A Visitor for Tecna

[Tecna]

OOC: Sometime shortly after the "Close Encounters of the Ex Kind" thread

Planted firmly in front of her computer, Tecna's fingers flew rapidly over her keyboard as she typed up the laboratory report that Professor Palladium had assigned the day before. It wasn't due for another two weeks as there were a considerable number of components to the write-up that had to be carefully reflected upon, but Tecna could see no harm in doing a first draft that night, another one in a few more nights, and then a final copy by the end of the week. Unable to keep a slight smirk from crossing her face at the thought of the less, how should she put it . . . motivated students, who she full well knew would be tearing their hair out the night before the paper was due and crying about how they should have started it sooner, Tecna hummed softly under her breath.

A few moments later, Tecna's fingers began to slow down as she scanned the monitor. Biting her lip as she murmured, "One sentence more," Tecna paused for a moment to think before she once again resumed typing. As she drew to the last word, Tecna then finished the paper with a firm punch of the period key, the finality of the clicking sound giving her an odd sense of pleasure.

Making sure to save the document, Tecna then swiveled around in her chair and then rose to her feet. As she turned, she caught sight of her alarm clock and her eyes widened slightly. Had four hours really passed already? Why, it was almost lunchtime! She would have to hurry now if she was going to make it to the dining room before it got crowded - she so did detest having to wait in line for her food. Such a waste of her time.

Hurrying toward her door, Tecna flung it open and almost hurried over the threshold before she drew to a screeching halt just in time to prevent herself from ramming into her visitor. Taking a moment to recover from her surprise, Tecna then exclaimed, "Bloom! Whatever are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

(Tags Bloom obviously XD)

[Bloom]

Since her return, Bloom had practically been hibernating. Hiding was more accurate, but didn’t sound quite as good. There were only so many strange glances, whispers and questions that one girl could take, and one call of “Here fishy fishy, where’s your tail?” from a particularly obnoxious fairy had been one call too many. The library, the forest, the lake, her room... wherever she could hide from everyone was where she had holed up.

Until she had had the brilliant idea to get out and go to Magix. That had turned out so well. She had managed to get some research done, but it was obvious that hiding was not going to solve anything, and the longer she put it off, the more danger Sky was being put in. She needed to act, and she needed help. Clutching a small bag of chocolates in one hand, Bloom was just raising her other fist to knock when the bedroom door suddenly opened and Tecna almost barrelled out and right into her. Taking a step back and waving her arms, Bloom somehow managed to not fall on her butt this time. Twice in only a few days was enough.

“Hi Tecna,” she said, smiling a little sheepishly at her friend. “It feels like all I’ve done lately is rest. I brought you something, but if you’re in a hurry...”

[Tecna]

Tecna had heard it through the grapevine that Bloom was back and at first had dismissed it as idle gossip, being as she had learned that tidbit of information from some less than reliable sources. After all, it made absolutely no sense that a random fairy with no connection to Bloom whatsoever would know of such news before she did. And what was more, according to the gossip, Stella had been one of the first to learn of Bloom's return, which in itself made sense - however, Tecna just couldn't buy the fact that if Stella had known about Bloom's return, she wouldn't have come to find her and let her know. True, whatever friendship she had once shared with the sun fairy had seemed to have disintegrated in recent months, but still . . . she had once been part of the group and to be left out of the loop in regards to something of this magnitude was unthinkable.

And yet, it appeared that she had been wrong as Bloom was standing before her in the flesh. Which meant, to her dismay, that other parts of the gossip she had overheard were probably true as well. It was for that reason that Tecna had been unable to prevent an inquiry about Bloom's health from slipping past her lips. Still, from the looks of it, Bloom probably did not wish to discuss those matters - even if Tecna felt her curiosity beginning to stir. Of course, she wanted to find out once and for all if everything she had heard was true, but for Bloom's sake, Tecna knew that she would simply have to restrain herself.

Stepping aside as Bloom trailed off, Tecna responded matter-of-factly, "You're no trouble at all. Please, come in."

[Bloom]

“Thanks,” Bloom replied, a little awkwardly. She felt really bad showing up here like this. She’d been back for a few days now, and the first time she gets around to seeing Tecna is to ask for help? What kind of a horrible friend did that make her?

