House Service. Fay and Morgan's last night and first day

"House Service?" you say.

"Yes, service," Mistress Hemstitch says. "Each House has a way of doing things. Minerval's virtue is keen mastery of knowledge. Draconis values significance, results. Leontes honors courage and strength. Beavertail..." She nods. "Finish it, dear?"

You catch Fay's side-eye.

"Beavertail believes that how things are done helps manifest the what and the why," you say. "Anything worth doing is worth doing well. And things are done well when there is practice, and respect, and understanding."

Mistress Hemstitch laughs. "I see you've been doing your reading."

"Anything worth doing," you say.

Mistress Hemstitch grins. "I think you'll fit right in, Morgan. Miss Applebum..."

The Tutor quizzes Fay for a bit. She seems a bit doubtful of Fay's fit for House Beavertail.

Mistress Hemstitch sighs. "Where there's a will, there's a way," she says. "We shall make it work, dears. We shall make it work. Now as to House Service..."

"It's not like detention, is it?" Fay asks.

"No, not in the slightest," Mistress Hemstitch says. "Detention removes the subject from the community. House Service is at the heart of House Beavertail's community."

Some days later, you lie on your bed -- yours and Fay's, for over a year now -- looking up at the ceiling. Tonight, at the dark of the moon, Fiammetta Hawk will unbind you from House Minerval. Tomorrow at dawn, Mistress Hemstitch will induct you into House Beavertail.

Golondrina has already been in House Beavertail since the full of the moon, and you've barely seen her since then. She seems happy and busy whenever you see her in the common areas. Leontes or Beavertail, it seems to make little difference to her mood. Perhaps the House colors are less flattering, but the robes drape and cling and swish in the same wonderful way. The word statuesque seems perfect for her.

Fay had agreed. "Lolo wasn't a marble statue when we met her, but she is our creation, our Galatea. Sexually, at least."

"Someday she'll fly," you told Fay. "Love her while we have her."

"I think that about you, Morgan," Fay said.

You had crushed her pout with a kiss, and she had fallen back giggling onto the bed.

But that was last night. Now Fay is making gargling noises over at the water pitcher. Your books and cards and candles and poppets and altar tools are packed and ready to go.

"Are you going to miss this place?" you ask Fay.

Fay swallows. "No," she says. "You're really the only good thing about it. I'll be glad to be quit of Hawk and Whiptail. Pardon, Whiplash. No sense in being ungracious."

"That's kind of you, Fay," you say.

"We're going to be Beavertails," Fay says. "Have to get in practice." She clears her throat. "The broomstick, the bitch, and the big-shouldered firstie. Roll them in, maids, all three." She looks round at you. "Sound more like me?" She shakes her head. "Stop giving me that LOOK, Morgan."

Your last day as a Minerval goes slowly, then quickly, then slowly again. Bathing, running to lesson. Some long-winded history lecture has you staring at your robes, rubbing them between your fingers, wondering how the new ones will feel. All those rituals where you've raised your wand, seeing the white cuff flash as your arm swings upward in the black sleeve. No longer. Lunch. Practice hour. A little refresher on dueling and deflections. Dorothy, Boarbristle's half-giantess Porter, arrives to take charge of your things.

"Summ'on pulled some STRINGS," Dorothy tells you and Fay. "You gals have the BATH by the laundry tonight. Guess you won't be knocking about the Great HALL or sleeping in the LIBRARY." Dorothy does a good job of using her inside voice, as much as she can. Dorothy's half again your height, topped with a shaggy mane of red hair, her heavy-breasted barrel chest wrapped in a short-sleeved smock. Below that, she's bare from navel to toes, with a patch of shaggy red hair under her belly.

"Fay?" you ask, raising your eyebrows.

"Pulled in a favor," Fay says. "What, you don't think I have a few friends?"

"Rattled a few skeletons in someone's closet," you say.

"Now who's the bitter jade?" Fay says. "Morgan, you have to look on the bright side now."

"Who are you and what have you done with Fay Applebum?" you ask.

Fay leans close. "I'm your Galatea, Morgan," she whispers. "I'm what you made me."

You're not sure whether to shudder or giggle, so you do both.

"All RIGHT, ladies," Dorothy says. "I'm ON my WAY." She shrugs, shakes her head, and trudges off, carrying your worldly goods toward House Beavertail.

A few minutes later, Mistress Hemstitch's assistant, a little glowing mote, arrives and takes charge of your wands.

"Tea?" Fay asks.

"Yes," you say. "Pip's going to join us. Couldn't think of anyone else I wanted to say goodbye to."

The afternoon fades to evening, then to night. Finally the hour comes. Pipistrelle Clawson fetches you from your bare chamber and delivers you to the Tutor. At least Pip won't have folks mistaking you for each other anymore.

