A Little Nagging Feeling...

[Lady Sylvia Saphricorn]

It was a nagging little feeling.

A nagging little feeling that just would not let her be. It had been there when she awoke this morning and had carried on with her until this very moment in the early afternoon. A paranoid person may have been worried and stressed over this feeling and what it could mean, but Sylvia Saphricorn was not a paranoid person. But even as she drifted about her sanctuary watering the scattered potted exotic plants that were scattered around the room she couldn’t help but feel as if this was the very place she was required to be at this very point in time.

It was a calming and welcomed feeling.

She had not seen her Husband since that morning before breakfast, and she had not had a chance to talk to her son only to have waved briefly to him across the Golden Hall at breakfast. While a most casual observer would have noticed Godric to be his usual handsome self as per usual, Sylvia saphricorn was not just the casual observer. No, it was her motherly perspective and knowing her son as intimately as she did, she noticed the slight bags under his eyes, the weariness in his ever so slightly slumped posture. She also noticed that his girlfriend has also noticed this from the way she seemed to be watching him, or rather scrutinizing his face.

‘I shall have to Elwyn tonight about Godric. As much as I love my son, maybe he needs to talk to his father. Male issues…’ She thought to herself biting her lower lip to stop the chuckle from escaping her mouth at the memory of the time Elwyn and herself had had ‘the talk’ with their son. It was a discussion she would never forget.

Drifting about her office humming happily and tending to her plants, and summoning some bird seed for her feathered friends, aside form Phil the Parrot who would not lower himself to eat common bird seed, her mind skimmed over her mental day plan. She had visited her Saphricorn students in the Plains, checked on the food levels for the animals, checked on the pregnant rabbits, she had received the injured Unicorn from the forest surrounding the Blue Mountains, to which she would help mend and then release into the Plains, and somewhere in there she had taken the junior Care of Magical Creature class. Giving each task a mental tick off, she couldn’t help but think there was something else she had yet to accomplish for the day.

It was while she was moving about and lost in her thoughts she did not register the knock at her ‘office’ door nor the soft creaking of it opening, but she did hear the clearing of a throat to which she turned to face her new company.

[Lady Amberly Ameraid]

“Round two?” Amberly said as she moved into the trashy office and took a seat she conjured up near the desk. She was not interested in using that one provided. She knew this office was rarely used and she was in no hurry to sit in a layer of dirt. She had a bone to pick with Saphricorn and she would have it out with her somewhere the students would not witness it this time. She sat and started tapping her fingers on the polished arms of the chair she was sitting in. Her eyes looked dark and broody and her perfectly set hair fell around her shoulders in locks of lavender and violet.

“You and Elwyn need to simply accept it that I know nothing of Avada’s plans these days,” she said as she looked across at Sylvia with spite. This was the preliminary meeting; she would refine her arguments on Sylvia Saphricorn before she moved onto Elwyn Emerindyl. “Robbie came to see me the other evening, though of course you already knew that didn’t you?” she had meant to thank Sylvia and Elwyn for that experience since she had had it. And now she found such position to do so.

“An interesting discussion we had,” she said as she looked away from Sylvia to one of the plants crawling up the walls. It had the most interesting looking flower blossoming from it. While she looked at it shrivelled and turned black before falling to the ground dead. “I don’t take the insinuation that I might know something more about the death of one of my own students, then I am letting on; lightly Sylvia,”

She looked murderous at this point and would not have been surprised if the curse she had placed on the flower was now climbing along the vine of the plant itself.

[Lady Sylvia Saphricorn]

Lady Saphricorn merely waved her hand and the area that the dead flower had fallen from sprouted a new bud which in turn grew rapidly to the previous state of growth of the other flower, as she made her way over to it with her watering can and watered it heartily, while keeping her back to the other woman.

“I would appreciate it if you did not harm any of the living organisms in my office while you have come for this most unexpected visit” Sylvia said, her voice was its normal tone but held a note of something else in it as she banished her watering can away with another wave of her hand, while the other her other hand touched the petals of the restored flower, in a loving gentle caress as the flower cooed and brushed against the hand giving it attention.

Having always known Amberly Ameraid to be of the overdramatic type it didn’t surprise Sylvia in the slightest that she would come charging into her little haven with, metaphorically, both wands blasting. Deciding to humour the woman once again, Sylvia turned to face her before taking her high backed reclining chair as she regarded the other woman as she rested her chin on entwined fingers and resting her elbows on top of the wooden surface of her desk.

