Chapter Five

Nathalie and WaterZZZZLily55 : I'd add on more often, but I have to write it, as well as do my other personal stuff, plus school! I'm glad you enjoy the story though, what's your favourite LGBTQIA+ KOTLC ship/headcanon? I've always been partial to lesbian or bi Biana ones, which is why she's currently the focus of this story. :D

Sorry it's been so long since I posted, I was in 'Murica and didn't have a computer, but apparently people actually like this. Sorry! (also this chapter has a bit different tones than the other ones, it shows a bit more of Biana feeling upset, so I guess a bit of a trigger warning for depression, although it's not the worst right now, even though it's there. I don't exactly know how to explain it…) -CL

Lack of Knowledge

Biana stands awkwardly in the Foxfire halls, clutching a satchel and rubbing the pin holding her cape on. She doesn't want to think about that now. It's all too much. It's becoming all too much…

There are whispers. So many whispers. She can hear everyone. Her parents must have spoken to the council, and word got out. Of course it did.

'Biana Vacker!' somebody hisses, as she trudges to her locker.

'Likes girls-' another person murmurs.

'Unnatural-' At that, Biana whirls around to face the crowd.

They shut up immediately.

'Please stop,' she whispers, turning back and grabbing a stack of books.

They don't.

Of course they don't.

As soon as she walks dejectedly down the hallway, the comments start again, so she just speedwalks to her session. The halls are cold and dark, which must be normal, but it seems worse than usual now. People avoid her, and she's glad, she doesn't really want to talk to anybody right now. When she finally arrives, there's a note tacked to the door. 'Healing Centre! Now. -E'

She's confused, but as she pokes her head into the classroom, she notices that the mentor is missing. There's no note, other than the one from Elwin, and no way for her to find out where they went. So she follows Elwin's advice.

She gets to the Healing Centre, and finds Elwin, ranting into an imparter.

'She. Is. A. Child! You cannot withhold her education simply because of personal feelings! I will hail Magnate Letto- What do you mean, "The council gave you permission?" How dare they- I WILL speak badly about the council, if they're allowing the education of a child, actually, two children, to be taken away because YOU don't like them! This is an OUTRAGE! I will complain directly to them! Yes! I am okay with it! DO NOT turn this around, you are the problem here! Magnate Letto will surely- I know the council said it's okay but he has a way with words and could persuade- He already tried and failed? We will try again! I will do ANYTHING possible to give these children back their education! Good! Bye!' They glare at the screen until whoever's on it fades, then turn around.

'Oh. Biana. You're already here.' Elwin frowns, slips the imparter into their pocket, and gestures to a cot. 'Sit down. I need to talk to you and Keefe.'

'Our mentors won't teach us?' she asks softly, sitting down and staring at Elwin.

'No, they won't. I'll do everything I can to help, but I can't do much.'

'It's fine. I expected this.'

They sit down next to her. 'You did?'

She nods. 'Kind of. I told you nobody would like me.'

'Biana Vacker, people still like you. Your sexuality, or gender identity for that matter, should not determine if someone is friends with you, or if they "like" you.'

'But-'

'No, seriously,' they assure her softly. 'There's nothing wrong.'

She knows something is clearly long, but she relents, and changes the subject. 'I still can't believe-'

'What's goin' on?' Keefe asks loudly, storming into the room with an angry ogre. Woltzer sighs, and forces Ro to stand back as Elwin stands and wipes their hands on their tunic. The princess looks decidedly unhappy about the arrangement, but it doesn't matter. Does anything matter?

'The council allowed the mentors to withhold our education,' Biana grumbles, laying down on the cot. She's been so tired these last few days, and sometimes she isn't sure she wants to wake up.

Keefe sits down on one next to her, and grins. 'Hey, I ditch anyways. Now I won't get in as much trouble for it.'

'This isn't a good thing,' she reminds him. Maybe it is?

'I know. But I kinda think it might be. If we get Dex we can have a homo elf club in the healing centre every day!' He looks triumphant, as if he's just thought of a solution to all their problems, ever, not a dumb idea for a club.

Biana flings a pillow at him, but Elwin catches it before it can make impact. 'No clubs. Please.'

'Come on, Elwin. What else are we supposed to do?' Keefe sighs, sitting up taller and smirking. 'Actually, we should invite Dex and Foster-'

This time, it's Elwin who drops the pillow on his head, and Biana bursts into nervous giggles as Ro gaffahs, even though she's dying inside. Today the feelings just seem worse than usual, just like the school halls were darker than normal. Something's wrong, but she doesn't mention it. Not yet. 'What?' Elwin asks, giving her a small smile. 'We need to be serious.'

'We are serious!' Keefe calls, letting the pillow sit on the floor. 'I'm all for going back to school. Obviously.' He looks at Biana for a second, then frowns, before grimacing.

