Velvet wasn’t used to being called to the director’s office. She wasn’t an unruly kid, nor a violent one, and everyone could attest to that.

 

And the ones that didn’t, well, she would tell them the same thing.

 

Where is your evidence?

 

But here she was, and she knew the exact reason.

 

Because, if there was something she did that could get her in problems with the director, there was only one option possible.

 

And, looking at the piece of cloth on director Dorna’s hands, she was right.

 

“Madam Dorna, you called for me.” She took off her hat, a straw sun hat topped with a green ribbon, and put it on the coat hanger next to the door.

 

“Indeed. Come closer. Sit down.” Velvet would’ve been happy staying as close to the door as possible, but it seemed the reunion was going to be long.

 

I also need to tell her that… she thought, dragging the chair away from the table slowly, as far away as politely as she could. Then she sat down.

 

Madam Dorna waited until she was fully seated, before sliding the piece of cloth across the table, putting it right in front of her.

 

“Care to explain what this is?”

 

Velvet took a deep breath before nodding.

 

“Those are pants.”

 

Madam Dorna just kept staring at her in silence, her half scorched face making Velvet even more unwilling to meet her eyes. She let out a nervous chuckle.

 

It was not like she could see Velvet, since the director was pretty much blind, but she did look straight towards her, her completely white eyes staring straight at her face.

 

“Pants to which I did sew some magic…” Her voice became a whisper at the end, and she fidgeted before raising it to normal levels again, “The kids kept falling and scraping their knees, so I put some healing charms on their clothes.” 

 

Madam Dorna frowned at the mention of magic, but she didn’t interrupt Velvet.

 

It’s not like magic was forbidden in the region of Arhontissa, who controlled Charlampa, where they lived. Here it wasn't like in Mirel, where unregistered practitioners got hanged or burned at the stake by the Inquisition. Velvet was safe on that front.

 

The front she wasn’t safe on was Madam Dorna’s.

 

Velvet wasn’t going to lie. She knew the dangers of magic. She almost died to get her own powers. 

 

But that was because I did it on my own! she complained inwardly.

 

She had talked and talked to every single wandering magician that came to Casrey, trying to pierce together the little bits of information each one of them gave, until she amassed a basic level of understanding of how magic worked.

 

It had been a long journey of a year, but in the end she got the ritual to obtain magic.

 

Usually, the magicians that were going to open a gate to the Primeval Sea were helped by their fellow associates, friends or family, but Velvet had no one of those. And there was a difference between paying for information and paying for protection. Namely, the price. In the end, she alone did suffice, and Velvet was proud of that.

 

Still, it wasn’t even debatable. Magic had taken more lives that it had saved. Her town was an example of that. Not only Madam Dorna’s facial scars, but the fact that ten years ago, there wasn’t any orphanage here.

 

And ten years ago, Velvet could’ve just gone to her parents for help to get a mentor.

 

“In how many clothes did you scribble?” Madam Dorna’s voice stopped her train of thought.

 

“In like half of them.”

 

“I also found some traces of magic in the water deposit.”

 

“To keep it cool and free of bacteria.”

 

“Under the beds.”

 

“Mosquito repellent.”

 

“And some villagers did confess to paying you for some homemade charms.”

 

Velvet cleared her throat. 

 

“Yes, six chalkins each. Professional made charms cost one to three auris. That’s sixty chalkins. I am no scammer, six chalkins are worth a cup of coffee as much, and it barely covers the price of the materials.” 

 

She wondered who sold her to the director so soon though. And then regretted not raising the prices a bit more before that. If there was a reason her charms were so cheap, it was to buy their silence, at least until a few weeks.

 

“So, you didn’t hurt anyone with magic, is that right?”

 

“Hm.” Both of them just stared at each other in silence.

 

“So he’s the snitch.” 

 

Madam Dorna leaned back on her chair, crossing her hands on her lap and staring at her in silence.

 

Velvet would’ve preferred for her to scream and go off at her, but she knew that wasn’t gonna happen. The director was always calm, no matter what the kids under her care did.

 

She had the ‘I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed’ attitude. And that hurted Velvet more than a few shouts.

 

“I have a reason for that, just hear me out.” 

 

“I’m listening, Dobastro.”

 

“He was kicking stray kittens. The ones the kids are playing with everyday. Also,” She raised both hands in the air. “I didn’t harm him. I just paralyzed him for a bit. The kids did the harming.”

 

“Dobastro…”

 

“Do you know how vicious kids are? Even I was surprised!”

 

“He is the doctor’s son.”

 

“Good for him!” She paused, “Not good for the kittens, they have no doctor parents to cry to.”

 

Madam Dorna sighted.

 

“I can’t be blamed for that, the kids were clamoring for his life at that moment. I was even merciful. A few broken bones is nothing compared to-”

 

“Having your face melted?” Velvet shut up at that, realizing she messed up.

 

“I… I want to heal you too someday.”

 

“We both know that is not possible. You want too many things.” 

 

“Well, I am greedy.”

 

Both of them stayed in silence. Madam Dorna grabbed a pot of tea and poured two cups, with how long they were talking, it had already gotten cold. Velvet hands got close to it, and, since Madam Dorna didn’t say anything, she grazed the porcelain cups. Soon, steam was coming out of them.

 

“Anything else I need to know?”

 

Since she was already caught, there was no reason to hide some other things.

 

“There’s moth repellent on the wardrobes, rat repellent on the kitchen, I did some fertilizing spells on the lemon trees outside,” Madam Dorna’s burnt eyebrows twitched. “I put some strengthening spells on the shepherd’s dog, I made a freezing room in the tavern, and gave a bee affection amulet to the beekeeper.”

 

Now it was Madam Dorna’s turn to play with her fingers.

 

“He kept on getting stung.”

 

“How… How long have you had magic for?”

 

“Almost a month.”

 

Madam Dorna’s mouth twitched, and some cracks appeared on the porcelain cup.

 

“My, aren’t you a hard worker?!”