Authors Notes: I apologize to Frightful, I promised this on Wednesday. I'm afraid that my computer crashed on Monday and I've just got it up and running again. I hope this isn't too much of a disappointment.
Warnings: I have not read the books, but I have access to Wikipedia – so I have names such as Ginger but only a quick explanation of her character and talent. I saw the first movie – that's what has happened and it's AU after that. Adventure-talent is an actually an established talent-kin and will be used as such. I take liberties with the fairies pasts and incorporate my own version of Pixie Hollow within the rules of Never Land. A little bit of violence. Made-up fairy swears. Reused plot devices that work their way in there before I realized I had done it. Questionable morals. An abundance of Vidia, and me writing the wrong story. Expansions on talents that don't exist. Vidia has actually been a hero in the past. My ever present and 'famous' use of my own original characters.
Summary: Vidia uses the shadow in the library to her advantage, but once Tinkerbell finds it she lets it believe that it has hopes, and starts the cogs going for an ending that might mean the end of everything she has known.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to Disney and – well, I'm actually not entirely sure who wrote the actual series it's based off.
Chapter Five
How Evil?
Teardrop had hardly stretched awake when Vidia came barreling into the main part of the library, looking behind her like she thought something particularly intimidating was chasing her. Teardrop bit back an amused snort. One had to admire the fairies guts.
"Ah, Teary, good, I think I was able to not be seen by the guards," said Vidia, still looking vaguely paranoid.
"That's not much of an accomplishment," said Teardrop dryly, though she let her smirk show through. Vidia turned back to Teardrop in shock, and then seemed to shrug the suddenly strong personality off. Vidia was good at adjusting to her moods.
"Well, I guess someone doesn't want the treats I brought over," said Vidia with an evil smirk and holding up a green woven basket. Teardrop practically drooled over the very idea of the much anticipated pie.
"No, no," said Teardrop quickly running over only to be shielded away from the prize by a smirkingly playful fast flying fairy. "Come on, Vidia, I love your pie."
A stricken look crossed Vidia's face and horror crossed Teardrop's.
"You did bring pie, right?" Teardrop knew she sounded like she was begging, she didn't care.
"Um, no, I thought you could make it with the… they're really not feeding you this time," Vidia sounded disgusted with the idea. Then a looked crossed over her face that had Teardrop's alarm bells ringing at their loudest.
"No, no, you can't let them know you're here," said Teardrop, shocking Vidia until the girl seemed to remember exactly what she would be losing if she took this to the queen and realized that if she was locked up she wouldn't be able to perform and perfect her talent. That's what Teardrop liked about the other fairy; she was dedicated to her talent. Though a little too dedicated at times, but that was easy to exploit so Teardrop wasn't complaining for the time being. Still, it would be nice to hear that Vidia had friends. The dark fairy did acknowledge that having fairy contact did help take the sting out of life. Company generally helped with nerves. The way Vidia was already wound up, Teardrop would be surprised if that girl really did have her as a best friend.
"Right, well, maybe I should take an inventory of what you have and then start making sure you start getting it," said Vidia testily. "Where do you sleep… do you sleep?
"Yes, in that loft up there," said Teardrop pointing in the general direction of her place and then made a go at Vidia's basket. Even if it the fast flying fairy hadn't brought pie she had brought something, and hopefully it was a tasty something.
"You'll squish them that way," said Vidia flying and out of the dark fairies reach. Teardrop pouted from the floor. "You have wings."
"Yes," said Teardrop and put a soft hand on her tatty blue wings. "But I don't like flying in here and…"
"And what?" asked Vidia coming to land in front of the librarian. Teardrop bit her lips and pulled back from the aching wing. She looked at Vidia who was glaring softly at her wings. "What did you do to get your wings to look like that?"
"When I was younger an entire vat of tar was dumped on me, they got it off fast enough but wings are very delicate, they were – ruined the minute they were touched," said Teary with a small sigh.
"But I've seen you fly," said Vidia in confusion.
"I can still fly," said Teary with a shrug and turned back toward her books. "It's just not that comfortable."
