"Mmmmmm! Aaaaaah~!"
Fortuna Stellaris waved her hands around, her crystal ball swirling with blue and purple fog. Sitting in front of it was none other than Hakra Glittercloud Blacksin, marveling not just at the theatrical handwaving Stellaris was doing, but the utter attention to detail when making the room look like they were in space. Stars shimmered, constellations forming all throughout as Stellaris continued what Hakra assumed to be a powerful divination spell, eyes sparkling as the 12 Zodiac Signs appeared before the witch, glowing brighter and brighter until the whole room was filled with light.
"At last, all becomes clear!"
With that bold proclamation, the lights settled, the fog lifting from within the crystal ball. Hakra leaned in close, watching as starry shapes formed within. Then, and only then, did Stellaris take a seat, smug as a bug.
Hakra leaned in further as she asked, "What do you see? Did you consult the stars for divination, or is your divination similar to maybe tea leaf divination, making sense of the shapes within the ball- OH! Before I forget, I really liked your zodiac spell circle! Will you teach me how to make one? I asked my teacher if she could, but she said that maybe it was a bit too flashy with not enough substance-"
As much as Stellaris wanted to bask in the praise - high praise, at that! - there was a job she needed to do. "We can speak of such things later, O Glittercloud! Wouldn't you want to know your fortune first? Of COURSE you do!" She tapped her nails onto orb, pondering it much like a wizard before she continued to speak. "Mhmhmhm, good tidings are headed your way! More friends, more knowledge, and maybe love is just hanging around the corner! Look at how close they are!" The star-figures within the orb looked vaguely like two girls holding hands before it shifts over to several taller figures cheerfully speaking to one of them. "And look, knowledge will fill your future in no time: it may take a liiiiittle bit, but keep pressing on, and you'll certainly be on par with a Sage!"
The fortune teller allowed herself to smile more as Hakra's eyes shimmered with excitement, all that praise probably getting to her head. "Really?! Do you know how much I'll learn? Or who I'd learn it from? And who likes me that much? Angellica does, but I don't know if she'd call us lovers yet- OH! Are you going to be one of the ones who fills my brain with knowledge?!?"
"E-erm..." Stellaris's eyes widened, unsure of how to respond. Usually, she praises and plays to everyone's ego, making them feel good enough to leave her a good tip. Hakra, on the other hand, was simply... pure in her intentions? Or maybe that enthusiasm was charming? Before she knew it, the fortune teller sputtered out, "Why, uhm, of COURSE! Why wouldn't I? After all, you have SUCH good taste, learning about various constellations and such! Maybe I could take you as my apprentice! Ohohohoho!" She brought a hand up to her face and gave her best noblewoman's laugh while, on the inside, she screamed in an equal mix of excitement and terror. Yes, this could be her chance to shine brighter than Esme, taking a pupil and elevating her to her level! And a Kobber one, at that! Her name would be back in the papers, and that newt would be begging her to return! On the other hand, though, she'd actually have to teach, and only heaven knew how much was in this mage's noggin already. For all Stellaris knew, Hakra might have already learned all that she knew from some other person. She seemed like a smart cookie, and she's even going to the Magic Academy later.
It was at this point Stellaris realized that she painted herself into a corner, the mage leaping out of her seat with glee. "Really?! Do you have a specific time you can tutor me? I know a bit about Stellar Magic: I can summon Polaris and little dogs and a bear with a pan based on constellations. I just don't know the more intricate parts that make it more... stellar? More cool? I want to make it my way, but in order to do that, I have to learn other people's ways, too, and build upon that!"
Before the fortune teller said something she regret, she spotted something else forming in the crystal ball: a purple fog rolling in, taking a rectangular shape as several dark figures rose from the bottom. Her awkwardness shifted to concern as she peered through, a frown forming on her lips.
"Oh dear, oh my, what have we here? A strange force, bringing people together, and not all for a good cause. You may have to face several of these people to find the truth, but it will be a difficult trial, if you go without aid!" She paused, sweating a bit as Hakra looked at her expectantly. "Wh-which means, well, you certainly lucked out, for I, the Great Fortuna Stellaris, will aid you in defeating these people of ill-intent! My astrological powers and knowledge will surely help you in due time, but ah... Hmm..." Okay, how to get this girl out of here so she could think on how to get out of this? "MmmmmMMMMM! Mars' influence is making me, uh, rather rambunctious! And scatterbrained! I am so, so, so sorry, my dear Glittercloud, but the stars tell me I must rest and recouperate!"
"But you haven't told me when you could teach me!" the girl pleaded as Stellaris whisked her towards the door. "You could give me an estimate, or-"
"The stars will pay you a visit when I am ready! Now, go on! Have a pleasant day-"
"What should I expect wh-"
"A calling from the Heavens, Glittercloud! Now HAVE A DAY!" Stellaris said in her most shrill, yet customer-service-y voice she could before shoving Hakra out the door and closing it, hastily puting up each of the 7 latches and locks she had on there to assure that no one gets in. She let out a sigh and flopped onto the floor, staring at the ceiling with a blank look.
Esme will not know the glory of tutoring a Kobber. But by the same token, she would never know how draining that sort of thing could be. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Stellaris couldn't tell, at least not yet.
For now, she slunk back to the back, where her less-than-humble abode awaited, all coordinated in colors that bring the night sky to mind. Her heels clacked against hardwood floors, hair bouncing up and down as she went through several halls and doors. Each door was labeled in runic languages to indicate what they were for. Each shimmered and glowed, giving off a mystic aura... but one door at the very end of the hall was not. It was a plain white door, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the elaborate interior design. Stellaris looked back, then looked towards her sides before she slowly approached the door and whispered something under her breath.
The door creaked open, and within its depths, awaited... the Room.
She didn't know of a good name for it. Nothing that sounded fancy or elegant, at least. Not when everything here looked like it was designed for kids. Who would ever take her seriously again if they knew she had toy trains to push around on tracks she changed every day, that she had a kid's artist easel to make stick figures with finger paint, that she prefered to be on the top bunk of a small bunk bed tucked in under a blanket with colorful dinosaurs on it? They'd laugh her off like a bad joke, ignore her, find her... childish.
In spite of her fears of anyone finding out about it, this room remained over the years, outliving day-to-day, week-to-week trends. When she sat in a chair with a heart shape on the back at a tiny pink and white tea table with stuffed animals like Mrs. Bunbuns and Catticus VII, all of her worries flew away, her shoulders relaxing as the tension left them. This was her safe place, where she could do all that she wanted, all the things her teachers and tutors told her wasn't befitting of someone of her status. It was a place where she could be what she thought was a normal kid, doing normal kid stuff instead of studying calculus and star charts for the umpteenth time.
A genuine smile formed on Stellaris's lips as she took a plastic teapot and pretended to pour hot tea into Bunbun's and Catticus's tea cups.
"Oh, you two won't BELIEVE what I've been through today! Soon, I'll be a tutor! Yes, an actual tutor and teacher! I need you two to help me come up with an abbacus- crap, you're right, Mrs. Bunbuns, it's a... a SYLLABUS, right? A syllabus for my new pupil, and maybe some mandatory reading! Yes, Catticus, it is going to be stressful, but if I can do this, then there's no way I won't be #1! Oho! Ohohohoho!"
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