#cleonora

Lesso was not ashamed of her body, despite the modesty of her sharp suits and long coats. She just preferred to maintain a professional appearance while at work. As she stood before Dovey clad only in her satin, button-down, long sleeve shirt and shorts, she was hyper-cognizant of the fact that the other woman had never even seen so much as her ankle. Her grin grew wider. This could be fun. 

“If you want me to be on time, I suggest allowing me the privacy to get changed.” Lesso teased slowly, mirth positively dripping from her words. 

Dovey cleared her throat and shook her head slightly, clearly flustered. She gave an irritated snort and huffed as she marched down the hall, refusing to look back. Lesso didn’t shut the door until the fairy godmother had rounded the corner. 

She was determined to make the best of today. Especially if there would be no lasting effects. She readied herself quickly and nearly sprinted across the bridge to the School for Good. Outside the assembly hall, she caught her breath and fixed her hair. 

“It’s showtime.” She whispered, violently slamming open the doors and striding confidently to the main podium. 

“Are you actually on time?” Dovey asked her incredulously.

“Better to start this semester off on a positive note, don’t you think?” She answered coyly. 

Her sharp eyes followed Dovey’s gaze as her large brown eyes flicked from the column of her throat to the exposed flesh of her forearms, and finally down the lines of her tight, pinstripe pants. Lesso was rather enjoying the way the simple exchange from the morning had left the other woman unnerved, and she was glad she had changed her outfit and foregone the long coat. 

Lesso cracked her cane loudly against the podium a few times and put a glowing, purple finger to her larynx, amplifying the volume. 

“Attention future good and evil!” She called over the drone of inane chatter and silence descended upon the hall. 

“Welcome back, welcome back! I hope everyone had the chance to enjoy a restful break away from classes. Today will be an easy day of reorientation. Regularly scheduled classes will resume after breakfast. Please refer back to the schedules that were distributed before break.” 

Dovey looked to her once more, and Lesso couldn’t help the curious tilt of her head. While the core of the message was the same, Dovey’s delivery was distinctly different from the previous trials. 

“Lady Lesso?” Dovey prompted. 

Lesso shook herself out of her thoughts and added, “If you lack personal responsibility, schedules are in the main halls and in your dormitories. Use your eyes, since I can’t be certain any of you were blessed with brains.”

Dovey muffled a bark of laughter into her palm and cleared her throat. “Have a wonderful first day back! You are dismissed!” 

Lesso hustled out the door without a backwards glance. She had somewhere to be. 

At the junction of the main hall, she hid herself in a darkened alcove and waited. At precisely 27 seconds past 8:52 AM, Emma Anemone turned the corner. With a quick flick of Lesso’s finger, a jet of violet crashed into her back, sending her stumbling slightly forward with a yelp. Black ink spread like tentacles from its mark and started to envelop the hideous hues of her formerly pristine dress. 

Lady Lesso did not wait for Anemone’s reaction and, instead, briskly continued her walk to the library. If she skipped breakfast, that would leave her with three hours of solitude for her own enjoyment before the staff meeting. Anemone’s angered shrieks followed her down the hall and gave her a pep to her step. 

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Lesso had settled down with a stack of books. Her curious nature had led her up and down the seemingly endless rows filled top to bottom with books. She had steadfastly avoided the section on fiction and fairy-tales…having had more than enough of her fill during her aching childhood and subsequent personal experiences with many of the main characters. Still, she knew most of the stories by heart. 

Instead, she had gathered a miscellaneous collection of non-fiction works: art history, cookbooks, Italian for beginners, how to play the cello…

Lesso took her hoard to a secluded alcove she had never noticed before in the back of the library. A small, circular table separated a pair of overstuffed armchairs under a stained glass window. It was welcoming and rather cozy. She couldn’t have been settled for more than twenty minutes before a quiet voice broke through her concentration. 

“I don’t mean to intrude. It’s just, I’ve never seen you here before.”

Lesso tore her eyes from the pages and met the inquisitive stare of Clarissa Dovey. The Fairy Godmother had settled into the opposite chair and looked as if she had been there for a time. 

“How long have you been sitting there?” Lesso questioned incredulously. 