“I know many things that go on in this castle Amberly but your private life, unless it affects me does not rate highly on my list of worries or priorities to be frank. But I know you would not bring it up unless you plan to elaborate on just how this is my fault?” Sylvia said as if discussing the weather not the often questioned loyalties of the woman who sat in front of her.

While she, as like any other rational person, had questions once or twice inwardly and vocally the question of could the Amberly Ameraid be trusted to on the side of light? Could she be trusted to fight beside them if, or rather when, the occasion called for it? As the saying went about a woman scorned, Sylvia knew that the Ameraid house found was surely not stupid enough not to realise that if she betrayed them, betrayed her it would be the last thing she would ever do.

Lady Sylvia Saphricorn would make sure it was the last thing she ever did if need be.

“Oh and who indeed has made this insinuation, my dear friend? Because I surely have not said such words. But you do know what they say about guilty minds and paranoia...” She said, trailing off at the end knowing she need to say no more to get her point across, and while Sylvia Saphricorn would condemn no one without the proper proof, she had seen the interaction between Oniada and Amberly, she had thought better than to join in whatever it had been but kept a close eye on them both.

Nothing pointed to her being guilty or knowing anything more than the others did on this particular matter, so far anyway, but it was no secret to any of other Founders that there was secrets being held by the other woman, and that was what would continue to make her an conflict of interest in Sylvia Saphricorn's eyes at least.

[Lady Amberly Ameraid]

Lady Ameraid watched as the flower was regenerated as easily as if it had never been killed. Amberley wondered if this was the kind of heart Sylvia had for all things, let them die, and worry about fixing them after. Amberley knew little about botany and general gardening, though she did understand that it was customary to cut off the weaker stems of a plant to ensure the rest of it would flourish. Did Sylvia treat her kin the same way, Godric did look troubled these days.

The thought of Sylvia’s son made something click within Amberley’s mind and she knew at once she had guessed something that was on Sylvia’s mind. It was common knowledge that Amberley Ameraid knew more about psychological magic then any other living or deceased witch in the expanse of recorded and non-recorded history. It was not however, as publicly advertised that Sylvia, Elwyn and Rubeus had ways of blocking her out. Thankfully the only other person these three seemed to rub off on was Robbie, not even Oniada could lock her out, though she always seemed to know when Amberley was invading and would apply other counter measures. Beyond this the only other way Amberley was able to break into Sylvia’s mind, was if she stumbled across something current in her stream of thought. A stream of which appeared inclined towards her son. Instant access granted.

It was not to be said that Amberley was flighty and readily moved between thoughts to purpose without pre-empting consequences. Though Amberley suddenly ignored the entire conversation she had started to seek out what was troubling Sylvia. The two might not be the best of friends anymore, but they had spent enough time together in their lives to at least be social allies. Amberley’s eyes narrowed as she pushed with her mind into the hidden corners of her colleague.

“Why indeed would you be interested in my personal life when yours is so much more interesting,” Amberley said to her with narrowing slits. She had found out enough, all Sylvia was doing was what all mother’s do best; she was worrying about her son. Amberley thought Godric was nice enough for who and what he was; the spawn of Emerindyl and Saphricorn; Amberley knew him well. She was, moreover, curious as to why Sylvia would have concern at this moment.

“I saw Godric today,” Amberley said as she turned her head away from Sylvia as if to say that this was not a frontal assault as her collegue might like to feel it was.

“He didn’t look himself,” she finished without elaborating. If Sylvia wanted to talk about it, she would pick the topic up, if she wanted to return to the argument of Amberley perhaps betraying the other founders of Koalingo. Then she would.

“Curious I am to see that he is not looking himself at all, I have witnessed this on multiple occasions, as you know something occurred at the duelling competition, or were you too busy spying on me to notice his apparent lapse during his duel?” she said as she moved her fingers of the arm of the chair again. She was displeased to note that the leather was not real, it was synthesised, but then she could expect nothing less from Sylvia, whom she knew to be an devoted Vegan.

“The occurrence cost him the match, if you recall? I believe young master Sinister would have had no chance otherwise,” Amberley completed deciding it prudent to leave it here and see what Sylvia might have to say on the topic.

[Lady Sylvia Saphricorn]

Calm and caring was Sylvia Saphricorn’s way of life, always had and always been, sure she had the temper that could match any of the other founders but she was usually the one to be reminded the other’s to calm down but now as she found herself inwardly reminding herself that she indeed frowned upon unnecessary violence when the other woman brought up her son, Godric.

