If you haven't read 'Finding the Last Time Lady' or any other accompanying stories in the series, than I suggest you do before reading this. Just a reminder: Ariana is the Hatter, Theta is the Doctor, Koschei is the Master, and Ushas is the Rani.
...
I'm Ariana
In the centuries to come, the Hatter would look back upon her childhood and school years with mixed feelings, in one way they were some of the best years of her life. She missed that innocent's that only a child could possibly have, missed how young and naive she had been. To her, the Universe had seemed like the greatest adventure, sure, she knew that it wasn't perfect, it could be a dangerous place, filled with darkness and shadows, but as a child she hadn't quite been able to comprehend the reality of it. In a way, the Hatter longed for that, she wished that she had treasured it more in her youth now that she knew the truth: The Universe was the most beautiful thing, full of hope and possibility, but it was also full of sadness and pain and danger. Then there was the friends she had first made in her school years, the Doctor, so youthful and full of hope, more hopeful than any of his future regenerations, even. The Academy had brought them together and their friendship had grown during those years under its roof, blossoming into love and affection and a partnership that would last for centuries to come. Even the Master and the Rani had been amongst her friends back then, before everything changed and they went down their separate paths. The Hatter would always look back on her friendship with them perhaps the mostly sadly, for how far that friendship had fallen.
Oh, those were the days, back when everything was so much simpler, back when the heartache of loss and the weight of the Universe hadn't felt like a crushing pressure on the Hatter's shoulders, and while she wouldn't change her life for a second, she wished she had treasured those simple moments more. Of course, she had other pressures back then, as a child she had grown up with the weight of Gallifrey's expectations on her head, the pressure of parents who expected far too much from her at a far to tender age, and least of all the lack of a proper childhood not filled with lessons and lectures. But at the Academy she had found her freedom for the first time, meeting the Doctor truly had changed everything for her, and she had grown and evolved. The Academy was where it truly all started for her and her friends, and where little Ariana truly grew into the beginnings of the Hatter.
It all began in the middle of one night, if that wasn't clichéd enough, just days after Ariana's eighth birthday. That was when two men from the Capital arrived on the doorstep of the Great House of Blyledge, draped in ceremonial robes of deep scarlet and orange, and with high collars that were engraved with circular scripture of the Time Lords, Rassilon's symbol proudly worn on their fronts, their scarlet and orange colours and symbol marking them as Prydonians. They were welcomed with apprehension by Ariana, who was brought down from her bedroom by her mother, curtsying before the men on shaky legs and a pounding heart, her white skirts just shy of brushing the tops of her shoes.
She had known this day was coming, all Gallifreyan children hoped for it to come, but for Ariana there had never been any option that she wouldn't go the Academy and become a Time Lady, all her life she had been told it was her destiny, or rather the closest thing to destiny that the logical and analytical race of Time Lords believed in. But she still felt fearful by the idea, she had only ever known one place as her home, never had she spent time away from the familiar walls of this ancient house, and while it might lack for any warmth or affection, it was still the only home she knew. She also worried about how the other children would react to her; she feared she would never quite fit in amongst them, having always been kept somewhat distant from even her own cousins, who had often been cruel towards her. She didn't even know what it felt like to be a child, not really, how could she possibly hope to be accepted by them? She was different from them and they would surely only dislike her all the more for that fact.
"Mother, I don't want to go," Ariana spoke quietly with her mother, turning to look up at the dark haired, handsome woman that seemed to tower over her. She bit her lip nervously, casting a fearful look towards the official men, who stood straight and tall before the door, their expressions blank of any hint of emotion…it was hardly comforting. She looked pleadingly back to her mother, big blue eyes threatening to burn with tears, "Please, Mother".
The woman sighed at that, her intelligent light blue eyes turning to regard her with little emotion, while her black hair was perfectly arranged in a complicated twist on her head with a thin golden thread woven through the twists. She resembled the perfect embodiment of a true Time Lady, proud and clever and graceful. She placed a slim, pale hand down onto Ariana's thin shoulder, but the gesture brought little warmth or comfort to Ariana, who desperately craved for the comfort of a hug, but such affection had never come from her mother, nor her father. She had long since come to concede that she was unlikely to receive it from either of them.
