Author's Note: It's a really good thing I don't need inspiration for this fic.
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 Eight
Soul Food
Teardrop woke up with the sun the next morning. She loved waking with the sun, it meant a lazy morning where she could take all the time she wanted to wake up and get ready for a day of rearranging annoying flying books and do her usual research. At least she had finally written down what she felt was the most neutral explanation of what happened at Pixie Hollow that spring.
She tripped as she rolled out of her hammock and into the warm sun. Smiling lazily into it, she told the great ball of fire to do something rather unsavory and happily went to her cupboards to see if she had anything to eat. Nope, either it was Thursday or near the changing the seasons. With a small sigh she walked to the edge of her loft and stepped off it and her wings reacted just in time to keep her from breaking her legs and lowered her with a dull thud to the ground.
Hmm, now that she thought about it, she remembered seeing a muffin yesterday… Why did she have muffins? The fairies that gave her food never gave her anything that substantial, the most they would do is give her dried fruit, and she remembered Raspberry wine… but they trusted her to get her own water. So – oh, yes, Vidia made her the muffins; Vidia was going to come see her now every Friday, so Teardrop would see her the next day.
Her stomach growled unhappily and Teardrop glared down at it as she started working Pixie Dust into her wings. Her heart ached like mad, her wings hurt like stinging thistle, and her stomach dared complained that it was hungry after just one day of fasting when the trip to Vidia should have held it over for at least three days.
Oh, that was right; she had gone to see Vidia – and then the next day Tinkerbell had shown up after almost a week and she had let them eat the last muffin because she always fasted on – was it Wednesday or Thursday?
She covered the flap on the pouch and turned away from its slight glow. She sighed happily in the darkness that surrounded and caressed her. Why did she work in the light of day? It would be much nicer to just be a shadow in the darkness. Still, it was a bit harder to read in the dark. Plus, for a fairy who worked with others and needed them to be really useful it just wasn't logical. Even if she worked in the library she liked working during the day because she could hear other talents faintly through her walls going about their work.
She sighed in disappointment as she walked out of the archives and into the actual library, the sun playing against her face and body. She wondered what day it was. Friday meant Vidia and food, Thursday meant quiet unless Tinkerbell came back – she had scared the fairy pretty badly last night she was sure. Teardrop shook her head, whatever was going to happen would, nothing much she could do in the limited space allowed her.
Not that she didn't have things to do, she did, even now she was glaring at close to an entire section that had been corrupted by the change last night. How did the books do it? Were they completely illogical? Why would the pirate books think it was a good idea to mix up with the section on the lost boys? Glaring she ran the ladder to their area and started to climb and start the long job of putting the books back in place.
The front door slammed shut, or was that the knocker? Frowning in confusion Teardrop banged on the shelf and stepped in the direction of the door as the books made a mad dash for their right section. As she entered the main study area she glanced at the front shelf, to see if any books had been taken or any new ones were there… no, everything looked in order. Teardrop felt her heart skip a happy beat and her feet start to hurry toward the door. Her food was there, which meant it was Friday, which meant that Vidia would be visiting her soon.
She stopped, hand against the door. Tears sprang in her eyes and she tried to stop a soft moan from going any further than her throat. She leaned her head against the door and brushed her cheek against it like a cat. Her muscles quivered under her restraint. All she wanted to do was throw open the doors and run into that gold body, mold with it and become one. She wanted to let her sister protect her, she wanted to become the sword her sister wielded her against enemies.
But she wouldn't, neither of them could do that, be what they were supposed to be to each other, never again. They were both to set in their beliefs, too stubborn in their ways of life. So all they could do to be close to feel that connection without ever seeing each other and making the separation worse with fights and harsh words and actions. Teardrop pressed her whole body against the door and knew her sister was at least leaning heavily on the other side.
