3rd person P.O.V
Alder focus:
"So, if I'm hearing you correctly, you used work against a man in a pizza restaurant because he yelled at you and then you and your unit covered it up because a teenager released a balloon as a prank?" Alder asked Tally sitting in her office at the desk this time. "Yes ma'am. We were trying to keep everyone inside in case it was a legitimate spree attack, to try to lessen the amount of casualties." Tally said, standing with her unit opposite the general.
Alder leant back in her chair and looked down at the paperwork on her desk. "Bellweather, Collar you are dismissed." she said not looking up until she hear the door close. Sarah gestured to the seat on the other side of the desk. "Tally, are you okay?" Sarah asked, looking up from the desk. She made eye contact with the younger witch who simply nodded. "There was something else I wanted to talk to you about, but I couldn't ask in front of your unit," Sarah said. "Do you think you could get away this evening?" she asked. Tally nodded and smiled.
"I'm sure I can sneak away for a little bit." Tally said. "I'll knock on the garden door." the young witch said, before she was dismissed from the office. Alder could hear the other members of the unit asking why Tally had to stay behind. She heard the start of an excuse about wanting to know if anyone had been injured before the door shut. Alder allowed herself to smile in the privacy of her office with just her biddies; she gave herself a few moments to feel her emotions before she went back to her paperwork.
Tally focus:
Sneaking away was easier than Tally thought it would be, nearly the whole class had decided it would be a perfect night for drinking. So when everyone had drunk enough that they wouldn't question her if she said she was going to get some air. Which was exactly what she did. Tally was guided by memories and by the lights in the windows above on her way to the gardens and the connecting door. She knocked thrice on the door and it was quickly opened by one of the biddies. Walking inside, tally shut the door behind her and followed the biddy upstairs. This time to a room with a sofa and a gramophone, adjacent to the office where Tally could see Sarah moving some papers around on her desk. Tally stood in the doorway between the two rooms and just watched the older witch.
A few moments later Sarah looked up from her paperwork when she felt some of the biddies becoming restless. "Tally. You made it. Please make yourself comfortable. I will be with you in a moment." Sarah said, depositing some files into a drawer in her desk. Tally took that time to pour her wife a glass of whiskey from the decanter in the corner of the room which she took back to the living room, she then put some civilian music on through the gramophone. It was then that Sarah joined her on the sofa and took the glass from Tally's outstretched hand. "What excuse did you give to sneak off here?" Sarah asked.
"Oh everyone else is drunk so they didn't ask when I said I was going out for some air." Tally said curling her legs up under herself. Sarah nodded before reaching over to place her glass on the table behind the sofa. She then reached up to pull her hair out of its braid. These actions mesmerised Tally who then blushed red when Sarah caught her eye. "What did you want to talk to me about then?" Tally asked, leaning into the cushions on the sofa.
Sarah copied Tally's pose and leant into the sofa. "As you may know Beltane is coming up next week and I want to know what your comfort level is in terms of participation," Sarah said. "Particularly in regards to the male cadets and me." she explained. Sarah had never had this issue before where she needed to consider another person during beltane, usually the arrangement was made with the witchfather, but as he was unaware of her marriage and Sarah was reluctant to tell him without Tally's permission. "This will also be your first beltane so I want you to be able to experience it however you feel most comfortable." Sarah said before taking a sip of her whiskey.
Tally blushed and dipped her head. "I've not actually thought about it. I guess we have to keep us a secret until the year's mark so we won't be able to celebrate together. If you already have an arrangement with the witchfather I don't have an issue with it, and my unit will probably want to spend most of the celebrations together. I don't mind sitting it out. Raelle told me it involved having sex with other people most of the time, but i dont want to have sex with someone im not intrested in or in a relationship with," Tally said, looking mainly at her hands. "I'll put up a facade and try to flirt with some of the men but i'm more then happy to sit out of the sex part." Tally explained. Sarah reached out and placed a hand just next to Tally's knee palm up which Tally took a hold of.
"Tally I don't want you to miss out on your first Beltane celebration," Sarah whispered, having moved over on the sofa to sit nearer to her wife. "I know that the reel will partner people up with whoever they are meant to be with that night and I am more than happy to sit out myself or to join in at the very end with the witch father so that you get the opportunity to experience beltane however you see fit." Sarah suggested, keeping her voice low. Tally looked up from their joined hands "This is the first time we've properly held hands since we left the compound" she said, squeezing Sarah's hand. "I do want to participate in Beltane, but I only want to participate with you Sarah."
