Mirta heads into the Cloud Tower Archives, intent of finding something to study instead of listening to Darcy gloat about how she's still better at Illusions than her. Only to sense mounting frustration that most definitely isn't hers. Mirta follows the feeling, ending up at a table stacked high with dozens of books and a flaming red-head reading one - a red-head that looks far calmer than the frustration simmering inside her would suggest. "Um…hello? Who are you? I've never seen you around before." Technically, she's skipping class to be in the library - looks like this got a lot more exciting. Technically, you don't need to attend lectures if you can pass the tests. But the lectures teach you the information you need to pass the tests, so while attendance is never taken its still pretty much needed.
The red-head looks up to meet her dark gaze with bright blue eyes, and says "Hi. Name's Bloom, and we don't go to the same classes. Who're you?"
Mirta blinks, then introduces herself. After a minute, Bloom says "Nice to meet you, Mirta. You wouldn't happen to know of any curses that can affect powers, do you? I'm researching one."
Mirta blinks, then mutters "Vicious. Who do you plan on cursing, the Trix? Looking to take their spot?"
Bloom shakes her head, saying "No, I'm not that cruel. Still, I need to learn about a Curse like this one, and what better place to find it than the premier school for Witches?"
"Oh…kay? Is that why your so frustrated? You can't find what your looking for?"
Bloom raises an eyebrow, asking "You can tell? I must be slipping, I'm usually better at keeping my calm these days. As it is, yes, I've been looking for this for weeks now with no results."
Mirta blinks, then says "I'm the Witch of Illusions, I can sense emotions since I can craft an Illusion out of one. You?"
Bloom smirks, and says "Nothing so intricate-sounding. Not nearly so delicate. I deal with fire, have for years. Not as fancy as illusions, I suppose, but its certainly effective."
"So…why the Curse?"
"Lets just call it a personal project."
"Ah. Well, this one might help." Mirta takes a thick book off one of the shelves Bloom hasn't gotten to yet, titled 'Curses Most Ancient and Foul' underneath a plain book jacket - It certainly looks old and like the kind of book that would have what she's looking for. "It was used by Lysslis herself, apparently. From what I know, she liked to take inspiration from stuff like this. Maybe it has what your looking for?"
Bloom nods, and says "Perhaps, thank you. How did you know about this one?"
Mirta grins, and says "I found it with one of Darcy's illusion spells on it. We may share the same title, but that also means we can sense Illusions on it. So, I broke the Illusion and got a book jacket to hide it. The last thing anyone actually needs is the Trix learning spells like these."
Bloom chuckles, and says "That's simply brilliant. Why not just take it out of the library altogether, though? If its so dangerous?"
Mirta says "Its not even supposed to be in this part of the Archives! Knowing the Trix, though…"
Mirta trails off, but Bloom nods with a knowing look in her eye. "Yeah, I know what you mean." When she skims through the book, there's dozens of curses Bloom can easily imagine one of the twisted old hag-ladies from those dreams Daphne's in using with gleeful malice and twisted cackling. And then she finds it - magics that affect other people's powers. It's not designed for a fairy's transformation, but Bloom can guess Lysslis twisted and changed it for her own ends. In short, its exactly what she's been looking for all this time.
Giving the shy girl a smirk, Bloom asks "You want to screw them over?"
Mirta asks "How?"
"Well, I know a copying spell. You wouldn't want a copy of that book, would you? And any others you want in here? Call it my thanks for showing me this."
Mirta nods at once, all but salivating at the chance to have permanent access to any books of her choosing - you can't take the books out of the Archives, else the books would never be returned. Still, she's heard whispers of an old book of Illusion spells in the Archives' secret chamber, where they keep books exactly like this one. Maybe it would give her an edge in classes, keep the others off her back!
Bloom smirks at Mirta's expression, makes two copies of the ancient book with the Gemino spell - though, the two books she made are much sturdier than the original, thankfully - and puts one in her bag while asking "You know a shrinking Charm, Mirta? And how to undo it?"
The eager Witch nods, shrinking the book and putting it in her own pocket, and says "I also know where the entrance to the Archives is. I followed the Trix's magic trail last time they went there."
Bloom smirks, and says "I think we're going to be great friends, Mirta. You want to meet up in Magix City some time?"
"Sure. I'll write my number down for you." To think, she only skipped lecture today because she wanted a book to read! Now, she's sneaking into the Forbidden Chamber of the Archives! Great Dragon, she actually feels like a real Witch, getting into mischief and breaking the rules!
Twenty minutes later, they've each got a stack of books hidden away and are standing outside Cloudtower. Bloom grins, and says "Thanks for the help, Mirta. You know, I think I know what your difficulty with spells and such is."
Mirta gives Bloom a hopeful look, having told her everything as Bloom was copying the books down for her, and asks "Really? What is it, do you think?"
Bloom says "I knew someone much like you, once. Neville was the shyest kid in class, he didn't answer any questions unless called on…he was great in Herbology, though. A genius when it comes to plants. Anyway, off-topic. Everyone told him that he wasn't good enough, that he was hopeless at spells and such. And he believed them, was hesitant and endlessly nervous. Do you know how he did with spells and such?"
Mirta asks "Like me, right? They just won't work right, keep fizzling out or doing something I don't want them to." She can barely manage an invisibility illusion, for Dragon's sake!
