#Leonora lesso x Clarissa dovey

[oliviascabot]

dovesso as viral tweets!!

[pruesgaultier]

DOVESSO + FALL POSTS

[jeri4lifer]

Tear You Apart ~ Leonora Lesso x Clarissa Dovey (Modern AU)

Soooo, this is quite literally my first time posting on tumblr, but i wanted to try.

Any ways I give you guys a little preview. ;)

Enjoy

hand fidgeting with her earrings as she finally meets her green eyes. 

“What’s a girl like you,” She pauses, glancing at the blonde’s figure before meeting her eyes again. “Doing in a place like this?” Clarissa sighed as she downed another glass of whatever the hell she  ordered before the last two drinks started to hit, the bar had a soft ambiance while calm jazz played in the background. No amount of alcohol could drown the thread of sadness and loneliness running through her veins that seeps youtube of every pore, her goal was to not think, not feel anything but the gin and tonic in her hand while she silently sulks in her work clothes, not wanting to go home just yet.

Clarissa nearly missed the gorgeous blonde pulling a chair out next to her at the bar table, waving to the male bartenders with the many hidden tattoos under his sleeves. She glances over before doing a double take to casually staring at the mysterious woman while she orders her drink, as the woman finishes her request she sighs and finally looks over to Clarissa once she feels her brown eyes on her.

Clarissa blushed when the woman gave her a striking grin, occasionally taking several glimpses from the blonde, the look of interest in her eye didn’t go unnoticed by Clarissa as she continued to finish her drink while averting her eyes from the observant woman. 

“Can I get a whiskey?” The woman asks the bartender before glancing over to Clarissa. “And add a gin and tonic for the angel here.” Clarissa releases a dull chuckle while turning her head to the seemingly bold woman next to her, her 

Clarissa sighed while pretending to be the least bit interested in the woman’s words. “I’m simply enjoying a drink with my own company until you decided to join me.” she snarked, rolling her eyes with a level of passiveness.

“Oh,” She mocked, turning her body towards the reluctant blonde. “Well I am truly sorry for disturbing you, darling.” 

“Are you really?” She sighed, glancing over at the woman. “You seem quite...unapologetic to me.”

Leonora chuckled, dropping her head at the blonde's snarkiness, she continues to observe Clarissa as she sips her drink. “I’m surprised a woman of your religious stature would come to a place like this.” 

Clarissa scoffs at the woman’s words, whipping her body around to face the woman. “And what makes you think that?” The redhead gave her a lopsided grin as she finally caught the tensed blonde’s attention, gesturing to the gold necklace with the virgin Mary dangling from the chain.

“It’s quite gorgeous if I might add.” Clarissa clasps the necklace in her hand before shoving it into her shirt, she ignored the way the redhead gazed at her cleavage shamelessly.

“Thank you...my husband gifted it to me for our tenth anniversary.” She blushed, throwing back the last of her drink to avoid the woman’s eyes.

The woman narrowed her eyes at the woman before leaning forward, causing Clarissa to slightly lean back in her chair while blushing furiously. “Huh...married and modest.” She stated, running her tongue over her red lips. 

Clarissa guilty around the room with her red face, she glanced down at the woman’s lips before clearing her throat. This wasn’t something she was use to, her body was having all these strange reactions that felt nothing like when she was with her husband, her perfume smells like bergamot and amberwood while her pale green eyes roam her physical and spiritual body, it was overwhelming.

The woman finally leans back in her chair, taking a sip of her whiskey that was order before speaking. “Tell me,” She sighs. “Why are you here?” 

Clarissa takes a deep breath, before answering. “I don’t want to go home just yet.” 

“Oh...is hubby not so good in bed, or is it the temper?” She mocks. 

Clarissa shrugs. “I love him but...his temper, his ego...the need to be better than everyone is taking away everything I loved about him.” She paused, removing her glasses while keeping her eyes on the counter.

The redhead holds out her hand, enticing the blonde to shake it. “Leonora. Leonora Lesso.” Clarissa stared at her hand for a moment before cautiously taking it, her pale hands were soft, perfectly manicured with black polish.

Clarissa brought her eyes back to Leonora’s, completely mesmerized by the aura she exuded; she couldn’t seem to bring herself to pull away, no matter the guilt quietly building in the back of her mind, the warmth in her stomach was somehow stronger.

“Would you like to...find something more entertaining to do?” Leonora gestures to the exit, standing up and holding out her hand for the blonde.

Every reason and excuse ran through Clarissa’s mind as she contemplated the offer, it was enticing. “Depends...what you’d have in mind for entertainment ?” She smiled, taking her hand. 

Leonora smiled, tilting her head. 

Here's the rest of the work, hope you guys enjoyed.

teehee

[tilda-rothery]

“Dance with me instead?” She asked, and all Leonora could do was swallow and nod.

It's been a while hasn't it?

This has been sitting half-finished on my phone for the longest time and tonight my brain suddenly figured out how to end it!

There is no happy ending with this one, sorry peeps!

I hope you enjoy it anyways...

[let-your-chaos-explode]

The Secrets of Lady Lesso - Chapter 5, Rumors

Rumors have a way of reframing the way you look at a person. Whether they’re true or not, they can make you question everything you’ve ever known about them. Rumors invite the imagination to get creative. And while often harmless, rumors could also bite. 

The students of the School for Good and Evil were rising heroes and villains waiting for their own epic tales to be written. But at the end of the day, they were still, at their core, children. And as children are prone to do…they gossip. That was how Professor Clarissa Dovey found herself in quite the predicament one spring morning. 

