Dancin' on air

[Demeter]

OOC: assuming that the lovely professor can travel through all the mirrors Here's some free angst

Flora transformed into her fairy form - wanting to do nothing more then dance on the air, something she did while she was at home. She'd tap into her Winx, transform into her fairy form, turn on her radio, flip to a song she liked and then cut free. Her mother loved it when she did it at the shop - it would draw customers in. And her cousins loved it when she did it - they always found the transformations "way awesome".

Besides her radio, she brought a mirror with her. She had magicked it to fit in her pocket and then she unspelled it when she got to the grove she chose to dance in. She placed the mirror against a tree and smiled softly. She picked a small rose colored flower and pinned it into her hair. She smoothed her skirt and fluttered her wings.

True, she was still haunted by her nightmares, but she taught herself to lock them away. The further, the better.

She leaned down and flipped her radio on, fiddling with the dial before finding a song. She clapped her hands and giggled before she leapt into the air.

Podemos soñar, sabemos pensar - Esta noche será el tiempo de realizar y lo vamos a alcanzar. Encuentra el poder supera el temor - No vamos a llorar lo que deseamos será y lo vamos a alcanzar. Vamos a entrar a la realidad - El tiempo llegó de comenzar...

Y se siente bien como bailar en el aire - Nada se le compara al ritmo de hoy - Que inspira a luchar y alumbra el camino - Y se siente bien contigo al lado de mi.

Dedicate y no le temas - Mantenganse fiel a todas sus esperanzas - Lo vamos a lograr, lo vamos a lograr.... Vamos a entrara a la realidad - El tiempo llego de comenzar...

Y se siente bien como bailar en el aire - Nada se le compara al ritmo de hoy - Que inspira a luchar y alumbra el camino... Y se siente bien como bailar en el aire - Nada se le compara al ritmod e hoy - Que inspira a luchar y alumbra el camino - Y se siente bien contigo al lado de mi... Y se siente bien contigo al lado de mi... Bien contigo al lado de mi...

...Bien como bailar en el aire - Nada se le compara al ritmo de hoy - Que inspira a luchar y alumbra el camino... Y se siente bien como bailar en el aire - Nada se le compara al ritmo de hoy - Que inspira a luchar y alumbra el camino - Y se siente bien contigo al lado de mi

She spun, twirled, did a few self dips, all the while moving in time to the music. Laughter bubbled forth from her as she revelled in the music, in the dance.

[Palladium]

Palladium stood in a bright vast space that had become his prison. His mirror prison. He didn't understand how his home operated or how the space was so large when, after all, he was locked into mirrors. But maybe that was it, he thought wryly - maybe it wasn't that this space was particularly large. Maybe it was that he was particularly small; it wouldn't surprise him one bit if Stormy had shrunk him to make him even less of a threat to her plans.

Still, he couldn't comprehend it; how had he been beaten by a witch? How had he been so stupid as to allow her to simply enter his office. How had he been so unsuspecting? And now . . . now Stormy was out there posing as him - doing who knows what.

Frustrated, Palladium pounded against one wall, in a futile attempt to escape. He didn't know why he even bothered anymore. He had attempted every magic spell he knew to escape; he had physically tried to break out; he had done everything within his power, and yet, here he still was.

Slumping down against a wall, Palladium closed his eyes, wishing that he could see someone again - and more so, talk to someone again. It felt as though his ability to speak was slowly withering away. Perhaps this was the first step to going mad.

Opening his eyes, his vision focused in on something that appeared to be a door ahead of him. Furrowing his brow, Palladium stood up carefully and moved toward it, reminding himself that it was probably just a figment of his imagination or some cruel trick Stormy was playing on his mind. Still, he couldn't help but feel a small flicker of hope well up in his chest.

Standing in front of the door, Palladium reached his hand out and gently touched the doorknob, surprised when it didn't disappear in his hand. Opening the door, Palladium stepped into an endless hallway . . . and then he gasped.

Along the walls were moving images of . . . Flora. Trembling, Palladium wondered if these images of Flora dancing were real. Could she see him? Could he reach her? Could he find a way to make her see that he was in trouble?

Unsure how to exactly test these questions, Palladium decided to create a glowing ball of energy to throw at the wall. Perhaps the light would reflect and Flora would see it and become suspicious.

