Chapter Forty-Six
First Fall
Andrew had dropped by that evening to make final arrangements for guest speaking in Jennifer's class, and after they got settled at Quickbrooms, he was soon recounting to his mother what had happened with the Moorland Hags over the weekend.
"Well, I'm not surprised that the Hags were so attracted by Laura's nightmares that they followed her, Andrew, but I agree with your father that it's rather bizarre that they were near Hogwarts in the first place. Granted, I know they're not altogether uncommon in the country, but not once have I ever seen them near the castle before, or even the Dark Forest, although that may simply be because the centaurs are driving them off," Jennifer said. "Not to mention so many at once! I know that their choosing to work together isn't completely unheard of either, but generally they're solitary hunters."
"Maybe we should be grateful that they don't team up often. We were in real trouble until Father came and rescued us," Andrew admitted. Jennifer brightened.
"You've seen your father's new Patronus? What was it?" she asked eagerly.
"Not telling," Andrew said flatly. "I promised."
"Oooh, no fair, he won't tell me either. All he would tell me was that it changed right after I left for Whitebridge," Jennifer complained. "I wonder why he won't tell me? I even promised that I'd tell him mine if he told me his, but he wasn't even the slightest bit tempted."
"It's not Keki anymore?" Andrew asked with a frown. Jennifer smiled sadly and shook her head.
"It changed just after I came here, just like his did," Jennifer replied.
"Mine is still Keki," Andrew admitted. Jennifer brightened again, grasping his hand.
"And I'm sure you honor her when you call it, just as I did," Jennifer said proudly. "Although to be perfectly honest, I doubt yours will stay a Unicorn forever any more than mine did."
"Or Alex's. Or Alicia's," Andrew added for good measure. "Rel's will be a Unicorn forever," he decided.
"Yes, I have no doubt that it will be," Jennifer agreed with a smile.
"So Thursday's all right, then? We have a game on Wednesday, and next weekend we have Hogsmeade and a game, so I'd rather not have a time lag on Friday if I can help it," Andrew said.
"Yes, alright. But since you'll be here on Thursday, I don't suppose you'd mind staying and helping me with Competitive Defense Club?" Jennifer asked hopefully.
"Competitive Defense Club?" Andrew repeated. "It's a Dueling Club, isn't it? It's just like when you changed 'dueling club' to 'sparring club' at Hogwarts so that the board would make it a permanent club."
"Actually, that was your father's idea," Jennifer said in a low voice. "But yes, just the same! We could use the extra help, even for a day... some of them are really, really bad." Andrew laughed.
"Seriously, how bad could it be?" he asked.
"Even Quintin does forms better than most of the beginner's class... and half of them are faculty," Jennifer admitted, and Andrew laughed again.
"Well, how about I run home after classes get out and grab Quintin long enough to get them to take it more seriously?" Andrew suggested wickedly.
"That is a brilliant idea!" Jennifer admitted with a mischievous grin of her own. "Oh, but then I'll owe Severus another favor? Hm," she added thoughtfully. Andrew chuckled.
"I take it you owe him a few," he said knowingly.
"A fair few, yes," Jennifer replied.
"It sounds like we'll be lucky to be seeing much of you during the holiday then," Andrew teased.
"Well, I expect everyone to be at the house for the first of Yule this year, especially since I know some of you have other plans for Christmas," Jennifer said firmly. "But from Boxing Day on, we'll be on the boat near Greece. We're going to be researching seabirds for Leu, visiting Arcadia's Constellation, and doing some touring and the like."
"I see. So you need a babysitter on the 21st through the 24th this year?" Andrew conjectured.
"No, Father has that part covered. I need a babysitter on the 18th and 19th," Jennifer said with a beatific smile.
"Really?" Andrew said with interest. "It sounds like I have more time this year, then."
"Not at all," Jennifer replied. "Because Laura is going to be missing her family this year and I'm certain that she will be relying on you to help keep her entertained this year. You are inviting her to Yule, of course?"
"Yes, Mother," Andrew said with a resigned smile. "You sound very glad that the holidays are only a couple of weeks away."
"Two and a half weeks... I am indeed," Jennifer said with a smile. "And still so much work to be done before then."
The next morning was grey, cold, and dreary, which caused a great deal of excitement at breakfast. In fact, the entire room was a much louder than normal, even with the early crowd, who were generally more subdued.
"It's today. It's got to be today," Kay said excitedly. "I am so glad it didn't happen over the break!"