The sun glittered merrily outside, melting the last vestiges of the winter’s snow on the lawn. The bright rays through the window caught the crystal gem hanging against the glass and reflected colorful rainbows across the room. The dance of colors was truly beautiful and brought a wistful smile to her face. 

A tentative knock sounded against the office door, drawing Clarissa out of her wandering thoughts. It was soft enough that she wasn’t certain it had happened at all. A second knock followed, just as hesitant as the first. 

Clarissa rose from behind her desk and opened the office door, peering curiously out into the hall. A small Ever student, one of their youngest around age twelve, shuffled awkwardly in the threshold. 

“Elia, dear!” Dovey said with surprise. “What can I help you with?”

The poor child looked up at her with absolute dread etched across her features. 

“It’s about your wife, ma’am…”

“My wife?” She asked, confusion clear in her voice. 

“I told them not to do it, but they didn’t listen to me.” The girl exclaimed in a hurried rush. “They took her cane from the chair while she was yelling at Elliot.”

Heat pooled in her cheeks as she understood the implication before being washed away by the concern for her friend. 

“She was heading over to the School for Evil, but she didn’t look too good, ma’am. Snapped at me when I offered to help. I thought she might feel better if it was you.” 

“Thank you, Elia. You did the right thing.” Dovey hushed. “If you would please leave a note on my desk with the names of those students, I would be ever so grateful.”

She collected her skirts and started running down the hall. 

“Oh! And Elia... Please, let’s not use spousal terms when referring to the staff. It will be Lady Lesso or Dean Lesso from now on. She gets a bit tetchy about proper titles.” Clarissa called over her shoulder. 

She would deal with that at a later date…after she has had the opportunity to speak to Leonora about it. 

Clarissa made it to the dark castle in record time, despite her heels and cumbersome skirts. The halls were blessedly empty and she only had to navigate two corridors before finding the other woman. Lady Lesso was leaning against the grimy, stone wall in a darkened corner of the alcove. She was holding her thigh in a white-knuckled grasp and, even from this distance, she could see the pain in her posture. 

“Lady Lesso!” Dovey greeted casually as she closed the distance. “Fancy meeting you here!”

Upon closer inspection, Lesso’s face appeared unnaturally pale. Beads of sweat clung to her hairline and her hands trembled in her effort to appear composed. 

“I was just heading to your chambers to find you. I was hoping to get your opinion on a suitable punishment for a set of Ever students who believed that torturing others was great entertainment.”

“Of course.” Lesso grit through bared teeth. “I have several ideas, actually.”

“Oh, but my feet are killing me from these heels. Be a dear, and help me the rest of the way?”

Clarissa didn’t ask. She linked her arm with Leonora’s and pulled the taller woman’s weight onto her frame. To anyone else, it would have looked like they were going for another one of their evening strolls. To Lesso, it was an immediate relief to her throbbing leg. They finished the stretch of the corridor and turned into an archway with a spiral staircase heading to the corner tower. Halfway to the top, Leonora pulled away and sat on the stairs with a hiss of pain. 

“How can I help you right now?” Clarissa whispered, joining her on the step. 

Her hands hovered anxiously over Lesso’s bad leg with a lost expression painted on her face. 

“I’m fine.” Lesso groaned, slapping her hands away. “Let’s just keep moving. We’re almost there.”

A sharp frown pulled at Clarissa’s lips, but she allowed the avoidance. She stood and offered her arm once more to her struggling friend. Together, they stumbled up the remaining stairs and into Leonora’s private chambers. 

“What happened?” Clarissa asked her as she collapsed onto the edge of her bed. 

“Oh, I thought that was common knowledge. I trained Cerberus for Hades back in the day as a favor.” Lesso answered blankly. 

Dovey’s heart constricted at the emptiness in Lesso’s response. She wrinkled her nose and sat gingerly next to her on the bed, trapping Lesso’s hand between her both of her own. 

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Nora.” She whispered against the tears burning in her eyes. 

“Yes, yes, I’m fine Dove.” Leonora sighed. “Just wondering the best way to kill some teenagers and manage to keep my job.” 

Dovey snorted a laugh and leaned her head onto Lesso’s shoulder. “I may or may not have a list waiting on my desk of the students responsible.” 

“Little shits. Your little Evers were too cowardly to try something face to face, they had to team up while my back was turned!” 

“I'm sure it’s the only way anyone at this school could have possibly gotten away with it. I defer all consequences to you, dear.” 

“When I’m done with them, they’ll be the ones needing a cane.” Lesso muttered darkly. 

Dovey pulled away and dipped to the floor, pulling at the laces on Lesso’s stiletto boots. The Dean of Evil quirked a curious eyebrow but said nothing. 

“You kind of set yourself up for it, you know.” Clarissa stated matter-of-fact as she tucked the boots neatly under the bed. “You don’t let anyone get close to you and you keep them guessing. Me included! Especially when you spin your fantastical tales about your injury. They’re dumb teenagers, Leonora. I’m not saying what they did was right. I’m just saying they are testing their boundaries and they have no earthly idea as to what consequences might come of it.”

A pensive pout pulled at Lesso’s lips and Clarissa was overcome with the sudden desire to kiss it away. Shaking the thought away, she quickly stood and fled to the ensuite to retrieve a glass of water and some pain medication, using the opportunity to hide the blush surely forming on her cheeks. 

“You know, I heard this fascinating rumor today.” She heard Lesso shout over the sound of the faucet. 

“What did you hear?” Dovey questioned with genuine intrigue as she passed Lesso the pain relief. 

Clarissa allowed herself to relax on the already rumpled bedspread and propped her head up with her hand, looking at her friend curiously. Leonora set the glass on the nightstand and mirrored her position. 