"Ariana, you must go with these men," she told her, with little warmth or comfort in her voice, almost as though she was simply stating a fact, "Every child must go to school, you more so then others. You have so much to learn, my dear, and these men will help you become great," she lifted her chin higher, pride filling her eyes, "You will archive great things for our people".
"I don't want to be great, Mother," Ariana shook her head at once, swallowing fearfully as she threw another nervous look over towards the men, toying with the billowing sleeve of her robes. She looked back to her mother, desperately trying to plead with her eyes, "All I want to do is see the Universe. To meet people. People from other planets, other worlds and cultures. Why can't I do that? Why can't I do what I want?"
Oh, one shouldn't mistake her fear of going to the Academy as a fear of learning, for from it, she desperately looked forward to her classes and professors, she had longed to get the chance to see the positively infamous library of the Academy since she had first been told stories of it by her tutor in preparation for this very day. No, rather her fear stemmed from the unknown, the loss of familiarity, the fear of not being accepted. It was bad enough living with Cousins who didn't care for her, she couldn't imagine the difficulty of constantly being looked at as an outcast or different from those who were supposed to be her peers every day. No, living with that would not make anyone happy, better she simply live her life away from Gallifrey, see the stars and other worlds, worlds were she might be free.
"Don't be ridicules, Lady Ariana," Ariana's father shook his head. She almost flinched at his words, her head snapping over to where he stood by the men, giving her a deeply disapproving look, green eyes narrowed and a line forming between his eyes, his features very handsome and still young, though he was close to six hundred years old, not that physical age had much baring on Time Lords. He dismissed her obvious fear, turning to the two men standing just behind him, "You must forgive my daughter, she has an overactive imagination," he said to them with a frown, the two men bowled their heads as he then turned his steady, steely gaze back to his wife, "Leave her, Lady Rosslyn, it is time," he told her firmly, before looking at his youngest child, "Lady Ariana, you will go with these men. Now".
Ariana cringed at the very obvious command in his voice, she would not dare to try and argue against him, certainly not verbally, not when he was watching her with a steely glare and a hard expression. She glanced at her mother, who nodded to her, giving her a small, somewhat rare smile, before walking over to Ariana's father to stand by his side. Ariana swallowed, hard, feeling as though she was standing upon the deck of a sinking ship with little chance of escape, turning her frightened eyes onto the waiting men. She didn't want to go with them; she wanted to stay here, in the place that she knew best. It might not be the most happy place, but it was all she had ever known, the unknown frightened her. She walked over to the two men, each step feeling heavy and forced, everything blurring together around her until she found herself standing before them, looking up into their emotionless faces and cool gazes, which seemed to sweep over her with curiosity and expectation.
"Lady Ariana of the House of Blyledge," one of the men nodded his head to her, bowing it in a sign of respect for her high station, "You shall come with us".
She almost gulped at that, casting one last fearful look over her shoulder to where her parents remained standing, watching her. Her father looked pleased, his mouth lifted very slightly, while her mother nodded approvingly. She desperately wanted them to say something, to change their minds and allow her to stay, but they didn't. She pushed down the urge to cry and turned to fall into step behind the first man, who moved to lead her towards the transmate bay off on the side of the room. She did as she was supposed to, without complaint, without acceptance, but she would never forgive her parents for their lack of comfort. In the centuries to come…she would remember.
…
It only took mere minutes to reach the place where the Untempered Schism sat. Torches burned brightly in the dark night, which felt warm and oppressive against Ariana's flesh, seeping through the thin fabric of her ceremonial robes. All novices to the Academy wore white upon their entry, with little embellishment of jewels or hair fixtures, Ariana's own long, thick hair hanging loosely down her back. It was suppose to be a symbol of how all novices were a part of something greater than their Chapter or family, marking all alike. It was a nice thought, in her mind, but she was not so young or even naïve enough to think it was true. Gallifrey was ruled by those who held power and influence, usually through politics, that put a massive divide between those who did not come from families who were fortunate enough to have that. Or those were deemed not intelligent enough to gain entry, but even that was often not always accurate, as the traditional entrance exam for the Academy was based on academic intelligence, ignoring any other form of intelligence. At the end of the day, the old Houses were the ones who continued to send their children to be educated at the Academy, while the circle of inequality continued for those who did not have that benefit.
