No Songs for the Sad (Will)

[Giselle]

Giselle didn't like to wander too far from the dorm buildings. It was still a dangerous place around here and it made her feel a little frightened. Trenale wasn't like the forest of Andolasia. There had been a dragon here. Though, she'd had an incident with a troll back in Andolasia, so maybe this place wasn't so bad after all. But it didn't look so nice. Andolasia always looked pretty.

Today she was wandering. She had found her old room almost exactly as she had left it a week ago. All of her things were there, which was very exciting. She had been able to make herself a brand new dress and she had plenty of ribbons for her hair. But she was feeling sort of trapped. She didn't have any ability for magically making the buildings safe and she shouldn't be allowed to have any weapons in case she accidentally hurt herself. She fell off of things too much for that.

She sat on the edge of fountain, feeling sad. She had been hoping to see Bartok but she couldn't seem to find him anywhere. Maybe he was hiding. She couldn't blame him for that. It was pretty scary being here when the school looked like this. She sighed softly. She didn't even have a sad song to sing.

[William Fenris]

Will, after everything that happened felt a bit more at easy, so many allies, so many people he would fight with or for in just a few short days. He had a spring in his step, even if he was incredibly inclined to hunch by habit.

It was then, and only then that he noticed a very sad famillar woman sat near the fountain. A woman he remembered to be the one with the wolf. He froze, momentarily before deciding that as the wolf wasn't around, maybe she needed some help. He moved forward, slowly. Feet tending to still slump against the ground, still every part the sullen teenager, but with a less sullen expression under his mess of hair, a genuine look of worry on his features as he stammered a greeting.

"A--Are you alright?"

[Giselle]

Giselle looked at the sound of a voice. She must look very sad if someone was asking her if she was alright. She nodded sadly. "I'll be alright. Everything has just been sad recently." She didn't want to go into the details, but it was very difficult to think that you've only away from a place for only a week to come back and find that it had been much longer.

Normally, Giselle liked magic. It was enchanting and delightful and she didn't understand it, but it was nice! But not right now. All her friends, her animal friends, were probably dead and gone by now, which was so sad. She'd never had time to say goodbye. And then coming back and the school was in such bad shape, it made her very sad.

"Do you want to come and sit by me?" Giselle asked, patting the fountain beside her. "I don't mind the company. The school used to be beautiful. It's so strange that it's not anymore."

[William Fenris]

Will shuffled a little, he hadn't expected to be asked to sit down, but sit down he did. Planting himself next to her, he stuffed his hands into his pockets looking around them.

"....Well, this is better than where I come from. This place, it's beautiful to me."

He's careful, he knows that this is not the school that they all knew. But to him, the haunting quality was mysterious and also thrilling too in a way. He was looking forward to being in the school they have all built up.

"I....I saw the posters, they're looking for a headmaster. Who did you pick? I...I don't really know anyone..."

[Giselle]

Giselle nodded. "Oh its still beautiful," she agreed with a little sigh. The school was still beautiful. Very much so. It was a sad kind of beautiful though. The kind of beautiful where something has been so much more than it is now. "It's such a lovely place here."

Giselle turned to really look at the boy. He seemed so quiet. So shy. She wished one of her animal friends was around to make hello make him feel more at home. She hoped he liked the school as much as she had when she first started here.

She brightened a bit and have Will a smile. "I voted for Merlin. A week ago he was younger and a little less in control. But he's really grown into himself I think. Plus, he's very kind to animals. We meet a dragon the other day when we were cleaning out the dormitory and he should to the dragon and made it comfortable. And then, when we were done cleaning he helped the dragon find a new home."

[William Fenris]

Will smiled matching her small smile in reference to the castle, listening. There was so much that he wanted to learn, so many things he needed to be able to do here. He was almost scared to ask what she meant by a week ago. Still, he sat quietly next to Giselle.

"A d-dragon? There's dragons here? I didn't think...." Will paused, "Never mind, I just....where I'm from, there's just The Woods, and the Villages that surround that....there's so much to learn about this place."

