Mogtober 2022

Day 16: Scholar Mistresses

The three Scholar Mistresses were not always the way they are now. Many, many years ago, they only knew each other as colleagues.

"Good afternoon, Rook. Murgatroyd." Ms. Dearbourne said, finishing up her schedules. "How are you to doing?"

It was the day before school started, and the three women were in the break room, fixing up the last few details before the students started. Rook grabbed the coffeepot and poured herself a third cup. "Afternoon to you, too, Dearbourne. How have your students been?"

"Oh, well enough. Ask Murgatroyd what her students did, though. It's quite the story."

"Murgatroyd?"

Murgatroyd was sitting at the table, writing up a letter to the Elder Council to ban someone from the campus. "Marcus Hirak managed to fly out of the window on the third floor."

Rook frowned. "That's not too unusual." 

"Face-first into a tree. He went right through the trunk and was stuck there for an hour."

Both women snorted. "He deserved it; that kid was a holy terror." Rook giggled. The other two women glanced at each other. They were a little jealous of how young Rook was. She was at least half of their age, and was very pretty.

"Rook! Rook!" 

Ezra Squall and Owain Binks ran into the break room. Murgatroyd and Dearbourne jumped. Rook put down her tea. School had been in session for about six months, and the two teenage Wundersmiths were back at it again. "What is it, you two?" 

The two boys glanced at each other. "You tell her, Ezra."

"No, you tell her!" 

"No, you!"

"Alright, fine." Ezra turned to Rook with an excited smile. Everyone else smiled back; it's just the kind of joy he radiated. "Rook, we had an idea. We figured out that it might be possible to fuse at least two people into the same body, just like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And we wondered if you might be willing to help us with the experiment, or at least find some people who would."

Dearbourne and Murgatroyd glanced at each other again as Rook said she would be delighted to help. "So would we!" They cried at the same time. The chance to be as young and pretty as Rook, even for a short while? Such an opportunity was not to be passed up.

The two boys stared in shock at the mess they'd made. Somehow, the three women's features were merged together on their single body, and their three voices were the same way. 

"Ezra? I don't think this was quite what we meant to do."

"You're telling me, Owain."

Dearbourne, Murgatroyd, and Rook glared at them. "No kidding."  They chorused.

"Well, can we fix it?" Owain asked, analyzing the situation.

"I don't know." 

Ezra tried everything he could.

"I'm sorry!" He cried. Both boys were in tears. "I-I can't!"

"Then.... Do whatever you have to do. Separate us as best you can, and... Wipe our minds."

"WHAT???"

"Wipe any memories of us being separate. It-it might help us deal with this better, if we don't know anything else."

Owain and Ezra glanced at each other, crying. "Are you sure about this, Mistresses?"

They nodded.

"Then.... I guess we'll do our best."