Chapter Text
The wind burns Vince's cheeks as she flies through the air, the magical force thrusting her forward.
She started out clumsy, unable to stay in a straight line, but had to learn to balance quick to get away properly, without someone seeing her.
Looking back, she sees no shadows. She should be safe then, but it's getting dark and Vince's feeling weak, her back aching and stiff.
Her legs wobble and she tries to stabilise herself, her arms wide for balance. A sudden, strong gush of wind pushes her sideways though, and she goes off track. There was a path she'd been following, hoping it would bring her to other people, a town. But it's been quiet, and there have only been hills.
She's slowly starting to lose hope, and another jolt of pain shoots through her whole spine. Seeing stars, not strong enough due to the lack of food, water and energy, she lowers to the ground.
Struggling, she tries to help herself land safely, but just when she puts effort into her legs to stabilise again, more pain rises up and down her back.
She hits the ground pretty hard, rolling in the grass. Vince eventually comes to a stop, and barely manages to open her eyes, seeing the dark sky above her, cloudy but leaving little spots open to reveal some stars.
Her whole body feels limp, and it's almost peaceful in a way.
At least she got out, and got to see the sun. To feel the warmth on it on her skin, instead of through the window. And hills, flowers, trees, all from above.
She tilts her head, smelling the grass that feels damp. Did it rain? It smells strange, but comforting. Maybe because it's different from the tangy smell that hang in her previous home.
Closing her eyes, darkness folds over Vince.
She's already unconscious when two adults and four kids approach, running towards what they saw crashing down from the window.
"Stay back" one says, his low voice rough but steady as he holds out a hand to the 4 girls.
The other man walks forward, realising that this is indeed a person, what they already guessed from the shape. But that this is a young person too. Not as young as 4 of his apprentices, but not yet an adult either.
"She looks weak, and injured" he says "We have to get her inside. Olly, please help me carry her".
"Let me do it Qifrey".
Olruggio stands beside the girl and kneels, scooping her up from the grass and lifting her up in his arms.
Qifrey hovers for a short moment, before turning back to his 4 students.
"Let's go back inside. Please get me a bowl of water at a nice temperature and a cloth, Agott can you message Sinocia we need medical help?".
The girls peek at the girl in Olruggio's arms before getting to work.
When Vince opens her eyes, she's completely disoriented.
Last she remembered is grass and the open sky above, but right now she's inside a building, lying on a soft mattress.
Did they find her after all? The people in masks?
But it doesn't look like any room she knows. It's warm, and almost soft in a way. She can't place it.
When she sits up, a wet cloth drops from her forehead onto the blanket. She's changed into a new pair of clothes too. How can this cloth be so clean? It's been so long since she had that.
To her left, something creaks and she jumps. A lady is standing in the doorway, and a shiver goes down her spine. The woman looks surprised as well, before speaking up and closing the door behind her.
"You're awake, that's good!"
Vince is unsure if that's true.
"How are you feeling?".
The lady is watching her, her lips curled upwards.
It stays silent as Vince moves her legs under the blanket, curling up.
"Do you feel better?"
Vince looks away, unsure of what the lady wants. Unsure if she indeed feels better at all. Although she knows she shouldn't respond.
The lady steps closer, standing next to the bed "Let me take your temperature, when Qifrey found you, you had a bit of a fever".
A hand is pressed against Vince's forehead. She completely stiffens, her eyes going wide for a moment, fists gripping the sheets.
The lady eventually removes her hand and grabs the wet cloth from Vince's lap, putting it in a big bowl beside the bed.
"Relax, you're okay. There's still a fever, so I'll grab you some tea to drink to help you feel better. I'll also get Qifrey, he wanted to know when you'd be up. Okay?".
Vince just watches her, and after another moment of silence, the lady walks out of the room.
Why is she talking so much in such a weird way? It's strange. Weird. Uncomfortable.
Looking around the room, Vince begins to wonder where she is exactly. Who the lady is. And she said someone wanted to see her. Why?
Fidgeting with the blanket, impressed by how soft it feels on her skin, she waits.
And then the door opens again, making her jump again too.
It's a man this time.
He tilts his head a bit to the side and his lips curl up, the light catching in his glasses.
"Hi, I heard from Sinocia you were awake. She's getting you some special tea right now, because of your fever".
Vince watches him approach, and he stands at the foot end of the bed.
"My name is Qifrey, by the way. The owner of this Atelier, where I teach 4 kids. They're a bit younger than you, I think".
There's a short pause, as the two gaze at each other.
"Might I ask, what's your name?".
Her name?
That's the only thing she remembers, her very first memory. Her only memory before… everything happened… before she met the masked people. It's when someone calls out to her, using that.
But why would he want to know? No one spoke to her like that, ever. Why are these people being weird?
She presses her lips in a thin line, she grips the sheets tightly.
He steps around the corner of the bed, lowering himself and sitting down on the very edge.
"You don't have to be afraid, alright? I know seeing strangers can be intimidating. When I was young I wasn't fond of them either. But we just want to help. Can you tell a bit about yourself?".
Help? Vince frowns a little, feeling confused.
Qifrey's eyebrows turn into a different type of frown, worry.
"You do seem to understand me, what I'm saying. Are you afraid to speak?".
Her eyes go wide for a moment. It's like he shot an arrow right in the middle.
Fear.
Her fingers are still fidgeting. Her legs tense under the blankets, ready to kick if she has to. Just to save herself. Again.
The facial reaction Vince shows is apparently enough of an answer for Qifrey.
They seem pretty insisting about her sharing something about her.
Weird.
"I'll be back in a moment, alright?" He says.
That's exactly when the other lady, Sinocia, enters with a mug. Qifrey walks out, telling the lady he's going to grab something and leaving. The door is stays open now.
Steam rises from the liquid inside, Vince notices, when Sinocia puts it down.
"Drink it while it's still nice and warm, it'll help with your fever".
Sinocia then stands back, watches her for a moment and then folds her hands together "Does your back hurt?".
Not as bad as before she fell asleep in the grass. But it always kind of aches.
"You can tell me if it does, then I can help".
In that moment, Qifrey comes back.
"Here" he says, offering a little notebook and a pencil at Vince.
She takes it, although hesitantly.
"Can you write?"
It was useful for her to know how to write and read, so she learned it to help out the people she worked for more easily. She opens the book and puts the pencil to the paper.
Yes.
Sinocia grabs a pillow from a chair in the corner of the room, fluffs it up before putting it behind Vince's back.
"Now you can lean back more comfortably".
Why are they so weird?
Other people just told her what to do directly. Why are they being so vague about it, as if Vince can just do what she wants.
She leans back and opens the book, and adjusts the pencil in her grip.
"So, can you tell us a bit about yourself? Your name or how old you are? Where you're from?" Qifrey asks.