"Oh come on, you know when it happens over the break, we take Monday off," Lavender said. "Besides, you swore up and down it was going to be yesterday, but nothing came of it."
"The weatherman said it'd happen yesterday afternoon," Kay complained. "But it didn't, which means it'll probably be today."
"With our luck, we'll get rain, or even worse, sleet," Lavender said.
"I swear, the more things change, the more things stay the same around here!" Jennifer declared, sitting down with her coffee and a strawberry muffin. "When I was a student, the moment it got cold enough, every student and every staff member was predicting every single day that it was going to snow... and half the time, at least, it happened over Christmas break."
"Yes, but I bet it was always much more exciting when it happened before Christmas," Lavender said.
"One year it even snowed on Halloween... my fifth year, I think," Jennifer said. Kay was gazing outside intently, barely touching her plate.
"You're going to jinx it, you know," Lavender warned her. "If you watch the toaster to wait for it to pop, all you're going to get is burnt toast."
"Lav, I never knew you were superstitious," Jennifer teased, then looked up as Gretchen came over to the table, pulling out her customary cheese and dried sausages out of her pockets.
"What do you think of that weather! Do you think it's going to snow today?" she asked with interest. Kay nodded sagely, while Lav and Jennifer both chuckled at them with exasperation.
It was not long after her sixth grade class had gotten settled that it finally happened.
Jennifer had left the door to her classroom wide open, and for once, the students weren't complaining of the cold. Some of them, especially the ones who had older siblings, kept peering outside expectantly and didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to get their Question Intent assignment done.
"Come come, now. I know what you're waiting for, but it'll happen when it happens," Jennifer said as she scattered items on each table for them to practice with. "You can't rush these things, you know, and until then, we have a lot of work to do before the break."
"I thought I just saw some students running by," Drake said from the back row.
"Now, you know how unlikely that would be," Jennifer tsked at him.
"I think he's right. I think I hear voices outside even," Becky added from her seat at the end.
"If I go check, will you promise to concentrate on your assignments afterwards?" Jennifer asked them with a sigh, shaking her head as she walked to the door. She even took a step out of it to get a better look, glancing up at the sky. Just then, her spectacles became blurry, and she took them off to see a fluffy white crystal on one of the lenses, slowly melting on its surface. Jennifer smiled at that, peering back inside the classroom at all of the expectant faces.
"Class dismissed," she said simply, and the students jumped up excitedly, grabbing their coats off the back of their chairs and running outside as Jennifer hurriedly gathered up all of the items and went to get her own cloak. A violin let out two questioning notes. "It's a Whitebridge school tradition, Severus. It's called First Fall," Jennifer explained to the painting. "During the first snowfall, or just after if it didn't happen on a school day, all of the students get the day off and we have a bit of a celebration."
The Rogue Painting stared at her, having come to the opinion that Whitebridge students took off way too much time from school already. Jennifer chuckled at that.
"Well, they don't have snow days like the rest of local schools do here, so this is sort of like compensation for that. Not to mention that they have to go a couple of weeks earlier than we do, as you'll recall. Besides, don't be so stuffy! Students are much productive after a good holiday!" Jennifer reasoned, while the Rogue gestured dramatically that he most emphatically didn't agree.
But his opinion was lost as she grabbed her Whitebridge crested scarf and hurried out to join the fun. Just outside the door, Truman was waiting for her.
"Not sure where to go, Truman?" Jennifer asked.
"I'm not even sure what all of the fuss is about," Truman admitted. Jennifer grinned.
"It's like a mini festival, really. There will be games and hot drink stands all around the gardens. The best place to go is the stadium, because most of the booths are set up there. Do you want to come? I'm going to go there to see who needs more help at the booths."
"Sure," Truman said. "So this is like the booths that were set up at Halloween?"
"Actually, those booths were borrowed from First Fall and were just redecorated for Halloween," Jennifer said with a grin. "There will be many more booths than that. Even the college kids get involved and run booths, because they get out of classes for this too," Jennifer explained.
The two of them hurried over to the stadium to see it was already bustling with teachers, while most of the students were still busy running around attempting to catch the snowflakes that had gotten progressively larger and more visible over the last few minutes.
"This is the perfect type of snow for sticking... look, it's already on the bushes," Jennifer pointed out as they began working their way down the amphitheatre's steps.
"Hey Bludger!" Jennifer looked up to see Kevin hovering on a broom. "Want to help with the batting practice booth?" he teased, showing a bat in the other hand.
