akko spun in place, flourishing wand, cloak, and her beautiful hand. The lights spun around with her.

"Each of you should receive the sun's blessing!"

The sunlight fragments zipped into the audience, hovering mere centimeters in front of each person.

"You should wear it proudly on your sleeve! Metamorphie vestes!"

The sunlight pressed onto the clothing of every person in the square. It grew and twisted into a copy of Akko's tattoo: a cletic knot with vines growing along it. Everyone now had clothes adorned and embroidered with twisting sunlight.

People took out their phones to take pictures.

The rest stared in amazement and delight.

"And remember that the promise of the sun is the promise of new life! Slonhon Deance!"

The sunlight vanished into poofs of smoke on everyone's clothes. Now rising out of their clothing was wildflowers.

The same wildflowers Akko had been looking at back at the Cavendish manor.

"Now give a big thank you to Ms. Diana Cavendish for bringing us together for the ceremony today! Didn't she do great?"

Everyone cheered.

Diana bowed, courteously.

"It's time for us to go now, but always remember…believing in yourself is your magic!"

Akko gave a glance to Diana. She knew what to do.

They both struck their wands at the ground and they were surrounded by smoke and light.

Diana gave a command and her broom swooped in.

They grabbed onto it and rose above the stage before the smoke cleared.

And everyone was cheering.

Chapter Text

It was nearly midnight.

Diana stood at her mirror, staring at herself. Aside from her silky white night dress, all she wore were the earrings Akko gave her.

What a day. What a night!

Akko's magic had been so incredible it left her heart pounding. Just like when she had seen Shiny Chariot's show so many years ago.

Except her heart also ached with a longing she had never before felt.

It was such a delightful pain. On the one hand, she hated she was in love with a girl she couldn't have. On the other, it was so wonderful to feel such deep feelings for someone else. Diana had spent a lot of her life closed off, especially after her mother died.

Akko was opening her heart, even if it meant that she would hurt it.

The moonlight caught the earrings, and they twinkled.

She had to say something to her, right now. She knew it was the middle of the night, and more than likely Akko would be asleep, but she couldn’t wait any longer. Better to get this out in the open, and let what fate happen what may.

Diana stepped through her door and walked one over, to Akko's room. She didn't even bother knocking, but instead quietly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"A-"

Diana stopped herself before she said her full name.

Akko was sitting by the window. She wore a pair of shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Her hair was completely down. The henna tattoo was visible on her left leg.

She was crying.

Her fists were balled on her leg, her face screwed into a look of absolute pain. Her petite frame shook with each sob.

Tears fell to the floor, sparkling in the moonlight.

"Akko!" Diana said, rushing across the room.

"D-Diana?" Akko sat up straight and started wiping her face with the back of her fists. "W-what are you doing up?"

"Akko what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Akko said, forcing a big smile on her face. Diana felt a sudden surge of emotion - yes, she felt incredible worry for Akko, but something else came rushing through her.

Anger.

"Don't lie to me, Akko Kagari. Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I haven't noticed how you sometimes space out? How you look up at the sky and are a million miles away? Do you think I haven't noticed the pained looks you have when you think I'm not paying attention?"

Diana felt herself rising to her full height, standing fierce and imperious over the crying girl.

"Does our relationship mean so little to you that you would lie to me in your lowest moments?"

"D…Diana!"

Akko flung herself from the chair and into Diana's arms. Diana held Akko fiercely, holding her as close as she could. The tears erupted again, hot against Diana's chest. Slowly, the two sunk to the ground. Diana cradled Akko and let her cry as long as she wanted.

Minutes later, Akko had calmed down a bit. Diana held her head in her lap and stroked her hair. It was so silky. Diana cherished the sensation of it passing between her fingers.

"I miss it," Akko whispered. Diana thought about that for a moment.

"The Shiny Rod…" Diana said. Akko nodded.

"I know it's stupid to miss it."

"It's not stupid," Diana said.

"Yes it is. It was never mine. I knew that the whole time I had it. And when it disappeared, after we opened the Grand Triskelion…I knew it was time for it go, until someday it's needed again. I understand all of that. But I still…"

Akko sat up.

"When I first started at Luna Nova, I was so bad at magic. But the Shiny Rod, it showed me that I could do amazing things. It helped keep me going. And even though I'm a lot better at magic now, every once in a while, I want to reach for it, look at it, think about the 7 Words of Arcturus…and then I realize it's gone. And the pain of losing it happens all over again. And I wonder…"

Akko turned to look Diana in the eyes.

"We did an amazing thing together with the Shiny Rod. We brought magic back to the world! And I wonder if I'll ever do something great ever again, or if it was all because of the Shiny Rod. I wonder still if I'll ever be a great witch…"

Diana nodded thoughtfully.

She had only used the Shiny Rod a fraction of the amount of times Akko had - to fly to Beatrix, to fly to the missile, and then to use the Shiny Arc. It was a thrilling amount of magical power, Diana had to admit. She could also understand why only those of the purest intentions, like Chariot and Akko, had been given that power.

For Diana, it had also been a dream come true to fly on Chariot's broom and use the Shiny Arc. And now that she thought of it, she was grateful for the experience, and also sad that it would never happen again.

No wonder Akko was so despondent.

"Believing in yourself is your magic," Diana whispered. Akko looked back up at her.

"Akko, your performance at the ritual today was amazing. You used multiple spells, correctly, on a large crowd. And you were blending and moving from spell to spell, smiling and entertaining. You were just like Chariot tonight."

Akko blinked several times, looking bewildered.

"I didn't think it was that great…"

"It was. I was frozen up there. You saved me and the ritual, and you helped people fall in love with magic. You're already pursuing your dream, and you've only been studying magic for a year. By the time we graduate, you'll be even more amazing. I know, deep down in my heart."

Fresh tears came to Akko's eyes, but they were not tears of grief. They were happy tears, accompanied with the smallest, cutest smile Diana had ever seen.

"Diana…thank you."

The two girls sat in the moonlight, staring at each other.

"And it's okay to feel sad about losing the Shiny Rod. It's not okay to bear the pain alone. Whenever you need to, lean on me. I'll comfort you."

"Diana…"

Diana knew she should stop. But her hands were already on Akko's body - one at the small of her back, the other up by her cheek.

Her fingers slipped to behind Akko's neck.

She leaned forward, and kissed her.

It was her first kiss, and she wasn't sure she did it right. Akko's lips were soft and salty from the tears, and in the first moment, Akko was completely rigid. A flash of panic hit Diana - should she stop? Did she not like it? What had she done?

But then Akko leaned into it, shutting her eyes, and letting out a soft sigh of pleasure.

Diana drew back. Her head was swimming, her heart was pounding. That was the most marvelous thing she'd ever done in her life.

"Akko, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

Akko grabbed Diana by the shoulders and pulled her in for a second kiss.

Then a third.

And a fourth.

--

3:26 AM, according to the digital clock beside Akko's bed.

Diana felt more alive than she ever had in her entire life.

She stood up, now completely naked except for the earrings.

Her body felt…different. She didn't truly know how much pleasure could be felt within it, how exhilarating it was to share it with another person.

And Akko had been…skilled.

She turned and looked at her petite, sleeping figure. Akko had taken the lead through the whole experience. That made sense, she'd had sex before. She knew how to drive Diana into a haze of ecstasy and delight, knew how to bring her to climax - something Diana had never experienced before.

She was also a patient teacher, when Diana fumbled her way through using her hands and mouth on Akko's body. She was so kind and encouraging.

And Diana had felt an incredible level of accomplishment when Akko had an orgasm.

Diana suddenly found herself with a handful of questions she'd never asked before. How many times did they have sex? Did they count each orgasm as a "time", or was it all one time because they were entwined in bed with each other for three hours? Did they both have to have an orgasm to count it as sex? Did she even need to "count" it?

She took a deep breath and sighed.

It didn't matter. She knew what it was like to be with Akko. Even if it meant, like losing the Shiny Rod, that she would ache with the memory of its loss, she felt better for it.

Diana looked around for her nightgown. It had been pulled off so long ago, she forgot where it had been tossed.

"Diana? What's wrong?"

Akko was leaning up on her elbows. She looked so wonderful in the moonlight, her breasts artfully shadowed by her silky brown hair, the curves of her shoulders so strong and supple. When Diana thought about it, Akko had so often done incredible things with just her body - tamed a legendary broom, fought toe to toe with Croix and didn't immediately lose, ran and lifted and threw and carried so many things she shouldn't have.

Akko was strong, despite her deceptively tiny frame.

Diana knew that first hand now. Especially when at one point she had picked Diana up without a second thought and sprawled her on the bed.

"No, nothing at all. That was wonderful." Diana finally found her nightgown and picked it up off the ground. "But…I was in the wrong to do this. I took advantage of your emotional state. There are proper ways to go about this - I should have asked you on a date, discussed the level of comfort you had in engaging in sexual activity, and then made sure you were ready to consent to-"

"Diana."

Diana turned to Akko. Akko was smiling.

"Come back to bed."

Diana did.

--

The next weeks were wonderful.

Yes, there was still the stress of negotiating and dealing with her Aunt Daryl. Yes, Akko was still frustrated when she continued to practice spells.

But their evenings were way more fun.

And it wasn't just the sex, though that was delightful.

It was the freedom Diana felt around Akko. The freedom to hold her hand or give her a hug. The freedom to make jokes, and to not worry about how every interaction was meant to be interpreted.

They watched old videos of Chariot's show on YouTube.

They went on a two-day shopping and sight-seeing trip to London.

They went horseback riding. They went broom riding.

Akko spent almost every night in Diana's bed. She was so warm and cuddly.

And yet there was still a certain amount of uncertainty that Diana struggled with. Was this a relationship, or just a summer fling? Did this qualify her as a lesbian? Diana had never thought too much about her sexuality before, or a label to put on it.

She spent early mornings online, Googling all of this. Apparently, lesbians being a relationship without defining it as a relationship was a common problem.

And not one Diana was going to stand for.

The two of them were indulging in a bit of fun: they were both wearing fancy ball gowns and dancing together in the manor's ballroom.

The music was playing from Diana's laptop, and there wasn't anyone else around. The room was lit by floating candles from a spell Diana cast. Akko's dress didn't quite fit - Diana was taller, so she looked as if she were going to spill out of it at any moment.

Not that Diana would have minded.

And Akko didn't know how to ballroom dance, so Diana taught her. Soon, they were gliding around the floor, their gowns swishing and flourishing.

"Akko…what are we?"

"Huh?"

"Is this…a relationship?"

Akko grinned slyly. "Are you asking to be my girlfriend?"

Diana felt a blush rush into her pale cheeks. "Well, I, uh, you don't have to be so blunt, I was just wondering if, I mean, did you think about what any of this - "

Akko kissed her.

"Sure, I'll be your girlfriend."

Diana felt relief.

"We can tell Amanda next week when we go back to school."

Diana frowned, but let it go. We? Did she want Diana to be there when she broke up with Amanda?

It was an odd request, but she would fulfill it.

Anything for her Akko.

Anything at all.

Chapter Text

Greedy Akko

"Tia Freyle…Duo!"

Amanda slashed with her wand as if she were cutting down an enemy with a sword. Green bubbles of light percolated from the end of the two brooms that lay on the ground. She held her breath and her focus, directing all of her hopes and energy into this one spell.

They both twitched. They wiggled.

And they both lifted off the ground.

"Yes!" Amanda pumped her fist into the air.  This was just the beginning of the best and most awesome advancement in her magical ability. If she could move two brooms at once, imagine what kind of flight tricks she could do. Hell, what if she did three? Ten? A hundred?

"O'Neill," came Professor Nelson's brusque voice. Amanda jumped, startled, and lost her focus. Both brooms fell to the ground.

"Oh. Hey, teach," Amanda said, trying to regain her composure from being scared.

"You come back a week and a half early to school, there's hardly another person here, and you've spent all of your time working on the multiple flight spell?"

"What's it to you? I was just bored is all. Plus if I can use more brooms, think of all the tricks I could do."

"Easy, O'Neill," Nelson said, holding her hands up in surrender. "I'm not here to pick a fight. I'm actually here to apologize."

Amanda's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Yeah. I've been too hard on you. You're a talented flyer, and I've been…overzealous in making sure you fly safe."

"Uh." Amanda wasn't sure how to take this, or if Nelson was serious. "Okay. Well. That's all right, you were just doing your job."

"My job is to teach people to be the best flyers they can be. And yeah, for first years, that means safety. But you've been flying well above a first year since the minute you got here. I just…think we need to start over. There's a lot I can teach you, if you're willing."

Amanda crossed her arms and regarded the flight instructor for a long moment.

"This is about my Nana, isn't it? Feeling guilty?"

Nelson frowned, crossing her arms. "It's not guilt. It's gratitude."

"Huh?"

"Your grandmother was an instructor here at Luna Nova for a short time. She taught me how to fly better, and I was always grateful for that. When you showed up, I figured the best I could do for you was to teach you discipline…but I can see that you have your grandmother's spirit. If I don't teach you the advanced flying moves, you're going to figure them out on your own. You might get hurt if you do that. And I might as well save you the time."

Nelson took a step forward and offered a hand.

"So what do you say, O'Neill?"

Amanda hadn't heard about this stuff before. She didn’t know Nana had taught at Luna Nova, she didn't know she knew Nelson. But it all made sense. And besides, she wasn't doing anyone any good by making enemies with the flight professor. She had already decided she was going to stop trying to get kicked out.

Might as well make the best of it.

"I'm in," Amanda said, taking the professor's hand. They shook.

"Amanda! Amanda! Amanda!"

Amanda turned around. A squat little Stanbot was jumping up and down, chirping away with its tinny voice.

"Akko is here!" The Stanbot declared. Amanda felt her heart leap into her throat. She grabbed one of the brooms.

"Gotta go, Teach, I'll see ya later! Tia Freyle!"

"Go slower on school grounds, O'Neill!"

--

Amanda skid the broom to a halt on its bristles.

She didn’t dismount. Instead, she hung there, legs wrapped around the broomstick like a pole dancer, gripping it with one hand and leaning out to look at the scene.

Akko.

Her Akko was already dressed in her uniform. Luggage lay around her feet, along with her broom. Her eyes were wide and her smile bright.

But there was something else. Diana Cavendish.

Diana had her luggage, her uniform, her broom. And she was standing very close to Akko .

"Amandaaaaa!" Akko yelled, throwing her arms wide. As she rushed to hug her, Amanda got off the broom and swung the bristle end toward Akko. Akko skid to a halt.

"What's going on, Akko?" Amanda demanded. Akko looked confused. Diana looked down at her feet, refusing to meet the glance that Amanda threw her way.

"I'm just excited to see you, that's all! I missed you! I'm sorry I didn't send more messages, but I got a little confused on the messages that I sent, and then you sent one back and I tried to open it but somehow it caught on fire instead, and then-"

"What's she doing here?" Amanda demanded, gesturing to Diana with her broom.

"Oh! Right, the good news!" Akko beamed. "Over the summer, Diana and I got a lot closer, and it turns out that we have really deep feelings for each other. So she's my girlfriend!"

Even though she was expecting it, Amanda still felt the gut-punch of emotion deep in her heart. Diana looked up now, a look of quiet determination set on her delicate face. If before Diana had seemed apologetic, she certainly wasn't now. The look felt more like "I regret how it happened, but I don't regret the results."

"I see. Yeah, that makes sense. I saw it coming," Amanda said, using every ounce of willpower she had to make it sound like she didn't care. Amanda set the broom her on shoulders and leaned back on it. "You're lucky, Diana, Akko was damn clueless on how to have sex before I met her. Enjoy the fruits of my teaching."

She spun the broom around and sat on it. "Guess I'll see you two around."

"Huh? Where are you going?" Akko asked.

This caught Amanda off-guard. She frowned.

"She's your girlfriend, so I'm leaving," Amanda said.

"But…I want you to be my girlfriend too! I still love you too, Amanda!"

"W-what!?" Amanda stared at Akko. Her eyes were wide and sincere and filled with confusion. Amanda looked to Diana, who looked shocked and confused.

"Diana and I have a deep connection that I can't ignore, but you and I have one too! You're still really special to me. I want you both."

"Akko…!" Diana said, her pale cheeks turning rosy. Akko looked back and forth between her two girlfriends, realization settling on her.

"Oh no…do you two not like that idea? Oh no, oh no, I've ruined everything haven't I…I'm going to have to choose…"

Amanda's heart was on fire with anger. Akko wasn't going to have to choose, because she was going to choose for her. This was over. There was no way, no way, that she was going to play mistress, especially to an uppercrust aristo-brat like Diana Cavendish! Fuck that! She'd find a way to get back at Akko too, while she was at it. Maybe she'd sleep with Sucy or Lotte, or even that stuck up Andrew. Maybe she'd steal the hearts of Hannah or Barbra, and then they'd all realize they'd messed with the wrong badass bitch!

"You sometimes follow your heart. And sometimes you follow your temper in order to protect your heart…"

Nana's words echoed in Amanda's ears as if she were right there speaking to her.

"And in your anger, you'll do and say things to keep everyone believing that you're tough, even though your heart will be asking you to do something else."

Amanda shut her eyes and took three long, deep breaths.

"Amanda?" Akko said.

"Shut up a second."

Her heart. Nana said her heart would want something, and it might be different than her pride and her temper. Right now she was hurt, because she wanted Akko all to herself. She didn't want to share Diana.

No. That wasn't it.

It was more…she was intimidated by Diana. She didn't think she could keep up with Diana, measure up to Diana, be anything to Akko that Diana could be to her.

But if she removed that hurt, what was it her heart wanted? What did she still need, and desire, at the end of the day?

Akko.

Loud, annoying, tiny, sexy, lovely, tender, inspiring, screw up, Atsuko Kagari.

And what would Amanda do to be with her?

For now, she'd do anything. Anything in the world.

Even share her?

"I love you, Akko," Amanda said, eyes still shut. She heard Akko gasp. "I want you to be happy."

Amanda opened her eyes and stared straight into Akko's.

"If you think having two girlfriends will make you happy…then okay. I don't know if it'll work. I don't know if I can handle it. But I'll try, for you."

"I love you too, Akko!" Diana declared. The other two girls turned to face her. She stood tall, imperious, but different than Amanda had seen her before. Not aloof and above it all, but powerful and determined. "And…if that makes you happy, then I am also willing to try. For now."

"Yay!" Akko rushed forward and grabbed Amanda's hand, then pulled her back to grab Diana's. Akko pulled the two girls together, sandwiching herself in the center.

"I have the best girlfriends in the entire world!"

"Tia Freyle."

Akko yelped as Amanda pulled her skyward, Amanda sitting on the broom with Akko sitting her lap. Diana looked bewildered.

"Hey, I'm willing to try this sharing thing, but you did just have her all summer," Amanda said, flashing her wiliest grin. "So I'm going to take her for a bit."

She didn't wait for Diana's response, and instead, zipped across the sky back to the Luna Nova dormitories.

--

11PM.

Amanda stretched and yawned and glanced at herself in the mirror. Man, she was hot. She glanced over her shoulder, at the still shaking form of Akko beneath her bedsheets.

Amanda had devoured Akko when they got back to the dorm room. Fortunately, Jasminka and Constanze had cleared out - Amanda had a feeling that maybe they knew what was in store for tonight. Akko was still panting.

"How was that, babe?" Amanda said, putting her arms above her head, leaning against the wall. Amanda was still fully nude, and she felt like some sort of sexy model posing like that for her girlfriend.

"Waaah…" was all Akko could manage.

"Hell yeah," Amanda said, doing a finger gun and winking at Akko. Amanda opened a drawer and pulled out some chips from Jasminka's stash, tore open the bag, and started munching. A few minutes later, Akko had recomposed herself enough to sit up and eat some chips too.

"I missed you," Amanda said, surprising herself with the softness of her voice.

"I missed you too." Akko leaned her head on the taller girl's shoulder, and Amanda felt her heart bloom from the touch of her silky hair. "How's your grandma?"

"Not great. There's nothing they can do. Basically she's waiting to die."

"I'm so sorry, Amanda."

Amanda shrugged. "She's ready. We all are. Not even witches can live forever, you know."

"Still, it must be hard," Akko said.

"It is. I'll miss her. She's the first person that saw me. The first person that understood me. The rest of my family and I don't get along so well. I don't even know if I'll bother visiting them after Nana is gone."

"Wow. So much family drama in my lovers…"

"What about you, Akko? You never talk about your family."

Akko shrugged. "There's not much to talk about. My parents are nice, they treat me well, they support my dreams. Kinda boring."

"Sounds nice, actually." Amanda said. Akko shrugged.

"It is. But now you have people to support you all the way, too! I got your back in whatever you want to do, Amanda! And I definitely see you for who you are. I bet Jasminka and Constanze do, too."

Amanda once again wasn't sure what to do with all the warmth in her heart. So instead of answering, she kissed Akko on the forehead.

And in these moments, Amanda knew she had made the right choice.

For now.

Chapter Text

Polyamorous Negotiations

"Sucy and Lotte are coming back today!"

Akko skipped down the hallway. Amanda smiled at her, lacing her fingers behind her head and stretching out her lower back. She let out a long yawn. The opening ceremony was this evening, so the very last of the Luna Nova students had to return this afternoon.

"I want to give them something as a welcome back present. Maybe I can find a rare mushroom for Sucy," Akko said.

"Isn't collecting mushrooms all Sucy does? I don't think you'll be able to find something she doesn't have."

"What if I know something specific she doesn't have and find that?"

"Do you know what she doesn't have?"

Akko's whole body seemed to frown. "No…"

Amanda laughed. "You're overthinking it. They're just gonna be happy to see you."

"But that's not enough, I want them to know how much I missed them…"

"You didn't get me anything, and I know how much you missed me…" Amanda said, a slight leer in her voice. Akko blushed.

"Well, yeah, but I'm not going to do that with them…oh! Actually, I did get you something!"

"Huh?"

Akko reached into a pocket in her uniform and pulled out a small brown paper bag. "Sorry, I meant to give it to you yesterday, but we got distracted."

Amanda felt the bag in her hands. It was heavy. She felt very warm all of a sudden, and knew that her cheeks were turning rosy.

"Ah, geez, Akko, you didn't have to do this, I didn't get you anything…"

"I wanted to! Open it, open it."

"Bah, fine, but really, you can take it back. I don't want a lot of money spent on me, I just like being with you."

A bracelet slid out of the bag. It was a silver charm bracelet, with a single charm of the big dipper constellation hanging from the end. It was beautiful.

"I didn't know if it was too girly for you, but I really liked it and what it represented for us and-"

Amanda already had it on her wrist. She held it in the light, watching it shimmer.

"I love it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

When they first started dating, Amanda had told Akko in no uncertain terms that she wasn't into PDA. Sure, when the doors closed, all Amanda wanted was to take Akko into her arms and feel every inch of her. But in public? That wasn't anyone else's business. No hand holding. No kissing. No snuggling.

But did Diana indulge Akko in PDA? Would not doing it hurt her standing with Akko?

That aside, she also really wanted to kiss Akko in that moment. And she was trying to learn to follow her heart.

She reached out with the braceleted hand and tipped up the smaller witch's chin. Amanda leaned forward and kissed her gently.

"Heeee…" Akko sighed, turning bright red. "See, don't gifts make you feel loved and appreciated?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Amanda said. Akko suddenly stood up straight.

"Maybe Professor Chariot is back! I bet she would know what to do."

Before Amanda could say another word, Akko was running down the hall at full speed.

--

Lunch.

Amanda sat with her teammates, Constanze and Jasminka. The food was a bit better today, but maybe that was because the ceremony was tonight. Usually the food around here was awful, but they pulled out all the stops during the special festivals and ceremony days. And thankfully, Jasminka usually knew how to make the food taste better, whether it was by magic or by seasoning.

"Amanda O'Neill," said a frosty voice. The three girls looked up to see Diana Cavendish standing there, flanked by her lackeys Hannah and Barbara.

"Hi there, princess. Need something?"

The irked expression on Diana's face was priceless, and Amanda mentally noted to call her princess as often as possible.

"You and I have important matters to discuss. In private."

Amanda loved her teammates. They were probably the most misunderstood students in the school. Neither of them talked very much. Both were very passionate about things that didn't fit in with most of the others.

But they were both fiercely protective of each other, and loyal friends. Even though no one else could sense it, Amanda knew that both Jasminka and Constanze were now on edge with the way Diana had just spoken. Jasminka was chewing just a little slower, and Constanze's hands were out of sight.

They were getting ready for a fight.

Amanda kicked up her feet on the top of the table.

"Tch, if you say so. I'll be fine, girls. Do you mind?"

Jasminka nodded once. Constanze didn't say anything, but gave a long and pointed look at Diana. They both got up and left.

Diana didn't move.

"I said, in private."

"Huh?" said Hannah.

"Do you mean us?" said Barbara.

"I do," said Diana.

"Oh, sorry Diana! We're going, right now!"

And then they were gone. Diana let out a sigh and took the chair across from Amanda.

"You should put your feet on the table, its rude."

"My table," she said.

"It's Luna Nova's table."

"Well right now I'm using it, so it's mine. But I guess you're not big on taking other people's things, considering how you stole my girlfriend."

"Akko isn't a thing to be bartered or stolen," Diana countered. Amanda frowned. Damn, she was right, and she had just walked into that one. Amanda set her feet back on the ground and sat up straight.

"Let's just get this over with. What is it you want?"

"I spent last night studying the intricacies of polyamorous v-formation triad relationships and it is suggested that everyone agree to certain terms."

"The intricacies of a polywhat now?" Amanda said. Diana sighed.

"Polyamorous v-formation triad. Polyamorous meaning that Akko is in love with more than one person. A triad is what we are, a relationship with three people in it. V is sometimes called a hinge, and it refers to the fact that Akko and I are in a relationship and you and Akko are in a relationship, but you and I are not in a relationship with each other."

"Ain't that the truth," Amanda muttered.

"Do you understand?"

"I'm not stupid, I get it. Go on."

"Since relationships between two people are already complicated, relationships with three people can become even more so. It's best to ask questions and to establish rules."

"I hate rules."

"Guidelines, then. I don't know, Amanda, must you make this so difficult?"

"You know, if you don't like it, you can just leave this poly-v traid," Amanda said with a big smile. "I'm sure Akko will be sad, but I'll help her get over it."

"I am going to ask you some questions," Diana continued, completely ignoring Amanda's jab, "and you need to answer them truthfully before we can continue."

"Do I get to ask you questions?"

Diana thought about this. "I suppose it would be in everyone's interest. So yes."

"Cool."

Diana flicked out her wand and said "Secretum sanctorus."

A green bubble of light folded over Diana and Amanda. Suddenly the noise from the cafeteria was gone.

"A bit of privacy," Diana said. Amanda shrugged and waited for the first question.

"Do you have a sexual relationship with Akko?" Diana asked.

"Where do you think she learned to eat pussy?"

Diana turned flush red, and Amanda grinned.

"You don't need to be so vulgar," Diana said.

"Akko loves the dirty talk. You better get used to it, princess."

"Just answer the question."

"Yes, Akko and I have a sexual relationship. We had one last night. It was great, thanks for asking."

Diana rolled her eyes, made some notes in a notebook, and pressed on.

"Have you ever had a sexual relationship with someone other than Akko?"

"One," Amanda said. "Couple of years ago."

"And have you been tested for possible STIs as a result of that relationship?"

"I did get tested before I started sleeping with Akko, but it was kind of a moot point. The last girl I was with was a virgin. So was I."

"You were…with another girl?"

"Yeah. I'm gayer than a unicorn casting rainbow spells in a cat storm," Amanda said with another big, dashing grin.

"I, uh…" Diana stammered.

"You know, a cat storm. Like, 'raining cats and dogs' except no dogs, and literally cats. Cause lesbians like cats."

"I didn't know that," Diana said.

"It's just a stereotype, not all lesbians like cats. I mean, I like cats, but-"

"No, not the cats. I didn't realize you were a lesbian," Diana said. Amanda leaned back, bemused.

"You're a lesbian, princess."

"I…" Diana looked to the side, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Hoo boy, another baby gay," Amanda said, lacing her fingers on the back of her head. "Glad I don't have to deal with this again. You'll come to accept it. Either you're lesbian or you're bi. Doesn't really matter, unless the label matters to you. Hell, don't label it if you don't want to. Akko doesn't. I like it though, feels like I'm part of something bigger. Plus it's fun to stick it to all the weird conservative pricks."

Amanda stood up on her chair. "I'm a big lesbo! I love titties!"

"Stop, please," Diana said.