"Well, then it's settled, I'll get whatever you need and bring it next Friday with more goodies," said Vidia dismissively. She flew to the top of Teary's loft and the dark fairy found herself rolling her eyes before following close behind.
"What did you bring?" asked Teary ignoring the fact that Vidia was looking through her stuff and concentrating on the basket. She cautiously lifted the lib of the basket and practically drooled at the contents. A wide variety of muffins, all happily looking and scrunched into the tight space so that Teary knew she could would be eating better than she had in months with this much food. It had been such a long time since she had muffins. She then eagerly went to the small jug and opened it, hoping to get a whiff of the sweet dandelion milk. Instead she sneezed when her nose was assaulted by something with a lot more tang.
"I always found that raspberry wine tastes best with my muffins," said Vidia, her voice slightly muffled as she seemed to be looking for something under the covers on Teary's hammock. She surfaced with a gasp and looked over with a pensive glance. "Raspberry wine is pretty strong; I'd suggest watering it down a little."
"Hm," agreed Teary putting the drink down with slight wonder. She'd never really had a chance to taste wine, nectar sure but never wine. She definitely wasn't going to let something besides water not be tested, even if it needed to be watered down so much she didn't do anything stupid. "Perhaps you should be around when I drink this the first time… on second thought, you'd probably get me beyond drunk just to see what I'd do."
"Of course not, I know how important that is to you," said Vidia, but the slight glint in her eyes that told Teary the opposite. "So, I heard that Tinkerbell had her interview."
"And..?" asked Teary looking back at the fast flying fairy who obviously trying to find away to word her next thought delicately.
"Well, it's just… she defended you, and while I think it's funny as hell that she seems to think that you're some sort of saint, or at least a regular if slightly 'strict' fairy. I was wondering what you told her to make her think that," said Vidia, and Teary glanced at her with slight amusement.
"You don't approve," asked Teary relaxing against her table and folding her hands.
"No, I think it's great, that silly feather should really learn to listen to what people are trying to tell her," said Vidia bitingly and then blanched. "Not that I think you should be locked up but…"
Now Teary tried to keep her face blank because she was torn between amusement and sadness. Vidia obviously was not used to being friends with anyone. Not if she made that many apologies when speaking to one. That or Teary had underestimated how much the fairy feared her, but that wasn't very likely. Most fairies were bold, brass in their thinking until proven wrong. Vidia struck her as someone who thought that she could take on any task and overtake it, even one that involved stopping a fairy who had brought Clarion, their queen, the closest to death that any other fairy could bring to another.
"Don't worry about it Vidia I know what you mean," said Teary and realized that her professional tone had put the other fairy on edge and let a small smile grace her lips. "Really I didn't do anything to gain the silly tinkers trust. I told her nothing, I trust that Fairy Mary filled her in… and that particular fairy would have had most fairies in front of me for an interview quaking in fear. No, I think this particular fairy is going for the most basic of laws when learning about someone. To not listen to rumors and to build her own opinion by her own experience."
"That could have easily gotten her… not in a good place," finished Vidia lamely. Teardrop smirked.
"No, but she's in luck, I have no intentions of harming her," said Teary and reached in for a muffin. Vidia found two glasses and poured hardly a trickle of raspberry wine in both.
"Is she coming back?" asked Vidia, as if that idea had just struck her and Teary answered with a small nod since her mouth was full. "That must be annoying. I'd do something to get rid of her if she kept invading my space."
"It's not like we see much of each other," shrugged Teary. "She comes in, we have a quick conversation, I take her somewhere to shut her up and she spends the rest of the time researching and I lead her out at night."
"Still…" said Vidia, scrunching her nose at the thought of having to be at all close to the tinker. Teary smirked into her wine.
"I will admit, having her here, while nice, can be a little nerve-wracking," admitted Teary and went over to the closest shelf of books and slipped a small piece of paper in her hand. "That's why I've made this."
Vidia took the slip, glanced at the dried ink. Squinted at it like that would help her understand the squiggles and gave it back to Teardrop with a shrug.