Bloom nods, and says "Yeah. His magic knew how hesitant he was, how he doubted himself, and reacted accordingly. Mirta, you were accepted into Cloud Tower for a reason, and its not because of a pretty face. You've got talent and skill, you just need to believe in yourself. Once Neville gained a little confidence in himself and his own abilities, his performance skyrocketed." It didn't help matters whatsoever that he was using his father's wand, though.
Mirta shuffles in place, finding her shoes highly interesting all of a sudden, and mutters "Well, confidence isn't my strong suit. Everyone picked on me when I was a kid, until Lucy became my friend, and…"
Bloom studies Mirta once again - turns out they're a bit more alike than she thought. Both of them have a penchant for mischief, as she found out when Mirta was wondering about the Cloak, and both of them had crap childhoods where everyone tried to beat them down apparently. "Well, how about we change that? I'll help."
Mirta snaps her head up, her gaze moving from her shoes to Bloom in an instant, and asks "What? You'd do that for me? But, I'm a Witch! And you're a Fairy!"
Bloom smirks, and asks "When did you figure that out?"
Mirta chuckles, and says "No Witch offers to copy the entire contents of the Forbidden Archive or someone else as a thank you gesture. Most of us work alone specifically so we can't get betrayed or screwed over."
Bloom shrugs, and says "I got something out of it to, you know. Those same books."
"Yeah, but most would've just left me outside the room." She was absolutely waiting for it, for Bloom to toss her out of the room on her behind. Or only make one copy of the books for herself and screw Mirta over. Imagine her surprise when neither happened.
Bloom shrugs, and says "Backstabbing people isn't something I'm a fan of, really. 'Sides, its not particularly good for if I need a favor one day, now is it? So, you in or not?"
Mirta nods her head, saying "Yes! Absolutely, thank you!"
"And me being a Fairy isn't going to be a problem?" Despite the words, the smirk on Bloom's face takes the sting that would usually be there out.
Mirta shakes her head, saying "I'm not like most Witches in that regard. Witches and Fairies…don't seem that much different, really. It hasn't made me particularly popular, though."
Bloom chuckles, and says "Don't tell them that, everyone will have a heart attack and a half if you say that in public. Witch, Fairy, and civilian alike. As for them, screw them all, the lot of them. Doesn't matter what they think."
"But not you?" Mirta's beyond curious now, why's Bloom so different?
Bloom snorts in amusement, and says "Not me. I'm not like most Fairies, though."
Mirta sardonically says "That's an understatement. Most Fairies wouldn't brave the depths of Cloud Tower castle to find books on Curses." Heck, most Fairies wouldn't be searching for Curses in the first place!
"Well, I've gotta be off. Classes end at Alfea in about ten minutes, and I don't think people will take it too well if I say I've been going back in time to search through Cloud Tower's Archives in my spare time." Bloom heads off, leaving Mirta with about a dozen questions and a date and time to meet her in Magix City in a week.
Time travel?!
An Invisibility Cloak?!
Bloom, Mirta decides, may well actually be the most interesting Fairy in the entire Dimension. Certainly the most powerful - she could sense it with ridiculous ease outside of Cloud Tower! It certainly explains her own confidence in her abilities, and why she wasn't at all afraid to go exploring Cloud Tower's Archives!
Flora gets back into the room she's sharing with Bloom, only to find the red-head pouring over an ancient-looking book she's sure didn't come from Alfea's library, along with what looks like a Magiphysics book and one titled Advanced Arithmancy while writing in a notebook. At the sight of it, Flora decides to simply let Bloom be - somehow, she figures she really doesn't want to know.
She's stopped looking for ways to navigate the forest, but that just begs the question of what exactly she found in it.
And now she's pouring through a book that looks a thousand years old easily, while writing down stuff from books on Magiphysics and Arithmancy - which she's explained is the Wiccan equivalent of Magiphysics.
She's on a mission, and they've learned its best to just jump out of the way if you can't help - it'd be like keeping Bloom and Stella from a meal, something neither girl is in the habit of missing. She figures she'd better warn the others though, so they don't get blindsided by another of Bloom's out-of-the-blue questions again. Or like when Techna found Bloom in the library looking for…no, she wouldn't, right?
A glance back at the old book tells Flora, yes, Bloom most certainly would look through a book of ancient curses if she felt she had to. And she does, and is.
Oh, Great Dragon…
She can only hope nobody's actually pissed Bloom off that much. Fairies might not be able to use Dark Magic, which is what powers Curses and such, but a Fairy can get corrupted by negative emotions if they're let to fester and poison her…which results in Dark Fairies, who are more than capable of Cursing someone.
AN: Hey! Yes, the next chapter is here! Honestly, I was stuck trying to find a way for Bloom to find what she needed in Cloud Tower - I actually toyed with her getting found and taken to Griffin, only to break the woman while talking with Faragonda - but then I remembered Mirta! And I've got plans for Mirta! She was such a nice character in the series, I couldn't not bring her in - and she really didn't deserve to get all but forgotten by everyone else. Honestly, I think she switched to Alfea because she couldn't fit in at Cloud Tower thanks to the Trix. When I thought about her, she just reminded me far too much of poor Neville in the first movie to not help her out.
Anyway, enjoy! More chapters coming soon! A quick warning, though - the floors back home are proving problematic, so there's the possibility that after I'm back home I may not get to update or write anything until they're finished. It all depends on how things go, though.