Legends of Mirandis Academy

Chapter 24: Lessons in Thievery

 "You're all probably wondering why I asked you here today," said Luna. She paced a few times on the stage, letting her audience absorb her presence. Also, because it felt dramatic.

In truth, Luna herself was not quite certain how she ended up in the auditorium on a school evening, marker in hand and borrowed whiteboard behind her, on the cusp of a poetry lesson with Brielle Prescott, Kelam Quincy, and Iridia Trilliaris respectively. When they had taken their seats onstage, Iridia had immediately parked herself in the rightmost spot, and Kelam had been eager to take the seat in the middle. Brielle was harder to read. She seated herself slowly, with dignity, and the gaze that fell upon Luna was no less than calculating.

That was fine, if not expected. Luna's intention was to watch carefully, and it was only fair that someone watch her in return.

It had all started three mornings before, with Luna's visit to the shop class. She had ducked in, given a cheerful nod to Mr. Duval—who did not return the gesture—and located Iridia seated at the metal lathe, safety goggles on. As soon as she approached, Iridia wordlessly tossed her a pair of goggles to match. She powered on the lathe, and Luna spent a few minutes waiting while Iridia painstakingly sculpted away slim ribbons of metal. She trimmed them down, carved them in ways Luna couldn't quite see from her angle.

"What are you working on?" she asked, as soon as Iridia killed the motor.

Iridia took in a sharp breath.

"Ah, that," said Luna sagely. She found a stool and hopped up on it, wedging her feet on the supports. "The special project. Are you ever gonna tell me what it is?"

"It's a secret," mumbled Iridia. Luna swore her cheeks flushed beneath her goggles.

"You know, I'm very good at—" Luna began, but then the lathe drowned her out. To distract herself while Iridia worked, Luna peered around the shop. There was the large table saw (which she wasn't allowed to touch), and the vertical mill (likewise). There was the corkboard upon which various tools were hung, all of which Luna had been barred from using. Following an incident involving a very strong magnet, Luna was also not permitted to use any of the vice grips, for any reason whatsoever. Luna realized that Mr. Duval was staring at her, and indeed had not taken his eyes off her since she had entered.

"I'm not touching anything," she told him, although it was impossible to hear over the lathe. Instead, she pantomimed not touching. Mr. Duval's expression only became more severe.

Then, Kelam walked into the shop. Luna whipped around on the spinning stool to face him, instantly intrigued. The boy's jacket was crisp and perfect; not a single wrinkle marred his blue slacks. Kelam was not a person Luna associated with the sweat and sawdust of the shop.

She waved him over. Kelam blinked when he saw her, but readily joined them. Luna tried to wish him a good morning via gestures, and Kelam replied in actual ASL, hands moving rapidly. Luna tossed him a pair of goggles in order to shut him up.

Iridia turned off the machine and lifted her goggles, resting them atop her head. "Hey, Kelam. I wasn't expecting you here. We're not building a set right now."

"Ah, yes. I was aware." Kelam coughed lightly, loosening his tie. "Although you seem to have found a project, regardless."

"I work on other things, too," said Iridia steadily, but the blush returned to her cheeks as she looked down at the project at hand. A strand of hair had come loose from her ponytail, and she turned away to tuck it back into place.

"You never stop working," he laughed. Iridia largely ignored him, setting down strips she seemed to be satisfied with and preparing new metallic victims for the lathe.