"What is it?"
"A library card. This will allow Tinkerbell to take out up to five books and allow me a reprieve from having to deal with another fairy in my library every day," said Teardrop with a shrug.
"You're too nice, but I guess being stuck here probably has you wishing for any sort of company," said Vidia with a slight sneer.
"Well, yes, but I do like my solitude," said Teary and the two shared a few minutes of silence. It was comfortable, the kind that usually took more time to grow into and more things to do to really make it seem necessary and not empty space.
"One, second, does that mean she'll be returning today?" asked Vidia, her voice a little strangled.
"Don't worry, as long as you're gone before midday you'll be fine. She needs to get her work done before she…" but the door crashed open and Teary was glad the tinker fairy didn't think to look up in her huff and quickly signaled Vidia out of her window. She finally saw just how fast the other fairy was, and then returned her attention to the fuming fairy stomping around in her library and with a frown descended to the main level of the library.
"What's all this racket about?" asked Teardrop severely making the tinker fairy first jump in surprise and then turn to her with a silly grasp on anger.
"Nothing," said Tinkerbell, her tone warning Teardrop to drop it, but also encouraging her to find out exactly had her all worked up, because somehow the tinker's problem was Teardrop's fault. Fairies, annoying creatures that seemed to excel on dragging other's into their problems in the false belief they had some sort of right to demand questions.
"Right, that's why you've come much sooner than your job should allow," said Teardrop frowning at the fact the other fairy was obviously skirting her work to have a hissy fit. And if this was something that had to happen, couldn't the tinker done it on a day where Teardrop hadn't actually been looking forward to seeing someone in her library? "And look about ready to rip all of my books out and cause a huge commotion when I told you that I wanted my library silent."
"There, that right there," shouted Tinkerbell, making Teardrop step back and blink at the other fairies fury. "Is that the reason they keep saying those things? Is that the reason that no one seems to have anything good to say about you and seem to think that you're, oh, I don't know… Did you tell them about the dark magic and not fully explain it? Are you so strict that you've made enemies with everyone? Because I keep being told to stay away from you and not even Vidia has that reputation and she's no ray of sunshine!"
"You silly little thing," said Teardrop her eyes widening with realization, and then narrowing at how stupid this little air headed tinker was. "You think that the reason people avoid the library, avoid me is because of my personality?"
"What else could it be?" demanded Tinkerbell getting in her face. Teardrop looked at the other in angry disappointment.
"I don't know, can you think of a reason you silly feather?" asked Teardrop walking toward the tinker fairy and forcing the other back. "Now, I'll give you a clue. You have been around fairies long enough to realize that they don't normally take a person at face value. You mentioned another fairy, Vidia, she has a horrible personality, but that doesn't mean people tell other's to stay clear of her, talk about her with a hint of fear. Now, use that tinker brain to analyze this situation. There is a fairy, basically locked in a room with a job that has hardly any value to any fairies."
Tinkerbell looked ready to argue.
"No, at least at this moment, the written word, books… they haven't been read by anyone but me since I entered this library. The most that happens is a fairy will leave a book just inside the door, or a teaching fairy will take a book from the shelves closest to the door so they can learn to write and make a contributation to the library. Now, think, what would a fairy have to do lose faith in all the fairies in Pixie Hollow. To be locked away in this space with these rubies to stop her from even being able to use her talent. That after one-hundred years she is still feared, still seen as some sort of mistake and menace that would be better off dead."
Teardrop had cornered Tinkerbell into some shelves so that leather bond books were digging into the other fairies back.
"I am that fairy. My name is something spoken of softly by those who knew me, and new fairies are cautioned against coming near this place. A place that is constantly monitored, might I add, to make sure that I remain in this prison. It's been one hundred years! The thing I did was so horrible that I will never be forgiven. It's so horrible that my sister, my other half, looks at me with disgust. I can never make up for what I did. Even if there was a chance I could do something to make up for it, they would be too terrified to let me out of here, to let me even taste magic again. To feel the encompassing relief and happiness that comes from using my talent.
