No Harm, No Fowl

Chapter Ten: Bluebird

Arriving back home, Alma disappeared inside to bring towels to those who had forgotten them. She put Matilda in charge of holding firmly onto Millard's arm to ensure he didn't go inside dripping water with no one knowing until it was too late.
She soon returned to the door holding quite a large stack of towels, which she promptly began passing out to those who needed them. The children ran off to go do their chores when they each received their towels. Finally Alma got to Jenny and handed her a fluffy dark blue towel, which Jenny admired with a giggle.
"I wonder what your favorite color might be, Miss Peregrine. Your hair, your clothes, even your towels..." She teased as she wrapped herself in it, receiving a chuckle from Alma.
"I'll have you know that my hair is naturally like this, thank you very much. I'm a peregrine falcon, my feathers are blue, and so my hair reflects that." She said indignantly.
"Blue falcon... Bluebird! That's a perfect name!"
"No, it's not. You will not call me bluebird."
"Sure I will, my bluebird." Alma scowled and Jenny grinned. "I like it. It suits you." Alma scoffed and laid a gentle kiss on Jenny's cheek.
"Do you like tea?" She asked.
"I love tea."
"Wonderful, do you take sugar?" Jenny nodded and Alma went inside once more, Jenny almost followed but she was still dripping so she just sat down on the steps of the porch and waited for Alma to return, which she did just a moment later. She was holding two teacups and handed one to Jenny, who stood and took it.
"Thank you." Alma nodded and started walking, leaving Jenny to follow. They chatted pleasantly as they strolled through the garden, watching the children, and ended up finding themselves in the same secluded area that they had been in that first night that Jenny discovered the loop.
"This looks familiar, doesn't it?" Alma mused, setting her now empty teacup on the bench. Jenny did the same and stepped closer to Alma. The two also laid their towels on the bench, stacked together.
"Very. And I believe we never exactly got to finish what we had started, when we were here last time." She suggested as she took Alma's hands.
"I do believe we didn't." Her tone was deeper and huskier and Jenny got butterflies as she leaned in to connect their lips. They'd not been kissing for twenty seconds though when they heard nearby shouts and broke apart, fearing getting caught. Jenny picked up her teacup inconspicuously, though it was empty.
"Miss Peregrine!" It was Emma's voice. Then she rounded the corner and examined the two, standing there innocently.
"What is it, dear?"
"Horace needs to talk to you privately. He says it's important." Alma's eyes widened in alarm and she hurried off to find him, leaving Emma and Jenny to converse anxiously.
Alma quickly found him sitting under a tree, and upon seeing her he stood.
"Miss Peregrine." He greeted her politely.
"What is it, Mr. Somnusson? Emma said there was something important."
"Yes, the dreams that we played last night. You cut them off. They weren't over, there was a fourth one." Alma looked at him in concern as he continued, "And it was the most important."
"What was it?"
"It showed the woman we suspected to be a wight, standing over a desk in what I can only presume to be Miss Honey's previous office. She was rifling through her drawers and came across a half written letter to you. The letter didn't explicitly disclose our location or that we're peculiar, but she definitely knows about your existence, and your first name. As well as the existence of your wards." Alma's heart sank.
"Thank you, Horace."
"I'm not done," He touched Alma's arm gently, "She's most definitely a wight. It cut to her later, taking out colored contacts. Her eyes were white."
Alma nodded. She had been nearly certain, though finding out about this for sure was troubling to her.
"Thank you for telling me, Horace." He nodded and sat back down, picking up the book next to him.
Alma went back to find Emma and Jenny waiting anxiously for her. They couldn't read the look on her face, for she was carefully neutral. She took a breath and faced Jenny and Emma.
"We were correct. She is a wight." She said solemnly.
Emma closed her eyes tightly and Jenny sat down on the bench, hands gripping the edge firmly.
"But her eyes weren't white." Jenny looked up.
"She wears colored contacts."
Jenny dropped her face into her hands and sighed.