It takes her a moment until Vince puts the graphite of the pencil on the paper.
Vince. I think 16 years old. I don't know.
She lifts the book and shows it to the two adults in front of her.
"Nice to meet you, Vince" Qifrey says, closing his eye for a moment and his lip curling up "As I already thought, you're a bit older than the other girls. They are between 10 and 12 years old".
For some reason both adults' lips curl up more.
"So, how are you feeling? Sick? Hungry? Is your back hurting?".
Vince looks down at the notebook again, starting to write.
I
She halts, and changes what she wanted to write.
Don't have pain.
"That's good" Sinocia says, and then turns to Qifrey "Then I think I can leave, is that alright? Other patients are waiting for me in the city. If something changes, don't hesitate to reach out again".
"Thank you, Sinocia. The girls will show you out".
"Bye Qifrey, bye Vince" the woman waves at them.
Qifrey waves back.
It leaves Vince a bit stunned.
But then Qifrey moves, putting her back on alert. He grabs the steaming mug from the bedside table and offers it to Vince, sitting closer to her as well.
"Here, drink up. It'll make you better. Maybe you should try to eat something too. I can make you a meal. Is there food you like?".
Before an answer pops up in her mind, the teenager freezes again. Her grip in the pencil tightens a bit. Is she supposed to answer?
Qifrey looks down at the mug and then meets Vince's gaze "I'll make you something I like to have when I'm a bit under the weather".
"Master Qifrey!".
Vince jumps and Qifrey stands, turning his head towards the noise. A girl with pink long hair is near the doorway, peeking inside.
"Hold on, Tetia, I'm coming" he says and then looks back at Vince "Stay here and take a moment to settle. I'll be back with some food".
As soon as Qifrey is outside, Vince hears the girl ask him questions. How is the new girl? Is she okay? What's her name? Is she going to join us for lunch? Agott is being a little bossy and Coco made a mess outside because she tried out some spell and it failed.
The voices fade away and the teenager turns her head to look out the window. Slowly, carefully, she puts the mug down on the bedside table and brings her feet over the edge of the bed. Her feet touch the wooden floorboards and she stands. She takes another step and feels the soft carpet under her toes, tickling softly.
She stands in the middle of the room for a moment, before moving to the window and looking outside. It's very bright and green here. It almost makes her forget to breathe.
Losing track of how long she's standing at the window, Vince scares when she hears another noice coming from the door.
She presses her back against the wall, the windowsill pressing against her lower back and her hands gripping the wood tightly.
"Hey, I'm back. Did I make you jump?" Qifrey says, and he puts a tray down on the bedside table. Now he's between Vince and the bed.
Her eyes flicker over to the only safe space she's found up until now.
Qifrey steps aside, an expression on his face that Vince can't read. But it's not happiness nor anger. It confuses her a little.
She takes her chance when he's far away enough and steps past him quickly and goes back to the bed.
"I made you a bit of toast. On one is with a slice of cheese" Qifrey points, stepping to the tray to make it clear "And one is with jam, made out of freshly plucked berries from our garden. I hope you like it".
Vince stares at it. Like it?
She takes the toast with the cheese, something familiar and puts it in her mouth. It tastes… different… but it makes her want more of it. It's better than what she's used to.
She takes another bite.
"It seems you like it, I'm glad" Qifrey says. It makes the teenager glance back at him.
He has his lips curved up again, and the only visible eye is almost squinted shut. No one has looked at her like that.
"Eat up, and I'll be just down the stairs if you need me. Maybe I can show you around the place, as this will be your new home".
New home…
She never really had a home before. Sure, she had a place called her cell, but she never called it a home. The masked people never described it like that.
It's been a day since Vince arrived at the Atelier.
When she woke up in the morning, a shiver went down her spine when she realised what the time was and began to change into the clothes that Qifrey has given her. They're very soft compared to what she had. She then stood beside her bed and waited.
When Qifrey knocked on her door, she stood up straight, ready for the first order. His visible eye widened when he saw her and there was a moment of silence before he spoke.
"Let me show you around" Qifrey said.
And now he's waiting for her in the hallway.
Vince steps out of her room hesitantly, unsure of what to expect. Will they be harsh or easy on her for her first day?
The teacher is standing in the hallway, calmly waiting for her.
"So, as you can see this is the hallway. Up ahead is my room. If you turn around, we have the shared rooms of the girls. I told you about them, remember?"
Vince glances at him, hands folded in front of her.
"If we go up, we have the living room" he continues, going towards the staircase and pointing around as he continues to explain the layout of the building. She does her best to keep it in mind when it would come in handy.
"Let's go to the kitchen. I wanted to ask you to help me make some breakfast. I assume the girls will wake up soon, even if it's their day free of studying".
It still confuses Vince that Qifrey is doing all this for the others. But, she also barely met any people her age, so maybe it's simply something she hasn't seen before. She wonders if they are treated the same way.
"I had something nice but simple in mind. Omelettes, with a little bit of vegetables mixed in there and toast".
Vince nods and walks over to the contraption to clean her hands.
She notices that Qifrey lingers a little, as if observing her. It's not the first time she's being watched. Vince dries her hands and then steps aside, waiting for a task to be given to her.
He opens what seems to be the pantry and then starts to grab ingredients, listing them out loud.
"Which one do you want to take care of?" he then asks, looking at Vince when putting the ingredients down on the counter next to her.
She glances at it, and then back at Qifrey. Why does she have to make a choice?
"Do you know how to crack eggs?" He asks.
Vince grabs the box of eggs and walks to a free spot at the counter.
"Oh, wait, here" Qifrey quickly follows her, grabbing a bowl and a whisk from different cabinets and handing it over.
She immediately gets to work, smoothly cracking each egg one by one and then gently whisking to make it a mix.
Behind her, she hears him rummage around. She's surprised to see him dice the paprika. Before she's caught, she turns back around, checks her eggs and then steps aside to show him she's finished her task.
"Wow, well done. That looks good".
Vince startles at his voice, the sudden compliments sent her way. He grabs the bowl of eggs and brings it over to where he's standing. He draws a spell and she watches him put a frying pan above it.
Why is he doing everything? Does he think Vince is incapable of making breakfast? Cooking was one of her main tasks for years.
She watches him silently.
"Can you grab the paprika for me? Put it in the pan".
Quickly, she grabs the chopping board where the paprika has been waiting and gently pushes the small blocks into the omelet.
"Thank you".
She puts it back down and feels a bit awkward, stepping away again.
There's a knock on wood and Vince quickly turns around. The man on top of the stairs just glances at her before looking over at Qifrey.
"Should I set the tables?".
"Oh, Olly. Didn't know you'd be up this early" Qifrey says, and then turns to look at him, adding "Did you pull an all-nighter again?".
"Yeah, but after breakfast I'm going to sleep".
