A/N- Do not own. I know, I know. It has been forever and I apologize. I've been having problems with the writing software I use, but only with this story for some reason. That is, however, an excuse. My mind stopped, the voices changed, and I couldn't find my way anymore. My other stories are all stalled, some I haven't touched in several months. But hopefully, they will come some. Anyway, enough blabber. No Harry in this one, but plenty of Alexis and Teddy, as well as two other scenes...enjoy. X's are scene breaks!
~Case
-x-
Teddy hummed softly, kicking his legs in the air. He was lying on his stomach on the floor of his room, his small assortment of dragons, and other magical creatures, scattered in front of him. He glanced up at the slight knock on his door, grinning up at the woman. "Alexis."
She smiled down at the child, entering the room slowly. The genuine happiness in her child made her happy. It had been a long, trying afternoon, even for a Monday. And she knew that the night could still go either way. It could be a quiet, uneventful night, or she could be waken in the middle of the night by the wards or a distressed teenager or...well, there were many things that could happen, some of which she would rather not think about. At the moment, she would much rather spend time with her youngest child than worry about...everything. She needed a break from the worrying and the planning. "Having fun?" She asked casually, sitting on the edge of the child's bed.
"Uh-huh." Teddy shrugged, picking up his favourite dragon and offering it to her.
Alexis took it carefully, examining the white dragon with a small smile. "What's this one's name?" She inquired, turning soft gray eyes to focus on her child. For him to trust her with his dragons, something that he held dear, meant a lot. He was sharing his toys with her, something a younger child might do, but something that was usually hard for an abused child. Sharing a toy with an adult was risky for an abused child; an adult could decide to take it away or throw it away, much like Teddy's bastard of a father. Few, if any, of the younger children under her care would be willing to share their own belongings with an adult. That Teddy did so easily spoke volumes. The child trusted her and perhaps he didn't even realize how deeply he trusted her. It also told her something else, something she had expected from most of her children. His action of sharing was that of a younger child, someone who was nine or ten, at the oldest. His emotional and mental growth was a bit stunted and it was visible in moments like this. There were times when he acted like a prepubescent boy and times when he acted like a younger child. With time and care, he would heal and grow. So she would just enjoy him being a child for as long as possible, since he never had the chance before.
"That's Old White and this is his mate, Juniper." Teddy replied, picking up a dark red dragon and holding it up for her to see. He feel at ease in her presence and he knew that if it had been his father, he never would have shown him his favourite toys. Because the man destroyed everything good. But he wasn't with his father anymore. He had his Alexis now. Well, she was Elijah and Bain's Alexis too.
"Juniper, eh? I see. Does Old White have any children?" Alexis handed the dragon back carefully, eyeing his small collection for a moment. The child didn't have very many toys at all, just the few he had gotten for his birthday and when they had taken all of the children shopping. She would have to pick him up something the next time she was out. She bit back a smirk, catching the face her youngest just made.
"No." He grimaced, shaking that thought away. He might like dragons but his weren't reproducing! That was just...uck. Maybe when he was older and he worked with real dragons...no, it was still gross. That did remind him of a question that he had been wanting to ask her, but he was afraid of making her mad. It wasn't something he would have asked of his father, for sure. Or any other adult.
She chuckled softly, shaking her head as the child made one of his dragons dive as it puffed out bits of 'smoke'. Only a preteen boy would have that reaction to something mating.
"Alexis?"
She leaned forward slightly, frowning at the nervousness in her child's tone. He sounded almost...afraid. "Yes?"
"Do you have a lover?"
She blinked, staring at the child for a long moment. That was not what she had expected. At all. A lover! As if she had the time! "No child, I don't." She replied quietly, keeping her tone even and calm. It was unexpected but not upsetting. There were worst questions the child could have asked after all.
"Sorry." He muttered, staring at his hands. He knew he shouldn't have asked, although she didn't seem angry at him.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Teddy. I am not upset. Just curious as to what brought this up." Alexis remarked, patting a place beside her. Brown eyes met hers for a moment before the child slowly got to his feet and dropped onto the bed next to her. She turned so that she was facing him, raising an eyebrow in question.
"I was just curious. I want you to be happy." Teddy shrugged, picking at the blanket, his eyes focused solely on a loose thread. That was partly true, at least. He did want her to be happy. He might have also heard Elijah asking Bain about it.
