How Did We Get Into This Mess - KOTLC Oneshots

For Now | Chapter Three | Never Seen

According to the Foxfire libraries, humans used to think black swans didn't exist. That they were a myth, a legend convoluted by word of mouth. There was a theory named, The Black Swan Theory- a metaphor for how people rationalize things, explaining away events with twisted logic. Seeing a black swan would undo your excuse that they don't exist, but you would say it was just a hallucination, proving the theory once again.

The pages whispered under Jolie's fingertips, crackling like a fire as she came to a spread devoid of text. Black swans were inked over and over again, the same half curve of a heart shaped neck, dipped head, glaring up at her turquoise eyes. 

A creamy white slip of paper had fallen on her lacy bedspread, almost winking as if to say, you can't hide from me.

She slammed the book shut, breathing hard. 

Oh, yes she could. Wasn't there some sort of human saying, that curiosity killed the cat? Nevertheless, Jolie let her own curiosity get the best of her.

The note was smooth to the touch, lilting script dancing across it.

The fall is never seen before the rising.

Prentice was still trying to recruit her? It had been a week since she'd talked to them, wasn't that enough time to let it sink in? The fact she had a life she didn't want to spend in the shadows? God, what would it take to get Prentice to leave her alone?

Or maybe it was a simple coincidence. Someone had left it in the book to mark their spot, or returned the book not realizing it was there.

The Black Swan Theory, at it again.

She would ignore it. And she did- until a passing prodigy had whispered something to her on her way back from her dorm in the gold tower.

The bold and brave are never seen.

For a man with a little kid, Prentice's lack of patience was unheard of. Her life was complicated enough already, with Brant being talentless and them being a bad match, and her failing to figure out her experiment with the void.

"Prentice? Are you there?"

Jolie knocked at the door to his office, arms folded.

"Ah, yes, one moment."

He opened the door, tired and bedraggled, smoothed into place.

"You'll need to stop contacting me in an embarrassing attempt at subtlety. I don't care who or what is 'never seen,' and I want to graduate with the first successful elvin void transferral on my resume."

"Contacting you?"

Jolie's face dropped.

"You mean you didn't send me the note? Or the prodigy?"

"I did not."

"Then who did?"

Prentice hesitated.

"Likely the same group of elves exchanging information with the ogres," he informed her, looking towards a scroll unrolled on his desk. "The Council ruled it a misunderstanding." There was a tone of bitterness in his voice.

A misunderstanding.

Ah, screw it. She was joining the rebels.

( I wish you could schedule pieces to update. I have three things to post right now, but people tend not to read oneshots in rapid succession- aka tldr. I have a kam piece I just posted, two sophiana pieces, two sokeefe pieces, a fedex piece, The Girl That Disappeared part 2- also sophiana- and I'm writing all this out. So, we're all out of luck. )