"That's very bad for your health and you know it".
Olruggio grumbles.
"But, yes, if you want to set the tables, please".
Isn't that her task?
Vince looks at how the man walks away and she then looks at Qifrey, meeting his gaze. A million things shoot through her head, thinking of any mistake she'd been making since standing there. Why else would he be looking at her already?
"That's Olruggio, he's the Atelier's Watchful Eye and an old friend of mine".
She looks at Qifrey, logging the new information but unsure what else to do with it.
"He'll be joining us for breakfast. You can choose if you want to sit at the table with the girls or with me and Olly. Just sit where you want".
She's going to eat this as well? Vince rarely ate what the others did, only when there were leftovers.
5 minutes later, Vince is seated at the table with Qifrey and Olruggio. On the outside, so she can still get away, and Qifrey at her other side.
"Vince, I want you to meet my apprentices" Qifrey says.
There are four girls at the table, of which she has already seen one before. They are all gazing at her and introduce themselves as Agott, Richeh, Tetia and Coco.
Knowing how to be respectful, Vince stands and bows towards the girls before sitting back down. Everyone is silent for a short moment.
"It's great to have you here, Vince. And thank you for helping me out in the kitchen. Have a good meal, everyone" Qifrey says and everyone begins to dig into their food.
Careful, Vince eats as well.
"Wow, it's very tasty!" Coco says.
Vince watches her lips curl up.
And then a meal she has never experienced before happens right in front of her eyes.
She barely has the words for it, but instead of silence or tension, there's a strange warm feeling.
The four students are talking amongst themselves, with Qifrey or Olruggio joining in sometimes. They're laughing, and Vince learns that they're smiling almost the whole time. Some people smile faster than others, and they nod their heads or shake it to answer to questions. Maybe she can use that too, it seems like everyone does that. She also learns that they are sometimes dishonest with each other, but that's called joking and is seen as positive. Vince thinks it's strange, but apparently it's normal for them.
Later that day, Vince is standing in the garden Qifrey had mentioned before. It's warm and the wind is nice, and the plants entrance her. She never knew they were so interesting, that this is where most of the food came from.
She hears something behind her and she turns her head to see Qifrey approaching.
"Hey" he says "Enjoying the weather? It's quite nice today".
Vince looks down at the ground.
"The girls like you, you gave a good first impression" he says.
Her eyes stay fixed.
"Vince, can I tell you something?". He pauses for a moment before he continues "I do not know where you are from exactly, or what happened to you before we found you in the field. But know that you are safe here".
Vince looks to the side, at his shoes.
"It's alright if you need time, take all the time you need to feel more comfortable. I know how intimidating it can be not to know where you are, or who you're surrounded with. Trust me, I do".
The last sentence makes her look up. It was said in such a tone than everything else, softer, as if it was fragile.
"It's scary. That's why it's important for me to communicate to you that this is a safe space for everyone. Take all the time you need. You can always tell me anything, alright?"
Vince gazes at him, as he smiles softly in return.
She then tries out the nod, moving her head up and down once, to see how he reacts. To see if he reacts the same when the others do it.
And his smile brightens.
"Thank you".
She watches him turn around and walk to the door, but he turns back before entering the Atelier "I'll be preparing some tea soon, join us if you want to".
She doesn't, and stays outside until the sun goes down.
Vince enters the laundry room, planning on doing a wash, when she sees Richeh already there.
She's trying to pick up something from the bottom of the barrel, inscribed with magic, but she can't seem to reach.
The oldest teenager steps into the room, knocking on the wood to announce her, and approaches.
"Oh- Vinny" Richeh mumbles when she lifts her head.
Vince looks into the barrel and, because she's almost two heads taller than Richeh, easily takes out the piece of fabric from the bottom.
"Thank you" the younger girl mumbles "Richeh sometimes struggles with doing laundry, I already told Master Qifrey it's difficult".
Vince simply nods, understanding it. She had the same issue when she was helping the masked people. She then points at the basket filled with damp laundry and then at herself.
"You?"
The older teen grabs the fabric and mimics hanging it.
"Do you want to hang the laundry?"
Vince nods again.
Richeh looks at the basket, then at Vince.
"Okay"
And then starts to walk away quietly.
Unbothered, Vince grabs the laundry basket and carries it outside to dry on the line. A few minutes later, a few white pieces of cloth are already dancing in the breeze.
Vince reaches up, throwing one of Olruggio's white blouses over the line and clipping it onto the line, when she hears her name being called.
Qifrey is walking up to her, wearing more cosy and traditional clothing of the area, because his other robes are in the pile Vince is busy hanging.
"Why are you doing the laundry?" he asks, frowning slightly.
Vince immediately steps aside, balling her hands into fists and holding them by her sides as she looks down at the grass.
"I'm not angry at you" Qifrey clears up after he sees her startled reaction, and stops beside the basket, "I asked Richeh to do it, that's why I'm confused".
She doesn't dare to lift her head, but does raise a hand to point at herself.
"You?" There's a pause, "Did she ask you to do it?".
Vince shakes her head.
"Did you offer to do it for her?".
She nods.
Qifrey sighs, putting his hands on his hips "That's very kind of you, Vince, but you don't have to. You already pick up quite some chores around the Atelier. It's normal for the other girls to do some tasks as well".
He turns around "I'm going to talk to her for a moment".
When the door is closed once more, Vince dares to move again. She picks up the next piece of cloth, indeed one of Qifrey's robes, and throws it over the line.
A few minutes later, she clips the last item onto the line and picks up the basket.
The door then swings open again, making Vince halt.
Richeh steps out, pouting, followed by Qifrey.
The young girl stops in front of Vince and bows, something that causes a shiver to go down Vince's spine. No one has ever done that to her. She's the one bowing to other people instead.
"Richeh's sorry for making you do my chore".
Frozen to the spot, the older teen stares back and forth between the two people in front of her.
"Thank you, Richeh. I know you don't like people ordering you around, but everyone has to do their chores around the Atelier. You understand that, right?" Qifrey says, his voice steady but not stern sounding.
Vince has been told off in much worse ways. It makes her wonder if he can get mad at all.
Vince wakes up, sweating, grasping at the back of her neck. The skin is closed, although feeling a bit knobbly.
Her throat is dry and her chest is heaving as she looks around, realising slowly where she is. It's her bedroom, as everyone calls it. She never really had a bedroom before.
Before she woke up, she was back at the tower with the masked people. The endless hallways. People running after her. Masks, laughter. People trying to grab her, hold her down. A shiver goes down her spine and Vince wraps her arms around herself.
Her breathing, although shaky, slows down as she focuses on the fact that she's not there anymore. She got away. Although being in a strange place now too, she established that this building is far less painful to live in.
Vince smacks her lips and tries to swallow.
She thinks about waiting until morning to drink something, but the need is too big.