"Now, Tinkerbell, tell me, what do you think I could have done that was so horrible to receive this punishment, to receive this reputation?" asked Teardrop with a nasty smile. Tinkerbell looked up at her as if seeing something doubled and unclear. Like she couldn't believe, couldn't see any fairy being able to do something so horrible that some quick punishment couldn't fix.
Teardrop watched Tinkerbell dispassionately, her own anger leaving as fast as it came. She had dealt with this reality for too long for it to really bother her anymore. She took a stepped back from the stunned Tinkerbell and routed in the folds of her leaves until she found the library card and offered it toward the tinker.
"What's this?" asked Tinkerbell shakily looking at the card.
"That will allow you to take up to five books out of the library and read in your study back at home," said Teardrop professionally, and then clapped three times. Tinkerbell watched in off fascination as books flew through the library and around the central table until all but five had returned to their rightful place. "The books pay attention. The five books there are chosen because of your past interest in certain subjects."
"Oh", said Tinkerbell still sounding a little stunned and out of sorts. Teardrop wondered if she would have to slap the tinker to get her back in the real world, or if she could trust the fairy to have enough sense to get back to her knock where Fairy Mary would surely be able to bring her around. Tinkerbell shock her head and started toward the pile. "Thank –"
The front doors burst open and acorn tops and bottoms and jumbles of kettles rolled onto the floor. Teardrop found her anger once again making its way to the surface. She quickly followed the three tinkers in helping to pick them off her floor. The only kettle that should be in her library should be the one at her loft. These tinkers were really trying her patients.
"Thanks," said a thick male voice as she assembled the kettle effortlessly and returned it to him. Not very sturdy make if it broke apart so easily. "Wow, you put that together really well, are you a tinker?"
Teardrop's head sprang up and she found herself looking up at a large fairy with an honest smile. She looked to the side and saw big goggles and desperate hair and her anger finally turned the deepest shade of red.
"Get out!" she shouted and gave a desperate flourish of her hands that had the cart and the three tinker fairies a good few inches out of the doors. She pulled back and the door was slammed on their stunned faces. Slowly she got her breathing under control, and cursed her stupidity. She had just demonstrated her talent to cover the other slip when she had told Tinkerbell that she couldn't use her talents, that she had no magic. Now she really was screwed. Stupid tinker, Teardrop should have made sure to scare her away after the first day.
Sighing Teardrop decided she might as well do her job until Ree came and locked her away in the ground. As she sat down she noticed that the five books were gone. The librarian wondered when the tinker had grabbed the books. She also had to commend the girl on keeping her mind on the job enough to continue to do research on tinkering even after finding out about the dark fairy. Not that Tinkerbell actually knew anything about her past, but with a few questions to the right people it wouldn't be that hard to find out.
"What did you do?" asked Vidia sounding impressed.
"I hadn't expected you back," said Teardrop mechanically. A soft hand clasped over her, stopping Teardrop from her writing and a steady hand forced her to look up from it.
"Well, from my hiding spot I saw three traumatized tinkers heading away from the library and back into their ditch," said Vidia softly. "Now, why don't you tell me exactly what happened?"
"Tinkerbell hadn't been informed of exactly why people avoided me, so I made myself out to be as scary as possible," shrugged Teardrop.
"You told you your past?" Teardrop caught a hint of jealousy in the other fairies voice. The only thing that Vidia knew about her past was what she had picked up from other fairies and what Teardrop had accidently let slip.
"No, I asked a lot of questions in a roundabout sort of way that was supposed to inform her that the other fairies had a reason to avoid me," said Teardrop and shook her head. "She took her books, though I think that she might at least have some sense when it comes to her talent and expanding on it."
Vidia snorted and sent her a look that clearly disagreed.
"Are you kidding me, this is the same fairy who tried to change her talent because she couldn't go to the Mainland," said Vidia almost slowly. Teardrop raised an eyebrow and flicked a clump her hair out of the way. "What's that on your wrist?"