"What, you cast the spell didn't you? Nobody can hear me."

"I can."

Diana was clearly looking very uncomfortable, and Amanda would be lying if she didn't enjoy it. But she decided, for Akko's sake, that she would try and move this along.

"Look, I get it, you want to make sure you're not gonna get some disease from this situation, right? Well, you won't. I'm not fucking anyone other than Akko, and I don't plan on looking for more. If that changes, I'll let you know."

Diana nodded. "Thank you for your honesty."

"What about you? Any sex before Akko?"

"No," Diana said. She had regained a lot of her composure now, and she wasn't as stammering or blush-faced as she had been.

"So you had sex with Akko."

"Y-yes," Diana said. There was a smile on her face, obviously remembering the times they shared together.

"So if you're familiar with the polyamorous v-formation triad rules, can I ask a question?"

"Yes."

"If you and Akko fucked before we had our conversation, was she cheating on me?"

Got her. Diana look stricken.

"Yes," Diana said. Amanda frowned. That hadn't been the reaction she was expecting.

"To be entirely honest with you, I thought of it many times we were together. I knew about your relationship, and I continued to pursue her anyway. Akko isn't to blame in it, only me. I've felt terrible about it the entire time. So I apologize for…how does the phrase go? Stealing your girl?"

Amanda scratched her head furiously. Damnit, she didn't like being apologized too, and certainly not from the bitch she was trying to hate and scare away.

"Yeah, well, what's done is done. Water under the milk, no use crying over spilled bridges, all that stuff." Amanda sat back down.

"This is good. We will all keep our sexual activities within ourselves, and we'll be safe."

"Is Akko going to go for more girls?"

"I didn't ask her yet. Do you think that's possible?" Diana asked. Amanda just gestured back to her, to which Diana nodded and made a note.

"We can ask her later. From the examples I read yesterday, some of these relationships have very explicit contracts, but I don't think there's a need for that. There is one rule I think we should follow. Every week, we should get one night alone with Akko, barring of course unforeseen circumstances such as schoolwork, random happenings with the magic world, family issues, health, and so on."

"We gotta pick a day?"

"No. I don't think Akko or you would like that. So let's keep it informal, and between us. Whenever the other person hasn't had their night, we subtly adjust our schedules or our preferences with Akko until she sees the other one."

"That's very considerate. I agree. Let's do it."

Diana held out her hand to shake. Amanda shook it.

"So that's it? We're a triad now?"

"Yes, unless something happens and we can no longer continue the relationship. We will probably have to have a few meetings like this."

"Fine by me. By the way, Diana…if you think you're going to outlast me, you're wrong. If you joined this triad just so you can chase me off and have Akko to yourself, you're in for a bad surprise."

"The same goes for you, Ms. O'Neill. I don't know what you think of me, but I can gurantee you I'm no pushover. Akko is worth fighting for and waiting for. Even if it means dealing with you."

"Love you too, snow princess," Amanda said, rolling her eyes. Diana disappated the spell and turned primly on her heel to walk away.

Chapter Text

Akko could hardly contain her giggles.

She was hovering beneath the foot bridge in Blythonbury, the one went over the stream and led up to the Ley Line terminal. She heard steady footsteps above her.

Then they stopped.

Now was her chance!

Akko swept up on her broom to the top of the bridge. She had already used metamorphosis magic to transform her head into a hideous beast: the beak of an eagle, tentacles for hair, seven eyes, and large bunny ears that looked like they were on fire.

"Bleeeeeeh!" Akko yelled as loud as she could.

She had expected to see a witch standing on the bridge, but instead there was a six foot tall yellow and blue mushroom.

With teeth.

The teeth smiled, then opened.

Out came the sound of a thousand trombones. The force and surprise of the sound sent Akko reeling back on her broom. Her concentration faltered, the flight spell and the metamorphosis spell both collapsed.

Splash!

Akko was face down in the stream.

She sat up immediately, spitting water and rubbing her head.

"Ow, that was a really big rock!" Akko whined.

"Nice try, Akko," said Sucy from the top of the bridge.

Suddenly all of the pain and sogginess didn't matter, and Akko was rushing up the banks of the stream, rounding the bridge, and throwing herself at Sucy.

"Sucy! Welcome back!"

Sucy's face was a mixture of irritation, happiness, and tolerance. She even raised one arm to return the hug.

"Good to see you still know how to ride your broom. I was worried you'd forget everything over the summer."

"I didn't! I practiced real hard, and even got a little better."

"Can you stop hugging me now? You're getting my skirt wet."

They separated, and Akko helped Sucy take her things up to the Ley Line terminal.

"How was your trip? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Oh yes, it was a very productive trip. This year I'm going to be absolutely unstoppable…!" Sucy's grin turned sharper and sharper, and her voice turned into a laugh.

"I'm happy for you! Um. I missed you a lot, so I wanted to get you something." Akko reached into her pocket and produced a mushroom.

Sucy held it, looked at it, then popped it into her mouth.

"A cremini mushroom. Did you get this at the grocery store?"

"…y-yeah, it was the only thing I could think of at short notice…"

"It's delicious, thanks for the snack."

They both turned as they heard a gentle humming coming from up the path.

"Lotteeeeee~!"

"Hi Akk- ack!"

The two witches crashed onto the ground from Akko's pouncing hug. Lotte's bags scattered onto the ground.

"I missed you so much! How was your trip with your family?"

"It was fun. But I did miss you too, Akko. And you too, Sucy, hi!"

Sucy raised a hand in greeting.

"We better get going. We don't want to be late for opening ceremonies."

Akko sniffed, tears in her eyes, hugging her two friends. "Can you believe just a year ago we were complete strangers? And now we're heading back to Luna Nova, to make our dreams come true!"

"Akko, let's go…" Lotte insisted.

"Right! And this time, on my own broom! Tia Freyle!"

The three witches entered the Ley Line.

--

It was odd to see the new first year students of Luna Nova sitting in the back. Akko had gotten so used to sitting in the back that sitting in the section for second years felt foreign. But it was nice to be able to see a little better.

Gathered on the dais were all of the same professors. But somehow, they looked more tired than before. Akko thought that with summer break, they'd look a little more refreshed. Even Headmistress Hollbrooke, usually the most relaxed of the elder witches, seemed strained.

"They seemed stressed out," Akko whispered to her friends.

"Looks like they need a break from their break," Sucy said.

"I wonder what's going on," Lotte said.

The last time they saw all their professors, Hollbrooke had been very clear about their future at Luna Nova. They had changed the world, saved magic, revitalized witches, and done a great service. But they were still second year students, and they would receive no special treatment.

Akko thought about Diana and how much she had done over the summer. Did the professors have to deal with the same things? The world had changed a lot in a short amount of time. What new pressures had Akko brought down on them?

"Where's Professor Ursula?" Lotte asked.

Akko was wondering the same thing.

"Good evening students," Hollbrooke said. Her voice magically carried through the room. "Welcome to Luna Nova. We are looking forward to a very productive school year. However, we all know that this year is going to be quite different from years past."

The other girls looked around the room. Glances settled on Diana, who sat in the front row with Hannah and Barbara. They drifted to Amanda, then to Constanze and Jasminka on either side of her.

And so many, so very many eyes were on Akko.

"Pay attention to the headmistress, or you'll be expelled!" Finnelan crowed. Everyone sat up straight and gave their attention back to the front.

"With magic on the rise, it is more important than ever that we give you an excellent education. You young ladies are the future of witchcraft, and must be its caretakers. That said, we are going to do the best we can to prepare you, but you must know that this sort of thing is unprecedented. Not even I, with all of my years, have seen such an abundance of magic in the world."

"Your professors have spent the summer studying and preparing new coursework. Techniques, spells, and rituals that have been useless for a thousand years are now once again possible, but much of their use has been forgotten. Thus, it will also be up to you young witches to help us rediscover what was lost, and forge new wonderful discoveries in magic."

The room was all gasping with the thought of it. Them, the students of Luna Nova, were now the future of magic. There was going to be so much to do, and so much to discover.

Akko glanced at the first years behind her. They looked scared.

Akko felt scared too. She looked over to Amanda, then to Diana, wishing either of them were holding her hand right now.

They were both so strong, and she could really use a little extra strength right now.

"Professor Finnelan," Headmistress Hollbrooke said, bowing slightly and making way for the other witch to take the center stage.

"With the surge in magic, there is also the possibility of a surge in magical creatures awakening that have been dormant for centuries. Also, there's a very strong possibility that other magical users will appear, those who have no honor for the law or ethics of magical use. As such, you must be prepared to face these threats, more so than before. We will be adding a new line of classes this year, required by all students - magical combat. I want to introduce you to your professor, Chariot du Nord."

The doors opened, and out stepped Akko's mentor.

She looked like Professor Ursula, for the most part. She still wore the big hat and the professor's robes and her glasses. But her hair was no longer deep blue, but Chariot's fiery red.

And it was cut shorter.

Lots of murmurs floated through the assembly.

The news that Ursula Calistes was the missing Chariot du Nord had gotten out at the end of last year, but everyone wasn't sure what to do with it. Most people just called her Professor Ursula, since most young witches had at best a neutral opinion of Shiny Chariot and at worse had mocked her.

Pretty hard to be taught by someone you thought was a joke.

But now this was a public declaration of the rumor. Everyone not only knew, but now had to acknowledge it.

Including Akko.

"If there is anything regarding Professor Chariot's appointment to this position, you can take it up directly with me, is that understood?"

"Look at that, never thought I'd see Finnelan protect Chariot," Sucy said.

"Hello students," Chariot said, bowing slightly. "Let's have a great year together."

--

The rest of the evening was pretty busy. There was the feast, the performances, the distribution of class schedules and books, and then of course moving into the dormitories.

Akko hadn't even realized that as a second year, she got a better room. Instead of the bunks and the cramped little space the three fo them were to share, the room was arranged much like Luna Nova's insignia - a small round common space with three spokes for their beds.

It wasn't a lot more room, but it was still more!

"Wow, this is great!" Akko said, tossing her bags into the room.

"Yes, and this is a nice table for our school work," Lotte said, looking at the long oval table in the center of the room. One end still had a window that looked out onto the school grounds, with a long desk.

Sucy set her suitcase on the long desk and opened it. Out came spilling bottles and jars, all neatly arranged, along with burners and a couple of small cauldron. One of the cauldrons, strangely, was already bubbling, and one of the burners already lit.

"This will be perfect," Sucy said.

The girls set to unpacking. Akko put up her Shiny Chariot poster, her commendation from the OIM, and then two pictures.

One of her and Diana, from the summer.

One of her and Amanda, from the spring.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Akko said. Amanda stepped in.

"Hey babe. Nice digs, huh?"

Akko rushed over to hug Amanda. She breathed out a sigh of relief when their skin connected - all of the tension from the afternoon releasing into her girlfriend's embrace.

"Is your room this great too?"

"Yeah, though Constanze is pretty upset. She's going to have dig a whole new tunnel, which means I'm hardly going to get any sleep." She shrugged. "Oh well. Roommates, am I right?"

She greeted Lotte and Sucy and then took Akko back toward her bed. It was only then that Akko realized that each sleeping area had a curtain that could be drawn around it for privacy. Amanda yanked on a cord, and let the curtain fall.

"Just wanted a goodnight kiss," she said, leaning in.

Akko melted when their lips touched. Amanda was so strong and sexy and confident, that she still couldn't believe that she wanted a girl like Akko. Her hand dug into Akko's back with a strength and possessiveness that made Akko swoon.

They broke the kiss.

"Sleep well, my love," Amanda whispered.

"Goodnight."

Amanda said her goodbyes and whisked herself out of the room. Lotte sat at the table, a beaming.

"Looks like things between you two are going well," she said.

"Yeah, I thought with a whole summer apart you wouldn't be able to keep it in your pants," Sucy remarked. She was already hunched over her cauldron, stirring.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"We were worried your relationship with Amanda was going to change while you were apart, that's all," said Lotte. "I'm glad it didn't."

"Well, uh, actually-"

There was another knock on the door. Akko opened it, and Diana stepped in.

"Akko, are you all right?"

Diana's voice was efficient, but concerned, and that made Akko feel so warm and protected. She stared at the blonde witch, admiring how every aspect of her features were always so perfect and so refined. Even now, with her brows creased in concern, she was perfect.

"Yes, thanks Diana. I'm fine."

She embraced Akko anyway, and she embraced her back. Diana had a very fine shampoo and conditioner that she used, a smell that she would forever associate with those summer days at the Cavendish estate. Akko sighed into the hug.

"Did you know Professor Urs-…Chariot, would be here?"

"No, I knew she was gone because of the OIM questioning. I haven't heard from her all summer."

"Still, it must have been a shock."

"I mean it was, but it's not so bad. I…I'm actually really happy to see her. I can't wait to catch up with her."

They finally slipped away from their embrace.

"My brave Akko, always seeing the bright side. Well I'm glad you're all right. I need to get some things settled, but I will see you for breakfast?"

"Absolutely…" Akko said dreamily.

Diana leaned forward and kissed her softly.

"Goodnight then, Akko."

"Goodnight~"

Diana left.

Akko sighed and turned around, her head a haze of love and happiness.

Sucy and Lotte both stared at her, jaws wide open.

"Oh. Uh. Heeehee…I should probably tell you guys a story…"

Chapter Text

"Two Girlfriends?!"

The only thing Akko could do was laugh and rub the back of her head. They had long since finished unpacking and were ready to sleep, but the girls had gotten caught up in Akko's story.

"Figures that Akko would be selfish enough to demand two girls…" Sucy muttered as she held another complex yoga pose.

"Hey, that's not selfish! I just…love both of them and didn't want to choose!"

"That's exactly what selfish is."

"Sucy, come on…" Akko moaned, draping herself on the table. Lotte sat next to her and pat her back.

"Don't listen to her, Akko. It seems like everyone is okay with the situation, so it worked out right? And it's very brave of you to try and maintain a polyamorous v-formation triad relationship."

Akko sat up. "Huh? What's that?"

"That's…that's what you're doing. A polyamorous v-formation triad relationship. You're the hinge of the relationship, where you have a relationship with Amanda and Diana, but they don't have a relationship with each other."

"It has a name?" Akko said, her eyes widening.

"W-well, yes, it does. There were three werewolves in Night Fall volume 177 that were in a relationship like that, though it was a male and two females. That triad broke up in Night Fall volume 191, but a new male-male-female one was created in volume 194."

Akko felt like she should be taking notes, but only nodded vigorously.

"Teach me everything you know, Lotte!"

"U-uh that's about all I know, it's not like I'm polyamorous myself. But I can tell you that the first triad broke up because the people in the relationship didn't respect the ground rules and there were a lot hurt feelings."

"I see…then it's going to take some work to keep my girls! I'll work extra hard!"

"Hey Akko," Sucy said, now sitting on the other side of the table. "You slept with Diana over the summer, right?"

"Yes, I did," Akko said, her cheeks turning rosey with the memory of it.

"But you didn't establish the relationship until you got back to school, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, when I saw Amanda."

"Doesn't that mean you technically cheated on Amanda?"

"W-…whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Akko fell off her chair, white as a ghost.

"Oh dear," Lotte said.

--

"Advanced divination, greater conjuration, history of magic from 1200 to 2000…these new classes are a drag," Amanda said, looking through her textbooks. "I know I said I'd stick around, but I'm starting to seriously reconsider."

She sat with her teammates on a bench out in the quad. They had eaten breakfast early, and Amanda went out for a run before the first class started. Constanze had a small table with a Stanbot disassembled on it. Jasminka was eating muffins.

"The battle magic class might be fun," Jasminka offered.

"Eh, yeah, it might. Could be cool to cut loose a little." And maybe, if luck was on her side, she'd have a chance to blast Diana a few times.

"Amandaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Huh?"

Akko came hurtling across the quad and crashed into Amanda. She caught the smaller witch, who hugged her tight, then broke out of the hug and started bowing on the ground. Her face was pressed to the ground and Amanda was pretty sure she heard Akko sobbing?

"Amanda, I'm sorry, can you ever forgive me? Please, I'll do anything, let me work off this debt to you!"

"Akko, what the hell are you talking about?"

Akko got up from her face-planted kneel and gripped onto Amanda's skirt.

"I cheated on you! I didn't even realize it because I'm so stupid, but I totally cheated on you!"

"Gngh! Akko, not so loud!" Amanda felt a blush burning on her face.

"I'm not worthy of you, you were nothing but a great girlfriend and I was going around sleeping with another girl without your permission and that's totally wrong and I- eep!"

Akko stopped crying, mostly out of shock. Amanda had scooped her up into her arms and was now carrying her, bridal style.

"Hey, cut it out already, will you? I already forgave you for that."

"Y-you did?"

"Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to the whole thing, you dummy." Amanda kissed Akko's forehead. Akko was blushing furiously now.  "It is nice to get an apology, though. And if you really want to make it up to me, let me take you out tonight."

"Tonight? Like a date?"

"Yeah, a date. It's been a while since we've been out. It'll be fun."

Akko's small smile made Amanda's heart light up like its own magic spell.  "I would like that," she whispered.

"Great. See you around seven." She set Akko down, then dipped her, then kissed her deeply.

When Amanda pulled Akko back to her feet, the smaller witch was blushing and had a dazed look of love in her eyes.

Then she shook herself, hard.

"I'm still going to make it up to you! It's already been decided. Just you wait!"

And with that Akko was off again. Amanda brushed back a lock of her fiery hair and sat back on the bench. Jasminka held her cheeks in her hand, looking at Amanda adoringly.

"You're so confident and dashing, Amanda."

"Tch, well. Akko brings it out in me, I guess," she said, a little embarrassed. Constanze let out a small grunt. Amanda glanced over to her, and saw that Constanze was frowning in disapproval.

"Hey, it's fine, like I said, I already forgave her."

"Nnngg…" Constanze rumbled.

"Trust me," Amanda said, leaning back on the bench. The sky was blue and clear, the air already warming up. She thought of her plan for the evening, and how she was going to remind Akko of all the reasons they had been together in the first place.

"I know what I'm doing."

--

"I forgot how good that place is," Akko said with a sigh.

The two of them were laying by the banks of the stream in Blythonbury. Amanda had got a bucket of fried chicken from a place she discovered last year. It was the only fried chicken place that wasn't just a fish and chips place doing a crappy imitation. Good, American fried chicken was damn near impossible to find in the UK.

But Amanda had, and it was delicious.

The chicken was a memory now, as were the berry tarts they had for dessert. Amanda was not usually this heavy of an eater, but after the long day at school, she felt like it was warranted. Hollbrooke hadn't been kidding - classes were a lot tougher this year.

But all of that was behind them now. They were laying on the shore, head-to-head, Akko's silky brunette mane twisted up in Amanda's candleflame hair. Each had a hand draped above their head, their fingers entwined.

"So what'd you do this summer?"

Amanda felt the tension in Akko's fingers before she said a word. She sat up, turned and kneeled over Amanda. Amanda stayed laying down, looking up at Akko upside-down.

"Amanda, I really am sorry…"

"This isn't about trying to guilt you, Akko. I just…want to know."

"Why?"

"It's…ugh, I dunno, it's stupid." Amanda flipped over, propping her chin in her hands. "This might not make a lot of sense to you, but I've been thinking it over and I guess I just hate that something important happened to you and I have no idea what it is."

"But I was…you know, with Diana."

"And that was an important time for you, wasn't it? God, I can't believe you're making me say all this…feelings crap, damnit."

Amanda stood up and paced around the shore. She found a smooth rock, skipped it on the brook. Then she found another and threw it hard into the water. Her body was the only thing that made sense when she was this confused. Part of her wanted to find the nearest broom and do laps around the city.

"I think I get it," Akko said. "You want to share everything important with me, and that was important, and I'm not sharing it."

"Yes!"

"Even though it might be…painful?"

"If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't ask." Amanda's grin sharpened. "Besides, do you think I'm that weak?"

So Akko relented. She told Amanda everything: the impromptu trip to Cavendish Manor, the Solstice, the magical training, the night she and Diana spent together, the subsequent nights and outings they went on.

She ended it by talking about the Shiny Rod.

"I just…miss it. I miss who I was when I had it," Akko said.

The sun was now settled on the horizon, the world awash in orange and purple. It made Amanda's hair glow and her green eyes pierce. By now, the two girls were sitting side by side, hands held tight.

"And you think Diana helps you feel better about that?" Amanda asked. Akko leaned her head on Amanda's shoulder.

"No…I don't think it's that. It helps, but I don't think either relationship is about me feeling fulfilled. I know I have things to work on, and I know I'll get there someday. Phaidoari Afairyngho," she said with a smile.

"I don't remember that one," Amanda admitted.

"You don't get what you dream of, you get what you work for." Akko said the words with her eyes shut, almost like a prayer rather than a spell. She opened them again, the deep red of her irises aflame with the orange sunset.

"I'm in a relationship with Diana because I want to be. She makes me feel good, and makes me feel like a better person, and I feel like life is better when I share it with her. But I feel exactly the same about you. Maybe even more so with you," Akko said.

"Tch, what are you-"

"No, listen," Akko said, taking both of Amanda's hands and leaning close. "You taught me a lot. You taught me how to be a girlfriend. You taught me how to love someone else. You taught me sex. You were patient with me when I was trying to figure out my feelings for you, and you're patient with me now as I explore this new…polyamory thing. I love you so much, Amanda. You helped me grow up, and that'll be part of my heart forever."

"Damnit, Akko…" Amanda said, tears now sparkling in her eyes.

They kissed.

"Thanks for being honest about everything," Amanda said. "I'm glad you told me. I feel…better about it. I only wish I had been there."

"I do too. I even told Diana that. We would've had fun, the three of us."

Amanda held Akko close, but only to hide her face. The three of them?

She thought about what Diana explained - they were in a V relationship, all hinged on Akko. She and Diana were not in their own relationship. But did Akko want that? If she did, why?

Amanda thought about Diana.

Then she shoved that thought away, hard.

"Akko…are you gonna like…you know, make this a habit?"

"Hm?" Akko looked perplexed.

"Finding other girls, I mean. Are you going to add more into this big pile of lesbians or…?"

"Oh, no no. Just you and Diana. I'm not looking anywhere else."

"You weren't looking when you found Diana…"

"I know. But that was different."

Akko didn't need to explain why it was different, they both knew. They both knew the things that Diana and Akko had been through together. It was different than what Amanda and Akko had experienced, even though Amanda had been there at the battle against the magic missile.

They were always going to have a different sort of bond.

Then again, she and Akko were always going ot have a different sort of bond, too.

And maybe that was this whole polyamory thing was about - not competing, but broadening and building new bonds.

The extra sex was probably nice, too…

"Hey Akko…wanna head back to my room?"

"Um, well, Amanda, we have class tomorrow and-…mph….mmm…"

Amanda would end up taking Akko back to her room.

Chapter Text

By the end of the second day of classes, Akko finally had time to get over to the observatory.

"Professor!"

"Akko!"

Professor Chariot du Nord turned and smiled brightly. She was now the absolute mixture of both people Akko had known - the short fire red hair, the bright eyes and smile of Chariot, but the kind demeanor, long skirt, and glasses of Ursula.

Akko ran over to hug her.

"I was so worried about you. You never sent any messages," Akko said. Chariot looked confused.

"I did send messages," she said.

"You did?"

"Yes, I used the firefly messenger spell."

Akko grimaced. "Fireflies, you don't say…"

"Did you…end up squashing them?"

"Yes…" Akko groaned, deflating. Chariot let out a small, gentle laugh.

"It's okay.  Everything is okay. Sit down, have some tea."

They did. Akko tossed six sugars into hers.

"The OIM questioned me extensively for three weeks. I wasn't imprisoned or anything, but I did stay there the whole time. It was rather grueling," Chariot said.

"What did they want to know?"

"Like I told you at the beginning of the summer, they wanted to know everything. From my journey with the Shiny Rod and working with Professor Woodword, to working with Croix, the development of the Dream Fuel Spirit, the moon, all of it."

"Did you tell them?"

"Of course I did. I respect the OIM. Their job is very important for the magical world…more so now than ever. If I was going to receive a punishment over anything I did, then I deserved it. I might have even…" Chariot trailed off.

"Professor?"

"Sorry Akko, it's nothing. In any case, when they heard it all they decided that if I had done something wrong, that the things I did to fix them outweighed it. So all is cleared up."

"That's great!"

"Yes, I suppose it is," Chariot said, smiling, but clearly distracted, her mind on something else. No, not something. Someone.

"What about Professor Croix?"

"I believe Croix is still at the Ministry. I think she'll be there for a while. They have a lot of questions about her research."

"Oh…so she's in a lot of trouble. I guess creating a magic missile would do that…" Akko found herself scrunching her skirt and staring down at her lap.

"Croix didn't create it. Not intentionally."

Akko frowned and looked up. "What?"

"The Noir Rod went out of her control and created the missile by itself. It was created from all the hostility and hatred between countries. It was an unfortunate side effect of what she created, but it wasn't the intent."

"So…she's not in trouble?"

Chariot sighed and set her tea cup down. "This might be difficult for you to understand, Akko. Bringing back honor and respect and power to magic has been the goal of witches for the last 50 years. Maybe even longer than that, maybe all the way back to when the Nine Olde Witches first sealed away the Grand Triskelion."

She got out of her seat and ascended the stairs to the observatory window. Outside, the star-scarred moon peered down at them. Akko rose and joined her.

"Croix was successful in unlocking the Grand Triskelion. She just didn't understand how to use it. But if she had, and she had brought magic back to the world, then no one would have been upset by her methods. Not the Ministry, not Luna Nova, not the OIM."

"That's…that's terrible!" Akko shouted. "Professor Croix used negative emotions to power her magic! She encouraged people's anger and ruined their good times left and right! That…that shouldn't be allowed!"

Chariot put her hands on Akko's shoulders.

"I agree with you. What Croix did was wrong…but she understands her mistakes now. And her advancements in modern magic are incredible. They kept Luna Nova going while you worked to restore the words. And, like it or not, it gave you and Diana the opportunity to change how the world saw witches. That was as key to reinvigorating Yggdrasill as using the Grand Triskelion."

"But…!"

"It's a complicated matter, Akko. That's why she's going to stay at the Ministry for a while. They're very wise witches there, and they'll know what to do, better than you or I would. Let's put our trust in them, okay?"

"I guess…"Akko said. She wasn't sure how else to think or talk about the issue, anyway. All she knew was how she felt. But she also knew that she had a lot to learn.

"This is why your dream of using magic to make people happy is still extremely important. Magic is a tool that is bent by intent. The more we put positive energy into the world, the more positive energy that it will create. Don't give up on your dream."

"What about you? Are you going to ever be Shiny Chariot again?"

Chariot adjusted her glasses and looked up at the moon.

"I…don't know. It's been a long time. In the ten years I was Urusla, I did learn a lot more about magic. I am a better witch for being a teacher. And I enjoy it. I got to meet you, and your friends, and so many other young witches who have gone out to do their best for the world. I think maybe my dream has changed, a little."

"But not all the way?"

Chariot winked. "Never say never."

--

There was a knock. Diana answered the door to her private dormitory.

"Hello, Diana."

"Professor," Diana said, surprise in her voice. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, it is, I was just hoping to talk to you, if you have a minute," said Professor Chariot.

"Of course, do come in and have a seat. Tea?"

"No thank you," Chariot replied. Diana motioned Chariot over to the couches beside her coffee table. While the second year students all upgraded to nicer accommodations, Diana had chosen to remain in the same one. In part, because it was certainly nice enough, and in part because she didn't want to go through the hassle of moving her books.

They sat.

Diana was surprised how awkward it felt. How many times had she dreamed of this moment, to sit with the legendary Shiny Chariot? She even looked like Chariot now, with her hair cut short. And she was using her real name.

"I'm not disappointed for what you did then. I'm disappointed for who you are now."

Those had been very harsh words. But they needed to be said in that moment.

Then why did she feel guilty about them?

"Professor, I want to apologize for any awkwardness that might exist between us," Diana said. "There were events last year that were very emotional and I may have forgotten my manners in those moments."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Diana. You were right that night, I should have looked for Akko. But I didn't need to, because she had you. And her friends. Which brings me to why I'm here. First, I want to thank you for looking after Akko over the summer."

"No need to thank me. Akko was a great help. And it was a lot of fun."

"Yes, I understand you two are rather close now," Chariot said with a sweet smile. Diana took in a deep breath to control her blushing cheeks. If only Chariot knew just how close…

"We are," Diana said simply, leaving it at that.

"I'll be upfront with you Diana. I spent some time at the OIM over the summer, and I learned there that you and Akko could be in danger."

