#ada and hecate follow her on a shared second place

[missadacackle]

Hi miss cackel 🤣🤣

Is miss camel your favourite character

Well met Sybil,

First of all, I have no idea who Miss Camel is, but maybe you could introduce me to her? She sounds kind ;) But no, I am not my favourite, it would be very selfish of me to favourite myself, don't you think?

Actually, my favourite is Agatha. Agatha has always been stronger than me and she is quite amazing. I still can't firgure out what for evil mother saw in her... In all honesty, She would be a great headmistress if I hadn't been asigned that place in the first place, and I really think she deserves better than what she got. Don't tell Miss Hardbroom I said that though 🤫🤫🤫 (If she asks, she is my favourite, of course 😉)

[refreshingly-original]

Firsts

It hadn’t been intentional. It never had been every time it happened before. It just happened and then it was as though she throw every bit of commonsense into the wind and watch it scatter to lands far away, only to return upon her mournful cries of friends lost. 

You see, Hecate was not always the distant, collected witch many knew her as today. 

Once, many years ago, before she settled at Cackles, she was different; free.

She grew up in a home where she was taught the importance of control, of both her magic and emotions. But when she left home for her studies, she left that behind, wanting to be open with those around her, wanting to have the ever lasting bonds with people outside her family like the characters in her books. She worked hard, making sure her grades were the highest they could possibly be, often times being the top of the class, but for the few friends she’d made, she made time so they could be together. As she grew, some friends faded away, others came into her life, but one always stayed. 

Pippa Pentangle. 

An extraordinary witch who was just so free with everything that Hecate couldn’t help but full in love with. She knew the second Pippa landed beside her in the courtyard at the beginning of their final term that she was in love with her and when her friend moved in to hug her, she had turned and pressed a firm kiss to the pale pink lips she’d been dreaming of since the previous term. 

Hecate’d had no fear of Pippa’s reaction, knowing even if her feelings weren’t returned, they’d never be held against her, at least by Pippa. But as she’d soon learn, once she fell, commonsense would flee. 

She’d been right about Pippa of course, while she didn’t return her feelings, she made sure it changed nothing between them. They still spent as much time together as they could, even sneaking into each others dorms for sleepovers after lights out. 

However the other girls who’d been in the court yard had seen, and every chance they got to tease and torment her about the kiss they did, but only when she was alone. After weeks of the constant reminder of her actions, Hecate finally gave in and sat down with her friend and told her of everything, crying without shame as she repeated some of the things her peers threw at her almost daily. 

The next few weeks were much nicer for Hecate, no one said anything to or about her, and she thanked Pippa by baking her favourite cake. Only she’d never managed to give it to her. She had been cornered by Pippa’s other friend and told rather bluntly to leave Pippa alone, that she couldn’t handle being around someone so obsessive any more. They’d up ended the cake on to her uniform as a final act of horridness and left, leaving her angry and confused with tears rolling down her face. 

She’d been heart broken, and wanting to not believe a word they’d said, she’d fled for Pippa’s room, wanting reassurance that everything they said was a lie. Only when she got to the door, she could hear the laughter coming from within from none other then the three girls who’d cornered her mere moments before. 

That night as she cried into her pillow, blankets twisted around her tightly, the wind blew in her open window. 

The next day, she decided to focus on her studies for the remaining months and cut off all contact with Pippa Pentangle. She vowed to herself that next time she fell in love, she’d be more careful. 

If only she’d managed to do so.

Her first year into witchy college and she fell for another student in the year above her. Annette. At first it’d been wonderful and wild and she forgot all about her promise to herself. But as the months flew by, she found herself falling more and more and Annette pulling away. It finally came to a head when not even four months in to the relationship she found Annette in bed with another and her world ripped to shreds by the uncaring words from dark purple lips.

“It’s not like we’re in love Hecate, it was only ever a bit of fun.”

After that she returned her focus to her studies, her pain only ever escaping at night after she’d set as many spells as she could manage to prevent others from hearing.

Her senses returned to her and for the following years after that, she stayed just a step back from everyone, not truly shutting herself off from her friends, but keeping her away from them, lest she go and fall in love again. With her attention shifted, she graduated at the top of her year and set out to enjoy the world before taking her place as Potions teacher at Cackles. 

She travelled that summer, rarely staying in one place long enough to settle, always looking for something new. The longest she stayed with anyone, which she regrets to this day, was with a witch she’d started travelling with after falling into bed with her. 