She frowned slightly, tilting her head to the side. Why would the child think she wasn't happy? Busy, yes, but not unhappy. She had three wonderful, troublesome children and a school under her care. She was stressed, tired, and frustrated, but that didn't necessarily mean she was unhappy. And why on earth would he think she needed a partner to be happy? "I am not...unhappy, Teddy. I do not need a partner to be happy. I have you, Bain, and Elijah. That is all I need. Besides, if I had a partner, you would know. I wouldn't keep something like that from you." Alexis responded finally, catching the child's eyes. It was true, she would tell them. If it was serious, at least. They didn't need to know about every one night rendezvous she had, although she was too busy even for that. There was too much work to be done before the summer was finished for her to even think of seeing someone, even casually.
He glanced up at her, biting his lip. "But he said that having a lover makes people happy." He argued hesitantly. He wasn't so sure about Elijah's argument, as having a lover never made his father happy. If anything, it made him worse when he was at home.
He? So someone else said something to or around Teddy. She could easily guess two boys who might have. "Bain or Elijah?" She questioned quietly, making a mental note to speak with both older teens about what they said near Teddy. After all, the child said lover not partner, and she did not want her thirteen-year-old worrying about her sex life. It wasn't something any of her children should be speculating on.
"Elijah." He muttered, staring at his blanket once more and brushing his hair off of his face. He didn't like giving the older boy up like that, but Alexis didn't sound angry. Just curious.
"Teddy...I don't need a partner to be happy. Elijah is wrong on that account. Having a partner doesn't make someone happy. Having someone they love and care for, someone who loves and cares for them in return, that's what makes someone happy. I have that it our family. Severus, Remus, Tim, Filius, Eric, and my three boys are what makes me happy. That is all I need right now. Does that make sense to you?" She drawled gently, arching a brow at the contemplative child in front of her.
It did sort of make sense. She made him feel safe and happier, at least. So why shouldn't having them make her feel happy? Happy was an odd emotion to him, one that he had only felt when he was with his friends. Finding it with an adult, with an odd collective family, was weird and confusing and scary. But it did make sense, deep down. Even if he didn't completely understand it, even if he had doubts that he was good enough for her, for their family, it did help.
"Yes Alexis." He replied finally, shrugging.
She tousled his hair gently, giving him a fond smile. "I have to get back to work, but I'll be in the sitting room if you need anything." She stood slowly, clasping his shoulder tightly for a moment. Her only answer was a nod and she moved to leave, glancing at her child once more.
"Alexis!"
She raised an eyebrow, turning around and catching an armful of teenage boy. She hugged him back, smiling down at the brown-haired boy before he finally pulled away, returning to play with his dragons. She watched him for a moment more before finally turning to leave. There was work to be done, after all.
-x-
Severus scolded down at the papers in front of him, wishing that they would do themselves just by the power of his glare. Duties of the Deputy included...a ton of paperwork. Alexis didn't tell him that when he agreed to this. Of course, he also knew that she was swamped with paperwork. Who knew that running a school required so many different documents?! Of course, most of those documents were important. The stack of papers he was going over now were invoices: food, supplies, class materials, things for the camp, and the daily costs of running the Castle. Which were important, but Merlin was it dull! He glanced up at the knock on his door, almost glad for a break from the work. Almost. Because it was during free time, when the children usually expanded the last bits of their energy before their appointed bed times and only a couple of hours before the Monday staff meeting. "Come in." He called after a moment, setting the papers to the side. He raised an eyebrow at the young man who slipped into the room and shut to door behind himself.
"May I speak with you, Sir?" He questioned hesitantly, hands clasped loosely behind his back.
"That depends. Are you going to be 'Sir-ing' me? We've been over this Robert. In this office, there is no need for masks and posturing." Severus responded dryly, nodding toward a chair. The young man sat stiffly for a moment, mask in place before slowly relaxing.
"Sorry, Severus. It's hard to just drop it, you know?" He shrugged, brown eyes darting around the office once, out of habit more than anything else. He was safe here, he knew that. He had been safe here as a scared first year and he was safe here now, as a rising Sixth year. The forbidding man across from him would not hurt him, no more than he would harm any other child. But he wasn't a child anymore; he would be seventeen in the middle of September. Bain had said that nothing really changed and he was inclined to believe the other boy, but that wasn't why he was here, now. No, he was here for advice, advice that he wasn't sure he really wanted to hear.