A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of Dovey’s painted lips. “About five or so minutes. You were very engrossed in… How to Waltz: Steps With Confidence, Style, and Ease .”

A delicate brow arched in question and Lesso couldn’t contain the flush that crept up her neck. She slammed the book shut and surreptitiously scooted her stack behind her good leg under the chair. 

“You could have just asked! I would be more than happy to teach you.” Dovey clapped excitedly. 

“Perhaps another time…” Lesso coughed. “Why are you here?”

“Oh! I come here often. I find the library to be a perfect place to get a moment of peace before diving head-first into our duties. And there’s rarely a student to be found! Other than the occasional reader, of course.”

“Often?” She questioned. 

“You’re sitting in my chair, actually.” 

“Finders keepers.” Lesso shot back with a shrug of her shoulders. 

Dovey pulled a golden pocket watch from one of the many folds in her dress and sighed at the time. 

“The staff meeting is set to begin. Would you like to walk with me? You might actually be on time for once.” 

“Or…” Lesso stood, leaning heavily against her cane at the change in position. “You could be late for once and see that the world, in fact, keeps on turning.”

Dovey rolled her eyes good naturedly and set off for the staff room. Lesso followed steadily a few paces behind with a contented smile fighting her usual frown. She refused to fight the chaotic glee at seeing the heads turn as they entered the room together. 

Lady Lesso fell heavily into her usual chair and met the questioning eyes of Emma Anemone. A slow, predatory grin overtook the smile on her face. 

“I like what you’ve done to your dress.” She remarked casually. 

Anemone’s eyes narrowed into suspicious slits. “Do you enjoy pain?” 

“Excuse me? I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about!” 

“I know it was you, Red. The way I see it, is that you must enjoy the havoc you wreak. Why else would you do it, knowing it’s only going to come back at you in some shape or form?” The historian seethed, drawing the attention of the rest of the staff. 

Lesso’s eyes flickered briefly to the others before scoffing mockingly. 

“How sad that little girl inside must be!” Anemone continued. “I remember when you got here, Red. You’re just the same now as you have always been. And some day, you might realize that all the time you have spent making everyone else around feel low, is because that is what you feel! And maybe then you’ll realize that not once has it done anything to make you any better than any other Never who has walked through this school. Maybe, one day, you’ll figure out that there are some of us here that have simply been trying to accompany you along the way. Lest you become as alone and irrelevant as you always reared you would be.”

Lesso’s cane clattered to the stone floor as she launched to her feet and slammed her hands against the table. “Listen here, you airheaded…”

“ENOUGH!” 

Dovey’s hand pushed down roughly against Lesso’s shoulder, forcing her back into her seat. She bit her lip hard to stem any remaining words from raging out of her mouth but complied with the demand. The beat of silence that followed was suffocating. 

“There are other, more important things we are here to discuss than the trivial nit-picking between the two of you.” Dovey hissed as she rounded the corner to her seat, pinning the both of them with a rather harsh glare. 

Silence continued to fill the hall, filled only by the scuffle of shoes against stone, creaking of wood chairs, and uncomfortable coughs. 

“Are there any pressing matters that need to be discussed today? I suddenly find myself longing for a cup of tea before morning classes.” Dovey addressed the room. 

Compared to the chaos of the previous loops, not a single hand was raised. Lesso studied the subdued quiet of the room with an astonished expression. The difference was off-putting. 

“Okayyyyy…” She drew out. “I guess I’ll just do it myself!”

Lesso pointed a silver painted nail at Yuba. 

The gnome dumbly looked around before pointing a finger at himself. “Me?”

“Talk.”

“I don’t…” He stumbled.

“Yuba can’t figure out how to get the students to collaborate effectively. I believe Espada is a misogynistic narcissist who doesn’t know how to adapt his teaching methods to fit each student individually. And Anemone wants to overhaul the curriculum to teach sex education and manners.” 

The beauty teacher opened her mouth to respond but was quickly silenced with the snarled “No!” that came from Lesso’s clenched teeth. 

“Well…that was insightful. ” Dovey said slowly. “Anybody have any suggestions on how to address these, uh, weaknesses?”