Ariana slowly walked forward, glancing nervously over her shoulder to the men that had been her escort, who nodded for her to continue, remaining almost like guards behind her at level with the first torches. She swallowed hard at that last thought, she knew the stories of how some could go mad just by looking into the Untempered Schism, while others would run and run, until they were forced to be brought back by their escort. She wondered what her parents would say if she ran away, would they view her as a disappointment? A shame to the family? Her older brother and sister had been inspired upon looking into the Untempered Schism, something her father had spoke of with great pride, how might he speak of her if she was driven mad or fled?
She soon found herself standing in front of the raw power of time itself; gazing into it she could see so many things, swirling through the spiralling tunnel before her. Everything become clear, so much clearer than ever before. She saw a young boy, but every time she came close to seeing his face clearly, he would dissolve and be replaced by more people or planets, some of which Ariana could remember reading about. Soon, it seemed as if the same things were replaying over and over again, so Araina moved her gaze to look deeper into the Time Vortex.
And that was when she realised how inspiring time was. It was…stunning, her heart almost seemed to stop beating by the shear sight of it, twisting and turning before her eyes, everything she had ever known seemed to click into place in her mind in that second, leaving her breathless and shaking. Time wasn't without flaws, but it was still perfect, she could have spent the rest of her life simply staring into it, taking it all in and letting it fill her head with its whisper, but she knew that she couldn't. Time, she knew, was a dangerous force that no one could ever truly weld, not even the most accomplished Time Lord could survive more than just a brief brush of it, like this, anything more and it would burn her and she knew that, she could sense the danger of it, though it was intoxicating. Forcing herself away from it was perhaps the hardest thing she had ever done, but she did, slowly and with a massive amount of will. The stories of Time Lords that had gone mad because they had looked to deep swirled through her mind as she squeezed her eyes shut...but she could understand why they had, the temptation to simply look deeper, seek out all the answers and power that time held, was almost impossible to resist.
She wasn't even aware of the fact that at some point she had fallen to her knees, burnt orange sand staining the once pure white fabric of her robes, flaring out around her. She was panting for breathe as she opened her eyes…She felt different, stronger, somehow, than ever before, more complete. She understood now why her parents had insisted that she must go, this had been what she was meant for, but what else did that mean? Somehow, after seeing what time truly was, she no longer feared the unknown as she had before, for she knew that it was already written, she merely had to trust in it. A moment past before one of the guards stepped forward, helping Ariana to her feet. She felt shaky still, but she knew it would pass.
After that, Ariana was taken to the Academy, no longer afraid, instead she was hopeful. Hopeful for the future, the possibilities that the Universe would hold for her, for she knew for certain now that it would be what she was supposed to do, whatever that might be, and that wasn't something to fear. No, that was something to enjoy.
...
Ariana sighed, biting her bottom lip in concentration as she tried balancing three books in one arm as she reached for another book, one that was just barely half an inch away from her fingertips, though it was perhaps the thickest and heaviest volume among the books she had already gathered. She was standing on top of a ladder in the Great Library of Gallifrey. Twenty years had passed since she had looked into the Untempered Schism and for her nothing much had changed, though she thought that perhaps she was little taller, if that wasn't rather shallow of her to note, but when little else of any great significances had occurred in one's life, it was something. But for the most part her life at the Academy tended to be rather simple, she attended her classes each and every day, studied for her exams and completed all of her homework perfectly and on time, she took part in no other social engagements, not that there was many, aside from the weekly study sessions held by several of her peers, and she was…lonely. Though, it would take her some years to realise this, she had been painfully lonely, but when it is the only thing you have known for twenty years, you fail to notice after a while.