"At least she doesn't know where we are." She tried to reassure herself as Alma sat down by her, rubbing her back. Emma sat on the other side and did the same.
"That's right. You're safe with me, little bird. I'll protect you and Matilda, just as I do with anyone taking residence in my loop." Her mind wandered to Victor and she winced, but hid it quickly. "I'll protect you."
"Don't call me little bird." Jenny lifted her head and huffed in protest, but Alma just smiled.
"Ooh, that's cute. Little bird. A loving nickname. It's fitting. Are you two official yet?" Emma butted in and changed the subject, earning a glare from Alma. Jenny looked at Alma questioningly, and she sighed in relief as she checked her watch which she had set on the bench with the towels.
"Go, Emma. The squirrel will fall in two minutes and eight seconds. Don't let Olive miss it." Emma frowned but obeyed, running off to locate Olive.
"Alma, if she's a wight, why am I not dead?" Jenny said bluntly.
"Because I suspect she doesn't know that you're an ymbryne. And if she does, she was waiting for you to figure it out yourself. As an ymbryne, your life is valuable to wights. More so than a normal peculiar. There was an experiment with one of our own, long ago, and we fear that... We fear that they might want to do it again." Alma swallowed. "They need us to know how to transform in order to use us."
"I hope she didn't figure out who you were when you met."
"She was upstairs when you said my name." Alma pointed out, relieving a bit of Jenny's anxiety.
"You're right. She couldn't possibly know who you are. And when Matilda and I wandered into the loop, she had already gone back to the inn. She doesn't know."
Alma nodded and pulled Jenny into her arms. Her hair was starting to dry and Jenny ran her hands through the shiny blue and black locks, causing Alma to chuckle lightly.
"I love your hair, bluebird."
"Knock that off, petit oiseau." Alma smirked at Jenny's fake scowl.
"Make me."
"I can do that."
Alma stood and pulled Jenny up, locking her tightly in an embrace. Their lips crashed together passionately, and Alma rested her hands on Jenny's waist, pulling her tightly against her own waist. She dug her nails in, dragging a pleased sound from the back of the other woman's throat. She then ran her nails lightly over the bare skin exposed by the circles in the swimsuit that Jenny was still wearing, then moved her hands around to her back where she traced abstract shapes across her spine. Jenny's hands flew up to tangle in Alma's hair, her fingers twisted tightly into it. Her grip tightened when Alma bit at her lip, and the dark haired woman pressed down a pleased moan. She wasn't about to let that happen so easily. She slid her tongue over Jenny's lip but her mouth only tightened stubbornly, so Alma pulled away, leaving the other woman chasing her lips with a distressed whine. She just shushed her gently and sat down on the bench, putting her hands on Jenny's hips and guiding her to straddle her lap. On instinct Jenny's legs wrapped around her, and she leaned down to continue the kiss. Alma tried to get access again, but was once again refused. She let out a huff of air through her nose, and dragged Jenny further up into her lap so their bodies were completely molded together. In a last attempt to get Jenny to let her in, she dragged her talon-like nails down the bare skin of the woman's back, which earned her a sharp gasp. She let out a pleased hum at winning.
Jenny enjoyed it herself, though she quite loved being stubborn. It only made Alma more determined, which she adored.
Jenny's hands ran through Alma's hair, then moved down to trace the muscular lines on her stomach. She pulled away from the kiss when she felt a line that didn't feel quite like the others, looking down at it. She then realized that it was a scar, about the length of her forefinger. She traced it gently and wondered how she hadn't noticed it at the beach, then looked at Alma's face.
"Darling?"
"You've discovered it." Alma gave her a halfhearted smile, laced with a tiny trace of sadness and pain.
"What happened, Alma?" Jenny asked softly, leaning her forehead against hers.
"Don't worry about it. It was a long long time ago, it's a very distant part of my past. He's gone now."
"I'm so sorry, bluebird."
Alma smiled and checked her watch.
"We have four more minutes and thirty five seconds." She leaned back in and recaptured Jenny's lips with her own.
