Just a boy living off this borrowed time.
Just give me a sec to catch my breath.
Still the fool waiting for a cosmic sign
Something to make sense of this mess.

May 27th, 1890 — Irvingly Schoolhouse

It was the end of Wednesday, which she supposed meant she was now over halfway through the week, but she was sure the latter half was going to feel longer than the first. The children would be on summer leave soon in just a few days. Some had already stopped coming and the rest that lingered were restless and she knew she would be getting no teaching done in the next two days. Not that she minded too much. She wanted to be done with the school year just as much as the children. She'd lingered in the schoolhouse till all the children had seen themselves home or had been picked up. The last she'd want was for something bad to occur because she excused herself early.

It was odd, Oliver, Sebastian, and little Adelaide were no longer being picked up by their mother after school each day. but rather by a Miss Whittmore who looked so undeniably like Mrs. Goyle that she couldn't deny her being the children's aunt. She'd been a little worried letting them go home with someone new the first day but the children seemed to know her quite well and her worries had easied the next morning when all three had returned to school perfectly safe. But the change had been so abrupt. She'd thought that she and Mrs. Goyle had gotten along well. The widow had even helped with some of the school events but then she'd just gone silent. She
d been so short the last day she'd seen her. Rather than lingering to talk, she barely greeted her and Mr. Adlard - who'd been in town and stopped by to say hello on his way to visit a friend who lived here (and she'd never say no to a visit from the wizard). For the life of her, Annabeth couldn't figure what she'd done to anger the woman and was still puzzling over it a few weeks later.

Frowning, she gathered up her belongings, waved goodbye to the schoolmaster, and let herself out the front door, pausing in the still silence, eyes closed as she breathed. Upon opening her eyes, she glanced at a familiar figure near the gate.

"Oh, Mr. Adlard! Hello! What brings you by?"

  

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thank you bee for the absolutely lovely set

It was odd the pattern Percy's life had fallen into. There was peace and happiness, a gratitude for the way it had all played out. But even the happiest of peaces can be shattered.

With Maggie's reappearance into his life Percy had found himself spending as much time as he could visiting Irvingly. Every chance he had to stop in the town on official business he did, and even in his evenings he'd find himself walking the path to Maggie's house. Which often wend it's way in front of the school house where he'd inevitably run into Miss Jennings.

Miss Jennings' presence in Percy's life, her new found friendship, often brought a smile to Percy's lips. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind and it was entirely refreshing her point of view. If Percy had had any realization of what was happening he might have taken a second glance at the friendship, but he didn't. He was too consumed with his plans for the future, and lately, with Maggie's sudden silence so unlike the months of happiness they had found.

Despite his blindness where Miss Jennings was concerned, Percy was all too aware of the increasing fractures in his relationship with Maggie. As if she still doubted them. The last few weeks his letters had gone unanswered, their plans unfulfilled. Percy had determined he'd talk to her about it this afternoon, but on his way to her house he'd noticed Miss Jennings standing in the school yard, face tilted to the sun, eyes closed, enjoying the simplest of pleasures - a pleasant day outside.

"Good afternoon Miss Jennings." Percy bowed, doffing his hat before straightening back up. "I was on my way to visit a friend, but then I saw you ..." For a moment he trailed off with a smile, "Well I rather thought if it would be rather rude if I did not offer to walk you home." He shrugged as if this was no big deal, although in the back of his mind he wondered at his own forwardness. It seemed his shyness had diminished with the realization that his future was already planned.

  

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Pretties from Lady <3

"You are still far too formal with me, Mr. Adlard," the teacher replied shifting her weight off her one foot and onto both before making her way down the steps and across the yard to join him at the fence. Seeing him was always like a little breath of fresh air to her (and it certainly did help that she found him attractive on top of his nice personality). "Don't make me start calling you a knight again. I thought you didn't like that."

She didn't know what friend Mr. Adlard was always visiting, but she was very much thankful for their existence. Without his friend she was unsure how else she would go about seeing him as often as she did. She couldn't visit Hogsmeade where he lived for sure and the likelihood they happen upon each other in London once more was slim. When she let herself daydream - which was often, and admittedly while she found him the subject of her daydreams more often, he wasn't the only topic - she had come up with this idea that really, there was no friend and he had just wanted an excuse to see her the first time and stuck with his story each time.

When in reality, while she'd let herself daydream, she was under no delusions that the man before her felt the same way she did. But when he said things like that, it was really easy to think that this friend was just a made-up figment that he would so easily cast aside their plans to. . . offer to walk her home? Her cheeks brightened with flush and she nodded in a manner that had she been more sensible would have made her think of children when offered a sweet.

"I like you," she blurted, eyes wide.

Had she actually said that? Aloud?

"I meant to say that I would like that, very much."

She wasn't sure that was any better. No. She would very much like to go home and never leave her room again.

The following 1 user Likes Annabeth Adlard's post:1 user Likes Annabeth Adlard's post
   Melody Crouch

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thank you bee for the absolutely lovely set

Percy chuckled, "Indeed, I rather think knight is a misnomer Miss Jennings."