She smiled faintly as she finally managed to inch the heavy volume towards her and into her hand, grimacing slightly as she realised that she had perhaps underestimated the true weight of it. Her slim wrist strained with the effort to lift it with one hand to place it on the top of her pile balanced carefully on the crook of her left arm. For one brief moment she thought that perhaps she had succeeded, her left shoulder and right wrist would surely ache for the rest of the day, but she had the books she needed to get a start on her evenings homework, this was something extra as a small treat to herself…and that was when, much to her frustration, the book slipped and toppled off the top of her pile. Perhaps it would have been alright if there hadn't been someone standing underneath the ladder at the time, but that wasn't the case, however, the future would in fact come to view this moment as perhaps one of the most significant moments in not just the Hatter's life, but also the infamous Doctor's, too.
"Ow!" a boys voices from below cried, "What...?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ariana exclaimed, horror and embarrassment filling her instantly. She quickly climbed back down, skipping the last two steps to land on the floor, her thick, red skirt flaring very slightly around her ankles, "I didn't know that there was someone under here…"
The boy, however, shocked her into silence by actually laughing, though he was wincing slightly behind the humour and rubbing the top of his head, floppy dark brown hair falling over his forehead, looking as though it had never seen a brush before in his life. He was physical around the same age as her, appearing to be nine or ten year's old, in human years, with a diamond, but boyish face.
"It's fine, really," he smiled at her, which was warm and inviting, the sort of smile that made his light blue eyes squint very slightly at the corners, "Here," he picked the book up from the ground and read the cover, pausing slightly as a flicker of pleasant surprise crossed his features, his eyes flicking up to meet hers. He smiled again, though it was possibly even friendlier and more open than before, "I thought I was the only one who read human books. My own friends think them a waste of my time".
"So do my parents," Ariana remarked with a shy smile, feeling oddly…comfortable with him, relaxed, even. She frowned faintly at herself for how honest she had been, giving him a sharp look to see how he might react, but he simply nodded with a sympathetic expression. She reached out to take the book and carefully balanced her books in both arms this time, hugging them to her chest. She regarded him for a second, before deciding that he seemed friendly enough to speak with, for a moment or two longer, and she did feel rather bad about hitting him with the book, "My Uncle visited Earth and brought back some books that he thought I might like," she sighed sadly, "My parents, however, disproved of them and made me give them back".
"My parents are the same," the boy shook his head, before smiling again and holding out his hand, "I'm Theta Sigma, by the way".
"Nice to meet you," Ariana said politely, and moved to carefully put her books on the floor beside the ladder, before straightening and turning back to Theta, taking his hand. She was rather surprised by how firm, but gentle his grip was, but even more surprised by the flicker of warmth that spread through her fingertips at the contact. She tried to conceal how she felt, settling on inclining her head in a rather informal greeting, "I'm Lady Ariana of the House of Blyledge".
Theta's eyebrows lifted very slightly, no doubt recognising her name…Ariana almost groaned aloud, knowing this could go one of two ways. He would either immediately attempt to be extra nice and polite towards her, treating her as though she was somehow someone that ought to be treated with the uttermost respect…or he would be among those who felt that she was nothing more than a cheat, for her status and title, and therefore not worthy of his time. But he did none of these things; instead he simply smiled and lightly shook her hand, as though she was anyone else.
"Ariana…lovely name," he commented lightly, with little shame, nor embarrassment. Ariana instantly felt her cheeks warming, which seemed to amuse him, his eyes lighting up, "I didn't embarrass you, did I?"
"Oh, no…" she bit her lip, slightly nervously. She was acutely aware of the fact that they were still holding hands, "I just…well, few have ever said that to me before, regarding my name. I always thought it was rather…dull".
"Dull?" he laughed at that, and finally let go of her hand, regarding her as though he was checking to make sure that she wasn't just teasing him, "It's unique, which is far from dull. It means 'Melody,' did you know? Well, I suppose you probably do already know…" he quickly corrected himself, shaking his head, before she had a chance to say anything, "It is your name, after all".
She smiled at him, oddly finding his manner…interesting, refreshing even. He was quite strange, really, he seemed to laugh quickly and easily, but it seemed sincere, not out of politeness, nor was it done out of cruelty. He meant it when he laughed, she could tell, and she liked that about him already. He was just easy to warm to, she supposed, but she was the daughter of a very famous politician, she knew it was easy enough to pretend, however, she didn't get that sense with him, her instincts told her that Theta was merely a nice, if curious, boy.