Diana felt a knot in her belly, and a sudden need for a wand in her hand.

"What kind of danger?"

"It's not a specific threat," Chariot clarified. "But there are those out there who do not appreciate what you and Akko did. They think you made magic weak and fun."

"Like the criticism levelled at you," Diana pointed out.

"Yes. Except that you changed the world and brought magic back."

"Akko did that," Diana said quickly.

"Yes, she did. And you know she's going to have a hard time understanding that she might be in danger for what she did. I'm telling you so you can keep an eye out. Obviously you'll be safe here at Luna Nova, but knowing Akko…"

"She does have an affinity for adventure," Diana said with a broad smile.

"That she does."

"This danger, is it the reason for the increased battle magic classes?"

"In part, yes. But you probably already know that the magic world is going to be in for a bit of a tumultuous period. Summer was very quiet, but who knows what the fall will bring."

"Indeed, I was wondering about that myself," Diana said. "Thank you for the warning, and for the vote of confidence in telling me. I'll make sure Akko remains safe. I swear it."

"Keep yourself safe too, Diana."

The two stood and head for the door.

"Um, professor?"

"Yes, Diana?"

Diana had spoken at a whim. It was a stupid idea, and it was probably a waste of her time. She should tell her nevermind and let her get on with her day. She was a Professor at Luna Nova, after all, and the future of witches was in her hands and -

"Would you…sign this for me?"

Diana held out a Shiny Chariot card. Chariot smiled.

"Of course, Diana."

Chapter Text

"I see…in the future…a…really big dog?"

In a proper Astrological Projection, the user holds the wand front and center and uses magic to create the celestial bodies. By memorizing their paths, simulating their speeds, and understanding the nuances behind it, the user can make some predictions about the future. Diana had asked for astronomy tutoring when she was younger, just to make sure she understood all of the physics involved in her predictions.

Akko's projection was…

"Akko, you need to focus a little harder on the proper pathways. Don't let the spell do the work for you, concentrate on what you need to see."

Akko grit her teeth. "Right! Concentrating!"

The lines in Akko's projection were wobbly like they were drawn in crayon by a child. The planets were fading in and out as Akko's mind wandered from one to the other. But when Akko focused, everything got sharper and straighter.

"Very good, Akko! Now, keep your mind on the subject. Let yourself be open to the possibilities of the future. Don't let your biases creep in."

"I…still just see a really big dog!"

The projection collapsed. So did Akko, slumping onto her knees, lower lip pouting.

"That was much better than last time. You're doing well," Diana said, resting a hand on Akko's shoulder. Akko reached up and set her hand on Diana's, a casual gesture of affection.

"Thanks for giving me the extra help and putting up with me…"

"Let's take a break," Diana said. Akko sheathed her wand and stood up. Classes were over for the day, so the two of them were practicing in an empty classroom. Akko yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"I didn't know the future made me so sleepy…"

Diana swept in and put her arms around Akko's waist and held her tight.

"You're kinda cute when you're sleepy."

"Only kinda?"

"You're very cute when you're sleepy. You're also very spoiled."

"Heeee~" Akko blushed and Diana kissed her on the cheek. The two of them left the classroom and walked towards the cafeteria.

"Why the interest in fortune telling, anyway?"

"You need to practice literally all of your magic, except for metamorphosis magic," Diana replied.

"Yeah, but it looked like you were doing some long readings. What were you looking for?"

The truth was that Diana had been looking for any glimpse of what Chariot had warned them about: a danger that might come for her for Akko. But "danger" was too vague, and Diana had known that when she started. Besides, Chariot was an excellent astrologist - she taught the class after all - and if she couldn't scry the details of the future, then why would Diana be able to?

Because I'm Diana of the Cavendish family, the one whom everyone believes is the future of magic.

She had to remind herself not to get too caught up in the praises of the faculty. If she started believing it, it might lead to some foolish prideful decisions.

"Just looking at our future, that's all."

"Our future…together?"

"Um. Well, I suppose so," Diana said, wondering if she were skirting the edges of a lie. Akko grinned.

"Oooh, want to know if we get married?"

"Akko, we are much too young for that sort of talk."

"Or are you just wondering when the next time you're going to get lucky is?"

Diana blushed and ached at the same time. After a summer of non-stop lovemaking, the last six days without were a bit more draining than Diana had realized. It was almost pathetic how quickly she became addicted to Akko's presence, Akko's touch, Akko's pleasure.

"I should hope not long," Diana said, trying to sound cool and impassive.

"Not very. Not very at all," Akko winked.

The two of them took a tray and decided to eat dinner a little early, especially since the fairies were already done making the meal. Diana took a chicken meal while Akko opted for the shrimp. They sat down together by one of the long windows that overlooked the school grounds. It was a lovely view, and Diana actually took the moment to take a long deep breath and relax.

"I talked to Chariot yesterday," Akko said with a long sigh. "I can't believe I can say those words so often now…"

"How was her summer?"

"It was rough. The OIM really spent a long time trying to find out everything that happened. What I don’t get though is why they let so much go."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they're keeping an eye on Professor Croix, but they haven't immediately punished her. And she did some pretty bad things!"

It was always strange to remember that Akko didn't come from a witch family. So much of her viewpoint was untrained and uncultured. Of course the Ministry wouldn't punish Croix, she had created quite a bit of power, and had saved magic - in a roundabout way. But of course Akko was so pure that the idea of someone doing something harmful and being let go would be reviled by her.

"The witch world is very complicated, Akko. Luna Nova is a very good place, with a lot of rules and morality. The rest of the world…it's not so easy. There's a reason why people feared witches at one point, and a reason why some still do. I mean, just think about the people you know and what they can do."

"My friends wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Then why does Sucy spend so much time making poison?"

Akko opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again and stuffed some shrimp in it. Then chewed. Then looked angry.

"I don't know!"

"She wants to be a master of poisons. Why else master it if she's not going to harm someone or something with it someday?"

"Maybe she wants to find cures!"

"Maybe. What about Constanze? Why does she build so many weapons?"

"I…because she's small?"

Diana nodded sagely. "I love magic. But it is very powerful, Akko. And there are people who would use that power for their own whim. Even the Ministry does it. No one is free of guilt. As much as I love Luna Nova as well, there were moments last year where their use of power was questionable. Remember the fairy strike?"

"Oh, yeah…" Akko chewed some more. "This sucks, Diana."

"It doesn’t have to. The Golden Age of Witches was about helping people. Chariot showed the world how beautiful and wonderful magic could be. We can do the same, if we choose to."

Diana slid her hand across the table and took Akko's.

"Let's not let those who came before us decide. We will decide the future of magic."

Akko lit up.

"Yeah!"

--

Later that evening, Diana sat in bliss on her couch while Akko stood behind her. Despite Diana's reservations, Akko had insisted on brushing Diana's hair. At first, Diana was very self-conscious about her curling blonde locks, and what Akko might think of them when she scrutinizing them - Diana did some hair care, but it wasn't always the top of her list. She was due for a trim soon, so she probably had way too many split ends and she had gotten lax about conditioning. She worried all Akko would find was dry, crispy straw.

But instead, Akko worked on it lovingly, and it was maybe the most intimate thing they'd ever done outside of sex. Diana felt very vulnerable, but also very trusting that her Akko would not hurt her or judge her.

"I love your hair so much, Diana. It's so golden, so lovely…much more interesting than mine."

"Oh, stop that. You have three hairstyles going on at once, Akko. It has it's own quirky charm."

"Quirky isn't a good word to use…"

"It's one that suits you, though. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I'll refrain."

Akko leaned forward, resting her chin on Diana's head and folding her arms around her neck. The sensation was warm, and made Diana feel a glow all through her body.

"If it comes from you, I'll take it as a compliment."

Akko vaulted herself over the coach and snuggled into Diana's waiting arm. The two sat there in still silence, enjoying each other's warmth and softness.

"I still feel terrible about some of the things I said about you," Diana said.

"I said some pretty mean things about you too. But it's okay. We just didn't realie it was our destined passion trying to find its way."

"That's so cheesy," Diana said with a giggle.

"I think it's true, though."

"Still, even if we weren't destined to be girlfriends, I shouldn't have gone around snubbing you about not being from a witch's family. That sort of elitist behavior is problematic."

"Eh, that never bothered me that much. I mean, every witch family had to start from not being a witch family, right? I mean, Beatrix is the founder of the Cavendish family. She wasn't from a witch family herself."

"I…suppose that's true. I've never thought of it that way."

"So see, I'm going to be the matriarch of the Kagari Witches! Just you wait, I'll have a whole slew of great-granddaughters who are witches."

"That would be quite the sene, Luna Nova filled with a bunch of Akkos…say, how did you get into Luna Nova, anyway?"

"Huh? I applied."

"Yes, I understand that, but if you weren't from a witch's family, I'm sure they would've rejected you right away. Why didn't they?"

"They did reject me, at first. Then my parents flew out here and had a meeting with the Headmistress and the professors, and then they changed their mind."

"W-what? Just from a meeting?"

"I think my dad said that he had to donate a bunch of money or something." Akko shrugged.

"Akko…is your family rich?"

Diana watched her little witch girlfriend become very uncomfortable at the question. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again.

To kiss Diana.

Before Diana could protest, she felt Akko's hands on her breasts, roaming along the contours of her curves. Diana was both irritated and aroused all at once.

"Akko, I was asking you a question…"

"Yeah, but that's a boring question. And you did want to make sure you got laid soon, didn't you? Tonight's a school night. We better get started if you want to get a good night's sleep~!"

Diana was about to protest again when Akko leaned in and kissed her with all her might. Diana felt a haze of lust and passion overtake her mind.

She could always ask Akko about her family later.

Chapter Text

"Tia Freyle!"

Amanda shot skyward. She gave herself a good fifty feet above the ground before she circled back towards the launch point.

"Okay Constanze! Let 'er rip!"

The diminutive witch gave a short nod, then pulled the loading stock on a very wide gun she had in her hands. The shots rippled out from her weapon, sending colorful rings into the air.

The training was simple - Constanze fired rings, and Amanda had to catch them. But she had to catch them only using the end of the broom - no hands, no spells. There were three in Constanze's first barrage - red, yellow, blue. Amanda shot for the blue one first, mostly because blue was hardest to see in the middle of the air. She nose dived and caught it on the end of the broom perfectly. She juked upward and saw the yellow one. With a tight corkscrew roll, Amanda threaded that ring as well.

The red one was a lot lower and a lot farther. Amanda leaned hard into the spell, pouring more magic into it. The broom accelerated hard and fast. Amanda scooped it up, did a loop and a barrel roll, and was soon landed beside her teammate.

"Nice shots. That red one was tricky," Amanda said as she slid the rings off her broom and into Constanze's awaiting hands.

Someone clapped.

"Very nice, O'Neill. Good precision work," Professor Nelson said, clapping her gloved hands together.

"Thanks, teach," Amanda stretched, and posed, and grinned. "I can do more if you want. Six rings? Seven?"

"I actually came by to give you something," Nelson said, reaching into one of the satchels at her side. She withdrew a small scroll wrapped in a metal canister and handed it to Amanda.

"What's this?"

"A tip, for tomorrow's class."

Amanda tried to open it, but she couldn't see a latch or a switch. In fact, it didn't look like it opened at all. "How do you open it?"

"Just give it a little time. Keep up the good work. And nice ring thrower, Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger."

Constanze gave a thumbs up while Amanda started hitting the scroll against her broom handle. Nelson rose up on her own broom and zipped off.

"Why do teachers have to try and be so mysterious all the time…" Amanda said, glaring at the scroll. She heard a click-click-click-foom! sound. Amanda looked over to see Constanze with blowtorch. She offered it to Amanda.

"Tempting, but I don't want to burn the inside."

Constanze shrugged and switched it off.

--

"Listen up, second years!"

It was the next day, flight class. Amanda stood between Jasminka and Akko in a long line with the rest of her class. Nelson was marching back and forth as she talked, broom on her shoulder.

"Along with continuing to improve your flight abilities, your second year of flight class is also going to involve an important project - building your own broom."

She spun the broom on her shoulder around and released it, letting it levitate.

"You've been using standard issue Luna Nova brooms. Some of you have brooms that were passed down to you from your family. But nothing is as responsive and dependable as a broom that you create yourself."

"Wow…" Akko whispered. Amanda looked over to see her eyes were wide and filled with hopeful stars, her fists clenched in front of her. "Our very own broom…how cool is that!"

Amanda did a cocky half-grin, trying to look cool as always. But she had to admit the idea was very cool. She already had amazing control over brooms, how much better could it get if she made one herself?

"Brooms are made up of four components - the straw, the stick, the binding, and the cap. The better quality materials you use for each, the better your broom is. Different materials can allow for different aspects of your broom. For example, wide-stemmed Billory straw makes a broom very stable. It's up to you to decide what kind of broom you want. You'll be collecting the materials from the forests around Luna Nova. You won't be making the broom today, so for now, spend the time getting to know the area. Stay in groups, and don't fly too fast."

Nelson gave a blow of her whistle, and the witches gathered around the bin full of brooms, each grabbing one and taking flight. Amanda stood in a circle with her team, Constanze and Jasminka, and Akko's team, Akko, Sucy, and Lotte.

"I didn't realize we had to make our own brooms so soon," Lotte said.

"I'm going to make mine as fast as possible!" Akko declared, raising her fist high in the air. "It'll rival the legendary broom!"

"Shouldn't you master flying on a regular broom first? If you make it too fast you'll probably just break your neck," Sucy said.

"You just wait, I'll have the fastest broom by the end of the day!"

"Akko, you can't make a broom in one day. It's a long process," Lotte said, setting her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"What?! Really?!"

"That's what Professor Nelson just said. I wonder if you can make any part of the broom out of mushrooms…" Sucy said.

Amanda was smiling at her girl, when she realized that there was a pulsing glow coming from her pocket. Amanda pulled out the scroll, which continued to pulse with a green light.

"Huh? What's that?" Akko asked.

"Nelson gave it to me yesterday. She said it would be helpful for today."

The light grew bright and held for several seconds, then stopped. The metal shell crumbled into dust, revealing a scroll. All of the girls peered in as Amanda unrolled it.

"It's a map," Lotte said.

"A map to what?" Akko asked.

"Hmm…I dunno. But if it's supposed to be helpful for today, then it's probably a broom material," Amanda said, pointing at a red X marked on the map. "Let's go check it out."

The girls mounted their brooms.

"Tia Freyle!"

--

"It's a…dirt field," Amanda muttered.

The witches landed on the edge of the dirt field. They had checked the map again and again, but no matter how they looked at it, this was where they were supposed to be - there was a small creek that bordered one edge, and then an old stone tower that had fallen apart centuries ago.

This was where the X was supposed to take them.

"Maybe it's hidden under the dirt!" Akko said. "This is a challenge about making brooms, and we have brooms! Jasminka!"

"Hm?"

"Let's do it!"

"Yes!"

Akko and Jasminka leapt onto the dirt field and started sweeping it. A massive cloud of dust kicked up, but that was to be expected when the two physically strongest witches in their class started beating dirt with a stick.

"Akko, I don’t think this is the ans- ack! Cough cough!" Lotte drew her wand. "Wind fairy, can you please help me?"

A pale blue fairy with dragonfly wings appeared, bowed to Lotte, then did a beautiful twirl. A shell of blue light surrounded Lotte, Amanda, and Sucy, protecting them from the dust onslaught.

"Damnit, this isn't right," Amanda muttered. Sucy took the scroll from Amanda and held it up to the light.

"Looks like there's something on the back." Sucy set the scroll on the ground, showing the blank back side up. She drew a vial from her robes, pulled the stopper, and let a long drop of a blue liquid fall onto it.

There was a puff of smoke and a flash of light. Luna runes appeared. The runes glowed, then swirled together.

Akko and Jasminka stopped sweeping to watch.

The swirl of light transformed into the shape of a girl. It was larger than the gathered witches, at least fifteen feet tall. She was about their ages, and stunningly beautiful with long, braided hair. She glowed completely green, so it was impossible to tell her hair, eye, or skin color. Even the color of her clothes was hidden, though it wasn't difficult to tell what it was.

"Is that Luna Nova uniform?" Akko asked.

"Yes, but it looks a little different," Lotte said, adjusting her glasses. "It looks older."

"Hello future offspring!" the witch said. "It's a bit odd to think about you seeing this. It means that I must've fallen in love and gotten married…or knocked up on accident. Well, in either case, you're here. I hope it went well for me."

The witch looked thoughtful. "So, this is the place I've found the absolute best place to gather straw for brooms. It took me forever to find, and I promised the genius loci that I'd keep it a secret except for my own family, so that's why you haven't heard of it before."

"I don't see any straw…" Akko said.

"Maybe the plant used to make the straw died years ago," Sucy suggested.

"Now I know you're confused, standing there looking at a big dirt patch wondering where the straw is. But I promise it's there. If I've been a good mother, then I should've taught you the three things that should be avoided by the Wise. Just focus on those sayings, use your wand, and the door will appear."

The witch took off her hat and bowed deeply.

"Good luck, angel."

The witch swirled back into light, then back onto luna runes, then vanished from the back of the scroll.

"What did all of that mean?" Akko said. "What did she mean that one of her children was here?"

"It's a lineage spell," Lotte said. "Some spells can be sealed so that only members of the family can see or use them, like the spirit song my mother taught me."

"Like the blessing of Beatrix for the Cavnedishes?" Akko asked.

"Yes, probably. But that would mean someone here was related to that witch," Lotte said. "I don’t recognize her."

"Neither do I," said Sucy.

"What about you, Amanda?" Akko asked.

Everyone stared.

"Amanda…?"

Amanda was still staring in the blank space where the witch had been standing. A tear ran down her cheek from each eye.

"That was my grandmother."

--

At lunch, Akko sat with Amanda alone.

"Wow, this meat sure is good today. I guess now that there's more magic, the school can afford better food, huh?" Akko said, her smile cheery.

Amanda had her chin propped in her hand, looking out the window. Her food was untouched.

"I sure was getting tired of potatoes. But you know, I didn't eat a lot of potatoes when I was younger. We don't really eat them in Japan. But hey, you're Irish right? I bet you ate a lot of potatoes."

Amanda stared out the window.

She had been like this since they got back from flight class. Akko thought that Amanda loved her grandmother, so she was very confused as to why she seemed to be so upset. But that wasn't going to stop her! Akko was going to get Amanda to smile again.

Akko pulled out her wand and waved it above her own head.

"Boop boop boop!"

With a little poof, Akko now had bunny ears and a pink nose.

"Aren't I cute?"

"Akko, cut it out." Amanda grumbled. Akko sighed.

"Come on Amanda, tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if you don't explain it to me."

"I don't want you to help. You can't."

"But it was your grandmother! You love her, don't you?"

"Yeah. That's what's pissing me off about this."

"Huh?"

"She said that to find the straw, all I had to do was to think of the three things the Wise should avoid," Amanda said, finally turning to look at Akko.

"Yeah, what does that mean?"

"I don’t know!" Amanda hit the table. The plates rattled. Akko jumped.

A few nearby tables turned to look at them, then turned away quickly once they saw the fury in Amanda's eyes.

"She should've told me. She knew I was going to be a witch, she knew I would probably end up here at Luna Nova, so why didn't she tell me? And why did Nelson have the scroll and not me? It's pissing me off."

"Why don't you just ask her?"

Amanda screwed up her face tighter and went back to looking out the window.

"I thought she was different than the rest of my family. Turns out she doesn't expect much from me either."

"You don’t know that! Maybe she just forgot. She is old, you know. Plus, I forget things all the time, and it's not like I do it on purpose."

"Whatever. I don't need her stupid straw. I'll find something else."

Amanda got up and left the table.

Akko sighed. There had to be something to do about this. But she had no clue where to start.

She jumped out of her chair.

"Right! I'll go ask Chariot!"

Chapter Text

"A lineage spell?" Chariot asked from atop her perch of the library ladder.

"That's what Lotte called it," Akko said.

"Yes, she's right. How very interesting." She waved her wand, sending the last few books in her pile onto the shelf, then descended the ladder. "Does Amanda know the answer to the riddle?"

"No. That's what has her so upset about it. She thinks that her family doesn't trust her or believe in her and that's why she was never told the answer. Isn't there another way we can figure out the riddle?"

"I don't know, Akko. 'Three things that the Wise should avoid' has a lot of possible answers. Besides, you already know this isn't a matter of knowing the answers in your head. She has to know them in her heart, too. Like the words of Arcturus."

Akko sighed. "Yeah, I thought so. Maybe we should just go ask her grandmother."

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea, Akko."

"Huh? Why not?"

Akko saw that Chariot's gaze was far away and pensive, as if searching through an old memory.

"The reason that there's a riddle at all is to make sure the power she's protecting is given to the right person. If Amanda's grandmother hasn't taught Amanda about the riddle, then perhaps she didn't think Amanda should have it."

"What?! That's totally horrible, Amanda's a great person!"

Chariot and Akko walked out of the library and into one of the hallways.

"Akko, it's sad that I'm the one who has to keep disappointing you. First with the Ministry, and now with this. But the truth is, growing up in a witch family can be difficult. There's a lot of tradition and expectation from one generation to the next. It can be difficult for a lot of normal families, but for the witch society it's even worse, especially when magic was dying. Fewer and fewer families were continuing their traditions, and even worse some girls outright refused to becoming witches. I agree with you, Amanda is a good person and a competent witch. But she doesn't exactly fit the traditional ideals, does she?"

"Why should that matter?"

"It shouldn't. But it's possible that her grandmother doesn't approve of how Amanda acts, and so she's decided she shouldn't inherit the power."

"Amanda loves her grandmother a whole lot. She spent her whole summer with her," Akko countered.

"And that's probably why she's taking it so hard."

"That's really sad…"

"I'm so sorry, Akko."

Chariot jumped, slightly startled at the sound of Akko pounding her fist into her palm.

"That settles it! I'm going to fix it!"

She turned on her heels and ran as fast as she could down the hallway. Chariot found herself smiling, watching her protégé.

"You're not exactly the traditional type either, are you Akko?" She looked out the window, onto the quad with the students of Luna Nova milling about.

"And that's what makes you a great witch."

--

Diana was surprised to get a thunderous knock on her door. She opened it.

"Akko!" she said with a bright smile.

"I need your help!"

The two of them sat while Akko relayed the entire story. Diana was intrigued at what was being discussed: a secret O'Neill secret, a component for stronger brooms, Amanda's family troubles. Diana listened patiently, only interrupting when Akko's enthusiasm was causing her to skip details.

"What do you plan to do?" Diana asked when Akko was finished.

"I'm going to go to Amanda's grandmother and talk to her myself."

"That's what I thought. You know Amanda's from America, don't you? It's a big country. Do you know where her grandmother lives?"

Akko's face of sudden realization melted into dismay. "…no…"

Diana smiled. "Always jumping into things without a plan."

"That's why I'm here, you're good at plans."

Diana considered the situation a long moment. "Her teammates might know."

"Of course! Constanze and Jasminka will totally tell me!"

 "But discussing traditions with witch families-"

"I won't let that stop me. I didn’t let it stop me with your family, and I won't let it stop me with Amanda's." Akko stood up, looking very tall and powerful despite her tiny frame. "I love magic, and I love the traditions that it holds, but we have to keep making new traditions and new paths forward. That's how I've lived my entire magical life, and I helped bring magic back. If this is important to Amanda, then I'm going to find a way to get it."

Diana admired Akko. She was very different than the crying girl she had comforted months ago, still mourning the loss of the Shiny Rod. But then again, Akko was always strongest when she was helping someone else. Maybe being in a polyamorous triad was helping Akko in more ways than one.

Diana stood, swept up in her admiration for her girlfriend, and kissed her.

"You're going to do wonderful," Diana said.

"I know! And you're going with me!"

"W-what?"

"I need you, Diana. When I was helping you with your family, Andrew was there to explain the stuff I didn't know. I may not agree with witch family traditions, but I need to understand them. You know about family pressure, maybe more so than anyone I know."

"I'm not really sure it's appropriate for me to be delving into my metamour's business like this," Diana said.

"Your what?"

"My metamour - the polyamory term for my girlfriend's girlfriend." Diana frowned and crossed her arms. "Didn’t you read the polyamory book I gave you?"

Akko blushed and grinned and pushed her two index fingers together.

"I read the sex parts…"

Diana sighed. "My point is, I'm not sure how Amanda will feel if she knows you're telling me all of her private business and then I'm going around interfering in it."

"But you're not just metamours, you're friends. At least, you were before we all started dating," Akko pointed. "Weren't you?"

It was true, she and Amanda had become a bit closer after the events of the magic missile. The three teams, nine witches, had actually spent a lot more time as a larger social group. But then after the confrontation with Amanda, when Diana and Akko had announced their relationship, the groups seemed to split again. It wasn't real animosity, but rather a show of solidarity between the friends and their teammates.

Now that Diana was considering it, this was a problem.

Hannah and Barbara already had difficulty controlling their judgmental snobbishness. Since the confrontation with Amanda in the lunch hall, she had noticed they had begun to make snide comments about her again. Jasminka and Constanze, who had always been outsiders, had become closed off from the other students.

And Akko was right. If neither of them had been dating Akko, this situation would still have happened: Akko would have found out about Amanda's problem, and she would be asking Diana to help her with it.

And Diana would say yes.

"You're right, of course. I'll help you."

"Thank you!"

Akko pulled Diana into her, and they kissed, long and passionate. Then Akko's hands drifted along Diana's hips, and started cupping her breasts through the uniform. Diana pulled away.

"Akko, we don't have time, you still need to find out where Amanda's family lives."

"Aww, but you said sex, so now I got it on the brain…"

"You said sex, Akko."

"Did I?"

Diana pushed her lovely girlfriend out the front door. "Go. We can…spend time together, later."

Diana shut the door before she changed her mind.

--

"Amanda's family lives in Martha's Vineyard," said a Stanbot.

Akko was in Constanze's secret workshop. Constanze was head-down at her blueprint table. Jasminka was in the room, lifting a huge barbell. Constanze installed a weight training area since Akko had last been there.

Two other Stanbots walked over and spread out a map of North America. They made a mark around the eastern coast.

"Here, here, here," the Stanbots said.

"They own a vineyard?"

"It's just the name of the place," Jasminka said. "It's very high class. Amanda took us there once last year."

"Huh, so Amanda's family is rich?" Akko asked.

"Amanda's father is an important businessman," a Stanbot declared. "He is not a wizard, and her mother is not a witch."

"Huh, so it skipped a generation? That's odd."

"Pretty common with sons," Constanze said. Even though they had all gotten closer over the year, Constanze still didn't say much, and when she did, Akko was always a little startled.

"It is? Why?"

Jasminka shrugged. "Boys don't have as much magical power."

"Why?"

They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Nobody knows, it is a highly contested area of research," a Stanbot said.

"Well, whatever, the point is, they live in Martha's Vineyard, so easy peasy. Just gotta find the right Ley Line terminals and I'll be set."

"Her grandmother doesn't live with them," Jasminka said. "She lives on an island that isn't on a map, protected by enchantments."

"O-oh…" Akko felt herself deflating. "I guess it was starting to feel a little too easy…"

"Maybe her parents know how to find it," Jasminka said.

"Right, I'll ask! Huh?"

Constanze had come up to Akko and was presenting a strange device. It had a ring on the bottom, which Akko realized was to allow her to mount the device on a broom. The front of the device had a small satellite dish, and the top had three lights that were currently dimmed: green, yellow, red.

"Enchantment detector," Constanze said.

"Thank you, girls!" Akko said, holding the detector close to her. "I'm going to solve this!"

"Thank you, Akko. Amanda's been really down, and we don't know what to do," Jasminka said.

"We are bad friends," Constanze said.

"No way, you two are great! Do your best to keep her spirits lifted, I'll handle everything. After all, that's what a good girlfriend does!"

--

"America's a long way away," Lotte said that evening. Akko was packing. "But if anyone can make this happen, it's you. We'll be rooting for you here."

"Thanks, Lotte."

"What about classes?" Sucy said.

"Huh? But tomorrow's the weekend."

"Yeah, but you have to take your mandatory battle magic orientation tomorrow," Sucy said.

"Whaat!? No way! I can't wait another whole week to take care of this!"

"Don't worry Akko, I've been working on something for just this kind of situation."

Sucy opened a drawer and pulled out a mushroom. Lotte and Akko leaned in to observe it. The mushroom was purple and gold, and had a familiar shape.

"It looks like a Luna Nova witch's hat," Lotte said.

