Dragged into the Spotlight
The teachers filed out in a stunned silence that was unfamiliar to the room. Even with the horrifying death reports every other week there was rarely an actual shock. Philip sat staring at the empty seat opposite him. Phaedra avoiding Guiren's gaze as she waited for the teachers to leave. Hoping to prevent herself from seeing the betrayal he tried to hide. She needed to explain. To apologise for not sending him. Later. Her expression hardened at the lich who had also remained behind.
"I said I needed to talk to Philip," she repeated. "Are you Philip?"
The professor blinked. His brow raising in surprise. "You wanted to give him details. I presumed..."
"Do not presume, Lichtenstein," she told him firmly. Her up shooting up to point at the door. "I wish to talk to him alone."
It was enough to get her authority recognised. The professor stood, not before some hesitation, bowed his goodbye and walked out. There was silence for a long time after the door closed. Phaedra walked over to the seat next to Philip and pulled it out. Though she opted to perch herself on the edge of the table itself. Her hands folding on her knee. Ladylike and common simultaneously.
The hunter gave her a long hard stare. "Why did you pick me?" His tone was almost accusatory. "Out of all the heroes you have to choose from, why me? You know I am not the best suited to this."
She turned her head partially. Gave him a reproachful look. If he didn't know her better... If he didn't practice staring contests with dangerous animals he might just have flinched. "Aren't you? You know how to map an area out. You know how to investigate it. You know how to deal with strange and new creatures."
"I am not a people person, Phaedra. Not really. Not as much as Alistair. Why don't you just have him be your representative?"
"Would you send Alistair to investigate a new tribe in the Amazon? Even if he knew people who lived on the outskirts?"
Philip frowned and reluctantly gave the answer she was looking for, "No." He wasn't about to dwell on that trap. "But we have people for this. We have the Sun Prince and the White Knight and..."
"They're away. Far away. We need to investigate this now and quietly. Perhaps, if you find out it's safe, we shall send them in," she offered as some sort of compromise. "If it needs diplomats rather than warriors."
It didn't sit well with him. It didn't sit well with him at all. "I'm no good at it Phaedra. I'm not like Lichtenstein. I can't learn everything about a person just by looking at the way they stand. I'm no mind reader! What do you expect me to do?"
"Listen. Watch. Gather a little information. We can't just go by what Lichtenstein says..."
Again with the distrust! He knew it was traditional. That the extreme wariness of Lichtenstein was a time honoured aspect of the headmaster or headmistress. That didn't mean it didn't wreak havoc with the teachers who had to deal with them both. "And why not? Why not just this once use the fact that he has no reason to be afraid of anything? Why not use the fact that he's got experience working with people and getting more information from them in one sitting than I would in a month?"
She stared at him. Simply stared at him. Pulling the card that nobody was 'allowed' to pull because it used an issue that 'didn't exist'. "Because he's not part of our institute," she replied finally. Then jumped to interrupt him as he prepared to speak again. "And I want a second opinion. Your second opinion. You are a specialist, Philip. Maybe this isn't your thing... But really, none of us here know how to deal with this. You're the closest we have."
He frowned at her. Shifting his jaw as he considered. Then he sighed and ran a hand through his dirty hair. "Fine." A pause. "Guiren is going to be pissed at you for a long time, Phaedra."
"I know," she sighed. Also relaxing after the tense moments. It had been a long, long day for her.
"Come to think of it he's going to be jealous of me, " Philip grumbled half to himself.
"He won't be. He's too smart to think you want this," she assured him as she rubbed her temple.
Silence passed. Philip's brain still racing to get him out of this horrifying task. "What are they going to think of this school?"
"Hm?"
"Look at me!" He lifted his arms and then let them flop back onto his lap. Gesturing to his ragged clothing and messy mop of hair. In his defence, it's not often he gets told he's going to be the symbol of his school. His family. He might have smartened up if he'd known. "I look like someone you pulled off the streets of downtown Helsinki! Surely you can't send me out to represent us heroes."
"You're right..." He sighed in relief and sat back into his chair. "We'll have to get you a haircut."
He blinked at her. "What?"
"And an outfit. Specially. Just in case this turns out well. We want to make a good impression." She nodded to herself. Already imagining it. "Yes... You can choose the colours, of course. We have no uniform..."