Quietly, she moves out of her room. The wooden floorboards are cold against her feet. She's still learning which creak or not, so when she hits one, she whinces and tries to continue silently. She doesn't want to risk someone noticing her.
In the kitchen, she grabs a glass and goes over to the contraption to fill it up with water.
"Vince?"
Memories from years ago flash before her eyes. Her whole body jolts and the glass in her hand drops, hits the side of the counter and clatters down. Sharp pieces fly across the room.
With wide eyes, shaking hands and her breath caught in her throat, she looks at Qifrey.
It's over.
He immediately moves over to her and she puts her arms in front of her face, whimpering as she braces for impact.
Two hands grab her and she's lifted up. She has her eyes closed and she feels how she's lifted up off the ground and then put down a bit further away.
"Hey, breathe".
A tear slips down Vince's cheek, and she makes sure to wipe it away quickly with her arm that's still covering her face.
"Vince, it's alright. Are you hurt?".
Her breath hitches.
"Look at me".
She curls up tighter.
"Vince… hey… it's okay" Qifrey continues, his hands still on her shoulders "Breathe, Vince. Breathe".
Then two arms wrap around her and he pulls her closer. Her arms are against his chest as he holds her "You're safe, remember? It's okay, it's just some glass".
As he holds her tighter, the side of her face is against his chest too. It feels weird and comforting, but Vince doesn't give in.
She shudders and cries, whole body shaking due to the adrenaline.
"Breathe, Vince. In… and out… try to follow my lead. In and out".
She feels his movement and again, it's soothing but it so strange at the same time. More tears roll down her cheeks as she shivers. A hand lands on her short hair.
"There you go… Breathe… you are safe. I wondered who was up, thinking it was one of the other girls. I didn't mean to scare you" Qifrey says.
He pulls away and puts his hands on each side of Vince's face. He uses his thumbs to wipe over her cheekbones.
"Sorry".
She blinks and gazes at him.
There's a soft crack, uncomfortable under her skin, in the space of her spine between her shoulderblades.
"Let's clean up this glass and then grab you a new one, huh?".
Vince doesn't really register anything, only when he presses a glass of water in her hand again.
"Here".
Her green eyes land on it and she stares at the fluid sloshing gently. Qifrey's hand is still under it for support. She follows it up to him, but is almost unable to meet his eye.
The teacher guides the glass closer to Vince's lips and she moves to drink.
"There, better? Are you hurt anywhere?"
His eye scans her up and down.
Should she answer?
Minuscule, she shakes her head from left to right.
Qifrey catches it though, and there's a reaction on his face. A combination of surprise and recognition "Okay, good. I was worried a shard might've hit you".
He moves around the kitchen to grab some water for himself as well, and Vince notices that any trace of the accident was gone. She expected him to ask her to clean it up, like people always made her do. Even if it wasn't her mistake.
"Let's go back to bed, it's late, hm?" Qifrey says, standing at the door.
Vince takes a careful step and waits from him to go through the door first, but he motions her to go first instead. Anxiety gives her goosebumps across her skin but she follows his order anyway.
He walks her back to her room and wishes her a good night before turning to his own room.
The night was very long though, because Vince didn't close her eyes at all.
"Look! They're playing music!" Coco says cheerfully, pointing towards a group of people using instruments.
Tetia hops on her feet to look over the crowd "I hear it!".
"I can see people start to dance too" Qifrey says. He's able to look over the crowd easiest of all. Vince sees it too, tall enough to reach his shoulder. She wonders how it feels to move like that.
"Can we take a look?" Tetia asks.
"I want to dance too, I learned it!" Coco says.
Tetia turns to the youngest student "You know how to dance?"
"Yes" she answers with a nod.
"Stay close for now, when we arrive there, you can go" Qifrey tells them and Richeh nods, apparently wanting to go too. Olruggio and Agott stayed behind at the atelier while Qifrey, Coco, Richeh, Tetia and Vince went out to the town to visit the market.
The three girls listen nicely, although impatient, to their teacher and wait until they're at the plaza where the band is playing before they run off.
Tetia turns before she's gone through, approaching Vince.
"Don't you want to join us? It's fun, even if you can't dance. Maybe Coco can teach you".
The newest addition to the atelier looks at her for a moment and then at the crowd. She has slowly learned that they do want to hear her answer whenever they ask her a question. There was an instand where Agott got irritated with Vince during dinner when Vince didn't know what she meant so didn't answer. It got solved eventually, but it made Vince realise that she can share what they call an opinion, if she wants.
She shakes her head, small but clear enough.
"Okay" Tetia says, smiling at her and then following the other two apprentices into the crowd.
Vince's green eyes take in the scene and watches the band finish a song. The person holding a fiddle counts up to four and a new song starts to play. A bit to the side, she can see Coco helping out Tetia with the steps of a dance, while Richeh simply spins around how she wants.
The song is perfect to dance along to, as the whole crowd of men and woman join together, making the same moves at the same time. She's heard music before, quite similar, and she feels comfortable enough to tap her foot to the beat.
"Are you sure you don't want to join them?" Qifrey asks after a little while. Vince turns her head to see him lean a bit closer so she can hear him easier over the sound.
She glances from him to the apprentices and she shakes her head again.
"You do seem to like the music, am I right?".
Vince nods.
Qifrey tilts his head "Why not dance, then? You don't have to be as extravagant as them. Just a little can be fun too".
He then begins to sway a little, showing an example of what he means.
Vince looks at it, contemplating, and then tries to mimic him. She leans her weight on one leg, and then brings it over to the other.
Qifrey then makes a double step to the right, sways, and then does the same to the left, almost bumping into Vince as she quickly steps to make way. Offering his hand, Qifrey continues to move along to the music.
Vince looks from the hand to his face and then back again.
When she reaches out and her palm lands on Qifrey's, his fingers gently wrap around hers. She's unsure to grip back, but lets him hold her hand, guiding her from side to side. Showing her how to take steps. Vince follows suit, picking it up smoothly and adjusting whenever he changes up the movement.
He then lifts their hands and she looks at him, now unable to understand what he wants.
"Spin around" he encourages her "In one move, under our arms".
He spins her slowly on the spot, leading with his hand intertwined with hers.
"Just like that".
They begin to move again, swaying from side to side and stepping back and forth.
"Spin!" Qifrey says, holds up their hands and she does, and then they fall into step again. Her eyes widen and she meets his gaze.
"There you go".
They do it a few times until the song ends and the band comes together to discuss something.
"Fun, right?"
Vince looks from the band to Qifrey. She realises her cheeks are pulling at her lips, now that she's not focussed on what her feet are doing anymore. Is she smiling? Is that what it feels like?
She almost blushes at the realisation and looks at the ground, hiding her face.