"Oh, this?" asked Teardrop and looked at the gold braid wound around her wrist and smiled slightly. "My sister gave this to me so that we would always be together. It made the days we were both otherwise occupied much easier."
"And you can't go to her and have her convince the fairies that pirates are coming? Because I've started dropping hints like usual and everyone keeps shrugging me off, one even suggested that I was just trying to take away Tinkerbell's credit," said Vidia bluntly and then shook her head. "It'd be easier if you just said sorry and then moved on. I mean, you two are one, isn't that how the legend goes? That if a fairy calls another a sister she does so without even thinking about it, that they're closer than friends, closer than lovers?"
"Yes, that is true," said Teardrop watching Vidia's face which still pensive.
"How do you know if you're only one half of a soul?" asked Vidia finally and Teardrop smiled.
"You just do," said Teardrop wrapping a hand around her wrist.
"So, she has to forgive you," said Vidia logically, giving up trying to find out exactly how there could be only one half of a fairy. "If she doesn't it's like not forgiving herself."
"She hasn't," said Teardrop and then shrugged at Vidia's look. "I try to apologize and explain every time that she shows up; even when all she can bare to do is lean up against the library doors. But I can't say what she wants to hear. She'll know if I'm lying and I can't say I regret one of the outcomes, and that's what she wants, the only way she'll open her eyes and realize that I wouldn't do anything against Pixie Hollow again, that I support the current queen…"
"Queen Ree?" asked Vidia suddenly. "What would that have to do with anything?"
"Well, let's just say that was part of the problem last time," said Teardrop with a small smile.
"You led an uprising against Queen Clarion?" asked Vidia looking at Teardrop as if she had gone insane. Teardrop smiled in amusement.
"No, but she was part of the raid that stopped me which is the reason Queen Bright handed the title after her death," said Teardrop and then shrugged. "Plus, Ree is not more powerful than me."
"And because you fought against her, she fears and hates you so much?" asked Vidia, Teardrop glanced with a small amount of amusement back at Vidia, she'd never seen the fast flying fairy so interested in something that wasn't her quest to become the fastest fairy.
"No, my sister used to idolize Queen Bright, though to this day I could never understand why, and when I was locked away in here they decided she would be the one to decide when I would be released," said Teardrop. "She won't ever though; I've seen it in her eyes. She will only accept one answer, and I can't regret it, I won't regret it."
"But… if you lied?"
"She'd be able to tell," said Teardrop feeling tears start to touch the side of her eyes. "She's my other half, remember?"
"But – well, at least now I know why your hair is such a mess. You don't have a hairbrush," said Vidia. Teardrop looked up at the fast flying fairy sharply. It took her a little longer then it should have to figure out that Vidia was changing the subject.
"I don't care, I mean, who would I do it for?" asked Teardrop putting a hand on the nest that was her hair.
"Tinkerbell, me?" asked Vidia and then put a hand on the hair and grimaced.
"Tinkerbell probably isn't coming back, and if she does she'll get her books and scat," said Teardrop logically. "And I don't see you enough to go to all the trouble."
"I'm coming to see you at least once a week," pointed out Vidia with a disgusted look around the library. Teardrop was sure that it wouldn't take that much time for Vidia to grow bored of that and then they'd be back to Teardrop's occasional visits, and the fast flying fairy perhaps dropping by when she got sick of being alone. "And why don't you just do it for yourself, this must feel disgusting."
"I'm used to it," said Teardrop and shrugged, Vidia scrunched up her face and Teardrop smiled slightly.
"So, do you want a tour, or should we go break out your muffins and wine and get smashed beyond all belief?" asked Teardrop teasingly. It only took a second for Vidia to make up her own plan of actions.
"Let's give this rat hole at least a little personal touch," and with that the rest of the day was spent doing a bit of housekeeping and making the library almost looked lived in.
--
Tinkerbell walked down in silence with the other two tinkers, with Bobble looking the most disturb of the two even though Clank was the one who had been yelled at. Tinkerbell wasn't sure what had just happened. She had seen it, that fury, that hurt and betrayal as Teardrop had tried to scare her away. She had watched when it left like it wasn't there and standing before her was the calm librarian that she had grown to know.