"I'd sooner jump on the Color Wheel," Jennifer swore, and Kevin laughed at that.
"Better not say that too loud, Bludger, I hear that Wind has a lot of reasons to get even with you," he teased, and flew over to his booth.
"What does that mean?" Truman asked.
"It means that I need to find a way to get busy, and fast," Jennifer concluded. The two of them hurried over to where Elena Ortiz was running the hot drinks bar, featuring spiced cider, hot chocolate, and cacao drinks.
"Hi, Jennifer! Ever tried a hot cacao before?" she asked.
"Yes, in Los Angeles, actually, although we were wondering if you needed help," Jennifer offered.
"Well, not yet, but later on I will. I think Brenda was looking for someone to run the mittens booth," Elena suggested.
"Great! I'll be back the moment it dies down to help you for lunch," Jennifer decided.
"Pull the booth on over next to this one, and we can help each other," she suggested.
"Great idea!" Jennifer said.
"Can I help too?" Truman asked.
"Sure, if you'd like, as long as you leave yourself time for some fun as well," Jennifer replied. They rushed over to claim the mittens booth and pulled it back over to the hot drinks booth (and, conveniently enough, well away from the game booths, including the Color Wheel.) "There! This will do quite nicely!" Jennifer decided once she settled her booth next to Elena's. "Come, Truman, let's start by finding you a pair," she said, getting into the boxes underneath.
Once their hands were covered, the two of them got to work. Quite a number of students were now lining up for free gold or white mittens by the time Wind wandered in that direction, smiling knowingly when he saw Jennifer.
"Hard at work, I see. And with a helper too," Wind commented as he stepped over to them.
"Yes, but don't worry! I'll make sure he takes a break for lunch and to have some fun," Jennifer assured him.
"And what of you?" Wind inquired.
"Oh, I'll be much too busy. I'm helping Elena during lunch," she explained quickly, Elena nodding in confirmation as she held out a hot cacao for Wind.
"I see," he said with a thin smile, getting his drink. "Well, don't forget that parents who live nearby tend to show up at this festival once they realize it's happening. Be polite, now," he reminded her.
"I'll be on my best behavior," Jennifer promised.
"If that's the best you can do," Wind teased her before moving on to the next set of booths.
"What was that about? Did you volunteer to avoid something else?" Elena asked curiously.
"I got warned that Wind wants me in the Color Wheel," Jennifer said under her breath. Elena laughed at that, and the three of them got back to work. Within an hour, it had gotten very busy indeed, and just as Jennifer was really starting to get hungry, Kay showed up with a ledger in hand.
"Hey, guys! I'm taking lunch orders!" she said, getting a cheer.
"I don't suppose you have a list of all the food booths up? Any snowflake funnel cakes?" Jennifer asked.
"That doesn't count as lunch!" Kay protested with a chuckle, handing her the ledger long enough to read the booth list on the front page.
"And I know perfectly well they always run out of them by the end of the day," Jennifer said, handing her the list back. "I'll have a corn dog, fried mushrooms, and a snowflake funnel cake with cinnamon."
"Yeah, that's healthy. Truman?" Kay asked.
"Corn dog and deep fried macaroni and cheese sounds good," Truman agreed.
"Elena?" Kay said.
"Two brats with everything, and nachos with extra jalapenos," Elena said without hesitation. "Oh, and a deep fried candy bar."
"You guys are going to have to go on a diet after the holidays, I can tell," Kay said, shaking her head as she wrote it down. "I'll be back for the drink order when I drop off your bags, Elena, but I know I got over a dozen orders for your booth so far."
"No problem, I'm going to help," Jennifer explained.
"Kayray!" shouted a loud, bellowing voice. In fact, it was so loud that it was probably heard by every person in the stadium and in the entire amphitheatre. Kay blushed bright red as Buck Eldridge strode over to them, Jennifer looking extremely amused about that. "There you are, Kayray... oh hi, Jen-girl," Buck said, getting a wave. "Have you seen your Ray, Kay? I haven't tracked him down yet in the place! He got a booth somewhere?"
"Targetting range," Kay said evenly.
"Great! I'll go see if I can win you a beanie or something, you look cold already," Buck decided. "Get some mittens," he added for good measure as he began walking towards the game booths.
"Kayray?" Jennifer inquired with a grin, handing her a pair of mittens.