And then the connection started to pull and stretch and Teardrop felt a dry sob escape her lips. Her sister was going away, going back to her job and trying to forget her sister so she could do right by her people. Teardrop fell to the ground and felt tears actually touch her eyes and then fall. It was always the hardest when her sister left. It hurt even worse when her sister would do her yearly checkups or have to be interviewed on event that Teardrop was expected to make a final piece of since she was completely objective on the matter. It was harder because back then they would fight and leave with raised tempers and the ache in their heart only worse, but the times her sister would come and just lean against the door – when their connection was being acknowledge and strengthened – the separation that was caused again would tear Teardrop apart and fill her with joy all at once.
She sat there at the door, sobs wracking her body, hands and the top of her head pressed against the door. She allowed her waist to hang over bent knees and let the sobs become loud and clumsy. She cried like this every time, she never tried to hide, not when it hurt like this, she just let it run its course because if she didn't she'd do something stupid, she lash out at something precious, she'd…
She could hardly feel the small pulse that connected her to her sister now. With a sigh she pushed herself up and tried to rearrange her leaf more comfortably and flicked away her remaining tears and grimaced at the taste of snot and wiped irritably at her nose. She wondered if her sister had even let a single tear drop during the upheaval, but doubted it. The other fairy didn't like to face her own emotions like that, she even strove to hide great happiness for the queens sake.
The library door slipped open and Teardrop poked her head out and looked around. No one seemed to be there -- and no food either. She glanced around in annoyance until she looked straight down and realized that the basket had been left right up next to the door. With a triumphant smirk she dragged the basket in, buckling only a little under its weight.
Her small table hardly had room for the basket and also for the jars that were probably in it. She unscrewed the first jar and found it filled with seeds a little larger than her hand. She dug counted, six in all, of course… because the seventh day wasn't important. Teardrop took a bite and looked back at the seed it was a hard strict white and elongated and she had never tasted or seen anything like. With a small hum she put it aside with the conviction to look it up later.
The second jar filled the air with a nice sweet flavor… blueberry jam, now that could last for a while. With a happy smile she screwed the lid back on lightly moved on to her last jar and unscrewed the lid to that. Ah, little chips of dried banana and orange, each piece fitting neatly on her palm. So, for breakfast it was dried peaches or bananas smothered in blueberry jam, for lunch would be a seed, and dinner would be whatever Vidia brought her.
"Teary your guard is being annoying today," came the echo of said fast flying fairies voice in a direction that let Teardrop know that Vidia had not come in through the front door.
"Yes, well, my sister probably caught wind that some stupid fairies had started making it a habit of coming to the library and wanted to make sure nothing happened," said Teardrop with a slight smile, her sister could be irrational and naive to the point it hurt at times. How was a guard posted outside her door supposed to save fairies inside the library? "You probably could have come in the front door. Chances are she knows you're one of those stupid fairies because of yesterday."
"How was I suppose to get in with these?" asked Vidia and Teardrop turned around only to blink in surprise. Vidia had two baskets, the fairy quickly closed her cupboards and stole one of the baskets in an effort to help and also find out what was inside. Vidia, since she was the fastest flying fairy, she was easily able to stop Teardrop from seeing what was in the basket.
"Vidia," whined Teardrop looking over the basket with a pout. Vidia looked at her dryly and then with slight concern as she grabbed her chin and forced her over the small table to get a good look at the dark face.
"You've been crying," said Vidia duly and rolled her eyes. "What was it this time?"
Teardrop smiled, Vidia already knew her well enough to not make a huge fuss when she cried. Not that Vidia would, in the past when Teardrop had come to her often with tear tracks she had given her a lecture on not being such a baby, now she just asked because half the time Teardrop cried she had useful information or would let something about her shadowed past slip.
"My sister came to visit," said Teardrop trying to peer into the basket only to have Vidia put a firm hand over the top.
"Oh," said Vidia dismissively. "Did you get into another fight?"
"No, she just stood outside the door to help the ache die down. That doesn't happen if we fight," said Teardrop as if that cleared up everything.
"I thought that you'd actually have to, oh I don't know, acknowledge one another through touch, or something like that," said Vidia trying to sound like she really that interested.
"Nah, just because she's my other half doesn't mean that we have to acknowledge each other with touch. We have to be close to each other, but if we want we could just ignore even that fact," said Teardrop with a shrug. "It's just that doing that is really…"
"What?" asked Vidia looking at Teardrop and then following her friends gaze into the basket she hadn't brought. "Where did that come from?"
