She should have informed him the depth of her abilities, but to keep him guessing was one of the few finger things she had to her name. It wasn’t the easiest of tasks but she tried , and there was the matter of ‘false hope’. If she had told him what she was capable of would he had held his breath until she came back ? That was something Harleigh couldn’t allow of her old friend and yet here she was in this form ready to take back her own promise to herself.
Watching him carefully she knew the weight he carried not on his shoulders, but in his heart. She knew he’d keep something of hers and look back on all the reasons she shouldn’t be lost. She wasn’t, but it was just the matter of telling him. This was in fact cruelty at it’s finest to haunt him in this fashion. No matter how she did it there would be this underlying non-truth she left him with. Hoping with every bit of her heart he’d understand ; to start this all over was hard enough when Dom died. But to start her entire life over from scratch?
Charles was her lighthouse in the sea of chaos. His persistent charm is what kept her from downing the day she lost Dom and in him she placed her faith. Perhaps too much of a task but nothing she would ever regret. He only wanted what was best for everyone she often wondered if he managed to stop and take time for himself.
As the window finally opened she let out a caw in his direction, her head canted as he spoke taking in every single word. “ Oh Charles, “ she thought. “ You would have if you could have.” There was another gentle caw that was almost like a light laugh.
Fluttering within his study she’d fly around the room. Admittedly to herself once or twice there was a benefit to having wings there was nothing like having her feet solid on the floor. But first she would land herself on his desk as delicate as the feathers she wore.
clearly it had been a mistake to open the window – having thought that the motion alone would have sufficed to scare away the creature, that theory was now defeated as it perched delicately on his desk. an eyebrow arched as he moved to wheel himself back to his desk, he knew crows were remarkably intelligent, and that they often were considered to be nearly as good at learning as chimps. but there was something eerie about this one, a feeling he couldn’t quite settle.
‘ you ought to enjoy that while you can then, one of the cats will be up from their nap shortly. and i’d appreciate it if you could refrain from defecating on my papers. i’m grading. ‘ actually his grading was more staring in absolute wonder at the answers some of his students could produce. while he appreciated their humor and wit, they would be sitting down to retake the exam and give the actually desired answers. he did hate to be a stick in the mud, but somethings were absolutely non-negotiable.
since losing harleigh he had allowed himself to submerse fully in his role at the school, there were no more expeditions to shops for teas or books or candles. instead he was content with the few knick knacks that decorated his desk and had returned to his roots as a staunch believer in earl grey tea at least three times a day. it wasn’t that his life was joyless, it was merely --- he stopped concerning himself with frivolities and allowed himself to be lost in his work.
having met the raven in the eyes he gave a shrug, ‘ well i’ll be damned if i know how to speak bird so suit yourself. but i do remind you, there are at least three felines with free reign of my office if you plan on staying here for any length of time. i’d hate for you to lose a tail feather over the ordeal, or damage my books ---. ‘