"Exactly. Now watch."

Sucy opened a vial and poured three drops onto the mushroom. The mushroom expanded, rising to the size of a person. The hat-shape turned into a copy of the hat, and the body a copy of the uniform. The mushroom had legs, arms, and a head, though the head only had two eyes, and nothing else.

It was a mushroom-Akko.

"It still looks like a mushroom!" Akko complained.

"No one will notice from far away in the classroom, especially if we sit in the back," Sucy said. "And watch, it can even act exactly like you in class."

She gestured at the mushroom-Akko. It sat down at their shared table, sitting up straight as if she were going to take notes.

Then it slumped over, asleep.

"See? Perfect."

Akko groaned.

Chapter Text

"Ahh, your hair is so comfortable."

"I thought you knew how to ride a broom," Diana said, concentrating on flying. They were on their third Ley Line so far, and the traveling was starting to get fatiguing. Akko was on the back, clinging to her.

"I know, but I haven't done huge long trips like this before. You don't want me to fall out of the Ley Line, do you?"

"How are you going to learn to do extended journeys if you never try one?"

"Aw, come on Diana, why do you have to be so mean…"

"You can't improve if you keep doing the same things over and over again. You're definitely flying back."

"Aww…"

"Did you even bring a broom?"

"Yep, right here!"

Akko leaned over Diana's shoulders and showed her a small broom the size of a pencil. The little broom had a strange metal protrusion on the cap.

"Did you shrink it?"

"Yep! Pretty smart, huh?"

"Actually, yes that's a very good spell. I'm impressed, Akko. What's that metal thing on the front?"

"It's an enchantment detector Constanze invented. She said it could help us find the island, but we have to be pretty close for it to work."

"Then I guess we'll need to get some good information from Amanda's parents."

They exited the Ley Line. The closest Ley Line station to Martha's Vineyard was in New York City - in an actual subway station, though one that had been abandoned long ago. Akko leapt off the broom and onto the platform. Diana settled her broom and let out a long yawn.

"Still a ways to go…" Diana said, rubbing at her eyes. Akko leaned over and hugged her.

"You're so steady and strong, my hero," Akko whispered, kissing her cheek. "Let's take a break for dinner. We've been traveling since this morning."

Diana nodded and Akko took the broom from her.

"Tia Freyle," Akko said. She guided them up the stairs and into the evening sky of New York City.

Akko felt her eyes widen.

"Wow…so beautiful…"

The lights were incredible, as were the tall buildings. Streams of people were interrupted only by the slow stream of cars.

"It's so busy here. It reminds me a little of London," Diana said, leaning heavily on Akko's back.

"Reminds me of Tokyo."

"Have you been?" Diana asked.

"Of course, I lived there!"

"Aha! Finally, a clue to your ever-mysterious past," Diana said, squeezing Akko tighter. Akko felt her cheeks flush.

"Ah, well, you know. Lots of people live in Tokyo."

"And your parents still live there?"

"No," Akko said. Discomfort layered on top of her. Talking about her family was so awkward and embarrassing, especially with Diana. "Should we have a famous New York hot dog?"

Akko landed them at a street corner, where a guy pushing a silver cart gave them two hot dogs with "everything," whatever that meant. It was a huge mess, but Akko chomped it up. Diana sorta nibbled at hers.

A young guy in his twenties, walking with his girlfriend, suddenly stopped.

"Hey, you're those two witches!" the guy said.

"Oh wow, can I take a picture with you? It'll do wonders for my Insta," the girl said. Akko grinned and stood straight.

"Sure!"

The girl nestled between Diana and Akko. Diana smiled primly while Akko did a cute peace sign pose. The couple thanked them, and re-entered the rushing line of people.

"How did they recognize us?" Diana asked.

"Well we were on TV worldwide, remember? Plus, we're in our uniforms." Akko tapped her pointy hat. "We kinda stick out."

"Well, we had best be on our way before we end up taking pictures with half the city," Diana said, throwing the majority of her hot dog into the garbage.

"But you didn't eat very much. You have to be tired and hungry, Diana."

"I am. But I can get us to Martha's Vineyard. We must do this quickly, we have to be back to school by Monday," Diana said.

"No, I'll fly us. I can do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just lean on me and get some rest."

The two witches flew into the New York City skyline, while a newly installed Sorcerer's Stone glowed in the torch of the Statue of Liberty.

--

It took a couple hours, but Akko got them to Martha's Vineyard.

It was difficult to really see the island at night. There were a lot of beautiful houses and mansions, Akko noted, and a gorgeous lighthouse, but the rest was all black shapes of trees and the undulating inkiness of the ocean. Flying over the ocean at night was terrifying and unnerving. It was always so beautiful during the day.

Akko landed them in red-bricked driveway in front of a beautiful house. It was an old colonial style, but it was huge, and the lights streaming out of the windows were warm and inviting. The air was starting to chill as summer was shifting into autumn. Akko was pretty sure she had seen a dock in the back, with two small boats. Amanda lived right on the ocean?

"All right! We did it!" Akko pumped her fist triumphantly. Diana smoothed out her uniform as best she could and tousled her hair with her fingers.

"I'm not exactly sure what to expect here, but I suggest we lead with our best manners first," Diana said as she took the broom from Akko.

"Right! Manners, then answers!"

They rung the bell. An older woman in an apron and gray uniform opened the door.

"Hello, we are here to see Mr. and Mrs. O'Neill," Diana said.

"Are they expecting you?" the woman asked.

"No, but we are friends with their daughter, Amanda."

"One moment," the woman said, then shut the door. Akko frowned.

"She's my girlfriend," Akko corrected.

"You don't need to tell the maid that, do you?"

"How would you feel if I introduced you as a friend?" Akko retorted.

"And just exactly how are you going to introduce me right now?"

"I uh…well…"

The door opened again.

"Mr. O'Neill will see you in his study."

The interior was as beautiful as the exterior. The place wasn't as austere and grandiose as the Cavendish manor was, but it still felt historical and important. There was a family portrait in the front hall - a man with red hair in a business suit, a woman with short brown hair in a blue dress, and a young girl with long red locks wearing a pale yellow dress.

"Look at little Amanda! She's so cute!" Akko said, pointing.

They could hear Mr. O'Neill long before they could see him. He was on the phone in some very intense business conversation. He had his back to them as they entered. The man from the painting had aged quite a bit. He was a bit heavier, and his hair had vanished into a bald pate. What little hair that was left on the sides and back of his head was mostly white with streaks of red in it. When he turned to face them, he had gold-rimmed glasses.

"Yes, fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodbye."

Mr. O'Neill shut off his phone, took off his glasses and took in a deep breath.

"When Marcia said that someone from Luna Nova was here, I was expecting professors. You look like students."

Mr. O'Neill's voice was gruff and clipped and straight to the point - much like Amanda, Akko realized. Nerves were buzzing through her arms, and a million butterflies suddenly migrated into Akko's belly. Maybe that hotdog wasn't such a good idea.

"We are students, Mr. O'Neill, I apologize for any confusion," Diana said. "My name is Diana Cavendish."

"And I'm Atsuko Kagari! I'm Amanda's girlfriend!"

Akko did a formal Japanese bow. She hadn't done one in almost a year, but it seemed like the thing to do. After a moment, when she remembered that he probably wouldn't return the bow, she straightened up.

"Girlfriend, huh?" Mr. O'Neill sat in his office chair and let out a long sigh. "Thought we were over that…then again, guess I can't expect her to not take a Luna Nova Lover. Sit down girls."

"Thank you," Diana said, pulling the chair out for Akko, then for herself. Akko looked at Diana. She was always so poised and collected in these situations. Akko found herself being both envious and admiring of that quality right now. Akko felt like she was going to vibrate apart.

"So how long have you and my daughter been dating, Asuka?"

"It's Atsuko…actually you can call me Akko, everyone does."

"Ah, very well then, Akko. How long?"

"Um, well I guess about eight months now…"

"That's interesting. Very interesting."

Akko felt her palms sweating. How did this become about her? And why was Amanda's dad so surprised? Had she not told her parents about their relationship? Akko had already told hers, about both Amanda and Diana.

Was she…ashamed of her?

"So why are you two here? Is Amanda in trouble for something again?"

"Not exactly, no," Akko said. "We need your help, though."

Akko felt a slight but warm hand on her knee, with a gentle squeeze. Diana didn't look at her, but the signal was clear - let her talk.

"In the course of our studies at Luna Nova, Amanda has come across a very peculiar and rare magical artifact. She's still studying it at school, but we believe that her grandmother could help out in this situation. We were wondering if you could point us the way so we might find her."

Mr. O'Neill took out a pipe and made a show of loading the tobacco into it. He struck a match, sucked on the pipe until it ignited, then puffed vigorously in the room. Akko had to concentrate real hard on not sneezing.

Diana was still unphased.

"Why isn't she here asking for herself?"

"It's a surprise for Amanda. I wanted to…well, surprise her." Akko grimaced. Was she going to forget how to talk too?

"Girls, I'm afraid whatever's going on here, I can't help you. I have a very busy day tomorrow, and I need to get some things done. I simply don't have time to take you to see my mother. Furthermore, my mother's health isn't in the best condition and visitng her this late at night is ill-advised. I'm sorry."

"Wait, don't you care about what Amanda's going through? She really needs this advice," Akko protested.

"Amanda only goes through problems that she creates for herself," Mr. O'Neill said, disappointment clear in his face and voice. "She has barely wanted to attend Luna Nova, and her grades have been atrocious while she was there. She threatens to quit, to get kicked out, or to run away on more occasions than I can count. She is a thorough disappointment. So no, I don't really care about her grades at Luna Nova, because honestly I don’t think she's going to make it through the semester."

O'Neill stood and set his pipe down. He leaned on his desk.

"And then what am I going to do with her? Private tutor? Boarding school? Military school? Who knows what other headaches are on the horizon. So that's that. Feel free to some refreshment before you go."

"But!"

Akko felt the hand on her arm again. She was furious, and sad, and indignant, and fired up for a nice big fight with Mr. O'Neill. But Diana's touch ceased all that rage.

"Thank you very much for your time, Mr. O'Neill."

"Goodnight," he said.

Diana tugged on Akko's arm and they started for the doorway. On their way out, Akko looked up at the portrait of the young Amanda.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered to it.

--

Outside, Akko was nearly shaking with anger. The moment the door closed behind them, she drew her wand.

"What was that spell to make something explode?"

"Save it, Akko. We have to be more productive with our anger."

"But that's his daughter! How could he say something like that? And to his daughter's girlfriend, no less!"

"Broom, please," Diana said. Akko handed her the tiny broom.

"I don't think he approves of me. Do you think he approves of me? Oh no, what if it's because I'm a girl. That'll crush Amanda, she only like girls."

Diana finished her spell, and Akko's broom and enchantmen detector were full size again.

"Akko, stop thinking about it. He already told us everything we need to know."

"Huh? He did?"

"Certainly. He said he couldn't help us because it was too late and he didn't want to take us there. But he cannot use magic, so to take us there he would have to use one of the boats we saw when we flew in."

"Oh, right, I guess so."

"And if it was too late to visit, that means he could get us over there in a reasonable time. Which means that it must be both accessible by the boats he has, and the time it would take to travel there. We, are on brooms, which are much faster. And you have an enchantment detector."

Akko's eyes lit up with realization. "You mean, it must be close!"

"Precisely."

"Diana, you're such a genius! I'm never going to get tired of you solving the impossible problem!"

Diana blushed a little. Akko leaned over and kissed her ear, which caused Diana to giggle.

"Do I get a treat for being so smart?" Diana asked.

"Yes, love. A big treat. Tia Freyle!"

Chapter Text

Beep. Beep. Beep. Buzz.

Akko turned her broom slightly left until the buzz turned back into a beep. The yellow light on the enchantment detector stopped flashing and the green one started again.

"It has to be here!" Akko called out. She and Diana were floating high above the roiling sea. There was only a sliver of moon, and the stars were shining brightly.

"Let's get closer," Diana said.

They descended on their brooms, but all Akko could see was more choppy waves.

"I don't get it, is there something under the water?" Akko asked.

"No…this is a very powerful enchantment. The island is there, but we can't see it. We have to pierce it long enough to get past its perimeter."

"Can we turn off the enchantment? Maybe with the Luna Lana nullification spell?"

"We don't want to remove the enchantments entirely, that would mean everyone could see it. Besides, I have a feeling these enchantments are a lot more powerful than we could take apart."

Diana drew her wand. The end glowed, and she shut her eyes in deep concentration. She chanted softly, "Patentibus revelare, pantentibus revelare, pantentibus revlare…"

The glowing orb at the end of Diana's wand grew brighter and larger, and then suddenly shot out a whip of green light. It struck an invisible surface, and tore open a hole. Akko could see something through the hole - it looked like trees?

"You did it Dia-"

Diana was starting to slump over on her broom. Akko leaned hard into her broom and caught Diana, whose flight was becoming more wobbly by the moment. Akko angled the both of them toward the hole and shot through it.

They crashed through branches of a pine tree. Akko let loose Japanese curses, and gathered up all her willpower and energy. She let go of her broom, and Diana, and snapped out her wand.

"Paleis capama!"

Their falling slowed. Both she, Diana, and their brooms were now encased in a soft green bubble of light, floating gently towards the ground. Akko let out a sigh of relief.

"I did it…I wasn't sure I was going to pull it off…" she grinned. Diana was breathing hard too, her eyes wide from panic and terror.

"Your magic is getting to be so strong," Diana said with a weak smile.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm just tired. I'll be fine."

The bubbles popped when they reached the ground. Diana was able to walk now, and they gathered their brooms and surveyed the island.

There wasn't a lot of land to cover. Pine trees grew all along the perimeter of the island. They found a small dock on one end, probably for when the O'Neills came to visit. There were several well-worn paths, but somehow Akko felt that they should move uphill as much as possible. They followed the uphill path until they reached the peak of the island, a rocky swell of land that overlooked the rest.

A cute cottage sat at the top. There were fairy lamps all around, but Akko noticed that the fairies were coming and going as they pleased…it was more like the lamps were their homes. The cottage's windows were filled with a warm yellow light, and a steady stream of smoke rose from the chimney. The smell of the firewood was a comfort in the cool air.

"Bit late for two Luna Nova students to be traipsing about the see, don't you think?"

Akko yelped and spun around, bringing her broom to bear. Diana turned as well, though her reaction was much more measured.

Standing behind them was an old woman. She was slender, and surprisingly tall for someone her age, even with the slight hunch to her back. Her pale skin was wrinkled, and her green eyes slightly clouded - thought it seemed to Akko that they were glowing? Or perhaps they were just catching the fairy light. Her hair was white, long, and braided though Akko saw a single streak of bright red down the center. She wore a wool dress and cloak and was leaning on a gnarled staff with a fairy lantern on the end.

She looked like Amanda. Frighteningly so, Akko realized.

"You must be Mrs. O'Neill," Diana said, taking a step forward. "I apologize for the late visit. It took us longer to get here than we anticipated."

"No trouble at all, dear," the old woman said. Her voice quavered, but still had a pleasant Irish lilt to it. "I knew you were coming. The tea's ready, so shall we?"

She pushed past the two girls and started up the path.

"You know we were coming? How?" Akko asked.

"I may be old, dear, but some habits never die. I scry the future every morning before the sun comes up. Today's scry said I would have visitors late at night. It also told me that they would be from Luna Nova, though I didn't believe it at the time - I attributed it to me getting old and sloppy. Turns out I've got a bit more magic left in these old bones." She laughed. "Of course, I don't know why you're here."

"But you know who we are," Diana said.

"Not from my scry. But everyone in the world saw you bring life back into Crann Bethadh, including me."

Was Crann Bethadh another word for Ygdrassil? Akko didn't ask the question, but looked over at Diana, who nodded.

They entered the cottage, which was cozy as cozy could be.

"Wow, what a cute place," Akko said.

"Thank you, dear. It's not much, but it's been my home for the better part of a century. Small, secluded - perfect place for a cailleach to do her work. How many sugars do you want in your tea?"

"Two, please," Diana said, raising a delicate hand to stifle a yawn.

"Six," Akko said. Diana nudged her, hard. "I mean, two is fine too."

"No worries, dear, I have six to spare."

Mrs. O'Neill insisted that the three sit around the fireplace on comfy wooden chairs with the softest cushions Akko had ever sat on. She felt like she might sink into the seat and live there forever.  

"So what brings Luna Nova's finest to my front door?"

"It's actually about your granddaughter, Amanda," Akko said.

"I thought as much. Did you break her heart gently, or did you go for the kill?"

Akko blinked and sat straight up. "What? I didn't break her heart at all."

"Then why did you drag the Cavendish girl along with you?"

Akko looked over to Diana to see her reaction - but Diana was already asleep on the fine chairs in front of the warm fire. Akko thought about waking her, but then decided against it.

"Geez, you really overdid it, huh?" Akko whispered to Diana. She smiled like a fool, looking at her sleeping lover, but then realized Mrs. O'Neill was staring right at her.

Her glare was as fiery as Amanda's, but had so many years of practice that it felt like it cut straight to her heart. Akko felt a sudden rush of fear - this wasn't how this was supposed to go.

"I didn't mean for anything to happen over the summer, but it did. And Amanda and I talked about it, and everything is fine now. We're still together."

The elder witch looked to Diana. "How long did it take you to get here?"

"It took us all day. We had to get up really early, and Diana had to fly the broom because I'm not great at flying yet and it seemed like such a long journey-"

"And then she was the one that put a hole in my enchantment?" Mrs. O'Neill said, cutting Akko off.

"Well, yes."

"She's impressive. No wonder she's asleep, she must've used just about all her strength. That doesn't seem like the sort of thing you'd do for just a friend."

"Huh? Oh, I'm dating Diana too." Akko said, smiling proudly. Then she remembered how everyone else in the world had reacted to this statement and slumped a little in the chair, trying to appear a little less proud. "I mean, I know it's selfish of me. But Amanda and Diana are both fine with it."

If the elder witch was shocked by Akko's statement, she didn't show it. She instead just kept looking at Akko, as if evaluating her by sight.

"Listen, I'm here to talk about Amanda, not about our relationship. She needs your help," Akko said.

"So you said. But you need to look at this situation from my perspective, dear." Mrs. O'Neill's Irish lilt was suddenly a lot colder. "My Amanda is young and a bit naïve. She may have misjudged your character. You may be here to try and wrest some secret away from me in the name of my granddaughter. Or maybe you're looking for a way to harm her."

"What?! I would never!"

"So you say. But my family comes before all else, Ms. Kagari. I don't have much left to live for than that girl."

Akko was on her feet. Her tea cup fell over and shattered on the ground.

"If family comes before all else then why didn't you tell her about the three things of the wise!?"

Mrs. O'Neill reeled back, shocked. "How did you…"

"You're her family and you kept something precious away from her! You know that she doesn't get along with her parents don’t you, you're her grandmother! So that means you have to love her extra hard and do things extra-right. But you didn't, you kept an important secret from her, and now she doesn't know if she can trust you anymore."

Akko felt her fists squeezing and her face getting redder with anger. She didn't care.

"Don't you dare question my love for Amanda and then turn around and say you live for your family!"

The two stared at each other a long moment. The fire crackled.

Diana snored softly.

"You really are quite something else, aren't you Ms. Kagari?" The elder woman raised her gnarled staff and knocked it on the ground. A door opened behind Akko. She turned and looked to see a brightly lit room with two beds in it.

"It's late, and I'm old and dying. I need my sleep. We can solve your issue tomorrow. I apologize for questioning your love for her. She was…deeply concerned the last time I spoke to her. She hated the idea of losing you, and I suppose I was angry at you for making her feel that way."

"Oh I…I see…"

"You'll stay in the spare room tonight."

"And tomorrow? Will you tell us the three things the Wise must know?"

"Tomorrow you'll tell me why you know that question. And then we'll figure out how to solve it."

"Thank you, Mrs. O'Neill."

She shook her head. "Call me Nana."

She stood and strode through her cottage and into another door, shutting it behind her. Akko let out a breath and rubbed her neck. She must've been clenching her jaw the entire time, because her teeth ached.

"Hey, sleepy," Akko whispered in Diana's ear. Diana stirred slightly.

"Akko?"

"It's bedtime."

Diana rubbed her eyes. Akko took Diana's tea cup, and then remembered her own broken tea cup. Akko flicked out her wand.

"Yera retoure."

The Rewind spell floated her tea cup shards and spilled tea back into her hand. Akko set it aside.

"Huh, that was easy…" Akko said. When she first learned to use magic, it was obviously only possible at Luna Nova and near the sorcerer's stone. When Croix brought the SSS, magic was more readily available, but it didn't quite feel as easy as it did at Luna Nova. When magic was restored to the whole world, it was better than the SSS, but it still felt a little different.

But the rewind spell felt easy here. Effortless.

Akko led Diana into the spare room. It was gorgeous, with two huge fluffy beds and a couple of dressers. There was even an attached bathroom…how did such a small cottage have a nice spare room?

Diana was so exhausted that she lay on the bed and was drifting off to sleep again. It was up to Akko to undress her and peel back the covers. Diana had pajamas somewhere, but her multi-dimensional suitcase was always too complicated for Akko to figure out. So she peeled Diana out of everything except her panties, and slipped her under the covers.

Akko peeled off her own clothes and dropped them into a pile with Diana's. She found her shorts and white t-shirt and yawned. Her body felt weak and weary, and her heart was tired from all the tension she'd had with the O'Neill family.

She was about to slip into bed when she felt Diana's hand catch her wrist.

"Cuddle me," Diana whimpered.

Akko smiled and slid into bed with Diana.

A minute later they were both asleep.

Chapter Text

Akko awoke in an empty bed.

Bright sunshine shafted through the window and was stabbing at her eyes. She tried to evade it by hiding under the sheets, but it was too late. The sunlight, the smell of tea and eggs, and the sounds of laughter pulled Akko from sleep.

Tea and eggs? Laughter?

She sat up. She had forgotten where she was a moment - sleeping in the guest room of Nana O'Neill on a mysterious island off the coast of North America. She jumped out of bed and walked over to the doorway.

Sitting at the table was Diana, already dressed in her uniform with her hair perfectly arranged. Across from her was Nana, also dressed for the day. They had a lovely spread of tea, pastries, and a plate of scrambled eggs. Diana said something, demurely reaching for her tea cup and sipping it. Nana laughed.

Before they had become girlfriends, or even friends, Akko had found Diana's ability to get along with the professors profoundly annoying. She remembered thinking that Diana was so stuck-up, that she felt she was above her peers so she spent all of her time hanging out with the professors - people who she was equal to.

What Akko realized now is that Diana was simply a very charming person. She knew how to behave in every situation, knew how to make other people feel at ease, and knew how to present herself favorably. Akko caught herself smiling as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Good morning, Akko," Diana said with a smile when she realized the other gilr was watching. Akko suddenly felt out of place in her t-shirt and shorts.

"Good morning, Diana. Good morning, Nana."

"Don't just stand there, get over and have some tea and eat something. Both of you girls are so skinny, don't they feed you at Luna Nova?"

"Not enough…" Akko grumbled. She went to the table and picked up a plate and stacked four pastries and three scoops of eggs onto her plate. She began eating, then realized maybe she had taken too much. She looked over at Nana, her fork poised to shovel the first mountain of eggs.

"Don't be shy, dear. I'm certainly not going to eat all of it."

"Thank you!"

While Akko ate, Diana poured tea and dropped in six sugars and a splash of cream. Akko slurped the tea too, letting the warmth fill her. She hadn't eaten since the hot dog in New York, so breakfast was intoxicatingly lovely.

"So what're you guys laughing about?" Akko asked.

"Luna Nova, old days and new," Nana said. "Diana here was just filling me in on some of your exploits with my granddaughter, and I was telling her a few stories from when I went to school there."

"So that really was you on the scroll?" Akko asked.

"Aye. Finish your breakfast, and I'll explain everything."

Akko took half an hour to finish eating, then to dress back into her uniform and re-do her hair. When she was ready, she found Nana and Diana outside. The island was beautiful in the daylight with the ocean sparkling and the green forest all around them. Nana stood barefoot in the center of a circle of small gray stones. The center of the circle was covered in soft grass. Nana was holding a picture frame.

"This is me, in my younger days."

Diana and Akko took the picture and looked at it. The color was old and faded, but it was unmistakeably the same witch Akko had seen on the scroll - the difference being that her coloring was now visible. Nana looked so much like Amanda that Akko felt stupid for having not noticed it when the scroll's message first appeared. Nana's hair was longer, and her demeanor wasn't as defiant as Amanda's, but they could have been twins.

"You were a broom dancer?" Diana said. Akko looked at the picture again - she was so caught up in Nana that she didn't even notice that she was wearing a costume and floating on a broom.

"Aye, one of the best. I was a racer, too, back when there was enough magic about to run the race tracks…suppose there's enough now. In any case, I loved flying. It was my favorite subject in school, and I became a bit obsessed with improving how it was done. I developed new flight spells and experimented with broom construction until I knew everything there was to know about flight. I even taught flight at Luna Nova for a few years - though teaching wasn't for me."

"Right before I graduated, I thought it might be fun to do a little lineage magic. You always get sentimental about a thing right before it ends, after all. Knowing that my school days were almost over, I thought it might be a bit of legacy to leave behind some of my secrets to any children I had. After all, they'd probably be good flyers too, and a little help in second year broom construction wouldn't hurt."

Akko handed the picture back. Nana looked at it for a long moment, then used magic to send it back into the house.

"Five years ago I found out one of my old students had become the Flight Instructor at Luna Nova, so I sent her the scroll. I knew that Amanda might end up there, and I told her that when the time was right, to give it to her."

"That doesn’t make sense, though," Akko said, frowning. "If you were planning to give it to Amanda all along, why didn't you tell her how to use the spell?"

"Amanda was ten or eleven at the time, I don't remember. She was a different person back then. She always had a temper, but she hadn't yet become so rebellious. When she got to be a bit older, and I saw the person she was becoming…I thought maybe I should keep that to myself," Nana said.

Akko's heart roiled again. Every time that Nana seemed like she was a great person, she went and said stupid things like that. She felt angry and confused and hurt on behalf of her girlfriend.

"I don't understand. She just wants to make decisions her way. I know that tradition is important for witches, but all witches had to break the rules at some point. The first witches had to be the first to do everything. Why punish her?"

Nana looked incredulous.

"Punish her? Is that what you think I'm doing? Dear girl, I'm not punishing Amanda. I'm setting her free."

Akko's mouth dropped open. She wanted to say something, anything, but her brain wasn't catching up. The old witch went from incredulous to amused.

"I was only able to have one child. My son, Amanda's father," Nana said.

"We met him last night," Diana said.

"Well then you know that somehow I managed to raise an idiot. All the love in the world we gave that boy. Love, understanding, respect, and freedom. But he didn't have any talent for magic, and went headlong into the modern world. He went to a fancy university and became a successful businessman. But somewhere along the way he forgot some of the values we instilled in him. Appearances mean too much to him, and as a result, his one and only daughter is hurting. He doesn’t treat Amanda like a person, he treats her like a product. "

"But Amanda has enough Irish in her to know when to rebel against something. When she got to be thirteen, she started pushing hard against everything and everyone - including me, for a bit. They tried everything to get her under control, but she's too strong-willed and clever to get held down for long. The only thing she still had any interest in was magic, and so they somehow got her to agree to go to Luna Nova. Even then, they weren't sure if she was going to quit at a moment's notice."

"She's said that more than once," Akko said. Nana nodded.

"I never told Amanda about the spells and the secrets because I didn't want her to feel pressured to follow in my footsteps. My quest for 'legacy' was a selfish one. I wanted to be remembered for all the clever things I did with a broom. But Amanda should have the chance to discover those things on her own."

"I'm sorry I judged you," Akko said, her voice barely above a whisper. She bowed her head low.

"It's all right, dear. I'm glad you did. I was skeptical about you as her girlfriend, even more so when you told me you had two. But the way you defend and fight for Amanda proves that you have a deep love for her."

Akko looked up and punched her palm, determination washing over all the other feelings inside her. Determination and action! That was always the next step!

"You have to tell Amanda!"

"I'll be happy to. Have her come by."

"What? No, that won't work. She's too angry, she's not going to come see you. You have to come with us to Luna Nova."

"Akko…" Diana said, giving her a look that said 'cut it out, you're going too far'.

"We have to, Diana! We can't wait, Amanda is so torn up and hurt. We have to help her as soon as possible!"

"You're being very insensitive about some important issues here," Diana said again, her tone even more insistent.