“I’m really sorry I didn’t come to see you sooner, but I’ve been hiding out, spending a lot of time alone and doing a lot of research and...” trailing off, she looked at Tecna and sighed deeply. “Okay, so I’m a horrible friend, but I come bearing gifts of chocolate! You better hide them from Stella, though, because the second she gets wind of them there will be nothing left.”

Tecna wasn’t like the other girls, but Bloom hoped that humour would still help the situation.

[Tecna]

“I’m really sorry I didn’t come to see you sooner, but I’ve been hiding out, spending a lot of time alone and doing a lot of research and...Okay, so I’m a horrible friend, but I come bearing gifts of chocolate! You better hide them from Stella, though, because the second she gets wind of them there will be nothing left.”

Accepting the gift, Tecna gave Bloom an amused look as she replied, "Yes, I believe that would be highly characteristic of our Stella."

Silent for a moment as she extricated a piece of chocolate from the bag, ate it, retied the package and then set it aside, Tecna then continued, "In any event, you needn't apologize for anything, Bloom. If anything, I should be the one to do so; you shouldn't have had to come seek me out - I should have been the one to go find you the moment I heard of your return. I suppose I've just been a little distracted as of late with school and some other things that I've grown quite selfish."

Not to mention distant, Tecna thought with an inward sigh as the feelings of guilt for, when it came right down to it, abandoning her friends and turning into an utter recluse, resurfaced.

Not wanting to linger on these thoughts any longer, Tecna quickly brushed them aside as she, not one to beat too long around the bush, asked boldly, "So tell me, is this just a friendly visit or are my suspicions correct and you are needing some sort of assistance?" Realizing that that may have sounded like she didn't wish to help Bloom if there was indeed trouble, Tecna amended, "Of course, if something is wrong, I will be more than happy to help you in any way I can."

[Bloom]

Smiling when Tecna accepted the gift, Bloom used the moment of silence to take a look around. Nothing really appeared to be different here. Flopping down on her friend’s bed, she looked up as the gift was set aside.

“No, no, don’t apologize. We’ve all got a lot going on,” she said in reply, shaking her head resolutely. It did hurt that Tecna saw school and whatever as more important than her well being, but seeing as she didn’t know what the “other things” were that Tecna spoke of, Bloom couldn’t hold it against her. They both had put it off so neither of them were in the wrong. Hopefully they could move on from here.

Or maybe not.

Wincing at the implication that she had only come to see her friend because she needed something, Bloom fiddled needlessly with the hem of her skirt. Tecna wasn’t the only selfish one. As much as she wanted to help Stella and Brandon, and as much as this was to help Sky and everyone, it was also for herself and she was getting so caught up in what it meant for her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want it to sound like this. I don’t want you to think that I’m using you or anything because you’re my friend, and I really care about you, but... I didn’t know where else to turn.”

[Tecna]

"Oh, I could never think that, Bloom!" Tecna exclaimed in surprise as she took a seat on a chair opposite her bed. "I would like to think I know you too well to imagine for even one second that you would willingly use me."

Brushing her hair to the side of her face, Tecna then continued with a trace of a smile, "I suppose I have the terrible habit of being far too abrupt for my own good, though; I didn't mean to make it seem that I'm upset with you for asking for my help. That couldn't be further from the truth as I assure you, I'm quite honored that you thought of coming to me to help solve whatever is clearly bothering you."

Growing more and more comfortable and pleased with Bloom's presence with each passing moment, Tecna settled deeper down into her chair and then propped her chin up onto the palm of her hand. A pensive look crossing her features as she mentally made a list of things that could possibly be troubling Bloom, Tecna shook her head. There were far too many options to come to any firm conclusions. In this case, it seemed more logical, not to mention time-saving, to just ask Bloom what was bothering her.

Taking a moment to pull her legs up onto the seat and against her body, Tecna then gently prodded, "So, do go on and tell. What is this all about, hmm?"

[Bloom]

Sighing in relief that Tecna wasn’t upset with her, Bloom sprawled back on the bed, her blue eyes fixed on the ceiling above.

“Thanks, Tecna. And your abrupt nature can be quite refreshing sometimes when so many other people are too afraid to speak their minds,” she said with a smile, closing her eyes for a moment and rubbing them with the heels of her hands. Ah, but it was time to bite the bullet.