Looking into the mirror that's built into the door of her closet, Vince takes in her own reflection.
Qifrey has noticed her interest in gardening and got her a different type of uniform. Still in the same colours as the other 4 girls, but she's wearing baggy dungarees instead, easy to work with in the field instead of big robes or dresses.
It feels nice on her skin, the white blouse soft and the dungarees the perfect in length. Her boots are also fit much better than her previous shoes.
She steps outside and makes her way to the kitchen, when she notices the tables aren't set yet.
It's a habit now that she knocks on something to announce herself whenever she enters a room.
Qifrey is busy putting rice into separate bowls for everyone and turns to the sound she makes.
"Oh, good morning Vince".
He then sees she's wearing her new uniform and smiles.
"How do the clothes fit? Is it nice? Do you like it?".
Vince nods.
"Great. Can you help me set the table?".
"Master Qifrey!" Tetia's voice echoes from the hallway and she runs inside "Good morning, Vince. Good morning, master Qifrey".
"Good morning, Tetia, you sound chipper" the teacher says as he hands Vince the tray with various bowls filled with food for breakfast.
"Can I help? The food smells very good".
"Thank you, you can help set the table with Vince".
"Okay!".
Vince walks towards the tables and Tetia speeds ahead, talking about what she wants to do today.
Slowly, the other 3 girls come out of their rooms and join at the tables. Qifrey enters with the last bit of food he was still finishing up and puts it down on the tables.
"Vinny, do you want to join at our table?" Tetia asks.
Vince halts as she looks over. Tetia has always been the one that talks the most with Vince, even if she doesn't say a word back. It seems to mind her the least out of all of them.
"It doesn't fit though" says Agott.
Coco pouts at the 4 seats "Hmm… Yeah".
"No worries about that. Maybe we can eat at the table in the kitchen more often, that's one big table that has room for everyone" says Qifrey, sitting down on his usual spot.
The kids agree and everyone finds their places to eat their breakfast.
Working in the garden is a great way to spend the day. Vince has read most of the books about plants and is getting better at recognising the differences and how to care for them. If she's not reading on one of the benches, she's found kneeling in the dirt.
The basket beside her is filled with herbs Qifrey asked her to get in the morning. She feels nervous while working, unsure of what kind of results he wants to see when she comes back. He has told her many times now that if he asks her something she doesn't have to do it perfectly and that it's okay to be insecure about something, but he wants her to try at least.
As she leans forward to reach for a dead leaf she notices, she loses her balance and Vince drops. The palm of her left hand lands on a rock and the skin chafes and splits open.
She yelps and pulls her hand away as she sits back on her haunches. As she expected, blood pools in her palm and slowly drips down. A dull ache lingers on her palm and Vince stands up, already knowing how to fix it.
The teenager makes her way back into the Atelier. She goes down the steps near the entrance and finds pen and ink on the table. Picking up the pen, she dips it in the ink and holds her hand stable as she brings the tip to her skin.
First, draw a circle but don't finish it. Then, the sigil in the center with the other signs pointing the healing spell towards the cut in the middle of her palm.
Too focussed on doing the signs properly, she doesn't hear the footsteps chafe against the floor behind her. First they halt, and then they begin to hurry towards her.
"Vince! Stop!"
She startles as two hands grab onto both her wrists. She meets Coco's wide eyes, she seems scared for some reason. The younger teenager glances at the half finished spell in the corner of Vince's palm, and sees the cut on her palm.
"I don't know what to do… what to do… uhm-" she glances up at Vince, who is still confused and taken aback by what's happening. She doesn't struggle against Coco though, she's only worried that the blood will drop onto the ecru fabric of her sleeve.
"Y-you can't draw on your skin like that!" Coco says, panicked "That's bad. That's wrong- uhm- we need to wash it off. Here, the vapor bubble".
She quickly grabs the contraption and pulls the two pieces apart, water appears and Coco drags Vince's hand into the bubble. Blood and ink smudge in the water.
"Girls?" Qifrey's voice echoes from behind them as he comes out of the hallway, going down the flight of stairs "Everything alright?".
Coco mumbles something Vince can't make out, as if she's struggling to find her words.
The teacher stands on top of the stairs that lead towards the lowest floor, trying to figure out what's happening.
"Vince- she was drawing a spell but she was doing it on her hand and then I saw she cut herself. I stopped her and then I grabbed the vapor bubble to try and clean it but I don't know what to do, master Qifrey"
At first, Vince notices a flash of shock, panic and something like anger in Qifrey's expression, but he manages to tame it quickly. He steps down and puts a hand on Coco's shoulder "Let me".
Coco steps aside, looking nervous.
Qifrey takes the vapor bubble, and closes it after moving it away from Vince's arm. Droplets of water drip down her sleeve, blood mixed with it making it look worse, and the ink is smudged. When the contraption is put back in it's place, Qifrey takes Vince's hand and turns it palm upwards.
He inspects it while pulling a cloth from a pocket in his robes, pressing it against the cut but preserving the ink that's still left on her palm.
"This is a healing spell" he says, and his blue eye shifts to Vince's green ones "You know how to draw spells".
Due to all the commotion, Vince is slowly shutting down. She clearly did something wrong but is very confused about it all, and doesn't know what to expect. Different scenario's flash in her mind. Are they going to lock her up for punishment? Or make her work a full day with no breaks and no shoes? Hurt her? Maybe they're going to kick her out or refuse to treat her wound. Maybe they do other punishments she hasn't had yet.
Vince feels the cloth on her palm be released and it starts to wipe her whole hand.
"Although I am impressed that you know how to draw spells, there are rules we have to follow as witches" Qifrey says, his voice steady as he cleans her palm "One of those rules, is that we never draw spells on skin, alright?".
Should she nod her head? Is this a moment to do that? Or shake it? What will make the outcome better for her?
Qifrey turns his attention to his youngest student "Thank you, Coco. You handled it well".
She nods, having calmed down now but still looking a little tense.
"Vince still needs to learn some of the rules, just like you had to when you first came in here. It'll be alright" he continues. Coco nods and announces that she's going to continue her study in her room. Qifrey tells her good luck before watching her leave.
Then his eye lands on Vince again.
The room is silent.
Vince bows her head down and raises her hands to him, so he can take her to where he wants her.
"No need for that" Qifrey says, his voice sounding a little strange "Lower your hands, lift your head".
Hesistantly, Vince looks at him again.
"Let's patch you up. The wound is clean now because of the water, now we just have to put a bandage on. I think you were busy in the garden, right?" Qifrey says, while grabbing a wooden box from a drawer. It's very basic, but he wraps Vince's palm with a white cloth bandage and ties a little knot to keep it in place.
Vince looks at it, contemplating.
She then feels a hand land on her shoulder, softly.
"You're alright" Qifrey says "We'll look at your ability to draw spells another time. You can go out to the garden again if you want".