Lesso leaned over to whisper in Dovey’s ear. “I bet you a fiver that Beauty Teacher volunteers me for her class.”

Dovey’s quirked lip and short nod was the only indication she had even heard Lesso’s proposition. 

“I think Lady Lesso would be an excellent choice to help in keeping the students under control for the health and education course.” Anemone offered. 

Dovey gaped at her in open disbelief, even as she elbowed the Dean of Evil to cease her cackling. 

“Hell no, I won’t teach the course.” Lesso continued, wiping an errant tear from her eye as she composed herself. 

“Any other suggestions?” Dovey called. 

At the answering silence, the Dean of Good sighed and offered the table a tight smile. 

“I think I’ll sit in on Professor Espada’s class. I might be able to offer some tips on teaching strategies for my Never boys. ” Lesso offered with uncharacteristic altruism. 

“Thank you, Lady Lesso, but I don’t need a babysitter. And I am fully capable of teaching my class myself. I have been doing so for many years.” Espada cut in harshly. 

“Suit yourself.” Lesso sneered. 

“Professor, a fresh set of eyes could only help, not hurt.” Dovey argued gently. “And I think I would like to join as well.”

Both Espada and Lesso turned to her with equal expressions of surprise. 

“Meeting adjourned!” The Ever called cheerily, ignoring the dual stares.  

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Lesso sat at her desk very much lost in thought. The students in her first period Potions and Poisons class sat diligently studying the texts they found on their desks. The hesitant raising of a small hand broke her attention. 

“Yes?” She answered with obvious irritation. 

The hand fell back quickly to the desk with a muttered, “Nevermind.”

Lesso leaned back into her chair and groaned loudly in frustration. 

“Why are we even here? You can read just as well in your dorms as you can in this godforsaken room. Leave! Before I change my mind.” 

The students hesitated at the command and looked at each other in confusion. 

“I said get out!” She shouted.

Chairs scraped against the floor as the students scrambled to leave. Lesso sighed as the heavy closing of the door echoed in the empty classroom. The familiar headache began to pulse between her eyes. Was this to be a recurring curse as well? She pinched the bridge of her nose tightly, temporarily relieving the incessant pressure. 

The bells of the clock tower chimed noon and Lesso idled for a moment. Did she dare try another attempt at a sociable lunch? It felt like she had already uttered too many syllables on the day, and it had just turned afternoon. Her stomach growled loudly as if to argue with her for even thinking of skipping both breakfast and lunch. She cringed, however, as she thought of the lackluster lunch that awaited her in the dining hall. The cookbooks, she decided, would take priority. Nevertheless, she dragged herself across the bridge and made a beeline for the vacant chair she had occupied on the previous try. To her surprise, Dovey was noticeably absent. A small frown pulled at her lips as her eyes quickly scanned the hall. 

“Looking for someone?” 

“Assessing for threats.” Lesso drawled boredly. 

Anemone leaned across the vacant chair between them with entirely too much interest. 

“Rightly so. I would watch my every step if I dared to pull one over on the person likely most-versed in the history of magic.” 

Lesso’s sharp gaze cut across to eye Anemone from her periphery. 

“Good afternoon Lady Lesso…Emma!” Dovey said brightly as she settled in the chair between them. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all Clarissa!” Anemone placated with an affectionately placed hand on Dovey’s arm. 

Lesso’s eyes followed the movement and her hands clenched at her side. She suppressed the flare of irrational rage and began to fill her plate with the disappointing lunch offerings. 

“You provided some very helpful information today at the meeting. How did you know?” Dovey asked as she shuffled the food around on her plate with a grimace. 

Lesso hummed noncommittally and shrugged her shoulders. 

Dovey cleared her throat at the stall in conversation and returned her gaze to her tasteless meal. 

“Well, this is awkward.” Emma stated quite clearly from the safety on the other side of Dovey. 

Lesso would have kicked her if she could have reached. Instead, she just glared at her plate and choked down a few more bites of rubbery chicken. Suddenly, she slammed down her cutlery, startling the table, and turned fully to Dovey.

“I don’t know how to do this!” She blurted. 

Dovey looked at her nervously. “Do what?”

“Compliments…pleasantness…conversation.” She listed on her fingers, meeting Anemone’s amused stare over Dovey’s shoulder. 

