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Who: Abernathy and Mother Criss
When: Tuesday after class
Where: The advanced Divination classroom
What: Abernathy begins phase two of her plan and approaches Mother Criss.
Rating: SFW.
Abernathy didn't want to delay her meeting with Mother Criss, but the Advanced Divination teacher had been seeing students in and out since the very first day of scheduling. It was like this every year; no matter who Octavia Whalon recommended Mother Criss had the final say.
Abby paced outside her office for a bit. If the woman had the gift there was no doubt she'd see right through any amount of bullshit Abby could think to peddle. It was probably best just to come right out with it. Or maybe to play it subtle and see what Mother Criss picked up on.
Abby had never encountered the woman before. She didn't know what to expect walking through the door and finding a small, clean but dark room that smelled a bit like tea and incense. She approached the ancient looking woman and stood awkwardly before her. "I'm Abernathy Ford," she said as if that might give the woman any sort of hint as to why she was here.
Mother Criss reclined in her overstuffed chair and looked over the student before her. There was not a touch of Sight about her and both of them knew it, but age certainly had not dampened the uncontrollable curiosity the Seer had regarding this meeting. “Sit down, Miss Ford.” She motioned to the chair at the other end of the small table before her, and though it was presented as an invitation it was anything but. She was commanding the girl to place herself at the woman’s mercy. “Tell me of your plans for the future.”
Abby couldn't quite help the little shiver of fear that worked its way up her spine. The woman was truly terrifying. She took the seat as she was told and folded her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. "I'm uh... Well... I don't know. Isn't that what you do?" She managed to recover just enough of her wits to stay true to herself.
“One’s plans for the future and the way things unfold are rarely one and the same; even for those whom can see what is coming and particularly for those whom expect to have it spelled out for them.” Mother Criss could sense trickery afoot, though it did not seem to be with foul intent. Abernathy did not seem to understand the innate workings of Divination beyond a purely informational context, that much was evident from her attempt to skirt the question whilst at the same time expecting the older woman to already know the answer.
Oh Christ, she's already on to me. Abernathy had to remember how to breath and then had to decide how she was going to handle this. Her footing here was much more slippery than expected. "All right, fine," she said placing her hands open palmed on her lap as if she could beg for mercy, almost as a sign of respect. I come open handed to ask for your help. But of course, Abby was never so articulate or polite to put it so clearly. "You were probably just as surprised as Dawkins about my sudden turn around and equally curious as to why I'm here. Well. I'll tell you."
She huffed and took a deep breath before plunging into the deep end. "I'm not here for me. And if you take me on to study you won't be teaching me. You'll be teaching my sister."
Dr Dawkins had furnished Mother Criss with Abernathy’s file in advance of the meeting, so that she could get a feel for the girl. Upon finally hearing the confession, she pulled the thick folder from beside the arm of the chair, and opened it. She flipped past the endless detention tickets and write-ups for misbehavior, until she came to the earliest part of the file; from when Abby had first started at Dresden Academy.
Her former school had noted her headstrong behavior and her determination to have her sister admitted to magical schooling on a special basis. Abernathy believed that her sister possessed the gift of Sight, if no other magic whatsoever, and should be trained in the craft. Her crusade seemed to have ended with the move to Dresden however, as no such requests had been recorded by the faculty here.
“Tell me about her.” She had better have a good reason for believing-- she checked the file again-- Bernadine was a Seer and not simply a curious squib if she had taken it upon herself to come to Mother Criss for aid in this sort of undertaking.
AB sat impatiently as the big file came out. Mother Criss didn't seem terribly impressed, but she didn't seem deterred either. She sighed and ran her hands through her hair as if that could really help her describe her sister. She shrugged before she even started. "She's always been a little off," she started. "It wasn't noticeable until we were a little older. She'd say weird things that didn't make much sense sometimes. Other times she'd say something that cut straight to the bone." Abby frowned, but decided she'd toss this next bit in anyway. "It sounds really stupid but she always wins at guessing games. I dunno if that's a symptom or what, but she can't seem to help herself."
A symptom; as though Sight were a disease, that having it should serve as a warning of worse to come. No, Mother Criss was not at all impressed by Abernathy Ford or her lack of respect for the subtle art of Divination. She was intrigued however, at this determination on her sister’s behalf-- dormant many years though apparently no less satisfied by the lack of help. “You have discussed this with her?”