Vince's green eyes flicker up at him.
Is that it?
He tilts his head to the door "Go ahead".
She takes a tentative step back.
He doesn't move.
She takes another step to the side, and then another. She walks past him now, and he's still on the same spot. Then, she actually begins to walk up the stairs and towards the door, going back to the garden.
About an hour later, Vince's basket is full of what Qifrey has asked her to get when she steps back into the Atelier. She's unsure of where he is, and calling out is not an option.
Carrying the basket, she walks around, searching. It doesn't take too long though, as she finds him in the kitchen. She knocks on the wood of the door as she enters.
He turns around and immediately sees what Vince brought.
"Would you look at that" he says, approaching. Vince takes a step back, letting him inspect her work.
Qifrey grabs a bundle of herbs and brings it up to his nose, "Hmm… that smells nice". He looks over at Vince and thanks her.
"I'm going to use this in the soup we're going to have for dinner. I was just checking in on the broth. Do you want to taste?".
He grabs a spoon and dips it into the big pot that's simmering above a flame.
Vince approaches slowly. When Qifrey lifts the spoon and looks back at her, she speeds up a bit so he doesn't have to wait. People have told her often enough that she's not fast enough with anything.
Taking the spoon from Qifrey, she blows softly before putting it in her mouth.
Ever since she came here, the food has tasted different from what she's used to. Usually change is bad, but the changes here have only been positive.
"And?"
She forgot that he had asked her something, so Vince nods in response.
"I'm glad you like it, and it'll only get better from here" Qifrey says, taking the spoon back and putting it away to clean later. She steps back again, folding her hands in front of her and stays there.
Qifrey is walking back and forth until he realises Vince is still standing there. He turns and smiles gently at her "Everything alright?".
Vince nods.
"You can do something for yourself if you want. It'll be a while until dinner's actually done" he says.
She looks at him, and then realises that she's not needed in the Atelier like she was before she came here. Qifrey doesn't give her tasks like the others did.
Bowing her head, Vince quickly leaves the kitchen and goes to her room to wait there until she's called.
Sleep doesn't come when Vince lies down in bed one night. As soon as she closes her eyes, the memories from before she fled away flash by. The difference how she's treated here and how the people treated her back there is so big. Now, she has finally built up a preference, and is slowly starting to understand how life works at the Atelier.
Quietly, she steps out of bed and grabs the glass that she always has beside her bed. He puts her hand on the doorknob and turns, stepping out of her room and into the hallway. After taking only a few steps, she hears two male voices that she recognises to be Olruggio and Qifrey.
She halts around the corner to check if she can sneak past. But it's almost impossible. She has to pass them to get to the steps that lead towards the kitchen.
"How is Vince doing?" Olruggio asks.
The teenager presses her back against the wall, her plans changing that instant.
"She's alright, I think".
"That's it though, you always have to guess with her. Is she still not speaking?".
"No, but you can't blame her, Olly. You and I both know she comes from a traumatic place. You also saw what has been done to her".
There's a heavy silence.
Vince puts a hand at the back of her neck, where a knobbly scar starts and dives down her spine.
"Are you sure you want to keep her here?" Olruggio asks.
"Yes, I can't give her to Knights Moralis. I'm incredibly grateful that you haven't told anyone about this, Olly. Hell would break loose, she doesn't deserve that and it would hold back the development of the other girls' study. We finally got some peace after the Silvereve festival. I'm glad she's slowly opening up to us more and more, even though she still seems scared. I don't want to put any pressure on it".
"But you can guide her".
Qifrey sighs "I'm scared that I'll mess up and bring it all back to square one. Sure, I'm a teacher, but this is something else".
"That's why I told you it might be best to tell the Knights of-"
"No" Qifrey snaps "I said, no".
"Fine" Olruggio mumbles "Fine. But think about what I told you before. If you indeed want more information on the Brimhats-"
"Yes, I know".
Vince starts when she hears fabric moving and footsteps fall onto the stone tiles.
"I can't thank you enough, Olly. I'm forever in your debt".
"Yeah, yeah" he grumbles in response, and one pair of footsteps leave "Goodnight". Another pair goes the other way "Goodnight".
Vince turns her head and sees the shadow of Qifrey disappear into the kitchen. Her heart is hammering. Now is her chance to go back without anyone noticing, but she still wants to refill her glass of water.
What the adults were talking about is also humming in her brain. What did they mean about information about the Brimhats?
She hears footsteps come closer and Vince startles into action, running quietly back to her room.
"Okay, now, show me" Qifrey says, after finishing his explanation.
On the other side of the room are 4 girls working individually on their exercises, while Qifrey is working seperately with Vince.
He had asked her to join a lesson, to see if she likes it and to learn more about magic. Especially since he learned she could already draw herself and had at least some basic knowledge. Qifrey explained everything quickly, the rules of being a witch, and finally showed her the tools she'll be using.
Right now, Qifrey is trying to see how much she knows and what her level of skill is.
In front of her is a notebook and an ink bottle, and in her hand rests a pen what he calls a wand.
She dips the tip of the wand in the ink and then brings it over to the paper, where she hovers for a moment before drawing the circle. Satisfied with the result, Vince looks up.
Qifrey nods and stretches his arm across the table to point at her drawing "Well done, you have a steady hand. Now, this is a good circle. Remember to cast a spell, you don't want to finish the circle before finishing all the other sigils and signs".
Vince nods.
"Okay, try to copy some spells from this page. Don't close the circles though. Just copy them and leave some space open".
So she gets to work. He watches for a moment before standing up to check in with his other students. Vince hasn't drawn all the sigils before, but does recognise them. She get's the hang of it eventually, after practicing them seperately on a page, before creating the whole spell. She also doesn't blindly copy the spells, but tries to look at it once before trying to recreate it based on the knowledge she already has.
"Master Qifrey, can I try it?" Coco asks enthusiastically, after getting some tips from him on a spell she's working on.
"Sure, go towards the middle of the room so you have space".
Coco stands up and Vince watches her kneel in the middle of the room. She puts her notebook down and leans over it to close the seal with her wand. Immediately, a strong gust of wind begins to surge up into her face. Her hair stands upright due to the force and her face distorts.
Struggling, she grabs the paper and tears it apart to stop the spell early.
Laughter fills the room as everyone realises that the spells he tried to cast was far too strong. Qifrey is chuckling too, explaining to her what might work better to accomplish her goals.
It amused Vince as well, it looked, like they call it, funny.
"How are you faring?" asks Qifrey when he comes back to her. She shows him her drawings and he flips through the pages.
He nods his head "Good, very good. I see that you first practice the sigils before putting it into the circle. That's a great solution if you don't know a sigil yet. If you draw it wrong, the spell might not give the desired result. Well done, Vince".