She didn't want to think about the permanent reminder on her stomach. Her past was painful, in more ways than just one. She had others, though that was the biggest and most obvious one. The others had to be pointed out to even be noticed, though she had to live with them forever, and each little mark was glaringly obvious to her every time she saw herself.
She was brought back to the present as Jenny shifted in her lap and whimpered quietly. She smirked against Jenny's mouth, knowing exactly what was happening to her in that moment. But, she wasn't going to tell her. She wanted her to figure it out on her own, though to Alma it was crystal clear.
Meanwhile Jenny had no idea what was going on. She felt so good, so right, but there was a burning tightness in her stomach which had never happened to her before. An ache, that she couldn't quite place. All she really knew was that she couldn't get enough of Alma. Her smell, her taste, her touch, her lips, her voice. She tried to press herself closer, but it wasn't possible as their bodies were already completely molded perfectly together. Her hands slid up to Alma's hair again and her lips moved more insistently, becoming desperate. Alma wrapped her arms entirely around Jenny and held her firmly in place as she squirmed in her lap again, drawing a quiet chuckle from Alma.
"Do you know what this is?" Jenny gasped, out of breath from the desperation and simply forgetting to breathe. As soon as their lips parted Alma moved her mouth to Jenny's neck, kissing just lightly enough that it wouldn't mark.
"Perhaps." She bit down gently on Jenny's collarbone, drawing a pleased whimper and another squirm.
"Then what is it?"
"You'll figure it out." Alma said slyly, moving her face back up to Jenny's and looking into her eyes. They plainly said how badly Jenny wanted her, how she didn't want this moment to ever end. Alma checked her watch and leaned back in for one more short kiss. Jenny tried to deepen it but Alma pulled away.
"Time's up." Jenny groaned at this, tightening her grip in Alma's hair and pulling her almost against her lips.
"I don't want it to be." She whined, unable to hide it.
"We'll have more time tonight, my petit oiseau." Jenny huffed and climbed off of Alma's lap.
"That was too short." She growled quietly, kissing Alma on the cheek once she stood.
"I know. But we have forever. There will be plenty more of that." Alma promised as she picked up her towel, teacup, and pocket watch.
"Forever. This is forever." A grin spread across Jenny's face as she examined the woman in front of her, who nodded with a smile of her own.
The two started off back to the house, where they changed back into their previous attire and began making dinner.
------------
Once they had finished, it was time for Alma to go out to collect the children. Only, that wasn't all. She also had to kill the hollow. She mulled over it for a minute, then made her decision. She thought that her fellow ymbryne should be allowed to see into the potential dangers of this life.
"Jenny, would you like to come with me this time?"
"That sounds nice." Alma paused.
"No. Collecting the children won't be the only thing I'll be doing. I also have to kill it. I have to kill the hollowgast that..." She faltered.
"I'll still come." Jenny took alma's hand and kissed it, dropping it once more as the woman began walking. She grabbed a crossbow from a closet and carried it with her.
"When I do this, you mustn't speak. Stay at least ten feet behind me. It will come for me. You will not see it. Don't be afraid." Jenny nodded along, walking alongside her. Finally they arrived in a field, where there was tape on the grass in a very strange shape. It seemed to be a body, though it didn't look remotely human. The creature seemed to be huge, with long, pointed limbs and an almost human torso. They got to a certain point and Alma told her that she couldn't go any further. Alma walked about ten feet further out and checked her watch, then loaded the crossbow carefully. Jenny dutifully watched, keeping her mouth shut as requested.
Alma checked her watch once more, then aimed with the precision of a hawk at a certain spot ahead of her. Jenny watched as the grass smushed down, growing closer to Alma. Dread tightened in her gut, though she knew it'd be okay. Suddenly the steps got faster and she held herself back from screaming and throwing herself in front of Alma, instead watching in horror as the invisible creature approached. Then the woman pressed the trigger and her arrow flew, stopping afloat in the air. It flailed through the air, and Jenny assumed that the creature was thrashing. Finally it stopped and fell back, the arrow landing in the same spot as what must have been the head was outlined in tape. Alma turned around, her expression a mixture of anger, sadness, and pride. As much as she hated the daily reminder, it felt so good to kill the thing that killed her ward. She got revenge against it, every single day. Jenny rushed forward and hugged her.
