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Previously on The Otherworlders: During sword training, playful Cameron teases Fiona, feigning incompetence just to be near her. When he compliments her "annoyed" look and calls her pretty, Fiona bristles, wary of his flirtation. She manages to keep him at arm's length, but can't help but be intrigued.

Missing class for her mother's call, Ava practices alone and is awed when Farid helps correct her stance. Flustered, she daydreams of kissing him, inadvertently revealing her innocent crush. Farid offers her more lessons, much to her delight.

Inez uses her magic to temporarily fix Jake's dyslexia so he can read more of the Harry Potter book she lent him. amazed by her powers, Jake opens up about his learning disability for the first time, but flustered by her touch, he abruptly flees her room. But Inez is thrilled by the visit, nonetheless.

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Waiting for Inez and Fiona to arrive, Headmaster Pierce attempts to make small talk with Ava, who'd arrived ten minutes early for the girls' very first mission briefing.

Leaning back in his chair, Headmaster Pierce taps his pencil on the desk. "So, Ava, how is your father doing?" he asks her with a note of genuine concern.

"Good... well, better," she replies, distracted, her legs crossed before her and her foot tapping anxiously. After a beat, Ava blows out a breath and looks up at Headmaster Pierce saying, "Actually, my dad's just fine; it's my mom who's been stressing me out lately."

Headmaster Pierce asks, "How so?"

"I don't know," Ava replies, throwing her arms up at her sides in defeat. "I mean, even though the entire tribe is pitching in to help her care for my father, my mom still seems perpetually overwhelmed. It's been three years since those hunters shot my dad, but she can't seem to get a handle on things. And it's not as if my father's completely disabled! But every time I talk to her, she keeps dropping hints that she wants me to come home because I'm the only one who can help her take care of father properly." She rolls her eyes.

Headmaster Pierce nods in sympathy. "I can only imagine how dismaying that must be. It's definitely tough when you have to balance family obligations with your own desires and aspirations. Look, Ava, if you need to go home, you should go. Please don't feel guilty about leaving. We completely understand. And we don't want your commitment to us to interfere with your family obligations."

"But that's just it!" Ava exclaims, her eyes blazing, her cheeks flushing, exasperation lacing her voice. "I've got two older brothers at home. And between the both of them, they're perfectly capable of helping my mother out with our father's care. I did it for three years, and now it's their turn!" Her lips purse as she leans forward, eager to finally discuss her predicament.

"You see, Headmaster," Ava says with a grimace. "I've always been expected to step up and take care of things, all sorts of things, for my family, just because I'm a girl. The only girl in the family, in fact. And although the burden of being everyone's support system is mine, and mine alone. It really doesn't need to be." She grunts. "Even though she easily could, my mother refuses to ask my brothers to help out because caregiving is woman's work. And, in her opinion, it would be horrifying and demeaning to have the young sons of such a distinguished family spoon-feeding their father and changing out his bedpan."

Ava leans back and huffs out an exasperated breath. "But of course, it doesn't matter that her only daughter is the "Chosen One." She makes air quotes. "Oh, noooo... And it doesn't matter that I will someday be the only earthly host for the reincarnation of the Suzaku. Oh, noooo... No, no, no!" Ava raises her hands next to her head and waves them in a mock celebration of the lofty status her mother cares nothing about.

"Despite that very sacred and salient fact, my mother still believes that I'm no more than a spoiled, ungrateful daughter who chose to run off to some obscure academy to learn to wrestle and fence with demons just when her mother needed her most." Ava scoffs and her nostrils flare with pent-up frustration. "Ugh! It's so unfair!" She says. "I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!" she cries out, slamming her palms down on Headmaster Pierce's desk with each exclamation, expelling every last drop of her pent-up resentment.

When he'd asked the question about her father, of course, he was being caring and supportive and did it out of genuine concern. But truth be told, he was also just trying to be polite. He hadn't anticipated that their chat might turn into a therapy session. And all this before he'd even had his tea!

Oh, my, what happened to small talk?

Headmaster Pierce shifts, then straightens in his chair, expelling a long, slow breath. His gaze takes Ava in, and seeing her drowning in all of this pain and vexation, he really feels for her. His eyes soften as he thinks of his daughter, Ella, who's just about Ava's age.

She must have felt this way too at some point during her childhood, felt the same sort of frustration Ava's feeling now. It only makes sense. Because, after losing her mother at the age of six, Ella was also left with only one parent who she could turn to for solace and comfort but who was far too distracted to pay enough attention to her and constantly asking the child to take on too much.

Shaking off his brief moment of panic and his lingering regret, Headmaster Pierce lets out another slow breath, then leans forward, slides his arms onto the desk and laces his fingers before him.

"Ava," he says quietly. "I promise you, it'll all be okay... eventually. And probably sooner than you think." He taps the tops of his fingers together. "And while it sounds like your mother is indeed under a great deal of stress, it also sounds as if she's got all the support she needs."

He reaches out and gives Ava a comforting pat on the hand. "Listen," he says, "just be sure to stay in touch with your mother regularly and keep her apprised of all that you're learning and accomplishing here. Then, just give her time." He pats her hand once more. "She'll come around. Trust me." He smiles warmly.

"And if there's anything we can do to help out, even chatting with her on the phone to tell her more about the work you're doing, you just let us know, okay? I can safely speak for both Master Achebe and Master Liu when I say you you're a very valuable member of the team, and we're happy to help wherever and whenever we can."