"He's been calling me that since Thanksgiving. Ray's family really likes me. Even if Ray isn't showing any interest, they've kinda adopted me," Kay explained sheepishly, looking between Jennifer and Elena. "Could you please not let anyone else know he calls me that?"
"Too late for that, I think," Elena pointed out, turning her attention back to her hot drink dispenser.
"At least half the school knows about it now," Jennifer agreed apologetically, and Kay grimaced, going to the next set of booths to get their orders. By the time she got back with their food, she had a knit hat on her head. Jennifer and Elena both had a private chuckle, which Kay paid back by giving them an insanely large order that Jennifer most certainly had to jump in to help with, leaving Truman to watch the mittens booth.
Finally they were caught up, and Jennifer was just about to take over for Truman so he could go have some fun when Steve Mason stepped up for a drink. Jennifer gladly let Elena take over, finishing a hot chocolate for the student who was waiting for it instead.
"What is the difference between that cacoa drink and the hot chocolate?" Steve asked Elena, pointedly ignoring Jennifer.
"It's a traditional version of the drink, actually. It's very bitter, a bit like unsweetened dark chocolate and not for the faint of heart, but it's a lot more nutritious than the other two options. Definitely an acquired taste, though," Elena said.
"Interesting, but I'm not sure why you'd bother to make such a thing outside of your classroom," Steve replied.
"Perhaps to give people a chance to try something new?" Jennifer said, trying to sound polite.
"I'll give you a small paper cup to try some to see if you like it," Elena offered. Steve frowned at her, then gazed at Jennifer with distaste.
"I don't do dark," Steve said crisply. "I'll have a hot chocolate with whipped cream, please. That is what is traditional at this school."
"No problem," Elena said cheerfully, ignoring the other comment as she made his drink to order.
Jennifer had pointedly stepped back over to the mittens booth while Elena was making it; the last thing she needed was for Steve to accuse her to put something in his drink. Jennifer smiled thinly to herself as she thought of all of the delightful potions that would be quite entertaining to put in his drink, so when he looked up again after he got his drink, she seemed to be smiling pleasantly at him as well.
"Happy First Fall!" Jennifer said cordially.
"Thank you," he said crisply without looking at her again, turning to join some of the other Masons heading towards the food stands.
"The last thing he needs is any more calories," Truman said under his breath.
"Truman! That's not like you. You of all people know it's not right to say unkind things to people," Jennifer scolded him.
"It's mild compared some of the things he was thinking about you," Truman complained, Elena glancing over at him thoughtfully. "I swear he was doing it on purpose."
"Yes, he was, actually. He's been doing that to me since he was your age and found out I could read minds," Jennifer replied. "He realized back then that he could never get in trouble for what he was thinking at me. It even made me lose my temper a time or two. Or three," she admitted. "But now that I'm older and see how far I've come compared to him, I know that what he thinks about me really doesn't matter very much. Even if he does think that Severus only married me for my looks, the ruddy overstuffed beast," she muttered with such annoyance that Elena had to stifle a chuckle. "Now, run along, Truman, find someone with good thoughts to hang around instead."
"Alright," Truman agreed, helping himself to a hot cocoa before walking off again. Jennifer spent most of her time helping Elena now that the mittens booth had emptied out and students hurried to get some last minute drinks, knowing that the festivities would end when the bells rang for dinner. It was just as the sky began to turn golden that Wind wandered back over.
"Ah, Jennifer! Still hard at work, I see! But you haven't gotten to enjoy the festival hardly at all, have you?" he said.
"Me either!" Elena protested.
"Fair enough, but you are here every year," Wind pointed out. "Let me see if I can find a couple of kind souls to take your place."
It was in that moment that Jennifer realized that Wind had no intention of letting her hide back there until the bell rang, and he walked back over with Gretchen and Lavender... and Lavender, it seemed, was sporting every color imaginable.. except for lavender. Jennifer went out of her way not to heckle, knowing that would only ensure that she'd get stuck in the tank. But she was going to get even for the two of them for volunteering to take over.
"Here we are! Two volunteers," Wind said.
"Yes, isn't that lovely," Jennifer said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"In that case, I think I'm going to go sample some of the other food options. That deep fried mac and cheese Truman had looked interesting," Elena said.
"And you can't get any more American if you tried," Lavender chuckled, as Elena hurried for the food carts.
"Come, Jennifer," Wind said.
"I'm not going over to the games," Jennifer said firmly as she stepped out from behind the booths.
"As I recall, you always liked festival games," Wind pointed out as the two of them began walking.