Her words stilled his ease as he watched pink flood her cheeks. For a moment he found himself wondering if she had actually meant it. If he had been misleading her as he himself had so often been mislead, but Miss Jennings was quick to change what she meant and for a moment Percy was content to allow it to lie unthought of and was courteous enough to allow the comment to go unremarked upon.

"Shall we?" He offered her his arm as she made her way toward him.

  

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Pretties from Lady <3

For once in her time of knowing Mr. Adlard, she said nothing in rebuttal of his rejection of being called a knight. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. Her face remained a brilliant shade of scarlet throughout the whole exchange. She wasn't sure if Mr. Adlard was kind or cruel by ignoring her slip of the tongue. It was a kindness in the sense of sparing her more embarrassment but it was cruel as well in not addressing the manner and simply saying if he returned her feelings or not so the long term embarrassment could be done and over with.

Offering what was intended to be a tight-lipped smile, one that looked far more like a grimace than she cared to admit, she took the assistant head's arm, laying her hand in the crook of his elbow. Touching him sent another wave of heat through her and suddenly her excitement over his presence was gone. She quite hoped this walk was short so she could put multiple closed doors between them. More so between her uncontrolled word vomit and his ears. She might just die of embarrassment. That would almost be better than the awkward air that was going to remain for the remainder of the way to her home and potential forever.

Oh she just had to run her mouth and ruin things, didn't she? She had been perfectly content to just consider the wizard a friend and an unobtainable crush and now he would avoid her out of fear of misleading her poor self. Walking there, silently with her hand wrapped around his arm, she felt both crushed and... there was something else there, a spark of excitement and a feeling of unstopableness. It was that all of those feelings combined that prompted her to speak next, a few minutes into their walk. She had likely already wrecked whatever friendship they had, so she might as well sleep in the bed she made.

"Saying that, well, it was a mistake... but it wasn't. I do like you, Mr. Adlard, and more than as a friend even if I didn't mean to tell you."

  

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thank you bee for the absolutely lovely set

Miss Jennings silence was unusual, they had never had a problem conversing before and the more they walked in silence the more he realized the oddness... and where it stemmed from. Percy had just thought about broaching the subject when Miss Jennings herself brought the matter to light. The simple truth of it, the thoughts he had been keeping from himself began to lay themselves at his feet. The whole picture taking form before his eyes.

Percy stopped walking so great was his surprise. "Miss Jennings..." Percy started but found himself stopping for want of words, how to Express thoughts he himself did not entirely understand.

Had it not been for Maggie Annabeth was someone Percy could see himself spending the rest of his life with. But the fact of the matter was he had promised himself to Maggie. But her silence in recent weeks made him doubt again.

"Miss Jennings, I am ... flattered." Percy found himself saying. This must have been how Maggie and Miss Beaurgeard had felt when he pressed his suit. How hard it must have been for each of them. "I regard you very highly, surely you must know that, and I value your friendship." He should end this, should tell her with perfect candidness what he felt. But there was the fact that he had kept coming back, had kept thinking of her. Perhaps this had not been as platonic as he had thought. "I-I, well you've rather caught me off gaurd." He found himself saying.

  

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Pretties from Lady <3

Her silence was unusual, and not just when speaking to him. She had never been one to suffer for lack of words, even now her brain was full of words. Of things to say to Mr. Adlard. She just didn't have any she could bring herself to actually say. She couldn't think of any that might make the whole situation better.

Annabeth had kept walking as she spoke, feeling the need to do something. To have something other than her surely impending doom to think about. For this wasn't once of her romance novels, this was real life. The concept of love when applied to real-life was nothing but pointless frivolities. Relationships were built of benefits, not love. Even on the faint chance that Percy might like her back, he would get nothing out of pursuing her. He was a wizard - on that, from her basic understanding, who held higher rank within their government. She was a muggle and not even one with a large dowery. When Mr. Adlard stop, her hand had slipped from his arm as she continued to move, far to caught up in her own head to realize that he had stopped.

Flattered. Highly regarded. I value your friendship. Caught off guard.

The words spun in her head and the heat died out her cheeks and the sudden coldness left her uneasy. Those were things someone said before rejection and despite her brazenness in admitting her feelings, she wasn't ready for rejection. None of her daydreams had ever included him rejecting her - admittedly probably because she never expected to confess.

"I think I should walk myself home now, Mr. Adlard," she blurted, interrupting whatever he might be about to say. If you would be so kind as to forget this ever happened that would be lovely. We can remain being friends like nothing ever happened."

"Goodbye, Mr. Adlard." With a dip of her head she turned and started to walk, restraining herself from running home as she very much wished too.

  

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thank you bee for the absolutely lovely set

It was unfair not to tell her the whole truth, to lay bare the situation in which Percy had found himself in. With Maggie and Miss Beauregard that was what he would have liked most. Had the truth from Maggie come out that fateful afternoon he wouldn't have had to watch her for almost thirteen years with another man. But before he could tell Miss Jennings any of this she was excusing herself from him. "Miss Jennings -" He started, but she was gone, hastily making her way down the path and leaving Percy utterly baffled at the sudden turn in his circumstances.

  

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Pretties from Lady <3