"She means the fact that I'm dying, dear," Nana said. Akko deflated.

"Right, I'm sorry. I forgot."

Nana laughed. "Well that's a new one. Been a long time since someone's looked at me and assumed I didn't already have one foot in the grave."

"But can't you go on a short trip? You seem fine right now."

"Akko!"

"It's all right, Diana. She's right, I do have plenty of strength. But I only have it here."

Nana leaned against her staff and held up one of her bare feet to the girls. Akko examined it - there was a cletic design tattooed on the soles of her feet. No, not tattooed…enchanted? There was a dim green light to the swirling designs. She showed the other foot, revealing the same mark.

"Diana, you're a Cavendish. You must know a diagnosis spell or two. Go ahead and use one."

Diana looked uncomfortable, but wasn't going to refuse Nana. She drew her wand.

"Revelare," she said. The end of her wand glowed green. Then the shape of the glow transformed into a magnifying glass. Diana held the ring of light up to her eye, closing the other one. She looked at Nana for a long moment.

"Tell her what you see," Nana said.

"You have cancer," Diana whispered. "It's…it's everywhere."

"Aye."

"You should be dead," Diana said.

"Aye. But you know us witches - not going to just settle for what reality gives us. These marks on my feet are old magic from Ireland. There's a ley line that runs beneath this island - used to be a small one before you two girls did your work. That ley line feeds into all the life on this island - the trees, the grass, the earth, all of it. The knots on my feet draw in that energy and keep me alive."

"Knots? You mean the Celtic designs?" Akko asked.

"Aye, those."

"But you needed the ley line before because magic was weak. Now that it's stronger, can't you draw that power from everywhere?"

"If the situation were different, yes. But I'm too old and weak. This island and I share a powerful bond because I've done my magic here for decades. The knots work here because the island knows I need the energy, and gives it freely. To draw it from life that I'm not familiar with means the effect would be weaker, and I can't let it be any weaker than this."

"So as long as you stay on the island, you live?"

"For now. The knots don't last forever, I have to redo them every couple of months, and when I do, I have to remove the old ones. Every time I do it, I'm a little weaker, and the knots get a little weaker. Eventually, I won't be able to recreate them, and that'll be that."

"I'm so sorry…" Akko said. Tears were forming in her eyes, and she smashed them away with the back of her hand.

"It's nothing to be sad about. We all have to go eventually, and when you girls fixed the Tree of Life you actually gave me a bit more time. I'm happy that I'm still here, and that I might still help my granddaughter."

"Knot work…" Diana said. Both of the other witches turned to her. Diana was in deep contemplation. "I read a set of spells this summer that talked about 'knot work.' I didn't know what they meant, but could it be these same Celtic spells?"

"Aye, more than likely."

"But where would the Cavendishes learned it? We're English."

"Huh?" Akko asked. Nana smiled.

"The Irish and the English don't get along very well, Akko. Even in the witching communities, where some of those boundaries are less-important. But the Cavendishes have always been healers to all, not just their own. The cailleach knew that if you needed healing, the Cavendish family would aid you. It doesn't surprise me that some of my ancestors would have shared the information with your ancestors."

"Then that means you can get the spell to work," Diana said, suddenly very intense. "There's a spell there that is used for the temporary stabilizing of the sick and injured. Using knot work, you bind the life force of the weak to the life force of the strong."

"I'll do it! Bind me!" Akko said, raising her hand high.

"Girls, no, I couldn't do that. I would be sapping away your strength the whole time. You could get hurt, or die."

"I won't! I don't have a lot of positive qualities, Nana. But I'm strong and I have a lot of stamina and determination and I eat a lot! You can borrow my life energy, I can take it."

Nana looked to Diana, perhaps to get support. Diana was looking off to the side.

"The only reason I would say that we shouldn't do it is because it took us so long to get here. But it wouldn't take us very long to get back, would it, Mrs. O'Neill?" Diana pointed. Down one of the other paths was a small stone tower - the size you might see at a miniature gold course. Akko hadn't seen it the night before, but it had been very dark.

"You said this is built on a Ley Line. Which means it's possible to have a Ley Line terminal here. Like that one."

Nana started laughing, a big joyous laugh.

"You're very bright, Diana, very bright indeed. Aye, everything you've said is true. And I won't lie - I want very badly to go see her and clear this mess up. But I still can't put you at risk."

"You have to," Akko said, face determined. "What if Amanda takes too long to cool off? What if you die before she hears it from you?"

Nana's face hardened. Then softened. Then she shut her eyes.

"Very well. I'll show you how to make the knots, Diana. But we must be very careful, and we have to be quick about this trip." Nana said.

"Yes!" Akko yelled, pumping her fist in the air.

Chapter Text

Akko stood in the center of the stone circle, holding Nana's hand - her left, Nana's right.  A thin vine was tied loosely around both women's wrists. Diana had her wand in front of her, grasped in both hands.

It had taken her blonde beauty a few tries to get the exact pronunciation of the Gaelic. Akko was impressed she could do it at all. There were a few Gaelic words in the spells they learned, but Akko could never get a handle on the rules. How someone got "clive solish" from " Claíomh Solais" she'd enver understand.

Diana seemed to. Her chanting was continuing, and the vine tightened a little around their wrists.

"Good. Envision the knot in your mind. The vine is just a visual tool, it doesn't do the work - all of the magic is from your intent," Nana said. Akko looked around and noticed that the gray stones were now glowing green, and were also now showing green runes glowing on their surface - Celtic markings that she didn't recognize.

"Bind life to life, soul to soul, let energy flow between young and old."

Diana rose her wand. The stone circles released their lights and swirled onto their arms. The vine tightened - snapped - and bright green Celtic knots ran across her skin.

Akko felt a sharp, cold pain, sharp enough that her eyes shut and she cried out. The pain was so intense for that heartbeat that she was worried she'd lose her grip on Nana and break the spell.

A hand clamped down on Akko's shoulder.

"It's okay, Akko," Diana whispered. Her hand, her whisper, and her presence alleviated the pain. It still ached, but she could still stay on her feet. She opened her eyes.

The glow on the knots was fading, leaving a tattoo mark of cletic knots running along her hand and up her arm. There was a similar one on Nana's arm. They released their hands.

"You did it, Diana," Nana said. She stretched, the slight bend in her back straightening. "By the goddesses, I feel great! Are you okay, Akko?"

Akko turned around a few times. She did feel a little odd, but otherwise her body and mind were fine. She put up an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"Ready to go, Nana! Let's do this!"

Akko ran headlong to grab the brooms. She came back, waited for Diana who was putting on a pair of gloves, then handed hers. Akko leapt onto her broom.

"Tia Freyle!"

The broom lifted, then fell.

"What?!"

"It's to be expected, Akko," Diana said. "The knot is taking your energy away and into Nana. It's going to make using magic more difficult, and well…"

"I'm already bad at it," Akko sighed. "I guess we'll be riding one broom."

"Let me fly, dear."

Nana took the broom. "It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure I know how…"

The broom rocketed into the sky. Akko's eyes shot wide open. Nana flew high, then into a tight loop. Then she barrel rolled, corkscrewed, and then shot high.

Then she fell off the broom!

"No!" Akko cried.

But apparently, this was intentional. The broom looped back around and landed right beneath Nana's feet. She surfed the broom, like Amanda did, all the way back to the center of the stones. She leapt off of it and spun the broom around in one hand.

"Well if this isn't the best experience a dying woman can have, I don't know what is. Come on, Akko!" she yanked Akko onto the back of her broom. "Let's go talk some sense into that granddaughter of mine."

They skimmed across the surface of the island and then crashed through the wooden door to the small stone tower. Just as Diana had predicted, there was an open slice of reality with the ley line shimmering inside. Akko glanced back long enough to see Diana was keeping up.

"To Luna Nova!" Nana yelled.

--

Akko couldn't remember how the flight went. She knew that at one point they left the ley line and were flying over the Luna Nova grounds. The old woman was rocketing the broom at insane speeds, loops, and twirls. If Akko hadn't once sat upon the legendary broom, Shooting Star, she probably would've fallen already.

"Halt!" a familiar voice called. "No unauthorized visitors are allowed on the Luna Nova grounds!"

Akko looked behind her to see it was Professor Nelson on her broom, following behind, using the megaphone spell. Nana tipped the broom downward, and they came to a sudden stop a foot above the ground. Akko groaned and fell off the back, collapsing on the grass. Nelson descended a moment later, wand drawn, along with Professor Finnelan, who was doing the same.

"Professor O'Neill?" Nelson said, surprised. Nana grinned and swung one leg over the broom so she sat atop of it with her legs crossed.

"Good to see you haven't lost your touch, Nelson," Nana said. Finnelan landed and dismounted, putting her wand away.

"Miss Kagari! I should’ve known," Finnelan said. Akko sat up and tried to look innocent, but a combination of the dizzying flight and the knot spell was making it difficult.

"Professor, I can explain…"

"Yes, you certainly will. At length. It's bad enough that you tried to shirk your battle magic instruction with that ridiculous mushroom puppet, but to leave the grounds without permission and bring an unauthorized visitor is too much. Your punishment is going to be extraordinary, I assure you!"

"N-no…" Akko whimpered.

"Did we catch the intruder?" a voice called out.  Both professors turned to allow Headmistress Hollbrooke to pass between them. She looked up at Nana, and her eyes lit up.

"Molly O'Neill…"

"Miranda! How are ya?" Nana said with a big grin.

"I didn't expect to see you here. The last I heard you were…well…"

"Aye, it's true, my health isn't in great shape. But your students convinced me that I needed to come see my granddaughter. And I have a trick or two still up my sleeve," Nana said. Hollbrooke walked over to Akko and offered a hand. Akko took it, but Hollbrooke wasn't trying to help her up - instead she looked at the knots on Akko's skin.

"I see…this is very advanced magic, Miss Kagari. And dangerous if you don't know what you're doing."

"I helped, Headmistress."

Diana floated down beside them, perched on her broom, gloved hands gripping the handle. She slipped off of it.

"It's a spell from my family, but Mrs. O'Neill helped me created it properly," Diana explained. "It should be fine…except that Mrs. O'Neill has been a bit…indulgent in her use of Akko's energy."

"Is that why I feel so drained?" Akko said, finally getting to her feet.

"Oh, dear, I’m sorry. I guess I got a bit carried away," Nana said.

"It's all right. I'm glad you got to have fun," Akko said. "And I can take it! I just feel a little dizzy, that's all."

"Headmistress, this is all highly irregular. There are a lot of protocols in violation," Finnelan said in a low voice to Hollbrooke.

"Yes, there are. But I think we can make an exception for Mrs. O'Neill. She is a former student and faculty member, after all, and she won't be here very long. What is of more concern is that I don't believe that spell will last much longer. We must locate Amanda right away."

"I could use a snack…" Akko suggested. Finnelan glared, but Hollbrooke nodded.

"I think the bakers just finished with some berry tarts. Go by the cafeteria and pick some up before you go searching for Amanda."

"I think I know where she is," Akko said.

--

Amanda stood at the stupid field.

That stupid fucking field.

She shouldn't care. She knew she shouldn't care, that she should shove it all away just like she did with her mom and dad. Why bother doing what family wants you to do if it's never good enough? Why try to be something you don't want to be if nobody is going to praise you for it?

Why was she trying to be a witch if her grandmother wasn't even going to tell her the best witch secrets?

"Damnit!"

Amanda kicked the dirt.

This was stupid. She was just torturing herself out here, thinking over and over again about the "wise." She had scoured her memory for anything that her grandmother might have told her in the past. Maybe she had dropped a hint or given a clue or said something meaningful and Amanda just hadn't been paying close enough attention. She wished this were true. It would be so much easier to handle if it were her own fault. She'd rather be stupid than forgotten.

"Of course, you could just go ask her…" she said to herself. But she couldn't. The idea of her grandmother rejecting the question was too painful. Maybe Akko could go ask for her - that would be the sort of thing she would do.

Amanda's heart dropped even lower. She had snapped at Akko on Friday, and hadn't seen her all weekend. She tried to tell herself that Akko was just giving her space, time to think about things, just as she'd asked. But it was hard to think about that when your girlfriend has another girlfriend.

"Probably tucked away in some fancy hotel, fucking their brains out…" Amanda muttered.

What she wouldn't give to hear Akko's voice right about now.

"Amandaaaaaaaaa!"

Yeah just like-…wait a second.

Amanda turned around.

"Akko? Nana?!"

Nana got off a broom. A broom that she was flying.

"What the hell?" Amanda said. Nana stood straight - something she hadn't done in years - and grinned. The sun was beginning to set now, and the orange sky was turning Nana's hair red again. She looked more like the girl from the spell, or the Nana Amanda knew when she was a child.

"Nana, what are you doing?! You can't leave the island!"

"I can do what I want, I'm a grown woman," she said with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. Amanda ran over and hugged her.

"I don't understand, how are you here? Why are you here?"

"Your girlfriend came to fetch me. Said you found my old scroll and my daft old riddle. Said you were pretty torn up about it, too."

Amanda looked around. Inexplicably, Diana had showed up too, but she had landed quite a ways back. Akko stood further back too, to give them space, but she wasn't standing directly next to Diana. Nana took Amanda by the shoulders and turned her around to look at the field.

"Why didn't you tell me about this, Nana?" Amanda said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I didn't want to burden you with a task, child. You know how much pressure some of those other witch families put on their girls. I had my own pressures from your great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. When I was young, I made that spell because I thought it would be fun. I didn’t think that I would end up with a granddaughter like you, who wanted her own freedom and her own choices."

"Gee, sorry," Amanda said, bitterly.

"That's not what I meant, Amanda. I'm proud of who you are. I love that you want to make your own way and to be your own person. Too many people in the world are afraid of doing just that. So to honor that, I didn't tell you about the scroll during your first year. I wanted to see if you wanted to be a witch before I started giving you my secrets. Then as your first year came to an end, and you were mixed up in repairing magic to the world, it slipped my mind. And then of course there's the whole thing about how I'm dying…"

She grinned when she said it, but Amanda's heart squeezed in on itself when she did.

"I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry. It was just a misunderstanding. Now, let's cut to it straight away - do you want to know the spell?"

"Yes. Most definitely yes."

Nana took both of Amanda's hands and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Three things to be avoided by the Wise: expecting the impossible, grieving over the irretrievable, fearing the inevitable."

"That's the spell?"

"Aye. But it's not just words, and you know that. You have to understand their meaning for yourself. Only then will the spell work, and only then will the genius loci reveal himself to you. And be careful when he does, he's a right old bastard."

Amanda frowned. "But…how do I learn the meaning?"

"I think your girl over there might have a few ideas on that," Nana said, glancing over to Akko. "She's quite something, you know. She came all the way out to the island to tell me off for being bad to you. Someone who loves you that fiercely is hard to come by."

Amanda smiled, a little embarrassed, already picturing how Akko must have dalt with the whole thing. "Yeah, sorry she's…a lot."

"She's good for you. I can tell."

"She's not fully mine, though. That other girl, Diana…"

"I know, dear. But are you following your heart?"

"Yes," Amanda said quietly. "I am. It's scary, but I won't let go of Akko that easily."

"In the end, no matter what happens or what pain it might bring you, you'll be better for it."

They hugged.

"Now, I want to go look over Luna Nova one last time. I never thought I'd be back here, but your girl and the Cavendish girl made it possible." She reached out with her hand to summon the broom.

"Care to take a quick flight with me?"

"I'd love to!"

The O'Neill women mounted their brooms.

"Tia Freyle!"

Chapter Text

An entourage awaited Amanda and her grandmother when they landed. Hollbrooke, Finnelan, Diana, and Akko were still there. What surprised Diana was the sudden appearance of Chariot, who seemed equally confused as to why she was there. Grandmother and granddaughter looked stunning on the brooms, Diana decided. She was a formidable broom pilot herself, but she lacked the needless daredevilness that the O'Neills had in spades.

It was that extra bit of artistry that made the difference.

"They're sure great at flying…" Akko muttered. She was sleepy, and looked pale.

"Molly, it's been great to have you here, but I think it's time to go. Miss Kagari is looking a little drained," Hollbrooke pointed out.

"Ah yes, the dear lass. Thank you so much for everything you've done, Akko." Nana hugged her. "Come back and visit, if you get a moment."

"I will. And I'll take you back home now."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea, Miss Kagari. It was you who made the spell, wasn't it Diana?" Finnelan said.

"Yes, professor."

"Good. Then you can recreate it, except we'll bind Mrs. O'Neill to Chariot."

"W-what? Wait a second, I-" Chariot protested.

"You are the youngest and strongest, Professor Chariot. Certainly you don't expect our students to carry that burden, do you?"

"Um, I mean I guess not…" Chariot shrunk, hiding behind her glasses. She seemed almost like Ursula again.  

"You'll need some stones to make a circle," Nana said. "Perhaps the young Chariot can oblige?"

"Yes, certainly, I'll be right back," Chariot said, looking beleaguered as ever. Nana said her goodbyes to Holbrooke, and then shared another quiet moment with Amanda. The professors went on their way, leaving Nana and the girls to themselves for the moment.

"Akko dear, thank you. You've done a great thing for me and my family, and I'll never forget it."

"Aw, well," Akko said, blushing a little. "I'm just glad everything worked out."

"You have a good heart," Nana said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Always trust in it, and your future will be bright."

Chariot returned with the stones. Akko and Amanda took some and helped the professor set up the circle. Nana walked over to Diana while they did.

"You'll have to release the old knots before you create the new ones to bind me to Miss du Nord," Nana explained.

"Yes, of course," Diana said.

"And I mean all of the knots."

Nana's hand move much faster than Diana expected. It darted out and snagged the end of Diana's right glove, and pulled it off with one quick motion.

The knot spell glowed brightly along the back of Diana's hand, reaching up the back of her arm.

"How did you know?" Diana asked.

"Young Akko is strong, but there was no way I was drawing that much power from one young witch. I realized halfway through the flight that you grabbed onto Akko's shoulder before the spell. You extended the knot at the last moment." Nana nodded sagely. "That's impressive, considering it was your first time with the magic."

"I didn't plan on it. But Akko seemed to be in pain, and I didn't want her to get hurt. Her magic was damaged at a young age due to a strange event. Though she has strengthened it considerably over the last year, there's still too much I don’t know about her condition," Diana said.

"You must care about her a great deal."

Diana's cheeks turned rosey. "Yes…I do."

"Then why did you offer the spell in the first place?" Nana asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"It was you who knew of the spell. You could have not said anything, I would have stayed on the island, and knowing my granddaughter the relationship between her and Akko would have become strained. By not saying anything, you could have come closer to winning."

Diana considered this quietly. "I don't…I don't know if I see this as a competition. There are moments where I find myself jealous, I admit. But Akko recently pointed out to me that before I intruded on the relationship, Amanda and I were becoming friends. That relationship has become strained, obviously. But I don't want it to be. She's a good person, and she deserves to be happy and fulfilled as much as anyone else. To deny her that for my own personal gain is something I could never do. Besides, a heart like that could never truly love someone else, could they?"

Nana shut her eyes and smiled. "You are an interesting person, Diana Cavendish. Thank you for looking out for my granddaughter. I hope you'll do so in the future. I know she can be difficult, but if you stick with it long enough, you'll be rewarded."

"We're all set here, Diana!" Akko called out. Nana took Diana's hand.

"Let's perform some magic, shall we?"

--

An hour after Nana left, Amanda found Akko in the cafeteria. She sat alone with a massive pile of empty plats and bowls stacked in front of her. Now she was leaning back in the chair, both hands on her belly, eyes half-closed in a food coma.

"Hey," Amanda called out. Akko sat up, turned, and smiled.

"Hey Amanda," she said, a bit sleepy. "Want anything to eat? Professor Finnelan ordered the kitchen staff to give me whatever I want."

"Really? That's unusually kind of her," Amanda said as she sat in the seat opposite Akko.

"Yeah, well, I think she was mostly concerned about my health. That life-borrowing spell is pretty rough…"

"Yeah, Nana told me about it."

Akko picked up the crust of a bun and popped it into her mouth. "I shouldn't, but it's just so good…anyway…did things with your Nana work out okay?"

"Yeah, they did," Amanda said, finding a smile on her face. "It was really good to talk to her about some things. And I guess I have you to thank for butting in, huh?"

"Is…that okay? That I butt in like that?"

"Would you do any different if I said no?" Amanda grinned, shaking her head. "No, it's what you would always do, Akko. I love that about you. You act with your heart. Even if it means putting Diana in the middle of my business."

Akko winced. "She was worried about that."

"I don't really have anything to hide," Amanda said, crossing her hands behind the back of her head. "So I have a tough time with my family. Lots of people do. But uh…you met my dad, right?"

"Yes."

"So maybe you understand a few things about me a little better," Amanda said with a shrug. "It's…weird. I feel like you got to know a lot about me. If you had asked me to take you to my house and meet my dad and my grandmother, I don't think I would've said yes. I think I would've felt really vulnerable. But now that it's already happened…I don't know. I'm kinda glad that you know."

Akko leaned forward, pushing dishes aside so she could prop her elbows on the table and cradle her chin in her hands. "I'm glad I know too. I want to know lots about you. I want to understand everything about you and take care of you."

"Aw, come on, don't get that sappy…" Amanda said, the blush tingling bright red on her cheeks.

"It's true. If there's ever anything I can do to help you, I will. And I know I do that with anybody, but especially."

Amanda believed her. After all, she had literally risked her life force to bring her grandmother there and settle a family misunderstanding. She could have left it alone, like Amanda had asked her to, and everything would be fine. Akko didn't have anything to gain by doing this.

Nothing to gain, except maybe Amanda's whole heart. The two of them have had a lot of intense moments - alone and with others. Saving magic. Akko's virginity. Their first "I love yous."

But this felt different.

This felt like a big leap.

Amanda could feel her heart sliding out of her soul and into Akko's care. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

"I love you, Akko Kagari," Amanda whispered, leaning across the table.

"I love you too."

They shared a gentle kiss. Akko tasted like berry tart.

"By the way, have you ever thought about growing your hair out again?" Akko asked.

"W-what?!"

"I saw a portrait of you when you were younger! It was so cute, I love it. You could have ponytails, twin-tails, odango…"

"Stop, no way, never growing it out that long again," Amanda said, sliding her fingers in her fiery mane. "Hell, I was thinking of cutting it shorter."

"Aww, please!"

"No way!"

--

4:30 AM.

Akko wiped the sweat from her forehead, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. Her shoulders and forearms were already tired from all the raking and levelling, and there was still so much to go.

"We're going to die out here…" Akko moaned.

"It's not so bad. We did the other two fields in about three hours," Lotte said from behind her. "And there was only two of us. So with you here to help, it'll go fast!"

"But why are we levelling out the magic battlefield?" Akko whined. "Aren't we just going to ruin it when we use explosion spells anyway?"

"I think the futility is the point of it," Sucy said from the other side. "There's a lot I don't agree with Finnelan about, but I appreciate the nihilistic nuances of her punishments."

Akko picked up the rake and scrapped it across the dirt, levelling out lumps and imperfections. "Sorry I got you guys into this mess."

"That's okay. We've been at school for three weeks and this was the first time we got in trouble. I think we're on a good path now, don't you?" Lotte said.

"I can't believe the Mushroom Akko didn't work," Sucy mumbled. "It was perfect. Lazy, unresponsive, vacant gaze…"

"Sucy…" Akko whined.

"Didn't know what was going on, couldn't do the spell that Professor Chariot asked it to do…"

"Sucy…"

"It even stared out the window, like it was daydreaming. I couldn't have made a more perfect copy of you, Akko."

"Am I really that bad…" Akko slumped on her rake.

"You three! Get to work, the first classes are in three hours and you had better be on time!" Finnelan called from across the field using the megaphone spell. "If you're not done in time, I expect you to skip breakfast."

"Skip breakfast!? Now you're just trying to murder us!" Akko shouted back. Finnelan ignored her and went back inside.

"How come Diana didn't get in trouble?" Lotte asked.

"Well she didn't have the magic battle orientation on Saturday. So I'm trouble for skipping that, and for leaving Luna Nova without permission. Apparently, Diana asked to leave while I was packing. She thought I had done the same," Akko said.

"Hey look, there's another Akko raking the field," Sucy said. Akko turned to see another mushroom Akko leaning on a rake, staring off into the horizon.

"Sucy!"

"Well it's doing just about as much work as you are…"

"Sorry," Akko said, putting her back into the next few strokes.  "But I'm glad I did what I did. It's important for Amanda to confront things with her family, even if they don't always work out the way you want them too. Family's important."

"I know what you mean. I can't imagine what my life would be like without my parents," Lotte said.

"Yeah, and your parents are super great! What about you, Sucy?"

"I'm one of thirteen children, each used as a highly-trained collection specialist for my mother," Sucy said, deadpan.

"Come on, Sucy, I was being serious!"

"What about you, Akko? You never talk about your family." Lotte said. Akko shrugged in response.

"They're not that interesting. They support me and love me and that's all. They're not cool witches or anything."

"Morning, ladies," a voice called from above. All three looked up to see Amanda astride her broom, holding a rake. She landed a moment later and rolled up her sleeves.

"Amanda, what are you doing here?" Akko asked.

"Well, I couldn't let my best girl be punished because of what she did for me. And besides, I think Lotte and Sucy have done their share. Why don't you two head off, me and Akko will finish this up."

Sucy and Lotte didn't need any further encouragement. When they took off,  Amanda draped an arm around Akko, and Akko savored the warmth and strength of Amanda's body.

"Thanks, my love," Akko said.

Chapter Text

"Most of you know a number of spells used for self defense- aah!"

Professor Chariot fell off of the floating Roomba. She wheeled her arms around in the air, managed to grasp onto one end, and hang on for a long moment. The students, standing in neat rows with their teams, did their best to pretend they didn't notice. After a scrambled minute, she got back on.

"Geez, these things are slippery, why didn't Croix put better gripping on the top for shoes…"

Amanda could feel Akko's tension radiating from every nerve in her body. She had always been protective of Professor Ursula, idolized Shiny Chariot, and now she seemed to be overprotective of this amalgamation in front of them. Yes, Chariot had been exposed to Wagandea, yes Chariot had been using a floating Roomba from Croix Meredies around campus, yes she wasn't very good at it, and yes there were still a lot of students who had grown up being told that Shiny Chariot was a disgrace and a charlatan.

It didn't mean that Akko had to personally fret about it. But whatever, that was how Akko was - her empathy radar always set to maximum, and her plan to intervene in every crisis imaginable.  

"Can we just get to blasting each other already?" Amanda muttered.

"Are you really that excited to do battle magic?" Lotte asked in a hushed whisper. Her posture was bent in apprehension, and Amanda saw that she was gripping her hands into tiny little fists.

As a response for all of green team, Constanze tumbled out her magic gun, shoved her wand into the loading chamber, and pumped the action.

Lotte gulped.

"Safety is always a priority, so you don't need to worry about any of the spells actually harming you. These dispel markers around the designated battle area will drastically weaken the spells you perform. You'll still get the feeling of casting and controlling the spells, and you'll still feel some of the effects. They're a great training aid."

Amanda took a moment to scope out one of the dispel poles. They were about seven feet tall and had an odd, angular star shape to them. Moving her head around, she noted that they were seven-sided stars. She wondered if that had some sort of significance.

"Are there any questions?" the Professor asked. Nobody had any. "Wonderful, then let's start with some warm ups. Pick a partner. One of you will use the murawa spell, while the other uses the barrier spell to protect themselves. Then switch sides."

The girls started to split up. Somehow, Amanda ended up across from Kimberly. Kimberly was one of the three witches who ran the Luna Nova News Network. Most people tended to remember Wangari, what with her notable hair, constant microphone, and exuberant speaking voice. Kimberly was less front-and-center, but she was still important, since she was the lead writer to the school newspaper.

Not that Amanda ever read the damn thing

"How have you been, Amanda? Murawa!"

Amanda raised her wand and the barrier snapped closed around her. The impact of the murawa spell, a blast of intense heat, exploded in a small puff of flame and smoke. Amanda shrugged.

"Everything's good for me. Classes are a hell of a lot harder though, don't you think? Murawa!"

Snap, boom, fizzle.

"Definitely. I hardly seem to have time to dig up any good stories any more," Kimberly said with a long sigh. "Last weekend's escapade of Akko and your grandmother did pretty well, though there weren't a lot of details to go around."

Amanda shrugged and grinned satisfied. "Guess you'll just have to work a little harder."

"Murawa!"

Snap, boom, fizzle.