Bridget was different from everyone else she’d ever been with, both emotionally and physically. Bridget was older, and not looking for something permanent, which worked perfectly for Hecate as she had no wish to either. But as they moved from town to town, Hecate felt herself slip, just slightly. She should have payed more attention to it, but the affection and kindness from Bridget soothed the feeling of wrongness she felt and she forgot about it. 

But like all things, it came to an end, much worse then she’d previously experienced. 

She slipped up, her thoughts falling past her unwilling lips in a moment of passion. 

“I love you.”

She wasn’t even aware she’d fallen for a third time until that moment. It shocked her, but not nearly as much as the hand connecting with her face with a resound crack of skin on skin. She’d reeled back, her own hand coming up to cover the flaming area as tears stung her eyes. She said nothing as Bridget packed her things and left. She stayed standing, refusing to let any of the tears she felt gathering fall as she had done, until the sun rose the next morning. When there was enough light to fill the room she’d rented for the week, of which they’d only spent two nights, she turned around and waved her hand. In moments all but her quill and paper were packed, and she was left to sit at the small table and write a letter to her employer, alerting them to the fact that she would be their a few days early. 

It surprised her when she found herself at Cackles that evening. It was an even bigger surprise when she was greeted by not the Headmistress, but her daughter who had just taken up position of Deputy Headmistress, Ada Cackle. 

The hand print from Bridget was still visible, a bright red against her pale skin, but Ada said nothing of it, for which Hecate would be eternally grateful for; she knew if even one word was said about it, she break and that would not do, not anymore.

Years later, she would realise that that was her first misstep with Ada Cackle. 

The second was allowing her to join her that evening for a cup of tea before bed.

The third was letting her do it again the following night, and the one after that and the next.

It set a routine. One they rarely deviated from. 

It grew of course, with Ada slowly chipping away at the wall Hacate had built up the morning of her arrival at Cackles with occasional walks around the school grounds and shared desks in the library for research. Hecate came to anticipate the times they spent together. She grew fond of Ada and her oddly endearing love of cream cakes. 

It took her years of patiently waiting for Hecate to talk about anything other then her personal life. But when she did, the night after Ada took over as Headmistress officially and Hecate as Deputy, it was with an openness she hadn’t shown since Pippa. She thought for sure she’d find herself receiving the cold shoulder from Ada the following morning, she’d prepared herself for it, but it didn’t happen. Ada acted as she always did, warmly and with an honesty she had yet to see anywhere else. Throughout the day and into the night, Hecate was racked with nerves, wondering if it was now that Ada would come to her senses and realise that she was a mistake waiting to happen. But when it came time for their usual cup of tea, Ada came and sat, already talking a mile a minute about the budgets and how the numbers were dancing on the page once more, and Hecate relaxed. Nothing had changed between them. 

Another chip fell from her wall.

It continued like that, every so often with Hecate opening up and regretting it, only to accept it when Ada continued on as though nothing had happened. And every time, another piece fell form the wall that surround Hecates heart. 

On the night of her tenth year at Cackles, Hecate was sitting in Ada’s private lounge, enjoying the warmth of the fire, when she realised, mid way through her sentence that she was in love. With a horrible excuse, Hecate fled, transferring herself to her own rooms. She paced and paced and paced until the sun rose and paced some more after. She only left her rooms upon remembering she had students to teach. 

The poor dears didn’t know what happened, but she swore to herself she’d make it up to them.

Just as soon as she figured out how to stop loving their Headmistress.

She avoided Ada as much as possible, and she knew the only reason she managed it for as long as she did was because Ada herself was allowing her to get away with it. However, she knew soon enough even Ada’s patience would run out and she would come looking. So come Friday evening a week later, she set out the tea, and a plate of cream cakes, and waited for her guest to come knocking.

When she opened the door, she was very conscious of her actions. She reached out, taking hold of her hand as gently as she possibly could, just in case Ada wished to pull away, and pulled her inside her rooms. Without hesitation she shut the door, nudging her friend back to rest against it and leant down.

The kiss was short, barely a press of the lips, but it made Ada sigh so happily that Hecate found herself doing it again.

When she pulled back this time, she nervously waited for Ada’s reaction. 

“I love you too Hecate.”

It was the first time someone had said it back, and Hecate couldn’t have been happier that it was Ada who did it first. 

[shadowdianne]

Hicsqueak prompt : "Hey! I was gonna eat that."

Oneembarrassing amount of time later… Thanks for the prompt! I hope you like it!

