And so there they were, twenty-three girls, with mental well-beings ranging from normal to partially damaged to non-existent, sitting, rather, slouching, in the Abbot's study.
Their teachers were there too, except they were less noticeable as compared to the twelve-year-olds. Zhao Lao Shi was especially adept at blending in to her surroundings (must have some sort of chameleon blood in her) as her face was nicely pale from her earlier encounter with the giant cheese, and it blended in quite well with the whitewashed wall.
Abbot Mordalfus dominated the most prominent (and the most comfortable) seat of all, but he did not speak, and seemed to be deep in thought as he stared down at his beaker of October ale.
The mother badgers, Auma, Mother Mellus, and Cregga were there too… Somewhere.
And Matthias just sat there, his face blissfully blank save for a (hideously wide and fake and restrained) grin pasted on it. He was fingering his sword, though, and this alone gave a full indication of his reaction towards these guests.
Saxtus had parchment in one paw, and he was sitting quiet uprightly, apparently waiting for the conference to start. His face had an expression of rapt attention, but Miss Ng and the other teachers knew better; the recorder was twirling his quill idly in his other paw, indicating a physical presence but mental absence in his current state.
"A penny for your thoughts, Abbot," said Simeon from the non-existent corner in which he sat. Everyone jumped, but Mordalfus did not budge, and continued to stare into his beaker, lost in thought as he stared… And stared some more at the swirling liquid inside.
"I was just thinking," he finally said slowly, "that some of the dibbuns might have put hotroot in my ale."
The mother badgers made mental notes to confront the dibbuns at the next opportunity, Matthias made a mental note to have a talk with Mattimeo, and Simeon…
Well, Simeon only smiled knowingly.