"Of course that wasn't the only thing that happened that weekend. There was Liliana Ortiz's big birthday party gathering. I guess it went off without a hitch, thanks to Akko drawing away all of Finnelan's attention. It was a great bash, were you invited?"

"Yeah. Wasn't in much of a party mood, at the time."

"I get it. I only go to them so I can get stories. Say, that reminds me," Kimberly said, snapping out a small notebook from her skirt pocket. "When's your birthday? I try to publish all of them, but the school won't give me the official records."

"You missed mine, it's March 11^th."

"Oh, I see. What about Akko's?"

Amanda thought about that a moment. Akko's birthday? Actually, she didn't know it. She thought back to the previous school year - someone like Akko wouldn't let her birthday slip by unnoticed. She would've at least made Lotte and Sucy do something, and then even before they were dating, Amanda's team and Akko's had become friends early on. But nothing happened that year. No birthday for Akko.

It was possible that it was around the time of the magic missile incident, and it just got forgotten in all the chaos. Or, it could be in the summer, when Amanda and her had been separated.

An image of Akko and Diana sharing a birthday meal together bloomed unbidden into Amanda's imagination. She growled, swiped at the blank air, and frowned at Kimberly.

"I don't know her birthday."

"Oh, okay. I'll ask her later. Murawa!"

--

She should just ask Akko. That would be the easiest and rational way to deal with this. But Amanda wasn't always perfectly rational, and easy was too boring. Besides, the image of Diana and Akko spending the night together was haunting her. She wanted to hear it straight from the Cavnedish's mouth if that's what happened.

Amanda wasn’t sure why this was the best way to handle it. But she wasn’t going to sit around and spend a lot of time trying to figure out why either. It would be faster to just do it, and see how she felt when she was done.

She came across Diana and her cronies, Hannah and Barbara, striding down one of the halls. Amanda decided to wait at the next hallway juncture, leaning just around the corner as casually as she could. While she waited for them to approach, she listneed to their conversation.

"The Samhain Festival is coming up again, Diana. Do you think you'll put yourself in the running for Chairwoman again?" Barbara asked.

"You did a great job of it last year," Hannah added.

"I don't believe so," Diana said. "It's quite a lot of work, and this year I have to keep up with things back home at the Cavendish Estate. And the magical studies are much more complicated this year."

"And then you have Akko," Hannah said, nudging her a little. Diana blushed a little.

"Yes, and then there's Akko to think about. I've done it once, I think it's time for someone else to have a turn. Actually, I think you should do it, Barbara."

"W-what!? Me? Really?"

"Yes. You're organized, direct, and even though you spent a few hours wearing ridiculous make up last year…"

"That was Ako's fault," Barabra whined.

"…the point is, you two need to start taking more initiative. I appreciate your friendship, but you didn’t push yourselves last year, and now you've gone from above average to absolutely mediocre."

Both Hannah and Barbara looked defeated. Diana offered a smile.

"You can be better witches."

"Maybe you're right, Diana. I do have a few ideas…" Barbara said.

"Excellent. You should go apply with Headmistress Hollbrooke right away," Diana said.

"I'll go with you," Hannah said. The two girls rushed down the hall even faster, breezing by Amanda without noticing her. Amanda waited until Diana was next to her before she spoke.

"That was surprisingly blunt of you, princess."

Diana stopped abruptly, startled. She turned to face Amanda. Amanda wasn't sure why she enjoyed making Diana lose her composure so much. Maybe it was because even when she was doing difficult things - like telling her friends to be better people - she was always so cool and in control. Maybe it was just enjoying being good ol' American fire to her English ice.

Whatever the reason, her grin was genuine as she watched Diana's tension. She looked ready to both lash out verbally, or to draw her wand and start slinging spells. It took her a moment before she was ready to speak.

"They're my friends. I want them to do well," Diana said, a slight edge of defensiveness in her voice. Amanda shrugged.

"I like blunt. They needed to hear it. We all need to hear that now and again." Amanda frowned. What the heck, why was she trying to reassure Diana? She shook it off. "I heard you met my dad."

"Yes. He was quite hospitable."

"No, he wasn't," Amanda said with certainty. Diana folded her arms, but she could tell that her guess was right - dad was hardly ever hospitable - unless there was money to be made.

"Amanda, is there something I can help you with?" Diana asked, "Or are you just here to tease me?"

"Honestly, I just had a question. Did you celebrate Akko's birthday over the summer?"

Diana frowned. "No. I didn’t know it was her birthday over the summer. When is it?"

"I don't know, actually. I was trying to figure it out, and I figured if it was during the summer that you two probably would have done something."

"You're her girlfriend and you don't know her birthday?"

"You're her girlfriend, and you don't know her birthday," Amanda pointed out. Diana raised one of her hands to her chin and looked to the side thoughtfully.

"This is true…perhaps we should ask her."

Amanda should have realized that Diana would choose the most sensible course of action. But, at least Amanda's fears had been assuaged - they hadn't had some sort of magical birthday celebration alone.

 "All right, let's go."

"Now?" Diana said, curious.

"Do you have something else you need to do?"

"No, I suppose not. Why are you so concerned about this?"

"I dunno. It feels weird not to know. I mean I don't even know what month it's in. We've been together for eight months, and I should know something like that." Amanda pushed herself off the wall and stretched her arms as high as she could reach them. "I feel like a bad girlfriend."

Amanda had her eyes shut during her stretch, but she partially let her left eye open. To her surprise, she saw Diana's eyes glide up and down her body.

Diana was checking her out.

Pride swelled in Amanda's chest. I mean, she was very hot, she'd caught guys and girls alike staring at her before. But to make Diana's eye wander from Akko a bit was exhilarating.

Amanda took a step forward and let her arms drop smoothly. Her right arm draped round Diana's shoulders, and she turned to lead the Cavendish girl down the hallway. She felt Diana tense a little, but she didn't push her arm away just yet.

"Don't you think that's a little close for being my metamour?"

"Your what?"

"Metamour…honestly, does no one else study this polyamorous relationship? Must I do all the educating?"

Amanda laughed, gave Diana a little squeeze, and then let her arm drop.

Though she found herself wanting to do it again.

--

"Hm, no, I don't think we ever did anything for her birthday last year," Lotte said. Amanda and Diana were in Akko's room, but Lotte was the only one in. "Maybe it's during the summer?"

"I was with her during the summer, and she never brought it up," Diana said.

"Maybe she's just not into birthdays," Amanda said.

"Well, I don’t think that's right either. Akko found out about my birthday last year and she brought me a present every day for a week leading up to it," Lotte said, gesturing towards her corner of the room. There was a bunch of Night Fall memorabilia - figures, posters, a hat, a T-shirt that was three sizes too big for the petite Lotte. "And then when she found out Sucy's, she did a bunch of research in the library about where to get a lock of snake-hair from a medusa. We almost died getting that…"

Amanda glanced at Diana, who had a thoughtful frown - probably the same thoughtful frown Amanda had.

"Then why the hell…" Amanda started.

"…hasn't Akko told us her birthday?" Diana finished.

Chapter Text

"Do you have all the shapes solidly visualized in your head?"

"Yes."

"Akko…"

Akko squeezed her eyes tighter. "Professor, just tell me the next step before I lose it."

"Once you have it in your head, draw on the energy around you, and release the spell," Professor Chariot said.

Akko raised her wand and opened her eyes. A fountain of green light sprang out of the tip of the wand and shot into air. The fountain of light spread all across Chariot's observatory in a fine mist, then burst into hundreds of brightly colored shapes: candy canes, skateboards, trees, apples, a baby, a penguin, a herd of horses, a pepperoni and mushroom pizza, two girls holding hands, a large bunny holding a tiny elephant - the list went on.

The images fizzled out like fireworks, and Akko let out a grunt, lowering her wand and ending the spell. She looked over to Professor Chariot.

"Ah…haha that was…eclectic," she said, her mouth smiling but her eyes wide and confused behind her glasses.

"Aw, I still can't get the spell right…" Akko moaned.

"No, it's not that at all, you performed the spell perfectly," Professor Chariot said. "But what you chose to show in the spell was a bit…mixed up."

"Huh? I wanted cute things and things that made me happy," Akko said.

"Yes, I can see that, and it's actually sort of impressive that you were able to visualize so many different things at once. But you want to do a demonstration like this for the Samhain Festival, right?"

"Yes, I really want to wow everyone!" Akko said.

 "Then I think you need to be more deliberate about what you choose to show." Chariot stood up and walked over to a cabinet. She stood there a long time, hesitating, then finally opened it and took out a binder. She set the binder at her desk while Akko walked over and took a seat next to her.

"Shiny Chariot cards?" Akko said.

"The originals," Chariot said. Akko's eyes went wide.

"Wow, really? They gave them to you?"

"No, I had them already, because I designed them."

"What? You drew these?" Akko said, her mouth dropping open. Professor Chariot's cheeks blushed.

"Well, painted, but yes I created all of the artwork and I wrote all the descriptions for the cards. The company we worked with developed the rules for the game, but I did the rest."

"That's so amazing…" Akko said, running her fingers over the cards. "You're so talented!"

"Ahaha, you're saying too many compliments," Professor Chariot said, hiding behind her glasses. "But thank you. I've always enjoyed all types of art - acting, painting, music, stories. In any case, flip to the back."

Akko did so.

"I've never seen these cards before," Akko said. She started to read one of the cards. "Red Dragon. A dragon that is mighty and red."

"Those were the failed designs," Chariot said. "When we were approached for the idea of a collectible card game, I went to work trying to make as many cool and interesting things as I could. I looked at other existing card games and saw they had powerful monsters, so I did that. But the publisher came back and said what I had made was too generic and boring, and that they wanted things related to Shiny Chariot. That's when I went back and made the cards you know. I was inspired by the real magic I encountered here at Luna Nova, and I wanted to use the cards as a way of sharing the lore I had learned and sharing my viewpoint of the world."

Akko looked at a few more failed cards. As Chariot said, they were pretty generic monsters, and lacked the charm and heart that the other cards had.

"I think I understand what you're trying to tell me," Akko said. "Over the summer, Diana and I performed a summer solstice ritual for the town near the Cavendish estate. It didn't go very well, so I had to improvise. I used a bunch of things I had seen in the town - this cool Celtic knot that I got as a henna tattoo, and then these beautiful wildflowers I had seen in the fields. Everyone loved it…but it wasn't just because of the magic, they loved it because it meant something to them."

Professor Chariot smiled proudly. "That's exactly what I mean. If you learn what Samhain means to you, then you can create a spectacle that will be meaningful to everyone. That will make it spectacular, not the spell."

"Thanks professor!" Akko was already on her feet, slipping her wand into its holster, and bolting for the door. "I have a lot to do!"

Akko didn't see Chariot smiling as she slammed the door behind her.

--

"What does Samhain mean to me?" Lotte repeated. "It doesn't really mean anything to me."

"Huh? It doesn't? Why not?" Akko asked.

Akko and her teammates were walking in the hallway between classes.  

"We didn't really do a lot for Samhain back home. My mother used to explain to me why it was important, but it wasn't like we had a big ritual or anything," Lotte said.

"Samhain is Celtic," Sucy added. "Lotte is Finnish. I'm Filipina. The cultural significance of Samhain isn't that meaningful for us, just like it isn't meaningful for you."

"Then why does the school celebrate it?" Akko asked.

"Well, a lot of magic is affected by the natural world, so the changing of the seasons is important. Samhain falls between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, so the Celts used it as a dag to indicate the beginning of winter," Lotte explained. "In that sense, the day is important because spells can change depending on the season. That's why my mother used to pay attention to when it occurred."

"Also, we go to a school in England. And those colonialists don't pay attention to anything than their own culture," Sucy said. Akko noticed that despite Sucy speaking in her normal deadpan, that there was a slight edge of anger beneath it.

"Hm…that gives me an idea on what we can do for the festival," Akko said.

"We?" Lotte said.

"Come on Lotte, did you really think we weren't going to get roped into Akko's plans?" Sucy said, smiling.

"I mean, you guys don't have to if you don't want. But I think you're going to like this one."

Akko told them.

--

Chapter Text

“To demonstrate how different types of material affect broom flight, we’ll be testing a number of specialty brooms,” Nelson said, marching back and forth, a strange broom on her shoulder. She held it in front of her.

“It’s a push broom,” Amanda remarked under a yawn.

“It’s a load-bearing broom, O’Neill,” Nelson said. “The brooms you ladies use on a daily basis are standard passenger brooms. They’re quick, reliable, and steady. These won’t behave the same. Everyone pick one up and climb aboard.”

Amanda, along with the rest of the class, sauntered to the barrels filled with enchanted pushbrooms. The first thing Amanda noticed was that the broom handle was much thicker than the standard broom. The whole thing was also a lot heavier. Amanda watched as Jasminka picked up Constanze’s for her, and they went to the line.

“Load-bearing brooms, as the name suggests, are built to carry large weight. They’re the trucks of the broom world. They won’t go fast, but they’re powerful and pretty easy to control. Your assignment for today is to fly out to the woods where the yellow flag markers are and then carry a fallen tree to the area with the orange markers. The trees are large, but going three at a time should be enough to carry them.”

“Hey, aren’t you just using us to do cleanup of the forest!” Amanda protested. Nelson shrugged, smiling smugly.

“I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about. Okay ladies, get moving.”

Scattered cries of tia freyle echoed along the field. Amanda launched her broom, and leaned forward into it.

“Oh come on!” She yelled, strangling the broom. “You can go faster than this!”

“Sorry O’Neill, top speed is pretty low,” Nelson said, gliding effortlessly ahead of her on her usual broom.

“I haven’t gone this slow since my training broom!”

“Think of this like monk training. Contemplate reality or something.”

“This is such a drag…”

So Amanda and her teammates floated at a snail’s pace towards a forest clearing where they would be doing manual labor for free. Sometimes she wasn’t sure how Luna Nova got away with some of this stuff. She should go sic Wangari on the issue, have her build up an expose or something.

But, to her own chagrin, Amanda did spend the time thinking.

Why was Akko hiding her birthday? When she had asked the question, Diana had only primly pointed out the technicality that Akko wasn’t hiding anything, since Amanda hadn’t asked her directly. She had then said that they should go over and ask her.

Amanda said no.

Which was weird, even Amanda had to admit that. Why not ask her? It was a perfectly reasonable thing for Amanda to want to know. Did she really think Akko was going to make a big deal of it? What was making her feel like this?

Her family.

Akko was always dodging questions about her family, too. Why was that? It didn’t seem like there was a big secret involved there – she said they were supportive and kinda boring. Even so, Amanda would have thought she would know more about them by now. Akko had flown all the way back to America and ended up meeting her dad and grandmother. Akko had shoved herself into Diana’s business pretty deeply. But Amanda didn’t even know the basics when it came to Akko. Did she have siblings? Were her parents together? What did they do?

The birthday was just another piece to the puzzle of a girl she’d been in love with for almost a year. She had shared her bed and her deepest self with Akko. There was definitely an imbalance here.

And Amanda was going to find out why.

Just as she reached this conclusion, they were landing the brooms in the clearing. As Amanda had thought, huge dead trees had been cut down and were piled up, waiting to be transported. Amanda and her team found one and started examining it. Amanda marveled at its size – it had to be the size of a three story building.

“I wonder what killed this thing,” Amanda said.

“Rot,” Constanze muttered. The smallest witch had perched herself on the top of the trunk and was already peeling bark back to reveal the rotting interior. Amanda shrugged – she wasn’t great at plant stuff.

“Well, we gonna start making a net or…?”

Amanda looked at Constanze. Constanze stared at her.

“Right, yeah, a net would be way too basic. Go for it.”

Constanze leapt off the tree and rushed into the woods. Amanda drew out her wand and conjured a white and red checkered blanket while Jasminka produced a picnic basket. Jas sat cross-legged and began eating while Amanda just reclined. It was a nice day, and Amanda felt the tug of sleep pulling at her.

“What are you doing?”

Amanda opened her eyes to see Diana standing over her, hands on hips, frowning. Amanda grinned.

“Careful where you step, Diana, or I might get a free show. Unless that’s your intention…?”

Diana’s cheeks flushed a delightful shade of pink before she pressed her hands on the front of her skirt. She walked around the edge of the blanket. Amanda sat up.

“You should be securing the ropes to your brooms to make the delivery,” Diana said.

“I thought you were past the tattle-tale stage,” Amanda said. “And if it’s so important, why aren’t you securing your brooms?”

“I finished mine already,” Diana said, gesturing. Amanda looked over to see one of the load-brooms was floating above a tree, holding up the front end of it with a rope. On the back end, Hannah and Barbara were flailing around, slinging spells and ropes, trying to get it all to work.

“You’re letting them flounder?”

“You said so the other day, I need to be blunt. I realized I had been doing too much of their work, and their skills are getting rusty.”

“So instead you came to nag us instead?”

“I didn’t mean to nag,” Diana said, apologetically. For some reason, Amanda believed her immediately. “I simply came over to help.”

“Oh. Well, thanks. But we don’t need it. Constanze is gonna rig up something.”

“You’re making her do it all?”

“Nah, she likes the big projects. She would’ve been more mad at me if we insisted on doing it the old way. You know, she’s pretty progressive, when it comes to how magic should be used,” Amanda said with a shrug.

“Very well. If everything is under control, I’ll take my leave.”

“Diana, you wanna help me with something else?”

Diana waited, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"If you wanna know, come by later," Amanda said with a wink. "Let 'er rip, Constanze!"

Constanze had indeed finished her contraption - apparently it was a bazooka form today. What was that girl's fascination with weaponizing everything? She stood on the top of a nearby boulder, kneeling with the bazooka balanced on her arm. She gave Jasminka a nod. Jasminka put the remaining food into the picnic basket, then walked over to the tree.

She threw it into the air.

Constanze fired. The missile rocketed out and struck the side of the tree, which then deployed a spider-web like mesh that crawled all across the surface. The missile itself bloated itself and grew more and more bulbous, until it was a full-sized blimp. The blimp floated gently and released a rope, where Amanda was waiting to catch it.

Diana stood there, wide-eyed, a hand covering her surprised mouth.

"See ya," Amanda said with a wink. "Tia Freyle!"

They'd drop this tree off in no time.

--

It was 8 PM when Diana showed up.

"Wow, you're actually here," Amanda said, leaning against the door frame to her room. Diana looked composed as ever.

"If a fellow student and friend requests help, who am I to turn it down? May I come in?"

"No, we won't be going in here." Amanda shut the door behind her. "Come on."

Amanda took Diana's hand. It was unsurprisingly soft, but it was notably warm. She managed to get Diana dragged all the way past the dormitories and onto the quad before she wrenched her hand free.

"Hold on, I'm not going to follow you blindly. Where are we going, and what are we doing?"

Amanda kept walking. She had to play this just right if she was going to get Diana's help. She could probably do this without her…but it would be a lot easier with her. But Amanda didn't have Akko's charm and charisma. If she was going to get Diana to help, she was going to have to trick her.

"Ah, you know what, nevermind. I forgot how you are. You can go, thanks for coming to help," Amanda said. She started striding away.

"Don't be ridiculous, you didn't summon me just to tell me to leave," Diana protested, walking quickly to catch up to Amanda.

"Sorry, I just forgot you were such a rule-follower. I wouldn't want to tarnish the princess' crown. You just head on back, I'll take care of Akko."

Diana glowered. "What does Akko have to do with this?"

"Oops," Amanda said with a shrug. "Sorry, just forget I said that."

Diana stood directly in front of Amanda, as imperious as a princess and as frightening as queen. Amanda was caught off guard.

"Amanda O'Neill, you have an obligation to tell me if Akko needs help. We are connected, the three of us."

"Is that why you helped me?" Amanda asked. The question surprised the both of them - this wasn't in Amanda's original plan.

"Partly," Diana whispered. "What's wrong with Akko?"

"I mean, truthfully, nothing. But there's something I want to check and it's going to require breaking a few rules. So if we are supposed to take care of each other, then you should go. Consider it as me trying to save you from being dragged down by the likes of me."

Amanda had two brooms stashed nearby, and she took one and shot into the air right away. She didn't look back, but she knew that within the next ten seconds, Diana would find the second broom and take chase.

And she did.

"Where are we?" Diana asked after they landed. They were on the outside of the faculty offices for Luna Nova, a portion of the campus that students didn't visit very often. Mostly because it was extremely boring. The lights in most of the offices were out, though glowing fairies lazily drifted along the perimeter.

"Admissions and records," Amanda said, drawing her wand. "Kimberly let slip the other day that the teachers have all the birthdays. I'm going to find Akko's."

"By the spirit of Beatrix…" Diana said, exasperated. "Why can't you just ask her what her birthday is?"

"…I just can't. Metamorphie vestes."

Smoke rose around her ankles until it enveloped her whole body. When it cleared, her uniform was replaced by a skin-tight black cat suit. She adjusted the front zipper a bit. She made a show of bending over and checking the feet.

Diana was checking her out again. She could feel her eyes all over her body, lapping it up like a hungry kitten at spilled milk. Amanda grinned.

"You like the look?"

"I…this is preposterous. Do you know what kind of trouble you could get in if you're caught?"

"So I won't get caught. But like  I said, you're free to stay here."

"Metamorphie vestes," Diana said.

It was Amanda's turn to check out Diana. She had made an identical cat suit, and it did absolutely nothing to hide any of the contours of her body. There was an interesting elegance to her form, like Diana had been carved by a Greek sculptor out of marble.

Amanda started to get interesting ideas about that cat suit, and just how much of it should be on Diana…

Gah, what the hell? I'm with Akko. Put it back in your pants O'Neill and keep it together.

"If you want to stand a chance of doing this without getting caught, you're going to need help. And Akko would be inconsolable if she lost you."

Amanda grabbed her broom. "Okay then. Glad to have you aboard. Let's steal the truth!"

Chapter Text

"Bingo, bango, hat-cha-cha," Amanda said. She stood on the levitating broomstick, her fingers about to reach out to the window.

A sudden snap of pain lanced across her knuckles.

"Ow!"

"You can't just open the window like that," Diana said, retracting her wand. Had she just used it as a slapping-ruler? Amanda had thought she'd been done with that after she'd escaped Catholic school.

"Why not?"

"The records room will undoubtedly have security of some kind," Diana said.

"For lists of birthdays?"

"It's more than birthdays, and I'm sure you know that. Don't be flippant. I'm not saying that something is going to explode or try to poison us, but there will be some kind of alarm. I assume you don’t want to get kicked out and lose easy access to Akko?"

Despite the know-it-all tone in Diana's voice, Amanda had to admit she had a point. Too often she had gone around declaring that she didn't care if she got expelled - but now she had too much going on for her here. Like it or not, Luna Nova was more home than her home ever was.

"Fine, right. Don't want to get kicked out for a lame reason like going into records," Amanda muttered.

Diana extended her wand and held it in both hands. She too was balancing on her broomstick, and her levitation never faltered. A green spotlight came out from the end of her wand, scanning along the borders of the window frame. Amanda could see luna runes appear under the spell, but she wasn't skilled enough in reading them to know what they said just from the quick pass over.

"As I suspected. Simple alarm spell. Easy enough to get around, but we won't be able to use magic inside."

"What? Why?"

"I have to create a null-magic field to prevent the spell from activating. That'll mean that anything in the field, other than the spell itself, will fizzle out immediately."

"Well, that should be fine. What do you need from me? "

"Just stay close. I'll try to make the field as large as possible, but the smaller the better."

Diana chanted a quick incantation and shut her eyes in focus. Her wand lit up again, this time in a bubbling, roiling lump of green energy. It thrashed around on the end of her wand, as if there had been a wild animal stuck into a lump of dough and was trying to claw their way out. With every thrash, the energy grew larger until it enveloped Diana entirely. Then Amanda.

The sensation was off-putting, but familiar. The lack of magic was always a tiny bit alarming, but it hadn't been that long ago that most of the time was without magic. Feeling it gone now, though, after it being so present, did feel like the world had become a lot more muffled.

"Window, please…the brooms…"

Diana was focusing on keeping the bubbling energy in check now - it was smoothing out into a sphere. When she said "brooms" though, Amanda looked down to realize that their brooms were just outside of the barrier. This made sense, because Diana didn't want them to plummet to the ground from three stories high, but it also meant Amanda needed to move.

She reached up and opened the window, slipping herself inside. She turned around and lowered her arm, catching Diana's soft hand in hers. She gave a hefty pull, and the smaller witch vaulted off her broom. They both tumbled in.

"Ow, damnit," Amanda muttered, rubbing her head. She sat up and saw that Diana had her wand out, still holding the spell in concentration. The bubble had turned into a rectangular prism that held the two girls inside. She let out a sigh.

"Okay. I think the spell is stable. We can begin searching."

"You have to keep it up the whole time?"

"I believe so. It's designed specifically to keep students out."

"Well, then it's a good thing I have super-student Diana Cavendish to help me out. I knew this was a good idea."

Amanda stood up, marveling at how the null-magic cube followed her movements. Then she looked at the records room.

"Aw, hell."

The place was a mess. Filing cabinets and boxes were stuffed to the brim with papers, and they were all shoved together as if they just needed to be dealt with. Amanda opened one drawer and scanned the files, wondering how they were organized.

Except, they weren't organized. Not at all.

"Come on…" Amanda moaned. "Does Luna Nova take care of anything?"

"I’m sure Akko and her friends will be fixing it up soon. Just give it a couple of weeks and they'll get in trouble," Diana said with a smile. Amanda glowered.

"Why are you smiling, this isn't a smiling kind of situation. We don’t have a lot of time."

"We could always just ask Akko when her birthday is...."

"No. Now get digging, Cavendish."

 They sifted through the papers in silence, though they were never more than a few feet apart so that Amanda could stay within the null-magic field. Amanda's irritation grew into frustration, which was growing into a full-powered rage with every passing file she looked through. They weren't even organized by date! Students from five years ago were placed directly next to students from twenty years ago.

"This is fucking stupid," Amanda growled. "And I don't usually care about things being organized. How are you staying so calm?"

Diana gave a small shrug. "Compared to having to re-organize and repair the Cavendish library, this isn't too difficult."

"What's wrong with the library?"

"It's 1,500 years of decay and disorganization. And there was a leak about ten years ago that wasn’t contained. It's quite the arduous task. I spent most of the summer working on it, and I know there's still a lot to go."

"Can't you just have servants do it or something?"

Diana shot a side-long glare towards Amanda. "Not that it's any of your business, but the financial affairs of the Cavendish are not…ideal. And sorting the library isn't just a matter of putting books back on the shelf. If it were, I could use a spell. I would need to hire researchers with the proper magical background, and that would be prohibitively expensive."

"Oh," Amanda said. Suddenly she felt guilty for jabbing at Diana. She hadn't really meant to taunt her. She had figured she'd brush it off, just like all of her 'princess' comments. Then again, maybe those had been harsher than she realized - especially if her family wasn't doing so well with the money.

"Sorry," Amanda muttered.

"For what?"

"For…you know, for making comments about stuff. I didn’t know.  I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time I put my foot in my big mouth, but still. You know. Sorry."

Diana smiled. Her blonde hair caught the emerald light of the spell, and her blue eyes twinkled. "That's very considerate of you. Apology accepted."

Amanda turned back to the piles of papers, taking a long deep breath. What the hell was going on with her?

"I always figured everything about you was perfect," Amanda said.

"Most people do. I admit that last year I didn't do anything to dissuade people from believing that, either. It was nice to have everyone believe I was the future of magic, even if it was a lot of pressure. It was nice for people to believe that magic came easily to me. Even if it didn't."

"It doesn't? Coulda fooled me."

"The same problem that crippled Akko's magic also crippled mine. I haven't talked too much about it because I don't want Professor Chariot's reputation to become more muddled than it already is. But when I was young, magic was almost impossible for me to perform. It took years to get to where I am."

Amanda didn't know what to say to that. Akko had told her, sort of, about how she had a 'magical injury' and that it had something to do with Chariot and Croix and everything that had come to pass last spring. But Akko hadn't seemed that worried about it, and Amanda wasn't one to pry. Especially when Amanda didn't really care.

"Sheer willpower, eh?" Amanda said.

"I suppose. But if I had worked just to save my family or to prove myself to the world I would've given up a long time ago. I do it because I love magic. I work hard because I enjoy the work. I rebuild the Cavendish library, because I love working with all those old spells. I think someday I'd like to be an Arcane Archivist and work for the Ministry or a private library."

Amanda had to go back through her stack of files again to check the names. She had gotten so caught up in Diana's conversation that she had stopped paying attention. Satisfied that none of them were Akko's, she set them aside and took another.

