Familiar Face

[Riven]

Busted. Well, they’d all find out eventually anyways, although with Tecna finding out first, he wasn’t so sure it would be all over Alfea by the next day. Stella? Less than an hour.

“I did,” he said, a defensive edge to his tone. He had left it all behind, or tried to, but somehow he’d gotten sucked right back in again.

No, not somehow. He’d chosen to go back. It was everything else that was sucking him back in; everything else that was making him regret his decision; everything else that had him already thinking of leaving again.

“What can I say? They were lost without me,” he said flippantly with a well practiced grin.

[Tecna]

Pausing when the waitress returned to give them their drinks, Tecna waited until the woman had returned to her station before she answered quite seriously, "Even at the risk of inflating your already larger than life ego, I may actually be forced to agree with you."

Shaking her head before turning her gaze out the window that was located next to her seat, Tecna suddenly seemed to draw into herself, a distant look beginning to settle in her eyes. Absently, she mused out loud as her slender fingers traced the rim of her coffee mug, her voice tinged with disgust, "To tell the truth, things have been a disaster lately. Everything seems to have run a muck; there's no order, no discipline, no nothing but unadulterated chaos. Well, perhaps 'chaos' is too extreme of a word - but things aren't anything at all like they used to be and unfortunately, no change in the wind seems to be in the near forecast."

Sometimes Tecna wished that she could be like other fairies that she knew; sometimes she wished that she could be perfectly fine with living in a bubble of ignorance as they were. But she wasn't like them and she simply couldn't live with blinders on her eyes. In the previous weeks, it had become blatantly obvious to her that the quality of practically everything pertaining to Magix's three magic schools, ranging from the teachers' lessons to the students' work ethic, had declined significantly. Tecna couldn't say for sure what exactly had happened to cause this change or even when it had first started happening; but what she did know was that she didn't like it one bit.

[Riven]

She was agreeing with him? He was almost always right, but people rarely agreed with him. Maybe it was his tone. No matter how right they knew he was, he just had something about him that made them want to argue with him. It was quite amusing. But forced or not, she was agreeing with him. At least one fairy at Alfea paid attention to more than what outfit to wear that day.

Taking a drink of his soda, Riven set the glass back on the table, the movement of Tecna’s hand catching his eye. Watching her fingers travel around the lip of the mug, he brought his eyes up to her face as she spoke. She looked like she had almost forgotten he was still sitting across from her.

And oddly enough, Riven found himself agreeing with her as well. She was complaining about chaos and a lack of discipline, and he agreed. Sure, he fancied himself a rebel, but striving as he did at Red Fountain, he believed in order and discipline. But what she said about things being nothing like they used to be is what really struck a cord. It was why he left; it was why he returned. It was the old days he longed for, the days when he was idolized, and his team was envied. No matter how much he wanted it or how hard he was determined to work, he knew it would never be the same again.

“Sometimes we have to take the weather into our own hands,” he said, studying her expression. “There’s a stench on the wind that I’m not liking, so I’m looking to change its direction as soon as possible.”

He didn’t know what he was saying, but it was different to talk to someone that didn’t fall right into crying and brooding about the problems around them.

[Tecna]

Mulling over Riven's words in silence, Tecna kept her eyes trained on the window as she lifted her mug to her lips, gently blew on the steaming liquid and then took a slow sip. At a first glance, it would seem to the average unobservant onlooker that the magenta-haired fairy was simply kicking back and unwinding with a friend and a cup of joe - but on a closer look, it was more than apparent that there was more on her mind than just how best to loaf away the day. Everything from the way her brows were furrowed together almost imperceptibly to the slight frown that played about the corners of her lips indicated that the wheels of her mind were turning in full swing.