He leaned back in his chair, relaxing his demeanor so to relax the child. "I understand that, Robert. Now, what may I do for you?" He questioned casually, meeting the child's eyes for several long moments, until the boy looked away. "Not in trouble, I hope." He added nonchalantly, resting his hands on his desk. He knew this boy well, knew how he responded to body movement. If he could see his hands, he would be more at ease. Even after nearly six years, the boy was skittish at times, especially when he was upset. He had worked hard to gain Robert's trust, and then his sister Nora's, he would not lose it by making a simple mistake. Not if he could help it.
"No sir, not yet." Robert rolled his eyes, glancing at Severus' hands for a moment. He was rarely ever in trouble anymore, and he had yet to get in trouble this summer. The worst he had done was mouth off to Jake and Henry, well mostly Henry as he respected Jake, and he didn't plan on doing anything that would get him into serious trouble. Not with Severus, anyway. "I wanted to talk to you about..."He hesitated for a moment, biting his lip. It was embarrassing but he had no one else to talk to; well Jake would listen, but he wasn't sure the other man would understand, and Severus had talked with him about it before, last year. It was just much more real now than it was then. "About a boy." He finished softly, staring down at his lap for a moment.
Severus fought down a chuckle, but he couldn't keep the amusement from his eyes. It was something about teenagers that made them incredible uncomfortable talking about their relationships with adults. He had noticed it before in his students, especially when he was giving them the 'Talk' as the little terrors had dubbed it. "We have talked about boys before." He reminded quietly, arching a brow in question.
He bit his lip again, fighting the urge to blush. They had talked of boys before, yes, but this was different. "That was in general, Sev. This is different." He grimaced, glancing at the older man for a moment.
"A specific boy, then? Do I get to know his name?" Severus questioned, watching the teenager's body language. He already knew who the boy was, he was more interested in if Robert trusted him with that information, or if the boy was only going to give him pieces of information. He could give better advice with more information and the teenager knew that. But then, the teen might not like his advice.
He shrugged, eyes focused on the carvings in the arm of his chair. He knew that Severus had probably noticed, even Bain had noticed and confronted him about it, so he wasn't quite sure why the man asked, but he also trusted Severus. And he had come here for a reason. He just wasn't sure what that reason was yet. Whether he wanted the man to talk him out of it or not. Because he liked the other boy, a lot. "It's Elijah, of course it's Elijah. I like him, Severus. I don't know what to do." Robert answered finally, glancing up to meet the older man's eyes.
"What do you want to do?"
He snorted, shifting in his chair for a moment. "Honestly? I want to snog him senseless and whisper sweet promises to him."
"No sex." Severus drawled, fighting a smirk when the boy blushed crimson. He expected an argument at that order, but the teen merely gave a serious nod. Most teenaged boys would have argued and fought and ridiculed such an order. Sex was, to their hormones and inexperienced bodies, the entire point after all. But it wasn't. There was much more to a relationship than sex.
There would be no sex. Not until Elijah was of age, at least. Not even seventeen, but of age to consent. And there was the problem. He would be seventeen in a month or so; Elijah was only fifteen and he would remain fifteen until April. April! He knew the age difference wasn't that large but it wasn't great either.
He didn't have to be of age to snog, however. He could snog the other boy. But what if his hormones took over? What if he couldn't handle the physical contact and lashed out? What if he wasn't ready for a relationship? What if-
"Robert, enough. Whatever you are thinking, enough. Take a breath, calm down." He ordered, leaning forward with a frown. The child was pale and breathing hard; he was working himself into a panic and he didn't even know what it was over! "Elijah is not of age to consent but that doesn't mean you cannot have a relationship. It just cannot be sexual." Severus added slowly, studying the boy closely for a moment longer.
He took a deep breath,clearing his mind with ease of practice. Severus had taught him to mediate when he was a second year and he made it a habit to clear his mind when he was overwhelmed or feeling too emotional. It helped him keep calm, to keep from becoming angry or scared. He didn't do either of those emotions very well, although he had gotten better over the years, with Severus' help. Which was why he was here. Because the Professor always knew how to help him, what to say to make things better, how to make sense of the madness in his head. "I know sir. I'm just...I'm scared, Sev. Scared I won't be able to control myself, scared that I might lash out, scared that I'm not ready or he's not ready...scared that I'll fall again."