“We look and sound like a couple of teenagers gossiping.” Clarissa giggled. 

“Oh, just you wait, Rissa.” Leonora barked with barely contained laughter. 

The redhead cleared her throat dramatically and lowered her voice into a stage whisper. 

“I heard some Ever boys saying some rather salacious comments about the lovely shape of…” She gestured rudely in the direction of her chest. “And then something about being a fairy godmother they’d like to…”

Clarissa’s offended gasp cut off the rest of Lesso’s statement. A wide and entirely too mirthful grin split across the Evil Dean’s face. 

“Based on the very descriptive details I overheard, I don’t think they were referencing our resident beauty teacher.” 

“While disgusting and highly inappropriate, that’s not exactly the definition of a rumor.” Dovey sputtered. 

The glee in Lesso’s eyes ignited and, if possible, her smile only widened. 

“One of your less than chivalrous boys asked how long the rest of them thought we had been dirty dancing for. Elliot, I believe his name was? He had some rather imaginative scenarios as to what we really do during the weekly staff meetings. Should I describe it for you?”

Clarissa choked on her own saliva and said a silent  prayer to the Storian to kill her now. Lady Lesso must have seen the mortification plain on her face, as she finally released the uncontrollable laughter she had been holding back. 

“I will cherish the horror that dawned on their faces the second they saw me behind him for as long as I shall live.” Leonora sighed as her laughter dissipated, wiping the joyful tears from her eyes. 

Dovey was still recovering from the heat of embarrassment and covered her face with her hands. She couldn’t look at her. If she looked at her, it was over. Lesso would be able to see the want and love staring back at her and this farce of being happy with merely friendship would be over. 

“Well, as a Dean of this hallowed institution, I, of course, could not let this behavior abide. While delivering a verbal reprimand, one of yours thought it would be hilarious to take my cane. And here we are.” Leonora concluded. 

“Well thank you for defending my honor.” Dovey said with only a hint of sarcasm from behind her fingers. 

Lesso let quietness settle between them. The stillness was comfortable, but she could feel the unexplained tension rolling off of the Fairy Godmother. 

“Thank you for coming to find me. I know that Ava girl sent for you.” She said quietly. 

“Elia.” Clarissa corrected. 

“I’m not a liar!”

Clarissa rolled her eyes at Leonora’s antics and didn’t fight the smile pulling at her lips. Lesso gave her a small smile in return, relieved to feel the tension dissipating with her terrible joke. 

“Leonora, how do you deal with all the rumors?” Dovey asked after a beat. 

The question was soft in its earnestness. Though quietly spoken, the weight of it seemed to fill the room. Clarissa watched as Leonora’s eyebrows knitted together in thought. A contemplative hum reverberated in her throat and she rolled herself to her belly. Lesso rested her head in the cradle of her folded arms and studied Clarissa intently. 

“It has been my experience that people are going to talk, no matter what you say or do.” She said slowly, choosing her words carefully. “No amount of threatening or punishment truly makes it stop. They just find other ways to communicate it. I have found that dealing with it, as you say, is more about not letting the things that are said affect me.”

“How do you do that?” Clarissa probed with genuine interest. 

“Well…” Lesso drawled. “I can’t be surprised or offended by a rumor if I’m the one creating it. I like to get ahead of the curve. It lets me control the narrative.”

The Fairy Godmother closed her eyes and nodded in a sorrowful understanding. 

“That’s why you make up stories about your leg.”

“It’s…easier than having to listen to idiots try to guess about something so outside of what their teeny tiny brains could possibly understand.”

Leonora shrugged her shoulders and pushed herself off the mattress. She held out her hand and helped Clarissa to her feet. 

“Come on, princess. At this rate, we are going to miss lunch.”

She rummaged through the wardrobe and retrieved the raven-headed cane and opened the door. 

“And we don’t need any more of those kinds of rumors going around.” She joked with a flirty wink. 

Clarissa flushed once more and let loose a nervous laugh. “About that…I heard this lovely little rumor from Elia this morning…”

“Who?” Lesso asked with feigned ignorance. 

Dovey’s expression fell flat and she deadpanned, “Ava.”

“Oh! Yes! Delightful girl, that one.” Lesso smirked. 

The pair began their descent down the staircase and into the hall. 

“How do you feel about a spring wedding?” 

Clarissa felt a broad smirk of her own form as Leonora’s steps beside her faltered. Maybe she wasn’t the only one feeling so affected by the implications of wild gossip. 

Chapter 4 (previous chapter)

Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

[nyx-aira]

School for Good and Evil Masterlist

Dovesso

Private matters NSFW

Professor Dovey and Lady Lesso are the respective deans of the School for Good and the School for Evil. Definitely not secretly married and having a quickie before their next class starts.

Headcanons

Some Dovesso headcanons and Lady Lesso being ripped

You can find more of my Dovesso works on ao3

[romanoffsdarling]

I’ve been away for a bit because school has become a hassle, but everything has sorted itself out! I’ve also fallen down the rabbit hole with Clarissa Dovey and Leonora Lesso and reading all the fics I can about them— I truly want to see one where Clarissa dresses like a Never and Lesso’s reaction to that (if there is one I’d love to get a link to it).

I hope you’ve all been well! I’m sorry for being gone for so long.

[confuseuniverse]

that one time i wanted to write a dovesso fanfic but didn’t go as far as that

“Dovey and Lesso have an affair. It started casual, to release the tension between them. They’re just sexfriends. Until it’s not that simple anymore. Because everytime they see each other, Dovey fall a little more for Lesso. But the redheaded woman leaves quickly, without a glance. Like she didn’t give a shit.

