White Thorn | On Hold

A Breakfast Strategy Meeting

Blaine had all but thrown her out of his office before she could blink, with strict instructions to show up the day after, avoiding the topic completely. He hadn't bothered to answer her, despite the loud obnoxious banging she'd then proceeded to do on his door. Still, it wasn't like she needed to see the little scrap of paper again. The words were burnt into her mind, and they were soon written on another piece of paper, a crudely drawn lion next to the words. Arya was terrible at drawing. She'd never been very good at it, but it got the job done.

"What's that?" Lydia leant over her shoulder, setting her tray of breakfast down next to Arya's own. "A star?"

Her shoulders slumped in reply. Evidently her drawing skills needed a heck of a lot of work. "A lion."

"Oh."

"What's going on?" Jake was the next to arrive, sitting down on her other side, glancing curiously at the piece of paper she was glaring intently at.

"Arya's drawing lions."

"OK... Cool...?"

"Can you make any sense of this?" Arya sighed, passing him over the sheet. "It's got something to do with Velvet, apparently."

Jake yanked the sheet out of her hands, scanning the words, his forehead crinkling as he stared at the sheet with an all too blank expression. "A riddle? What's that got to do with Velvet?" He asked, glancing over at her. "How do you even know it's related to her? There aren't any names used."

"The original had her name written on the back of it."

Lydia stared at her, one eyebrow raised. "The original?"

"It was in Blaine's office."

"Blaine's?" She tilted her head. "Ensnaring the other Commander of the White Division already, are we? You sure do move quickly..."

"He hates me."

"Oh goodie," Lydia smiled, "save some for the rest of us."

Arya rolled her eyes. "And here I thought you hated the lot of them..."

"They're annoying arrogant jerks for sure, but it doesn't mean they don't look good." She said, her teeth glinting in the morning sunlight streaming through one of the large windows in the hall they sat at.

"You're unbelievable... and here I thought you were the smart one..." She shook her head.

"Cheeky brat!" She hissed, wrapping one hand around her neck, yanking her into her side before she started messing up Arya's freshly washed hair.

"I'm fifteen."

"A brat."

Arya sighed, rolling her eyes. She knew she'd never be able to argue it out with Lydia when it came to her affectionate names. "Come on..." She said, trying to pull herself away. "I think you've proven your point, Lyd."

She released her frizzed hair, a wide smirk on her face. "Let me see that riddle."

"Here." Jake slid it across the table. "You're the brains of the whole operation. If you can't figure it out, I doubt any of us can..."

"So, you admit I'm smarter?"

"Slightly."

One eyebrow rose.

"A fair bit smarter, that's all..."

Lydia shook her head. "Keep telling yourself that, Jakey-boi." Her eyes fixed on the sheet of paper, her lips shaping the words written down as she read it through numerous times. She was puzzled. She had no clue about what it was on about, let alone how it was related to Velvet. "I suppose that's why it's a riddle... it wouldn't be much of one if we knew all the answers..."

"Any clues?" Arya asked.

"Nope." She sighed, an odd excited gleam in her eyes. "But that just means solving it will be even sweeter... Give me some time to think things over."

"Are we gonna have a group meeting or something fun?" Jake leant forwards, a big grin on his face. "A Team Strategy Meeting? What should we call it?"

"Put a sock in it." Lydia folded her arms. "I'm thinking."

"You're always doing that."

"I swear Jake..." She all but hissed. "Can it. I'm trying to think about what the hell we should do next, muffin head."

"What is it with you and lame food-related insults?"

"My insults aren't lame!"

"Pssh."

"I will hit you in a minute."

"You always threaten me with that."

"One time I might actually do it, too!"

Arya sighed deeply. "Children, can we get back to the topic at hand?"

Two hands slapped the back of her head in unison. "Don't call us children, brat." They scowled, but mercifully Arya's words seemed to do the trick.

"If we want to investigate this, then we'll need to gather intel." Lydia folded her arms. "We need to find out as much information as possible about Velvet and what the hell is going on here."

"So we need to break into the Black Division Archives?"

"Well, would you look at that... you actually said something clever..."

"Shut it, Lyd."

"I was just pointing out a fact."

"You-"

"We'll need to investigate the White Division Archives too. They might not have it all stored in one place." She said, ignoring the confused expression on Arya's face. "We'll also need to check out the Restricted Section in the library for more information on the Five Power Spots... The stuff Velvet originally stole from the Black Division will have been seized as evidence by now."

"But first..." Jake turned to Arya. "I think we need to get Arya up to speed on some Fae history..."

"True."

"Stop by the library at lunch?" He asked, tilting his head in question. "I can't really go after school... I'll be trapped with Blaine in the library."

Arya's head snapped around. "Blaine will be in the library after school?!"

"Why the sudden interest?"

"I want to ask him a few questions." A wide smile pulled at her lips, and the pair beside her shivered. "He's been avoiding me since yesterday." It was a fact. She'd spied him in the morning, just as she'd walked down the stairs towards the place which could only be called the Great Hall. It was even listed as that on the small map of the school she kept on her at all times. Blaine had obviously just eaten and when he'd spotted her he'd all but run into the nearest classroom, and when Arya had followed he'd escaped her by jumping out the nearest window. She'd wanted to follow, but her stomach had decided to remind her about its voracious appetite, and Arya couldn't resist the smell of food wafting from the enormous room.

"One of the Commanders is always in charge of detention... especially when one of us is supposed to go." He shrugged, slipping a small rectangular piece of silver paper out of his pocket. "I can check out the right books for Arya while you two figure out a way into Black Division Headquarters."

"Afraid not." Lydia pulled out a matching silver slip. "I've missed the last nine, so if I miss this one, one of those idiotic Commanders will chew my ear off in their office before they drag me to some ridiculous ten-hour detention."

"Well... Looks like Ari's doing all the planning then..." Jake grinned. "Good luck."

"Actually," she pulled out another matching slip, "I think I'll be joining you."

"Not you too, Arya." Lydia shook her head.

Jake patted her on the head. "I have trained you well."

"I suppose we'll meet up outside the Library, then." She said, blinking in annoyance when she spotted him and Arya scowling at each other. "We can go from there."