"Not when I'm the one stuck in it," Jennifer said. "And I know for a fact that Steve Mason is here, because he came by for a hot chocolate an hour ago. I'm not about to get in that thing when he's on property."
"Now, Jennifer, did I say anything about you getting in the Color Wheel at all?" Wind tsked.
"Not until just now," Jennifer pointed out, squinting at him. "And I'm not going to, either."
"We'll just walk by to see who's in there," Wind suggested, and Jennifer sighed in resignation. But she smiled as she came closer, because inside the cage was Brenda, and she was heckling up a storm, and most of it was targeting the staff. Jennifer couldn't help but grin, seeing how much fun she was having. Frank and Asher were both there having no luck at getting her down, although Jennifer couldn't help but notice that they were both very brightly colored after having taken their own turns up on the bench.
"Look, Asher! It's your Chocolate Frog Card Waifu!" Brenda said, pointing at Jennifer standing next to Asher. Jumping in surprise, Asher quickly excused himself to find something else to do.
"I take it that was a dig on me somehow?" Jennifer asked with a grin.
"Look, she has absolutely no idea whatsoever what I'm talking about. Jennifer, if you were a student in pop culture, you would be at the bottom of the class. The only class you'd get a lower score in is the Wizardnet," she added wickedly.
"Hey!" Jennifer laughed. "What did I ever do to you?"
"You're joking, right? You've completely taken over the school!" Brenda said in a gruff voice in a vain attempt to mimic Steve Mason. Still, it was close enough that some of the other teachers were grinning knowingly at each other. "The witches and married wizards alike have been won over by your intellect, the single wizards eat out of the palm of your hand any time you flash them that smile, and you even turned Wind Elk into a doting old fool, thanks to your mischievous nature and guile."
"In other words, she thinks she's not getting enough screen time," Frank conjectured, causing a few of the other teachers to chuckle at that.
"Is that so?" Jennifer replied. "Let's see... gold, white, and red for Rose Quarter," she decided, putting a three quarters down. "I warn you, Brenda, I have always been a really good shot at this game."
"Ah yes. She took me down every year," Wind agreed with amusement.
"You're a big talker anyway... but we already knew that," Brenda taunted. "But will you follow through? That's what I want to know."
"If there's one thing that you should never doubt, Mrs. Johnson, it's that I always finish what I start... one way or another," Jennifer promised, hitting each target with such precision and determination that she easily went down, even without any extra balls. Everyone around the stand clapped in appreciation, including Wind, standing right next to her as the colors sprayed out and Brenda's long white coat was no longer completely white any longer, splotched with large polka dots of gold and red.
"All right, Jennifer. Your turn," Wind said. Jennifer put her hands up, making a ward of defense gesture.
"Oh, no, you don't. I'm not getting in there!" Jennifer protested immediately.
"But it is such a stress reliever, isn't it, Brenda?" he asked when she came up beside them.
"It most certainly is! After all, while you're on the bench, you're almost duty bound to heckle anyone who passes by to try to goad them into playing. It's completely expected, and quite acceptable for you to do so. That's the fun about being in there, really, because it gives you a chance to heckle... oh, anyone," Brenda explained with a smile. "Isn't that right, Wind?"
"Oh yes... anyone who happens by, no matter if they're on staff or not," Wind agreed. Jennifer's expression changed, realizing what they were hinting at even before she glanced at them over her spectacles.
"Fine, but take pink off the table," Jennifer said firmly.
"Agreed. And watch your language, there are students present," Wind replied.
"Thank you, I didn't need the reminder of that," Jennifer assured him and climbed up the stairs to get on the bench and earning another round of applause from those gathered around. Finally getting comfortable, she looked around. "Frank, do you want to go first? It might be the only chance you ever get to hit on me," she said. There was a round of moans and even a few chuckles. Frank grimaced sheepishly at her. Even Brenda chuckled before wandering away for a drink. "If you want, you can go get your friend Asher to help you. I'm pretty sure he knows how to score." She got plenty of reaction from the staff that time, and Wind shook a finger at her warningly.
Jennifer watched as a couple of her students gave it a go, giving them much friendlier jibes and even an encouragement or two. But a few minutes later, she saw Buck and Ray walk by.
"Hey Raykay!" Jennifer shouted. Raymond cringed and gestured for her to keep it down, while his father laughed and nudged him in the arm. "Why don't you come throw some balls? It might help you see past the end of your nose for a change!"