"You're amazing."
"I just know the exact timing and where it is. That's one of the reasons that the timing of a loop is so important. It can be fatal if it's wrong."
"But how did you find out where it was in the first place?"
"We had a peculiar ward with us named Abe- you've heard of him, thanks to Enoch- who's peculiarity was that he could see the monsters. He told me where it was, and outlined the place where it's body fell." She explained, motioning to the tape.
"That's... Wow." Jenny was at a loss for words. Alma strode forward and put a heel on what must have been the beast's chest, placing her hands on the arrow and pulling. It came out, though not without resistance. She gave the invisible body a kick, and something occurred to Jenny. "Could Abe see Millard, too?"
"No. He could only see the hollows, not just any invisible. And it's a good thing too, considering Millard's love of going around in the nude." This drew a laugh from Jenny.
"He does seem to quite love that."
Alma held out an arm for Jenny, who took it. The two made their way back to the garden, breaking apart before any children saw them. Alma collected her wards as Jenny waited patiently by the door. It wasn't long before Alma returned, a trail of children following her like mice to the pied piper. Jenny made that connection and giggled quietly as the group moved past her into the house.
Each person sat at the table, taking random places. Except Alma and Enoch, who were in the same places as always at the ends of the table. Jenny was by Enoch, Matilda was beside her, and Olive was across from her. As they ate dinner, Enoch seemed to be a bit more friendly, not making any horrible insults. He still made a couple, but he didn't seem to be completely serious. By the time they had all finished eating, Jenny knew quite a lot about Enoch's peculiarity. He seemed to like talking about it, even though he pretended not to, so he explained the little nuances like how it felt to raise one thing versus another. Jenny listened intently and asked questions, focused solely on Enoch, and not noticing the happiness with which Alma watched the two actually sort of getting along.
Alma and Jenny collected plates as the headmistress told the peculiars to go get ready for movie time. The two did the dishes quickly and joined everyone else in the living room.
The movies were uneventful. It was really just Horace trying on suits and hats, and the children playing at the beach earlier that day. Alma breathed a sigh of relief when they ended, and she turned the lights back on. She was glad to have had a calm set of projections, nothing exposing her relationship with Jenny or anything unpleasant. She ushered the children outside for reset, bringing Jenny along with her. She allowed her to watch exactly what she did, to try to get a feel for how it worked. Later she would explain in detail, and after that she was contemplating taking Jenny to the present to create a loop of her own and reset it. Not permanently, of course.
Once the reset had passed and it was back to the beginning of the day, Alma told the children to go inside and get ready for bed. She would be inside to tuck them in shortly. They obeyed and raced each other back to the house.
"You're never going to cease to amaze me, Alma Peregrine." Jenny made eye contact with the woman, who had a gentle red creeping up her neck.
"Thank you, my love. You'll get used to this, though. I intend to teach you soon how to do it."
"I'd love that. Although I'm not quite sure what use it'd be. I'm not leaving."
"It's important to know how to do it, anyway. It's safer that way." By now, the two had begun walking back to the house as they conversed.
Suddenly, Alma looked over to the right. She'd heard a twig snap, and a flutter of wings. There, she saw a single crow. Jenny looked around Alma and saw it too.
"Oh, pretty crow."
"That's very odd. I've never seen it there before." Alma furrowed her eyebrows, dropping her eyes to the side in thought. "One for sorrow, two for mirth. Three for a wedding, four for a birth. Five for silver, six for gold, and seven for a secret to never be told." Alma whispered, training her gaze back in on the crow.
"I'm sure it's nothing, darling. Let's get inside." Jenny tugged on Alma's arm, and she broke out of it and followed her inside.
After Alma shut the door behind them, she didn't notice as six more crows stepped out of the shadows.