Philip lifted his hands again. Aghast. Him in stiff, untarnished threads? What was the world coming to? He grasped for something else to complain about. Suddenly he nodded and leaned an elbow on the table. "Right. Right. And who do I introduce us as? The school? The orphanage?"
Phaedra slumped very slightly. It must not have occurred to her. Things are simple when you are an established court or empire. You get a simple name. But when you're only known as heroes semi-formally, cover many jobs and are part of no nation... "School of Heroes... No. Heroes Guild... No. Too clichéd... Heroes of the Fall. Yes. That sounds... decent. Don't you think?"
The hunter looked at her with a deadpan expression. Wishing she'd taken longer on deciding a title. A title she would no doubt enforce. "We are the embodiment of clichéd, Phaedra. You'd better make sure everyone else agrees with it. Is that it?"
"Just a few pointers. Remember only give a short bow. We are supposed to be respected as much as we respect others. Remember to offer no important information and no information on our weaknesses. Gain as much knowledge as you can from everyone else. Don't offend anyone if you can help it. Don't let anyone into this world without consulting me first. They can be patient or they don't get to come at all." She stopped then to consider what else there might be. Floorboards creaked and Philip shifted restlessly. Finally she waved a hand. "That will do. I will mention anything else that comes to mind. You will have Alistair there as a vague guide to what he knows anyway."
"Have a guide. Don't bow too much. Keep my lips sealed and interrogate others. Got it." Philip sighed and crooked an eyebrow at her. "Do I get a drink now? You owe me one. Springing this on me like that. In front of everyone else, who, might I add, seemed to think I already knew."
The headmistress smiled and nodded. "Go and have one with the other teachers. And send Guiren to the training ring if you see him. I need to talk to him."
Philip's smile was thin. "Is that an order?"
She laughed tiredly, "Yes, yes, an order! Just make sure he gets the message if you spot him."
"I will. As long as I'm allowed that drink then I will." He stood, stretched and made his way over to the door.
"Philip?" She waited until he turned back to face her. A near michievous smile on her lips. "I'll be sending someone to give you your new clothes and cut your hair."
His face twisted into a wry smile. "If it wasn't for that you'd have gone a whole meeting sounding like Lichtentsien. He'll be disappointed to hear that."
He was shooed out of the room then with a warning that she might take up the professor's practice of skinning people alive if everyone kept being so cheeky. Better that than revoking his licence to drink on a week day.
"I said I needed to talk to Philip," she repeated. "Are you Philip?"
The professor blinked. His brow raising in surprise. "You wanted to give him details. I presumed..."
"Do not presume, Lichtenstein," she told him firmly. Her up shooting up to point at the door. "I wish to talk to him alone."
It was enough to get her authority recognised. The professor stood, not before some hesitation, bowed his goodbye and walked out. There was silence for a long time after the door closed. Phaedra walked over to the seat next to Philip and pulled it out. Though she opted to perch herself on the edge of the table itself. Her hands folding on her knee. Ladylike and common simultaneously.
The hunter gave her a long hard stare. "Why did you pick me?" His tone was almost accusatory. "Out of all the heroes you have to choose from, why me? You know I am not the best suited to this."
She turned her head partially. Gave him a reproachful look. If he didn't know her better... If he didn't practice staring contests with dangerous animals he might just have flinched. "Aren't you? You know how to map an area out. You know how to investigate it. You know how to deal with strange and new creatures."
"I am not a people person, Phaedra. Not really. Not as much as Alistair. Why don't you just have him be your representative?"
"Would you send Alistair to investigate a new tribe in the Amazon? Even if he knew people who lived on the outskirts?"
Philip frowned and reluctantly gave the answer she was looking for, "No." He wasn't about to dwell on that trap. "But we have people for this. We have the Sun Prince and the White Knight and..."
"They're away. Far away. We need to investigate this now and quietly. Perhaps, if you find out it's safe, we shall send them in," she offered as some sort of compromise. "If it needs diplomats rather than warriors."
It didn't sit well with him. It didn't sit well with him at all. "I'm no good at it Phaedra. I'm not like Lichtenstein. I can't learn everything about a person just by looking at the way they stand. I'm no mind reader! What do you expect me to do?"
"Listen. Watch. Gather a little information. We can't just go by what Lichtenstein says..."
