In the End ~ Wednesday x Xavier ~ SLOW-BURN

Chapter 5

Trees were shedding their bronze leaves, their bare branches combing through the wind as they swayed slowly. Wednesday marched down the beaten path, her boots crunching softly as a mix of wet earth and honey filled her senses. 

Punctuality was key, and she was approaching earlier than she had guessed, which she would normally view as a good thing, as it allowed her time to conjure up her thoughts, but for some reason, she didn't want to meticulously plan out her responses, nor did she want to try and come up with everything that he would say. There was this certain itch about Xavier that she couldn't shake, no matter how hard she tried to focus on other things.

9:58. 

Waiting for two minutes, she put her ear up to the door to see if anyone else was inside. She was met with the sound of a gentle hum, in a familiar tune she couldn't quite place. Quickly she opened the door, slipping in and quietly eyeing her surroundings. A small shiver ran through her as she took a few steps forward, but she stopped curtly as she made eye contact with the artists.

God, did he have to have such a...haunting demeanor?

She straightened, rebuking herself for letting her thoughts roam anywhere near a compliment.

"You weren't kidding when you said 10:00 sharp," he chuckled, his hair tied back in a loose bun.

Sliding off her coat, she placed it over the back of a conveniently placed chair and walked toward him. Wednesday's eyes shifted from him to the painting he was working on, and as she approached, he smoothly moved away, giving her room to observe without him lurking just behind her. 

The dark blues and purples mixed to make a raven, but this time it had its claws out, swooping downward to catch its prey, or so she assumed. What its intended target was, well that was the mystery. Maybe it was meant to be figurative? Or possibly symbolic of something soon to come? The noirette clicked her tongue, spinning on her heel as she glared at the boy.

"What was the inspiration for this one?" 

She knew he was gifted, but his aptitude never failed to astonish her. Her cheeks slightly reddened at the memory of the one he had painted of her, and she quickly looked away as she awaited his answer.

"I don't quite know. Since you arrived, ravens have been very prominent in my pieces," he winked, but his smirk quickly faded as a sigh escaped from his lips. Xavier walked across his studio, the hair on the back of his neck raising as he felt her razor-sharp stare drilling into the back of his head.

There were plenty of things about his paintings he couldn't even begin to try and break down for her, the complexity of his art going beyond his mental capabilities. Those dark hues of shadows, the timid greys and depressive blacks found their way to his brush, and he didn't fight it. He admired the girl, although he wondered if she was capable of ever doing the same. Wednesday watched from across the studio, clearing her throat as she stepped around the easel.

"I came to ask if you would help me break into Weem's office. It seems there might be a key detail in figuring out-"

Xavier held his hand up, and she paused, giving an irate look as he scoffed at her.

"That's outrageous. One, there is a new principal. Two, we are already on the Sheriff's 'I'm not letting you outta my sight' list. Trust me, I considered it too, but it would be too much of a risk. Especially considering the reputation you already have," he joked, but she just crossed her arms at him.

The idea of a new principal had crossed her mind, but she hadn't considered them taking over Weem's old office. 

Perhaps out of the memory of the belated principal they might have kept it a sacred place to observe her memory, but it seems this school was too heedless to even entertain that.