"I will catch you if you fall." Severus replied quietly, the seriousness in his tone reflecting in onyx eyes for a moment. "It is alright to be scared, Robert. I would dare to say that it is normal even. You will make mistakes, you might argue or disagree with each other, it is to be expected. And if you lash out without meaning to...I don't think you will. You care about Elijah, enough to risk an awkward uncomfortable conversation with me. But if you are scared of lashing out, take it slow. And warn him, Robert. There is no shame in admitting a problem or letting someone know that you have problems. Chances are, he also has problems. If you don't think you are ready, tell him that. Everything does not have to happen at once. As for controlling yourself...I know quite a few spells and potions to reign in teenage boy hormones. But I don't think that will be a problem either, if you set boundaries with Elijah. If necessary, the three of us can have a conversation about it." He sighed softly, seeing the fear still in the child's eyes. He knew what the boy was afraid of, but he also knew that even if he couldn't prevent it, he would catch it quickly enough to help.
He hesitated for a moment, turning the older man's words over in his mind. He could tell Elijah, he knew that. The other boy was at the camp for a reason; even if he didn't have problems with physical contact, he might understand it. Better than anyone who wasn't from the camp, at least. They could take their time, they didn't have to rush into a relationship right away. But what if he fell again? What if he couldn't pull himself back up this time? What would happen to Nora? "But sir...what if I fall? Nora needs me." He whispered, staring down at the backs of his hands.
Severus rubbed his forehead for a moment, before resting his hand back on the desk. He had noticed weary eyes following his movement, after all. "Your sister needs you, yes. But you are not responsible for raising her anymore. She is as much a ward of Hogwarts as you are and adults who care about both of you will raise her. She may need her big brother, Robert, but no one will take her away from you. No one will separate you two. The headmistress has already ordered that all siblings be kept together, she was very adamant about that. So there is no reason to worry about losing her." He replied after a moment, shaking his head slightly. There was the other part of the question still to answer and it was never an easy answer. "We all fall sometimes Robert. It's hard and it hurts, sometimes it is dangerous and it is always terrifying. But I promise you this: if you fall, I will catch you. It may be a day later, but I will find out and I will help you. I will not allow you to self destruct; not now, not ever. I caught you once and I will catch you again, if there is a need. You are not alone." He added firmly, briskly. And he would catch the child. He was bound to fall one day and he would do his best to be there and pick him back up. He slowly stretched his hand out on the desk, palm up and left it there, knowing the child would understand his offer.
Robert hesitated for several long minutes, staring at the man's hand. But when it wasn't moved or retracted, he relaxed and slowly placed his own hand in the older man's, watching carefully as his other hand slowly rested on top of his own, two slender hands clasping his own gently between them. It was a gesture of comfort, of safety. It also brought back memories. He had been twelve years old and terrified of touch the first time Severus had caught his hand between his own. The man's hands had dwarfed his hands at twelve, now their hands nearly matched. His hands were a bit wider, his fingers shorter than the Potions Master, but the comfort was still there. There were so few acts of physical contact that he could stand; a shoulder clasp, an arm touch, a hand clasp, and the rare hug. When he did receive these acts of understanding, of comfort, of kindness, he cherished them. They meant a lot to him. He also understood the gesture better now than when he was a child. It was a way of offering safety and comfort without forcing contact on him if he didn't want it, which had helped him to start trusting Severus. And he did trust the man, he knew he wouldn't lie. If he happened to fall, the older man would catch him. "Thank you, sir." He whispered finally, meeting onyx eyes.
Severus nodded, releasing the child's hand. "Talk to Elijah, Robert. And remember, I am here if you have any questions or any problems." He dismissed finally, raising an eyebrow when the boy smirked at him. He watched the teenager leave, picking up the stack of papers he had to finish with a sigh. That was a relationship he would have to keep an eye on but he was quite willing to do so. Both boys deserved to be happy, even if he wasn't sure both were ready for a serious relationship just yet.
-x-
"I want your end of week reports please!" Alexis called out over the scraping of chairs and restless bodies stretching stiff muscles. The meeting had lasted only an hour but she also knew that her counselors were tired and some of them still had rounds to make and were on duty tonight. She stayed in her chair at the large round table, nodding to each person who dropped a sheaf of paper onto her always growing stack. She watched her counselors mingle briefly, talking quietly to each other and to the present staff as they started their departures. She bit back a snort, watching Eric carry on three conversations at once before turning her eyes to the one young man she needed to speak with. "Jake." She beckoned quietly, inclining her head toward the door as she pushed herself out of her chair, twisting her body for a moment to relax tense muscles. She tapped her wand to the pile of papers, vanishing them to her office before heading out of the room.