So Dovey thinks she’s only coming for the thrill of corrupt an Ever. She fells corrupted. Because now, she hates Lesso as much as she loves her. She wasn’t supposed to feel hate, but now she wants to hurt Lesso. She’s miserable. So one day, she snaps (aka they see each other and dovey is so angry, and she bites lesso, and she yelled at her, and she leaves)

Until the snap, Lesso is just so clueless (she actually also loves dovey, but doesn’t think in a million year that’s reciproque, because she knows Never aren’t meant to be loved).

Lol they’re just so miserable, two idiots in love.

+ I want real smut. Yeah you’re gonna write smut, let’s go”

[ladyorlandodream]

Final Chapter of my Dovesso FF I really hope you will like it thank you

thanks for coming this far with me

[igelmanz]

They’re so important to me

[xx-state-of-mind-xx]

Dovey: We call that a traumatic event.

Dovey, turning to Agatha: Not a 'bruh moment'.

Dovey, turning to Sophie: Not a 'ratio + L'.

Dovey, turning to Lesso: And definitely not an 'oof LMAO'.

[oliviascabot]

dovesso as random text posts

[pruesgaultier]

DOVESSO + UPDATED SOCIALS

in honor of my 1 year anniversary of the og post

[flameobitch]

Hi. Recently, I wondered if Dovey would be the Dean of Evil, and Lesso would be the Dean of Good. Can you make my dreams come true?

YES OF COURSE

• Dean Dovey calls Lady Lesso a "Princess"

• No one knows Lady Lesso's name and they are afraid to pronounce Dean Dovey's name

• Dovey is an illusionist and an artful deceiver

• Lady Lesso literally makes people do what she says

[ilovehugslikealotalot]

Everything to Me

sum: Leonora seems to have gained interest in a certain Ever Professor

based on: the song She by Dodie

WARNINGS: fluff, slight hint of angst, forbidden love, happy ending!, soft!lesso, mentions of jealousy, Dovey being a little matchmaker :), gentle!reader, shy!reader

(Not proof read)

Lesso watched as Y/n walked into the dining hall, every morning, she’s show up on time always looking flawless. Sometimes a Pep in her step appeared when she’d walk in after a night out with a suitor, though, they never seemed to work out, much to Lesso’s delight.

Am I allowed to look at her like that? Could it be wrong when she's just so nice to look at

Leonora smiled at the Princess as she sat next to her with her plate filled with pancakes and other breakfast foods. Leonora found herself looking at her with a softness and adoration that would’ve surely confused the head Master as to why he placed the Dean into the School For Evil.

The Redhead enjoyed watching her smile and snort at jokes made at the table. She was the most prim and proper Princess but, In Lesso’s eyes, she was surely the most gorgeous. She wondered how a woman could look so ethereal and authentic at the same time.

After breakfast with the staff, Lesso and Y/n had a ritual of going on a morning walk, slowly making their way through the garden. Their arms linked as they took in the sight of sweet Magnolia’s and the warm gaze of the sun.

Leonora swore that she could smell the Lemongrass from where she stood, but knew it was from the woman next to her who still complained about wanting to take a nap. “Ooh! Remember when we took a photo here, it was so peaceful with the stars just sparkling above us” She exclaimed, sitting on the stone bench with that bright grin on her face, “I do remember, Princess, I still have the polaroid in my office if you’d ever like to see it.”

And she smells like lemongrass and sleep She tastes like apple juice and peach Oh, you would find her in a polaroid picture

——

Clarissa made Leonora stay behind at a meeting that evening, nothing how the woman had been spending so much time with the Princess. She could sense the pure love radiating from the two. No one could deny what was happening, not even the headmaster. “You must tell her how you feel, Leonora! You need to tell her before it’s too late!” The golden haired woman exclaimed, flailing her arms about knowing that Lesso would lose the girl sooner or later if she didn’t make a move.

“There’s nothing to tell her, Clarissa..” She whispered lowly, knowing that if she did confess she’s ruin y/n’s chance at a happliy ever after. She couldn’t take that away from her, no she couldn’t do that.

Afterall, Lesso was a Never and Y/n was an Ever. It was forbidden, no way they could pass the trial by tale, right?

I'd never tell No I'd never say a word

Clarissa pouted with a huff before exiting the room most likely plotting some other scheme, but Leonora was okay, admiring the other woman across the room even if it was for a moment. She enjoyed watching her hair perfectly fall on her shoulders and cascading down her back. Her warm and lovable smile, that laugh that was inviting. Not to mention her face was nothing less of perfection.

Lesso was comfortable, standing next to her while she greeted her students with a smile, which they returned and shyed away once they noticed the intimidating Dean next to her. They were fools not to see what they had, everyone did, even the more up tight Evers.

Though, the uneasy feeling in Lesso’s stomach never changed when she saw Y/n talking with an Ever prince that seemed to take a liking to her. Everytime her concerns were proved wrong, that was because y/n never liked any of them she said.

And oh it aches But it feels oddly good to hurt

———

“Leo! Leo! Look at what I found in the garden!” Y/n exclaimed, carefully holding something in her soft hands, as she stopped in front of the redhead, she smiled brightly holding out the delicate flower. It looked as tough as it did peaceful. “Hm, Black Dahlia, my favorite, you remembered?” Leonora smiled subtly, taking the flower in her own hands and admiring it.

“Of course I did! How could I forget my favorite person’s favorite flower?” Y/n felt a blush creep onto her cheeks, the ache in her neck from looking up at Lesso, seemed to disappear. The woman infront of her held back a wide grin, “You are very thoughtful, princess” she complimented, running her thumb across the Ever professor’s cheek. Gathering what ever courage she had left and kissed her forehead.