————————————
In their shared bedroom after saying goodnight to Matilda, Jenny sat on the bed and waited patiently for Alma, drumming her fingers on her knees. Before long the raven haired woman rapped on the door gently and stepped inside at Jenny's prompting.
"Hi." Alma said softly, coming to sit by her.
Jenny turned to face her, a look on her face that confused Alma. Suddenly she was pushed down on the bed, Jenny hovering over her.
"I figured out what it was." Jenny's breath was suddenly hot on her ear and she swallowed. Her voice was a bit different than it normally sounded, slightly deeper and slower.
"Oh? What was it, dear?" Alma asked, catching on and teasing her.
"I think you know, bluebird." Jenny leaned down and kissed Alma, feeling hands land on her waist and pull her down until she was laying on Alma.
Alma's lips pulled into a smile against Jenny's lips as she returned the kiss, heat growing in her cheeks and her stomach. Suddenly she flipped Jenny over so that the brunette was on the bed, pinned beneath Alma. Her hands were on her wrists, holding them steadily in place as Alma gazed down at Jenny.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
Jenny breathed deeply and nodded, pressing her head back into the pillows as Alma leaned down and laid kisses all over her neck, releasing her wrists in favor of resting her hands on Jenny"s stomach. Jenny's hands tangled in Alma's hair as she let out a low moan when the woman bit down lightly on her pulse point.
Alma had made her way back up to Jenny's ear, where she whispered.
"My pretty little birdie."
Jenny's breath hitched in her throat at Alma's words and tone of voice, which was exactly as it had been that time in the study, as the woman moved over and pressed her lips to hers. She eagerly kissed back, allowing Alma in without a fight when her tongue pressed against her lips and she felt the vibrations of a pleased hum travel into her mouth.
Alma brought her hands up to the first button of Jenny's shirt and undid it, moving down to the second one. When she reached the third one, she felt Jenny's hands on hers, stopping her. She pulled out of the kiss and looked questioningly down at Jenny, who suddenly had an unsure look on her face.
"I can stop, if you want." She offered quickly, pulling her hands away from the buttons and touching her face.
"No. No, I don't want you to stop. I'm just a little nervous. No one has ever... No one has ever seen me in such a way." She admitted, taking one of Alma's hands in her own. "But if anyone does, I want it to be you."
"We don't have to do this if you aren't ready, darling." Alma said softly, rubbing her thumb over Jenny's hand and caressing her cheek.
"I just don't know." Jenny dropped her eyes to the side, guilt was written all over her face.
"That's alright. An unsure yes is not a yes. We'll wait until you're sure. And if you're never sure, or you don't want to at all, that's perfectly alright too."
"But I don't want you to-"
"This is not just about me, Jenny. You and your feelings are just as important. I don't want you to agree to something that you don't want, or are uncomfortable with." Alma said sternly, sitting up. It was very obvious that this was a really important subject to her.
"I'm a fully grown adult. I should be ready for this." Jenny pressed the butt of her palm against her forehead frustratedly.
"Grown adults get a choice, just as anyone should. There is no rush. You aren't ready, and I respect that. Now come here." Alma opened her arms and Jenny scooted into them, met with a kiss on the forehead.
"I love you, Alma." She whispered, burying her face in her neck.
"I love you too, Jenny."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, petit oiseau. I appreciate you being honest. I really needed to know. I don't ever want to do anything that you aren't completely okay with." Alma stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "I'm proud of you."
Jenny froze, her brain trying to comprehend what she'd just heard. Her heart suddenly felt like it was going to explode, though she thought she must have heard wrong.
"...What did you just say?"
"I'm proud of you?"
"I- Thank you, Alma." She blinked, still trying to let it sink in. She looked up at Alma, realizing how confused she looked. So, she explained. "I've never- You're the first person to say that to me."
"No one has ever told you that they were proud of you?" Jenny shook her head slowly. "I swear. I'm so sorry, my love."
"It's okay. I got used to it." Jenny laughed, but Alma frowned and hugged her tighter.
"I'm so beyond proud of you, Jenny. For everything."
