Breakfast was over by the time that Florimal found her best friend. Dawn was at the shrine. Sitting at Virgo’s feet, hugging herself as she rocked backwards and forth, her deathly pale cheeks stained with tears. Normally Dawn was the hot headed one. The woman at large and in charge. What happened?
“Dawn?” Florimal asked, signalling for Greenwood to stop in the doorway. He obeyed.
Dawn didn’t look up. She was a mess. Her feathers were askew like someone had tried to rip them out. Her hair was a tangled mess, like a pit of angry snakes. The angel trembled from head to toe.
“Dawn?” Florimal said, louder this time. “Dawn! Answer me.”
Dawn’s head snapped up to look at Florimal, but Florimal knew Dawn was looking past her.
“I did it. I spoke to him last night.”
“What did he say?”
Dawn looked like she was going to cry again.
“We-”
Florimal sat down beside Dawn on Virgo’s feet. Why did the statue look so smug all the time? Florimal put her arm around Dawn. Dawn seemed to snap out of it. Or were her tear ducts refilling?
“Did you fight?”
“A little.”
“Then what?” Florimal couldn’t imagine Randolph doing this to Dawn.
117Please respect copyright.PENANAZOftj5C4YZ
Just when Florimal was making headway, there was a shout from the doorway. Greenwood was keeping Randolph out of the shrine. Robotically, Dawn rose to her feet and strode towards Randolph. Florimal was hot on Dawn’s heels.
Like I should have been last night. Florimal thought begrudgingly.
She could beat herself up for it later.
“Greenwood. Stop. Let him in.”
Is it a couple’s quarrel? Dawn’s not equipped for love. Please let that be all that it is.
“Thank you.” Florimal said, looking at Randolph. She’s still here. “Tell me what happened last night.”
“We slept together. Randy and I.” Dawn confessed in a rush.
“Was he rough with you?” Florimal had been in rough relationships in the human world.
“N-no.” Dawn shook her head.
“Then why do you look like…This?”
“I’m- I’m scared, Florimal. I don’t know what to do! Can you help me? I don’t know if I can handle it.” Dawn could not keep the fear from straining her voice as she said, “Flo. I’m going to be a mum.”
117Please respect copyright.PENANAVhYSUBNzxI
Once the initial shock had faded, Florimal was hit by all of her emotions at once. They did not want to take turns. She was not sure how to react. She blinked blankly, trying to process Dawn’s words. Her friend, the smartest and most over-prepared person she had ever met, had sex without protection and now everything Dawn had worked for was dashed into the abyss of motherhood. A hand grabbed Florimal’s arm. She jumped before she realised who the hand belonged to. Randolph was to blame as much as Dawn. It took two to tango. These two had just performed their encore.
“H-how?”
“He was so kind. I was upset. He took me in his arms, like he does whenever I’m upset and then I…”
This was one of the risks associated with co-ed orphanages and pairing students based on abilities and personality tests. Most of the time, they were re-sorted because they tried to kill one another.
You’d think that the woman who has a solution for everything would be- Not stupid!
Come to think of it, Dawn had only had ‘guy troubles’ once since Florimal had met her. To remedy that Florimal got Dawn tipsy and took her out for a night of dancing, eating and dancing.
“How do you know that?”
“I carried her to the school infirmary.” Randolph interjected.
Despite being treated as servants, Argentum Lingua’s (or Silver Tongues for those who had not befriended Dawn) had IQs equal to, if not higher than, humans like Florimal.
117Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4UdbNatam
“Shit!”
Florimal was on her own. Greenwood, Randolph and Dawn were clueless virgins. Greenwood was capable of being an ‘adult’, but Florimal could imagine him asking his lover where the penis was supposed to go.
“Okay. No biggie. What do you want to do about it Dawn?”
“Me?”
“Yes. It’s your child. Do you want to keep it or get rid of it?” Florimal almost said the same about Randolph.
“I d-don’t know.”
“You can make that decision after you get some sleep.” Randolph said in that silky voice of his.
“Shut it!” Florimal snapped. “You two are bad influences on each other. Like two magnets.”
“He has a point. Dawn’s in no state to make decisions. Neither are you. You’re late for class.” Greenwood said, squeezing Florimal’s arm.
“When did you become the responsible one?”
“We’re all not feeling like ourselves. I didn’t know Sheehan that well, but he saved all three of you.”
“No. You did. It was you who checked a random trap. You gave me your blanket. If it wasn’t for you Green, I’d have frozen to death. Sheehan didn’t agree to take me on until waaaay later.”
“If it wasn’t for Sheehan, we’d have been in my hut until Fomorians found it and burnt us with it.”
That was true. After Greenwood took Florimal to his orphanage, Fomorians took over the land where Greenwood’s hut had been. Fomorians burnt, raped and pillaged neighbouring villages.
“He saved all four of us. But he’s dead now.” Dawn said, feeling more like herself. “We cannot feel sorry for ourselves for a second longer. We have to keep the torch that he carried, ablaze.”
Florimal, Greenwood and Randolph nodded.
“Where do we start?”
“We speak with Genevieve. She has been here since Sheehan opened this orphanage.”
“She ended up as no more than a cook and cleaner for ‘er efforts.” Greenwood snickered.
“We don’t know what she was before Sheehan. It was probably an upgrade.” Florimal replied.
Dawn’s temper returned the colour to her cheeks. Ironclad resolve returned to her voice.
“Randy. My clothes. We have work to do.”
“Right away.” He bowed, summoning a pile of freshly cleaned and folded clothes.
Dawn tamed her hair while the four friends made their way to the infirmary to find Genevieve.
ns 172.70.131.79da2