She wasn't brooding, though. And despite the fact that from her darkened expression it might seem that the term 'brooding' would be a more than suitable description of her mood, in reality, that was the last thing she was doing. In fact, she was doing the opposite of brooding: she was processing. To Tecna, brooding was just a less embarrassing term for the phrase 'wallowing in self-pity' and so she avoided it like the plague. The way she saw it, she had no time to ponder in detail all the things that were wrong in her life. What she could do was acknowledge that life had indeed changed and not for the better - but instead of sitting back and waiting for things to correct themselves, she could take action.

But taking action was more difficult than it sounded; one had to have a plan, a good plan. Turning Riven's words over in her head for possible inspiration, Tecna had to admit, her train of thought briefly derailing, that it was rather strange that they both seemed to be on the same page. Certainly, the last ally she would have expected to have was the one she saw potential for in Riven. But despite this startling realization that they shared the same desire, what was important at the moment was forging ahead.

Finally turning back to Riven, Tecna began slowly, choosing each word with care, "So then you've noticed what has become of our schools, too." A choked, bitter laugh arising in her throat as she reflected on all the burdensome events of the past two months, Tecna shook her head. "Actually, that isn't very precise of me; somehow, I suspect that you were the first one to see what was on the horizon - otherwise, you wouldn't have left Red Fountain, correct?" It was a rhetorical question and so Tecna plunged on. "But regardless of that, what is more important is the question of what there is to be done. I want to make things right, to make things the way they should be, but how?" It was an unfamiliar feeling to have to be the one without the answers, and it was a feeling that Tecna never again wanted to experience. It made her feel vulnerable, helpless, weak and nothing at all like herself.

"No one wants to listen, no one - not even the headmistress - seems to give a damn; I want to fight what is happening but the odds are not in my favor. Even I know to fight a battle alone is to ask to be slaughtered."

By now, the bitterness in her voice was clear as day; of course, she hadn't intended to be so open about the things that had troubled her mind for countless weeks, but somehow, sitting across from Riven and knowing that in a strange way, he seemed to understand her more than her friends did these days, Tecna couldn't help but lay it all out on the line. At least, briefly.

She was still Tecna, though, and she was still untouchable. Just as quickly as she had revealed the storm waging beneath her calm exterior, her shields were again erected and it was almost as if she had never said a word.

[Riven]

Allowing the silence to stretch between them while Tecna became lost in thought, Riven let his eyes travel over the other patrons of the eatery. Finding none of them to be particularly interesting, his eyes drifted back to Tecna. She was deeply contemplating something, most likely the situation the world seemed to be in. It seemed she was bothered by everything just as much, if not more, than he was. When she began talking again, he leaned ahead a little, his arms resting on the table, as he listened. She had his complete attention.

Grinning as she correctly figured out at least part of his reason for leaving, he didn’t comment, just allowing her to continue while she was on a roll. And what a roll! Not only was she admitting that heads of the school didn’t give a damn any more, but that she wanted to do something to fix everything only she didn’t know how. It was almost as if she was reading his innermost thoughts, the ones his ego didn’t allow him to speak. He never asked for help, always wanting to do everything on his own, but even he knew that what she said was true: he couldn’t do this alone.

More than all that, though, was what her tone was saying. Tecna rarely let her emotions get the better of her. Everything was always about thinking, not feeling, but the bitterness in her voice was unmistakeable.

“Wise words,” he mused to himself. “How does it feel to be the only one who cares?”

It wasn’t a jibe, just an ironic observation. The guy who doesn’t care about anything or anyone but himself, and the girl who many thought didn’t have the capacity to feel were the only people that did care about the obvious woes of the world.

“Strength in numbers, right? I’ve returned to Red Fountain to work on repairing my team,” he found himself admitting. “Start small. But that’s only one school. With you working the Alfea angle...”

It could be a partnership with the possibility of greatness. And he had just the place to start.

