Fairly Fair Fairies Errand Solo Finished

Date: December 22, 2021 (Wednesday)

Being inexplicably upset for so many days in a row was getting rather tiresome. Liana almost missed the numbness that had oppressed her for most of November and some of early December - at least it didn't make her moods shift from wanting to weep to feeling a surge of rage in a matter of seconds. Today she caught herself getting frustrated with her classmates who were too slow to answer a teacher's questions. Yesterday she had gotten so upset about someone's tomcat hissing at her that she could barely hold back tears. The day before that, she found out that two of her peers got better scores than her on a test, and spent hours staring at the ceiling in her bed, not sure what she was feeling exactly but suffering nonetheless. She knew the core reasons for this 'gloom', as she had dubbed it. Performing poorly in two duels against people who had next to no experience was one; receiving a letter from Father informing her than she cannot come home for Christmas was another. Somehow, her mind had managed to merge them both into one, forcing the girl to wonder whether Marcus Kerr had heard of her poor performance in the unofficial duels and decided he wanted naught to do with his good-for-nothing daughter. Sure, he had written about going abroad for holidays together with her stepmother, but it easily could have been a lie.

These persistent self-doubting thoughts and rapid mood changes were too much to take, especially when everyone else seemed to be enjoying the holiday cheer. She wanted to feel some of it as well for a change, if only briefly. Which inspired her to visit the hospital wing and ask for a Cheering Charm to be cast on her - just this once, of course, because she was feeling under the weather today and really wanted to feel better so she could go have fun with some fairies, as she explained to the hospital staff. The charm worked, well, like a charm. The redhead could feel her lips curling up into a smile as she walked the corridors, wondering what she should do next. Participating in the effort to move fairies to the castle had only been an excuse, but now she found herself wanting to actually visit the Groundskeeper cabin and meet the silly, vain little creatures. And so it was decided.

The weather was chilly an the snow crunched under her feet in a satisfying sort of way. She inhaled the cold air, and let out a steamy breath. It felt wonderful just to be outside end enjoy the scenery. By the time she approached the cabin, Liana was practically skipping.

The pair of winged beings she collected seemed to be excited about the prospect of being moved to the castle. They were giggling and fluffing their tiny colourful dresses while perched on Liana's gloved hand that she was trying to steadily hold palm-up while walking. ''I think I'll put you two in the Study Room,'' she announced, not entirely sure if fairies understood English, or any human tongue, for that matter. ''The hardworking students will appreciate some tasteful ornaments,'' the girl continued, refraining from mentioning that the area she had in mind didn't receive that many visitors, especially during holidays when no classes were taking place. The two insect-sized ladies blinked their minuscule eyes at her all the while grooming themselves meticulously.

There were some spruce branches piled on the ground near the entrance, possibly left after trimming the trees that were brought inside to decorate the various halls and rooms of the castle. Struck by a sudden inspiration, the redhead picked one of them up - the nicest-looking branch she could find among the discarded cuttings - and proceeded to climb the stairs to the second floor. Once inside the Study Room, she evaluated the embellishments that were already present. There was nothing too eye-catching, so as not to distract the studious souls that might pay this place a visit. The fairies would certainly be the most attractive adornment present.

On one of the desks she found some colourful ribbons. After placing the miniature humanoids on the backrest of a chair, she set the spruce branch down an tied a few silvery ribbons to it, creating a makeshift swing drooping down the middle, as well as a loop on top of the branch so it could be hung on a wall. Once she was finished, the first-year mounted the branch under the clock - for most students were prone to periodically checking the time when they were studying - and gently transported the pair of fairies to their seat of silky, metallic-looking ribbons, where they could swing gracefully whenever someone was looking their way.

''You two stay here and look pretty now,'' the girl directed, stepping back to admire her work. Both creatures looked quite content, sitting side by side and lightly fluttering their insectoid wings.

The combination of an evergreen embellished with silvery accents made her feel oddly uncomfortable, much like that cookie she had decorated in blue and brown had done. Somehow, her high spirits were dwindling quickly. Was the Cheering Charm wearing off? ''I'll be sure to come and visit you from time to time,'' she promised in a small voice before turning around promptly and walking out of the room.

Liana has left the thread.