"But Sunfish, I missed you," comes the whiney voice of Floyd as he attempts, in vain, to keep Hina from standing up from her bed. All the hair play in the world, it seems, won't be enough to soothe him this time.
Hina sighs and nods. "I know, I know, I miss you too," she says, stroking his hair. Sending Jade a glance, she clarifies, "Both of you." Looking back down at Floyd, who's starfished face down on her bed, shoes and all, she continues, "But meetings with the headmaster are really important."
Jade gives a sigh from his spot seated in Hina's vanity chair, one arm draped over the back of it. "We certainly understand, Sunfish," he assures, "but it is still rather obnoxious for us to hardly get any time near one another."
Floyd nods, his head still stuffed up against Hina's waist. "Yeah," he muffles out, "Why do you never come to the lounge?"
"I'm busy, you two know that," Hina tries. She cringes at the sound of her own words. Shaking her head, she corrects herself. "Not like that. I mean I have hardly any time to keep up with what Housewarden puts us through." Her eyes wander to her vanity, where the three books by Flora Vanderbuilt still sit, unread and hardly even opened.
Jade follows her gaze and picks the top book off the pile. "The Colors of the Forest," he reads aloud, "by: Flora Vanderbuilt. My my, Sunfish, I never took you for the artistic type." He seems to realize his own implication and gives his own self correction of, "Canvas art, I mean. I am well aware of your love of dance."
That seems to just put Floyd in a worse mood as his arms grow tighter around Hina's middle. "Why doesn't Sunfish dance with me then?" he asks, peering up at her now through his right eye, the other half of his face still pressed comfortably into the violet silk of her uniform.
Hina sighs and gives a fond roll of her eyes, fixing them on the sky as if asking the gods, 'Can you believe this guy?' Smoothing her hand over his hair, she looks between Floyd and Jade. "How about a deal?" she suggests, "I have to go now, but the second I have enough free time, I'll spend it one on one with either of you."
Jade arches a brow. "As soon as you and each of us has free time, you mean," he says, closing The Colors of the Forest, which he's been idly flicking through.
A nod from Hina. "Yes," she assures.
"Will you dance with me?" Floyd asks, and he sounds almost like he did as a child asking her to play.
Hina giggles and nods. "Definitely," she says, "and Jade, I'll get a few more of those Flora Vanderbuilt books and we can have a read in, deal?"
Jade mulls over this in his mind a moment, then nods and says, "Floyd, let her go now. She has a very important place to be."
Floyd, as though begrudgingly commanded by his twin, does release Hina. Well, he lets his arms go limp, giving her enough room to wriggle out. Adjusting her hair a bit, she clicks her way to the door.
"Sunfish?" comes Jade's voice. With a hum, Hina peeks over her shoulder, hand on the doorknob. "How exactly will you decide which of us has your time first?"
Hina, deciding not to open that can of worms, declares with a sunny smile, "I'll let you two handle that," before sweeping out and down the hall, much to the audible descent of Floyd.
When she steps back into Headmaster Crowley's office, Hina's surprised a bit, as he's not alone.
At one of the chairs before his desk sits the, perhaps not tall, but rather proud Housewarden of Heartslabyul dorm. Shock of red hair, gown like coat, small gold crown, ruby colored heels, one of which is tapping a bit impatiently.
"Mr.Keahi," Crowley nods, "If you would, please do not take a seat."
Hina quirks a brow. "Alright," she says, resting her back against the doorframe, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
In response, Headmaster Crowley motions to the red haired boy, who stands and approaches.
"A pleasure to meet you, Makoa," he says, "I don't believe we've met. My name is Riddle. Headmaster has requested our joint presence so he might test a bit of a theory regarding your," he tilts his head toward Hina's hair, "situation."
Hina's eyebrows disappear beneath her fringe. "Oh?" she asks, gaze flickering toward Headmaster Crowley, "How so?"
"You saw how Mr.Rosehearts handled Mr.Grim during the entrance ceremony, correct?" asks Crowley.
Hina nods, assuming Grim must be the name of the fire wielding cat monster. "Yes...?"
"He can create magic collars that cut off one's magic," Crowley explains, "I would like to see if his spell works on your curse." Bending down, he lifts a small pot onto the desk containing a pristine white Cala lily. "That is why I asked you to not sit down."
Hina touches her chin, a wash of curiosity and intrigue sparking up inside of her. Gaze drifting from the lily to Riddle, she ponders, then nods.
"Alright," she says after taking a breath, "Let's do it."
Crowley looks pleased. He nods to Riddle. "Go on then."
Riddle, ever prepared, retrieves his pen wand from the pocket of his slacks. Aiming it toward Hina's throat, he declares, "Off with your head."