A03 Version

Late enoughfor the moon to raise between slowly scattering clouds, the interior of Hecate’sheadquarters, albeit calm, were full of the golden hue of candlelight, itsgleam keeping the silver of the moon at bay.

Inside theoffice, with the gleam of the candles filtering beneath the door but finding nocurious students that could knock on the door, the untouched bed occupied alarge portion of it, followed up by the books that, pristine, waited patientlyto be the ones picked and occupy the place at the small yet functional  nightstand at the left of the bed. Thatnight, however, didn’t bring quiet reading and, as such, two witches werehunched atop their respective work. One of them seated at the office’s tableand the other comfortable seated at one of the two armchairs that had been arecent purchase.

Hecategrowled at the papers she was still marking, each number written on her angularhandwriting at one corner, black sinuous ink quietly arranging itself if shechanged her mind about the student’s work.

“Not doneyet?” Pippa Pentangle’s voice reached to Hecate as the tall woman picked up yetanother paper of the pile at her right, left fingers drumming on the watchthat, instead of hanging from her neck as usual, was now resting next to her, ina soft purple cushion. One she would pick it up as sun rose and another daybegan.

The blondewitch was still surrounded by her own pile of work. Less student’s papers andmore bureaucracy related, however, her pile wasn’t as imposing as Hecate and,one leg crossed over the other as she munched happily on a small doughnut, shelooked twice as relaxed as the other woman. Something Hecate was too close togrowl at before recomposing herself, back as straight as ever.

“I amstarting to think that I should talk with Ada on starting a class onhandwriting. Each day it passes these witches seem to have worse penmanshipthan the last.”

It camecloser to a whine than intended and Hecate bit down on the tip of her tongue;not appreciating how her tiredness was beginning to seep through. It wasn’tthat late, she thought, glancing at the clock at the silver numbers that winkedat her, cockily, for her to be this tired.

Albeit, avoice on her head whispered, it wasn’t tiredness what made her read and re-readeach line, sometimes unable to focus completely on the task at hand.

Pippa’slaughter woke her up from her reverie as the blonde bit gingerly on herdoughnut and shrugged, the pink and white camisole she wore almost slipping toone side as she did so.

“Are yousure that is what is bothering you?”

Hecatecould feel her nostrils flaring at the question, a small yet strong blushthreatening to claw up the collar of her dress. She, unlike Pippa, still neededto change.

The blondewitch was right, of course, that wasn’t what was bothering Hecate. Or, atleast, not as much as to make her unable to focus enough on each paper. Theculprit for that was precisely the other woman who, with a small tilt of herhead and blonde hair already down, looked like the proverbial cat about tocatch the mouse.

She hatedthat side of Pippa, her brain whispered somberly as she felt her fingers twitchthat she didn’t hate it, still holding her pen, her magic bubbling just alittle too close to the surface. A side that had been there when they had beenkids but not as strong, not as rooted on her. Years, another voice added, didthat to people; made them capable of seeing what as children weren’t able to.

And,precisely because of that Hecate knew that Pippa’s new rule of trying to betogether every other month, sharing headquarters and playing with her like afiddle was a way to make her a mumbling idiot.

She couldalmost see it on Pippa’s eyes, the challenge there that never disappeared, nomatter if they were alone of not. The glow calling for her as Pippa managed tosneak a caress in front of both students and colleges, the trepidation when theblonde kissed her goodbye, far too close to her lips.

“I know you want this.” She could hear the words. “But I won’t make it easy for you.”

Coughing asshe realized she had been staring at the other witch for far too long, Hecate chastisedherself, coming back to the present. Mind out of the gutter. That had been arule she had imposed herself when Pippa had begun the game, small smilescurving lips Hecate found more and more dragged to with every new conversation.

Just asthey were kids, perhaps, but different. A good kind of different maybe, onethat made Hecate burn with want.

“Hecate?”

Thebrunette blinked, realizing that she, yet again, had lost herself on her musings.Ears way too hot, she pointed feebly at the doughnut that, half-eaten was stillon the other woman’s hand.

“I’m justworried about crumbs.” She muttered, and she saw the way Pippa’s eyes narrowedjust slightly at her words. “I’ll never understand how you like these things…too much sugar.”

The blondeglanced at the doughnut, falling silent for a second, making Hecate think thatmaybe, maybe, she was going to be able to return to her papers, grade them andgo to sleep without being subjected to more teasing. She, of course, was wrong.