[Tecna]

"I suppose I could work on rounding up the girls," Tecna contemplated, her train of thought picking up where Riven's left off. "I don't know what kind of leverage I have over most of them, but I imagine that if I can convince Stella to shape up, the others will follow her lead. For some reason," at this a ghost of a smile crossed Tecna's face, "everyone always wants to be like her, to do what she does. If she sets a good example by attending all of her classes - or at least the important ones like Tactics and Defense - there is a very good chance that the rest of Alfea will do the same."

With a sigh, Tecna slumped forward slightly, a few locks of her hair falling down in front of her eyes. "The real problem is the administration, though. How can we expect our peers to take the situation seriously when our headmasters and mistresses won't even acknowledge that there is indeed a situation that needs to be handled?"

Tecna knew that she and Riven were rarities - that in lieu of the administration's incompetence, they were voluntarily stepping up to fill the very empty shoes. But most other students attending the three schools weren't as motivated as they were. They wouldn't get their acts together unless they were forced into doing so by someone with authority. And somehow, Tecna suspected that despite the fact that she was widely recognized as the most intelligent fairy in attendance at Alfea, her peers wouldn't give her the time of day if she tried to rally them together.

[Riven]

Stella. Of course they all followed Stella. The brainless sheep that they were, of course they would pick the girl who cared more about fashion than anything else to follow. Girls were pathetic. No wonder he rarely bothered with them.

“Good luck with that,” Riven snickered. Getting Stella to attend all her classes and be a model student would be as likely as getting her to step foot out of her room in anything less than full hair and make-up and in a sweat suit.

But yet again, Tecna was right. It was just what Chris had said about the administration not caring or being able to do anything. He had been too irritated to believe her, but Tecna had no reason to lie.

“So we make it impossible for them to ignore,” he said. Leaning even closer, he reached up and brushed her hair aside and held it there so he could see her eyes. There was a different spark in his eyes. Something to hint at excitement, and secret knowledge. He lowered his voice. “I might have just the thing. I got me a bit of insider knowledge of something big, and your skills would come in very handy with the next step.”

[Tecna]

Had Tecna still been in a mildly sarcastic mood, Riven's movement of his hand into her hair would have earned him another coolly spoken reprimand, but this time around, she barely noticed just how close in proximity he was to her; the look of excitement in his eyes and the hushed tone he used to speak clearly indicated that he knew something she didn't and needless to say, she was more than intrigued to find out just what that was.

"All right," Tecna finally replied, her eyes showing her curiosity, "you have my attention."

[Riven]

Grinning at her reply, his eyes shifted from side to side as if to make sure nobody was listening before meeting hers again.

“What do you know of the Omega dimension?” he asked before giving his head a quick shake. “Stupid question, don’t answer that.”

She probably knew everything there was to know about it... except what he was about to tell her.

“I’ve stumbled across a piece of interesting information. Apparently it’s not as rock solid as it’s played up to be,” he said, pausing to make sure the teaser had her full attention before going on. “There is a wizard, a very powerful wizard, who has broken out of Omega, but since its something that ‘cannot be done’, everyone refuses to acknowledge the danger.”

[Tecna]

Tecna's eyes widened visibly at Riven's news. A long time ago, she had once done an experiment out of boredom in which she had calculated the probability of someone escaping from Omega. The percent chance she had ended up with had been minuscule - more than minuscule, practically nonexistent - and it had made the possibly of escape seem entirely laughable.

Except now, Tecna wasn't laughing.

Though she had to question how Riven had come to discover this information, somehow Tecna knew that he wasn't lying - a conclusion based on the fact that he had nothing to gain by fabricating such a story.

And so, after a long moment's silence, Tecna then said slowly, her eyes a mixture of disbelief and disgust, "You mean to tell me that there is a wizard powerful enough to break out of the Omega Dimension running loose in any of the hundreds of realms - and no one is doing a thing about it?"

[Riven]

Good, she was as disgusted with this as he was. An ally with a shared desire and belief.

