Spellbook Café

Spellbook Café
adeorange

Located in Adeorange, the Spellbook Café is lined with bookcases possessing just about any important reference for students' studies. It's a common hangout for Adeothorne students despite being a new contribution to the village.

Fionn Blackwood

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Fionn is a morning person (not that there's any significant change in his demeanor that would indicate such), which means that he had the energy to go all the way from Begonia Tower to the Caulerpa Dungeons then back up to the gates again instead of just meeting Darshini there or at the Spellbook Café itself. He doesn't mind at all. Firstly, his family would have been disappointed to find out that he did not pick her up and escort her to the café. He can imagine their horror already, especially given that Darshini is a *princess* too. His friends at Adeothorne have done a lot to reassure him that there's no need to be so old-fashioned and that it wouldn't be rude, but old habits die hard. Secondly, he has been very excited to have breakfast with Darshini again and hopes that by meeting her at the Caulerpa entrance she will understand how much he values this tradition of theirs. Demi was the only friend he really got to spend time with over break and spending time with her in Greece was more than enough to make this holiday break the best one Fionn has had by far. Still, of course there's no denying that he missed his other friends (in fact, Fionn was tempted to hug Valya upon seeing him again, but didn't find the correct time to and stood there awkwardly instead), Darshini most definitely included. Already, Fionn is thinking about how he will have to let go of these breakfasts together after graduation. He hopes Darshini won't forget him once she is maharani. When they arrive at Spellbook, he holds the door open for her. Fionn is pleased to see that their spot is not taken, not that there was anything to fear given that they're typically the only ones here at this time. "I have missed this." he tells her as they enter. "Thank you for accepting my invitation. I'm glad that we were able to do this again before classes officially start."

Darshini of Bhārat

caulerpa, seventh year § princess of india
ateleia

Even though many of her conversations with her friends (particularly Winter) turn into ones about her wanting a sense of normalcy during her time at Adeothorne, she has spent a lot of it longing for the treatment she receives at home. Returning from her holidays as Darshini, Yuvarani of Bharat has forced her into this strange state of adjustment between these two not entirely distinct versions of herself, but her time with Fionn is often spent in some state between the two. His gentlemanly gestures garner him much respect, and she finds herself wondering how he would function at affairs such as the ones she attended with Valya over the holidays. A familiarity exists during her time spent with Fionn, and her affection towards him is difficult to match. However, she has long since come to the conclusion that she chose correctly in choosing Winter. Sometimes, she *does* question if she convinces herself of such because everyone is so certain of Fionn's love for Demetra, but she then wonders if she's dwelling on this because of some issue with Winter and her decision... Such troubles with conflicted feelings are not fit for someone of her title though, and she rationalizes then that that's why Rajmata Uditi is controlling her country in the meantime as she matures. Her mother would be offended and curse her for such thoughts; having learned a lot more about the Rajmata's behaviors over the holidays through her incessant airing of grievances towards her daughter, she is certain of this. So, even though her time at Adeothorne has become more comfortable in previous months, there is this tightness to Darshini's posture as she positions herself similar to that of a porcelain doll on a mantlepiece – a little uncentered and she would fall over before shattering on the floor before you. It's certainly to be attributed to the stresses of her responsibilities and the stress of readjusting to life at Adeothorne (though once again Fionn serves as a welcomed balance between both). Even so, she doesn't notice this rigidness though it's certainly noticeable to those around her. When Fionn speaks again after a moment of walking in comfortable silence, she turns toward the boy with an unrecognizable sense of adoration. "Declining such an offer is disgraceful, Fionn, especially when offered from such wonderful company. I couldn't ever imagine doing so." A classically Darshini interpretation of smiling shows on her face framed by the perfectly placed pieces of hair that *just so happened* to have fallen forward from her pins. A short silence as she glances at the menu before turning towards him once more. "Should you ever visit Jaipur, the holidays brought me the opportunity to visit more stores at home and I found one particular *kaife* that you might enjoy."

