Catching up with Prefect Ish on term break

Boarbristle Academy is quiet during the term break. Snow has been slow to appear, but there are sprinklings here and there atop the roofs and in shady parts of the courtyard. Most of the students are gone, those with places to go to. You suppose you could go home to the mountains, to your people. Your Housemaster would certainly assist. But winter is a hungry, busy time there, and as much as they'd be glad to see you, they'd ask why you weren't at Boarbristle, making the most out of every moment.

Your suite is quiet now, the others dispersed.

Andrew Saltire finally had his punishment remitted, and celebrated with a long afternoon on his back, polishing the family jewels. You counted...well, you lost count of how many times he pumped himself up to a climactic roar, growl, or sigh. He slept through evening meal, appeared briefly during the night, and slept through till morning, and was off and away.

Peter Crisp, at end of term, seems satisfied that he's fitting in at Leontes. He stands a bit taller, speaks less hesitantly, and seems to have kept any drama out of your suite.

Rebecca Honeybee seems to have settled down, after all her back and forth between you and Marina over Marina's exhibitionistic wanking. She's comfortable with Marina, and positively friendly to you now. But you understand from her how much of a storm of change you've brought into her life, when all she was hoping was to concentrate on her studies. You smile inside. Libido is an important part of raising magical power.

Marina, through charm or luck, seems to have avoided serious consequences. Even after commissioning a special dildo for Dorothy the Porter, to Dorothy's half-giant proportions, and being caught with bruises acquired from fornicating with a woman the size and strength of a horse -- "Ah, more a MULE, dear," Dorothy had said. "M'only a HALF giant." -- even then, Marina had concluded her term with a good mark, and had showed off on the day of her departure by plunging into the Chilly Tarn and swimming round naked for fun in front of a boat full of appalled onlookers.

You sit with Prefect Ishtar Stellaris, sharing tea in the otherwise empty Leontes common room and catching up on things you'd missed. Your serpent familiar Sapienta, a gift from Miss Wormwood, curls sleepily around your forearm.

"You didn't know?" Ish says. She laughs, her dark curls shaking. "I suppose you've been rather busy with your own, well, heroics, Golondrina."

"When was it?" you ask.

"I dragged him off about mid-term," Ish says. "Crisp, well...he was so awkward and eager. Once he figured out what I was about." She laughs. "Bad habit of mine. But he's actually a good one. LISTENED when I told him what to do."

"Well, that would help his confidence," you say.

"So, yes, sent him on his way better than I found him," Ish says. "Girl Guides' principle."

There's a rumble of wheels on stone from outside the window. It's open to let cool air in. The great fireplace in Leontes' common room is putting out more heat than anyone needs. You run a bit warm yourself, and Ish seems at home in almost any weather.

"I'm surprised," Ish says. "They seem to be working on the Fifth House like they want to use it again. It's been vacant, I don't know, years."

"No rumors?" you ask.

"Nothing I've heard," Ish says. "Look, is that Dorothy?"

The two of you stand at the window, looking out.

Indeed, it is Dorothy the Porter, in a short wool smock and a great, heavy leather vest, wearing a yellow safety helmet. Somehow she even has boots. But as usual, she's bare from hips to calf. She directs a small squad of conjure tools -- brooms, shovels, trowels, and other construction and repair implements -- by waving a flag and a wand.

"Can Dorothy do magic?" you ask, surprised.

"It's Firetail, showing off," Ish says. She clears her throat and corrects herself. "Housemaster Firetail. On term break he usually finds a task that needs doing, and without students every which way, he can concentrate on grander conjurations." She nods. "Wand has a spirit to help direct the tools. She drops the flag, all the tools stop."

Dorothy looks up and turns round to face you. You can see a glint of the tangled red hairs of her bush, under her vest and smock. "Ah, HELLO, GIRLS," she says, putting a hand on her hip. "M'the BUILDER today." She laughs, loud and deep. "Getting UP in the WORLD."

"Is someone moving into the Fifth House?" Ish asks.

"Could BE," Dorothy says. "Or MEBBE they just need it CLEAN. No more TERRIBLE VINES."

The ones that had captured Dorothy, pulled her face into the great white flower, and squeezed climax after climax out of her until the Warden had cut her free.

The Warden of your House, Barbara Torch.

House Leontes' Warden had never returned from leave after that night. You're still not sure who will fill that position. Asteria Hornbeam seems to have more than her hands full, as Assistant Warden. You wonder if someone in Boarbristle will take her position, or whether there'll be a new Leontes Warden from outside.

It was a shame, really. Warden hadn't batted an eye at you catching her with Andrew's willy up her bum, she'd apported naked with you back to the Fifth House and saved Dorothy. Really she should be the hero of the evening.

"Well NICE seeing you BOTH, girls!" Dorothy calls. "Back to WORK for ME!" She leads the troop, or maybe troupe, of animated tools into the Fifth House, to sweep, clean, patch and repair.

Dorothy the Porter, Housemaster Fergus Firetail, and Miss Wormwood are your FRIENDS and each will freely grant one FAVOR.

Your familiar Sapienta also counts as a FRIEND.

Your suitemates and FRIENDS Marina Madeline, Andrew Saltire, and Rebecca Honeybee are absent during term break. Marina and Andrew owe you a FAVOR each.

You have 8 XP and may spend 5 XP to apply ADVANCEMENT.

You have -1 AMBITION, +3 BRAVERY, +1 CUNNING, and +0 DILIGENCE.

What's your next Move?

Some possibilities:

• Go see Dorothy. Now that the term is over, supervision is lax. Perhaps she has more to say about the Fifth House. Roll +BRAVERY(+4) to ENCOUNTER Dorothy (+3 Bravery, +2 FRIEND, capped at +4), most probably to ask her to HAVE SEX.
• Dally with Ish and learn all you can during pillow talk. Roll +BRAVERY(+3) to ENCOUNTER Prefect Ishtar Stellaris with the intention to HAVE SEX.
• Apply ADVANCEMENT. Introduce a new situation or element to the story, possibly one of the following.
  • You learn something intriguing or frightening about the Fifth House. When the staff brushes off your concerns, you investigate it yourself. Either set up a GOAL (Moderate on CUNNING, -2) to investigate, or jump to the situation where you confront the threat and roll to GET OUT OF DANGER(+BRAVERY).
  • Jump forward to the next term and start a new narrative thread. Perhaps some new challenge at the beginning of next term involves all of your suitemates in a cooperative task, or puts you all at risk together.
  • Go see Fergus Firetail and ask for a GOAL to better your magical skills, or help him in some way. Perhaps he needs help picking the new Warden -- a DILIGENCE task to check backgrounds, or an AMBITION task to win the assent of Boarbristle's other Wardens and/or Housemasters by talking up your Housemaster's favorite candidate. You could also run this task as having a successful ENCOUNTER from the Wardens of House Draconis (+AMBITION), House Minerval (+CUNNING), and House Beavertail (+DILIGENCE), using FAVORs to boost as needed.