It's still strange to hear positive things being said about her, instead of commentary about everything she's doing wrong. But she learns to appreciate it slowly. She bows her head to him.
Qifrey then grabs the book from the table and begins to flip through it, searching for something.
"Let's see if you can also replicate more advanced spells. Again, don't finish the circle, just copy".
He drops the book in front of her and her eyes widen at the spell shown on the paper.
"Don't worry about making a mistake, this is practice, remember? Not real work. If you do something wrong, there are no consequences" he says.
Vince gets to work much more carefully now, still hesitant to do anything wrong. A lot goes well with the first spell. The circle is nice, the sigil takes her some time but she manages, but then the signs have to be drawn. There are a few in strange places that Vince can't really figure out. The previous ones were logical, but she can't find the logic in these spells yet, which makes them difficult to draw.
She makes her first mistake.
Freezing up, her wand lingering above the paper, she stares at it.
"That's alright" Qifrey says "If you made a mistake, you stop here and retry it on the next page".
It goes wrong a second time, but now with the sigil.
Vince's body is shaking.
Qifrey notices the big reaction. Even though it's such a small thing in his eyes, apparently it's much bigger for the teenager in front of him.
"No need to worry. This is more advanced, but I think you can do this. What is holding you back right now?".
She refuses to look at him, too shellshocked to retry the drawing. Scared of what might be coming in her near future.
Qifrey lowers his voice just slightly.
"Vince, I'm here to help you. I will never get angry at you during practice. You can tell me what you think is difficult, so I can explain. That's what I'm here for. That's why I became a teacher. The other girls also don't understand sometimes, or can't figure it out. So they ask, and then I show them, I help" he tells her.
Qifrey reaches across the table and he turns the page, showing a fresh one.
"Think about it for a moment if you have a question, and write it down. Or, you can try to draw again" he says, before standing up "Take your time, there's no hurry".
He then walks over to the other table again to help Richeh with a question.
Vince listens to it, while staring at the blank page in front of her.
Her green eyes the land on the spell she has to draw. Where she first understood the spells she had to copy, now, it's one big chaos. She doesn't recognise some signs, the sigil is difficult and the placement of some of them are strange.
Where she first relied on logic, it's now gone.
She based everything on logic throughout her life. It's how she avoided getting into trouble.
Vince glances to the other table again, where Qifrey is listening to Tetia and Agott discussing something.
Up until now, everything the girls have done has been tolerated. And if Vince did it, she also didn't get punished, where she had been before with the masked people.
With a shaking hand, she puts her pen on the blank page and begins to write.
I don't understand the spell.
And then she puts the pen down, lowers her hands in her lap and waits until Qifrey returns.
He's smiling softly at her, still. Qifrey bends down and reads what she wrote down.
"Ah, but that's alright" he says "You just have to copy it, you'll learn about the meaning of all the sigils and signs along the way".
But that answer doesn't help Vince.
He notices the face she pulls.
"What is it?".
She realises he saw her frown and quickly lowers her head.
"You can tell me. Do you first want to understand the spell before you draw it?".
Her hands are still shaking when she nods.
Qifrey hums. He takes the book and begins to flip it's pages "Then try out this spell instead".
Vince glances at it, and even though the spell still looks complicated, she understand it a little bit easier. She puts her wand to the paper and carefully begins to draw. A circle, the sigil, but when she notices two similar sigils somewhere else, she pauses.
She looks up at Qifrey for a moment, the looks back down. She tries to figure it out again, but it doesn't work out. Why does it look like that? Vince decides to point at it, and then looks up at her teacher once more.
"That's a water sigil" he says.
Vince looks down again, she did get that, but why is it's placement there and what is it's function? She writes on the paper where she asked her previous question.
Why there? Why two?
Qifrey sits down opposite of her as he speaks "Because this is a combination with water and wind. It will create water bubbles that will start to float. And the signs around here will make sure they appear in a little ring".
Vince nods and finishes the spell, drawing it almost perfectly.
Qifrey then brings her back to the previous spell and she looks at him, questioning.
"This spell will create a smokey visual when activated. Maybe we can show it later when we drink tea".
"Yes! Can we? Can we?" Coco asks, overhearing the conversation.
Qifrey laughs "Sure, why not?".
He then turns his attention back to Vince "So, you see water related sigils. You already have some knowledge of how spells should be drawn, and how the sigils and signs work. Try to follow that logic and copy the spell, try to understand it through creation and my explanation of what the end result is of the spell".
He walks back to the other table to leave Vince be. So she tries it again, and slowly but surely she begins to understand what she's doing. Instead of blindly copying, she understands the why and how behind it too.
Vince checks if she has included everything and then looks up and over to Qifrey. Apparently he was already looking at her across the room, and they lock eyes.
"Are you done?".
Vince nods.
Qifrey opens his hand, reaching out while staying behind Coco and Agott.
The teenager stands up and brings her spell over to him. His blue eye glances over the spell and it takes a moment before he meets her gaze with a smile on his lips "Well done".
Richeh and Tetia glance at the drawn spell and both their expression shift into surprise.
"That's very good!" Tetia says, and Richeh nods.
Vince doensn't know what to do with all this attention, staying in place while nodding her head at them. A quiet thank you.
Vince hears a deep sigh come from up ahead.
She's kneeling in the dirt of the garden, taking care of some weeds that have made their way into the ground.
She lifts her head and sees Olruggio sit down on the bench outside, in the sun. It seems like he's tired. Vince understood that he's usually busy working on contraptions and inventions for other people, next to keeping an eye on the Atelier.
He notices her then, and he raises his hand to block out the bright light of the sun "Hey, are you out gardening again?".
At first, he seemed harsh, but now Vince understands that's just his way of doing things and that he's almost as kind as Qifrey. He just shows it differently.
Vince stands up, grabs the basked of weeds and walks towards him.
She feels worried that he might get irritated that she doesn't answer him verbally. She had heard Agott say something about it to him. So, she does what he usually does to make others in the Atelier feel better.
Putting the basket full of weeds down next to another one, she kneels. The other basked is filled with produce she already plucked. She grabs a pear, dips it into the water from the rainbarrel to clean the dirt off and then walks over to the adult.
"For me?" he asks when she offers it to him.
Vince nods.
Olruggio takes it and inspects the fruit for a moment, before looking back at her and standing up.
"Thanks, I was actually craving something sweet. This is spot on".
He then walks away, leaving Vince behind.
She thinks he indeed appreciated it.
She then walks over to the watering can and dunks it into the rainbarrel to fill it up.
While watering the plants, he hears the door again, and then Olruggio calling her name.
It's still in her nature to drop everything whenever she's called, so Vince puts the watering can down and hurries over.
"Here, to share. You deserve a little break too".