A tear slipped down Jenny's cheek as she buried her face in Alma's shoulder. It wasn't a sad tear. It was a tear of overwhelming joy. Alma made her feel so good, so right. She gave Jenny what she'd been deprived of for all those years.
Love.
Yes, Matilda did give her plenty of love, but it was not the same. She was a child, and Jenny's child at that. Love from an adult felt different. Agatha had never been proud of her, and her father hadn't lived long enough to. Agatha had never loved her. She hadn't even pretended to. Her father did, but it'd been so many years without him, it was hard to remember how it had felt.
But Alma, Alma loved her in a different way. It was like she was her other half.
Jenny broke herself out of her thoughts and brought her face up to meet Alma's, pressing their lips together. She felt Alma kiss back within an instant, her soft lips pressing firmly against her own. She tasted the vanilla smoke from her pipe, a flavor she was well accustomed to by now and that she very much loved. She wrapped her arms around Alma and their legs tangled together.
Alma pulled Jenny closer, hands traveling up to run through her hair. She felt the other woman's muscle tensions melt away, a gentle smile tugging up the corners of her mouth as they kissed slowly.
"Alma." Jenny pulled her mouth away just enough to speak, and was met with an acknowledging hum. "You can take my shirt off."
"Are you sure? Absolutely positive that this is what you want?"
"Yes. I want you. I want you so much. Please do this." Jenny paused. "Just don't go further yet, only my shirt."
Alma nodded and released Jenny, pressing her back down onto her back and climbing over her, straddling her waist. She looked once more for approval, met with an enthusiastic nod and grin, though there was a slight nervousness. Her hands found the button that she'd left off on and unbuttoned it, looking once more to Jenny for confirmation, which she received. Then she did the rest and the woman under her sat up and threw the shirt off towards her suitcase, then laid herself back down.
Alma's eyes darted across Jenny's exposed skin, taking in the view that she found to be so gorgeous. A heat coiled itself in her stomach.
"You're so perfect." She breathed, running her hands down Jenny's stomach and causing a pleased shiver.
Jenny flushed and thanked her, reaching up to undo the buttons of Alma's jacket. Before she did, she paused.
"Can I?" She asked, and Alma tore her eyes away from Jenny's torso to look her in the eyes.
"Yes. Go ahead." She said decidedly after a moment.
So with Alma's consent Jenny began unbuttoning her jacket and soon had it off, discarded on the floor. She'd clean up later. Then she moved to the black shirt underneath the jacket, undoing it and discarding it just as she had done with the jacket. She took in a sharp breath when Alma's torso was exposed, eyes wandering over her skin and taking it all in. She traced her hands down her stomach just as Alma was actively doing to her and Alma leaned down to kiss her, heat from both women's cheeks combining.
Jenny shifted her hips under the other woman's, causing Alma to gasp quietly and plant her hands firmly on the bed.
Jenny figured out what had happened and, albeit with some difficulty, flipped them so she was once again on top. She lowered her face to Alma's and locked her in a heated kiss. The dark haired woman ran her nails over Jenny's back, knowing very well how much she loved that.
Alma was so wrapped up in the feeling and heat of the kiss that she didn't notice Jenny shifting, until she felt her knee pressed between her thighs. Caught by surprise, she let out a low moan, unable to prevent it. She felt Jenny's mouth widen in a grin as she pressed just a little harder. Her nails dug into Jenny's back.
"That feels wonderful." Alma gasped, pressing her head harder into the pillow she was laying on and shutting her eyes. This was so much better than what she had experienced before. She shivered at the thought of it and returned her attention to Jenny, who grinned and shifted her knee, drawing another shaky moan from Alma. The sound was beautiful, and it only urged Jenny on. She kissed her harder and shifted her knee again.