It wasn't something that she could understand. How could the fairy stand there and call herself evil? What could she have done that was so horrible to lock her away? She couldn't even begin to start imaging what she could have. Obviously something worse than the trick that Vidia had played on her. But what? Had she actually – had she actually hurt someone, maybe dumped tar on someone or something? But, as awful as that was, how was stuffing her in that cold and lonely library making the situation better? They should have given her a useful task, not just shoved her away and left her to… die. That was just cruel. But Teardrop had also said she was feared. But anyone had the means to dump tar on someone, that didn't mean they did, didn't mean they wouldn't.
"Hey, Tinkerbell what's wrong?" Tinkerbell was amazed when all her close friends came and surrounded her.
"We came back from the library," said Bobble despairingly.
"Oh, dear, are you alright?" asked Rosetta, her attention on Bobble. Tinkerbell was allowed to fume over the accusation until she remembered what Teardrop had done and then sent her own depressed glance at the five books in the cart.
"Hey there dewdrop," said Silvermist calmingly catching Tinkerbell's chin and forcing her to look up at the water talent. "You're not defending her like you usually do. Did something happen?"
"What did that brute do?" demanded Rosetta, angry that the two fairies hurt weren't telling her what was wrong.
"Nothing, well, nothing much," said Tinkerbell with a shrug. "She said some stuff; no, she asked some pointed questions and then after Bobble and Clank spilled tinker things all over her floor threw us out."
"What did she say?" asked Rosetta, her eyes suspicious, Tinkerbell sighed but decided to tell her friend, Rosetta was just trying to help after all.
"Just, asked what could make fairies lock up another one, what could make every fairy fear her," said Tinkerbell and then shook her head. "I think she was trying to scare me away without actually having to tell me what she did to get locked in there."
"She tried to scare you away?" asked Rosetta in shock. "Well, I guess she's used to her solitude and doesn't want to have to work with a lowly tinker fairy."
"What do you mean?" asked Tinkerbell her face heating up with slight anger.
"Well, I mean she must think she's better than everyone else," said Rosetta, obviously thrown off that Tinkerbell was still sticking up for the dark fairy.
"No, she's just reserved and a little obsessive about fairies doing their respective jobs, I think, she just, she looked so desperate for company sometimes, before she'd close up once she couldn't find the words or thought she was going to be abandoned," explained Tinkerbell. Rosetta tried to correct her.
"Hey, Bobble, you alright?" asked Fawn. Tinkerbell looked over to see that Bobble still looked heartbroken.
"Yeah, it's just… I never thought I'd see her again," Bobble almost sounded haunted. Rosetta's face quickly sounded recognition and then sympathy.
"That's right, you were one of the fairies that she welcomed to Pixie Hollow," said Rosetta almost softly.
"What does that mean?" asked Clank scratching his head in confusion.
"Phineas T. Kettletree, Esquire," said Bobble, still lost in his thoughts. "That's what she called me. She knew it was my name and then she seemed to consider it for a moment before laughing, and called me Bobble."
"It's something that happens to most of them," said Rosetta losing interest in Bobble's plight though hidden in her slight scowl was a hint of worry.
"That doesn't tell me anything," complained Clank stomping his foot.
"When I was born Teardrop was the one who welcomed me in. She was the one to open my wings and help me find my talent," said Bobble sighed.
"What about Queen Clarion?" asked Tinkerbell.
"She wasn't queen yet," said Rosetta matter of factly and shrugged. "She was still dividing her time between being a dust and light fairy."
"She has two talents?" asked Clank. "I didn't think that existed."
"It doesn't happen very often," said Rosetta in agreement.
"What is Teardrop's talent?" asked Tinkerbell. The two who had known looked at each other and shrugged.
"Well, she can't be just someone who welcomes in fairies," said Silvermist. "I mean that's not a talent."
