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The first time Morrigan nearly fainted around Cadence was when she’d gotten in the ring with Thaddea (Jupiter said, “physical training is good and healthy,” and Hawthorne had said, “maybe you could outrun Squall?” and Jack had simply put his entire hand around her bicep easily which was embarrassing and awful) and gotten punched in the head. Less than three seconds in.
She’d thought this is it, I guess before Thaddea caught her sharply under her armpits (ouch) and hauled her off to the side, babbling apologies and offering her water. And Cadence was also there? Why was she there?
(concussed Morrigan had forgotten her previously determined arrangement with Cadence to meet her in the training room which Cadence, of course, met on time, but to be fair, her head did hurt a lot.)
Her friends helped her to the nurse and then on the train home where she was coddled beyond belief by everyone and Jupiter had her favourite food made and read to her himself, which was nice.
An apology note arrived two days later from Thaddea with a fairly good sketch of a bearwun she was going to start training with.
Cadence asked sincerely, when she returned on the Monday, if she was all right. And then she rolled her eyes at Morrigan’s ineptitude in a fight. Which was fair enough, Morrigan supposed, but it stung a bit.
Then Cadence offered to teach her and Morrigan nearly fainted again. For real. She had to grab onto a rail to keep her balance.
“I mean,” said Cadence, “Obviously Thaddea is good and all but she already feels bad about giving you a concussion.”
Morrigan didn’t want to read between the lines but if she was literate she was seeing that Cadence herself felt fine about concussing Morrigan. Great .
Cadence obviously read her mind and rolled her eyes like that, “No. I just won’t punch you in the head, genius.”
Oh. Oh. That was more reassuring.
So now Morrigan had nearly fainted twice in front of Cadence and she was going to teach her to fight now? Better late than never but still. How much more embarrassment could she handle?
A lot more, apparently.
Some imaginary thing escaped from the library and they were assigned as part of the team from WunSoc to stop it. Their description of such a thing was ‘big, gooey and smells bad.’ Also: horrifying to look at.
Morrigan knew ‘horrifying to look at’. It was how her father felt about her. And how she felt about that ugly haircut her stepmother had forced her to get.
The beast was more literal though. Technically, they’d been on clearing the streets, making sure everyone was inside, et cetera, et cetera, but it’d found them and nobody else was around to deal with it.
It wasn’t even ugly. It wasn’t anything. Well, it was but Morrigan’s mind literally couldn’t comprehend what it was. She just blanked looking at its face, pure fear flooding her veins and arteries. She was going to bloody well faint again .
Cadence grabbed her hand. Her skin was softer than she’d been expecting. Warmer too. She could deal with this. Even if she got covered in far too much goo in the process.
Her bath had been filled and steaming by the time she made it back. She was expected back at WunSoc first thing for debrief but Jupiter had taken one look at her once they’d replaced the ‘Super Ugly Blob’ (actual name) in the book and locked it right back up and demanded she be allowed to rest and wash first. He didn’t even complain about the smell on the way back, which was nice of him because Morrigan knew it was bad. Very bad.
“Should’ve been called Pungent Super Ugly Blob,” she muttered and Jupiter laughed.
“You were very good to deal with that situation. It’s concerning though that you and Cadence were left to deal with it. You’re not in any trouble though,” which was a relief, Morrigan was tired of being in trouble with WunSoc - it was something like every three weeks - she had other things to do in life than deal with them. “ Someone is but not you two.”
“It was very scary,” she felt like a child calling it that and also like she was underselling it. She’d nearly died multiple times and nothing had been scarier than that.
Jupiter scratched his beard and said kindly, “It was, wasn’t it. I’m sorry it happened. I’ve sent word ahead to the Hotel, they’re making your favourite food and all nice things.” He pulled her into a hug and she leant her head into his side, both of them uncaring of the slime spreading on his coat and shirt. It was fine. It would wash off. She was going to be okay. Now if she could only stop nearly fainting in front of Cadence, she’d be happy forever. It wasn’t like Cadence really respected anyone but what slivers of respect Morrigan hoped she had for her were surely fading away with all this kerfuffling.
Hawthorne tugged at his cuffs again, the glint of the golden dragon cufflinks catching Morrigan in the eye again. She was going to be blinded by the end of this evening if he kept that up. “How long is this going to be,” he whined not for the first time in the conversation.