Jake sighed, following the woman with his eyes for a moment before turning back to the man he had been speaking with. "Do you know what she wants?" He questioned softly, grimacing when the older man merely raised an eyebrow at him. He knew quite well that a request to speak privately was not usually a good thing. But it wasn't always bad either.
"Contrary to popular belief, I do not know everything inside Alexis' head. Nor would I wish to." Severus drawled, shaking his head in amusement. He could guess what the Headmistress wanted with the young man, but why tell? It was easier to let him wonder.
Jake rolled his eyes at the non-answer before turning to leave the older man. The warm hand on his shoulder stopped him for a moment.
"It will be alright. Just relax." Severus murmured softly, forcing down a sigh. The young man was too tense, he just couldn't let him believe he was in any serious trouble, no matter how much he wanted to. He squeezed the younger man's shoulder briefly before letting go with a nod. The barely there smile was enough to tell him that it had been a needed action.
Alexis leaned against a wall in the hallway, scanning a piece of parchment with an arched brow. There was never a moment when she didn't have some bit of paper in front of her. So much to do and so little time. She sighed softly, pulling a pen from one of her pockets and scribbling a reply on the paper before tapping it with her wand. It vanished and she turned tired eyes to focus on the young man who was watching her. "Took your time." She teased quietly, sensing the tension rolling off of him. She would have thought Severus or Eric would have said something to help the man relax; to be fair, they might have. Jake had been tense all day and she was pretty sure she knew why.
Jake shrugged, smirking at the older woman for a brief second. He always had trouble with their interactions, because she wasn't that much older than him. Not even a year, really. And she nearly always treated him like an equal, so it was hard to turn that off, even if he knew that he might be in actual trouble. "Not like you weren't working." He teased back, relaxing slightly.
"When am I ever not working?" She grimaced for a moment, pushing herself off the wall. "Walk with me." She requested, turning and starting slowly down the hallway. She didn't glance back, feeling him step into stride beside her. She turned down a side corridor and down a back staircase, finally glancing over at him. The confusion was evident on his face. "Relax. Do you want to tell me what's up with you today?" She inquired calmly, keeping the steady pace. There were perks to being Headmistress; she knew the location of every room, door, and corridor in the school.
Jake grimaced, shaking his head. He had no idea where they were going, or why. She didn't seem upset but her question was unexpected. He hadn't thought she would notice that he was a bit off today. But then that was because he wasn't so sure of his own actions. Besides, didn't she have better things to do than observe his behavior?
"You know, I can't help you if you don't trust me." She stopped beside a half-hidden door, pressing her palm to the middle of it for a moment before opening it and stepping out into the night air.
He glanced around the courtyard, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't know this was here." He murmured, looking at her for a moment.
"Nor should you. This is the solace garden. It supposedly has a calming effect on those who come across it because of need. I lifted that enchantment for the moment." She replied casually. This was where she came to think, when she needed a bit of space. This little courtyard garden, designed specifically as a place of solitude and comfort. And sometimes, that was exactly what she needed. It was also the perfect place for this conversation.
Jake glanced at her, scoffing his foot into the dirt. "I do trust you, Alexis. I just didn't think you needed anything else on your plate at the moment." He shrugged, meeting her eyes. It was true, actually. He didn't think she needed anything else to worry about. She had way too much to do. He knew how well he handled the stress of his work and he knew that her workload was a lot heavier. She wasn't much older than him; people their age weren't often responsible for the well-being of several hundred children. Hell, he had enough trouble with his fourteen boys and he had help, even if Henry wasn't that much of a help. The boys didn't respect the older man, so they wouldn't talk to him. He dealt with fourteen teenagers, two younger men, and helped with eleven boys. Not even counting his 'E' group. And there were times he was overwhelmed. So he knew that she had to be.
She snorted, shaking her head. As true as that was, it didn't mean she didn't need to know. She was responsible for this school, and that included the staff and counselors. "That's an excuse, Jake. You were afraid of what I would say." She responded briskly, arching a brow at him. Which was surprising to her, at least, because he knew how she handled discipline among the staff. "You should have told me."
He gave a slight nod, turning to gaze at the flowers surrounding them. "I wanted to discuss it with them. Charlie is like my little brother and Phil...well, Phil needs support from as many people as possible. " He bit back a sigh, glancing at her briefly. There was humour in those gray eyes; she wasn't angry then, at least not too angry.