"I did know, actually," she informed him, inclining her head, still smiling shyly, "I believe it was perhaps a family name, no doubt an ancient relative…" she shook her head, almost as though she was remembering herself, and gave him a sheepish smile, "I am truly very sorry for the book, I was foolish to attempt to reach for it with my arms already quite full," she moved to gather up her books once more as she spoke, straightening with them in her arms, hugging them to her front, "I should be going. I don't want to keep you from your studies…"
"You could join me," Theta suggested, taking a step closer. He looked quite eager as Ariana, slightly startled by his suggestion, looked at him in surprise. He hesitated briefly, before seemingly growing in confidence, "I could introduce you to my friends, if you like…if your own friends aren't waiting, of course".
Ariana shifted slightly awkwardly, "You needn't concern yourself…"
"No, please, I mean it. You're more than welcome to join us, if you wish".
"Well…" she bit her bottom lip nervously, struggling to resist his hopeful expression, "I…I don't really have any friends that ought to miss me, I'm afraid, and I suppose that I do have some time before my next lesson…" she released a small breathe, trying to force herself to relax…he was merely trying to be nice, and she did find him quite friendly…, "Very well, I should be happy to join you, Theta".
Theta grinned at her and, without even asking, moved to take half of the books from her hands. She almost gaped at him, before she could catch herself, staring at him with wide eyes at how easily he had stepped into her space and simply plucked two of the largest and heaviest volumes from her arms, doing so so casually, he might have known her for years.
"My friends are just over here," he told her happily, and turned on his heel to lead her through a few rows of bookcases, he was even lightly humming under his breath; a cheerful tune that Ariana thought might be an old nursery rhyme, of all things. He led her over to a large, polished wooden table that sat in a large open space in the very heart of the library, filled with rows and rows of similar study tables, where several other students were sitting dotted around, surrounded by books and busy taking notes with intensely focused expressions. Sitting at the table that Theta seemed to be heading for, was another boy around the same age as Theta, but with blonde hair and grey eyes, while across from him was a girl with brown, curly hair that was tied back from her face. As they neared, it appeared as if they were in the middle of a fight.
Ariana frowned slightly, feeling as though she was intruding, and glanced warily at Theta. Perhaps this wasn't a wise idea; perhaps it would be best for her to simply take her books and leave, putting away this curious and eventful meeting to the back of her mind.
"Don't mind them," Theta whispered to her, noticing her expression. He gave her an encouraging smile, "They're always having a fight of some kind. I think this one's about who does better at school".
"...you're just jealous," the boy smirked at the girl, who she rolled her eyes, scoffing loudly, "You just hate anyone being better at your little pet subject, Ushas".
"What do you know?" the girl shot back, glaring at him. Her voice was like ice, filled with a controlled sense of fury that would make anyone nervous, "You know nothing about it, so I suggest you hold your tongue before I am forced to do so for you!" she hissed the threat across the table at him like a viper, before rising and storming away, leaving the boy smirking behind her back.
Ariana couldn't help staring, wide eyed and slightly shocked by what she had just over heard, wondering exactly why the other boy seemed to be finding the whole exchange so amusing right now when he had just been threatened. She found it curious to think that these people were Theta's friends, when from the offset they seemed quite different from the seemingly warm and friendly Theta that she had seen thus far, though of course she barely knew Theta, either.
"That went better than last time," Theta remarked cheerfully, making the boy look up at the sound of his voice, "At least no one was slapped, coved in slime or band for a week from using one of the laboratories," he said it all with ease and such a casual air, that Ariana barely had a chance to comprehend his words before he was turning to her, giving her a another bright smile, "Ariana, this is Koschei…" he made a dramatic hand gesture towards the fair haired boy, who was eyeing her curiously, cold grey eyes narrowed on her, "…and the girl that just walked off was Ushas…" he paused, considering his words, throwing Koschei an amused look, "Or should I say stormed off?"
Ariana shifted slightly uncomfortably under the boy's eyes, "It's a pleasure," she said politely, inclining her head towards him, her long, dark braided hair falling over her shoulder at the gesture, tied with a red ribbon.