Dovey’s doe-eyes blinked in confusion. “Are you supposed to?”

It was Lesso’s turn to be confused. Hadn’t Anemone said “yesterday” that these were qualities that Dovey looked for? Her penciled eyebrows pinched in the middle. Why did it matter to her what traits Dovey enjoyed? Why did she want to be these things for her? She shook her head slowly and her red curls swept over her eyes. 

“Well, we all have things to work on! Myself, included.” Dovey said chipperly. 

Lesso looked back to her warily. It was nearly the same response as before, and yet entirely different. This time, Lesso didn’t feel like she failed a test. 

“I think I've had quite enough of today’s lunch. It was rather bland, don’t you think?” She continued, pushing away her plate. “Would you like to join me on the walk to Professor Espada’s class? We have some time, but I would be happy for the company.”

Lesso nodded slowly, not quite trusting the turn of events. She placed her napkin over her plate and stood, catching Anemone’s raised eyebrows. As she turned to follow Dovey, a quick crook of her violet finger surreptitiously sawed off a couple of inches from one of the legs on the historian’s chair. The accompanying yelp of surprise as the chair fell off-balance brought a satisfied grin to her face. 

“One of these days, she’s going to get you back.” Dovey hummed knowingly as they walked through the halls. 

They chose a spot high on the hill to settle down. Lady Lesso let her body fall to the ground and leaned back casually on her elbows while she watched Dovey putter about. Eventually, the Dean of Good conjured a delicate looking cushion and sat daintily, arranging her skirts perfectly symmetrical around her. Lesso hid her endeared smile behind a soft cough. 

“Afraid of a little dirt, princess?” She teased. 

“What’s the point in getting dirty when magic exists?” Dovey shot back. 

Lesso tilted her head in begrudging acknowledgement to the argument before her attention was drawn to the clearing below. 

“Double or nothing, a fight breaks out within the first two minutes.” She smirked slyly. 

Dovey, ever the optimistic Ever, tilted her chin in defiance. “I’m sure Professor Espada has everything under control.”

The Fairy Godmother confidently stuck out her hand to shake on the deal. Lesso took her hand and was mildly taken aback at the warm softness of the other woman’s skin. 

“Triple or nothing, Espada doesn’t do anything to stop any hypothetical fights.” 

She tightened her grip minutely and Dovey responded in kind, sealing the deal with a firm shake. 

“You’re on!”

Dovey let loose a gleaming smile that felt more blinding than the afternoon sun. Lesso found she was hesitant to let her hand go. Dovey pulled away slowly and turned toward the gathering group. Lesso, for her part, clenched her now empty hand that was left tingling. 

Right on cue, the brawl began among the young males of the class. A cheshire grin split her face nearly in two at the astonished look that now adorned Dovey’s. And just as before, Professor Espada let it continue. Lesso held out her hand in silent victory and graciously accepted the bills placed into her palm. 

“I think I’ve seen enough.” Dovey sighed in disappointment. 

“Going to intervene?” Lesso asked distractedly as she thumbed through her winnings. 

“Not today. I believe I need some time to think on this before I make any rash decisions.” 

Dovey stood and cleared away her conjured furniture. Her expression was guarded but noticeably stormy. Lesso put her earnings in her pocket and fumbled for something to say. 

“Look, Dovey, he’s out of his depth. And that’s not even taking into consideration that he refuses to teach any of the girls.”

Dovey’s eyes darkened more, if it were even possible. 

“Look, if you think it would help the student’s…I have a double free period. I could start sitting in on the classes and helping to restructure.” Lesso offered quietly, gesturing to the mess down below. 

Dovey looked down at her with genuine surprise. If she were being honest with herself, which she usually wasn’t, Lesso would say the reaction stung a bit. 

“You would do that?”

Lesso looked away, unable to tolerate the scrutiny. “Yes, of course. It could only benefit my Nevers to have some competent instruction.”

She flinched minutely at the harshness of her own response, but that was all she knew. Sharpness was an effective defensive mechanism. She missed the flash of hurt across the Fairy Godmother’s eyes. 