"You lied to me, if only by omission. They turned their wands on you. You didn't think I should know that? That perhaps it was important? You are important Jake, especially to me. I need to know these things if I am to run a healthy, balanced school. I cannot have my counselors keeping things from me, especially when school starts back. Because then I will rely on you more. I have over six hundred students confirmed and that list grows daily. I cannot keep that many children healthy and safe alone. I will rely on my staff as my eyes and ears, I need to know that they will always be honest with me. Do you understand that?" She drawled quietly, watching him intently. They had offered him, as well as a few of the other counselors, positions for the fall, if they chose to accept them. Jake had. She needed to know that she could trust him, that he wouldn't hide things from her for his own agenda. There had been too many secrets during Dumbledore's reign: no more. She would not run a school built on lies and half-truths.
He hesitated for a moment, gaze firmly on the ground. "I understand, Alexis. I am sorry. I just...needed to handle it." Jake chewed on his lip for a moment, shifting restlessly. He understood exactly what she meant. She needed to be able to trust him and she couldn't, if he kept something as simple as this from her.
"Do you know, I would have let you handle it if you had told me. Because I do trust you, Jake. I know you would never harm any of the children under your care nor your colleagues. I can even guess why you used stinging spells on Phil more than Charlie. Charlie recognizes his mistakes, Phil pushes the blame on others. He antagonizes those around him and he has a terrible attitude when he wants to. He pushed you and you reacted. But you didn't react in anger and you kept control of the situation." She replied softly, shaking her head. She would have let him handle it because she did trust his judgement. She wasn't even angry at him; disappointed perhaps, but not angry.
He blushed, scoffing his foot for a brief moment before finally looking up to meet warm gray eyes. "How did you know?"
She sighed softly, brushing a piece of hair out of her face."You've been acting off all day. You wouldn't meet my eyes this morning, which told me you were unsure of something that you had done. Phil's squirming and Charlie's blush were enough to tell me what probably happened. From there, I extrapolated. There are very few reasons you would take your peers to task and I assumed it had something to do with the injuries you tried to hide from me yesterday. You are in charge of them, we all know it Jake, and you are finally stepping into that role. But you are unsure of yourself, of how you handled it, perhaps even of how I would react. I would have done the same with them, probably worse actually. You handled it as you should have, you do not have to be unsure of yourself. I want you as one of my Head Counselors and I want you to be comfortable to come to me when you start doubting yourself. So next time, do so. Alright?" Alexis explained sternly, raising an eyebrow at him.
He took a breath, seeing no deceit in those oddly comforting eyes. "Yes ma'am." He understood what she meant. He wasn't in trouble. She wanted him to do this job, to take charge of the other counselors. But not alone. She wanted him to realize that she didn't doubt him, so why should he doubt himself? He shouldn't. He knew that now. And he knew that she actually needed the help. There was no way she could run this school alone, even with the help of Severus and the others on her inner council. She needed their eyes and ears where they could watch for problems, since they saw these students for several hours a day, every day. He saw the nightmares and the fears; the joys and the tears. He knew what his students needed before they knew they needed it and he knew the other counselors tells. He knew when they were struggling or when they needed a break. Just like she knew his tells and Severus knew her tells.
Alexis bit back a groan, practically hearing the wheels turning in his mind. Ma'am? She was no ma'am! She was barely older than him! But she also knew where his mind was. He had just realized the truth of it, that she needed his help as much as he needed hers. He saw things she couldn't, if only because he could spend more times with his boys individually. She was lucky to get to spend time with her three sons daily, even if that was just tucking Teddy into bed and scolding Bain and making Elijah eat. He would notice a sudden change in behaviour before she could, no matter how hard she tried. She also knew they both had work to finish that evening; she had several hours of it left, at least. There was always work. She did know what they both needed at that moment though. "And Jake? I ain't no ma'am." She growled when he merely laughed at her.
"Oh yes, Headmistress. I will remember that." He teased, chuckling when she stuck her tongue out at him. "And Alexis? Thanks." He added quietly, giving her a brief smile at the dismissal nod before heading back inside. Now he just had to figure out where the hell he was in relation to the camp!
She shook her head, watching him leave for a moment before leaning against one of the courtyard walls. She had work to do before the night was done, but a moment of quiet would help greatly. She took a brief, letting the stress leave her body before reactivating the spells on the courtyard and heading inside. There was paperwork after all. There would always be paperwork.
-x-