Fionn Blackwood

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

The idea of visiting Jaipur immediately elicits a smile from Fionn, the genuine and unpracticed sort that rests unusually on his face. They will have to discuss this more. He isn't sure how often Darshini will be able to leave her duties after graduation (and if she does, would she be able to use her time in the UK to see him amidst all her royal responsibilities?). Between the two of them, it makes more sense for him to visit her and work around her schedule. That makes sense to him. "I'm sure I would enjoy it very much... Perhaps I can visit after graduation, during the summer." When she refers to him as wonderful company, Fionn is pleased to hear that he brings her such joy. He has always been an avid reader so he's always understood the weight that words possess, but it was only through his friendship with Demetra that the importance behind them has been made clearer to him. He imagines that if he tried explaining that to anyone, they would certainly be confused what with how she talks to others, but it doesn't need to make sense to them when it makes perfect sense to him. Fionn has read many books trying to understand how words are strung together to express meaning and none of them have ever clicked in the way that Demetra's letter has. All this being said, he is more conscious of what others say and hearing how eloquently Darshini expresses that she enjoys spending time with him warms his heart. "I'm glad to hear that you were able to visit more stores during the break," he begins. He goes through the menu as well, even though he'll likely order the same thing as always anyway. "I recall you mentioning that you weren't able to leave your home much growing up." Fionn had a similar experience, though he was a lot younger than Darshini when his world suddenly expanded and he could move about it more freely. "How was it?" Although he was eleven, Fionn can still remember how overwhelming it was just being in Moonstraw City and seeing *everything*. His own childhood was limited a lot more severely, or at least that's what Fionn believes, so maybe it was a more shocking experience to him. Nonetheless, he would still like to hear about Darshini and how she found it.

Darshini of Bhārat

caulerpa, seventh year § princess of india
ateleia

Noticing his excitement (or what she chooses to consider such), she starts smiling more genuinely in turn. A little amused huff even comes out as her arms circle her torso, holding herself gently in her own excitement. "Friends to the throne are always welcome, so we can arrange your visit at a later date." Darshini has started notating which of her friends might wish to visit her once she returns to her responsibilities and which she would have to visit while visiting other countries. It hasn't occurred to her that she might lose contact with some of these friends, so she tries to arrange potential scenarios for each one. The point is that Darshini has noticed that Fionn does not take the Adeothorne Express as the other students do, but he visits the Eliades family in Greece. She has noted this potentially sensitive observations for the future, knowing it might be a useful reference for their future planning. When Fionn mentions her upbringing, her smiling becomes more polite once more. "You have been mistaken. My first time leaving our... home –" Her hesitation is obvious, eyebrows flattening as she considers his word choice. "– was this previous summer. My observation of the outdoors beyond the boundary of our home's fences was limited to these openings cut into the stone of the building, which were intended to be used by women wanting to observe street activities." Darshini gestures with her fingers the few inches that the openings gave her, which were just perfect for an adult woman's eyes to see out. Stopping to order, she swiftly fishes through her belongings to cover them both before whisking him away to a table in the corner. "How was it?" she reminds herself, brows raising slightly as she eagerly begins to answer him. "Everything is much brighter than you recognize from indoors, and there's this buzzing associated with busy streets that you hear in the midst of them that's in stark contrast to the silence and hushed whispering of my home. It doesn't benefit you to have an announcement of your appearance as if you are a marble statue being uncovered in the town square. Everyone stares and comes to you for assistance on matters of all realms. It can be isolating, which you must have felt too, though you find yourself never alone." It doesn't bother her how much she is talking, and she doubts it bothers Fionn though she does try to give him plenty of time to talk for himself. "Still time spent exploring the home that had engulfed me from afar for so long is comforting. It has been healing the distance I felt from it as a youth." Darshini has considered this and expressed the thought privately to Winter too, but she has never understood how her father intended for her to be a good maharani if she never met her country and its citizens. Loving her father means having the ability to recognize where he was wrong, and she knows that this is certainly one of his worse decisions.

Fionn Blackwood

begonia, seventh year
paintedred

Fionn would absolutely hate to have that much attention on him, so his face scrunches up very slightly at the mention of her presence being announced everywhere she would go. When he catches himself, he turns a bit pink in embarrassment. Darshini seems like she did not enjoy the experience very much either, but still. "It's good you were able to have that healing." he says. Fionn is particularly drawn to her description of how everything is so much brighter than you recognize from indoors, and after ordering, he smiles fondly as he revisits the statement in his head. "You're right that everything seems so much brighter... I remember when I started being able to leave my home more..." The word 'more' is added after a barely noticeable pause. Fionn consciously adds it so that it sounds less depressing. He doesn't have a desire to get into the specifics of his childhood when he's sure that people have gossiped about it enough. There's no need to 'clear anything up' when a good chunk of it is true anyway. "I decided that I would only live somewhere with lots of light." It's almost comedic coming from Fionn, who is so pale and seems most himself when shrouded in darkness and other eerie things. "You were able to attend a ball with Valya over break too, yes?" he asks, "I saw people on Witchagram talking about what an attractive *couple* you were..." Another reason the Internet is not to be trusted. "I imagine that was fun. It was wise of you to choose Valya as your companion – he makes things so much livelier." Just talking about his friend excites Fionn. How somebody as riveting and fun as Valya ever took interest in being friends with *Fionn* is a miracle he doesn't dare question. "I have never been to a royal ball, obviously, but I believe he'd be capable of making even the most boring one more interesting."