"It's Friday and they started remembering my existence again," said Teardrop reaching and taking out the yellow stuff at the side of the basket that she had overlooked before. "That or one of the fairies hunted down someone who was meandering around the library, assumed correctly they were some of my guards, and proceeded to chew them out for not giving me my weekly ration."
"And that is?" asked Vidia pointing to the limp yellow thing that seemed to be oozing something slightly clear and sweet smelling.
"A lemon square," said Teardrop still holding the thing delicately in front of her. "My sister used to make them for me all the time."
Determination crossed the dark fairies face and she took a brave bite, and nearly choked on it. Vidia watched in horror as the fairy almost choked trying to make sure the thing went down.
"Did she try to poison you?" asked Vidia, though she couldn't imagine why Teardrop would swallow it then, if she died didn't her sister?
"No, but her cooking's as bad as ever," said the dark fairy with a slight grunt. She suddenly made a beeline for her cupboards, opening them and taking out two jars. "Now where's my knife?"
Vidia rolled her eyes and looked at the lemon square, which wasn't a square so much as a pile of goop. How bad could it actually be? She almost had her hand on it when Teary grabbed it and gave a look at a wide-eyed fairy who obviously would, in the end, let Vidia decide if she was going to eat it. Vidia wasn't, not just because she'd rather not spend a month trying to recover from food poisoning in her bed and not trying to fly faster, but also because she knew Teardrop was going to put that goop into her cupboard and eat it each time she wanted her sister until the thing was gone. Vidia was very glad that she was a complete soul at that moment.
"So, what did you bring me?" asked Teardrop around food that crunched and squished. Teardrop's smile turned slightly fearful when the dark fairy saw the almost evil smile that split Vidia's face.
"Well, as you can see I went all out with food this week. First I'll show you the meal," said Vidia with a proud smile and then opened the first basket. The immediate area was invaded with the smell of fresh vegetables and bread. Vidia carefully took it out and then proceeded to take a jar full of tomato sauce and put it next to the concoction. "This is one of my favorite dishes that I found I was able to make up myself."
Teardrop glanced up at Vidia with slight amusement and couldn't help the barb. "Why Vidia, I didn't know you were really a baking-talent fairy."
"It's called spinach bread, though it doesn't taste much like bread," continued Vidia, ignoring Teardrop so that she didn't drop both of the baskets into a stream. She was sure that whatever the guards had given Teardrop would help the dark fairy go back to a safe weight. "It's spinach, onion, and cauliflower mixed up in clover honey and folded into bread. It's delicious, especially if you leave it for a few days so the tastes all get soaked properly into each other. Now, I've already divided it into six parts, all you have to do is spread a little tomato sauce before you cook it – wherever."
"Sounds great," said Teardrop genuinely, she hadn't anything that substantial for a long time and was sure that the fast flying fairy had made it when she started worrying about her weight again. "Now, what's in the second basket?"
Vidia rolled her eyes and opened the second basket tops. The sweet sticky smell made Teardrop almost melt in her seat. How could she have gone so long without even smelling food? Food was God, food made the world go round.
"You have the worst sweet tooth of anyone I have ever met," said Vidia bluntly with a touch of humor.
"Don't care," said Teardrop dreamily and lazily lifted her heavy to stare at the whole circle of heaven. "You baked me a cake."
"Yup," said Vidia proudly, apparently Vidia had a weird interest in cooking, it happened every once in a while, at least Vidia was almost as good at cooking as baking-talent fairy. "The cake part is made of so much butterfly butter it just melts in your mouth; the frosting is made of thick spun sugar with just a touch of maple sugar. Which you aren't allowed to eat until after dinner tonight."
"Meanie," said Teardrop with a pathetic pout as Vidia hid away her cake. "And I suppose you brought me something to wash it down with?"
"Another liquor," said Vidia with a devious smile as she pulled out another white jug and popped up the top to waved the neck under Teardrop's nose. Teardrop almost fainted in ecstasy; Vidia could take the place in her heart reserved for her sister any time she wanted.