'Keefe, please be serious,' Biana asks, sighing as she fiddles with the pin holding her cape down again. Elwin glances down at it, and winces. 'We need to focus,' she adds, dropping her hands to divert their attention.

'Fine,' the empath whines.

'I for one am glad I don't have to sit through Elvin history,' Ro mutters, groaning at Biana's look. 'Jeez, sorry Lesbiana. Just spoutin' facts.'

'You won't be "spoutin' facts" if you miss class,' Elwin reminds her, turning away and tapping something on their imparter screen.

'What'cha doin'?' Ro asks, in a slightly sing-song manner. 'Anything important?'

'I'm letting Magnate Letto know that you two are here. Oh, hold on a second, yes hi!' They turned farther away, the principal's face filling the screen. 'Yes, I was just trying to inform you that they're here.'

'Are they both doing alright?'

'Well, Keefe's much happier about this than Biana, although something might be…'

'What?'

'Nothing.'

'Oh,' he adds suddenly. 'Would you mind sending Keefe up here?' the disguised Black Swan leader asks, voice tinny in Biana's ears from the distance.

She turns to look at Keefe, who seems confused. 'Did you do something?' she asks in a low voice, glad for a distraction, as the adults, and Ro after a moment, converse.

'I don't think so. I've been kind of busy lately, so I haven't planned as many pranks. Maybe he just wants to congratulate me on being awesome?'

'Awesomely stupid is more like it.'

'I still heard the word Awesome,' he trills, standing up and rubbing his hands on his uniform's tunic. 'Be back soon.' Then he darts off towards the door.

Friends with Secrets

Biana glances up from the book she was reading on Elementalism, Elwin had found a few old textbooks and she'd been making up for lost time while waiting for lunch, to see Keefe strolling in, looking off. 'What happened?' she asks, slamming the pages shut. 'You look weird.'

'Says you.' Okay, so, Keefe clearly knows something's wrong. Still, no discussing it today.

Ro chortles. 'Good one Funky Hair, tell that one she looks weird when you look like yourself.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It doesn't matter,' Biana says, interrupting the ogre from giving a long lecture on how ugly Keefe was, which she probably wanted to hear, but later. 'Keefe. What. Happened?'

He slumps back down onto the cot to face her, and shakes his head. 'Nope. Not telling you until you tell me what's wrong.'

'Nothing is wrong, idiot.'

'Well, you're snippier than usual, and you look like you are going to start crying any minute, and the pin on your cloak is getting worn down. It's like, you were fairly happy for a while, then when you came out and your family started acting the way that they're acting you got sad, but today seems ten times worse.'

She stares at her feet, running a hand through her hair. 'I'm fine Keefe.'

'But-'

'Just SHUT UP about it,' she whispers, making him flinch.

'Jeez, sorry.'

'No, I'm sorry-' she starts, looking up, but he turns away, opening another of Elwin's textbooks and a pencil.

'It's fine, Biana,' he mutters, starting to sketch something in the corner of a page.

They stay like that, in unsettling silence, until they have to go to lunch. It felt so long, yet so short, the amount of time they sat there. She really didn't want to know how long it was. For some reason, although she's been upset and uncomfortable for the last few days, today just made things ten times worse. She's debating faking an illness to stay at Elwin's place and not have to go back to Foxfire.

Keefe finally speaks again once they're in the hallway. 'If you wanna talk about it, I'm all ears.'

She sighs, then starts talking, slowly. 'I don't know what's going on, but there's something wrong with me.'

'What! Bi, you're perfect right now-'

'No, Keefe, not that. Something else. It's like I've been avoiding how I've been feeling for a little while, but I don't know how I've been feeling. These last few days, I've been so wrapped up in distracting myself and convincing myself I was happy, but today… For some reason…'

'Bi-'

'It's fine,' she adds, harshly, as she shoves the lunchroom doors open. I thought it was 'no talking about it today?

The chatter falls still, and then people begin to start whispering. 'I thought you went home!' someone yells, and loud laughter erupts. Keefe goes to get food, but Biana just finds an empty table and sits at it. I hate this, she thinks.

Biana? A voice says in her head. A voice she recognises.

Sophie, what are you-

You're sitting alone and I haven't seen you in the halls all day, so I'm getting worried! Now you're sitting alone?

I don't want to talk about it.

Then think about it, she challenges.

Biana looks up, and meets Sophie's eyes across the room. I'm sorry, I can't.

Sophie frowns, and whispers something to everyone at her table. Then she transmits, Can we come over there? You shouldn't be alone right now.

Fine, whatever, sure.

As Keefe settles in next to her, the others make their way across to sit down as well. Dex takes the seat next to her, Marella and Linh and Sophie and, for some reason, Stina and Maruca, and all their friends tak spots around them. Fitz decidedly does not sit down, or even move from his seat at the other table for a while, but when he does he sits with some kids Biana doesn't know. She's fine with it, really.