𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋 | lady lesso

twenty three

The newly fallen autumn leaves crunch beneath my heeled boots and Lesso stilettos, the cold air causing shivers to spread down my spine like patterns on frost. The last few days I'd settled into a routine and finally managed to voice some of the ideas for the school, and with only a month to go (because of the extended break) for students to return, the pressure was high.

Lesso had somehow reintroduced herself to my day also, spending time just away: away from the worries and the judgement of the others. And now that autumn is finally setting in, the walks, coffee and books are back; me with my sketchbook and Leonora with her novels.

She chooses a tree and lays out the blanket, collapsing onto the solid trunk and pulling out her book. I lay with my legs pressed against the trunk, body next to her legs. Top and tail. I look at her face and start to sketch the rough outline of her figure. Slowly Leonora starts to form on my page and I smile happily. "What are you drawing that's got you grinning?" She muses, eyes not leaving the page. 

"Nothing that concerns you." I smile, the familiarity of her dialect immediately comforting me and allowing me to relax. 

"Oh well now I'm just intrigued." She chuckles, lips dancing with a soft smile, eyes sparkling blue as the ocean. She marks the page in her book and sets it down beside her gently, eyes locking with mine. She lunges for the book and I roll onto my front, shielding the leather from her grasping hands. I attempt to escape deep into the forest but her hands grip my waist gently, pulling me back down to the blanket and her body. I roll away from her and she pins me down, taking the sketchbook from my hand. 

"I didn't know you drew anything other than clothes." She says flicking through the intricate pages previously adorning my hands. I look up at her, amused and a little smug. The nature of her comment has me both honoured and slightly offended that she thought my skills only ranged to clothing. She rolls off me, delicately admiring each and every page. "You've certainly improved."

"I had to evolve." I comment, lifting her red book to my eye level and reading the title. "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, huh? You really love this book don't you?" She chuckles and shakes her head, taking her novel and returning my work. She pulls a blanket out of the small black basket she brought with her and places it over my body. I smile in gratitude and sit up next to her against the tree as she pulls out a flask of hot chocolate and two mugs. 

We sit in silence for a while, watching the auburn leave stray from their branches and wander to the forest floor. They settle quietly, only crunching and rustling as a fox or hedgehog moves by. I watch the steam swirl from my mug, chocolate and cinnamon a pleasing mix on both to taste and smell. I recognise that in the years I was away from the school, I sook out the reddish hues only found in autumn and the bright blue of oceans, the things that resembled Leonora the most. 

"You know, I used to look for you in autumn." I breathe, lips warm from the beverage my coworker so kindly provided. I snuggle into the blanket, body starting to grow cold. 

"Hmm? How so?" She hummed, voice not giving the tiniest thing away. Indicating to no particular emotion, almost void of it. As if taken over by a wave of numbness like a person under anaesthesia. 

"I used to look for the red of your hair as the leaves changed." I murmur, suddenly feeling naïve and embarrassed. "I don't know, I guess I was always searching for you after I left." I finish, Lesso allowing the silence to drag on longer than necessary. If it wasn't for the fact I don't want to die, i'd have buried myself six feet under already at the admission. 

"I looked for you too. In the night sky." She starts, voice wavering slightly. I look at her and she meets my gaze evenly, confidently. "For the stars you used to wear. I looked for any remanence of you in the things you left with me. Clothes, earrings, paper with your designs on. Even shreds of fabric." 

"Until you couldn't find anymore?" 

"Yeah." We sit for a moment, just looking at each other. "We should head back, you set up a meeting at lunch so everyone would be in a better mood." I hum in agreement, eyes not leaving her still, blanket slipping from my shoulder her eyes flicking down to my lips. I lean forward slightly, eyes fluttering to her lips uncontrollably. A branch snaps loudly behind her and our heads jerk to look at it, a doe freezing to look at us with its large brown eyes. I move slowly and it stumbles, prancing off into the autumn horizon. 

I stand and offer my hand. "C'mon, I can't be late to my own meeting." She takes it with a grin. The walk back to the schools is calm, neither of us finding reason to speak. Its comfortable and i'm glad that the both of us don't have to avoid each other. We enter the hall and the none of the staff turn to face us. At the sound of our footstep Zylia's head whips up ans she waves us over, half a pastry hanging from her mouth. 

There are two groups formed on the table, both a mix of Ever and Never teachers, all of which are in discussion huddles over whatever plans are displayed on the table. Me and Leonora share a look as we wait for my sister to finish the food in her mouth. She swallows and indicates to the mess of paper in-between each groups. "Explanation?" 

"They're working on turning the school for good into dorms and these are working on the school for evil into classrooms." She explains, exited glint in her eyes, to the point they spark purple and a butterfly flaps past. I chuckle. 

"So as we planned? And did you feed them some sort of drug."

"No drugs, but it is how we planned, with complete staff input and enthusiasm!" I smile at her enthusiasm and also in admiration of the people in front of me. Maybe this will work out after all. 

...

A/N : Feeling nice today, well except from the second almost kiss, can't continue to guarantee it though ;)