“Thank you, sweet thing”

Even though, y/n y/l/n would always love Leonora Lesso, she could never verbalize it. As for Leonora, she would never feel the warmth of love from the person she truly loved. And that was the true Evil.

So there they were again, another gala another night that they longed for each other. Stolen glances and subtle flirting seemed to tempt even the Headmaster into matchmaking the two.

and I'll be okay Admiring from afar

As the night fell, the more people retired to their respective rooms. Lesso was left to walk y/n back, the moon and stars lighting the way. It seemed like it was only last night that it was y/n’s first day teaching at The School for Good. They walked hand in hand as the Castle sat in the darkness the lights inside now putting the moon to shame. Lesso wished this was forever, she never allowed herself to think that way especially about people things that aren’t hers. But for now, she allowed herself to think about it even for a moment. Cause even when she's next to me We could not be more far apart

”That was nice, I always enjoy our time together!” She beamed, any traces of sleepiness leaving her. “I do too, sweet girl”

They stood there for a few minutes sitting in comforting silence, “Now that I think of it, I don’t want you walking in that cold. You’ll stay with me” Y/n stated, pulling her in by the jacket sleeve, “Woah, I haven’t even asked you out yet” Leo joked, chuckling to herself, though, y/n’s remained still her face now shying from Lesso’s gaze. “Don’t go all turtle on me now, Princess” she cooed, pulling her closer on for the Professor to tuck her face in Lesso’s jacket.

“Why haven’t you asked me out yet, Leo?” Y/n seriously questioned, looking up at the redhead with tears. It now came as a realization to the Dean that her preception of reality was not the same as y/n’s. “I‘ve dropped countless hints, I followed Dovey’s advice, I did everything I could think of! Do you not like me? Are you just leading me on?” She asked, already sniffling from the anticipation of the answer.

“What? No!” Lesso responded, clutching the Princess close, “No, you don’t like me?” Y/n let out a sob that could’ve woken up half of the castle if Lesso hadn’t shut her mouth. “I mean that I’m not leading you on, Yes, of course I like you, I think I might…love you” Lesso confessed, a weight leaving her shoulders as she held her close.

“I love you, Leonora Lesso” y/n choked out, pulling Lesso down for a long awaited kiss, “I love you most, y/n y/l/n” she replied with that wicked smile she loved.

Yes she means everything to me She means everything to me.

Lesso would feel the Love of the one she truly wanted and this time it meant a Happily Ever After for both of them.

———

first Lesso fic. Idk how I feel about it.

NOT PROOFREAD :)

[let-your-chaos-explode]

I Got You, Babe - Chapter 3: Confusion

Lady Leonora Lesso woke early to the sound of birds chirping through the open window of her tower. Sunlight streamed through the window and settled merrily against the bed. 

Lesso slowly blinked open her eyes against the sunlight, anticipating a massive hangover as punishment for the amount of alcohol she had drank the night before. She groaned, reached for an object to throw at the obnoxiously loud birds, and paused. There was no headache. And she remembered. 

The birdsong continued, and against the melody a few knocks sounded against the wooden door of her bedroom. Knock, KNOCK, knock.

“Rise and shine Lady Lesso! It’s a beautiful morning and you are LATE for the students’ return!” Professor Dovey called from behind the door. “You have ten minutes before our school address!”

Cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach as the sound of Dovey’s heels faded down the stone corridor. 

Lesso kicked off the covers and slowly rolled out of bed. With apprehension, she opened the wardrobe and her gaze settled on the same outfit from yesterday hanging pristinely and unworn. She snatched it off the hanger and angrily got dressed. And with a sharp flick of her wrist, her make-up and hair were done. 

“Let’s get this over with.” She sighed.

She marched along the bridge from the central tower. Confusion, anger, and admittedly a little bit of fear clouded her thoughts. Why was this happening to her? Did someone curse her? Was she going insane?

She violently slammed open the doors to the assembly hall. The flinching reactions of the students and staff were ignored as she stalked to the main podium. 

“How good of you to join me.” She said as Professor Dovey opened her mouth. “Yes, I know. ” 

Dovey’s mouth clicked shut with a taken-aback expression loud on her face. “Do I say it that often?” 

“Often enough.” Lesso muttered as Dovey plastered a wide and entirely fake smile upon her face, addressing the students. 

“Well, maybe I wouldn’t have to if you were ever on time.” She hissed out of the corner of her smile. 

Lesso crossed her arms and shrugged. It wasn’t like she was ever going to change her ways. 

The roar of the students continued to climb as they entered the hall. Lesso eyed the clock on the far wall and idly noted that they were running behind schedule. Dovey must have done the same. 

“Shall we get this show on the road?” Dovey asked her, the implication clear in her voice. 

“I thought I’d let you do the honors.” 

“Welcome back, students!” The Dean of Good called across the auditorium. 

But the deafening volume, if possible, grew louder. She shot Lesso an imploring look that was promptly ignored. 

“Attention!” She shouted, attempting to imitate the authority usually present in the Dean of Evil. 

A few Ever heads turned in response. 

“ATTENTION!” She shrieked, slamming her golden staff against the floor. 

Immediately, the chatter died down. 

“Well done, princess. There’s hope for you yet.” Lesso smirked. 

“Thank you, Lady Lesso.” Dovey smiled brightly. “Welcome back, students! I hope everyone enjoyed their time away from school and got to enjoy some rest and relaxation. Today will be a day of reorientation. We will resume our regularly scheduled classes after breakfast. Please refer to the schedules handed out to you before break.”