Vince stares at the wooden bowl filled with pear, diced up into little pieces. There are two forks in the bowl as well. Olruggio takes a fork and pricks a piece onto it, before popping it into his mouth.
"Come on". He sits down on the bench where he sat previously.
She takes two steps closer and takes the other fork, grabs a piece and brings it over to her mouth. It's juicy and sweet, almost melting on her tongue as she eats it.
Olruggio pats the space beside him, telling her to sit.
"I saw you step out here earlier this morning, before breakfast. Aren't you supposed to sleep? Usually the other girls like to sleep in a little, right up until Qifrey calls them for breakfast".
Vince glances at the window that's in Olruggio's part of the Atelier. He saw her?
"It's nice that you help us out though. Qifrey already has a lot on his mind, so this is one less thing on his to-do list, now that you take care of the garden".
She looks back at the man in front of her and nods her head.
They eat in silence, watching the plants dance gently in the breeze.
"I hope you like your new home" Olruggio says "I assume it's quite different from where you come from".
Vince nods again. This is what she imagined a home would be like.
"Good" he says.
Olruggio drops the bowl into her lap and stands up. It's only half empty.
"I have to go, but thanks for the fruit. I liked it. I'll tell Qifrey that you got some nice fruit that can be used for dessert. I'm sure he can come up with something".
Another nightmare.
It's always the same one.
But now, Vince is not only running to get herself away from the masked people. She's heading somewhere. A building, strange is shape but looking like a home. She reaches for it, calling out the names of the people standing in front of the Atelier, but the people behind her are quicker.
They catch up with her, grab at her arms and legs, pulling her down to the ground. Enveloping her as they try to get under her skin, using sharp tools.
She screams as loud as she can to get the people away, thrashing, until she hits something hard.
Vince's eyes fly open and she sees Qifrey in front of her, his blue eye wide in shock.
She curls up in a ball, pulling the fabric over her body and retreating as far away as she can.
"It's alright, you're awake. You're safe" he says "You're at the Atelier".
When she looks around, she realises she's in front of the hearth in the living room. On the ground is the book she was reading before she fell asleep. When her eyes land on Qifrey again, relief floods over her body.
Tears well up in her eyes and she hides her face quickly in her arms as she begins to cry.
It was a dream. Thank goodness it was a dream. She doesn't want to go back there. She wants to stay here, where it's safe.
She feels a hand land on top of her hair. It's still strange to be touched with kindness, instead of malice. It's still difficult for her not to pull away from it.
Vince lifts her head just a little bit to see where Qifrey is. He's kneeling on the carpet beside her, his hand slipping from her head to her shoulder, wrapping his arm around her body gently and pulling her to his side.
She leans in to the touch, feeling heavy and tired. She sniffles, blinks and fresh tears roll down her cheeks.
"Oh, dear. That dream really scared you, hm?".
In some capacity it always did, but it was worse because she could see a place of safety, where there wasn't anything before.
Then there's a strange crack, it almost echoes through her whole body. Her spine. It has caught her off guard multiple times already.
At the same time, he feels Qifrey also jolt, as if he's shocked by her.
She feels his hand shift, moving from her shoulder to her back, as if feeling for something.
Vince lifts her head and meets his eyes, and is shocked to see he looks scared.
"Are you okay?"
Vince nods.
There's a moment of silence, where he stares back at her.
"Okay".
He pulls his hand back, and grabs hold of is robes.
"It's late, let's go to bed".
It's a bit colder than usual when Vince is in the garden. She'd put on her long cloak over her usual uniform to keep her warm against the harsh wind. Qifrey said that it's probably going to storm later that day, so Vince decided to make sure the garden was ready to suvive the upcoming weather.
Steadying trills, plucking anything that's ready, you name it.
And then a stranger in uniform, holding a strange pole, appears behind her.
Vince turns around, looking up at the man.
"You're Vince?"
She nods.
"Please, come with me. If you disrupt this arrest or fight back, I will have to restrain you until further notice".
The teenager freezes.
What's happening?
She doesn't want to leave. No one said anything about her having to leave. Qifrey would've told her about this, if people would want to speak with her.
The man frowns when Vince doesn't move.
"Alright then, Brimhat".
He swings the pole and the fabric at the end flows, wrapping around her tightly. It's quick, something she hasn't seen before. It makes her yelp and almost trip over. Memories flash before her eyes, and the nightmares seem to become another reality.
She's pulled across the ground before lifted off to float beside the man. He leans in close to look her in the eye.
"Easthies! Put her down!"
A shiver goes down Vince's spine when she hears Qifrey call out. She opens her mouth, but no noise comes out.
"What are you doing here?!" Olruggio shouts.
"I'm picking up evidence for an investigation" the man, apparently named Easthies.
"That girl is no evidence"
"She's a brimhat, ready to be wiped from her memory after she's done telling us everything we need".
"Vince isn't a brimhat, she's a victim of them, just like many others" Qifrey tells the Knight angrily "You know just as much as I do that I would never take in the likes of them into my Atelier".
"Meanwhile you took-"
"I would not finish that sentence if I were you" Olruggio says, stepping between the two men. He pointedly looks at Qifrey before turning his attention to Easthies.
"We followed the protocol to let her be registered into this Atelier. What's your reason to be here?".
"Brimhats have been around the major witch cities, even normal ones, searching for a girl with the exact description as her. Green eyes, short brown hair, pale skin tone, thin".
A heavy silence falls for a moment, before Olruggio speaks up again.
"So you thought kidnapping her was the way to go?".
"I knew that if I would knock on the front door, you won't agree either".
Qifrey rolls his eye and puts his hands on his hips.
"We want to know why the brimhats are searching for her" Easthies says, glancing at her.
"If you approached us, or sent a message, using those words, we would've worked along with you" Qifrey says, Olruggio looks at him again. He closes his mouth once more.
"Sure" Easthies mumbles.
"Please, let Vince go. We can talk about this later. We are willing to work along with you, as long as you don't harm anyone at this Atelier. This includes theatening the residents of this place" Olruggio says.
Easthies stares for a moment, before moving the staff. The tight fabric around Vince releases, and she drops to the ground. Her body takes over quickly, scrambling for Qifrey, who catches her into his arms.
"I will send a notice when I will visit again. That's when I want her story, spoken by her. Not anyone else".
And then the Knight disappears.
Vince heaves deep breaths as she presses her face into Qifrey's robes, her hands balled into fists into the fabric. His hands rest on her back, rubbing it gently to try and calm her down.
She opens her mouth. A broken sound comes from it, before she manages to shape it into words.
"Please".
There's a moment of silence.
"Please… don't" Vince takes a breath "make me… go".
Qifrey bends down, his hands shifting to hold her shoulders "I won't. You belong here now, with us". He glances up to Olruggio, who has approached and put a hand on her back.
The door creaks open beside them and the four girls appear all looking equally worried in their own ways.