“I’ll get the speakers to add five minutes every time you keep asking me that.”
“How would you do that though?”
Morrigan seriously considered the logistics and changed tactics, “I’ll use wunder to make it feel like one for you.” Truth be told, she was uncomfortable too, although Dame Chandra had had this dress made for her specially for the evening. It was pretty, in black cotton that kept any tulle away from her body. She didn’t like how it felt and the tailor eventually picked up on that even though she’d never complained about their hard work once. It all looked very nice even if she hates wearing it. Her shoes pinched a little though and she was going to feel it after the whole evening, probably.
“Does wunder even work like that?”
She rolled his eyes at him, careful not to be spotted by any of the photographers milling around or WunSoc busybodies who might disapprove of them not being statues all night. They were standing in a lovely wood carved doorway, between the ballroom and the banquet hall and no one else from Unit 919 had appeared in a while. Lambeth had begged off an hour ago after she nearly fell asleep at the table and Francis was back in the kitchen even though he was supposed to be a guest. Apparently there’d been a souffle disaster. Thaddea had made the briefest of appearances with Anah before they both disappeared together, likely thinking themselves subtle. And Arch had been banned from the party for pickpocketing which Morrigan thought was unfair because they hadn’t actually caught him, that was the whole point of his knack! So it was just Mahir, her, Hawthorne and presumably Cadence, even though she hadn’t seen her the whole time.
An elbow hit her back and she straightened up on instinct.
“Hi,” said Cadence, “Enjoying the party?”
“No,” said Hawthorne, a little loudly, as several heads turned to look at them. Morrigan festered under the attention.
“It’s ah. A little boring.”
Cadence looked amazing in her dark blue suit, the waistcoat and blazer fastened with silver buttons and a silk blue cravat tied at her throat so perfectly and casually that Morrigan could imagine a single tug would pull it right off and leave her neck bare.
She blinked a little stupidly, chest suddenly very tight. “Are you okay?” Hawthorne whispered harshly.
“I need some air,” she knew she sounded pathetic but Cadence took her hand anyway, leading her out of the suddenly too hot and far too cramped rooms. Morrigan noticed the nail polish on her squarely clipped nails, blue like her suit, smooth and calming.
“Alright, let’s go. I got you.”
WunSoc weather had given them a warm evening when outside the gates it was just mild on the side of not-cold. Morrigan could see the fireblossoms by the gates, all lit up. She blushed, remembering the circumstances surrounding their reignition and glanced down at the flame imprint on her finger.
Cadence followed her gaze, “What’re you looking at?”
Morrigan explained and Cadence nodded sagely. “Wundersmith stuff. Got it.”
She’d changed how she did her hair, no longer one big thick braid but now many different ones all trailing past her shoulders like a waterfall. There were gold cuffs and beads fastened onto some of them and her dark hair glinted in the torchlight.
Her earrings matched too, Morrigan noticed, small golden hoops through each lobe and a stud in each secondary lobe piercing.
Morrigan’s chest felt tighter again for a much different reason. Urgh. She did hope Jupiter either didn’t notice later or politely wouldn’t mention it because she was barely able to handle it as it was. How embarrassing.
“Are you feeling better now?” Cadence asked, waking Morrigan up from her thoughts. Her voice was still thick and flat but there was a note of concern there too. Or maybe Morrigan was just hoping for that.
She coughed lightly, clearing her throat and her head, “Yeah. I am.” She added, after a moment of silence. “Thanks, you didn’t need to.”
“I know.” There was a measure of mirth in Cadence’s eyes, “I’m keeping track, you know. You owe me a lot now.”
“I’m sure I do.”
She’d been spending more and more time in Sub-9 the more she’d been progressing with weaving. No longer was she creating elephant-shaped flowers or knocking over chairs. Now she was individually drawing up blades of grass into a woven stool and making flowers - dahlias (black, of course) - crest from it. Morrigan wasn’t sure of the structural integrity of it as a thing to be sat upon but it was nice to look at.
With a few more summoned strands of Wunder, her stool was completed and she collapsed back onto the floor, uncaring of the bruises that were bound to show up on the back of her legs in a day or two from it.
“Morrigan?”
Her eyes were so heavy. They stuck together every time she blinked and didn’t want to open again. Maybe this was a good place to take a nap? It felt a lot softer than it had looked earlier.