"Rose nectar with a hint of dandelion milk," said Teardrop happily. "You spoil me."
Vidia chuckled and put the jug away in her ice box. "I find that it complements the two dishes perfectly."
"You're my best friend ever," said Teardrop a little silly.
"You're acting drunk already," said Vidia with a smirk and then looked like she was about to make the day perfect. "And I have the designs for your new clothes that I promised."
"Good, because I've written out all my measurements," said Teardrop and then frowned when she tried to figure out which stack of paper she had shoved that information in.
"Here they are," Vidia with actual paper and even colors. Teardrop would have been impressed if the pictures didn't make her eyes grow into saucers her mind blanch at wearing anything that… well, lacking in actual material.
"Vidia," said Teardrop slowly, turning to face the other fairy with a sickeningly sweet smile.
"Yes Teary?" asked Vidia sounding annoyingly proud of herself.
"Does it seem like I have any interest in dressing like a slut?" asked Teardrop with that strained smile. Vidia seemed to realize her friend was not happy with the designs.
"What's a slut?" asked Vidia, the two fairies kept eye contact until Teardrop realized the girl was being serious and dropped her head to the table with a groan. Of course, no matter how jaded and self-centered Vidia appeared and was, she was still a fairy, a fairy who didn't read. So, being a fairy meant that Vidia was surprisingly ignorant of certain things. Because as a rule it seemed that fairies were basically innocent creatures, it was the reason they had been so shocked when Teardrop had turned on them because they hadn't even thought that a fairy would dare question that far. Really, the closest that fairies ever came to rebellion was what Tinkerbell had done, and the closest thing they had to a malicious act was what Vidia had done, and those incidents were considered extremely rare.
"It shows too much skin," Teardrop enunciated as if Vidia was acting dense on purpose.
"Don't be ridiculous, I made these with you in mind," said Vidia as if that cleared everything up and explained away Vidia trying to push Teardrop in clothes that had less cloth then underwear.
"I thought you said you designed your own clothes. You're clothes are appropriately modest, why do I have to look like some twenty dollar whore?" asked Teardrop pointing at the pictures. Vidia looked at her with exasperation and confusion for a moment before shaking her head and going forward.
"I'm going to guess that you just asked me why I have clothes that cover me and why my designs for you show allot of skin," said Vidia hesitantly and Teardrop nodded to show that Vidia had got it right in one. "Well, the reason is simple. My skin is pale and icky, it looks sickly especially because of my dark hair, so I cover most of it up with purple and have sharp edges, because I think I look good as being sharp. You, however, in spite of spending all your time indoors, have great skin that is smooth and dark. I have you in more rounded and blue colors because even though you've been starved and are only skin in bone you still, somehow, have a rounded look about you."
There was a very odd sort of silence.
"Are you insane?" asked Teardrop, there had to be something in the water, that was the only way to explain everything that was happening with the fairies and why they all were visiting her even though the general conscious was that she was a murderer, and Vidia was actually admitting to having confidence issues.
"Listen, you've only looked at the first three, you haven't even seen the rest," said Vidia flippantly and Teardrop returned to the pictures and dutifully started leafing toward them because she really didn't want to hurt Vidia's feelings. That did not mean that she ever wanted to read half these things, sure they looked good, but – by the queen they were scandalous at the best!
"That reminds me," said Teardrop, pausing at one of the designs with potential as soon as she added more layers. She gingerly fished out the necklace she'd been hording and blew on the thick golden liquid that immediately hardened. "I wanted to give this to you."
"A necklace? The ambers pretty, but what's in it?" asked Vidia looking at the pendent at the end to the strong spider silk chain.
"A lock of my hair," said Teardrop with a shrug and started making the pants on the outfit a suitable length. Vidia almost dropped the necklace in disgust.
"Please tell me you're joking," the fast flying fairy whined.
"No, it's like this," said Teardrop lifting her wrist and pointing to the coil of gold hair braided around it. "My sister has one just like it only with my hair, if we desperately need each other we just have to concentrate on that hair and we'll be there immediately."