Lesso mouthed silently along to Dovey’s speech. After a beat of silence, the blonde looked at her. 

“Do you have anything else to add?”

“Nope!” She said with a loud pop of her lips. 

Dovey looked at her quizzically before returning to address the children.  “Copies have also been posted in the main halls of each castle and in your personal dormitories. You are dismissed! Have a wonderful first day back!”

The students rose from the bleachers and began streaming out the door. Lady Lesso stood to follow them. 

“I’ll see you at the staff meeting after breakfast. Don’t worry, I won’t be late.” She called over her shoulder, missing the unnerved expression left on Dovey’s face as she exited the hall. 

Lesso stopped and waited at the junction of the main corridor and the hallway leading to the dining hall. She leaned her back against the stone wall and counted to three before sticking her cane into the walkway. Perfectly timed, Emma Anemone rounded the corner and tripped over the walking stick and crashed to the ground. 

“Oh, Professor Anemone! I’m so sorry.” Lesso cried with exaggeratedly feigned remorse. “I’m sure that wouldn’t have happened if you had been watching where you were going.”

She hummed sagely like she had just imparted some grand, life-changing advice. 

Emma rolled her eyes and with a stupid amount of grace, picked herself up off the floor and adjusted her dress.

“Are you satisfied?” Anemone asked with a bitter edge to her tone. 

“Very.” Lesso nodded succinctly. 

Emma cocked her head and scrutinized her from head to toe. 

“See something you like?”

“I see you , Red. I see the sad little girl inside. And some day, you might realize that every effort you have put into making everyone else around you feel low is because that’s what you feel. Maybe then you’ll realize that not once has it done anything to lift you any higher. You are in the same place now that you were when you started. Maybe, one day, you’ll understand that some of us have been trying to simply accompany you along the way. I really do hope you realize that before you end up completely alone and just as irrelevant as you always feared you would be.”

Leonora’s eyes narrowed and she lunged for the historian, grabbing her by the flared, pink sleeves. 

“What the fuck did you do to me?” She hissed in a rage. 

Anemone pried Lesso’s fingers off her dress and shoved her lightly away, confusion plain on her usually impassive face. 

“Have a good day, Lady Lesso.” She said dismissively. 

Emma gave her a wide berth and did not take her eyes off of the Evil Dean until she had rounded the corner, shaking her head incredulously as she made the turn. 

Lady Lesso slumped uncharacteristically against the wall and pulled at her hair in frustration. She abandoned the idea of breakfast and instead made for the library in the School of Evil. Clearly, she was cursed. Though, even as an expert on curses and death traps, she felt way out of her league. Maybe the beauty teacher had nothing to do with it. It was not in the realm of “good” magic, after all. But the words felt as if they had been carved into her brain and she was left feeling distinctly haunted. 

She poured over book after book on curses, but none provided any answers about re-living the same day. She did find a simple text on enchanted tattoos that gave her pause. If she was doomed to relive this day over and over again, would permanent changes carry over? She hadn’t yet noticed any consequences from the actions of her last trials. Lesso twirled her brightly glowing purple finger and with a hiss, a small raven appeared at her wrist. 

__________________________________________________________

“You’re late!” Dovey hissed as Lesso found her seat. 

“Better late than Ever.” She answered, rolling her eyes. 

A brief, glazed look flitted across Dovey’s face before she gathered herself to address the staff. “Thank you everybody for joining me for our quarterly staff meeting!”

“Let’s get this over with.” Lesso grunted. 

“We don’t have much to discuss since our previous meeting. Lady Lesso and I just wanted to follow up with everybody regarding the unification of classes and to problem-solve any hiccups.” 

Hands waved in the air and the staff all at once began to talk over one another. 

“SHUT UP!” She shouted over the dull roar, startling the participants into silence. “Let me guess…Yuba, your pea brain can’t figure out how to get the students from sabotaging one another, other than a shared grade. Beauty teacher wants to discontinue the curriculum and teach sex education instead. And Espada is incompetent and can’t figure out that his teaching methods are garbage.” 

Owlish, dumbfounded blinks stared back at her. 

“Was I right? Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Well…I don’t know that it needed to be worded quite so rudely.” Dovey stuttered. 

“No, I won’t teach the course.” Lesso continued, pointing an accusing finger at Anemone. “And you need to introduce girls from both sides into your class, Espada. And you need to adapt your teaching to their individual strengths and weaknesses. That should be common sense.” 

Still, her audience gaped. Before the swordsman could open his mouth to question her, she met his eyes. 

“You want to know how I know…Let’s just call it intuition.” 

“Lady Lesso, that was very insightful advice.” Dovey added from her seat, attempting to break the tension. 

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Lesso asked sarcastically. 

Deep, chocolate eyes cut over to Lesso’s and firmly held her gaze. 

“I never said that I was. I believe I was offering a compliment.” 

The undercurrent of defensive hurt laced Dovey’s words. Embarrassment crept in Lesso’s chest and she was once again caught off guard by the Good Dean’s support. She averted her eyes and cleared her throat uncomfortably. 

“In the interest of the students’ education, I will offer some assistance in teaching Espada’s class.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Dovey said warmly. 

_____________________________________________________________

Lesso started her first round of classes with a simple textbook on each desk. She refused to suffer through the agony of the practical with students already so far behind in the curriculum. She very pointedly ignored the groans of protest and enjoyed the silent study hall instead. 

“When do we actually get to the poisons part of Potions and Poisons?” 

Lesso launched a paperweight into the center of the room. 

“Get out!”

The students scattered like pearls off a broken string and she was alone again. Lesso pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply into the empty classroom. A headache was forming between her eyes and the exhaustion of her situation started to settle in. What was she missing? Why was this happening to her? 