“You’d do well to remember that unwelcome intrusions into others are often thought to be rude and unappreciated, Amberly.” Sylvia said, trying to think about how she should go about the manner talking about her son or going down the road that would surely just lead to more spiteful comments and feelings from past being drug again.

After all the woman was just pointing out things that Sylvia herself had noticed and been worrying about, and they had been like sisters to each other in a time that seemed so long ago but Sylvia was still worried about how much she could trust the woman. Even if she wasn’t betraying them to Avada, how much could she really trust the other woman who could and probably would use any information as ammunition against her without a second thought? But the thought of talking to someone who wasn’t Elwyn, whom she loved so dearly, because he could only understand a mother’s worry to a certain point, so it was with a deep sigh that she decided despite the obvious risks that talking to Amberly might provide her a little more insight on the matter.

“You’re right, Amberly. Godric doesn’t seem like himself lately, I tried to talk to him but he insists he is alright and that nothing is the matter. But I know that something has to be wrong with him. I know these things about my son.” Saphricorn said, still regarding the other woman but now tiredly over her hands that held her chin. “I did see what happened at the duelling competition quite well, and I was no spying on you but merely keeping an eye out. You may have needed assistance at some stage. What worries me most is that where Godric would have sort out his father’s or my council on such a matter he seems to be shying away from it.”

Well it wasn’t completely a lie, if things had escalated then Sylvia would have been there in a moment if not to back up the other founder than to help defuse things for the sake of the children that had been there. It was these millions of things little worries and observations of her behaviour that were related to Godric that made Lady Saphricorn wonder if that perhaps she was just being paranoid on the issue, perhaps her son was still just fighting to find his feet in a world that would be difficult for him with the shadow of both Elwyn and herself cast over a great amount of it.

“I find myself so confused about this all. What am I to do or say to Godric to have him tell me what is really wrong so I can help him? What if he won’t and it’s something serious?” Sylvia couldn’t keep the hints of panic from her voice or thoughts as she voiced her worries, she just hoped the other woman could be helpful in some way.

[Lady Amberly Ameraid]

Amberley winced openly at the suggestion that she could not best Oniada if needed. Hadn’t she already proved before that she was a foce to be reckoned with and even Oniada would not openly oppose her without the backup of her many minions. And even then, in the open at a place like the Blood Lust night club, which, while it belonged to that slimy son of a mountain troll Bartholomew Malaki. It was reputable enough in the pure blood world to be considered neutral territory, not one would be silly enough to try something that night, least of all Lady Oniada. Godric had been present at the duelling competition, which meant despite his absence in person, Elwyn Emerindyl surely knew everything that happened as it happened and nothing would have occurred between the Guild of Avada and anyone else.

She fought to keep this point to herself as she listened to her rival and colleague open up about her reservations about her son. Amberley realised quickly that she was perhaps rash in her accusations. She was not an ogre after all and she had about as much compassion as anyone else. She had the love for her own child that no one else could understand, and a pain for not having known her child at all that would never go away, in fact she kept that pain locked away deeply, less it tear her heart asunder and destroy the very essence of her soul. She knew how her colleague felt at this moment, and she was not about to make the mistake of being rude about it.

Not further anyway.

“Children are a mystery to us all,” she said as she eyed off the few that remained in the stone courtyard watching them. The look she gave them told them clearly to leave. They obliged at once. “Stranger even that we both work with children and yet we don’t understand our own,” her look was oddly distant for a moment as she thought about something she knew Lady Saphricorn could not know of.

“I think the core of your problem with Godric is simply that he is a young adult preparing to make his own way in the world, and he could not think that he should come to you with his problems as once he did as one day his problems will be his to solve, how can he claim to be the son of such great and famous parents if he is to rely on the world to baby him for all eternity,” she didn’t mean this as an insult but more of a suggestion as to an insight into you adults whereby relying on oneself was first and foremost the paramount behaviour they wished to aspire to. Still Lady Ameraid could not help but feel something more sinister was at hand.

“Perhaps I will read the auguries tonight to see what they should say about the young Prince,”
she knew the joke of Godric being a prince was not something that would insult Lady Saphricorn. In many ways he was exactly that, the Princely offspring of ancient and noble heritage. She did something then that very few people ever actually saw her do. She smiled and placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. This was the way of woman, they could go from fighting against each other for their lives to weeping in each others arms. It simply happened that way.