Cackles Academy for Witches (Shadow and Natalie)

"Indeed...but...are you more human than you were...when you had the two streaks?" Natalie asked.

Shadow nodded thoughtfully.
"And no magic." She muttered. "That isn't good."

"I can help with that...temporarily...you can share my magic...til you get your own back..." said Natalie, handing Shadow her wand, "I can do wandless magic...I learnt from the best."
Natalie grinned at Shadow.

Shadow shook her head.
"I know this place, I can get something to fight with."

With those words, she strode off into one of the linking corridors.

Natalie pocketed her wand, and followed Shadow.

Shadow looked into several rooms before finding the one she was looking for. She unhooked a leather cross harness from the wall, and chose two curved blades. She felt better now she was armed with something she knew how to wield.

Natalie grinned.
"Ah...yes...your old friends..." said Natalie, grinning.

"Exactly." Shadow said with a smile.

Natalie smiled back.
She looked at Tomorrow, who had stopped crying and was looking at Shadow with beautiful green eyes.

"Now, I have to take down my father AGAIN." Shadow said, not looking at all happy at the prospect.

"Mmm...not that bad...you have help..." said Natalie.
She looked down at Tomorrow and laughed.
"I've never seen her look at anyone that hard in my life..." Natalie commented.
Tomorrow giggled quietly.
"Tomorrow...I have no time to chart this in the baby book at the moment...but I'm sure auntie Shadow will remind me of your first laugh when all this is over," muttered Natalie to the child.

"Ok." Shadow said, and smiled at the baby. "We'd better get you two back to the academy. You'll be looked after there."

"I'm not going back without you Shadow Roth..." said Natalie firmly, "I will...however...let you take the child back..."

Shadow ground her teeth.
"This is not going to be easy, this is not going to be fun. I can't even guarentee that you'll come out the other side unscathed, or even ALIVE."

"I know all that...and I know I could get hurt...and I know I could die...but I'm not looking for fun...I'm looking to obtain your right Shadow...your right to freedom of grief..." said Natalie with nobility (If that's a word)

(it is)

Shadow bit her lip.
"I can't express how dangerous this is."

"I know...and yet I do not care Shadow...you need to understand that...and if it all goes badly...and we...both die...then...Tomorrow goes to Holly...see...someone will love her...she doesn't really...um...know me yet...how much can a child know in two months?" Natalie sighed slightly.

"Depends on the blood of the child." Shadow said. She frowned. It wasn't that she didn't want Nat to come, it was that she couldn't be sure that she had it in her power to keep Nat safe.

Natalie read Shadow's mind.
"I don't want to be safe...if you aren't safe..." said Natalie quietly.

Shadow snorted.
"I'm never safe Nat."

"Still...you know what I mean..." said Natalie.

Shadow turned her back to walk away.
"Nat, you will go back to the academy. Look after Tomorrow."

"No...I will leave Tomorrow back with Miss Cackle...then I shall accompany you on whatever has to be done...and that's the final word...I will not leave you...do you hear me Shadow Roth?" Natalie said firmly.

Shadow sighed.
"I agree, but there will come a time where you must leave me. I will tell you to leave at that point, and I expect you to obey. Do you understand this?"

"Depends how much peril you are in..." mumbled Natalie.