Fiammetta Hawk's ceremony is short and to the point. At midnight, in the dark cellars of House Minerval, the Tutor dispells your Minerval robes, which dissolve into smoke and mist. She unbinds you from Minerval's oaths, promises, and secret knowledge. She scourges you with a bundle of bare winter twigs, and compels you with a COMMAND.

---

Spend 5 XP;
Roll +CUNNING(+2) for yourself and for Fay using the ADVANCEMENT rule for changing Houses.
Results: 8, 11 -- you and Fay leave House Minerval on good terms.

---

"You alright?" you ask Fay.

"Dizzy," Fay says. "Stubbed my toe running up the stairs when Hawk laid that go-away on us. C-can't half feel them now."

You and Fay are standing naked in the courtyard after midnight. Light gleams in windows here and there. The stars sparkle in the crisp winter sky. Not cold enough for frost, but a chill breeze is blowing.

"You're shivering," you say.

"N-not just f-for fun I got us the b-baths," she says.

You cuddle together in the bathing chamber behind the laundry, a single candle slowly burning away the hours of darkness. There's some kissing, but mostly dozing and holding each other close. A brass toad, one of Master Elbegast's devices, sits half-submerged, adding heat to the water to keep it warm and pleasant all night.

In the pale pre-dawn, you and Fay follow Mistress Hemstitch's tiny glowing assistant as it leads you toward House Beavertail.

Somehow Fay procured a pair of fluffy fur-lined ankle boots. She steps daintily across the main courtyard ahead of you. You're wearing rope sandals you found in the bath. Your breath comes out as plumes of mist. Not as chill as last night, since you managed to put together a toasty-warm charm and cast it on both of you without the help of your wand. But you're both naked from above your footwear. It's quiet in the half-light, but there are a few robed students and staff out and about. Heads turn.

"Cheer up, Morgan," Fay says. "It's not the walk of shame if you're proud of your body."

"I guess I never thought about that," you say. "I mean, either way."

"I can't not," Fay says. "So I might as well shine."

Pale blonde, pale blue, pale pink, pale rose. Round face. Soft curves. Fay glows like the moon, at least, if she doesn't shine like the sun.

"Eyes up, missy," Fay chaffs you. "You can stare at my bum as much as you like. Later."

She's teasing you. Lovingly. "Oh," you say. You laugh and take her hand.

"That's the way," Fay says.

"Stop staring at my tits," you tease back.

"You don't have any tits," Fay says.

"If I didn't have any tits, then why are you always biting them?" you say.

"You've got nipples," Fay says. "Straight to the point."

You follow Miss Hemstitch's assistant as it floats through an arched doorway into House Beavertail.

Beavertail's common room is twice the size of Minerval's. A great blaze crackles in the hearth. A golden glow comes from the wax-rubbed wood of the walls and floor. There are tables and rugs and pillows and benches and chairs and quilts and a couple of furry creatures curled up in corners of the furniture.

And the whole House is there to greet you.

Lolo stands between Mistress Hemstitch and Housemistress Bertha Beeblossom, who surely merits her epithet of "Mistress Melonboobs". Golondrina steps forward with two folded robes, gold-trimmed brown like the rest of the House members assembled.

Once you're robed, Lolo kisses you and Fay to a round of applause from the House members.

"Morgan Woodbine and Fay Applebum," the Housemistress says. "Welcome to your House. Come forward."

You collect a double cheek kiss and a great warm squishy hug from the Housemistress, and a respectful nod and firm handclasp from the Tutor.

And then the singing starts. Welcome and greeting and celebration from everyone assembled. Not heavenly. Not perfect. But smooth and harmonious and pointed straight at you and Fay.

Fay is transfixed by the sounds. She stands statue-like for a minute before tears start rolling down her cheeks. Her head and shoulders rock with sobs. The Housemistress takes Fay into an enveloping hug, singing softly into her ear. She lifts a hand and beckons you forward to join the embrace.

The Tutor dismisses the House. The Housemistress takes you and Fay to an overstuffed loveseat by the hearth and holds Fay close until she stops crying.

"Sandevin will take you to your room, dears," the Housemistress says. "We'll see you for lunch. No, just rest. See you at teatime."

A young man with a short-trimmed blond beard and a Prefect's pin leads you and Fay back up through winding passageways and stairs to a small room with a bed -- a bunk bed, even -- a wardrobe, and a dressing table. Your things have preceded you.

"You'll have your wands back tonight," Sandevin says. "We'll leave a tray in case you get hungry. Do you need anything now?"

You and Fay look at each other blankly. Her eyes are pink-rimmed and puffy from crying.

"No thank you," Fay says. "Just a rest."

Sandevin bows. "Welcome to House Beavertail," he says.

"Thank you," you say.

And then it's just you and Fay.