Standingfrom the armchair and putting her papers aside with one small burst of magic,the blonde approached her, sauntering almost until she could look at her,inches above her as Hecate was still at the desk, pen so tightly clutched shefeared for its integrity.

Gorgeous,her mind provided as she stared at the camisole the blonde wore, the way it letHecate think of curves and skin. Temptress, her more rational side muttered toher. An epithet she wasn’t sure Pippa would have any problems with it.

The aforementionedblonde simply smirked at her and held the doughnut close to Hecate’s lips,enough for her to almost taste the sugar on them.

“Come on,try it.” She said, mirth on her voice. “One bite. Only one and I will clean allthe crumbs.”

Licking herlips, the brunette tried to look away, only for the sweet to follow her everytime she tried to move away. It wasn’t threatening, she thought, but just likePippa’s continuous flirting, it was relentless.

A flirtingshe didn’t mind having, her less rational side added, sounding too much likeher younger self when she had realized that she, in fact, wanted to be the onewho kissed Pippa under the mistletoe that year. A stupid idea that hadn’t been fulfilled.

She couldfeel her magic still buzzing, strong enough for Pippa’s one to realize it,close as she was. Cursing that and a transfer spell always at the ready, shestared directly at the blonde’s eyes, shuddering as she saw the unadulterated desirethat floated there before Pippa masked it away. She wasn’t the only one feelingat the edge then, she realized it.

“I don’tlike sweets.” She said, and she wondered if that was their thing, speak on riddlesand just want for the other to keep on dancing.

Pippa huffedat that, rolling her eyes with her free hand crossed just below her chest, thecamisole’s fabric bunching up as she did so. Something Hecate tried her hardestnot to look at.

“That’s a lie and we both know it. You used toadore eating candy when you thought no one was looking. You had that horriblestomach ache back when we were 13, don’t you…”?

Hecateshook her head, remembering all too well that night, the first of many in whereboth she and Pippa had shared a bed, going against every rule about curfewsthat existed on their school, giggling even with the ache clawing at herinsides.

She wonderedif Pippa also remembered the night in the same fashion she did. Coward, herless rational voice whispered. You know that she does.

Brushingher fingers against the paper she had been grading as she put the pen down, sherose her hand, palm up, and tried to feign as much annoyance as possible.

“Fine,Pippa.” She muttered, quickly. “Give it to me.”

A tastewouldn’t be that bad, would it? She shot at the rational part of her mind, theone that, sternly, looked at her from one corner of her brain. A taste of whatexactly? Shot back the voice but Hecate couldn’t answer to that. Apparently,Pippa didn’t as well because, after a few seconds of amazement, the blonde tooka step back, enough to let Hecate stand as the brunette realized, still seated,and put the doughnut away.

“No, I don’t want to anymore.”

Hecatesighed, she knew that there it was the moment in where their game tended tostop until the next time Pippa felt like playing. A silent challenge and callto her, telling her to be the one who pushed the boundaries, to step furtheraway from them. She never moved further and, as such, Pippa moved away andwaited, knowledge on her eyes and a gentle smile on her lips.

It was,perhaps, the lateness of the night, the camisole or just the way Pippa hadn’tstill moved away but Hecate felt the name of the blonde rising through herthroat, exploding just above her mouth, parting her lips.

“Pippa…”

Question orplea, the doughnut appeared back in front of her, taunting her in a way thatmade Hecate arch a brow and glance at the now beaming blonde. A bite, shethought, a small bite and then she would…

Would what?Her rational side seethed.

Pushing itaway, she reached for the doughnut, opening her mouth while not once lookingaway from Pippa, taking into the way the blonde’s magic was positively bubblingand seizing inside the other woman’s chest strong enough for her to sense it.

Which wasenough distraction for her to realize just as she closed her mouth around thepastry that it had been magicked away.

“I wasgoing to eat that!” She protested as Pippa burst out laughing.

“Really?”The blonde’s eyes turned darker once again, lopsided smirk hanging from herlips.

Hecategrowled.

“Pippa.”She breathed again, and the blonde softened her eyes, presenting her the pastryjust as Hecate, finally, rose from the chair, towering slightly over the otherwoman. She felt about to burst, and she could feel her magic pulling her skintaut on several places, making her mouth feel like sandpaper as she glanced betweenthem, close enough and yet not really.

The pastry,as Hecate found out and would never admit it to a soul, was delicious.

Pippa’slips, however, were better.