Ava's shoulders relax as she lets out a slow, relieved breath. "Thank you, Headmaster," she says as the corners of her mouth perk up, just a tiny bit. "I hate asking this of you," she adds. "I really do. But if you wouldn't mind giving my mother a call, I think that would be awesome." She smiles wanly. "She has a great deal of respect for you, so I think hearing all of this coming from you would do far more good and, in the end, be far more effective than if she heard any of it from me."

"Of course, Ava. It would be my pleasure," Headmaster Pierce replies. "I'll give her a call this afternoon."

"Thank you," Ava whispers as she falls back into the chair, her burden somewhat lightened, if not totally assuaged.

Both she and Headmaster Pierce suddenly start when there's a knock at the door.

Headmaster Pierce waves Fiona and Inez into his office. "Girls, sit, please," he instructs them.

Inez and Fiona take the chairs on either side of Ava while Headmaster Pierce reaches into his battered leather briefcase and pulls out three manila folders containing their mission briefs.

As they take their folders from him, each girl looks at the other, perplexed, wondering if they'd just been transported back to 1995.

"Now," Headmaster Pierce announces, "let's talk about your mission. I believe that three of you are just perfect for this job!"

He opens up his folder and the girls follow suit.

"Now, for this mission," Headmaster Pierce continues, "we'll be sending you to the Enchanted Chancellor's Ball."

"Seriously?" Inez squeals. "Oh, my gosh! Really? You're serious? I've always wanted to go to this ball!" She gasps and claps her hands enthusiastically as her gaze swings between Fiona and Ava, each of whom returns her excited gaze with a blank, slightly befuddled, stare.

"My sister, Marisol, has gone twice, but I've never gotten to go!" Inez confesses. "But, oh my gosh! This is going to be so much fun!" She suddenly stops clapping. "Well, except for when we're busy breaking and entering and fighting off demons. But still!" She begins to clap again. "Yay!"

While Inez continues to beam, celebrating this assignment in her own little universe, and Ava peruses the details of the briefing, Fiona sits back in her chair, frowns, and then tosses her folder onto the Headmaster's desk.

She quirks her lips down and to the side, looking as if she's debating whether or not to speak her mind. After a beat, she asks, "Headmaster? Is this for real?" She narrows her eyes in suspicion.

Headmaster Pierce, taken aback tilts his head and says, "Miss Campbell, do you have a problem with the assignment?"

"Well, quite frankly I do!" Fiona replies, cringing at the words spilling out of her mouth as she says them. She's trying her best to tamp down on her burgeoning irritation and not come across as rude, but to be honest, she's kinda pissed.

"I just don't get it, sir," Fiona says. "You send the boys off to a Shifter compound for their mission but for ours, you send us to a what? A party?"

Headmaster Pierce nods as his concern morphs into relief. "Ah... I see." He gives Fiona a knowing smile, and then tucks his fingers beneath his chin. "I gather that you think that because you're young women, we're giving you the sissy mission. Is that it?" he asks, then chuckles. "Things aren't always as they seem on the surface, Miss Campbell."

He gives her a wry grin and then flips his manilla folder open and spreads the pages of the briefing across his desk. "This will most certainly be an interesting mission. And we're fortunate that Inez's father is such an important and influential man within the Enchanted community."

Blushing, Inez slinks down in her chair. Any talk about her father's wealth, or his status, or his supposedly enviable connections makes her uneasy. Aside from an impressive home, a few nice cars, and a fairly expensive trip or two, the Hidalgo family -- when they're home alone and only amongst themselves and the servants -- are dreadfully boring and really quite basic, despite what people think.

While her parents occasionally flex their wealth in public, they always do it in a very understated way, and only when it's necessary for business or political purposes, those which require that they make a particularly good impression.

Otherwise, the Hidalgos spend their time each pursuing their particular lowkey hobbies or lounging around together in jeans, shorts, and sweats, eating pizza, tacos, or barbecue while watching a historical drama if her mother is in charge of the remote that night; a Rom-Com if Marisol manages to get her hands on it first; a comedy, cartoon, reality show, or random documentary if Inez is the one to make the call, and football (or soccer, as the Americans call it) if her father's the one in charge of the TV for the night.

The Hidalgos. Basic as basic can be!

Headmaster Pierce's voice shakes Inez out of her reverie. "And so, given senior Hidalgo's position," he says, "your presence at the ball will arouse no suspicion at all, even with Inez bringing her Vampyr and Shifter friends, since your cover story is still as ambassadors for the Otherworlder integration initiative."

Headmaster Pierce sucks in a breath. "Now, as to your concern about the nature of the mission, Miss Campbell. One thing you should have gathered by now is that you must always use your knowledge, as well as other people's ignorance, to your advantage." His smile widens.

"And given that all of our societies, unfortunately, are patriarchies, I can guarantee you that you three will be vastly underestimated going into this, which will, of course, give you the upper hand throughout your mission. Does that make sense?" He looks at each of the girls in turn.

Ava and Inez nod silently while Fiona cracks a slow grin, finally understanding the brilliance of Headmaster Pierce's strategy. "Okay, I get it," she mumbles her concession as she dips her chin in defeat. "I mean, when you put it like that..." She looks up at him and makes a sheepish face, graced with a playful smile.

Headmaster Pierce quirks a smile back at her. "Good. And believe me, there will be plenty of adventure and intrigue on this mission. No doubt there. Now, given that fact, may I proceed with the briefing, Miss Campbell?"

Satisfied that they won't be relegated to smiling, dancing, and flirting during their first foray as undercover warriors, Fiona nods and, with a hint of mirth, says, "Yes, sir. You may proceed."

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A/N - Okay, well, glad I got that one out! 😁 And I'll be back this week to respond to comments and follow people back. I have to go to bed now since the sun is coming up and I have yet to go to bed.

~ Paula ❤️

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