"It was all my idea," Abby admitted. "If you accepted me as a student we'd switch places in the fall. She'd be Abernathy for as long as she needed to study here and I'd be Abernathy at a muggle school. She said it would work for exactly as long as she needed it to."
Mother Criss closed her eyes, folded her hands in her lap, and sat back in silence. It was a very interesting proposition; the likes of which she had never come across in her very, very long teaching career. She had nurtured many all-seeing minds to their greatest potential, and though she did not particularly agree with some of the views Abernathy Ford wasn’t even aware she was expressing, she did agree with one thing-- her sister’s need to harness her gift should not be dependent on her other magical abilities, or lack thereof. She had been denied a magical education on that basis, but the curious instance of genetics had, in this case, granted her a second chance.
She stood up from her chair, bones creaking in protest, and shuffled over to a set of drawers behind Abernathy’s seat. She rummaged around before finally emerging with a broken shard of a crystal ball. She wrapped it carefully in a brightly coloured scarf and passed it to her guest. “Give this to your sister, and have her return it to me with everything she can See about it. Then-- and only then-- will I make my final decision.”
Abby took the shard and shivered again, not because of any sight on her part, just a mild tremor of fear. What if Bernadine couldn't see anything? What if this whole stupid thing was just as bad an idea as she was starting to think it was? She nodded, putting on a brave face. "Thank you," she said. She wasn't being thoughtful, but Mother Criss was giving her sister a chance. It was more than anyone else had done.
“You worry needlessly,” the old woman informed her. “Bernadine is correct. Should this farce succeed, it will work for as long as she needs it to, and no longer. And if it doesn’t, neither you nor she are any worse off for it. Direct your limited foresight to your own plans for the fall.” It would not do to have the one part of her scheme succeed, only for the other half to fall flat.
Abby had no idea what to make of this statement. It should have been a comfort, but she couldn't see it that way. She nodded again, bereft of words and any helpful thoughts to interject into the tail end of this conversation. She clutched the crystal shard to her chest and dashed out of the classroom before it got even more uncomfortable. Before the afternoon was out she'd owl the shard to her sister with the exact words of Mother Criss jotted on a sheet of paper. Until she got the shard back there wasn't anything else she could do.
When: Tuesday after class
Where: The advanced Divination classroom
What: Abernathy begins phase two of her plan and approaches Mother Criss.
Rating: SFW.
Abernathy didn't want to delay her meeting with Mother Criss, but the Advanced Divination teacher had been seeing students in and out since the very first day of scheduling. It was like this every year; no matter who Octavia Whalon recommended Mother Criss had the final say.
Abby paced outside her office for a bit. If the woman had the gift there was no doubt she'd see right through any amount of bullshit Abby could think to peddle. It was probably best just to come right out with it. Or maybe to play it subtle and see what Mother Criss picked up on.
Abby had never encountered the woman before. She didn't know what to expect walking through the door and finding a small, clean but dark room that smelled a bit like tea and incense. She approached the ancient looking woman and stood awkwardly before her. "I'm Abernathy Ford," she said as if that might give the woman any sort of hint as to why she was here.
Mother Criss reclined in her overstuffed chair and looked over the student before her. There was not a touch of Sight about her and both of them knew it, but age certainly had not dampened the uncontrollable curiosity the Seer had regarding this meeting. “Sit down, Miss Ford.” She motioned to the chair at the other end of the small table before her, and though it was presented as an invitation it was anything but. She was commanding the girl to place herself at the woman’s mercy. “Tell me of your plans for the future.”
Abby couldn't quite help the little shiver of fear that worked its way up her spine. The woman was truly terrifying. She took the seat as she was told and folded her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. "I'm uh... Well... I don't know. Isn't that what you do?" She managed to recover just enough of her wits to stay true to herself.
“One’s plans for the future and the way things unfold are rarely one and the same; even for those whom can see what is coming and particularly for those whom expect to have it spelled out for them.” Mother Criss could sense trickery afoot, though it did not seem to be with foul intent. Abernathy did not seem to understand the innate workings of Divination beyond a purely informational context, that much was evident from her attempt to skirt the question whilst at the same time expecting the older woman to already know the answer.