Pushing herself back up to sit on the edge of the bed, Bloom fixed Tecna with a serious expression.

“It’s about Sky. His new girlfriend?” she started, her expression darkening slightly. “She’s a witch.”

[Tecna]

"A witch?" Tecna echoed, a few lines marring her forehead as she frowned deeply in slight confusion. Not bothering to pretend that she hadn't known that Sky was seeing someone else, Tecna then continued after a moment, "Perhaps you are mistaken, Bloom. Sky certainly cannot be dating a Cloud Tower girl; even though I make it a habit to not pay much attention to gossip, I do know with almost 100 percent certainty that he is currently seeing Lady Christine Strongheart." Pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts, Tecna then began to rattle off the facts she knew about the person in question, "Christine Strongheart. Only female to attend Red Fountain in the school's history thus far. Former princess and now current queen of the realm of Lovelylocks. Works at the Full Moon Club in Magix." Almost as an afterthought, Tecna added, "And from what I understand, she is also some sort of seer."

Allowing this information to soak in for a moment, Tecna then said, "Although I do not personally know Christine, I know of her and though I suppose there is always the possibility . . . I cannot imagine her being a witch." Squinting her eyes slightly in thought, Tecna shook her head. "Witches do not generally do charity work and if I recall correctly, it was Christine who helped put together a play for children of an orphanage not too long ago."

[Bloom]

Christine attended Red Fountain? That was something she didn’t know, and it only gave more fuel to her theory. There really was no other explanation.

When Tecna got to the climax of her helping children, Bloom sighed in an exasperated manner and rolled her eyes.

“I suppose she’s an awesome singer too,” she said bitterly. Catching Tecna’s expression, Bloom’s eyes widened a little. “Come on, Tecna! Nobody is that perfect!”

Tecna was supposed to be the one to understand. She functioned on logic and information... she just had all the wrong information. She only had what Christine wanted her to know. It appeared Tecna wasn’t immune either.

“Think about it. Everything was perfectly fine. Sky and I were more than happy, and then she shows up. She started attending Red Fountain – a girl at an all boy’s school! Then I start acting weird and totally not like me. Then Sky dumps me for her, I get turned into a mermaid and nobody seems to notice!”

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Bloom found that now that she was finally talking about it, she couldn’t stop. She had to get it all out in the open. She had to hear someone confirm it.

“The only explanation is that she’s a witch, and a very powerful one at that! She put a spell on the faculty at Red Fountain to allow her to attend. She put some kind of personality spell on me, and when Sky and I started to get a little distant, she smacked a love spell on him! After he dumped me, she decided to get me out of the picture for good and turned me into a mermaid and stole my memories! I think she even did something to you guys so that you wouldn’t be suspicious as to how I was acting. Oh, and for all I know she’s the one behind what happened to Brandon! Maybe Stella was getting too suspicious so she gave her something else to worry about. It all makes perfect sense!”

Taking a few more deep breaths, Bloom looked at Tecna expectantly. All the logic was there. There was no way she could dispute it.

Come on, Tecna. Tell me it all makes perfect sense.

[Tecna]

"You make a rather convincing argument on the surface, Bloom, but . . ." Tecna began after a moment of silence in which she attempted to sort through the information presented to her to see if she could find anything to dispute. Settling on the topic of Bloom's former mermaid state, Tecna continued skeptically, "You seem to imply that you believe that Christine was responsible for what happened to you, but I know for a fact that that simply isn't possible." Pausing a moment, Tecna then said, "I am afraid it was Flora who did that to you - while she was under the control of Darkar, of course. She never would have done something like that if she had been herself; but I'm sure I don't need to tell you that."

Sensing that this wasn't the reply that Bloom had been hoping she would give, Tecna crossed her hands neatly in her lap as she lapsed into another brief silence. It was difficult for her to have to point out the errors in Bloom's argument, but it was better to do that than to risk telling her that her logic was perfect when it wasn't. If it would save Bloom from doing something rash, then it was all for the best, right?

Then why did she feel like she was telling Bloom that there was no possibility that Christine was who she thought she was when there was that chance. There was always a possibility for something to be true, even if it was very small. And what was more, besides Bloom's false belief that it was Christine who had turned her into a mermaid, the other arguments she had made . . . well, they made sense.