"What about you? What do you think about magic?" Diana asked. Amanda frowned and stuffed the next stack of files back into the filing cabinet.

"I don't know, I haven't thought a lot about it. It's better than going to regular school. I like the magic, sure."

"You love flying," Diana pointed out.

"Yeah. I guess I do love flying. But that's not…important."

"Not everyone is a great flyer. And there's lots to do with that skill, even things that haven't been thought of yet. Don't diminish your skill and passion. You're probably the best flyer in the whole school," Diana said.

"I lost the race to you last year."

"Because of Sucy's meddling. We'll never really know if you would have caught up to Akko and I."

Amanda frowned. She wasn’t used to this kindness. From Jasminka and Constanze, okay fine, they had grown their friendship over the year. From Akko, she'd accept it, even if it was a little much.

But from Diana?

"Why are you being so-"

Amanda stopped. Diana quirked her head, confused.

Amanda rushed forward, picking up Diana by the waist. She let out a small yelp, which Amanda stopped by clapping her hand on her mouth.

"Someone's coming!" Amanda hissed. She carried the smaller witch to the corner of the room, frantically searching for a place to hide. There was a tall filing locker, but when Amanda opened it, it was stacked with cardboard boxes filled with files. Amanda set Diana down, grabbed the bottom box, and picked them all up at once. She hurled them onto the floor.

"This is a terrible hiding place," Diana whispered.

"It's all we got if we don't have magic," Amanda said.

"We? Ack!"

Amanda grasped Diana and pulled her into the locker. Amanda shut the door.

It was cramped. Really, really, cramped. But they both managed to fit. Diana had her wand up by her head, and was focusing on shrinking the null-magic field so that it couldn't be seen from the outside.

Amanda heard her heart pounding in her ears. There was the rustling of keys, and the creak of a door.

"Oh goodness, this place is even worse than I thought," said Professor Babcock in her affected English accent. "Next time Ms. Kagari gets in trouble, we should have her reorganize this…"

Amanda's full focus was on listening to Babcock move through the records room. Her footsteps were short and rapid, but Amanda was pretty sure she was moving away from the locker. She let go of the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and looked over to Diana.

Diana's eyes were averted from Amanda. But, intentionally averted - like she was trying to avoid eye contact.

And that's when Amanda realized what happened.

She hadn't paid any attention to what was going on. She was focused on making sure they didn't get caught. She had basically shoved Diana in, then herself, and hoped they could fold up enough to close the door.

Amanda's left hand was firmly palming Diana's right breast.

The realization made Amanda turn flush.

"Sorry," Amanda mouthed. Diana looked over and nodded.

"It's okay," she mouthed back. "I'm sorry too."

Amanda wasn't sure what that was about, until she tried to move her arm away from Diana's body. It was too cramped, and her elbow was stuck immediately, but in shifting she felt why Diana was apologizing.

Diana's hand was resting between Amanda's legs.

Suddenly the catsuits they were wearing seemed like a really bad idea.

Chapter Text

Amanda O'Neill was fully aware of her many, many faults. The worst had to be that she was such a horndog.

Someone else might have fallen into this situation and handled it with grace and poise, she thought. If Diana had accidentally landed her hand on Amanda's breast, she'd probably find a way to make the moment pass in a super-boring, nonsexual moment. In fact, her hands were between Amanda's legs, and she was doing just that - leaving her hands motionless and detached.

Amanda summoned up all of her willpower. She could do this. It was just a tit, it wasn't like she hadn't felt one before. Hell, Amanda had tits, so this wasn't a big deal, right?

Diana let out a little huff of air through her nose.

What was that about? Was she aroused? Irritated?

Amanda looked at her hand, and the breast in question. It was so full. Akko's breasts were nice - lean and perky. Diana's had a roundness and weight to them, though, that Amanda hadn't realized before. Those Luna Nova uniforms really did a lot to hide the figures of the girls around here.

But here, in the locker, with Diana's curves shrouded only in the catsuit, Amanda could admire and memorize Diana's body. Immediately she felt the cloudy dizziness of her own lust settle in behind her eyes. Amanda's breathing quickened, and everything felt so goddamned hot in there. If only she could peel off that suit.

She leaned just a little bit into Diana's body.

The Cavendish girl's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing?" she mouthed.

"Sorry," Amanda said, though she wasn't in the least. She licked her lips. It felt like a miniature electrical storm was brewing between her legs. She'd probably be wet in a few moments if she didn't get this under control, now.

But she didn't want to be in control.

Diana noticed that Amanda was staring at the breast in her hand and looked a mixture of confused and embarrassed. Amanda was about to ask what was wrong, when she realized it for herself.

She felt Diana's nipple stiffening under her palm.

Amanda's breaths came hot and hard, nearly panting. The horniness was spreading like angry ants on her body. It wasn't fair to be trapped in a space with a girl this gorgeous, with a hand on her tits, and expect to behave.

She looked at Diana's face, wondering if there was any hint of enjoyment on her end, any sign that Amanda didn't have to stop what she was doing, or stop what she was thinking. To her surprise, she saw that Diana's face was turning a delightful shade of pink, and that her lips were gently parted. Her eyes were distant, focusing on the green light at the end of her wand. Obviously, she was trying to concentrate on the spell.

And obviously that was difficult because she was also aroused.

This was torture. Amanda needed relief. Just a little relief…

Her hips dipped ever so slightly, brushing herself against Diana's hand. Diana's fingers sent a lightning bolt of pleasure up into Amanda's spine and radiating out through her whole body. She gave another grind with her hips, and she felt the little bolts of pleasure radiate out to her fingertips.

"Amanda…" Diana braved a whisper. Amanda vaguely remembered that they had to be quiet because of a professor or something.

"Sorry…" Amanda whispered back, just before she dipped her hips for a third time. Diana's hand hadn't closed into a ball or anything, and in fact by the third time her first two fingers were stiffer and more protruding. Amanda found the tips and then pressed her body into it. The pleasure was truly ecstatic.

"Stop saying sorry…you're obviously not sorry…"

"Diana…" Amanda said. Her voice was so deep and husky that it even surprised Amanda. It definitely surprised Diana, because she had involuntarily curled her fingers. The motion brushed against Amanda at just the right spot, and Amanda let out a tiny whimper and shudder.

"Amanda, please, don't forget Babcock is here," Diana admonished, her whisper barely audible.

"I'm just so horny…" Amanda said. She wasn't usually this wantonly open about her horniness levels, but Amanda wasn't thinking straight.

"I am too, but-" Diana caught herself. Amanda's lips turned into a sharp, hungry grin.

Amanda took her hand and slid it very gently across Diana's breast, letting the tip of the nipple drag agonizingly slow across Amanda's palm. Diana shuddered and shut her eyes, biting hard on her lip. Diana's fingers curled again, but this time Amanda was sure it was her choice. Amanda let out a low "oohh…"

She slid her fingertips down to the hardened peak of Diana's body, now very visible against the tight catsuit. Amanda drew circles around it, teasing Diana. Diana was trying to curl in on herself, an adorable reaction to the pleasure she couldn't contain. She squeezed her eyes shut and risked opening her mouth.

"If you don't…stop…I can't…concentrate on the…"

Amanda gave her nipple a gentle little pinch.

Then everything happened at once.

Diana let out a small ecstatic cry, which caused her to drop the spell in her mind. With the spell gone, the whole locker went dark.

Fuck fuck fuck, Amanda thought with a sobering surge of panic. She'd forgotten Diana was using the spell, she'd been so caught up in their foreplay. With the spell gone, the detection spells in the room were triggered.

The room was lined with lanterns all along the wall, and they suddenly lit up. But instead of the yellow glow of lantern light they burned with an eerie crimson red. Amanda could hear a bell ringing frantically in the hallway outside.

Amanda and Diana were frozen in the locker. She listened for Babcock, wondering if she was going to send for security or if she was just going to start slinging spells herself.

"That blasted security ward…" Babcock mumbled. "I'm a professor here! Oh these runes are so old, they really need to be redone. Luan Nova Cessabit!"

There was a flash of green light and all of the lanterns went out, and the bell went silent. Babcock mumbled to herself, shuffling around the room for another minute, then apparently finding what she was looking for, bustled back out the record room door.

Diana pushed the locker door open. The two of them were too entangled to exit one at a time, so they both tumbled onto the floor. Amanda rolled Diana onto her back and straddled over.

Diana looked so damn hot. Her white cheeks demasked with little rosey circles, her blue eyes wide and dialated, her curling blonde locks laid out beneath her like a halo. Amanda slid her hands across Diana's hips and belly, cupped her breasts, then hunted eagerly along Diana's collar.

"Damnit, where's the zipper on this thing?" Amanda cursed, her breathing heavy and rapid. Realizing that a magical catsuit might not have one, she whipped out her wand. "Whatever, I'll just transform your clothes back. It'll be hotter to strip you out of that uniform anyway-"

"Amanda, stop."

The redhead froze. For a moment she panicked - had she misread the situation? Had she been way too aggressive with Diana? But no, looking at her there in the dim light of the records room, she was panting gently and very clearly aroused. And Amanda hadn't imagined Diana's fingers playing between her legs.

Diana took a long, steadying breath.

"When was the last time you were with Akko? And I mean…you know, with Akko."

Amanda frowned. "I dunno, like a week and a half ago? She's been really busy with the Samhain preparations, so."

"Yes. Same with me." Diana smiled, gently. "This is a mistake, Amanda. We're both sex-starved and pent-up. And the intensity and excitement of the situation, of almost getting caught…it confused us. I find you very sexually attractive, Amanda, but I do not want to continue further."

Amanda nodded, then slipped off of Diana. She put her wand away.

"Sorry," Amanda mumbled.

"You don't need to apologize. As I said, we were confused in the heat of the moment. Neither of us did anything wrong."

Diana sat up. Amanda watched her. Her chest and gut were filled with way too many feelings. She was horny and unsatisfied, a little guilty, and also…disappointed? Sad? And a little bit flattered.

 She was tempted to get really pissed off, burn away all the unease in a conflagration of rage. But she was just starting to learn that it wasn't a healthy way to deal with everything, and to give into that now would put her back a few steps.

She'd have to masturbate back in the room and hope that cleared her head.

"Ah, here it is," Diana said, reaching for a sheet of paper that had been scattered on the floor. She looked it over, nodded once and then offered it to Amanda.

She took it. It wasn't Akko's full file, which was a bit of a disappointment, but it did have one important piece of information.

Name: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari

Date of Birth: 31 October, 2001

"Her birthday is on Samhain?" Amanda said.

"Yes. That explains why no one ever did anything for her. Last year, she was in the middle of finding the words of Arcturus and preparing her plan to heal Varajois. And now, this year, she is so concerned with preparing her performance that she's going to ignore it again," Diana said.

"We can't let her do that."

"No, you're right, we can't." Diana took the paper back and set it on the floor. Then she cast a quick spell. The papers and files that had been tossed around - either by them or by other users of the room - began floating into the air and shuffling into place. The files weren't organized, but at least they were neat.

"Then we confront her about it."

"I agree."

"You do?" Amanda said, not hiding the surprise in her voice. Diana finished tidying and then set to rearranging her hair so it fell neatly across her head.

"Yes. But we need to respect that Akko's Samhain performance is important. I won't stop her from doing that."

"Yeah, I wouldn't either. Didn't even cross my mind."

Diana nodded in approval.

"Thank you for helping me," Amanda said.

"Thank you for trusting me."

Amanda offered a hand. Diana hesitated, but took it - not in a handshake, but like two friends. Or maybe lovers.

They walked to the window and summoned their brooms.

--

The door to Akko's dormitory opened slowly.

"Oh, Diana, Amanda," Lotte said.

"Good evening, Lotte. I apologize for calling at this hour," Diana said. Lotte was, indeed, already dressed for bed, and was without her glasses. "But is Akko awake?"

"Um. Well."

Lotte pushed the door open. In the new dormitory rooms, the center contained the long working table that could be seen from the front door. On their table were piles and piles of books opened to different pages.

Akko was using them as a pillow. She was still dressed in her uniform, her hand still clutching a pen. Her mouth was open wide, and she breathed in hot, loud puffs.

"She's been working too hard," Diana whispered. Every fiber of her being yearned to reach out and comfort Akko, to take her away from all the stress. Except that she knew that the stress was Akko's own choosing.

"Come on," Amanda whispered, nudging Diana. Amanda was already by Akko's side before Diana understood what was happening. The larger, stronger girl lifted Akko easily. Diana moved quickly to draw back Akko's curtain and pull back her bedsheets.

Akko whimpered and awoke as Amanda lay her in the bed.

"Hmm? Amanda? Diana?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. But you should really be in bed, not sleeping on the table," Amanda said.

"Mm…" Akko whimpered. Diana reached down and started to slide Akko's skirt off her hips. For a moment, she felt self-conscious about it - undressing her girlfriend in front of another person wasn't something she'd thought she'd do. But of course, that was silly, Amanda had seen Akko just as naked as she had. She folded the skirt and set it on the floor. Amanda kneeled next to Akko, stroking her forehead and hair while Diana continued to undress Akko from her uniform.

"We found out what you were hiding, dummy," Amanda said. "Your birthday is on Samhain."

Akko nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Amanda demanded.

"I don't know…you didn't ask."

Amanda glanced over at Diana. Diana decided to not smirk at her, but she had a feeling Amanda already knew she wanted to.

"Well it pisses me off."

This woke up Akko a little more. "Why?"

"Because…you're…you're…" Amanda stammered, struggling with the words. Diana helped Akko shrug out of her shirt. Their girlfriend was now just in her underwear, comfortable enough for bed, Diana figured.

"Because you have a huge heart, Akko. You have butt into my life, Amanda's life, everyone's life because you're not content for us to deal with our problems alone. You feel we deserve the best possible life. You won't let us settle for anything less."

Diana pulled the covers up over Akko. She knelt next to Akko on one side, Amanda on the other.

"When you hide things like that from us, you prevent us from doing the same. We want to love you just as much as you love us. We want to give you the world, just like you want to give the world to us. And if you don't let us…it hurts." Diana looked across to Amanda, meeting her emerald gaze. "Am I about right?"

"Yeah," Amanda whispered. "That's about right."

"I'm sorry, my loves," Akko said, her crimson eyes already drooping shut. "How can I make it better?"

"After Samhain, you're going to let us spoil you," Amanda said. "And no arguing about it."

Akko let out a contented sigh and turned over in her bed, snuggling down to sleep.

"That sounds…nice…"

Diana kissed Akko on the forehead. Amanda did the same.

They thanked Lotte for letting them in. Lotte was relieved herself that Akko had been put to bed - she pointed out that she was too small to do it herself.

Then they were in the hall.

"I'll walk you back," Amanda said.

"You don't need to."

"I want to."

Diana nodded, and the pair of them navigated the hallways.

Diana felt an odd kinship with Amanda now. She thought back to her speech to Akko and to all the feelings she shared…"we" want to love you, "we" want to give you the world. She hadn't even had to think to do it, it just came out, completely natural.

And then what Amanda had said: let "us" spoil you. Had it been as natural for her to say it as well?

Before they knew it, Diana was back at her room. She stood at the door. Amanda stood there, confident and tall and, admittedly, powerfully sexy.

"I'm going to spoil the shit out of her, you know," Amanda said. "Just you wait."

"It's a challenge I look forward to meeting with everything I have," Diana said. They smiled at each other.

"Goodnight, Amanda."

"What, that's it? No goodnight kiss?"

The American was clearly joking, with her lopsided, arrogant grin. But all the same, Diana leaned forward and kissed Amanda on the cheek.

She savored the look of shock on Amanda's face when she shut the door.

Chapter Text

"One more try!"

Akko flourished her wand and gathered up all the magical energy she could into her body. It felt like taking a big deep breath, the kind that fills air to the edges of your lungs and makes it feel like you're gonna burst. She drew it all into her heart, her belly, and her brain, filling herself with the world-changing possibility of magic.

Then she let it all out at once.

It streamed out of the end of her wand in a geyser of light and color. They turned into shapes, then into beings of light themselves, marching or dancing or spinning or flying or prowling or swimming in whatever pattern they were supposed to do. The shapes multiplied again and again and again, until it seemed like the whole observatory was filled with them.

Then one of them went lumpy - like a hunk of cheese that was left in the sun.

Then another.

And another.

And within seconds, the beauty of the illusion magic was nothing more than drooping beige-colored light that melted pointlessly back into the ether.

Akko slumped over, sweat rolling off her forehead. Her eyes felt like they were splitting open, like her skull might crack in half and let her spirit float away.

"Akko?"

Chariot walked into her office, not surprised to see the girl - she had a key after all - but surprised at what she had just seen. She knelt down to pick up the younger witch and place her in a chair.

"Sorry professor…just got a little carried away."

"A little? Akko, how many illusions are you trying to conjure all at once?"

"172," Akko said.

"W-what?! Akko, that's insane! That's way too many, nobody can keep track of that many shapes and motions at once," Chariot said. She rushed over to get a glass and filled it with water.

"I can do it, professor, I know I can. I just have to work harder," Akko said before taking a long drink. Chariot sat down and took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes.

"Akko, I know you were able to do a lot of transformations during the missile event…and that maybe it was in near that number. But you were using the Shiny Rod. The Rod was more than a source of power, it was an excellent spell focus tool."

"What do you mean?"

Chariot took out Akko's wand, extended it, and set it on the table.

"These are the standard issue wands from Luna Nova. They're designed to be practical and effective, with an ease in spellcasting, moderate efficiency in energy use, and durable. They're made for learning. The number of spells you're trying to cast simultaneously isn't easily handled by a wand like this. It may even be impossible."

"Really? The wand matters that much?"

"Very much. It's only meant to cast one spell at a time, maybe a dozen or so at the maximum. But by the time you're ready to cast more complex spells, you've begun studying wandcraft and are building your own personal wand or other focus. A focus that is more attuned to yourself is going to be more powerful and allow for the freer flow of magic. The Shiny Rod was excellent at diverted huge amounts of magical energy where it needed to go. And, the Rod was also special to you because of its association with me, which also gave you more control."

"I see," Akko said, glaring at her wand as if it had personally betrayed her. "Can we build a new wand now?"

"I'm afraid it's not a simple or quick process. You certainly wouldn't finish it in time for Samhain. I hate to say this to you Akko, but maybe you should make the show simpler."

Akko stared down at her wand and let out a long sigh.

"Professor do you…ever miss it?"

Akko tried to hold back the tears, but they snuck past her before she could regain composure. Chariot leaned an arm across Akko's back and held her close.

"Yes. Every day."

"Does it ever get better?" Akko sniffled.

"It…gets easier, I think. But you know, we're lucky to have this emptiness. It means we were blessed to have something so meaningful at one time."

Akko nodded, tears falling into Chariot's robe.

"You'll be a great witch Akko. With, or without the Shiny Rod."

--

"I won't give in!" Akko declared. "The show has to be perfect!"

"But if Professor Chariot says it can't be done, I'm pretty sure it can't…" Lotte said, her fingers working nervously. "I mean, she is the master of illusion and transformation magic."

"If I just work harder…"

"Samhain is tomorrow," Sucy cut in. "You've done all you can, Akko. You have to know your limits."

"I…" Akko sighed. "I feel like I'm going to let someone down if we cut down something. The whole point is to be inclusive. Where do I even start?"

"I didn't say we had to cut down," Sucy said. "I said you had to know your limits. There's still a way to do the show."

"What?! What is it, tell me!"

"Potions."

The three of them had found an empty classroom. Akko had thought it had been chosen at random, but apparently Sucy had something else in mind. This room was filled with cauldrons and other brewing materials. Sucy uncorked a vial and poured the green liquid into one of them. The liquid rapidly expanded to fill the entire cauldron, then started to steam and bubble.

"Back when magic was more limited, potions became the only surefire way to use a spell. It's how I was able to mess with you when we met," Sucy said with a gleeful sharp grin.

"Oh, don't remind me…"

"A potion can contain a spell in liquid form, and when you need it, you can use it. You've mostly studied potions and food magic as part of health and restoration, but it can be done to do anything. And fortunate for you, one of your best friends is a potion master."

"So we can load up the images into potions, then activate them for the show!" Akko said with brimming realization.

"Exactly. But there's a catch to it. We have to brew the potions one at a time for each image."

"But that could take forever!" Akko whined.

"I know. That's why you need to know your limit. That way we can know just how many potions we need to brew."

Akko sighed. It had been so long since she'd seen either of her lady loves for more than an hour. This show was taking up her whole life. She hadn't had sex is almost two weeks, she hadn't sat down to eat unless she was working on a spell at the same time, and she was practicing the show in her sleep - literally she would dream about it again and again.

And now she was going to lose a day and a half to brewing potions.

"It's okay, Akko. I'll help," Lotte said. "Maybe we can ask Amanda and her team, and Diana and her team to-"

"No," Akko said. "It's okay. It should be a surprise for everyone. And you don't have to help if you don't want to, Lotte. I know I drag you around into a lot of annoying and unnecessary things."

"Nuh huh. I want to. I think what you're doing is really great, and I want to be a part of it too."

"Okay ladies," Sucy said, gesturing to two more bubbling cauldrons. "We had better get to work."

Chapter Text

The Samhain Festival was going exceptionally well this year.

Though Diana had taken a much smaller role compared to last year, she found herself as busy as ever helping Barbara with all the preparations. Still, there had been more time to enjoy the festivities. And she was quite proud of her friend for rising up to the challenge.

Lots of time to wander about and see the booths and demonstrations. Lots of time to enjoy the snacks.

Alone.

And think about Akko.

And think about Amanda.

Akko and her team were still working on the final touches for their presentation. While she was impressed and proud of her girlfriend for being so dedicated, it would've been nice to spend some time at the festival with her. Just like the Summer Solstice one they had enjoyed together only a few months ago.

Amanda and her team were on clean-up duty, again. She had seen the redhead zipping around on her broom at speeds not usually allowed on campus, hauling trash this way and that. Once, Amanda had waved, but otherwise didn't acknowledge Diana.

And that…irritated Diana.

She wasn't sure why. But it did.

Such an obtuse, direct, fool-hardy girl who had almost gotten them into serious trouble. And such a…handsy one, too.

Diana realized she was blushing, thinking about that night in the locker. Thinking about the heat of Amanda's body as they were pushed together. Thinking of her expert fingers on her breast, on her body, teasing it as if she were unlocking the combination to her arousal.

How inconsiderate!

It wasn't she who was polyamorous. It was Akko. Akko wanted the double relationship. Akko wanted both Amanda and Diana. Akko wanted to be the chocolate center to this Neopolitan lesbian ice cream sandwich.

That made Amanda the strawberry and herself the vanilla, didn't it?

Did she want to consider herself vanilla? It was the most popular flavor…but also the most boring.

Ugh, she was spending too much time in her head. Now she was analyzing ice cream flavors and her relationship.

"Tia freyle," she commanded, and decided to take flight over the grounds.

First she found the professors.

"Diana, this festival would have been better under your care, but we are grateful for the support you've given Miss Parker during her tenure," said Finnelan, who was enjoying an absurdly large funnel cake piled high with whipped cream.

"It was my pleasure, professor."

"Enjoy the festival," she said, stuffing the cream into her face and somehow managing to look irritated as she ate it.

Next, Diana found Hannah and Barbara.

"It's fine, Barbara! Everything is going so well, you have to stop," Hannah was pleading. "Come on, there are some really cute boys here this time, let's go talk to them!"

"But…the final ceremony…I haven't talked it over with Akko yet, I don't know what she's doing. Despite my multiple requests!"

"Akko will be fine," Diana said, striding into the tent. Both girls lit up.

"Diana!" Barbara said, collapsing into her arms.

"You're doing great, Barbara. I'm impressed and proud of what you've done here. And everyone is having a great time. You really should go enjoy the festival a little bit. I didn't last year, and I regret it."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I'll keep an eye on things for a little bit. You go have fun."

"Now come on, these boys aren't going to wait around forever!" Hannah said, grabbing Barbara's hand and yanking her to her feet.

"Okay, okay. Thanks, Diana!"

This would be better. Keep her mind occupied, give her things to do for a couple of hours-

"Hey, Barbara, we got the-…oh, hey Diana."

Amanda hovered by the end of the tent.

Diana felt her heart clenching in her chest. A fresh barrage of nerves ran through her.

"Hello," she said. "Barbara's taking a break. What did you need help with?"

"Nothing, she told us to take care of a giant fish problem. Just letting her know we did it."

"Fish?"

"Yeah, I guess one of the first year's spells got away from them. Wasn't a problem though, right Constanze?"

The smallest witch hovered down on her mechanical claptrap of a broom, wielding a large gun that had a wickedly sharp spear extending from the end.

"Is that…blood?"

"Don't worry, we cleaned that up too. Though uh, you might not want to head down to the dumpsters for a bit, it's gonna get…fishy."

"It's not my usual hangout, so I think I'll be fine," Diana said. Amanda lifted her arm and sniffed her own armpit.

"Ugh, damnit, I'm gonna smell for a whole day aren't I?"

Constanze nodded.

"Well, some encouragement you are.'

Constanze shrugged, then pointed.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. See ya, Diana."

Diana was about to let out a breath of relief when the damndable American gave her a wink, flashing one emerald eye at her.

Once she was alone, Diana clutched at her chest.

What was going on with her?

--

Diana found she was nervous for Akko.

She wasn't sure why. Akko might have been a mess at the day-to-day of school and the magic it entailed, but when it counted, she always pulled it off.

Always.

In fact, it had been a year ago when Diana realized just how different Akko's magic was from her own. It was then, perhaps, that Diana had learned to admire the girl and her determination to follow her own path. Was it then, perhaps, that she had started falling in love with her?

The lights dimmed. The crowd hushed.

A single spotlight lit upon her lady-love. Akko Kagari, in her too-short skirt and her billowy Luna Nova hat, standing with the biggest smile on her face.

"Hello, Luna Nova! Hello honored guests! Are you ready to have some fun?"

The cheers erupted. Akko looked as if she were glowing, pulling in the energy of the crowd. Was she using it to power her magic? Or was it just her love for the show that she was seeing?

She spun around and cast a spell. Light and shape soared out of her wand, just like a Shiny Chariot show, just like their battle with the magic missile. Stars of pastel pink filled the air, twinkling in synchronization to the music that was coming up from the speakers below.

"The Samhain is the goodbye of light, and the welcoming of the dark and the harvest. It is a festival that has been celebrated so long that its roots are muddied in the flow of time," Akko said, levitating in the air in a swirl of light. As she spoke, images of the harvest, the sun setting, and ancient druids conducting a ritual at ancient stones.

"We honor the Samhain as much as we honor the witches that have come before us," Akko said. Images of the Olde Nine Witches came to light, then images of each professor, exploding in shapes of fireworks. There were several surprised oohs, and aahs, and pointing, as each professor came to life in flickering fire.

Even Headmistress Holbrooke looked adorable in firework form.

The last professor was Chariot, of course, in full Chariot-regalia, riding her broom and holding the Shiny Rod high above her head. The crowd cheered.

The firework professors then became animated, walking together to stand around Akko. Diana realized then that Akko was holding a lot of spells together in her head. And this wasn't even the finale! Would she be able to pull it off?

"But Luna Nova….Luna Nova isn't just about the traditions of the people who came before us. It's not about the people who lived in these halls, or the people who walked these hills. Luna Nova is a beautiful, wonderful sisterhood! A worldwide union of witches! Here, we create international friendships that will one day bind the world together!"

The professors melted into a globe of the world, with the Luna Nova crest above it.

"So tonight, Luna Nova, I honor you. All of you!"

A broom swooped up from the stage, Akko landing on it. Sucy and Lotte appeared from the wings, swooping down on their brooms. Each swung their wands rapidly along pre-determined paths, where sprays of light erupted from…bottles?

"Of course, potions…" Diana said to herself.

Each potion had an illusion tucked away inside of it - some of them animated, some of them static images that the three witches would then manipulate. Hundreds of images rocketed into the air - images of different cultures, different icons, different representations of sun, and darkness, and harvest, and family. All around her, Diana heard the gasps of recognition, saw the hands shoot up and point at the images that meant the most to that person.

Diana turned to look at the audience.

Everyone was enthralled.

But more importantly, everyone looked honored, loved, and seen.

The characters released from their bottles joined Akko in a swirling parade, moving across the sky in a majestic procession of cultural affection. The procession moved in time with the music, which swelled.

The three witches dove to a flower-shaped vase in the center of the yard, and ignited the potion. The procession dove into the fountain of light, and were transformed into shooting stars that rocketed across the sky in every color of the rainbow. Rainbows themselves unfurled along ground like ribbons.