Oh Christ, she's already on to me. Abernathy had to remember how to breath and then had to decide how she was going to handle this. Her footing here was much more slippery than expected. "All right, fine," she said placing her hands open palmed on her lap as if she could beg for mercy, almost as a sign of respect. I come open handed to ask for your help. But of course, Abby was never so articulate or polite to put it so clearly. "You were probably just as surprised as Dawkins about my sudden turn around and equally curious as to why I'm here. Well. I'll tell you."
She huffed and took a deep breath before plunging into the deep end. "I'm not here for me. And if you take me on to study you won't be teaching me. You'll be teaching my sister."
Dr Dawkins had furnished Mother Criss with Abernathy’s file in advance of the meeting, so that she could get a feel for the girl. Upon finally hearing the confession, she pulled the thick folder from beside the arm of the chair, and opened it. She flipped past the endless detention tickets and write-ups for misbehavior, until she came to the earliest part of the file; from when Abby had first started at Dresden Academy.
Her former school had noted her headstrong behavior and her determination to have her sister admitted to magical schooling on a special basis. Abernathy believed that her sister possessed the gift of Sight, if no other magic whatsoever, and should be trained in the craft. Her crusade seemed to have ended with the move to Dresden however, as no such requests had been recorded by the faculty here.
“Tell me about her.” She had better have a good reason for believing-- she checked the file again-- Bernadine was a Seer and not simply a curious squib if she had taken it upon herself to come to Mother Criss for aid in this sort of undertaking.
AB sat impatiently as the big file came out. Mother Criss didn't seem terribly impressed, but she didn't seem deterred either. She sighed and ran her hands through her hair as if that could really help her describe her sister. She shrugged before she even started. "She's always been a little off," she started. "It wasn't noticeable until we were a little older. She'd say weird things that didn't make much sense sometimes. Other times she'd say something that cut straight to the bone." Abby frowned, but decided she'd toss this next bit in anyway. "It sounds really stupid but she always wins at guessing games. I dunno if that's a symptom or what, but she can't seem to help herself."
A symptom; as though Sight were a disease, that having it should serve as a warning of worse to come. No, Mother Criss was not at all impressed by Abernathy Ford or her lack of respect for the subtle art of Divination. She was intrigued however, at this determination on her sister’s behalf-- dormant many years though apparently no less satisfied by the lack of help. “You have discussed this with her?”
"It was all my idea," Abby admitted. "If you accepted me as a student we'd switch places in the fall. She'd be Abernathy for as long as she needed to study here and I'd be Abernathy at a muggle school. She said it would work for exactly as long as she needed it to."
Mother Criss closed her eyes, folded her hands in her lap, and sat back in silence. It was a very interesting proposition; the likes of which she had never come across in her very, very long teaching career. She had nurtured many all-seeing minds to their greatest potential, and though she did not particularly agree with some of the views Abernathy Ford wasn’t even aware she was expressing, she did agree with one thing-- her sister’s need to harness her gift should not be dependent on her other magical abilities, or lack thereof. She had been denied a magical education on that basis, but the curious instance of genetics had, in this case, granted her a second chance.
She stood up from her chair, bones creaking in protest, and shuffled over to a set of drawers behind Abernathy’s seat. She rummaged around before finally emerging with a broken shard of a crystal ball. She wrapped it carefully in a brightly coloured scarf and passed it to her guest. “Give this to your sister, and have her return it to me with everything she can See about it. Then-- and only then-- will I make my final decision.”
Abby took the shard and shivered again, not because of any sight on her part, just a mild tremor of fear. What if Bernadine couldn't see anything? What if this whole stupid thing was just as bad an idea as she was starting to think it was? She nodded, putting on a brave face. "Thank you," she said. She wasn't being thoughtful, but Mother Criss was giving her sister a chance. It was more than anyone else had done.
“You worry needlessly,” the old woman informed her. “Bernadine is correct. Should this farce succeed, it will work for as long as she needs it to, and no longer. And if it doesn’t, neither you nor she are any worse off for it. Direct your limited foresight to your own plans for the fall.” It would not do to have the one part of her scheme succeed, only for the other half to fall flat.
Abby had no idea what to make of this statement. It should have been a comfort, but she couldn't see it that way. She nodded again, bereft of words and any helpful thoughts to interject into the tail end of this conversation. She clutched the crystal shard to her chest and dashed out of the classroom before it got even more uncomfortable. Before the afternoon was out she'd owl the shard to her sister with the exact words of Mother Criss jotted on a sheet of paper. Until she got the shard back there wasn't anything else she could do.
