I gaped at her in astonishment - but still took my coffee. "That was like Tuesday!"
"And you seemed to have it under control," she pointed out. "I was merely waiting for you to say something. You didn't, so I'm offering a trade. A drink for a story. I'd prefer the story about Aspen, but I respect your privacy enough to accept any story you think I should hear."
Lifting the cup, my eyes narrowed, but I took a drink. That showed I accepted the deal. Thankfully, there wasn't a magical surge, so this wasn'tthatkind of deal, but the fae still treated the agreement as binding.
"Why did you wait a week to ask?" I pressed.
She leaned back, one arm still extended to toy with her own cup on the table. "I didn't. Rain, this school isn't filled withchildren. My pupils are young adults figuring out what it means to grow up. That means you all deserve the space to make mistakes. However, when those mistakes are magical, someone has to be ready to clean them up. Bracken and I are merely two of the volunteers."
"So all the teachers know?" I asked.
"No," she assured me. "All the teachers here monitor the tension, the agreements and disagreements, and we have protections in place to limit any magical mishaps. Yet when it comes to Aspen Fox - as you well know - those 'mishaps' can be dangerous."
"Same with Torian, right?" I stopped myself before asking if it was because ofwhathe was.
"Which is why Liam and Bracken live on the floor they do," she agreed with a dip of her head. "But I want to know about you."
"Yeah..." I took another drink. "Ms. Rhodes - "
"Ivy," she corrected. "See, in this room, for this hour, we are not teacher and student. We're not even adult and teenager. I'd prefer we look at this moment more as the Morrigan and a fae. Just two women who are proud, capable, and working towards the same goal."
Ok, that was weird, so I asked, "Why?"
"Because for this one hour," she explained, "I want you to have the confidence and security to know you can talk to me about anything. No rules will be broken and no punishments laid." She paused. "Assigned? Given? I'm not sure about the most modern phrasing there."
"Given," I assured her.
Which earned me a smile. "See? I have things to learn as well. But in here, for this time, everything outside gets to wait. Rain, I will even promise you that no matter what you say or do in here, there will not be school-mandated punishment. Sadly, I can't say no punishment, because if you attack me, I will defend myself."
I looked over at Jack. "I'm missing something, right?"
He shook his head. "Morrigan!"
"Mmk," I mumbled. "So what happens if I let slip something that might kinda break the rules?"
"Then I ignore it." She tipped her head to the side. "After all, I can't exactly act on something I learned in confidence when I am the one who offered the agreement."
"Jack!" my bird agreed, nodding his head.
Wait. "Can you hear the truth, Jack?" He nodded again, which made me think he was currently working as my lie detector. "What about deception through truth?" I asked next.
"Jack!" he insisted, nodding as big as he could.
So I looked back at Ms. Rhodes. "But calling you Ivy is still weird, and I'm worried I'll slip up outside."
"Which is fair," she assured me. "You still have the coffee."
I smiled at the subtle nudge to start talking. "Ok, so like, Aspen's staying in her room again."
Ms. Rhodes slowly closed her eyes. "I am fae, Rain."
"In my room," I corrected, "but that would get me moved."
She lifted an elegant finger. "Ah, but you see, now I have a reason to let you know that your relationship with Aspen - however you've named it - seems to be helping me." She lifted a brow almost mischievously. "For two weeks, Aspen and Torian have been crackling with magic, trying to diffuse it in any way they can. Both of them have been down here, burning it off to manage their control. Did you know that?"
"No."
"And yet, all that use barely dented their levels. Many of us have been trying to help the pair stabilize, because when a fae feels strongly, their focus wavers. I'm sure humans do as well, but their focus loss results in a little distraction. For a fae, it could be a thunderstorm in the halls or a tornado in the atrium. A little more damaging."