A hundred fireworks of gold and red and emerald fired off at once. The audience roared with delight.

In the center of it all, Akko stood on a broom.

She stood tall.

She smiled.

"Remember…believing in yourself is your magic!"

And then she burst into golden butterflies.

The lights went out. The world was eerily quiet and dark. Then the ambient lights came back on, and the cheers came anew.

Diana wiped tears from her cheeks.

"Akko, you're going to save the whole world with that giant heart of yours, aren't you?"

--

It was one AM by the time the clean up was concluded. The festival had officially ended several hours ago, but no one was in a rush to end things, and bit by bit the booths and entertainers and food vendors shut away. Stanbots crawled throughout the campus, picking up trash and nullifying residual magic.

Diana was exhausted. She felt like she could fall anywhere on this lawn and fall straight to sleep.

In fact, Barabara had done just that.

Hannah stood over her, draping her cloak onto her like a blanket.

"Big goofball," Hannah said with a smile. "Tired herself out."

"I'll help you carry her back," Diana said, drawing her wand. But before she could, she saw Akko trudging along with a huge trashbag on her shoulders.

"Akko!" She called, rushing over to her. Akko smiled, though she looked even more exhausted than Diana felt.

"Hey, love. Did you enjoy the show?"

"It was spectacular, Akko! It was so moving and kind. You really did an excellent job," Diana said.

"You have to say that," Akko said, blushing a little.

"I do not, and I would not. I mean it, Akko. It was great."

"That's what I keep telling her, but does she listen to me? Psh, never."

Amanda swooped down from her broom and landed beside Akko. She took the trashbag off her shoulders and hurled it into the air where a passing Jasminka took it without a second thought.

"Hey, sexy," Akko said, leaning into Amanda, but yawning like a great lion.

"You should get some rest now. We have to celebrate your birthday in a few days, after all," Diana said.

"Oh yeah. Did you figure out what you want us to do for you?" Amanda asked.

"I did," Akko said with a yawn. "I want to go on a date."

"Okay, that sounds nice, Amanda and I-"

"I want to go on a date with both of you. At the same time."

Diana looked at Amanda. Amanda's face was unreadable, but there was definitely a rosiness in her cheeks and shock in her eyes. Diana felt that her face couldn't have been much different. She looked to Akko.

Akko had fallen asleep.

"Double date, huh?" Amanda said, scooping up Akko.

"We can…talk about it later. The both of us. Tomorrow?"

"Psh, better be tomorrow afternoon."

"That's fine."

Amanda shrugged. "Okay. See ya then."

Chapter Text

"So here's what I'm thinking," Amanda declared, her voice echoing in the workshop chamber. "Take her on a super-fast broom ride, find a nice romantic spot and have a romantic picnic. Then we go to this seedy club I found where they don't card, do a little drinking, a little dancing, and then, I take her to a nice room in town and she unwraps her present."

Amanda snapped her fingers and pointed both thumbs at herself.

Constanze, who had been listening from underneath her current project, slid out on the creeper, and sat up to look at Amanda.

Her gloved hand raised out and gave a very emphatic thumbs down.

"Aw, come on, what's wrong with that plan?" Amanda demanded.

Constanze gave her a look.

"Okay, I know that I'm supposed to share the date with Diana, but I figure I could just ditch her during the broom ride and then you know, do the date my way. And then Diana and Akko can have another date by themselves. You know, the way it should be."

Constanze kept staring.

"Geez, okay, fine! I'll go talk to Diana."

Amanda stomped over to the return-chair, unhappy. She was going to turn and stick he tongue out at Constanze, but the tiny mechanic was still glaring at her.

"I'll be nice, don't worry!"

Foom!

The return-chair rocketed along the track and came to an abrupt stop. A panel slid open back to their dorm.

This was stupid. Sharing a date. Like that wouldn't be stressful and awkward. What was Akko thinking? Didn't she realize that Amanda and Diana were…were…

Amanda was going to say "not compatible" but that certainly wasn't accurate. Those moments in the locker were real. Real hot, real tense, and really, really arousing. Amanda had been ready to tear Diana's clothes off right on the floor of the archive room. She would have done it, too, if Diana had let her.

She supposed that meant something. Everything had to mean something. It couldn't just be that she was horny and Diana was hot and they were having a moment. Sometimes being a lesbian was so exhausting.

Maybe she wasn't being fair. It wasn't like Amanda and Diana were single and found themselves in a hot and heavy moment. They were both in relationships. A relationship with the same girl, yes, but it didn't change anything.

"But why did she have to say I was sexually attractive…" Amanda grumbled to herself as she pushed open her front door.

She almost crashed into Diana.

"Ah! What are you doing here?"

Diana had her hand held up by her ear, as if she were about to knock on the door. She had a clipboard in her hand.

"I came by to talk to you about Akko's birthday date. I hope you aren't busy?" Diana said, her voice cool and smooth as ever.

"No, I was just going to find you to talk about the same thing. Come on in," Amanda said, stepping back. Diana eyed the door, the dormitory, then Amanda.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said. Amanda grinned.

"Why's that? Afraid you won't be able to keep your hands off me?"

Diana said nothing, instead choosing to look imperious and regal. Amanda shrugged.

"Fine, let's go to your room then. You live by yourself these days, don't you? Nice and empty, no one to bother us...not like here, where my roommates might come back at any minute."

Diana stepped through into the dorm. Amanda laughed.

Like most of the other second-year students, Amanda and the green team had individual bed areas with a privacy curtain, along with the communal work table in the center. Their table was…eclectic. Half of it was tools and parts from Constanze, neatly arranged and organized. The other was Jasminka's cookbooks and snack foods, which were kinda haphazard.

Amanda didn't even use it. If she bothered to study, she was either outside or on her bed.

"I uh…hm…" Diana said, surveying the site. Amanda drew back the curtain to her sleeping area and flopped onto the bed. Diana took a chair and scooted it over beside her.

Amanda pat the bed.

"Come on, it's comfier here."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I dunno, it's fun," Amanda said.

"It's not fun for me."

Maybe it was the look in her eyes or the tone in her voice, but Diana's words struck a deep chord in Amanda. She sat up immediately.

"Sorry. I'll stop."

"Thank you."

"Let's focus on our girl," Amanda suggested, trying to smile as sweetly as she could. Sweet wasn't exactly in her wheelhouse, but she remembered how from her days of terrible rich people parties at Martha's Vineyard. It seemed to do the trick, because Diana was already shuffling through the paperwork.

"I have thought about this at length, and I think an all-day excursion would be best. Akko is so very multi-faceted in the things that she loves, we will need time if we want to address them all."

"Uh, okay," Amanda said. "This isn't going to just be fancy crap, is it?"

"No. There will be some, because I think Akko would enjoy it."

Amanda crossed her arms and grumbled, but Diana had a point. There was definitely a delicate pretty princess part of Akko, and it was sort of cute.

Diana outlined the date as she had drafted it, and Amanda found herself irritated that it was pretty good. When she was done, Diana stared at Amanda expectantly, pen at the ready.

"I…I don't know! I'm not good at romance. I just thrill 'em and fuck 'em."

"Amanda," Diana admonished.

"Well, it's true. You have all these thoughtful ideas, and I was just going to get her drunk and have sex," Amanda sighed, throwing herself onto her bed. "I'm a crappy girlfriend."

"You are not," Diana said.

"I am. You're better for her. I wasn't even surprised when she brought you back to Luna Nova, you know? It makes sense. I think I was just her first girl, and there's a lot of pressure with that, but she should really just cut me loose and-"

Diana's hand wrapped around Amanda's. The red-head froze mid-sentence, surprised at the warmth and smoothness of her grasp.

"Stop that. Akko loves you because of who you are. This date needs to reflect that too. Many of my ideas are…classy and thoughtful, but they're not thrilling. I don't know how to do that."

Diana pulled on Amanda's arm until the latter sat up. Diana offered the clipboard, and Amanda accepted it, looking over the map and itinerary.

"Here," she said, pointing. "That's the Fiddle and Fie. It's a little low-brow, but it's not creepy or seedy. They have this great Irish band there. I used to sneak out and go dancing there now and again."

"Ah, that's perfect," Diana said, making marks on the itinerary.

"What are we wearing to this shin-dig? The breakfast sounds pretty formal, but the afternoon we can't be trouncing about in dresses."

"Well, Akko does love a costume change. I figured we would have breaks to get into different clothes now and again. We do have magic, after all."

"Hm. Yeah, that sounds good. Make sure you have something a little more common for the Fiddle and Fie. Maybe even something male-coded."

Diana's eyes widened. "Is…Akko into that?"

"Now and again, I suppose, yeah. Sometimes I like to call myself Armando~."

Diana's smile turned into a very playful grin.

"Then do I have the outfit for the two of us. It'll be perfect, don't even think about it."

"Uh. Okay."

They handled a few final details, made a couple of adjustments, and then it was done. Akko's perfect birthday date.

"I guess I'll see you in a couple of days," Diana said.

"We have class together. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, true."

She got up. Amanda did too, walking her to the door.

Before Diana's hand reached the doorknob, Amanda found herself throwing her arms around the blonde. Diana stiffened.

"Sorry. I just wanted to say thank you for cheering me up earlier. That was nice. You didn't have to do that."

She nuzzled closer to Diana, pushing through her hair and closer to her cheek. Diana relaxed in Amanda's arms, taking one hand and caressing the other's cheek.

"You need to be kinder to yourself," she said. "I'm very hard on myself too. But it's not healthy, for either of us. Promise me you'll do better."

"I will."

Diana turned her head towards Amanda. Their breath mingled together, their lips were parted.

They were less than an inch apart from each other.

"See you later," Diana whispered.

When she took a step forward, Amanda let her go. Diana walked through the door without looking back.

Amanda sat back on her bed and rubbed her face.

"Okay," she said aloud. "That meant something."

Chapter Text

Akko opened the door.

"Huh?" she said, because the person standing on the other end of it wasn't who she thought it was going to be. It wasn't Amanda. It wasn't Diana.

It was Hannah.

She was wearing what could only be described as a bell-hop uniform - or maybe a butler? It was dark red with a fitted coat and trousers, a bow-tie, and white gloves. She had her hair in a bun, and bowed very formally.

"Miss Kagari, your presence is requested today for the celebration of your birthday. This is for you."

She snapped her wand out of the coat pocket and conjured a white satin box with a pink velvet bow. Hannah picked up the box and presented it to Akko.

"What is it?" Akko asked, already peeling off the ribbon.

"It is your outfit for breakfast. Your ladies will arrive in thirty minutes to pick you up." Hannah bowed again. When the bow was completed, she broke character and giggled, winking to Akko. "Have fun."

"Thanks," Akko said.

She shut the door and tore open the box. Inside was a gorgeous pink dress, a pair of shoes, and a cozy white scarf.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Akko said. Lotte rushed out of her privacy curtain to peer over Akko's shoulder.

"Oh, it really is. I think it's going to suit you, Akko."

Akko wasted no time in changing into the dress. It had a wide white collar with a delicate pink pattern embroidered along the edges. The sleeves were wide, but ended at her elbows, and the skirt ended just above her knees. The ends of the sleeve and the hem of her dress were decorated with a white cherry blossom print. The included shoes were white heels that lifted Akko a few inches and made her look longer, and more elegant. The scarf was extra long and extremely soft, and felt luxurious wrapped around her neck. It smelled like vanilla, and felt like it would keep her warm in the coldest of winds.

"Akko, you look wonderful," Lotte said. "I'm so excited and happy for you! You deserve this birthday celebration."

"Thanks Lotte," Akko said, staring at herself in the mirror, grinning from ear to ear.

"You should give it to her," Sucy, who was bubbling a potion at their workdesk, called out.

"Are you sure?" Lotte asked.

"Give me what? I want it!"

"It's just a little present Sucy and I got for you. It isn't much, but I think it'll match your outfit."

Akko clapped in excitement as Lotte went to retrieve it. She returned with a small white jewelry box with a tiny red bow perched on the top. Akko opened it, revealing a pair of pearl earrings.

"Lotte, Sucy! These are gorgeous!" Akko said, immediately pulling them out of the box and rushing to the mirror to slide them in. Lotte smiled, proudly.

"I'm so glad you like them!"

Akko examined herself in the mirror again. Yes, the pearls matched her pink and white outfit amazingly well. Sucy looked up from her brewing.

"You look like a confection, Akko. I'm sure they're ready to eat you up," Sucy said with a uncharacteristic amount of sweetness.

"That's what I'm hoping for!" Akko said with a wink, giving Sucy the finger-guns. Sucy grinned. Lotte blushed and looked a little uncomfortable.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Oh, that's them!" Akko said, rushing to grab a purse. She had a small, lightweight one that was ideal for carrying her wallet, wand, and make up. She had picked it out earlier, along with the outfit she had planned on wearing to the date.

"Oh no, this is bright red!" Akko said, holding up the purse against her new outfit. "This doesn't work at all!"

"Metamorphie vestes," Lotte said with a wave of her wand. The purse poofed in smoke and the red was now a shade of pinkish rose gold that fit exactly with the rest of her outfit.

"I don't deserve you, Lotte!" Akko said, giving her friend a hug. "Don't wait up for me."

"Have a good time, and happy birthday," Lotte said.

"Have fun, Akko," Sucy said while holding a vial up to the sunlight.

Akko opened the door.

"Oh my goddesses…" Akko whispered.

"Good morning," Diana said. She wore a black high-necked baby doll dress with an embroidered autumn pattern of red, orange, and gold leaves across her bust and upper arms. The dress had full-length sleeves, but they became sheer at the elbows, showing her pale skin. Her ears shimmered with the earrings Akko had bought her during the summer solstice. Her golden hair tumbled down her shoulders in their usual perfect curls.

"Hey babe," Amanda said. Amanda wore a long-sleeved tan-brown dress with a white flower print and a plunging neckline that showed off the gentle swells of her breasts very nicely. The sleeves flared out at the end, the waist was cinched, and the end of the skirt had a gentle ruffle to them. The skirt ended well-above Amanda's knees, leaving her luxurious legs well-displayed. On her right wrist was the charm bracelet Akko gave her.

"You both look amazing," Akko said dreamily, leaning forward to place an arm around each of them and hugging them close. She kissed Diana softly first, then Amanda.

"You're a delight to behold as well," Diana said.

"Yes, thank you so much! Who picked this out?" Akko said, spinning around for the girls to admire her.

"Diana did," Amanda said.

"Not entirely true. I picked out the dress, but Amanda thought of the scarf, which I think really brings the whole thing together. Are those new earrings?"

"Yes, Lotte and Sucy got them for me," Akko said.

"They look terrific," Diana said.

"Okay, okay, we're the prettiest lesbians in the world. Let's get going, I'm starving!" Amanda said.

They all laughed as they left.

--

"Welcome to Café du Chatoyer," said a pretty young waitress in a French maid outfit. She leads the trio to a petite table in an outdoor seating area. A vase of fresh-cut flowers waits for them, as well as cups full of hot tea. Akko felt her stomach rumbling already.

"Wow, this place is so beautiful," she said, looking around. The outdoor seating area overlooked a little stream and a small patch of meadow filled with wildflowers. She sat down and immediately took to filling her tea with milk and sugar.

"Your meal will be served momentarily," the waitress said before sashaying away back into the restaurant. Akko frowned.

"We didn't order anything," she said to her girlfriends.

"That's part of the charm of this place. The chef is a genius who can determine exactly what you want to eat just by looking at you," Diana said.

"Yeah, I don't believe it either," Amanda said. "But I saw someone peeking out from the back when we were walking in. Besides, if the food sucks we can just complain and run out of here without paying."

Akko made a little complaining whimper. "But I'm hungry…I really hope it's good food. I'm sure the chef is talented, but sometimes there are things I'm not in the mood for and sometimes there's things I don't like and sometimes-"

"Bon apetite!"

Akko yelped, startled. She didn't even realize the waitress had returned. But now placed in front of them were three small plates. Each one had a single crepe on them. Akko's had a light drizzling of powdered sugar and some orange slices, Amanda's had strawberries and cream, and Diana's was topped with miniature chocolate chips.

Akko and Amanda shared a disbelieving look, both grabbing their forks and spearing the crepes.

They bit. They chewed. They contemplated.

"Oh my goddesses! This is incredible!" Akko cried out.

"Yeah, what the hell, this is the best thing I've ever eaten!"

"The crepe itself has a soft texture and the slightest hint of orange baked into the dough! The flavor rolls over my tongue in a complex dance, beginning with the pillowy sweetness of the sugar and the gracefully allowing for the tangy citrus of the orange to follow!"

"Mine is all sweetness, but a delicate mélange of the strawberry freshness and the heaviness of the cream! Everything is in the perfect ratio, as well!"

Akko and Amanda speared their forks again and again into the crepe. Diana smiled, satisfied at her choice, and ate her own delicious crepe.

"Aww, it's all gone. That was such a small plate, I want more!" Akko said.

"Calm yourself, Akko. This is a multi-course meal. Each plate is small so that you have room for more delicious things to follow."

"I don't know if I can wait-"

"Voila! The second course!" The waitress said. Akko didn't yelp quite as loud the second time, but she was still caught completely off-guard.

"How does she keep doing that?" she asked.

"Who cares, look at this, Akko," Amanda said, dreamily. "Poached eggs on a bed of arugula, lightly salted and peppered, with thin spears of crispy bacon!"

"I didn't know you were so well-versed in food," Diana said to Amanda. Amanda leaned on the table with one arm, her long lean figure looking elegant and sexy, her thin fingers balancing a shining fork. She chewed thoughtfully, and let out a little moan that made both Akko and Diana's mind wander.

"It was the only part of growing up in the upper class that I liked. My family had a chef when I was growing up, and she let me hang out in the kitchen and watch her work. I guess that's where I got the vocabulary for it."

"Did you ever learn to cook yourself?" Akko asked.

"No. She quit to get married when I was about nine, which is when I probably would've started doing more in the kitchen. Our next chef wasn't so friendly, so I stopped hanging around there."

They finished their second course, and before Akko could say three words about it, she was again jumping startled in her seat at the appearance of the waitress. The third course was toast made from the freshest French bread with a handmade boysenberry jam that sent shivers down Akko's spine.

"The fourth course, mademoiselles," the waitress said with a flourish. This was a tray of several dishes each. Amanda and Diana looked very confused at the food, but Akko gasped in delight.

"A traditional Japanese breakfast! Rice, miso soup, and natto! I can't believe a French café in the middle of England would know how to make something like this…hey wait a second." Akko suddenly frowned at it. "This better be good. There's nothing worse than imitation Japanese food that's-"

She stopped herself by putting a spoonful of soup in her mouth.

She let out a long moan of delight.

"Incredible! It's so comforting, just like back home!"

After that was course five: lemon poppyseed pancakes.

Course six: spicy Portuguese sausage with French toast made from cinnamon rolls.

Course seven: Miniature steak and egg taquitos with fresh salsa and handmade guacamole.

And course eight: English tea and crumpets.

"That was incredible. I loved every single dish. And I feel full, but not bloated or stuffed," Akko said.

"Yeah, it was the perfect amount of food. This chef really is a genius," Amanda admitted. "Thanks for choosing this place, Diana."

"It came highly recommended. I'm only glad to see you happy, Akko. And you as well, Amanda."

"Did you like it too?" Akko asked, her eyes wide and puppy-dog like. Diana laughed.

"Of course I did, it was all excellent."

The waitress returned, and by now Akko had gotten used to the way she seemed to appear and disappear. Diana settled the bill, but Akko had a lingering desire.

"Can we meet the chef? We want to thank them for their hard work."

The waitress, for the first time, looked hesitant.

"She's very shy. But I'll ask."

A few moments later, the waitress returned, holding the hand of another young woman. She was thin, with dark eyes and dark hair and skin the color of the cream served with Amanda's crepes.

"We wanted to thank you for such an excellent meal! You truly are a great talent."

"Thank you," she says in a small voice, her lips curling into a smile.

"I won't deny that I was very skeptical coming here, but you totally proved me wrong! This was a great way to start off my birthday celebration. I'm going to remember this place for a long time, and I want to take all my friends here!"

"You're very kind," the chef said.

"If you'll excuse us, we have other customers to attend to," the waitress said. The trio said their goodbyes, and stepped out the front door of the café.

"You think those two are together?" Amanda asked.

"The waitress and the chef?" Akko asked. She thought about it. The waitress was busty, tall, and gorgeous, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The chef was quiet and reserved, but had her own mysterious beauty about her.

"Definitely," Akko said.

"Really? I didn't pick up on that," Diana said.

"That's because your gaydar isn't properly attuned, yet. Don't worry, we'll teach you," Amanda said with a grin.

Akko took a hand of each girlfriend and took in a long deep breath of the fresh air and sunshine.

This day was going to be great.

"What's next?"

Chapter Text

After breakfast, Amanda let Diana lead them down the road and into a taxi. The driver must have been hired by Diana ahead of time, because he knew exactly where to go without a word. Akko sat between them, practically bouncing in the seat. Amanda reclined and draped an arm around her girl, letting her silky smooth hair glide between her fingers.

“That was such an amazing breakfast! I can’t believe this day already. Can it really get better?” Akko cooed.

“Just you wait, my dear,” Diana said, leaning over and planting a kiss on Akko’s cheek. When  she did, one of the coils of blonde slid across the back of Amanda’s hand.

Damn, her hair was soft too.

The drive was short, but it did take them a little ways out of the city and into the rolling English countryside. They spent so much time stuffed in Luna Nova that Amanda forgot how beautiful the surrounding landscapes were. She drank it all in until the taxi turned off the main road and onto a dirt road. The road led up to a beautiful farm house, painted yellow with white trim. A woman waited on the porch in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that read “Persian Palace.”

Diana got out of the car and rushed over to the other side to open the door for Amanda and Akko. As they stepped out, she said, “Here we are, the Persian Palace Cat Rescue!”

Akko’s eyes grew as wide as a child. “Cats! You mean we get to play with cats!?”

“Yes, a whole bunch of them,” Diana said, proudly.

“Woohoo!’ Akko said, rushing towards the porch. She grabbed the woman’s hand and shook it vehemently, introducing herself and asking a hundred questions: how many cats were there, were there any kittens, were there any black ones, were there any white ones, were there any black and white ones…

“Did I do well?” Diana asked. Amanda didn’t answer, because she didn’t realize Diana was talking to her. It wasn’t until she realized that Akko was too far away to be heard that she turned around to face the Cavendish girl.

“Huh?” Amanda asked.

“Did I do it right? The cat thing, I mean.”

“I don’t follow.”

“You said that…l-…lesbians like cats, so…”

Amanda burst into laughter.

“Oh my goddesses, is that why you brought her here? Because I said that lesbians like cats?!”

The laughter seized Amanda from head to toe. It was that deep, convulsing laughter that shook her stomach and lungs until the muscles ached. She struggled to breathe, and her cheeks felt hot from the lack of air. She was probably as bright red as her hair.

Finally she gasped and looked up at Diana.

And her laughter died.

Diana, usually so cool and collected and imperious, was struggling to keep tears out of her eyes. Her lip quivered, and her fists were balled up.

“Y-you’re terrible, Amanda O’Neill!”

“Wait, Diana-“

It was too late. The Cavnedish girl had stomped away into the house. Amanda took in a deep breath and stared up at the sky.

“Shiiiiit,” she hissed.

It was Akko’s birthday and here she was stomping all over Diana’s feelings. She had been determined to make peace with her girlfriend’s girlfriend, to have this day be the absolute most perfect thing for Akko. And she had tried really, really hard! But she fucked it up anyway.

Because that’s what you do, Amanda. You fuck things up.

Slowly, she walked along the path and stepped up into the house. She swung the front door open. There were wooden stairs by the door that led to the second floor, but she could see Akko and Diana were sitting on the living room floor with the woman. A pile of kittens had joined them on the area rug and were climbing all over the girls.

There was one cream-colored kitten resting on Akko’s head.

“Can you believe all these darlings had to be rescued?! Who would throw away such lovable things like these! The world can really be a cruel place sometimes,” Akko said.

“Yes, it can,” Diana added, emphatically. Amanda repressed a sigh and sat down on a nearby couch. A Persian cat slinked off the back of a bookshelf and parked itself on Amanda’s lap. It began to purr fiercely.

“Not sure you’ve made the best choice, buddy,” Amanda said quietly, stroking it. The cat didn’t seem to care.

“We’re so glad when people like you come to visit and see the work that’s being done. It’s so important to spay and neuter your animals so that little lovelies like these don’t have to be born and discarded. It can be rough in the countryside for cats. All sorts of things eat them: wild dogs, foxes, even hawks,” the woman said.

“Hawks!?” cried Akko.

“Yes, some can get quite large and quite aggressive.”

“Do the cats all stay inside?”

“Oh no, they have free reign to go in and out as they please. We try and get as many of them inside or in the shelter at night for their safety, but some of them have a mind of their own.”

“Shelter?” Akko asked.

“Yes, it’s a special cat building. Want to see?”

“Yes!”

The three of them followed the woman outside. There was a second building built in the back yard, and it was definitely made for cats. There were a number of planks, poles, ropes, and other obstacles strewn about a structure with dozens of entrances and exits. Cats were assembled all along its surface, lazing about and napping. Some stared at the girls, some ignored them.

“It’s so cool! A cat paradise!”

“You can help feed them if you want,” the woman said.

Akko enthusiastically agreed and moved off to another shed to get to work. Diana turned quickly and strode back towards the house.

“Hey, Diana,” Amanda called out.

“No thank you,” she said. Which didn’t make any sense, but whatever.

“Diana, come on.”

“I have nothing to say to you right now.”

Amanda felt the frustration burning bright inside her. She wanted to clear this up right away. She couldn’t let this linger all day and threaten Akko’s day. Akko was too distracted by cats to notice now, but she had way too much empathy and compassion to miss out on the tension.

Annoying Akko. She was forcing Amanda to be a better person even without trying.

They got to the steps. Diana was about to walk into the house when Amanda slammed her hand on the door, holding it shut. Diana spun around, and Amanda pressed her other arm to the wall, trapping Diana.

“Listen! I’m sorry, okay? I screwed up.”

Diana doesn’t look at her but instead turns her head to the side and glares into the distance. Amanda scrambled through her mind, trying to find something to say or do. Why was Diana upset?

The cat thing. Amanda had said it as a joke, but Diana had listened. Really listened to her! And Diana followed it because…

“I know you’re going through a strange time,” Amanda said.

“…You called me a baby gay,” Diana said.

“Yes, well, okay, that’s true. That’s kind of what you are. You’re new to this and learning everything, and I forgot how hard that can be. It’s like…you just barely start to figure out who you are and then you have to do it all over again from this new perspective. And you don’t know if there are rules or rituals or whatever, and you were listening to me because I’ve been out longer and I screwed up. I should’ve been more supportive.”

Amanda lowered her arms and Diana turned to face her.

“It is a little scary. I love how I feel around Akko, I love being with her, but when I think about the larger implications of it…about how I’m not just a regular person anymore, that I’m a lesbian, and all that that means…”

“Hey, I get it. My family wasn’t thrilled. I think my dad still thinks its just a phase, and I’m just waiting for the right guy to come along. But it’ll get better, and easier. Especially if I stop being an asshole and try to help you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Diana said.

“Yes, I do. Because Akko cares about you, and I care about you. I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass or humiliate you.”

“T-that’s okay,” Diana whispers.

“Listen though, there isn’t a whole lot to being a lesbian. We’re just people. We like what we like. We don’t all wear a certain type of clothing or eat certain types of foods or all love cats. The only thing we have in common is loving other women. We’re just as diverse and messed up as any other group. It’s kind of like being a witch, but you get to have sex with girls.”

Diana smiled, which caused Amanda to smile.

“There, that’s better. You’re beautiful when you smile.”

“You’re beautiful when you’re kind,” Diana whispered. The words stab into Amanda deep, but she manages to keep her face steady.

“We better find Akko before she-“

“Girls!” Akko called out, running towards the house. The cream kitten that had been on her head is now in her arms. “Did you know you can take them home?! I’m taking this one! Her name is Haru, and she is going to be my best friend! Well, once she learns to talk human.”

Amanda and Diana grinned at each other and sighed.

“Okay, well, let’s see if the shelter can hold onto her until tomorrow. We have a big day ahead of us still.”

Diana and Akko go back to talk to the shelter woman. Amanda lets out a breath of relief.

First Akko, now Diana. All these ladies were going to keep her head spinning…