"I don't know," said Rosetta and then frowned. "All I know is that one day maybe two months after they were born the skies turned black. Fairies were either forced into hiding or went out to fight. Not a day later we were told that Queen Bright was dead and that we had a new queen."
"She killed a fairy?" asked Tinkerbell.
"No, fairies can't kill each other," said Fawn with confusion but conviction.
"All I know is that it happened just at the time when Teardrop tried to take over Pixie Hollow," said Rosetta scrunching her nose. "I know that Queen Clarion is a strong leader and had to be drenched in pixie dust to heal her, Queen Bright died, and Queen Ree, who has a forgiving soul won't let Teardrop out of that library and warns every fairy against going in there."
"Maybe it was…" said Tinkerbell, trying to think of something that would explain everything but not say that Teardrop was a murderer. For one thing she really didn't want to think about the possibility of her being around a murderer, but also she couldn't see that sort of malice in Teardrop's eyes. She didn't look capable of it.
"No, there is no mistaking it. You don't understand. Teardrop was at least at fault for almost permanently crippling Clarion, I have – had friends who fought against her. Who watched her try to overthrow Pixie Hollow and destroy it," said Rosetta and then sighed. "Believe me, if Queen Clarion thought there was any chance that Teardrop was redeemable she would have found away."
"How do you know?" asked Tinkerbell.
"Flower," said Rosetta testily. "Drop it and do us all a favor and don't go back there."
"I have to go back eventually," said Tinkerbell.
"Why?" asked Rosetta with a withering glare. Tinkerbell took out of the cart and a book.
"You stole a book?" asked Fawn, taking it and lifting it in confusion.
"What is a book exactly?" asked Iridessa taking the thing and giving it a quick glance over.
"It's something that has information… like important times in Pixie Hollow and information on talents, that sort of thing," said Tinkerbell.
"It doesn't have any pictures like the teaching fairies," said Fawn leafing through the book herself.
"No, but those squiggles are our language in ink," said Tinkerbell with an excited smile. She loved Mainland things after all.
"Don't you get it!" shouted Rosetta finally losing her cool. "That fairy is the closest thing you'll get to evil besides tar. She's like tar… She had to be contained and stretched out so that she dried out and becomes harmless. Going to her is like adding more ink, you're just adding to her, you're making her dangerous again and the longer you let her rest on you the more she eats away at you and destroys you. You can't go back."
"I'll think about it," said Tinkerbell finally, taking her book back from Fawn.
"What?" asked Rosetta.
"I said I'll think about it. But I will have to return this book to her at some point," Tinkerbell was surprised at how dead she sounded to her own ears.
"No, you give it to Fairy Mary or one of the teaching fairies who have to hand in their work after they are done," said Rosetta putting her foot down on the issue.
"I'll think about it," said Tinkerbell strongly. "But I don't think that she is capable of murdering anyone, at least not now."
"Tinkerbell…" said Rosetta warningly.
"I can take care of myself," said Tinkerbell and turned away from garden fairy. Emotions flashed across the red fairies face, and then she clenched her fists and looked away.
"You'll see," and Rosetta was gone with Fawn trailing frantically after her.
"Tinkerbell," said Silvermist softly.
"Come on Clank, Bobble, we have work," said Tinkerbell ignoring the water talent. "Go cheese."
Silvermist watched her go, hugging herself softly and thinking the worse. Finally she slipped into a nearby stream. Rosetta would eventually cool off, and hopefully Tinkerbell would listen to the girl. Silvermist knew Rosetta long enough to know how serious the garden fairy was. She wasn't so much angry at Tinkerbell as scared for her safety. Silvermist didn't know much of a library; she never had any interest in learning to read. But that didn't mean she hadn't heard the rumors, hadn't been warned against never going in there. Now her heart was torn. She knew that nothing good could come of visiting Teardrop, but the way Tinkerbell was always protecting her wanted to make her want to meet the fairy that no matter how many times Teardrop was rude to Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell kept coming back and the worse thing she could say was she was strict. But, for now she'd work, because working with water had always been what she enjoyed doing.