“Yes, well…that would be more than acceptable.” Dovey answered flatly. “Thank you for accompanying me this afternoon. I do have some paperwork I need to complete, so if you’ll excuse me. Have a good afternoon, Lady Lesso.”

Lesso watched her retreating form until she passed through the castle doors before yanking at her hair in frustration. 

Self-sabotage. Every single goddamn time! What was the fucking point?

She snatched up her discarded cane and began her trek back to the bridge. Might as well go back to the library for the remainder of her free periods. After all, there was a stack of books with her name on it. 

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It had been hours. Truthfully, Lesso had cast away the rest of her day in the library without any notion of the passing of the time. She had poured over book after book on curses and theories of time travel and come up short, once again. It was certain to be a curse. Why else would she be doomed to relive the same damn day with varying paths to the same damn outcomes? 

She would still be teaching the same routine. She would still be spinning her wheels on the monstrosity of unifying the two schools. And she would still be woefully incompetent at whatever interactions she had with Clarissa Dovey. 

She didn’t even know why she wanted to try in that area. Fucking wish fish making her think that she wanted something so clearly unobtainable. Lesso scoffed harshly and slammed her open book shut, shoving it off the table roughly. 

A Never, falling in love with an Ever…how disgusting. How repulsive. 

And she startled violently.

Nobody had ever said anything about falling in love. 

She launched herself out of the chair and made to leave. Just as she rounded a corner, her shoulder roughly collided with another, sending them crashing to the floor. 

“I thought I might find you here, but that certainly wasn’t the welcome I was expecting.” Dovey groaned from her position on the floor. 

“Storian, Dove! You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Lesso offered a hand and helped the woman to her feet. 

“Dove?” Dovey asked with a pretty blush. 

Embarrassment flooded over Lesso and she sputtered, unable to find the words to take it back. 

“I didn’t see you at dinner.” Dovey redirected. 

Grateful for the escape the Dean of Good provided, Lesso shrugged. “Lost track of time, I suppose. I prefer to eat alone, anyway.”

Dovey looked up at her through her lashes with an indecipherable expression. Lesso shifted her weight uncomfortably underneath the stare. 

“Doesn’t that ever make you feel lonely?” She finally asked. 

Lesso grit her teeth against the unsettling repeat of the same conversation. 

“Nothing I’m not used to.” She finally bit out.

“Well, I appreciated your company today. It was…refreshing. If you ever change your mind, there’s always a seat for you next to me.”

Lesso felt her throat constrict against the emotion desperate to escape. She clenched her eyes tight and gave Dovey a curt nod of acceptance. 

“Don’t stay up too late! You’ll regret it in the morning.” Dovey said softly as she turned to leave. 

“I highly doubt it.” Lesso mumbled under her breath. 

“What was that?” She asked as she came to a stop, looking over her shoulder. 

A burning question flared to life in her chest. 

“How do you always find me?” Lesso called back. 

Dovey turned to face her fully, confusion plain in the pinch of her brows. “What do you mean?”

“You just always seem to know where to look…even if I’m somewhere unexpected. The library isn’t my usual hang-out.” Lesso answered, gesturing to the shelves around them. 

The furrow of Dovey’s brows deepened as she seemed to think about it. “I don’t know. I just felt like I would find you here.”

Her eyes brightened and she shrugged, continuing her exit. 

“Goodnight Lesso!” She called over her shoulder. 

“Goodnight, Dove.” Lesso answered. 

The nickname gave the other woman a slight pause, but she continued onward. Lesso knew she must be on her way to the lake for her ritualistic visit to the wish fish. There would be no nightly stroll to the lake for Lesso tonight. There was no more information the enchanted creatures could give her. And she certainly didn’t want to intrude on Dovey’s “consultation,” whatever that meant. 

No, tonight she would skip the lake. She gathered a few of the untouched books in her free arm and began her trek to her personal chambers. Her eyes burned and she was mentally exhausted. Not to mention the fact that she hadn’t had a drop of alcohol all day and she was oh so thirsty. 

Lesso slowly walked the length of the bridge to her chambers underneath the starry sky. Up above, she watched the shooting star arch into the night. 

Maybe tomorrow would be different. 

Maybe, tomorrow, she would get today right.

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