"Good luck with that!" Buck replied. Jennifer laughed at that.
"Hey, no ganging up on me!" Raymond scowled at him.
"Aw, come on, Ray! I thought you liked taking down 'evil Dark Witches'," Jennifer said coyly.
"Fine," he said, storming up. "Black," he said, putting down a quarter.
"Oh, good! My husband's favorite color," Jennifer informed him.
"Black is not a color," Ray said, putting down two more quarters. "Two extra balls."
"Like to hedge your bets, do you?" Jennifer teased. "It won't help, you know." Ray threw the first ball, nicking the side of the first target, but not enough to trigger it. "There, you see?"
"Come on, Ray, I know she's a wily one, but you can do better'n that," Buck scolded his son.
"You're not helping, Dad," Ray said.
"I know! Let's let him stand up where the students stand. That might give him a chance," Jennifer suggested. Raymond glared at her and defiantly took an extra step back. Buck rolled his eyes at that. "Oh I see, so you like a challenge, do you?" she said with a smile.
"Always!" Ray said, triumphant when he hit the first one. But Buck shook his head, knowing that would only encourage his son to stay at that distance, so he was not surprised when he ran out of balls after hitting the third one.
"That's alright, Raykay, three out of five isn't bad!" Jennifer grinned. "Although the point is to hit all five, you know."
"Want me to show you how it's done?" Buck suggested to Ray, getting a glare in response. But Jennifer actually missed their interaction. She was busy watching Steve, Gail, and two of Gail's cousins attempting to get past the booth.
"Hey cactus-face!" Jennifer shouted. The group stopped in their tracks, while everyone at the booth looked around, having no doubts at all who she was talking about. "Care to have a game?" she asked with an innocent expression.
"I have no intention of it," Steve snapped crisply.
"You're right, that's much too forward of an attack for you. Sorry, I should have known better. Everyone knows that Steve Mason only attacks people behind their back," Jennifer said. Steve whirled around, seething.
"How dare you!" Steve said, his face growing red.
"Oh, sorry, was that too honest? Truth Seeker habit, I'm afraid. I tend to be honest even when I'm taunting. Are you ready to try and come at me, now?" Jennifer inquired innocently.
"I am a master of Light Magic. I do not attack anyone!" Steve snapped at her.
"Not with magic, no. And it's probably just as well, considering you're no match for me," Jennifer informed him. "But surely you know how to throw a ball, considering I know perfectly well you can swing a Bludger bat around. Then again, you always had pretty bad aim, considering how many times the Bludgers 'accidentally' went in the stands and towards where I was sitting when you were playing."
"Is that some sort of accusation?" Steve snapped.
"Don't be silly, Steve! I'd never accuse you of anything that happened when we were kids, especially when I can't prove it. After all, we've grown up since then! We're well beyond such grudges, and I would never hold anything that happened when we were children against you, whether you've chosen to hold them against me or not. By the way, Steve, as for what you were thinking about me earlier, my husband most certainly didn't marry me just for my looks. He married me because he considers me his equal. And considering how many believe he's one of the most powerful wizards on the planet right now, I'd worry about just who you are dealing with. You're nothing more than the big fish in a little pond, while I left the water a long time ago. All the posturing in the world isn't going to change the fact that I have more influence at my fingertips than you'll ever have your entire life. So do yourself a favor... stop making waves in the pond before I'm forced to drain it."
Steve began to walk over, fully intent to knock her off her perch. But he had missed the fact that Wind Elk was already standing there and had paid for a game. Wind had waited until the very moment he saw Steve move before he turned towards the game and quickly hit each and every target, spraying Jennifer in white and gold. Jennifer made some exclamations of surprise followed by laughter, while Steve stood there with his fists clenched, glaring furiously as Wind helped her out.
"I did not see that coming," Jennifer admitted with a laugh.
"Good! You're so hard to surprise!" Wind said with a smile, putting a friendly arm around her and walking her away from the booth. Ray scrambled inside to take her place, more than a little impressed by what Jennifer had just gotten away with.
Steve stood there and seethed, realizing now that Wild Elk had orchestrated that from the start, unhappy as he had been about the pressure that both the Masons and the school board had been putting on him lately to get rid of her. As Wind and Jennifer walked towards the steps leading out of the amphitheatre, it became starkly evident to Steve he had not hope of getting rid of her if Wind was still there. Somehow, he needed to find a way to force Wind out of Whitebridge as well.