Not enjoying a delight might have been a truly miserable experience, Millie decided. Though she herself had found a quiet respite away from the swirling faces, smiling madly enough to give her pause, her heart was still out there on the floor. Ben was out there still, spinning around her friend and classmate, but in her heart that was her dance as well. A spirit divided, the young witch considered Mr. Glynn without a tangible thought of what to say at the moment.
She nodded. It saved her for the moment, and the drink she tipped to her lips again with another long, refreshing pull. The punch, not an adult's yet but with enough tang to earn the name, left a tingling in her mouth that seemed to demand something of her. Not another swallow, though she tried that first, it seemed the sensation could only be appeased with a word. "You might be less alone than you think for that rulebook."
Her arm raised to show him the card that dangled from her wrist, so unlike all the other dance cards on other women in the hall. It was the brightest spot of Mr. Hunter's silly omissions, and if only he might stand here next to her again, he, too, could find someone who had missed out on the secret rulebook. "Perhaps we, ladies, were the only ones who did pay attention to the dancing lesson days in etiquette."
Millie meant it as an observation, yet the words that left her mouth had more punch than she meant them to. Her tongue moved around inside her mouth, still feeling tingly if only a bit lesser now. To anyone else, the young witch would feel a deep shame in speaking so openly with harsh words.
Cadogan, whose prefect badge and academic scores had always felt like he was trying to outmatch hers, seemed resilient enough to handle it.
"It might be too late to hope for another class. It's definitely too loud to read the rulebook," Millie agreed with him, but that didn't mean she couldn't remind him of his dire circumstances. This might be the one place that she could finally outmatch him, edging ahead of her rival, fellow Ravenclaw. If only that thought felt better than it did to the young witch, who couldn't stop looking at Cadogan's long hangdog face. "Perhaps you just need someone to practice with for a little practical learning."
And even if he caught up, Millie was still ahead of him by time and dances, something that would satisfy her more than filling up the whole card tonight.
She nodded. It saved her for the moment, and the drink she tipped to her lips again with another long, refreshing pull. The punch, not an adult's yet but with enough tang to earn the name, left a tingling in her mouth that seemed to demand something of her. Not another swallow, though she tried that first, it seemed the sensation could only be appeased with a word. "You might be less alone than you think for that rulebook."
Her arm raised to show him the card that dangled from her wrist, so unlike all the other dance cards on other women in the hall. It was the brightest spot of Mr. Hunter's silly omissions, and if only he might stand here next to her again, he, too, could find someone who had missed out on the secret rulebook. "Perhaps we, ladies, were the only ones who did pay attention to the dancing lesson days in etiquette."
Millie meant it as an observation, yet the words that left her mouth had more punch than she meant them to. Her tongue moved around inside her mouth, still feeling tingly if only a bit lesser now. To anyone else, the young witch would feel a deep shame in speaking so openly with harsh words.
Cadogan, whose prefect badge and academic scores had always felt like he was trying to outmatch hers, seemed resilient enough to handle it.
"It might be too late to hope for another class. It's definitely too loud to read the rulebook," Millie agreed with him, but that didn't mean she couldn't remind him of his dire circumstances. This might be the one place that she could finally outmatch him, edging ahead of her rival, fellow Ravenclaw. If only that thought felt better than it did to the young witch, who couldn't stop looking at Cadogan's long hangdog face. "Perhaps you just need someone to practice with for a little practical learning."
And even if he caught up, Millie was still ahead of him by time and dances, something that would satisfy her more than filling up the whole card tonight.
![[Image: uHwnE8q.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/V68t8zfV/uHwnE8q.png)