Sarah blushed, "I want to spend the Beltane celebration with you as well, but the witchfather would get suspicious if I did not provide him with a reason for not spending the celebration with him. I will try to spend as much of the celebration as I can with you." she reassured the younger witch. "It seems like we both want the other to participate in the Beltane celebrations. What if, the first night the boys arrive the afternoons are free, we spend the first afternoon together and then the second afternoon we spend with other people, participate in the reel and deal with the outcome of the reel the day after." Sarah proposed.
Tally was quick to agree. "We will have to inform my mom and the imperative won't we, if we end the reel together?" Tally asked while she played with Sarah's fingers. The older witch moved her free hand to pull Tally's face up so she could look at her wife. "We will face whatever consequences that occur together. I can inform the imperatrix of our plan in the morning and you can tell your mother during tomorrow's Sunday morning phone call." Sarah said quietly. She drained her whiskey and looked at the clock on the wall. "It's getting late. The last bell will be going soon. You should get back to your dorms." the older woman remarked, yet neither witch made to move from their positions on the sofa. "Can I come see you again tomorrow night?" Tally asked, sitting up and pushing her hair back behind her ears. Sarah nodded and stood up to offer the red-head a helping hand up.
She walked her all the way down to the edge of the gardens before letting go of Tally's hand. With a chase kiss on the cheek and a whispered goodnight the older witch left back through the gardens to her private quarters. Leaving the blushing red-head behind to make her way to her dorms alone.
Alder focus:
As she walked through the gardens she resisted the urge to grin and instead let a small smile slip through the usually frosty facade she wore. Her thoughts were full of the beautiful woman she called her wife. The same person who was willing to miss out on her first proper beltane celebration in a witches place to protect a relationship and a secret imposed upon her by her mother and the American witches matchmaking service.
Sarah spent the night in conflict, part of her desperately wanting Tally to stay so that they could talk all night and go through all the possibilities for Belatne. To try to find a way for them to participate together without outwardly being together. The other part of her wanting to push Tally away to push down and repress all of the new emotions she was feeling. She spent the night staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, laying in her shift under the blankets. Feeling every inch of a mattress that needed to be replaced underneath her body.
As the sun started to peek through her windows she was grateful that the biddies sleeping each night would be able to sustain her for a short amount of time. She would need to sleep the next night or the group would be in the infirmary. Sitting up in bed she looked at the calendar pinned on the wall. Today was the final day before the male cadets and the witch father arrived at the main base. This was the only day that she would be able to talk to the Imperatrix about the plan for Beltane. Sarah was dreading starting the day but the thought that Tally was coming back that evening gave her all the motivation she needed to get up and shower that morning.
Alder was seething after her meeting with the Imperatrix even though it was she who decided that her marriage to Tally must be kept a secret for a year. She had been told that she would have to manipulate her wife and the reel to ensure that they did not end up as a pair after the dance. Sarah could only hope that Tally's conversation with her mother was going better. Unfortunately she would not be able to find out until much later on in the day, her afternoons were packed with meetings for all of the last minute Beltane preparations and a phone call with the witchfather to ensure that everything would run smoothly when he arrived with the male cadets tomorrow.
It was just after lunch when Alder prepared herself for a meeting she was partially dreading, while she was sure she had made the right choice in promoting Petra Bellweather to Head of Intelligence that decision just made Petra a bigger pain in the neck than she had been before, but alas this was something she had to deal with, as Petra was a very talented intelligence officer and was very good at making lasting connections as well as staying out of sight and mind when she needed to be. This was an impromptu meeting that was sprung on her that morning. After a Spree attack in Ohio at a swimming pool. While Petra was a talented witch she was not one for traditions and celebrations. She preferred to just get things done and not spend time somewhere she didn't need to.
As Petra walked into her office Alder downed the last of her whiskey and placed the glass to the side to be refilled once again after the meeting. "Petra, what do you need?" Sarah asked standing up from the desk a clear cue to Petra that she did not want this meeting to go on for any amount of time. "The Spree, their attack in Ohio. They are becoming more volatile, they used a pool float this time, they are branching out. We are all at risk. I want you to consider cancelling Beltane." Petra said in lieu of a greeting.
"Petra, you know as well as any witch that there always is and alway has been a cease fire during Beltane, witches around the globe respect what it means to us. One does not simply cancel Beltane because of an attack miles away by witches who have to respect the traditions of our culture," Adler said. "If there is anything else you would like to discuss you can write an official report and I will read it at a later time, but I am very busy this afternoon making final arrangements with the witchfather." Alder said moving around the desk. The biddies stood from their various positions around the room to stare at Petra. "I suggest you get to writing your report. I will see you tomorrow morning when the witchfather and male cadets arrive." With that being said, Sarah ended the meeting and took her seat behind the desk leaving Petra to dismiss herself.