“Worse than you thought, right?” he said, barely keeping from rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Worlds were crumbling and nobody with the power to do anything was willing to act. “Apparently they don’t believe the source to be reliable even though already one realm has fallen victim to this wizard.”

He wasn’t sure he blamed Faragonda for not believing Christine initially, but after her vision proved true, that should have been enough. Apparently they needed enough evidence that there was no more room for denial.

“To believe it would be to admit to being wrong. We need evidence... research. Something to prove without a shadow of a doubt that this is no joke.”

[Tecna]

Tecna nodded, already sensing where Riven was headed with that train of thought. Research. It was no secret that that matter fell under her line of expertise and so it came as little surprise to her that Riven seemed to be hinting at what her initial form of action should be.

Not even bothering to wait for him to formally assign her that particular task, Tecna replied promptly, "In that case, I will see what I can dig up."

[Riven]

Good girl.

“And I’ll keep on my source and my team. We can’t fight anything with the shape we’re in,” he said, leaning back just a little. “If we can gather enough information maybe we can at least get Faragonda to listen. Although, the way things are going, its going to take another attack before they get off their high horse and admit there’s a problem in their perfect little world.”

Eraklyon, Solaria, Harmony... which would be the lucky candidate to knock some sense into those in power? There were more people around with their heads up their asses then he’d first expected. It was beginning to become a favourite description of his.

[Tecna]

Shaking her head, Tecna then took another sip of her now lukewarm coffee, too irritated to notice its flat taste. "I cannot even begin to understand why so much has gone to pieces, why Ms. Faragonda, Griselda, Saladin...all of them haven't done anything to stop this threat. Why, when we were dealing with the Trix they may have made quite a few mistakes, but at least they took an active role in overcoming that particular enemy. This shouldn't be any different. They shouldn't need any more proof if one realm has already been attacked; it's all a matter of common sense. If an entire realm is easily overcome by one wizard, that should speak volumes. But, apparently not."

Pressing her lips together, she then added ruefully, "Perhaps they have all lost their minds. I wouldn't put it past them; after all the freak accidents in the past few months with students randomly disappearing and then reappearing without even the slightest memory as to what happened and hexes and dark magic, perhaps it's finally become even too much for even them to bear."

On this note, Tecna finished off the last bit of her coffee before rising to her feet. "In any event, it seems that, for the time being, our administrators are not going to be of any help. And that means that time is even more of the essence than ever before; we don't have a moment to waste, really." Lifting her laptop case over her shoulder, Tecna continued, "I'll need to get my computer fixed and if I go now, I think I'll be able to get the supplies I need to do so before the store closes tonight."

Pulling out her wallet, Tecna fished out a bit of cash to pay for their drinks up at the register before saying over her shoulder, "I'll keep in touch."

[Riven]

Riven found that it was quite entertaining to see Tecna so riled up. She wasn’t someone that ‘lost it’ easily, so it was actually refreshing to see that her usually cool exterior was flappable. She was human, just like the rest of them.

She made a good point, though. Riven had heard about Bloom and Brandon, the odd cases of amnesia. Strange things were afoot around here, and it was quite possible that he and Tecna were the only two people that could keep their heads and figure this mess out. It was a strangely thrilling thought. He may not give a damn if people liked him or not, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t at least want them to admire him. They could loathe him all they wanted as long as it was out of jealousy.

He should have known, though, that by giving her the goods he was ending their little conversation. She was keen to get started right away, and he knew he should be getting back to Red Fountain as well. He could only hide for so long before having to bite the bullet and get back to work. And boy, did he have a lot of work ahead of him.

A gentleman would have offered to pay for her drink, but this wasn’t a date. If she wanted to pay for her own drink, Riven wasn’t going to argue. She’d probably insist on it anyways. Being a gentleman was overrated anyway.

“Hopefully next time we run into each other, it’ll be less damaging,” he quipped, grinning up at her even as she turned away. He’d just finish his drink and be on his way as well.