"Would your sister actually come?" asked Vidia skeptically and then glared at the changes Teardrop had made to her design and started erasing the part on her stomach.
"Of course, I would only call her in an emergency, she knows that," said Teardrop.
"But what if it was a trap?" asked Vidia, Teardrop shrugged.
"She would feel it," said Teardrop. "Plus, if I was dying, she'd be dying and we'd use it to find each other. The only other reason we'd contact each other is if Pixie Hollow was in trouble and we can immediately tell that anyway."
"Why?" asked Vidia.
"She can feel everything magical and an attack here would shake it here, and because of what I am I feel everything in Pixie Hollow, a connection that is as impossible to break as the one to my sister," said Teardrop and then sighed. "So, wear it please, that way I will know that you haven't gotten yourself in trouble. It's not like my hair is touching you."
Vidia snorted in dry amusement.
"You didn't have enough hair to make a bracelet, thank the queen," said Vidia with a mock prayer to the air. Teardrop looked up as if she actually expected Queen Clarion to be there and Vidia punched her in the shoulder, and did something very interesting, she bit her lip.
"What's wrong Vidia?" asked Teardrop testily.
"It's nothing much," said Vidia flippantly, throwing her hair over one shoulder huffily and then spared a quick look back. "Could you make one of those bracelets out of my hair for yourself? Unless it only works for sisters and even if I get it I can't promise I'll know what it is…"
"You'll know, it's something that will answer for its self," said Teardrop walking behind her friend, she ran a hand down the dark thick hair. "Are you sure, I could take a little and make a pendant."
"No, one to match the gold one already around your wrist," said Vidia, Teardrop still considered just taking a small lock, but she'd rather not be nursing a black eye for the next week so she clipped the amount she needed and started braiding.
Somewhere in the middle of Teardrop carrying out this act they started arguing about exactly what the outfit should look like. Teardrop liked the basic idea, the stitching, ornaments, and designs Vidia had added to the look, she didn't like the fact she seemed adamant on the pants being short-shorts, and a shirt that hardly covered her chest. By the end they were sitting on either sides of the small table practically growling at each other, with the dark color of Vidia's hair-made-bracelet almost undecipherable from the skin of the dark fairy.
"We're here," both fairies jumped. Teardrop sent a frantic look out the window. It was nowhere near midday!
"Hey, Vidia stop annoying Teardrop," shouted Rosetta, another stupid fairy. Teardrop glared at Vidia, it was the fairies fault that Rosetta didn't still hold a grudge against her after all.
"Eh, and here I was hoping to take apart the dear for not giving me enough information," said Vidia with a strained smile. Teardrop returned it.
"It's not my fault you can't read," she said between gritted teeth.
"Alright Vidia," said Tinkerbell flying up to them and talking in a very loud falsely peppy voice, what was this little feather doing back at the library after last night? "If you're going to continue to be a sour puss you have got to go!"
"Like I'd want to stay," muttered Vidia taking the fastest way out the front door without even trying to say a quick goodbye.
"You're going to love me for who I brought," said Tinkerbell much too loudly. Teardrop gave her the best deadpanned frown she could.
"Quiet in the library, Tinkerbell," said Teardrop. She never had to worry about this silly feather being a problem for Pixie Hollow; she was more a danger to herself than anyone else.
"Oh, come on Teary, we're all friends," strike that, Tinkerbell had no self-preservation instincts whatsoever.
"What is all that noise?" asked Teardrop looking over her shoulder, Tinkerbell flew right in front of her face, barely an inch a way and shouted.
"Friends!"
It wasn't that incomprehensible that at that moment Teardrop's face actually took on a slight shade of dark brown mud red and she completely lost her temper.
"I will have silence in my library," shouted Teardrop over the talkative group of fairies which now seemed to composed of at least one of every spring talent. "Tinkerbell..?"
"Yes?" squeaked Tinkerbell as Teardrop stalked toward her, fear evident in her shaking knees.
"Why are there so many fairies in my library?" she asked with a slight hiss.