The clock tower chimed noon and as if perfectly synched, her stomach growled in expectation. She trudged across the bridge to the dining hall and scanned the table for a vacant chair. Absently, she noted she was significantly earlier than “yesterday” and the crowd was much larger. Lesso’s eyes settled on the only empty chair at the table, next to Dovey.  Across the hall, her doe eyes shifted from whoever she was talking with and met Lesso’s unintentional stare. Her face brightened and she patted the seat next to her welcomingly. 

An unidentifiable feeling squirmed in Lesso’s belly. Her eyes darted around the room for a moment before her feet betrayed her. 

“Lady Lesso, good afternoon!” Dovey said brightly as Lesso hesitantly dropped into the vacant chair. 

She flushed warmly under the incredulous stares of the other staff members present and did not return the greeting. She filled her plate with the lackluster grilled chicken and some sad looking green beans. 

“It’s rather bland, wouldn’t you say?” Dovey whispered out of the corner of her mouth. 

Lesso watched the fairy godmother cut at the meat on her plate and push it around convincingly. She allowed a soft hum of agreement to be heard over the scraping of the cutlery. 

“Thank you for volunteering to help with this afternoon’s class.” Dovey tried again to elicit conversation. 

“If your teachers demonstrated any semblance of common sense or ability, I wouldn’t have had to.” Lesso barked and internally cringed. 

As the words fell from her lips, she suddenly desired to take them back. Why were conversations with this woman so impossible lately?

The same tight smile from before pulled at Dovey’s face and her gaze averted uncomfortably to the tasteless meal. Unfamiliar shame crawled up Lesso’s back at having put that expression on her face. She liked the genuine smiles better.

Wait, what?

"Yes, well, we all still have things to work on. Myself, included.” Dovey answered distantly. “Good luck with your afternoon.” 

The Dean of Good stood and cleared her plate. 

“See you later.” Lesso said lamely, watching her go. 

Storian, she wanted to slap herself. That was just as bad as her first go at it. And she didn’t even know why she wanted her conversation with the infuriating woman to not go poorly. Maybe it was those stupid wish fish getting into her head. 

“Well, that went well.” 

Lesso flinched violently and whirled around in her seat to glare at the one person who would dare to make a comment. Emma graced her with a self-satisfied grin and lowered herself fluidly into Dovey’s now-vacant seat. 

“What the fuck do you know, beauty teacher?” Lesso scoffed, shoving her plate away angrily. 

“A great deal more than you give me credit for, Red.” 

Lesso’s eyes cut sharply back to regard the historian from her periphery. 

“Clarissa is an Ever , Red. She thrives on compliments, pleasantness, and genuine conversation.” Anemone spoke as if she were talking to a toddler. 

“Are you telling me she wants me to sit here and tell her she’s pretty?” Lesso asked flatly. 

“Do you?” Emma interrogated. 

“Do I what?”

“Think that she’s pretty?”

“I don’t have time for this.” 

The thought was absurd. She had nothing but time! But she certainly did not want to be a part of this trainwreck of a conversation any longer. Lesso pushed her chair away from the table and reveled in the series of cringes as the feet screeched against the floor. 

___________________________________________________________

She didn’t bother observing Espada’s miserable attempts at instruction. She met him on the lawn and promptly told him to sit down and shut up. 

“Save your petty fighting for the battlefield. Use the opportunity we are giving you to hone your strengths and purge your weaknesses! Win or lose, these matches are supposed to teach you about survival. Consider it practice, because in life, there are no do-overs.”

She fought the shudder that threatened to break free at her own lecture. She matched the boys into more optimal pairs, learning from her previous attempt and set them upon each other. 

“Espada, where are the girls?” She questioned him during the reprieve. 

“Princesses do not belong on the battlefield, witch.” He said pompously. 

Her lip curled in abject disgust and the tip of her cane roughly found the center of his chest. 

“Have you learned nothing in the past year?” She snarled. “Any one of my Never girls could crush your Princes in a duel…in no time flat.”

Espada gave an unbothered shrug and slapped her cane away. “Prove it.”

Already on edge from the way her day was going, Lesso shucked her coat in a rage and snatched up a sword from the pile. 

“Let’s do this.”

The commotion drew the attention of the students practicing and the clang of steel faded as they lowered their arms to watch. Lesso and Espada bowed respectively and each took up a differing readying stance. The Dean of Evil adopted a more rounded position: she leaned lightly back into her bad leg with her good leg forward, and maintained a two handed grasp on the sword positioned across her body with the hilt anchored at her hip. Espada took up a more traditional posture, with the sword far out in front of him in a long point stance. 

She didn’t have to wait long. The consistent brashness of Evers came through and he lunged. The attack was easy enough to dodge as she pivoted on her forward leg and maintained her position. He swung high and she parried. Lesso allowed him to push her backward a few paces. With a few more carefully positioned ducks and dodges, she finally had him where she wanted him…staring directly into the afternoon sun. 

Sweat had started to collect at his hairline and his collar from the exertion of his offensive attacks and from maintaining the forward hold of his sword. In a flurry of swift slashes, she danced around the falling arc of his sword and tapped his flank with the broad flat of her steel as his weapon clattered to the ground. 

A slow series of claps erupted from the student audience and a piercing whistle highlighted her victory. 

“That was awesome, ma’am!” One of the Ever boys complimented. 

Lesso threw down her sword and lifted a sculpted eyebrow at her opponent. Espada scoffed and stalked off the field. 

“Worse than children.” She muttered, shaking her head. “Class dismissed!”

