forum Alfea College (Closed)

Started November 23, 2021 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

(Oh, yeah I changed it.)
Nissa gathered her things and walked with Mila. "Are you excited?" She asked, smiling eagerly at her friend. "I'm excited. A little nervous, too, but I'm good!"

Mila gave her roommate a small smile and nodded. “Yes, I am excited. This is… really amazing.” she admitted, unable to come up with a better way to explain. “I’m so… I mean, the fact that she's letting us continue these lessons is a big deal.”

"Yeah. I still can't believe it." Nissa agreed, brushing hair out of her face. "I just hope it goes well."

“Me too. Though it should be fine as long as we remember what we learned last year.” she reminded Nissa, trying to reign in her own nerves.

"Right." Nissa nodded. "We've got this!" She grinned. "Besides, it could be fun!"

Mila managed to smile back a little at Nissa’s enthusiasm as she brushed her hair down. She wasn't wrong. The lessons could be fun, but she knew they also had to concentrate.

The headmistress sighed longingly. She was nearly finished, but the way Callum had organized this final report was making it impossible to interpret. Farah used her magic to open the door and called out to her secretary. "Callum!"

Callum jumped up from his desk and approached her. "Yes, Headmistress Dowling?"

She beckoned him over, letting her annoyance show freely on his face. At least if she fired him, she could say he had it coming. "What in the Otherworld is this?" she questioned, gesturing to the files before her. As Callum bent over beside her to point out the discrepancies she found and correct them, Farah shot a glance at the time. Nearly time for their lesson, she thought to herself. Could it get here any faster?

Mila sighed a little as they finally reached Headmistress Dowling’s outer office. Though she did double-check the time when she saw that Mr. Callum wasn't at his desk. “Are we early?”

"I don't think so…" Nissa said, casting an uncertain glance around the room. She looked at the door to Headmistress Dowling's office. "Should we… knock?" She asked, turning to Mila.

Mila shrugged. “I guess we can try it. Maybe Mr. Callum just had to step away for a moment.” she agreed, though she couldn't make herself move towards the door. “Do you want to do it?”

Nissa looked between Mila and the door for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, okay." She took a few steps, stopping in front of the door. She held up her hand to knock and hesitated, glancing back at her roommate before taking a breath and knocking.
(Lol, not them freaking out over knocking on a door)

Farah and Callum both looked up quickly at the sound of the knock on the door. Oh, thank Solaria, Farah thought with a small smile. Even though she had the magical abilities that enabled her to open the door from where they were, Callum straightened himself and headed toward her door to open it.

Farah rose from her seat as Callum swung the door open to reveal Mila and Nissa standing outside. She smiled in greeting and shut the file on her desk without sparing another glance at it before turning her attention to Callum. “We can finish this later. I have a lesson.”

Callum pressed his lips into a thin smile and nodded, stepping out into his adjacent office and behind his desk so the girls could get through. Once he was out of the office, Farah motioned for Mila and Nissa to enter. “Hello, girls. Come in.”

Mila smiled, a little nervously, as she brushed some wayward strands of her hair back down. “I… I’m sorry if we're interrupting something important.” she tried not to stammer as she and Nissa entered the room. “When we saw Mr. Callum wasn't there, we thought that you might be busy.”

"Not at all," Farah answered easily, her eyes glowing as she used her magic to shut the door once both girls were all the way inside the office. "In fact, your timing was perfect." She came around from behind her desk. "Are you both ready to begin?"

Mila let out a slow breath, finally calming down, and nodded. “Yes ma’am. I’m ready.” she agreed. “Nissa, are you ready?”

Nissa hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I'm ready." She answered, shooting Mila a smile.

Farah approached the girls. Her steps were swift and sure. “As you remember,” she spoke thoughtfully, "last year our focus was solely on control. Yesterday in the Stone Circle, it was evident that those lessons paid off for both of you. To begin today, I’d like to make sure what I saw yesterday was an accurate representation of your growth. I’d like you, individually, to channel your magic here and now in my office."

“Would you like me to go first?” Mila asked after a rather embarrassingly long pause. It was obvious that both students were nervous about going first but… She didn't want to let her mentor down.

Farah nodded, making her way back behind her desk. "Either of you can, but preferably soon. I don't have all afternoon," she remarked. Her lithe fingers moved aside the files she'd been working on and brought out a new one. This one was much thinner than any other files on her desk, and it only contained a few pieces of paper.

“Yes, ma’am.” Mila nodded, clearing her throat a little to hide the almost chuckle at her teacher’s words. She closed her eyes and let out a slow steady breath as she focused on channeling her magic. It honestly always felt a little harder without the help of the Stone Circle but that was exactly what part of the practice was to help overcome. Once again, there was a soft rolling sound of thunder before a bright flash of light appeared, though not quite as… neat as Mila’s demonstration the other day.

Farah narrowed her eyes for a split second at Mila's display. She could feel the girl's unease, which was most likely the reason her magic was slightly unstable. "What in the Otherworld are you so worried about, hmm?" she asked suddenly, lifting her chin in the air and arching her eyebrows while she spoke. Her eyes glowed with power, and when she waved her hand through the air, Mila's magic became nothing more than a crackle of static for a moment before completely disbanding. "The both of you are unspeakably anxious. Your emotions are completely unpredictable, which makes your magic erratic, which can be quite dangerous. Regulate your feelings." She slowly paced out from behind her desk again and faced Mila intently. "Focus," she said firmly, but not unkindly. "Remember, you control your magic. It does not control you. Try again."

(Also, I made an official character sheet for Farah: Farah Dowling)

Nissa gave her friend an encouraging smile. She knew Mila could do it. All she had to do was focus.
(Sorry it's so short. Kind of lacking in creativity at the moment)

Mila nodded as she heard the familiar lecture. She should have seen it coming… She didn't know why she had been nervous since she had been through this whole process before. Taking a deep breath, the sky fairy gave her roommate a small brief smile before her expression turned to one of determination. This time, the thunder was clearer and the flash of her power was much more controlled.

Farah immediately felt the shift in Mila's emotions and saw it in her demonstration of power. "Beautifully done," she praised. "That was much better." Her gaze shifted now to Nissa. "Runaway emotions lead to runaway magic," she stated to precede the fire fairy's attempt. "Reign it in. Control it."

Nissa nodded and took a deep breath. She lifted her hands, flames swirling above her palms. She stayed for a moment, then let her hand fall back to her sides, the flames disappearing.

Farah's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The magic was executed well. There was just something else. "Try again," she instructed, studying Nissa and her body language.

Nissa lifted her hands again, repeating the process. She was nervous, and though the flames were controlled, her movements were stiff. She stayed focused on the flame, before letting it disappear.

Farah squinted briefly and tilted her head. She didn't need her abilities to see through Nissa. Reading people was a skill she'd developed from years of being the headmistress and a mind fairy, and as she observed Nissa, the girl's nervousness was obvious. Slowly, Farah approached her and softly murmured, "You're terrified."