The weight that encircles Hina's throat is a bit uncomfortable at first, but not too terrible. Though, the sudden cold she feels in her chest is strange, as though the inner fire of her heart has flickered out like a weak candleflame. It's like she's always had two hearts, but hasn't noticed until now that one has stopped beating.
She finds herself touching the collar quite a bit, her eyes wandering to Riddle. She's not entirely sure why, but he appears as though he's having a small struggle behind the silvery gray of his eyes. Hina thinks she notices a small throb of veins at his temples. When he sees her looking, he motions her toward the desk. "Go on then."
Hina takes a breath and slowly steps forward, eyes fixated on the white lily, waiting for it's petals to turn to mat brown, then crumble away into blackened dust.
White.
White.
White.
Bump.
She doesn't even notice it until she's bumped her stomach against the headmaster's desk, too fixated on the beautiful flower to think of anything else. When she looks up, she thinks she can see a light deeper in Crowley's eyes than just the golden glow.
He nods to the pot. "Lift it. Touch the flower. We want to be sure this is foolproof."
Hina nervously complies. Her hands tremble slightly as she slides the small pot toward herself, then lifts it up. Cradling it in the crook of one arm, her hand drifts toward the petals.
Soft.
The feeling of a flower petal is so unbelievably, beautifully soft.
Spark.
Her hair, which she can actually feel the heat of now, sparks up in joyous yellow. She thinks she might cry if she's not careful. She's mesmerized by the soft, silky texture of the lily's petals, continuously running her fingertips along them, as though they're precious stones or metals.
The feeling is clouds and silk and the pounding of her heart, and she must look rather alarming with how wide her unstoppable smile is as her fingers dance along and between petals and leaves, stem and soil.
"Perfection," Crowley beams, "I had hoped this would work proper. Now you'll actually be able to attend your alchemy class. My apologies it took this long." He touches his chest. "Mr.Rosehearts has been quite busy with all of his new first years, and I am simply too kind to overwork him."
Hina glances toward the aforementioned Riddle, who looks quite proud of himself, hands behind his back with a small, pleased smile.
"With this in mind," Crowley states, "I will have you and Mr.Rosehearts meet before and after your alchemy class to place and remove the collar each day, as to allow you to participate in your classes, but not destroy your supplies."
Hina's only half listening as her fingers run again and again over the Cala lily's impossibly soft petals, but she does nod along, catching the important parts of the sentence. Too dazed to do anything but nod, smile and touch the lily, hug the pot close to her chest, let the petals and small leaves brush against her cheeks and nose. Lilies, she notes, smell so much better than the perfumes and lotions made from them.
Though she has to put the pot back down when Crowley prompts her and Riddle from his office, her smile remains, as does the yellow flame of nearly a third of her hair. Apparently, Riddle notices.
"You know," he says, capturing her attention, "Should I have the time, I might be able to create a collar for you when you wish to view the botanical garden or the rose maze. You seemed rather enamored with the Cala lily."
Hina blushes a bit, glancing down at the toes of her boots, though she quickly looks back up toward him. "Really?" she asks, "You would do that?"
Riddle nods. He holds up a finger though. "However," he says, "I will not be able to do this at just any time. I would prefer it if you wouldn't ask during school or study hours, as I'll be busy then."
Hina nods excitedly. "Of course," she says instantly, "Alright, yes, of course, I promise that I won't interrupt your work."
Riddle offers her a bob of his chin. "Good," he says, "I've been told promising things about you by Headmaster Crowley. I certainly hope you don't disappoint."
Hina's chest feels warm again, and she knows that it's more than just the return of her inner fire that's responsible for that. "Thank you," she says, "I promise I won't disappoint you."
Riddle gives her an approving glance. "With that in mind," he says, thumbing over his pen, "how should you like to go and work on your own studies in the garden or the maze? So long as you don't run a muck in there, you are plenty welcome."
Her eyes light up even further, and she can feel the cheerful yellow that her hair must be burning now. "That sounds wonderful," she declares, "I'll go and fetch my textbooks now."
"How I wish some of the first years in Heartslabyul were as eager to study as you," Riddle sighs. He shakes his head slightly. "In any case, go and gather your things and meet me at Heartslabyul's mirror. Don't be late."
Hina's already picked up her pace, hurrying ahead and calling an, "I won't," over her shoulder.
She all but sprints back to Pomefiore dormitory and into her room. Her covers are perfectly smoothed out—Jade's work, she guesses—and she fishes through her backpack for her alchemy textbook, as well as snatches one Flora Vanderbuilt book from the neatly straightened—again, probably Jade's doing—stack on her vanity.
She hugs the books to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut and fighting down a well of joyful tears as she makes her way out of her dorm building and towards the Heartslabyul mirror.
She thinks-
No.
She knows she'll enjoy stopping to smell the roses.