She snatched up her discarded cane and limped heavily back to the office. She hissed and cringed at every stair she was forced to climb, and in heels. 

“She was so caught up in the routine of her day, she almost missed the presence of the Dean for Good at the tower window.” The Storian narrated as she walked by. “Her steps faltered and her sharp gaze cut suspiciously to the quill.”

“Are you writing about me?” Lesso snapped, sounding mildly unhinged to her own ears. 

Her cane cracked loudly against the floor as she stomped over to the book. 

“Her turbulent green eyes searched the page for any helpful information, but found nothing of use.”

“Stupid fucking feather.” She hissed. 

The golden quill poked her roughly in the shoulder as if in reprimand and remained poised threateningly. 

“Alright, I’m going!” Lesso surrendered with narrowed eyes. 

She shoved open the doors to the office, immediately looking to the window to find Dovey looking through the pane. 

“Don’t you have class?” She asked as she collapsed at her own desk, opening the decanter of bourbon. 

Dovey eyed the alcohol with distaste but didn’t comment. “I have a free period.”

Lesso’s glass paused midway to her mouth and she raised a questioning eyebrow. “I didn’t know that.”

“I don’t usually spend it doing paperwork.” Dovey said with a self-deprecating smile as she gestured to her disastrous desk. “But I just had this odd feeling that I should be up here today. It was rather persistent, actually.”

Her smile faded to a pensive frown. 

Lesso’s eyes darted to the doors leading to the antechamber and back to Dovey. “Have you paid any attention to the Storian lately?”

“I don’t typically pay it any mind. The words just tend to fade into background noise, if I’m honest.” Dovey confessed. 

Lesso gave her a noncommittal hum and poured herself another glass. 

“You’ll fill up before dinner.” Dovey said quietly, gesturing with her chin to the glass. 

Lesso knocked it back and shrugged. “I probably wasn’t going to dinner, anyway.” 

Dovey pierced her with a scrutinizing look. Her soulful eyes looked sad and the intensity of her stare made Lesso squirm. 

“Doesn’t that ever make you feel lonely?” She finally asked. 

Lesso swallowed thickly against the nausea that lurched in her throat. The question felt entirely too on the nose and she fought back the eerie feelings it provoked. 

“I am a Never, Dove. To be a Never is to be alone.” She rasped into the rim of her glass. 

“It doesn’t have to be.” Dovey replied simply. 

The fairy godmother rocked on her feet and cleared her throat. The silence settled heavily in the air and neither Dean knew how to move forward. 

“I am going to go freshen up before dinner.” Dovey finally said. “There’s always a seat for you next to me, if you change your mind.”

She offered one last smile and turned on her heel before striding through the door. 

Lesso nursed her glass for a few minutes more. Truthfully, dinner did not sound appealing in the slightest. The cacophony of students and staff in the crowded hall was enough to make her want to stab her own ears on a good day. And today certainly was not a good day. And yet, inexplicably, she did not want to disappoint the other woman…something she seemed to do every time she opened her mouth. 

No, today was scrapped already. She just wanted this nightmare to be over. Lesso eyed her empty glass and sighed deeply before placing it hard on the desk. No more. 

She glanced at the hideous clock and decided to take a walk. It was earlier than she had been, but she wanted some time alone at the lake before Dovey would inevitably come by. 

She forced herself out of the chair and into the rapidly approaching night. The sun was sinking behind the broad backdrop of the castles, casting hues of red and orange against the sky. Objectively, it was beautiful. But Lesso couldn’t be bothered to notice. 

Her legs carried her over the well-worn paths and to the edge of the lake. She sank heavily into the damp earth and glared at the softly rippling water. 

“Did you do this to me?” She asked the wish fish below, but her reflection staring back at her was the only thing that she saw. 

Lesso reached out a hesitant hand to the surface and let a slender finger break the tension. Again, Dovey’s glowing face formed in the magical glow of the wish fish. Her smile was soft and wistful. Lesso’s heart clenched at the almost sad look depicted in her eyes. It was the same look she gave her in their conversation earlier. 

“Nevers can’t love, you stupid fish.” She bit out angrily. 

The picture shifted then. She saw herself, unmistakable except for the glowing smile and twinkling eyes. Her likeness cradled Dovey’s face so gently and captured her lips in an unbreakable kiss. Dovey’s hands came up to cover her own and those sad eyes fluttered in pure bliss. 

Lesso gasped and snatched her hand from the water as if she had been burned. She stumbled back from the water’s edge and breathed in deep through her nose to quell the rising panic. 

“No. You know what, I don’t need to take life advice from a couple of enchanted guppies.” She snarled. 

Lesso continued grumbling and she stomped back to her chambers. The sun had long set behind the trees, and in the dark she careened into a warm body. 

“Fuck me, this happens way too often to be natural.” She groaned from the hard, cold ground of  the stone bridge. 

“Lesso! I’m so sorry! I was just on my way down to the lake and I was not watching where I was going.”

Concerned, Dovey stared down at her, offering a hand to help her up. 

“Nope!” Lesso shouted, hauling herself to her feet and brushing past Dovey. 

She practically sprinted up the invisible stairs and to the safety of her bedroom. Behind the closed door, she slid to the floor and bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a scream. She traced a finger over the fresh ink at her wrist, praying for answers. Slowly, and then all at once, she had an idea. 

“You can’t start the day over if you don’t sleep!” 

She lunged for the bedside table and was immediately grateful for the change in routine of the day’s morning. Her hands found the small clock, clutching it tightly to her chest. It was nearing eight PM. Only twelve hours to go before this hellscape would start over. 

She could manage that. 

Next Chapter - Chapter 4

Previous Chapter - Chapter 2