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Early Morning, Run Distractions

Posted on Sun Dec 1st, 2024 @ 21:46 by Phoebe Hunter & Magali Isebeart

Chapter: Besieged
Location: History Classroom 2, Avalon Institute
Timeline: 3rd of February, 1993
1290 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

A jaunty whistle sounded from the classroom as the teacher approached. It was very early in the morning, before all the students woke up, and one of the school's caretakers was doing her job; cleaning and dusting all the classrooms every night and morning before the hubbub of activity of school life took over. She enjoyed her job, ever since starting several months earlier, at the start of the school year. It helped to be a night owl, she would say.

Phoebe yawned as she looked at the clock on the wall that was saying 04:00. She had tried to sleep longer but her brain was not having it so she decided that training in the gym would be a good way to set herself up for the day. It was only when she got to the gym did she remembered where she left her water bottle and had to retrieve it from her classroom.

From inside the classroom the whistling had taken on a familiar tune, one of the pop songs that were hot in the charts at that moment. The sound of a broom sweeping, along with footsteps - though far from regular footsteps, these were the clicks of talons on the ancient, wooden floor of the classroom. When Phoebe walked in the source of all the sound halted, the jaunty whistle ending in a curious, questioning note. "Oh! Miss Hunter. Sorry, I would've been done already, but I got delayed," the strange woman with the sharp features, large bird-like clawed fee and head of fluffy, tan and sand colored feathers offered.

"Phoebe please." The redhead assured quickly offering a smile. She did not often see the woman around the castle but she was not in any shape or form going to let the woman address her as Miss when they were all on the same level in her opinion. She had once in training worked in a school where the staff had looked down on non-teaching staff. "And do not be silly Magali. I am here early looking for a missing bottle." She said pointing to the bright pink bottle that was lying on her desk.

"There's one," Maggie offered a smile, mimicing the same gesture. "So, how's life treating you?" the owl coded mutant asked, kneeling down to sweep up some dust and dirt into a dustpan, being almost done with this classroom. Only two more to go before she was done.

"Not too bad. How are you doing?" Life was easy for her she was able to pass through a crowd and pass for a normal person compared to other mutants that she knew. She was lucky and knew that it was a big privilege in their community.

"I am doing alright, thank you for asking," Magali replied easily. Ears flicked, though remaining perked and attentive. "Just finishing up. Yours is the last one, so when I'm done here I've got the rest of the day to myself," Truth be told this left her always feeling uncertain what to do with herself. Other than her brews and reading a sappy romance novel she didn't really have many hobbies to speak of.

"And what do you do with your day?" The history teacher said moving her seat to sit down to listen to the other woman more. It would be nice to hear what someone did with their day when it was the opposite end of the day to her.

"Uhm - " Magali halted, surprised at the question. Truth be told, she didn't do much of note. Not because she didn't want to do more interesting things, but because all through her life she'd had to live secluded away and it just sort of grew into a force of habit. "I, uh ... Maintain my tools. Clean my own room. Read a book. When I'm feeling particularly brave I brave the cold and go outside for a walk, when it's quiet out."

"Well, when you want to go for a walk next I would love to join you," Phoebe said thinking that the woman could do with some company if she was not doing much else. "What tools?" She asked intrigued wondering if it was the cleaning equipment or if there was more.

Magali held up her old broom and bucket, both obviously the victims of age and wear, but repaired again and again. "Uh, these to begin with," she smiled sheepishly. Which was kind of a trick for an owl mutant like herself. "And I've got a few toolcases of general tools for general maintenance. Knives, chisels, shears and saws that need sharpening. Carpenter's angles, rules and compasses that need truing. Measuring tools that need calibrating, things like that."

"You do it all yourself?" Phoebe asked her run forgotten for talking to someone she did not get the opportunity to often. "That is impressive."

"I grew up on a farm," The owl-lady janitor admitted with a shrug. "Out there, maintaining your own tools is just what you do. Too much bother going to town if something isn't working right, and oftentimes we couldn't afford replacements either. That's how you learn a skill, I suppose."

"A farm? That must have been different. Was it like a big old-fashioned farm or something more machined?" She wondered now intrigued how the woman had ended up in the highlands of Scotland and no longer on the farm. Phoebe had no skills like that, she would be no help rewiring anything or repairing.

"Medium sized, I'd say," Maggie offered. "It was a mixed produce farm. Wheat and live stock. Free-roaming cows. So we had a few tractors, an old combine, some cars, barns and machinery - all of which needed maintenance."

Phoebe had never been on a farm like that but she passed them often on the motor ways around Oxford and London before she had come up to Scotland. "That is impressive. Maybe you could teach William to use more machinery." Phoebe found herself teasing thinking of the man who still did a lot of the work by hand thanks to waking up many centuries in the future from where he had been born.

"I haven't really spoken with William much since arriving a few months ago," Magali admitted, looking thoughtful. "But if you think it's a good idea then I can offer to teach him how to use machinery. I'll start simple, of course. One doesn't readily skip a few centuries of technological development."

"He had been awake a few years I am sure you do not need to start too simple." Phoebe prompted as she yawned. "I have no idea how you do these nights Magali." Early mornings and late nights were starting to get to her.

"It's what I'm used to," Maggie smiled. "Some would call me a night owl," she added with a soft giggle, amused at her own joke. "I'll get in touch with William then, and go from there. Do you know where I could most easily find him without interfering with his own work?"

Phoebe was used to hard work but had not burned her candle at both ends in a while. "His cottage. He is awake from dawn so you might be able to catch him before you rest." The woman offered smiling at the owl joke. It was a cute joke that suited the woman.

"I'll go find him right away then, after putting my things away," Magali offered with a little bow of her head. "Thank you, miss Hunt - .. Phoebe," An apologetic smile from the owl-styled woman, "and I'll get out of your way. It was very nice talking with you, as always, and I'll see you around I'm sure," and with that Maggie started towards the door.

 

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