It's Gonna Be May [closed]

In a time that was totally before May, Nathaniel say thumbing away at his phone, photos and paper work scattered in a near-crazed manner around his desk; over his bookshelves, stacks of books piled high on the ground beside him. It was only recently that he had returned from CMF's territory, having successfully insured an alliance between them, the manpower would be enough to help keep Argona's Forces at bay - for the while.

While he was ready to settle back in, a day hadn't gone by before his eldest was pressuring him to begin the Guardian interviews again. It was urgent, he said, one of the graduates - a girl he absolutely had to meet. It would have been easy to say no, but Jason had never asked for much, and Nate supposed it was one favor he owed out of many.

The Headmaster sorted through a folder left inconspicuously on his chair, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, resigned. "Alright, come in." He called, "Ms. White, was it?"

She was sick with nausea. Evelyn doubled over the secretary's desk in the lobby outside the Headmaster's office, puffing into a paper bag she'd been using to carry her malt liquor in the cafeteria. Ugh. Get it over with.

He met your dad, didn't he? Evelyn winced. And how well did that go?

Had they even spoke? Or been alone in the same room? She'd seen him at a distance so many times, and heard so much about him, but she'd be a stranger to him. She curled her nails into her palms, white knuckles and flushed cheeks, fixing her bangs one last time in the mirror. You could even eliminate Nathaniel Wright from the equation entirely, and she still would've been hyperventilating into a bag. An interview. No, no, no. He wanted her to talk?

It was ridiculous, but this job was her only shot

She stared down her reflection in the window overlooking campus, over the first courtyard she'd walked through five years ago, sucked in one sharp breath for courage, and burst through the office door like it was a no-knock raid. Evelyn froze in the doorway, her hand still on the knob, tensed like a prey animal ready to spring. After a second, she remembered how to move, and slid herself into the seat across from him with a hard swallow, folding her hands over the mahogany. "Um." Ugh, no 'um's! She'd rehearsed it at least nine times. "Ah, y-yeah. Yes. Sir. Mr. Wright. Um, I pre-presume." The name felt unnatural in her mouth, in this context. This wasn't how her rehearsals had gone. "Ms. White, that's me, ahahaha..."

Evelyn looked down into her lap, stifling the laugh like a baby in a crib. Lemmedielemmedielemmedielemmedie...

He raised an eyebrow, saying nothing as she came crashing in. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of reckless confidence - and watched it all crumble down before either of them could say another word. It was like watching a train-wreck in slow motion and he couldn't help be amused. While he kept on a straight face, he'd been chuckling in the back of his mind. "So, Ms. White." Nathaniel cleared his throat, skimming through her files once more before tossing them aside. "I'll be asking you a series of questions. Answer truthfully. I'll know whether you're lying or not. Ready?"

No. "Yes," she answered with a soft nod, fidgeting her thumbs. Just get it over with.

Failed already. That smile broke through after all, just a small twist on the corner of his lips. "Why did you come to this school?"

She blinked. "Um..." The truth? Shouldn't have that been obvious? Evelyn felt her stomach churning, knowing he could x-ray every word, but what else could she say but the truth? Lies required artistry. "Bec-cause of my g-gift." To learn how to control her power. But she couldn't control her power. So why did she come to this school? After a moment of hesitation, she squirmed in her seat. "M-my power m-m-makes it h-hard f-f-for me to live in, um, t-the... 'real' world. So... I-I g-guess the sc-school is w-where I belong..."

It put her on pins and needles just to hear her own voice. This was a mistake after all...

He only nodded, watching her closely. "You guess?" Nathaniel mused, "Do you want to stay?" Even barring his gift, anyone could easily sense the doubt in her voice. She wasn't just applying for a place to stay. Guardianship required a bit more than that.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes?

She squirmed in her seat. "I-I don't have an-anywhere else. Th-the school's m-my h-h-home."

For some time he stared her down, eyes scanning, letting his mind ponder. "If you want this job, I need to know you're serious."

This wasn't what she wanted, but that was entitled, wasn't it? If she did get the job, could she prove she could do it? Maybe not. But if she didn't, what then? Toss herself off another roof? The Headmaster's stare made her nauseous with anxiety, but if she was going to mooch on his son's couch, then she supposed she owed this much to him. "I am. Mis—Mr. Wright."

He let out a heavy sigh into a curled fist, frowning. His weary golden gaze found her papers on the table again, a younger, much brighter looking girl smiling up at them from the cover. Just a freshman then, he guessed. "I've read through your history several times... There's not near as much written about you as any other student, but I guess that is only to be expected." He mused, pushing a finger to his temple. "You have near no skill with a weapon, showed little promise in any defensive art classes, and haven’t been able to make any significant progress with the gift master teacher. Any serious Guardian mission I sent you on now may very well just get you killed." Lord knew he already had enough young blood on his hands.

“But, he added on quickly. “I may still have use for you. I'm sure you're familiar with Jason at this point?”

Ouch. As much as she'd been anticipating rejection, she shrunk under the Headmaster's frankness, all her defects and inadequacies shaken out into the open and put into words.

Familiar? Evelyn toyed with the idea of blurting out that she'd taken his virginity, but the madness passed quickly. "Very," she breathed, almost whispering it.

That was the most convincing answer she'd given him up until then. Although her voice was hushed, the slight outburst of emotions she'd given off them were far from subtle. He raised an eyebrow, continuing on. "Then I hope I can trust you with what I'm about to say," Nate muttered. She was just a child, and there had been far too many children lured to Argona's cause lately. "I wouldn't want you out on the field, but I could use your intelligence instead. The People in Black have eyes and ears everywhere in this school. It's difficult to lure them out when, more often than not, they can see your every move." What seers had lived at Beata before were either underground or in Phoebe's grasp. He grimaced. "But your gift gives us an advantage. It's essentially a blindside. Even I must admit, I cannot read you quite as well as any other."

Perhaps it was best just to cut to the point. "I'm afraid there's been a large compromise in safety, and especially in my son's case... That woman he's with, something wrong about her."

People in black. Eyes and ears everywhere. She already knew that to be a fact; nobody had forgotten how the school had been almost razed to a smoking ruin during the autumn, but it still felt... well, ridiculous. There was real danger out there, for people like her. Somehow that was still difficult to swallow.

She'd applied for this. So why did she feel like this was way over her head? Evelyn kept a level stare, curling her nails into her palm. "Elodie?" she blurted. He was unsafe? Elodie was perfect in every way. Spotless. What did the Headmaster see that Jason didn't? Evelyn leaned in with keen interest. "Y-you... w-want me to sp-spy on her?"

"Essentially, yes." He nodded, glancing up to a nearby shelf. A picture of the two of them, Jason and Elodie, that his son had sent them during his time away in Europe. Sweet as it was, it'd always felt slightly eerie to keep around. "She was an essential link to Sofia, while it was still standing. Even now, she frequently travels on what remains of it, to keep the peace in Europe - I'd expect." However well that was working. He couldn't imagine the turmoil there now. "And yet... she falls off the map, sometimes for weeks. I've tried to follow up a few times, but she's great at disappearing."

And, it this was only a personal opinion of his, but she often did well to suppress her emotions. Always calm and serene, even in the face of terrible news. Elodie was an admirable actress.

"As much as I love Jason, he's... easily blinded." He cracked a small grin. For lack of better words. "If I ever told him any of this, or if he knew..." The Headmaster didn't want to imagine what reckless trouble that'd get them all into, whether she were clean or not.