Koschei continued to eye her, before his expression melted into something slightly closer to…not quite welcome, but something far less aloof. His lips curled in to a pleasant smile and he reached across the table, Ariana hastily moving to take his hand, and shaking it. It was a little harsher then Theta's gentle handshake had been, far from painful, but it just didn't have the same warmth to it.
"Take a seat," he said with a lazy gesture towards the chairs across from him, once he had released her hand.
"Sorry to interrupt your..." Ariana trailed off, not quite sure how to put what she had just overheard, sitting down in the chair with a slightly apprehensive sensation blooming in her chest. This boy didn't make her feel anywhere near as comfortable as Theta did, who had happily flopped down in the chair next to her.
"Fight," Koschei said lightly, his voice more like a lazy drawl, "You'll get used to it. So, Ariana, lovely name by the way…" she lifted her eyebrows slightly at that, feeling anything but warmed by the compliment, which felt as though it was thrown out carelessly, rather than with sincerity, "How old are you?"
"Twenty years old," Ariana replied, forcing a timid smile, "Still just a baby to most".
"Not to us," Theta said brightly, giving her a wide smile, "We're all the same age".
"What classes are you studying?" Koschei asked, seemingly paying his friend little mind, instead he was eyeing Ariana a little too intently to make her feel comfortable. He likely knew who she was; she realised sharply, and was trying to determine if she was as clever as claimed. She was used to that by now, but it never stopped feeling awkward.
"Um, all of them," she admitted, trying not to blush as, out of the corner of her eye, Theta did a double take and stared at her in disbelief, while Koshei's eyebrows rose and he seemed…impressed, "I already learnt the first five years of all of the subjects before I even got here, so my parents spoke to the High Council and they agreed that it was best if I just kept going the way I was".
"So you are her" Koschei said with a knowing look, regarding her even more intently then before, something sparkling in his eyes that didn't quite feel right, "I heard about you. You're the Gifted One, yes?"
"Sadly," Ariana sighed, shaking her head, taking little pleasure in it, though she knew that most of her peers would have killed for it, "But to me it's just another title, like 'Lady' or 'Lord'. I don't really like titles, they seem rather…pointless".
"Same," Theta grinned, and she glanced across to him in surprise. He shrugged lightly, "But some titles are alright, I mean when were older we'll have to have a title, or you just stick with the name you've got now…" he pulled a slight face at that idea, evidently not a fan of his own name.
"That's still a long time away," Ariana smiled at him, though she did agree with him. She was rather looking forward to picking a new name for herself, but after a moment she sighed, "I should be going," she looked back to him with an almost apologetic expression as his face almost instantly fell, "I need to pick up my books up for my next class," she started to stand up and gather the rest of her books as she spoke, mainly just to look away from Theta's big, sad eyes, "It's been nice to meet you".
"If you're interested, I have a human book back in my room," Theta said helpfully, standing up and watching her, "Maybe we could meet up tomorrow and I could give it to you?"
"Thanks," Ariana smiled as she started edging away, hugging her books to her chest, "How about I come and find you?"
"Sure," Theta nodded, giving her a positively brilliant smile.
Ariana waved at Koschei, who gave her a cool nod in return, before turning and walking away.
"That was fast," Kosckei remarked, reaching for a book that he had sitting on the table beside him, flicking it open to a seemingly random page, grey eyes ideally running down the page. Theta frowned and glanced over to him in confusion, "I never thought I would see the day that little Theta Sigma would have a crush on a girl".
"I only just met her," Theta rolled his eyes, sitting back down; "She seems nice. A little overly focused on her studies, maybe, but at least I can talk to her about my interests," he shot that last one back at his friend, who found most of his interests to be quite dull, specifically if they were related to anything human or Earth-wise.
"Oh, please," it was Koschei's turn to roll his eyes, "She's a girl, she's very pretty, smart, comes from one of the best families on Gallifrey. No one could blame you if you did have a crush on her".
"Are you saying that you have a crush on her, then?" Theta asked at once, narrowing his eyes on his friend, "Because by the sounds of it you do".
"Like you said, 'I only just met her,'" Koschei smirked as he stood, "Don't forget to brush your hair before your date tomorrow. Why she even spoke to you in the first place is a complete mystery to me," he started to walk off, but turned back, giving him a small smirk, "Oh, and if I was you I wouldn't tell Ushas about being friends with Ariana. You know what she's like with anyone better at school then her".