Bloom had said it best - no one could be as perfect as Christine seemed to be. And though Tecna still had her doubts that the girl was a witch per se, the more she thought about it, the more suspicious things seemed. Surely, it wouldn't hurt to do some investigating . . .

Abruptly pulling her gaze away from the window she had absently turned her head toward, Tecna rose to her feet as she said, "I am afraid that I cannot tell you with absolute certainty that Christine is who you say she is, but you've raised some interesting points that I believe are worth researching."

[Bloom]

The ‘but’ was like a kick to the stomach. She needed reassurance; she needed confirmation; she needed hope. A ‘but’ didn’t fit with any of those things. And speaking of not fitting...

“Flora?!” Bloom exclaimed, a look of pure shock on her face. Flora had not only turned her into a mermaid but had also been controlled by dark forces and she was just finding out now? Between Flora not telling Stella about Bloom’s return, Bloom’s own avoidance of everyone and now this, the lines of communication between the once close group of friends seemed to contain a few holes. It was a sad thought, and one that left her feeling oddly empty for a moment before she shook it off.

She wanted to ask if Flora was okay, but it was a silly question. They still shared a room, and the fairy of flowers had seemed perfectly fine when she’d first found Bloom in the forest. Apparently whatever had been done to her had been reversed. So instead of asking she just stayed quiet, her mind turning all this over while Tecna considered the theory Bloom had laid in her lap.

The silence grew between the two friends, each lost in their own thoughts, until Tecna finally broke it. Snapping her attention back to her friend, Bloom’s look of worry and disappointment quickly turned to one of gratitude... and hope.

“Oh, thank you, Tecna!” she exclaimed, practically leaping from the bed to throw her arms around the other fairy.

[Tecna]

Clearing her throat uncomfortably at Bloom's sudden outburst of emotion, Tecna lightly patted her friend on the back as she said carefully, "Yes, well, perhaps you ought to wait to thank me until later. Remember I said I would try to help but I cannot make any promises."

Pausing for a moment, Tecna then gently detached herself from Bloom's grip as she turned back to her computer. Briefly glancing over her shoulder at Bloom, Tecna smiled as she exclaimed, "Now then, we have a world of information right here at our fingertips! All I need to do is simply to connect to the Realm Wide Web and then run a search on witches and personality spells. There's bound to be loads of information. And if that doesn't work," Tecna continued efficiently, "we can always utilize our library's resources, or even those of Cloud Tower. Perhaps if we can gather enough proof, we can show Ms. Griffin and see what she thinks. After all, she is a witch and she's bound to be able to recognize whether someone is or is not a witch."

[Bloom]

Tecna wasn’t much for displays of emotion, so Bloom wasn’t surprised when she barely returned the sentiment. It didn’t matter anyway as the redheaded fairy was down with the PDA enough for the both of them.

Despite her friend’s claim that she could only try, Bloom was ecstatic. She knew with Tecna’s help that they could break these spells. She had other ideas as well, ones that others would probably consider naive and silly, but growing up with earth fairytales, then finding out that fairies and magic did exist, she couldn’t help but believe there was some truth behind them. True love could break any spell... sometimes it just needed a little assistance.

And Tecna’s smile was nothing if not reassuring. That’s not even to mention her words. There was no doubt Bloom had come to the right place.

“I never thought of Ms. Griffin!” she exclaimed, hovering over Tecna’s shoulder. They had to find out as much as they could first, and if she could at least weaken the spell on Sky in the meantime it would have to help. But if worse came to worst, they might just have to call in the big guns. “Remember that spell that was put on Stella that one time that made her all mean and insulting? She couldn’t remember what she had done afterwards either, really. Could whatever was used on me have been a much stronger version of that? Something intended to be... permanent?”

[Tecna]

"It is a possibility," Tecna finally answered, her brows furrowed as she skimmed through an article she had pulled up. "However, we mustn't jump to any rash conclusions. We must keep her wits about us and think things through rationally." Arching a finely sculpted brow, Tecna remarked over her shoulder, "Somehow, I imagine that if we wrongly accuse someone of being something she is not, Faragonda will not be too pleased. Doubtlessly, she would have to think up some sort of punishment and even more doubtlessly, Griselda would insist that the punishment be made more severe." Turning her head to look at Bloom, Tecna said with a sour face, "I would hate for us to have our powers diluted, even just temporarily."