"Um, well, you see…" said Tinkerbell haltingly as Teardrop stalked her into a wall.
"Oh, my mercy what is this?" Teardrop turned sharply to see a plump fairy turning from her now open cupboard and about to throw the lemon goop out the window.
"No!" cried Teardrop saving most of the mess but having to reach half out of the library to do so and immediately being face to face with one of her guards who looked completely ready to lecture her. Teardrop did not have the time. "Hold that thought."
The librarian ducked back into the library with a swoosh and turned around angrily, only to feel a slight headache coming on because the noise had kicked up a notch. Her jaw dropped at the pile of food now piled high on her small table while the annoying fairy who had tried to throw her sister's lemon square out the window bustled around her pantries muttering to herself.
Teardrop slowly started to stalk toward that fairy with the intention to chew her out. When something like a scream echoed in her library she quickly made her way over the edge putting the lemon square hastily to the side to silence and correct the person making that noise.
"She must have thought I was throwing the bread out the window," the new fairy going through her cupboards said – loudly. Teardrop, two centimeters from her prey, paused and flew full speed back to the window only to see the plump fairy from before brushing her hands together in satisfaction. She popped her head out the window only see pieces of her lemon goop all over the guard from before, who glared up at her as Teardrop walked away from the window. She looked shocked at the scene in front of her. Loud voices bounced off the walls and fairies everywhere seemed to be pressing on her and a certain invasive fairy was saying her name over and over. She could feel her power playing against her skin, the power begging to be used against whatever had set her so on edge.
But she didn't want to get in trouble. Still, she didn't think she could take much more of this. She glanced all around her at the chaos and suddenly realized she had to do something. Tears touched the side of her eyes and she fell to her table, sending an avalanche of food over the edge and bawled.
"Teardrop, Teardrop?" she knew someone was calling her name, but all she wanted to do was wallow in self pity until the night when they would all be gone, and then retreat into her archives for a few weeks until the novelty of the library wore out. Though the thing crawling up her leg was rather annoying and distracting. She looked through her arms and under a table to see a fairy running a measuring tape up her leg?
"What are you doing?" asked Teardrop to the odd fairy under her table. The dark fairy's voice had become thick and scratchy from crying so long.
"Um, taking your measurements," the fairy might have had an expression of fear or a soft smile, Teardrop couldn't really tell, the world was very blurry at that moment.
"Why?" asked Teardrop almost sounding dangerous.
"For the design. We found it on the table," said what sounded like Rosetta. "It's very good, and we didn't think you'd actually have the supplies to make it here so Needle agreed to help you out."
"Oh," said Teardrop with a blink and looked in the general direction of the fairy. "Thank you very much."
"No need," said Needle sounding lost in her thoughts. "We need to get you out of a leaf right away; no fairy should be forced to wear that when we have plenty of people perfectly capable of making them something."
And Needle flew out of the library.
"She's very serious about her job," said one of the intruders from the night before… Silvermist she thought. "Are you alright right now Dew Drop?"
"It's Teardrop," corrected the dark fairy pushing the remnants of tears from her eyes. The water-talent fairy only smiled lazily at her.
"Well, someone is ready to apologize to you," Teardrop shot a low grade glare at the speaker. Tinkerbell should be apologizing to her, but from how the tinker had worded it, Teardrop doubted it would actually be her that was doing the apologizing. Her eyes went to the fairy Tinkerbell pushed forward and with a small smile decided it was almost as good, it was that plump fairy from before. "Well, go on Ginger."
"I'm sorry that I threw your lemon square thing out the window," said Ginger, not really sounding that sorry and more like a perturb child. "Though I can't understand why you would want to keep it."
"Ginger," scolded Tinkerbell softly and then turned a mostly forced smile to Teardrop. "She really is sorry, and so am I. I forgot that you hadn't had contact with fairies for a while and all the noise must have just pushed you over the edge."
"It helped, yes," said Teardrop dryly, putting her head in her hands. "So, what are you all doing up here? And where'd all the noise go."