Standing back from the wall across from him, Palladium drew his hands together and felt the energy building. Soon, between his palms was a large orange ball of energy. Lifting his hands above his head, Palladium threw it at the wall with all his strength and then, he waited.

[Demeter]

Flora thought she saw something glitter. She landed, and tilted her head. She willed her fairy costume away and silently walked over, the grass caressing her bare feet. She placed one hand on the glass of the mirror and peered into it. What she saw was decidedly *not* her own reflection. Well, that was there, but there was something else.

There was something in it - she could make out the faint hint of something, someone. It was male - whatever it was. She drew in a breath, silently willing that the person would step closer, let her see who it was.

"Oh, step closer," she begged, not knowing if the person on the other side could hear her. "Let me see who you are. Please. Maybe I can help you, but I need to see, need to know who you are."

[Palladium]

Inside his prison, Palladium crouched down on his heels, his head resting on his forearms, his body a picture of defeat.

It hadn't worked, he thought, his throat constricting tightly as his emotions welled up. He had failed - or this had all been some elaborate game on Stormy's part. She was probably watching at this moment, watching his hopes rise, watching him be her puppet - watching him eat right out of her palm.

Angrily, Palladium jerked his head up, determined to not let this affect him.

And then he saw her. Flora. She had stopped dancing and had drawn close and was instead touching the mirror with a confused look on her face. His breath catching in his throat, Palladium rushed closer to her image and pressed his hand against his side of the mirror, willing her to sense his presence.

[Demeter]

Flora definitely felt something, something touching her hand. A rose blush stained her cheeks as she felt something touching her. It was a warm, caring presence. And a familiar one to boot.

She could almost see the figure standing there, almost. Her grass green eyes narrowed as she attempted to see the figure there. Oh, who could it be. It was someone she knew, that was a certainity. Only... who?

Oh, why didn't the figure step closer?

[Palladium]

As Palladium stood, with his hand pressed to the mirror, he vaguely sensed something urging him to step closer to wall. Keeping his hand firmly connected to the mirror, Palladium shifted closer, so that his body was mere inches from the barrier.

Staring at Flora, Palladium silently spoke to Flora, his lips moving almost imperceptibly as he urged her to see him.

[Demeter]

Now. Now, Flora could see the figure hidden within the mirror. She let out a startled gasp as she recognized him. "Professor," she whispered, her features etched with horror. "Oh! How! Oh, we've got to get you out!" None of the lessons she took, none of the classes could have prepared her for this shock.

There had to be something, some spell, something that could help. Only what? They never covered anything like this in her classes - not even during her summer sessions.

She bowed her head against the glass, feeling a strange merger of warmth from the man trapped within and the chill of the glass. "I'll find a way to free you, I promise," she whispered. Several tears streaked down her face as she struggled to think, to find some way to help him. Oh, there had to be a way. There just had to be.

[Palladium]

The moment Flora recognized him, Palladium knew. He could feel her shock, her worry, and in that moment, he felt all of his fear slip away. Somehow, he would be saved. Somehow, he would be able to leave this prison.

Flora knew. So as long as she knew, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before he was saved. He simply had to wait now.

Suddenly his prison didn't feel so unbearable. He was discovered! Laughing to himself, he knew that Stormy would be found out in due time. Just as she deserved.

[Demeter]

"I should have known something was going on when you were rather cold to me after I came to your office for advice when I had another one of my nightmares," she said quietly. "I don't know why I didn't pick up on it sooner."

She ran her fingers across the glass that seperated them, her fingers never leaving his face. She blushed a bit and gently kissed the glass over his cheek. She demurely looked away, her cheeks a rich shade of crimson.

[Palladium]

Palladium felt her kiss throughout his body. Shaking slightly, he reminded himself that she hadn't really kissed him and so nothing inappropriate had happened. Even in his mirror prison, Palladium couldn't stop thinking about his behavior and the acceptability of it. Even though some time had passed since Faragonda and Griselda had warned him about teacher-student relationships, their words were still as clear as Athryellian river water.

Still, seeing her beautiful face, made Palladium's heart lurch. He wanted to hug her and to tell her that he was okay, but she would not be able to hear his words. But she could sense him.

Closing his eyes, Palladium repeated to himself the words that he had had to repeat many times: Flora is a student. Flora is a student. Opening his eyes, he sadly knew that even when he escaped from the mirrors, he would not follow through on his feelings. Even if it was Flora who released him, he would probably only give her a 'thank you' and then remind her that he refused to put themselves in a compromising position.

