Pippa wore a warm smile despite her apparent shock over the unexpected call.

"Ms. Cackle! Well met."

"Well met Ms. Pentangle. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

"Not at all! I was just settling in for the night. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, truth be told…I was hoping to trouble you for some advice."

"Advice?...Of course, however I can help…" Pippa trailed off, waiting to see what Ada had questions on. A small part of her wondered if it would be advice on a certain Deputy Head. Whatever she was expecting it certainly hadn't been what Ada said next, not that the prospect didn't excite her.

"I was hoping you could help me make Cackles a bit more…modern."

"Modern?"

"Or at the very least, more attractive to prospective students. I hate to admit it but…our numbers have been dwindling in recent years and each year we seem to pull in smaller and smaller selection groups. I fear if we make no changes…that we would eventually risk having to close down the school."

"Oh Ada…of course I'm happy to help. We may not even have to make that many changes…" She offered, knowing that this would be difficult (if not for the Head Mistress then certainly for her Deputy Head.) Ada nodded with a strained smile, likely trying her best to keep a positive outlook on all this.

"Are you free for tea tomorrow? We can talk in more detail then."

"Your school or mine?" Pippa offered without hesitation.

"I'll meet you here then. Say around three o'clock?"

"I look forward to it."