"Kind of a shoebox they've put us in," Fay says. "A cozy, pretty shoebox. And that bed will do for the both of us, why a top bunk?"

"Lolo?" you say.

"Lolo," Fay says. "Hope so."

"Maybe after our House Service," you say.

"Bedtime," Fay says. "Robes off. Eyes closed."

You snuggle up beside Fay and sleep away the morning. When you rise, you look out the window and see the sun at midday. Fay sleeps on, her breathing soft and steady.

You unpack your things, and then you just sit and watch Fay sleep.

By teatime you and Fay are ready to join the world. Sandevin comes back to get you. Tea is with a smaller group, Sandevin and another prefect, Susan Quaffle, and a few senior students including another ex-Minerval, Tess Lectura.

"It took time to spin down off Minerval and really feel at home here," Tess tells you. "But Headmistress Amethystine was right. I needed more grounding than I was going to get in our old House, and Whiplash was useless as a Tutor. For me anyroads. Probably does less damage as Housemaster."

"Did you do House Service when you started out?" you ask Tess.

"Oh, did I," she says. "I spent two weeks solid working as a spellbook copyist. Tutor had to peel me off of the scriptorium desk after the third day. After that they convinced me to work a more sensible routine. Dragged me off to the baths, or for singing. End of it all, it felt like I was going to stick here. And here I am. One year in Minerval, three years in Beavertail, and I'm not at all sorry." She looked around, taking stock of the company. "And the sex is better here."

Tess' admission draws a laugh.

"Well, if they'd only told me," Fay says. "I cut a swath through half the girls in my year, and there was only one worth keeping." Fay pinches you on the shoulder. "I don't think my handwriting will hold up for two weeks," she says. "What else do they do here for House Service?"

Sandevin strokes his short beard. "Upper years spend time practicing with lower years. Until things are smooth and natural for both sides. Broom flying at tiptoe levels. Conjurations. Element work."

"Hm," Fay says.

Susan Quaffle pushes back her great mane of dishwater-blonde hair and straightens up. She's tall, even sitting down, about eye-to-eye with you. "Care of the House beasts," she says. "Rather a lot of furry and feathery things about. Grooming and feeding and coaxing them out of corners they oughtn't to be in. I always liked that for House Service. Most of our beasts are good-natured and not especially dangerous. But you're third-years, you've had the drill."

Another girl taps her foot on the floor with a clacking sound. It's a hoof, not a shoe! Two hooves! And now that you look at her face, you see she has short little horns, a flat nose, and square pupils.

"To be clear," she says "I am good natured, but dangerous," she says. She smiles toward you and Fay. "Fauna Aspen. I started on the term break, so I'm just starting my fifth term while you're starting your sixth."

"Third-year in my book," Fay says. "Are you a local?"

"Weirding Woods," Fauna says. "I hung around Turnbuckle copying the Boarbristle students on leave. I started getting magic to actually work for me, and the Witch decided I should go get some proper training before I killed someone by accident."

"So here you are," Sandevin says with a smile.

"Don't test me," Fauna says. "Anyway, House Service. Fall or Spring there'd be gardening. Now it's cleaning, repair, polishing -- lots of polishing -- spellbook copying," She nods to Tess. "beast care," she nods to Susan Quaffle, "tutoring the firsties," she nods to Sandevin. "And the kitchens. I liked that the best. Oh. And there's the nursery."

"The plant nursery?" you say. "An herbarium?"

"No, no, the crêche," Fauna says. "Babies. Feed them, bounce them, change them. Sing to them. Talk to them." She laughs. "I was good at getting them to sleep."

"Oh," Fay says.

Susan Quaffle spreads her arms wide and shrugs. "Housemistress Beeblossom was a Beavertail Baby," she says. "Though we take care of the little bundles from, um."

"All the Houses' happy little accidents," Sandevin says.

"Some of them are happy," Fauna says.

Not everyone listened to the Nurse's advice on protecting one's self from happy little accidents. Though Miss Wormwood was more than a trifle intimidating, and if you were afraid of snakes, you might not absorb much advice while her head full of green serpents writhed and flickered their tongues at you.

"So where would you like to start?" Sandevin asks. "Otherwise I'll have Fauna pick."

"You," Fauna growls.

---

Your roommate Fay in House Beavertail is your FRIEND and owes you a FAVOR. Golondrina Redmoor, also in House Beavertail, is your FRIEND and owes you a FAVOR.

You know the spell TRANSFORM and the Forbidden Spell SHAMEGASM.

You have Ambition +2, Bravery -1, Cunning +2, Diligence +0, and 0 XP.

Pick a job for you and possibly a different job for Fay. Describe how your job starts, then roll +DILIGENCE(0) using the rules for GET OUT OF DETENTION, and claim +1 XP when you succeed in finishing your House Service.