“Morrigan!” A hand grasped her shoulder, not roughly. “Wake up.”
“‘M awake,” she protested while forcing her brain to stay with the rest of her. “So awake. Buzzin’ with ene’gy.” Words were thick in her mouth but she forced them out messily.
The person scoffed. Morrigan knew who it was but she didn’t have the energy to remember or look up to find out independently. “You bloody well aren’t. Come on,” the hand moved from on her shoulder to under her arm, hauling her up in a way she was currently failing to protest. “Let’s get you back to Hometrain.”
“...kay.”
Morrigan still couldn’t work out who she was with but she had the innate feeling that they were rolling their eyes at her. She rested her head on their shoulder and they made their way out of Sub-9 together.
She couldn’t really remember making it back to Hometrain or her room at the Deucalion but she felt safe the whole way back. Safe and cared for.
Morrigan rubbed her temples, trying to worry away the headache coming on. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was feeling this way but it was getting worse and worse as the day went on.
“You look terrible,” was the first thing Cadence said to her as she plopped down beside her at the desk.
“Thanks,” she muttered back.
“Have you eaten at all today? You weren’t on Hometrain again this morning. I thought you said that Jupiter said you weren’t to come in early anymore. You complained for like three days.”
“I complained for a week and I just had one thing to do and he’s away again so…”
Cadence raised an eyebrow. “Did you have breakfast? Or anything to drink?”
Morrigan thought about it, licking her very dry lips. Her mouth filled suddenly with saliva, thinking about breakfast. Oh what she’d do for fresh scrambled eggs on toast or some black pudding and sausages. Her stomach rumbled grumpily.
“So that’s a no,” Cadence concluded. “Come on, let’s see what’s in the refectory.” She grabbed Morrigan’s hand and pulled her out of the classroom. Morrigan was perfectly happy to go.
Cadence waited in the ring for Morrigan to show up. It was after Combat Club although they’d mostly cleared up there was still a pervasive stench of sweat and stains drying around the place that hadn’t been done yet.
She’d been getting better, Cadence admitted. Morrigan was nowhere near beating Thaddea yet (or ever, realistically) but she’d probably be putting Cadence on her back in a few weeks if she kept up. She’d be along soon anyway but she always took a while to get up from Sub-9. Cadence had only been down a few times and she could appreciate how much more complicated the lifts got the further down you wanted to go. Combined with Morrigan’s distaste for leaving her work as well as being punched, she was always at the ring after Cadence showed up.
Whatever, it gave her more time to warm up properly.
She stretched out her muscles, listening to her bones crack and click in all the right ways. Pulling her arm out behind her back. Lunges that her knee hovered above the floor for. Sweeping her hands along the floor to stretch her calves out. All while waiting for Morrigan.
“SORRY I’M LATE!” She’d finally burst in, face already red but at least changed into training gear. Black trainers, socks, shorts and a tank top that made her arms look… quite nice.
Cadence rubbed at a spot just above the pulsepoint on her neck and waited some more for Morrigan to warm up. It didn’t take long though and now they were circling each other, fists out, stances all right.
Cadence made to move at Morrigan, fist outstretched, aiming for the meat under her collarbone. And missed.
She’d moved, faster than Cadence could conceptualise and was behind her now. Not even noise gave her away. The hit she aimed between Cadence’s shoulder blades did though, pushing her straight to the ground. Face first.
Cadence made a noise halfway between an “Oof,” and “Arguh” and checked immediately under her nostrils in case she was bleeding. Nope, just pain.
“Are you alright?!” Morrigan was at her side immediately, “I’m sorry I didn’t realise that would be so hard.” She babbled, offering painkillers, apologies, tissues and even a trip to the teaching hospital. Cadence accepted none but the apology.
“Was impressive,” she grunted once she regained mental faculties. “Wundersmith thing?”
“I think so. I can’t explain it so it must be.” She always plaited her hair back for these things but a few strands were coming loose around her red face. It was the most colour Cadence had ever seen on her with the exception of her W pin. She accepted the hand up, clammy, and didn’t let go for a few seconds before realising what she was doing and dropping it. Where was her head at?
Morrigan reached up and put an arm around her shoulder. “Let’s go and see what snacks we can get from the Deucalion kitchen. There’ll probably be scones.”
“What kind of jam?”
“Any, probably,” she said easily and led Cadence out of the training room, still clutching her nose.