Suddenly there were three short knocks on the door and it opened. Jenny quite literally jumped away from Alma, losing her balance and falling off the bed, landing ungracefully in a pile on the floor. Alma lifted her head up and looked around dazedly and as soon as it occured to her what was happening, she scrambled to cover herself with the blanket as Jenny, now on the floor, haphazardly threw her button up on and tossed Alma's jacket up to her. Olive stood in the doorway, watching this go down, both amused and horrified. She averted her eyes from either woman's chest even though they both still had bras on, but she was giggling anyway.
"Sorry. Am I interrupting something?"
"Olive, dear, come here for a moment please." Alma didn't want to do this, but she didn't see an alternative choice. Once she had her jacket on, she held out her arm and Olive came over and leaned into it. With her other hand, Alma discreetly pulled out a feather from her jacket, which appeared to be one of her own. Suddenly she waved it under Olive's nose and whispered her name with a guilty look.
By now, Jenny had her shirt on and was watching what was happening on the bed. She watched as Olive blinked, looking around.
"What happened? Why am I here?"
"I don't quite know, we haven't gotten to that yet. You came in here to talk to me about something. Jenny and I were just having a conversation about peculiarity."
"Oh, yeah. I remember why I'm here now. I had a nightmare, and I wanted to come and sit with you for a while, if that's okay."
"Of course, darling."
Jenny looked between the two, bewildered. Alma looked grimly at her as she rubbed Olive's shoulder. 'I'll explain later.' Alma mouthed to Jenny.
Jenny moved to sit at the end of the bed as Olive and Alma conversed quietly, then finally the younger girl stood and left the room.
"What just happened to her?" Jenny immediately asked.
"I wiped what she walked in on from her memory. That's the other part of our peculiarity. We can manipulate time- create loops-, turn into a bird, and manipulate memories. We usually just remove a very small portion, like I just did. I hate doing it on my wards, but that was... I didn't quite have a choice."
"Wait, that is so cool. Does she know you did it?"
"No. She doesn't know."
"Brilliant. That's incredible. How does it work?"
"It's hard to explain. As you may have seen me do, you take one of your feathers and wave it in the subject's face and kind of- this part is really hard to explain." She paused, trying to figure out how to word it.
"Oh, that's fine. That's enough of an explanation. So, I could do that too?"
"If you were trained properly, yes. But it can be risky if you're not trained."
"Who trains us?"
"I was taught by Miss Avocet. You'll meet her eventually. I was the youngest ymbryne she ever took on." There was a trace of pride in her voice.
"That's amazing. Will she train me?" Alma hesitated, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.
"If you want her to, yes. But that means leaving here to undergo training with her. If you don't want to do that, I can teach you everything that I can."
"I want to stay here." Jenny said immediately.
"That's settled then. You'll stay here and I'll train you." Jenny smiled as Alma checked her watch. "We should get to sleep, it's getting quite late."
"You're probably right. We'll continue that later." She winked, standing to pick out a pair of pajamas and put them on, as Alma did the same. Instead of the black silk nightgown, tonight she had a navy blue one. Jenny giggled when she saw it, making Alma cross her arms.
"It's a nice color." She said, getting another giggle from Jenny. "Hey, I don't want to hear it from you, considering you wear honey scented perfume."
"I like the way it smells!" Jenny protested, climbing into the bed and settling under the covers.
"And I like the way the blue looks!" Alma joined her, met immediately by Jenny cuddling up to her and wrapping her arms around her waist.
"All the more reason to call you bluebird, darling."
"Don't you start-" Alma was cut off by a kiss from Jenny, who then settled into her arms and laid her head on her chest.
"Goodnight, bluebird." Alma sighed and kissed the top of Jenny's head.
"Goodnight." Her voice was soft and loving.
And the two quickly fell into a deep sleep, clutching tightly to each other. Jenny had always had trouble falling asleep quickly, but it came easily when she was wrapped in Alma's arms. The comfort and joy that she felt around this woman was immeasurable.
They'd been soundly asleep for a while, when suddenly Alma was awoken by gasping. She realized it was coming from Jenny, who was twitching in her sleep and gasping, crying out slightly. Then all at once her eyes shot open and she sat straight up. When she spoke, her voice was raspy and desperate.
"She's coming."