Usually by this point of thinking about Flora, Palladium would have pushed aside his thoughts about her. But right now, right now in the mirror with this barrier between them, Palladium allowed his mind to think of her, to acknowledge his feelings for her. After all, it wasn't as though any inappropriate behavior could occur between them at the present moment.

[Demeter]

Flora settled down at the base of the mirror, legs tucked underneath her, her feet pointing off to the left. Oh, she knew it was wrong to tempt him, but there was that barrier and nothing inappropriate could happen as long as it was there. She pulled her hair to the side and started to braid it. It was one of the few things she could do that helped her steady her nerves so she could think.

Tears streaked down her tanned face as she thought about possible solutions and how none were possily affective. Oh, how could she help him? Surely there had to be a way. What if ... no... shattering the mirror could kill him or trap him forever, neither wer a positive solution.

For the first time in however long the good professor knew her, Flora swore. "Damn it all to hell!" she cried.

[Palladium]

Palladium stood, watching Flora braid her hair. Feeling as though he was intruding on her privacy, Palladium turned his gaze away from her image.

Allowing his thoughts to drift, Palladium acknowledged that Flora was certainly the opposite of the first girl he had loved, his childhood friend, Cora; and yet, he felt the same overwhelming need to protect both of them. Yes, they were different: in appearance, Flora was dark, tan, and exotic while Cora was ivory, pale, and elegant. In terms of personality, Flora was subdued, delicate, and shy. Cora . . . Cora was a good girl with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. But still, he loved both girls.

Jolted out of his thoughts, Palladium froze . . . loved . . . Flora? It was a given that he loved Cora; after all, he had known her for half of his life - but Flora? He loved Flora? This girl he barely knew, he actually loved her?

Yes. Palladium bent his head, his gaze carefully trained on the ground below him. Yes, he loved Flora.

Closing his eyes, he muttered to himself, "Oh this is quite the conundrum."

[Demeter]

It seemed love never came easy for the girls of Linphea, as Flora found out from talking with her mother, Wysteria. Her own father had taken years to court her mother - years. Flora pushed the thought away. She was not going to think about romance, love. Not when the person she was in love with didn't know if he truly loved her!

How could she love a man when she didn't even know his name. Oh, she was such a fool, and a child. But there was that pull of magic, that spark of electricity that seemed to crackle in the air. Maybe she was a fool, but she listened to her heart more then her head. Something Tecna had often chided her on.

She remembered her first year at Alfea, when she first laid eyes on the professor trapped behind the mirror. She felt something then, but didn't trust herself, besides, the odds of him feeling the same were astronomical.

She stopped braiding her hair and turned her gaze back to the mirror. "Oh, Flora," she whispered to herself. "When will you stop letting your heart lead your head? How do you know he even loves you?" She stood slowly, turned and looked at the source of her heart ache. "Do you even love me?" she asked, not expecting an answer. "Or am I just making a world class fool out of myself?"

She bowed her head against the glass, feeling a strange merger of warmth from the man trapped within and the chill of the glass. Tears streaked down her face as she had closed her eyes, to hide from the man all the pain she felt.

[Palladium]

Palladium flinched. He could sense that Flora was crying even without looking at her image. He wished he could reach her, to stroke her back as he had in the Nurse Ophelia's office the day that he had rescued Flora from the sand merks. But the barrier was here and all he could touch was the cold glass.

Rising to his feet, Palladium paced back and forth down a section of the hall, his thoughts flooded with thoughts. Flora. He loved her. It was wrong, but he loved her. But he would only end up hurting her, he knew it. He could never give her what she deserved. He would always place his career first; he would always value his education more than anything, even love. But Flora would never believe him. Flora could read him easily, and she would know that everything was an excuse. But he couldn't risk hurting her, of leading her to believe that he would someday marry her and make her dreams a reality.

Stopping, then moving slightly closer to the barrier, Palladium observed Flora. She would never be his. She could be, if he could gather courage to stand up for his heart, but as he had reminded himself many times before, he was not that bold.

[Demeter]

"I just wish I knew the truth," Flora said, not looking at him. She sighed quietly. "I love you, but I wish I knew if you loved me. It would make the hurt less."