Again with the distrust! He knew it was traditional. That the extreme wariness of Lichtenstein was a time honoured aspect of the headmaster or headmistress. That didn't mean it didn't wreak havoc with the teachers who had to deal with them both. "And why not? Why not just this once use the fact that he has no reason to be afraid of anything? Why not use the fact that he's got experience working with people and getting more information from them in one sitting than I would in a month?"
She stared at him. Simply stared at him. Pulling the card that nobody was 'allowed' to pull because it used an issue that 'didn't exist'. "Because he's not part of our institute," she replied finally. Then jumped to interrupt him as he prepared to speak again. "And I want a second opinion. Your second opinion. You are a specialist, Philip. Maybe this isn't your thing... But really, none of us here know how to deal with this. You're the closest we have."
He frowned at her. Shifting his jaw as he considered. Then he sighed and ran a hand through his dirty hair. "Fine." A pause. "Guiren is going to be pissed at you for a long time, Phaedra."
"I know," she sighed. Also relaxing after the tense moments. It had been a long, long day for her.
"Come to think of it he's going to be jealous of me, " Philip grumbled half to himself.
"He won't be. He's too smart to think you want this," she assured him as she rubbed her temple.
Silence passed. Philip's brain still racing to get him out of this horrifying task. "What are they going to think of this school?"
"Hm?"
"Look at me!" He lifted his arms and then let them flop back onto his lap. Gesturing to his ragged clothing and messy mop of hair. In his defence, it's not often he gets told he's going to be the symbol of his school. His family. He might have smartened up if he'd known. "I look like someone you pulled off the streets of downtown Helsinki! Surely you can't send me out to represent us heroes."
"You're right..." He sighed in relief and sat back into his chair. "We'll have to get you a haircut."
He blinked at her. "What?"
"And an outfit. Specially. Just in case this turns out well. We want to make a good impression." She nodded to herself. Already imagining it. "Yes... You can choose the colours, of course. We have no uniform..."
Philip lifted his hands again. Aghast. Him in stiff, untarnished threads? What was the world coming to? He grasped for something else to complain about. Suddenly he nodded and leaned an elbow on the table. "Right. Right. And who do I introduce us as? The school? The orphanage?"
Phaedra slumped very slightly. It must not have occurred to her. Things are simple when you are an established court or empire. You get a simple name. But when you're only known as heroes semi-formally, cover many jobs and are part of no nation... "School of Heroes... No. Heroes Guild... No. Too clichéd... Heroes of the Fall. Yes. That sounds... decent. Don't you think?"
The hunter looked at her with a deadpan expression. Wishing she'd taken longer on deciding a title. A title she would no doubt enforce. "We are the embodiment of clichéd, Phaedra. You'd better make sure everyone else agrees with it. Is that it?"
"Just a few pointers. Remember only give a short bow. We are supposed to be respected as much as we respect others. Remember to offer no important information and no information on our weaknesses. Gain as much knowledge as you can from everyone else. Don't offend anyone if you can help it. Don't let anyone into this world without consulting me first. They can be patient or they don't get to come at all." She stopped then to consider what else there might be. Floorboards creaked and Philip shifted restlessly. Finally she waved a hand. "That will do. I will mention anything else that comes to mind. You will have Alistair there as a vague guide to what he knows anyway."
"Have a guide. Don't bow too much. Keep my lips sealed and interrogate others. Got it." Philip sighed and crooked an eyebrow at her. "Do I get a drink now? You owe me one. Springing this on me like that. In front of everyone else, who, might I add, seemed to think I already knew."
The headmistress smiled and nodded. "Go and have one with the other teachers. And send Guiren to the training ring if you see him. I need to talk to him."
Philip's smile was thin. "Is that an order?"
She laughed tiredly, "Yes, yes, an order! Just make sure he gets the message if you spot him."
"I will. As long as I'm allowed that drink then I will." He stood, stretched and made his way over to the door.
"Philip?" She waited until he turned back to face her. A near michievous smile on her lips. "I'll be sending someone to give you your new clothes and cut your hair."
His face twisted into a wry smile. "If it wasn't for that you'd have gone a whole meeting sounding like Lichtentsien. He'll be disappointed to hear that."
He was shooed out of the room then with a warning that she might take up the professor's practice of skinning people alive if everyone kept being so cheeky. Better that than revoking his licence to drink on a week day.