"It's not a date!" Theta groaned, barely resisting the urge to whack his head against the table…though, he knew from experience that doing so would get him kicked out for a week, "And we're not even friends, yet. We hardly know each other".
"The key word being 'yet,'" Koschei said over his shoulder as he walked away, muttering to himself, "Idiot".
"Lunatic," Theta muttered to himself, shaking his head.
...
"Theta!" Ariana called as she hurried over to him. He was sitting at the same table as yesterday, but this time he was alone, "I apologise, I didn't see you earlier, but one of my professor's kept me back".
"What did you do?" he asked immediately, giving her a sly smile as she slipping into the chair across from him, his eyes almost dancing with amusement.
"Nothing," Ariana shook head, shooting him a quick look. He deflated slightly at that, though he still seemed pleased to see her, "They just wanted to know if I thought the lesson was too easy," she dropped her book bag onto the floor and starting going through it, throwing him another narrowed eyed look, "Why? Did you think I was in trouble?"
"Well, usually when I get kept back it's because of that".
"I have never been in trouble," she told him as she pulled a book from her bag, straightening in her chair, "Well, at school anyway," she hesitated slightly, unable to quite resist as he lifted his eyebrows curiously, "Home's a little different. So, what's this book called?" she looked across to him.
"Alice in Wonderland," Theta said happily, leaning down and getting the book from his own bag, and passing it over to Ariana, "It's one of my favourites at the moment".
"How did you get it?"
"One of my older cousins brought it back from a field trip to Earth," Theta watched her as she looked through the book, "That was a good few centuries ago, mind you," Ariana gently turned one of the pages, smiling faintly at the black and white image of a man with a very large top hat upon his head and a young girl in a dress, "It's made for kids on Earth, but I think it's still good".
"I like this character, 'the Mad Hatter,'" Ariana smiled, "I love hats, though I'm never allowed to wear them".
"I thought you didn't like titles," he teased, giving her a cheeky look, "Wouldn't you call 'the Mad Hatter' a title?"
"Yes, but it's still a good one," she shrugged, giving him a slightly bolder smile, before shrugging lightly, "Maybe without the mad part".
Theta was about to say something when Koschei seemingly appeared out of nowhere, sitting down next to Ariana, who gave him a slightly weak smile that she hoped look polite enough, rather than wary, as she felt in his presence. There was just something about him, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, that made her feel as though Koschei was someone to watch.
"Nice to see you again, Ariana," Kosckei greeted as he started an odd drumming beat on the table. Her eyes flickered to his fingers, before pulling her gaze back up to meet his cool grey eyes, "What are you two up to?" he lifted an eyebrow, glancing between them, slightly knowingly.
"Theta just showed me this book," Ariana smiled at Theta as she showed Koschei the cover, putting aside her own feelings towards the boy, for now. He hadn't exactly down anything to her, so she really ought to give him the benefit of the doubt. She looked back to Koschei, lifting an eyebrow of her own, "But I didn't think you were one for Earth books?"
"Not really, no," Kosckei shrugged carelessly, before smirking, straightening slightly as he peered at her with mock thoughtful look, "So, Ariana, I couldn't help but over hear that you have never been in trouble at school before," he leaned in closer towards her to the point that she had to lean back from him, but she could still feel his breath on her face, his eyes glittering mischievously, "Want to help us pull a prank on one of the teachers?"
Ariana frowned, instantly feeling uncomfortable, "I don't know...what type of prank?"
"I'll go and find Ushas and we can talk," he got up and left, leaving Ariana to stare after him.
"But I didn't say yes".
"He was going to do it anyway," Theta shrugged, giving her a small, sympathetic smile, "Welcome to group".
Edited: 10/3/2020. So…yeah, mostly the same throughout, but I tried to flesh it out a lot more and just make it flow a little more nicely. I've been trying to get around to doing this story for years now, so if you're only just stumbling upon this now, it will be improving.
I don't know how well this turned out. I wanted to show how the Hatter as a kid was pretty shy, but at the same time wasn't afraid to be herself around someone she hardly knew. Tell me what you thought, please review :)