"Well, after you fell apart," said Rosetta when no one else seemed forthcoming. "We got everyone to first quiet down and then sent them to quietly go in groups to find their sections… which I would suggest you label so someone besides you know what they are. We sent the classes to the back room, which looked like it was supposed to be your room, and they're already thinking about turning it into the new school."
"That's a stupid idea," said Teardrop bluntly.
"Why?" asked Tinkerbell with an odd question in her eyes.
"Because there are young and impressionable fairies in those classes and she thinks that letting them near her is going against some unspoken rule," said Rosetta flippantly.
"I don't think, I know," said Teardrop and the garden fairy just rolled her eyes.
"We've put away the food where we can," said Tinkerbell and glanced behind her where Ginger seemed to be making something. "Ginger agreed to make some food you can heat up quickly for this week and was actually rather offended that you thought you could get by with just the little you were given."
"There was enough there with the inclusion of the bread to last me a week," said Teardrop glaring at the fairies back, said fairy snorted.
"Six days," said Ginger. "And that is not enough variety to be healthy."
"I fast on the seventh day," said Teardrop with a shrug. "Plus, I don't get sick easily, once a year on average."
"That's because you weren't constantly meeting fairies," said Ginger, her back still to Teardrop. The dark fairy hardly registered a few of the fairies slipping away now that she was back to her old self. "Now you need to be sure that you get a healthy diet, and I'm going to be regulating it until you get back to a healthy weight."
"What?"
"Teary," Teardrop glared at Tinkerbell to take it back. "Teardrop, you're not a healthy weight, we can see that. Ginger here has agreed to slowly get you back to eating healthy and getting a little meat on those bones."
"Why?" asked Teardrop, pretty sure that the baking-talent fairy wouldn't easily be let out of her duties in her kitchen.
"I made Dulcie mad at me when I made a fairy cry who complained about the meal," said Ginger, she made it sound more like the other fairies fault than her. Seemed Ginger was proud of her cooking, that would explain the whole lemon square mess. "So, I can't cook in the kitchen for a while, and Tinkerbell suggested this when I saw her this morning. I'll be your coach. You do have another hammock, right?"
"You're spending the nights?" asked Teardrop in slight horror.
"Yeah, to make sure you don't throw-up and it also makes it easier to get here for all three meals and snacks," said Ginger, Teardrop glared, Ginger stood her ground, Teardrop sighed, she didn't have enough energy for this game.
"Fine," she said resentfully and sent a glare Tinkerbell's way like it was the tinkers fault, which it technically was. She turned to go find the odd stack of hammocks she had only to do a double take when she noticed the amount of food piled where her cupboards used to be.
"Last night and this morning we explained about your predicament and most I guess decided to give you food for using your library," said Tinkerbell looking happily at the wall of food.
"That wasn't necessary," said Teardrop, her jaw in danger of coming loose and falling to the ground.
"Maybe not, but they wanted to," said Tinkerbell and smiled at the dark fairy. Teardrop tried to say something several times and failed. Finally she gave up and just shook her head in amazement.
"I guess I could take away the no food allowed in the library and change it to no sticky food. I don't think there's any way I could eat this by myself," said Teardrop lacing her arms.
"I can help with that," said Ginger and after a few seconds got to work. Teardrop made to argue her presence; she was still soar about the fairy throwing her lemon square out the window.
"Teardrop," said two voices behind her and turned to see two mining fairies looking pathetic. "We can't find our section."
Teardrop stood for a second before moving forward with a "follow me" to the two fairies and preceded to do the part of her job that hadn't been necessary for quite some time and agreeing that she should probably label the sections. A small smile touched her lips; maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. She laughed a little, startling the two and having to apologize to them when she wondered how soon she'd be regretting that thought. With Tinkerbell around Teardrop at least knew that her life would never be predictable again the horrible monotonous loneliness replaced with a multitude of different personalities that would take forever to work through and if explored would mean she'd never have another boring day. Though how she was going to see Vidia with fairies around all day. Which reminded her, what was Tinkerbell doing here so early, didn't she have work? She'd have to have a stern word with the Tinker. And with that happy thought she left the miner-talent fairies in the right section and went to make sure no one was having trouble before going back to her translations.