He mouthed the name Merlin, a couple of times. Before watching her carefully. "And this Merlin, you think he'll be a good headmaster? I have been struggling to choose, I've been looking at the list, but I do not know any of them. It has been very difficult for me to choose for that reason..."

Then something hit him, listening.

"You mean....the portals are still open? People could get sent home? Or....more could come in?"

[Giselle]

Giselle nodded, encouragingly. "Oh yes. It was definitely a dragon. A small one though and Merlin relocated it so it won't bother anyone at the school. You'll be quite safe here if you're worried." She patted his shoulder reassuringly. He seemed like such a shy little thing. "There was a lot for me to learn when I first came here too. But you'll get used to it soon," she promised.

Giselle could understand the indecision she had had about voting for someone. The names that she knew were people she hadn't really spoken to in a long time. Who knew what time had done to them? "Oh yes. Merlin is very wise and he's very kind. And I always think that if people are good with animals then maybe they aren't all bad." She shrugged. "But yes, there are so many different people that I don't know or don't know anymore, but Merlin is a good one."

She looked around her for a moment thinking over the question. "I'm not sure quite how the portals work. I think that people should be able to get home once the portal room is open. And portals seem to be letting people in, but I'm not really sure how it all works." She shrugged. "I don't know very much about magic."

[William Fenris]

Will listened, trembling a little still in the chill and the fear. He is fascinated. Both of these people Giselle and Merlin had been good with animals, he had never seen such a tame wolf before. "I...the portal I came from, I hope my family don't come through. They would not be find like the other people here. They might tear it down and blow it away."

He licks his lips, nervously. "I really wish all the portals to just close...mine in particular." After all, he had no reason to go back, and they'd be safe then. He rubbed his arms. "How...how were you friends with that wolf at the meeting?"

[Giselle]

Giselle looked at Will. She gave him a good look. She wondered if things were not good for him at home. If he was afraid for his family to come here then maybe he was scared of something. "Don't worry," she said with a reassuring smile. "Even if they do come through the portal there are plenty of people here who have magic and can protect the school, so there's nothing that can hurt any of us here. It'll be alright."

Giselle nodded reassuringly. "There might be a way to turn the portal off from your home only, but I'm not sure. Magic is a little confusing."

She straightened a little bit. "Oh! I have a special song that calls the animals when I need them. And the animals who are my friends come when I sing. And then they help me." She nodded briefly. "The wolves have been keeping an eye on me. I think that they're not sure if its safe here yet."

[William Fenris]

Will tries to settled himself, hands tucked away in his hood against her. He was glad of the reassurance but it did still make him weary.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, should I speak to Merlin...or....or whoever becomes headmaster about that? I really think it won't be safe..."

He swallows tightly, listening to her, but she was really very comforting. Except she mentioned wolves again and he watched her closely. "So...the wolves here are your friends? I've never heard of that before....wolves and humans being friends."

[Giselle]

Giselle nodded encouragingly at the boy. That sounded like a great suggestion."Oh yes," she said gently. "Yes, the headmaster should be able to help you with that. That's a good plan."

Giselle shrugged. She knew that it was odd that the wolves were her friends, but she couldn't help it. "I've never heard of it before either. But I have a special musical call and when I called they came. I've never been friends with wolves before."

[William Fenris]

He nodded, and he he liked his lips.

"I...I know this might sound terribly strange, but the....the reason I am so....surprised I guess is because, before I arrived here, I was a wolf too."

He wondered how she would take it, she loved wolves, clearly, and yet, he had once been one. What would that mean exactly to her? Still, as it always was when he was telling people his truth, he could feel his heart going hard in his chest as he waited for her to react.

He had to accept that he was once a wolf, didn't he? That's what Dracula had meant? To accept himself. This was his new self, wasn't it?

[Giselle]

Giselle nodded encouragingly to Will. He seemed like he needed the reassurance and she would do her best to give him reassurance. And then she waited. It seemed to be taking a lot of effort for him to tell her so it must be very important.

Giselle lit up with delight. "Oh my. A wolf? How exciting!" She giggled a little bit. "My very very best friend Bartok used to be a bat so you're not the only one who used to be something else. And there might even be other people that I'm not aware of who were animals too! We have lots of people who come to school here. You'll for right in!"